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00:00She's the most luxurious hotel at sea.
00:03We go way above the extraordinary.
00:06Bon appétit.
00:08Crystal Serenity travels the world
00:10with a shipload of demanding and wealthy passengers.
00:13Seafood, lobster, shrimp, crab claws, everything what you like.
00:17Wonderful.
00:18They expect smooth sailing,
00:20but on this trip, her crew will face monumental challenges...
00:25Tell him to move it.
00:26..and stare down sudden dangers.
00:28Everything should be clear.
00:30There is a point of no return.
00:40The super luxury liner Crystal Serenity
00:43has few equals on the seven seas.
00:46Generally, cruise ships travel the same route every two weeks,
00:50but Crystal Serenity visits different destinations
00:53all year round.
00:55And will dock at the same international port
00:58only once in two years.
01:00At 250 metres in length, with 13 decks,
01:04Crystal Serenity rivals most mid-size luxury cruise ships
01:08on the planet.
01:13From vintage champagne,
01:14to Egyptian cotton linens,
01:17to butlers attending the 33 penthouse suites.
01:21Crystal Serenity offers luxury service
01:24and the most sophisticated food,
01:27all at a price.
01:29For example, the gold leaves, the edible gold.
01:31This is most probably worth about $1,000.
01:35The motto of this ship is never say no.
01:40And no-one feels the pressure to dazzle the passengers
01:43quite so much as Captain Klaus.
01:45He is the captain of a cruise ship
01:47that is the world's largest cruise ship.
01:50And he feels the pressure to dazzle the passengers
01:53quite so much as Captain Glenn Edwardson.
01:56OK, very good.
02:03They don't see the problems or the difficulties and challenges
02:06in the logistics that we have.
02:08And they're not interested to hear about it either.
02:10We just need to deliver the best of the best.
02:13That's what they expect.
02:15She's a passenger in one of the world's most spectacular ports,
02:19Sydney, Australia.
02:21In just eight hours, she's scheduled to set sail
02:24on a 19-day cruise called Sunset to Skyscrapers.
02:29Just one leg of a special three-month round-the-world tour.
02:36At this moment, it looks like there's going to be
02:38a little bit of strong wind.
02:39The 9,400-kilometre route will follow the coast of Australia,
02:43ending in at Melbourne, Adelaide and Fremantle.
02:48Then Crystal Serenity will head toward the equator
02:50and the ports of Bali, Semarang and finally Singapore.
02:59But before she casts off, Crystal Serenity's crew
03:03must load everything she'll need for the voyage.
03:06All stamped and signed.
03:08Thank you very, very much.
03:09Took off his itch.
03:11Her attention to quality starts right on the dock.
03:15They are fantastic.
03:17That's where hotel stores manager Stefan Hoenegg
03:20oversees every item before it's accepted on board.
03:27When it comes to the produce, especially the fresh items,
03:30we are looking for the highest, for the best quality.
03:36Very good taste.
03:38One of the best strawberries I had in a long time.
03:41Executive chef Franz Weiss will squeeze, taste, poke and smell
03:46everything that enters the ship's kitchens.
03:49When they're firm, they're just very big.
03:52Those are definitely not nice.
03:56The food on this ship has to pass his highly discerning sniff test.
04:01The whole store fish.
04:03Excellent.
04:05While the provisioning continues,
04:07the real precious cargo begins to arrive.
04:13Passengers on this cruise expect exceptional service
04:16because they've paid through the nose for the experience.
04:19We want to give them as much attention as we can as well.
04:22Very personal.
04:26On this voyage, the ship is carrying 696 passengers
04:30and 629 crew members.
04:32Welcome. That way, please.
04:35That's almost one crew member for every guest.
04:47For this voyage, prices on Crystal Serenity
04:50start at an eye-watering, all-inclusive $15,000.
04:55But passengers who are on the cruise
04:57in one of the 120-square-metre Crystal Penthouse suites
05:01pay half a million dollars for a three-month world cruise.
05:05For that kind of money, everything on board has to be perfect.
05:09Even the anchors.
05:11Now, do we have any connection with them?
05:155pm. Crystal Serenity is due to set sail in just one hour.
05:20But there's a major hold-up.
05:21OK.
05:22Her fuel tanks are enormous.
