Crystal Cruises caters to late risers

Quiet morning spot on Deck 11 of the Crystal Symphony

Late risers on cruises no longer have to worry about coming home from vacation feeling tired from early morning wakeup calls

The Crystal Cruises line has come up with a unique amenity for luxury cruisers: relief from the dreaded early morning wake-up call.

The new Late-Risers Adventures, a first in the industry, allows passengers the opportunity to overcome jet lag or catch up on lost sleep without missing out on the fun of curated excursions at different ports.

Shore excursions on Crystal as well as many other cruise lines typically begin as early as 8 a.m., but starting with sailings on the Crystal Serenity (Sept. 19 from Boston to Quebec) and the Crystal Symphony (Sept. 27 from Hamburg to Lisbon), passengers will be able to sleep in and take advantage of excursions scheduled as late as 11 a.m. or noon.

“We are always exploring ways to enhance and evolve our guests’ vacations, whether it is onboard or with shore experiences,” said Edie Rodriquez, Crystal Cruises president and chief operating officer. “Most cruise ship shore excursions leave in the morning, causing guests to choose between doing the activity or sleeping in and starting the day at a leisurely pace.”

Late risers won’t have to miss out on breakfast either because the new excursion schedule complements the line’s Late-Risers Breakfasts, which are served between 10 and 11:30 a.m.

Late-Risers tours will be available on select Crystal itineraries throughout the world. Having this flexibility to wake up according to your own body rhythms sounds like one way to take a vacation and not return feeling like you need one.

For more information and Crystal reservations, contact a travel agent, call 888-722-0021 or visit crystalcruises.com.

[This article was previously published in the Chicago Tribune on September 9, 2014.]