Cruise Lifestyle: First hypoallergenic cabins at sea

By Shaun Ebelthite on August 18, 2013 • ( Leave a comment )

There’s no better feeling than slipping into bed on a cruise ship. The fresh, crisp sheets, the gentle hum of the air-conditioning and ship’s engines, perhaps the occasional creak of a bulk head if you’re cruising through rough weather, but, imagine if you knew that those sheets were 100 per cent microorganism free, that the air coming out the AC was specially purified and that all surfaces in the room had been truly eliminated of germs using products that wouldn’t set off your allergies? Welcome aboard Crystal Cruises.

Crystal Symphony in port in Dubai

The industry’s first hypoallergenic staterooms will be debuted aboard Crystal Serenity following her November refit.

Crystal Cruises, the Japan-based luxury cruise line, has announced in an industry first that they will be featuring the first hypoallergenic staterooms aboard any cruise ship. The new feature will be made available aboard their cruise liner Crystal Serenity in November, 2013 when the ship goes into dry-dock for what Crystal Cruises are calling an “extreme makeover”.

Hypoallergenic is commonly used when describing certain breeds of pet that are known to cause the least allergic reactions in humans, but has become synonymous with a certain type of room featuring low allergy linens, purified air and superior ventilation.

“Imagine returning to your room after a full day ashore in a bustling city like Rome or Bangkok, and then slipping into your purified sanctuary of ultra-clean air and hypoallergenic bedding,” says Jack Anderson, Crystal’s Senior Vice President of Marketing and Sales.

“For guests who suffer from allergies, have mild respiratory issues such as asthma, or who simply desire a respite from the air quality in many cities, these staterooms will become a haven of fresh air – for no additional cost.”

Effectively, the hypoallergenic cabins aboard Crystal Serenity will be a god-send for sensitive allergy sufferers as well as cruise guests who find that they often develop chesty coughs and colds during cruises due to the prolonged exposure to air-conditioning and recycled air.

Which makes Cruise Arabia wonder if Crystal Cruises may be setting a new trend that, like air-conditioning (which was a privilege only for first class back in the day), may become standard across the cruise industry in time.

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All 70 ‘AA’ balcony cabins aboard Serenity will be made entirely hypoallergenic by PURE Marine Solutions

During her dry-dock, Serenity’s current 70 ‘AA’ balcony cabins will be transformed into a hypoallergenic haven by PURE Global’s sister company PURE Marine Solutions, who specialise in hypoallergenic rollout at sea. The company uses the only hypoallergenic process patented and proven to deliver a safe and healthy environment through a seven-step air and surface purification process to remove allergens and reduce the risk of common irritants. The rooms will be designated as P1 and P2 suites once the process is complete.

Achieving such low levels of impurities in a room requires significant work and permanent equipment upgrades, such as a state-of-the art medical grade air purifier, which continually filters out 99.9 per cent of impurities and dust. Listed by the FDA as a Class II Medical Device, PURE’s state-of-the-art system is 150 times more efficient than HEPA and proven to eliminate almost 100 per cent of organisms from the air. As part of Crystal Cruises plans to become an all-inclusion cruise line through 2012, it is welcome news that these staterooms will not come at any additional cost for guests that require them.

The cabins will be made hypoallergenic through two phases: Disinfection initially and maintenance in the long-term. In the first phase, each cabin’s air handling systems (heat and air-conditioning), including fan blades, condensation lines, and drop pans, are thoroughly cleaned and disinfected using PURE’s advanced treatment. Every surface of the room, including furniture, curtains, and carpeting, is then thoroughly cleaned and sanitised using special vacuums and a patented PURE cleaning solution that disintegrates bio films and maximises removal of dirt and bacteria that allude traditional cleaners. PURE Marine Solutions then subjects the room to what they call ‘High Ozone Shock Treatment’, which eliminates particles, viruses and germs, as well as odours from the cabin.

Serenity’s housekeeping staff will be trained on how to maintain the hypoallergenic cabins and PURE Marine Solutions will re-condition the cabins every six months

Phase two, involving prevention and maintenance, sees a patented bacteriostatic barrier applied on everything in the cabin expect soft furnishings. This repels new microorganisms from growing for up to two years – these sanitized conditions are then maintained by a PURE Tea Tree Oil Cartridge, which is safe even for scent allergy sufferers and placed strategically to maintain the sanitised conditions working in tandem with the air purifier. Each cabin will then be dressed with allergy-friendly mico-fibre, mono-filament bedding from mattresses and pillows to duvets and pillow cases. Crystal Cruises’ housekeeping staff will be trained on the daily maintenance of the rooms and PURE specialists will re-service the rooms every six months.

All that for no additional cost from Crystal Cruises? The age of lifestyle enhancement at sea has truly arrived.