05:24It's nearly impossible to fill them up
05:26in smaller, remote ports like Bali.
05:29So Crystal Serenity has to take on enough fuel here in Sydney
05:33to last all the way to Singapore.
05:35But the bunker barge bringing the final top-off is late.
05:41We need to leave on time here
05:42because we're holding up a lot of other traffic,
05:45both inbound and outbound.
05:47So we need to be on time.
05:48We need to be on time.
05:50Many people are signing up?
05:51Yes, many people.
05:53OK, have a nice day.
05:54It's not only the captain who must anticipate tricky situations.
05:59I will try my best.
06:00How is everything here?
06:01Fabulous.
06:02Fabulous.
06:03The man in charge of everything service-related
06:06is hotel director Joseph Lumetzberger.
06:09He's the man in charge of everything service-related.
06:13He's the man in charge of everything service-related.
06:16He's the man in charge of everything service-related.
06:21Whenever something goes wrong, you can blame it on me.
06:24It doesn't matter what it is.
06:25Some of the others are not perfect either.
06:29Joseph is so exacting that he's trained his staff
06:32to alert him to even a tiny carpet tear.
06:36Nobody complains to the captain.
06:38They all come to me and want their money back.
06:41It's now 6.30.
06:43Crystal Serenity is half an hour late for her scheduled departure.
06:48Not a moment too soon, the bunker barge finally arrives
06:52and the engineers rush to top up the 16,000 tonnes of fuel
06:56they'll need to make it to Singapore.
07:01Measuring in at 250 metres in length, 32 metres across
07:06and nearly 68,000 gross tonnes,
07:09Crystal Serenity is taking up prime Sydney Harbour docking space.
07:13So they're really anxious that we should be out of here
07:16as soon as possible.
07:18The captain must cast off now.
07:21This vessel is on the verge of causing a massive traffic jam
07:24as 25 other ships jockey for position in Sydney Harbour.
07:31All lines on deck, forward.
07:36That's good, Captain.
07:39Almost immediately, the captain faces a tricky manoeuvre.
07:44See, the problem is we don't fit under the bridge.
07:46The famous Sydney Harbour bridge looms straight in the path
07:49of Crystal Serenity as she backs up to execute a three-point turn.
07:54The bottom of the bridge sits 50 metres above the water.
07:57Crystal Serenity rises 51 metres high.
08:01If she then caps the bridge,
08:03she'll have to make a three-point turn
08:05and rises 51 metres high.
08:07If she ventures too close,
08:09she'll collide with the underside of the span.
08:12Oof! Are you kidding?
08:14Captain Edwardson guides his vessel with such delicate moves,
08:18his passengers on the open deck don't realise
08:21there's more at stake than a brilliant photo op.
08:28Just when it seems as if the ship is about to collide,
08:31the captain and harbour pilot
08:33engage the ship's propellers to move forward,
08:36safely avoiding a nasty encounter with the bridge.
08:45As Crystal Serenity sails past the iconic opera house,
08:49it's a special moment for the guests aboard.
08:54But Captain Edwardson can't relax.
08:56He still has to navigate the traffic in Sydney Harbour.
09:00Sydney Harbour is not like one straight line.
09:02There is a lot of manoeuvring.
09:04Some places are narrow and there is current.
09:07There's a lot of things to pay attention to.
09:09And when you cruise the whole world,
09:11no passage through harbour is routine.
09:16Almost every port is like a new port for you
09:18when you haven't been here for so long.
09:20This is only the beginning.
09:22Over the next two and a half weeks,
09:24Crystal Serenity will be forced to navigate shallow reefs
09:27and dangerous harbours,
09:29challenges that will push her crew to the limit.
09:39It's day two of a 19-day cruise from Sydney to Singapore,
09:43the standout leg of an around-the-world tour
09:46on the luxury liner Crystal Serenity.
09:49She's sailing the Tasman Sea,
09:5119 kilometres off the coast of Australia.
09:54She's heading for Bali and Singapore eventually,
09:57with stops along the way in three Australian cities.
10:00Morning, ma'am. How are you?
10:02Morning. I'm very well, thank you. Nice to see you.
10:04That looks very nice.
10:06Onboard Crystal Serenity, it's never too early for champagne.
10:09Are you going to come and have a look at Hubert's jewellery?
