It was a windy, blustery day as we stepped onto the pontoon at Rose Bay to board our sea plane. The excursion – a flight to Cottage Point Inn for a sumptuous three-course meal.

As we waited to take off from the water, I gripped the seat with my clammy palms, reminding myself that the view from the sea plane would be spectacular as we fly over Sydney’s cliff faces and Northern Beaches into the National Park.

It’s a short 15-minute journey, but I don’t do well in small aircrafts. But our pilot (who does several trips between Rose Bay and Cottage Point a day), is well versed in flying and deals with the windy conditions with ease.

We land on a picturesque bay and we are then ferried from our sea plane to the restaurant by a little motor-powered boat. The restaurant, which is hatted by the Sydney Morning Herald’s Good Food Guide, is only really accessible by boat or plane which makes the experience so unique.

As we sat down to a lunch of dishes like stretched curd with truffle, raw wild kingfish, wagyu beef and dory, we admired our beautiful surroundings.

It’s part of the shore excursion lineup which luxury line Crystal Cruises will offer its guests when the Crystal Serenity and the Crystal Symphony meet in Sydney next year on February 17, 2018. The line will also be offering guests a visit to Jonah’s as well.

It’s a momentous occasion as passengers aboard the two ships are on a world cruise. And what Crystal are offering is the option for passengers to swap ships, and return home in a different direction. By the time the ships arrive, the Crystal Serenity will be arriving fresh from a refurbishment.

But Australians won’t miss out on the experiences as Crystal are also offering segments of the world cruise around Australian destination.

Karen Christensen, Managing Director & Senior Vice President of Crystal Cruises in Australia spoke about Crystal’s advancement as a brand.

Branching out into river, expedition and yacht experiences, Crystal just christened its new Boeing 777 aircraft in Las Vegas just days ago.

“We’re spending $18 million on refurbishing each ships and changing them to meet the demands of the market. We’ve incorporated new technology onboard, open public spaces, a bigger and more casual dining room and reduced capacity for even better service.

“The ships also have new penthouses as well as options for multigenerational families. So if couples want to plan a holiday with their children and the grandparents, Crystal’s ocean ships will be able to cater for them.”

Crystal has also cancelled its Air Cruises as the demand for private charters is so strong.

“We found that people wanted to create their own bespoke holidays so we now offer the airplane for private groups.”