Bookings for the line's initial sailings will open to the general public later this month.įor now, the line has opened up 70 voyages of its two ships that will take place in 20.Īfter starting operations in Europe, Crystal Serenity will head to North America in the fall for sailings to New England, Canada and the Caribbean through December. Travel agents and Crystal customers who have put down deposits to be among the first to book Crystal's first sailings can book voyages starting on Wednesday. “Palatial suites, spacious verandas and guest rooms have been rolled out on both ships, reducing overall guest capacity."Īnderson returns to the role of president of the line, a title he held before its shutdown in 2022. “I am delighted to announce that Crystal is reborn, with Crystal Serenity and Crystal Symphony reimagined and enhancements made to every part of our guests’ journey,” Crystal president Jack Anderson said Wednesday in a statement. Related: Why I would have been devastated if this brand disappeared forever
The spas and the fitness centers on the ships also have been redone.Īs a result of the reduction in passenger capacity, the ships will now sail with nearly one crew member for every passenger on board.Īmong other notable changes, the brand will now be known simply as Crystal, rather than its previous name, Crystal Cruises. The upgrades include increasing the size of suites and cabins, which in turn has reduced the passenger capacity of the vessels. The two ships were originally built in 20, respectively. CRYSTALĪs part of bringing back the brand, its new owners have poured millions of dollars into upgrading Crystal Serenity and Crystal Symphony. The purchase of the two oceangoing ships was done in conjunction with Heritage, the holding company controlled by former Silversea Cruises owner Manfredi Lefebvre d'Ovidio.Ī Penthouse Suite bedroom on Crystal Symphony. The high-end travel company A&K Travel Group bought the line's brand name and two biggest oceangoing ships, Crystal Serenity and Crystal Symphony, out of bankruptcy months after its collapse with a promise to restart it. The collapse came after revenues plummeted due to COVID-19 pandemic-related shutdowns. 1, with sailings in the Mediterranean.Ĭrystal is restarting operations under new owners after collapsing along with its former parent company Genting Hong Kong in early 2022. and Iceland in August before heading to North America in September.įor more cruise news, guides and tips, sign up for TPG's cruise newsletter.Ĭrystal's second ship, the 606-passenger Crystal Symphony, will resume operations on Sept. The one-way voyage to Lisbon, Portugal, will feature stops in France, Monaco, Italy, Spain and Portugal.Ĭrystal Serenity then will operate voyages to the U.K. The new owners of the much-beloved luxury cruise brand on Wednesday said its comeback from bankruptcy would begin on July 31 with a 12-night Mediterranean sailing out of Marseille, France, on the 740-passenger Crystal Serenity.
Some cruise companies were forced to cancel sailings as a result, setting the embattled industry back further only months after cruises were allowed to resume sailing over the summer.It's official: Crystal will be back in operation by the summer. TangentĬrystal Cruises’ troubles come as the cruise industry has faced new troubles from the omicron coronavirus variant surge, which sparked a rash of new outbreaks on ships. Marshall to seize the Symphony and its “boats, tackle, apparel and furniture, engines and appurtenances” and detain the vessel until the petroleum company agrees to it being released. Fuel company Peninsula Petroleum then sued Crystal Cruises in federal court in southern Florida on January 19 for breach of contract, asking for more than $2.1 million in damages from Crystal Cruises including $1.2 million in unpaid fees from the Crystal Symphony. The filing came after its German shipyard subsidiary MV Werften filed for insolvency a week earlier, and Bloomberg notes the cruise operator’s troubles were linked to the cruise industry’s losses during the Covid-19 pandemic. We have spent the majority of this cruise making travel plans, changing plans, losing more money on nonrefundable airline tickets and cruise deposits on other lines.” Key BackgroundĬrystal Cruises’ troubles were kicked off by parent company Genting Hong Kong Ltd., which filed a petition in the Supreme Court of Bermuda on January 18 saying it was on the verge of running out of money by the end of the month. “It is a colossal mess,” Crystal Serenity passenger Nancy Plencner told the Herald. district judge issued an arrest warrant for the Symphony on January 20 in response to a lawsuit over a failure to pay the Symphony and Serenity’s fuel bills.
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