10:12Of course I am. You know I am.
10:14At the ship's jewellery boutique,
10:16the well-heeled guests start their day contemplating purchases
10:20like this $600,000 Hubert Gesser diamond ring.
10:24South American opal inside here.
10:26All the beads here are all sapphire.
10:28It's absolutely beautiful.
10:30I'm not taking this off, I'm keeping it.
10:33Go and find my husband!
10:38Meanwhile, below deck, hotel director Joseph Lumetzberger
10:42deals with all the unseen details that continually need attention.
10:51Like hand-pressing the laundry of the penthouse guests.
11:01And none of the crew wants to burn a hole in a designer outfit.
11:16Meet Ural Korkmaz.
11:18He's one of the personal butlers assigned to the penthouse suites.
11:26Today he's transforming the penthouse of passengers
11:29Margot and Robert Feinberg for a private party.
11:32Seafood, lobster, shrimp, crab claws, everything what you like.
11:35Wonderful.
11:39So basically it takes one week planning slowly, slowly, you know.
11:45It takes the skills of a diplomat to be a butler on board this ship.
11:50We'll be on here for 94 days and they'll never say no.
11:54I wish my wife would listen to that.
11:58We don't say the no, of course,
12:00but sometimes, let's say, some things we don't have.
12:03We try our very best. I think it's the most important thing
12:06if the guests realize that we are trying.
12:10While the Feinbergs enjoy Ural's service,
12:15out on the pool deck things are not going well
12:17for the guests who want to swim today.
12:23A crew member has discovered pool water leaking into the casino below.
12:27And that's a major headache for the vice-captain Nedad Wilheim
12:30and the hotel director.
12:34It's full of water everywhere.
12:35So when you open up here, there will be water in there.
12:38It's all full of water.
12:41On a day like this, the crew can't afford to keep the pool closed for long
12:45or they'll have some pretty unhappy guests on their hands.
12:50It's difficult to do any lap swimming when there's no water in the pool.
12:55So I guess I'm not going to do it today.
12:58There's a broken drain line to be fixed first.
13:06The maintenance crew will have to squeeze through a narrow air duct
13:09to locate the break.
13:11They've got orders to get the pool back up and running
13:13in less than two hours.
13:16Push it up.
13:19Luckily, there's other activities to keep the guests happy.
13:26On any given cruise, half are repeat passengers.
13:30Guests and staff become like family to each other.
13:39So much so that the Feinbergs are throwing this early cocktail party
13:42in honour of the entertainers on board.
13:48We're serving you today.
13:51The caviar, the lobster and the Cristal champagne.
13:56I love you too.
13:59All the while, hidden from passenger view,
14:01the maintenance crew pushes hard
14:03to fix that broken drain line from the pool.
14:07Let us know when you're finished and we can still have the pool.
14:12Hot sun, no water, not a good mix.
14:15But finally, they can refill the pool
14:18and Josef Lumitzberger can heave a sigh of relief.
14:23Half the pool was emptied.
14:25So we were lucky that somebody saw it right away
14:27and we could stop it from flooding the entire casino.
14:30As they clean up the casino, the captain cleans up too.
14:34On this ship, partying is a duty.
14:37The navigation is the most important part of a captain's job.
14:41But it's 10% of my job.
14:43Captain Edvardsson is throwing a cocktail party of his own
14:46for the penthouse guests.
14:51Socialising with the passengers
14:53is a vital part of the captain's job description.
14:58Especially on a world cruise, like we are on now,
15:01because these people I know very well from before,
15:03they have a lot of expectations, they want to meet me again.
15:06Ladies and gentlemen, on board of Crystal Serenity,
15:08we are 629 crew on this particular cruise.
15:12All of us are here for the very same reason,
15:15that is to give you the most wonderful location ever.
15:19While the guests at his cocktail party dance into the evening hours,
15:23the captain slips away.
15:25It's time for him to prepare for the most important part of his job.
15:38By 2am, the passengers are tucked into their beds.
15:41But Captain Edvardsson and his crew are wide awake,
15:44readying for their approach into the port of Melbourne, Australia.
15:50That's quite a beautiful challenge.
15:53As his ship enters the harbour,
15:55the captain will take on an area known as the rip,
15:58with powerful currents up to 9 knots or 17 kilometres per hour.
