The ultra-luxury line will launch Crystal Grace as well as two more similarly sized ships in the next eight years.

Crystal Grace, the line's first new build vessel for 25 years, will carry up to 690 passengers. It will be delivered in May 2028 before its inaugural voyage on 11 June.

Matias Lira, Crystal Cruises' senior vice president of trade sales for the Americas, UK and EMEA, told TTG there would be a series of preview cruises across a seven-day period before its launch.

Luke Smith, Crystal's vice-president of sales, UK and EMEA, confirmed: "I would suggest that with it being the first Crystal ship to launch for 25 years or so these events will likely be the biggest events that we've ever done for the UK trade.

"From my perspective, the UK trade is such a huge focus and it's pivotal to everything that I want to achieve. Agents therefore need to see the product. It will be a push but we want to take a record-breaking number."

He added: "I do not think that we've ever hosted more than 30 UK travel agents at a trade event. I will be looking to triple that."

Meanwhile, Lira said travel agents were enjoying selling Crystal's ships due to how they had a similar design and structure.

"Travel agents are loving it because normally the biggest problem is new ships are so innovative," Lira explained. "There may be one restaurant on one ship but not on the sister ships.

"With Crystal, if you sell one ship, you can sell them all. It's all about the destinations for the customers. The trade is really enjoying the fact that we're not coming up with super left field ship designs. It's an easy sell for advisers."

He added: "You can be a hermit crab or a social butterfly on our ships. We will be launching three ocean ships in the next eight years. We're keeping 650 passengers but the remarkable thing is we're keeping them the same size. There is tons of space for passengers to roam about."

Crystal Grace will join Crystal Symphony and Crystal Serenity, the last new build Crystal ship to launch in 2003, in the fleet.