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Crystal Cruises

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Crystal Cruises
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryTransportation
Founded1988
HeadquartersDowners Grove, Illinois
Key people
ProductsCruises
Parent
Websitewww.crystalcruises.com

Crystal Cruises is a cruise line now headquartered in Downers Grove, Illinois, USA. It was founded in 1988 by Japanese shipping company Nippon Yusen Kaisha, and sold to Hong Kong-headquartered conglomerate Genting Hong Kong in 2015. Following insolvency in 2022, the Crystal Cruises brand and two cruise ships were bought by A&K Travel Group,[2] to recommence operations in 2023. The new company has announced major refurbishments and enhancements for the two ships in a Fincantieri shipyard in Trieste, Italy including increasing the number of butler suites and reducing guest capacity, with plans to resume service in June 2023 with shore excursions curated by Abercrombie & Kent.

History

The company was founded in 1988 by Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK).[3] Its first ship was Crystal Harmony.[4]

On March 3, 2015, NYK announced that it was selling Crystal Cruises to Genting Hong Kong.[5] The sale price was US$550 million in cash, subject to certain adjustment items.[6] On May 15, 2015, GHK announced that it had closed on the acquisition.[7]

On July 20, 2015, Crystal announced that it would expand to provide expedition cruises, river cruises, and private jet travel.[8]

On February 4, 2016, Crystal Cruises signed a purchase option for the SS United States, also providing funding for docking costs for the ship in Philadelphia for nine months while it conducted a feasibility study into returning the ship to service.[9][10] However, the plan was dropped on August 5, 2016, citing technical challenges. It also announced a donation of US$350,000 to cover docking costs through to the end of the year.[11]

In September 2019, Crystal Cruises announced that it would have Broadway-themed cruises available starting in 2020.[12]

In August 2020, Crystal cancelled all cruises for the remainder of the year. Its parent company Genting Hong Kong had suspended payments to creditors citing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The new 200-passenger Crystal Endeavor was under construction at the time, with delivery scheduled for November 2020; that was delayed for a year because of the suspension of operations at the MV Werften shipyard in Germany.[13][14]

In March 2021, Crystal announced all-Bahamas cruises aboard Crystal Serenity would start on July 3, 2021, with departures from Nassau and Bimini to work around CDC cruise bans due to COVID-19 in the US.[15] Ports of call within the Bahamas included Harbour Island, Great Exuma, Long Island, and San Salvador. All passengers were required to be vaccinated for COVID-19.[16] The opening booking day set a record for the most bookings on a single day in the company's history.[17] Some destinations expressed concerns with the company's announcement, lack of consultation with local stakeholders, and negative impact to their existing tourism economy.[18]

Following the insolvency of Genting Hong Kong, Crystal suspended operations of all its cruise ships in January 2022.[19] Crystal Symphony and Crystal Serenity were subsequently arrested in Freeport, Bahamas over unpaid bills in February, and the company's headquarters in the United States closed.[20][21] Meanwhile, V.Ships Leisure was appointed by the liquidators to manage Crystal's ships.[22]

On June 22, 2022, it was announced that A&K Travel Group, owned by Manfredi Lefebvre d'Ovidio and Geoffrey Kent had bought the bankrupt line's brand and two ocean vessels, Crystal Serenity and Crystal Symphony, intending to return the ships to service in 2023.[23][24]

Former Sub-brands

Crystal Yacht Cruises

Crystal Yacht Cruises launched in December 2015 with the Crystal Esprit. The 62-guest, 3,000-ton yacht is outfitted with features including a two-passenger submarine, four 10-passenger zodiacs for excursions, and a 12-passenger yacht tender for boating adventures. Additionally, water skis, wake boards, kayaks, jet skis, fishing, and scuba and snorkel equipment are available.[25]

Crystal Expedition Cruises

On January 15, 2018, the company cut steel for Crystal Endeavor at MV Werften, part of a family of shipyards known for their passenger-ship, icebreaker, and private-yacht building expertise.[26] The new PC6-designated expedition yacht was to launch on July 17, 2021, in Reykjavik, Iceland. Crystal Endeavor has a displacement of 20,200 GT and would operate polar expeditions and voyages in remote tropical regions. The yacht was to offer accommodation for 200 guests.[27]