16:03Then he'll confront a very narrow, restricted entranceway
16:07into Port Phillip Bay.
16:09And he has to do it all in the pitch dark,
16:12so it lights out on deck as the crew looks out for hazards ahead.
16:16We need to make sure that we are exactly on the leading light
16:19as we are making that approach.
16:21At one crucial spot, the water is just 17 metres deep.
16:25That only allows Crystal Serenity 9 metres of clearance
16:29between her hull and the seafloor.
16:33We don't want to enter that area,
16:35as it's way too shallow for us to enter.
16:38These are tense moments,
16:40as the captain and the harbour pilot battle the current
16:43to squeeze Crystal Serenity through the narrow gap.
16:46We need to keep the speed.
16:48You know, she's so light, you know?
16:50And she's coming and drifting sideways almost.
16:55It takes another two hours,
16:57but finally the ship makes it safely to the dock in Melbourne.
17:01We're alongside now.
17:03At sunup, guests head ashore.
17:05They have no clue how hard their crew has just worked
17:08to get them there.
17:10And no idea what Crystal Serenity will face
17:13on the next leg of her journey.
17:21It's day four of her Sunset to Skyscrapers tour,
17:25and Crystal Serenity has left Melbourne behind.
17:29She's cruising the Bass Strait,
17:31heading toward the port of Adelaide, Australia.
17:35These days at sea are an opportunity for the guests
17:38to take advantage of the facilities on board.
17:49Early in the morning of day five,
17:51Crystal Serenity navigates smoothly into the port of Adelaide.
17:56The guests disembark ready for adventure.
17:59They expect their shore excursions will be as exclusive
18:02as the service on board the ship.
18:05And the man in charge of that is James Coghlan.
18:09Mr and Mrs Holloman, they've got an 8.30 private arrangement.
18:12The driver is down here ready as well.
18:19You want to make sure that the tours have the best experience possible.
18:22Because you can never get that back.
18:24It's not about the money, so to speak, it's about the experience.
18:27Are you ready?
18:29In each port, James Coghlan has to coordinate tours
18:32for up to 600 guests.
18:34Shall we?
18:36Perfect.
18:38Who want to visit places like private vineyards
18:41and shop at unique boutiques.
18:44Today he has something out of the ordinary planned
18:47for one group of adventurers.
18:49Let's do it.
18:51Our guests are probably the most spoiled guests,
18:53and I mean that in the nicest possible way.
18:57That's why passengers like Carol Orr
19:00are spending an extra $2,400
19:03to experience the force from 3 Gs of acceleration
19:07in a vintage 1960s Nanchang fighter plane.
19:17A few heart-stopping barrel rolls
19:19and aeronautical gymnastics later,
19:21her plane does a flyover of Crystal Serenity,
19:24docked in the harbour.
19:27It's a fitting end to a remarkable shore excursion.
19:32I don't think I can top this. It was fabulous.
19:39After eight hours on land,
19:41the passengers return to their luxury cruise ship.
19:45Crystal Serenity will soon be on the move again.
19:48Next stop, the port of Fremantle, Australia.
19:56For three days, Crystal Serenity sails the waters
19:59known as the Great Australian Bight.
20:03Tremendous winds constantly buffet the seas,
20:06and most smaller vessels refuse to sail here.
20:11It gets to a point where it's not so much fun anymore,
20:14you know, if it really gets rough.
20:19The captain makes a strategic course change
20:21to give everyone a smoother ride.
20:25Why don't we make a little shortcut here?
20:27Just a little bit.
20:31While the passengers head out to explore the port of Fremantle,
20:35Hiroshi Nagaguchi goes on a fishing expedition.
20:38He's the Nobu-trained executive chef at Silk Road,
20:42the exclusive on-board Japanese restaurant.
20:46Two passengers have asked him to track down
20:48some tasty local fish for them to try.
20:53But there's a problem.
20:55The chefs have never been here before,
20:57so they have to search for a fish market.
21:08When you work for a cruise line whose motto is Never Say No,
21:12failure to locate the fresh fish is not an option.
21:18Finally, they discover a small shop that holds some promise.
21:23This local pink snapper should fit the bill.
21:35With the passengers off the ship, the captain doesn't rest.
21:39The next leg of his trip is several days long on remote, open waters.
