Crystal Cruises is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year with new high-tech and earth-friendly programs, for clients and for agents. In one of the biggest changes, the two-ship luxury line is adding a flexible dining option starting in January, although it will maintain the traditional two-seating dinner for guests who prefer to sit at the same table every night. Other improvements include an online check-in site, personalized Crystal agent web addresses, a sustainable seafood pledge, charitable and voluntourism programs and new iMac workstations in the onboard computer lab. The line also is working on a dry-dock renovation for Crystal Serenity in May and exploring the possibility of developing its own onboard water bottling plants.

These improvements are taking place as the line maintains its aggressive pricing promotion on all 2011 bookings. The incentives include two-for-one fares, free economy air (business-class for Penthouse guests) and up to $2,000 “All Inclusive-As You Wish” shipboard credit.

The new programs were announced during Crystal’s 20th Annual Sales Gala, which honored 60 top-selling travel agents and 15 international sales reps. The event took place June 14-18 on Crystal Symphony as it sailed roundtrip from Dover, England, to the British Isles. Top executives who sailed were open about how tough the past year has been.

Crystal President Gregg Michel says the line instituted those aggressive promotions last September to counter the drop in business in late 2008 and 2009. “That’s when things really took off,” he says during an interview. “Things were going well up until about six weeks ago [early May].” Suddenly, a volcanic ash over the Atlantic, economic problems in Greece, airline strikes and volatile financial markets “put a lot of uncertainty into consumers. After a while, it affects people’s purchasing decision patterns. It certainly gives them an excuse to wait and see.”