SpiritLine Cruises, Gray Line of Charleston Announce Key Improvements

To best meet the needs of Charleston’s growth as a popular tourism and special event destination, SpiritLine Cruises has upgraded several aspects of its business, including adding new tour buses, upgrading audio/visual equipment on the tour boats and bringing on board a new executive chef committed to giving guests a complete fine dining experience. 

Both the Spirit of Carolina and the Spirit of the Lowcountry tour boats have been outfitted with new state-of-the-art audio/visual systems. The upgraded systems have improved amplifiers and speakers for better sound quality ideal for everything from sharing information with passengers to providing musical entertainment during a dinner cruise. Audio mixers will better mix the sounds of live bands on the performance deck and lower deck. This speaker system includes multiple levels and zones for crystal clear sound coverage across all decks. 

SpiritLine also added to Spirit of the Lowcountry two Planar Media Players that provide high-resolution content to two new Samsung 50-inch TV sets plus two 2 smaller TV sets with tilt mounts. These displays will allow for an interactive visitor experience and virtual narration by Fort Sumter Tours trained tour guides. The Spirit of Carolina also has two, 70-inch Sharp TV sets visible from the inside decks. 

Guests joining SpiritLine for a dinner cruise, wedding reception or business function will have the chance to sample cuisine from new Executive Chef Shawn Eustace. A Charleston native, Eustace began cooking at an early age, eventually attending Trident Technical College to study culinary arts and working his way up through local taverns, management and ultimately to fine dining. 

“I believe in staying true to your roots, while applying different approaches from different styles, and that is what I want to continue,” Eustace said. “Incorporating every aspect of gained knowledge while keeping true to my base and home-style cooking is what makes my job enjoyable.” 

The company’s last major change this year is the addition of three buses to its Gray Line of Charleston fleet. The Diamond Coach offers comfortable seating, cup holders, TV screens, plenty of windows for easy visibility and many more features to give customers a smooth ride as they go sightseeing around Charleston. 

“Charleston continues to receive accolades and recognition as a world-class destination for individual tourists as well as weddings, special events and corporate conferences and retreats,” said Ian Harris, director of sales and marketing. “We are continually making improvements, upgrading equipment and bringing on the best staff members to help us fulfill our mission of giving each of our guests a first-class experience.” 

About SpiritLine Cruises 
In 1961 the Campsen family of Charleston founded Fort Sumter Tours to provide daily excursions to the Fort Sumter National Monument. Today, Fort Sumter Tours and partner SpiritLine Cruises provide daily access to this living monument, along with other memorable experiences for residents and guests of Charleston. SpiritLine continues to expand its fleet and offering of daily harbor tours, evening dinner cruises and private charters. For more information, visitspiritlinecruises.com.