21:46The well-being of his more than 1,300 passengers and crew
21:49is a huge responsibility.
21:51So while the guests are touring onshore,
21:55safety never takes a day off.
22:03These emergency drills are conducted frequently
22:05and seriously on Crystal Serenity.
22:09No jokes, nothing, eh? We talked about this before.
22:14The passengers participated in a mandatory evacuation drill
22:17before leaving Sydney.
22:19But out on the open seas, it could be hours before help arrives.
22:25So the crew does extra simulations, including firefighting.
22:33Caring for an injured passenger.
22:36And full deployment of lifeboats.
22:40If we have the abandoned ship,
22:42everybody needs to know exactly where to go and what to do.
22:46So there is no confusion.
22:48The drills wrap up, and by four o'clock,
22:51the passengers are back on board for a 5 p.m. sailing.
22:55Copy that. Take the gangway.
22:58Then, a real emergency strikes.
23:02Marine Services Manager Jason Glynn
23:04calls in help for a very sick passenger on board.
23:12The ship's doctor is already caring for the passenger.
23:15She's a frequent guest, well-known to the captain and crew.
23:21There's another complication.
23:24The ship's captain is not in a good mood.
23:28There's another complication.
23:30The captain has just been informed
23:32that he must land in Bali a full half-day earlier than expected,
23:35because Crystal Serenity is being redirected
23:38to a brand-new docking area there.
23:43Despite on-board medical care,
23:45the passenger is too ill to continue
23:47and must be admitted to hospital.
23:50Crystal Serenity will have to set sail without her.
23:57Let go all lines. Let go all lines, forward and aft.
24:04The remaining passengers bid farewell to Fremantle
24:07as the ship leaves port.
24:20Crystal Serenity is late for Bali, so it's full speed ahead.
24:27Good morning, Chief.
24:30I need all six engines. We need to speed up here.
24:33At the moment we're doing only 13 knots,
24:35but I like to do over 23 knots.
24:38Down in the engine room, the pressure is on Chief Engineer Rob Bayfield
24:42to keep the engines running at full capacity for the voyage to Bali.
24:50But running full speed is not the Chief's only concern today.
24:55He has two contract engineers on board
24:57to install a new fuel oil system to fire the boilers.
25:01Crystal Serenity must burn a lighter, cleaner fuel
25:04when she enters ports with strict environmental rules.
25:09With any large maintenance, we try and plan it around where we are
25:12and make sure we have the spare parts on board,
25:15because some places we go to, it's a logistical nightmare.
25:19The job must be completed before they reach Singapore.
25:22When this boiler is finished, completed, everything is OK,
25:25we have to move on to the next one,
25:27so we've got to try and fit it in in the sea days.
25:34So for Bali we're set? Yeah, everything's set.
25:36All the tours are rearranged? Everything's rearranged.
25:38The weather's not looking the greatest.
25:40In the excursion office, everyone's gearing up for the arrival in Bali.
25:43So there's a few tours I want to check out.
25:45That's how we go most of the day.
25:47Crystal Serenity will be one of the first cruise ships
25:50to arrive at a brand-new docking area.
25:52All the tour arrangements will be untested.
25:55OK, guys, for tomorrow, Bali.
25:59If James Coghlan doesn't keep a tight rein on the tour schedule,
26:02there could be chaos on the dock.
26:05Make sure the guests are happy before they actually leave,
26:08because then if there's any issues or concerns,
26:10we can take care of it right then and there
26:12instead of waiting until later, because then it's too late.
26:16They have been on open seas now for three days.
26:19The landing in Bali is only four hours away.
26:24This is probably the most tricky one.
26:26Besides that, there hasn't been a ship of this size here before.
26:30Captain Edvardsson will be depending heavily on his bridge crew
26:33throughout the challenging night ahead.
26:36It's important that you create a culture among your people on the bridge.
26:40Although the captain is always in firm command,
26:43on this vessel he encourages his officers to speak up
26:46if they think he has overlooked or misjudged a situation.
26:50It is this approach that has helped keep his ship safe all these years.
26:55I call it the bridge team management.
26:58Probably one of the most important things,
27:00because, after all, the captain is only a human being, you know?
27:06Good evening. How are you?
27:09Meanwhile, the guests, as usual, are enjoying their dinners.
27:21You have to put the sauce first.
27:23The second one is coming up, guys.
27:25Down in the kitchen, executive chef Franz Weiss and his team
27:29is working through the evening's first dinner seating.
27:32If you want to have a luxury food, you can have basically anything,
27:36starting from fresh lobster, king crab, shrimps, caviar, oversold.
27:44His kitchen never repeats a dish on the three-month world cruise.
27:51Well, it takes a lot of preparation homework for me.
27:54We have to contact all our suppliers in the various ports,
27:57and if something is not available, we have to be flexible
28:00and change the menu basically last minute or last day.
28:04As for the special order of pink snapper?
28:08Tonight, those discriminating passengers
28:11will finally get to taste their request.
28:17Oh, that is beautiful. That is really beautiful.
28:20That is delicious.
28:26The entrance into Bali presents the ultimate challenge of this voyage.
28:30The captain expects to aim his ship at leading lights on land
28:34to establish his course through the channel.
28:37Hazards are everywhere.
28:39He'll have to avoid shallow waters and coral reefs
28:42that narrow the passage all the way in.
28:47One wrong move could run Crystal Serenity aground.
28:51Do you see the leading light?
28:53I can see the leading light, but...
28:55But it doesn't match? No.
28:57It's very strange.
28:59The leading lights are misplaced,
29:01and the bridge team realises most of the buoys marking shallow waters
29:05don't match their charts.
29:10When the local pilots come on board, hopes are high.
29:13Surely they will clear up the confusion.
29:16Good morning. Good evening. Good evening, sorry.
29:19Good evening.
29:21Instead, the pilots just make matters worse.
29:24We cannot enter with this current.
29:26Captain Edvardsson is not about to risk the safety of his passengers.
29:30His vessel has to make a tight turn in the five-minute window between tides
29:35when the currents are absolutely calm.
29:38It's called slack water.
29:40That's impossible.
29:42No, no, no.
29:44I want to enter when it's slack.
29:47It's becoming obvious these pilots have never guided a ship this size before.
29:52I see the leading light. That's the leading light.
29:54Yeah, but then we are north.
29:56But on the radar, we are south.
29:59Misplaced or burned-out lights could steer the ship straight into danger.
30:04Why don't you have some lights on the bloody sticks?
30:08Another unexpected hazard emerges from the dark.
30:14Is she blood?
30:16She's bloody.
30:18A commercial fishing boat has dropped anchor right in Crystal Serenity's path.
30:23The captain has had enough.
30:25Tell him to move it.
30:27The crew is just narrowly able to steer around the fishing boat.
30:31Almost at the head now.
30:33It's exactly slack water.
30:35No current at all.
30:37The moment Captain Edvardsson has been waiting for.
30:40We will approach now, eh?
30:42Creeping along at two knots, it's time to make the tightest turn of all.
30:49The captain must engage the ship's powerful bow thrusters
30:53to pivot his 250-metre-long ship in a space that's only 200 metres wide.
31:01The bow thrusters make the whole ship shudder.
31:04Crystal Serenity is now in the thick of the storm.
31:08It's just after 9pm on Crystal Serenity's approach to Bali.
31:12The first time a ship this big has sailed into this new port.
31:18Captain Edvardsson and his crew have pulled off a precise turn into Bali's harbour.
31:23But they're not clear yet.
31:25Many fishing boats, but not many lights, eh?
31:28The captain has had enough.
31:30It's time to make the tightest turn of all.
31:33We will approach now, eh?
31:35Many fishing boats, but not many lights, eh?
31:39The Bali harbourmaster has allowed several small vessels
31:42to lay anchor in Crystal Serenity's path to the dock.
31:47The papers I received is a deal. Everything should be clear.
31:50Nothing is arranged.
31:52The moored fishing ships mean the captain won't be able to swing Crystal Serenity around
31:57to back into the dock on the starboard side.
32:00Instead, her propeller will run close to a shallow coral reef.
32:06I'm really... I'm not happy with your harbourmaster.
32:11After two harrowing hours, Crystal Serenity is finally able to dock in Bali.
32:19Not a moment too soon for the frustrated captain.
32:22Fine. Tie up. Welcome to Bali.
32:25The passengers have no idea of the skill their captain displayed
32:29in getting them here safely.
32:31If I probably knew before, maybe we wouldn't have done it.
32:41It's 8am and already a humid 30 degrees in Bali.
32:46The passengers are eager to explore the tropical island.
32:52Shore excursions manager James Coughlin heads out as well.
32:56He's hunting for new organised activities
32:59that will live up to the high standards guests expect.
33:04On board the ship, if the guests want some more lobster, we can give them some more lobster.
33:08If they want another drink, we can get them another drink.
33:10So how far away are we now from the volcano?
33:12It's about...
33:13But once on land, in exotic parts, it's a challenge to guarantee service.
33:19Because we don't want to have a situation where we send guests out to the unknown.
33:23It's very, very important that we try to control those challenges that we have.
33:27Hey, guys.
33:29Good, good.
33:31Near the top of the volcano,
33:33James is judging whether this location qualifies for his most adventurous clients.
33:39But even here, he finds himself troubleshooting.
33:43OK, you know, can we give the guests an option? Can we say...
33:47There's a request from guests on the other side of the island
33:50who want an extra stop on their shopping tour.
33:53So James Coughlin juggles shuttle buses by phone.
33:57It's never-ending.
33:59No, but the most important thing is to give the guests an option.
34:04And it's quite an option that he has discovered up here on the mountain.
34:10A sure-to-please tour of remote villages and rice paddies.
34:17They really get them out of their comfort zone and see this
34:20the way that you wouldn't see it any other way.
34:22A fantastic experience. Absolutely brilliant.
34:25Crystal Serenity may not return to Bali for another year.
34:29But when she does, this excursion will be waiting.
34:37Back on board the ship,
34:38passengers settle in for the next leg of their journey.
34:42It takes a little time to manoeuvre.
34:43OK.
34:44And then back out and turn.
34:46On the bridge, the crew is leaving nothing to chance.
34:51OK, that's all right.
34:54For the departure from Bali,
34:55they have painstakingly calculated every mislabeled buoy,
34:59every burnt-out light and errant fishing boat.
35:02All the impediments that could jeopardise their departure.
35:06Yeah, where is the aft now?
35:08We've got a ship on the port side,
35:10and we have fishing boats behind us.
35:16Once more, Captain Edwardson throws on the powerful bow thrusters
35:20to execute a 180-degree turn.
35:25This is nothing like the fiasco the captain faced last night.
35:31Very well.
35:34Very well tonight.
35:39Dawn breaks on the Java Sea.
35:43Crystal Serenity will be on the water for the next two days
35:46as she steams toward her next port of call, Semarang, Indonesia.
35:52The ship is nearing the equator,
35:54and passengers will while away the next 48 hours
35:57under hot tropical sunshine.
36:01At a special equator-crossing celebration,
36:03the captain again, as he and the crew become the life of the party.
36:13But it's not fun and games for chief engineer Rob Bayfield,
36:17who's pushing his contractors to finish installing the new fuel system.
36:21We need to get them off the ship.
36:23They said they would do it in two weeks.
36:25They've got to do it in two weeks.
36:27Time is running out.
36:28In less than a week, Crystal Serenity will dock in Singapore.
36:33The installation must be done by then.
36:35Otherwise, Crystal Serenity won't be allowed to dock in ports
36:38with tough new environmental regulations.
36:48After two days at sea, the port of Semarang, Indonesia,
36:51appears on the horizon.
36:54It's an almost picture-perfect arrival.
36:59But looks can be deceiving.
37:01The ancient pier where this sleek modern cruise liner must dock
37:04is slowly sinking into the sea.
37:09Do you expect the water to come over the pier today?
37:12The pipe water is coming.
37:14Over the pier?
37:15Yes.
37:17Potential flooding brings urgency to the day's itinerary.
37:21Semarang is not a usual port of call for Crystal Serenity.
37:25But today, there's a special cargo waiting on the dock.
37:34A truckload of new deck furniture.
37:37Just put them here.
37:40Hotel director Josef Lumitzberger and the vice-captain
37:43must coordinate a rush operation
37:45before the high tide swamps the pier.
37:50As you see, the pier is very low.
37:53Do you have any other options
37:55than bringing all the furniture through the main gangway?
37:57Three or four bags on each next level.
37:59OK, we are there.
38:01Just put the bags in and then after we're going to...
38:04OK, thank you. Thank you, bye.
38:06It's all hands on deck for a speedy load.
38:09And that means all hands.
38:11All the dining room waiters in their shiny uniforms
38:14are pressed into service in the 34-degree heat.
38:20They've got just half an hour to bring it all aboard.
38:23Then the furniture must be unpacked and assembled
38:26before the passengers return from their tours on shore.
38:31It's a close call.
38:33The tide is rising and the sea is rushing in.
38:37Crystal Serenity pulls out of Samarang at high tide.
38:42We need to get out of here.
38:44The floodwaters swamp the pier.
38:48It seems as if the ship's powerful wash
38:51will finally cause the pier to sink beneath the waves once and for all.
38:59Crystal Serenity's Sunset to Skyscrapers tour is nearing its end.
39:04Two more days at sea and the ship makes land in Singapore.
39:08Guests and crew ramp up for the final festivities.
39:17And down in the engine room,
39:19the chief engineer celebrates the final tweaks to the new fuel system.
39:23Today we're pressure testing the line.
39:25Later this afternoon, everything will be ready.
39:29It's the last day of Crystal Serenity's grand voyage.
39:33Dawn breaks on the island of Singapore, the final port of call.
39:39The captain hasn't docked here in quite a while,
39:42and he's looking forward to some direction from an experienced local pilot,
39:46if he can find one.
39:48Crystal Serenity calling Singapore Pilot.
39:51Yeah, we are one mile from the pilot's boarding ground
39:54and we cannot make any contact with the pilot.
39:57Singapore Pilot, Crystal Serenity.
40:00With only seconds to spare, the pilot boat comes alongside.
40:05How are you this morning?
40:07Fine, thank you.
40:09Now Crystal Serenity is able to thread gracefully through the harbour traffic,
40:13heading toward a prime berth on the Singapore waterfront.
40:19But there's one final impediment they'll have to squeeze under.
40:25There's a cable car.
40:27Crystal Serenity may not fit below the Singapore cable car.
40:30Because she's low on fuel, the ship is riding extra high in the water.
40:35Even right now it's a little bit on the borderline,
40:38so they're going to make a height check before we actually are allowed to proceed.
40:43The local port authority aims a laser beam from a nearby building
40:47to measure the vessel's height.
40:49Hopefully it will pop.
40:54The result is in.
40:56Crystal Serenity can proceed.
40:58She'll squeeze in, literally, just under the wire.
41:04Finally, the ship is at the dock
41:06and Captain Edwardson prepares to end this epic leg
41:09of his ship's around-the-world voyage.
41:13But he's interrupted by a call from the pier.
41:18Is he not able to move this at all?
41:21The port's gangway falls just short of the ship's loading hatch.
41:27After travelling 9,400 kilometres from Sydney,
41:30the end of Crystal Serenity's journey
41:32is marked by a struggle over half a metre of wiggle room.
41:37Every minute is precious.
41:39Yeah, gangway disconnect.
41:4540 minutes of manoeuvring, and at last the landing is complete.
41:49This one's going to return, what, one hour later?
41:52On the dock, tour manager James Coghlan
41:55has to deal with hundreds of passengers
41:57who are an hour behind schedule for their tours.
42:00What is really a snowball effect when the ship's late?
42:04There's no time to breathe for any of the crew.
42:11In just 24 hours, there will be a major stateroom turnover
42:15as 400 passengers disembark and 600 new guests come on board.
42:21It has to go forward. Don't block the space.
42:24Keep only the port here, the consumer boats all forward.
42:27After a 19-day voyage,
42:29hotel stores manager Stefan Hoenig is once more a man on a mission.
42:35It's just like Sydney all over again,
42:38as he rushes to get 17 containers unloaded, examined and stored.
42:43Welcome to Singapore.
42:45The next day, the crew of Crystal Serenity will set sail again
42:49on the next leg of their round-the-world cruise.
42:54They have delivered on her pledge
42:56to provide the ultimate in luxury service
42:58to their sophisticated passengers.
43:02People may forget what you said and people may forget what you did,
43:07but they will never forget how you made them feel.
43:11And the passengers never even saw them sweat.
43:15Crystal Serenity has lived up to her billing.
43:24CRYSTAL SERENITY
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