Crystal River Cruises

In July 2016, Crystal launched Crystal River Cruises with the refurbished vessel Crystal Mozart [de]. Crystal Bach and Crystal Mahler, the first two of four Rhine-class new-build river ships, were added in 2017 followed by Crystal Debussy and Crystal Ravel, in 2018.[citation needed]

Crystal Luxury Air/Crystal AirCruises

Crystal Luxury Air private jet service launched in 2015 with the company's Bombardier Global Express jet, available for charter and accommodating 12 guests. In August 2017, Crystal AirCruises took flight with the launch of Crystal Skye, a Boeing 777-200LR configured with 88 first-class, flat-bed seats, a lounge/dining room that seats 24, and a full bar. The National Hockey League was one of its first three charter customers. In addition, the company took delivery of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner in May 2017. As of November 2017, this aircraft was in storage.[28]

Fleet

Current fleet

Name Built Builder Entered service
for Crystal		 Gross tonnage Flag Notes Image
Crystal Symphony 1995 Knaerner Masa-Yards Turku New Shipyard 1995 51,044  Bahamas
Crystal Serenity 2002 STX Europe 2003 68,870  Bahamas


Former fleet

Name Built Builder Entered service
for Crystal		 Gross tonnage Flag Notes Image
Crystal Harmony 1989 Mitsubishi Heavy Industries 1990 50,142  Bahamas Transferred to Nippon Yusen Kaisha in 2006 and renamed Asuka II
Expedition ships
Crystal Esprit 1991 Flender Werke 2015 3,370  Bahamas Previously MegaStar Taurus
Sold to Lindblad Expeditions in 2021.[29]
Crystal Endeavor[30] 2021 MV Werften 2021 20,449  Bahamas Acquired by Silversea Cruises June 2022.[31]
River ships
Crystal Mozart 1987 Deggendorfer Werft und Eisenbau[32]
MV Werften (redesign) 		2016 532  Malta Operated by Crystal River Cruises
Named after Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Crystal Bach 2017 MV Werften 2017  Malta Operated by Crystal River Cruises
Named after Johann Sebastian Bach 		Crystal Bach in Kiel Canal I
Crystal Mahler 2017 MV Werften 2017  Malta Operated by Crystal River Cruises
Named after Gustav Mahler
Crystal Debussy 2018 MV Werften 2018  Malta Operated by Crystal River Cruises
Named after Claude Debussy
Crystal Ravel 2018 MV Werften 2018  Malta Operated by Crystal River Cruises
Named after Maurice Ravel
Aircraft
N989SF 2007 Bombardier Aerospace 2015 - United States United States Bombardier Global Express. Operated for Crystal Luxury Air by Corporate Flight Management, Inc
Crystal Skye
P4-XTL[33] 		2011 Boeing 2017 - Aruba Aruba Ex Air Austral B777-29M(LR) reg F-OLRA. Transferred to Comlux.

References

  1. ^ Zelinski, Andrea (5 July 2022). "Jack Anderson will resume his leadership of Crystal Cruises". Travel Weekly. Rutherford NJ. Archived from the original on 14 July 2022. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
  2. ^ "Crystal". Atlantis Travel. Retrieved 2023-05-23.
  3. ^ "NYK". 6 February 2022.
  4. ^ Miramar Ship Index: Crystal Harmony, ID#8806204.
  5. ^ Sloan, Gene (March 3, 2015). "Shake-up in luxury cruising as Crystal gets new owner". USA Today. Retrieved April 12, 2015.
  6. ^ Dake, Shawn (March 3, 2015). "Crystal Cruises Sold To Genting Hong Kong For US$550 Million". Maritime Matters. Retrieved April 12, 2015.
  7. ^ Norton Masek, Theresa (May 16, 2015). "Crystal CEO Rodriguez Comments on 'Thrilling, Yet Bittersweet' Sale". TravelPulse.
  8. ^ "Air, River, and Sea: Crystal Cruises Plans Major Brand Expansion". Travel and Leisure. 20 July 2015.
  9. ^ "Crystal Signs Purchase Option for SS United States - Cruise Industry News - Cruise News". 4 February 2016.
  10. ^ "S.S. United States, Historic Ocean Liner of Trans-Atlantic Heyday, May Sail Again". The New York Times. 4 February 2016.
  11. ^ "Crystal Drops SS United States Project - Cruise Industry News - Cruise News". 5 August 2016.
  12. ^ "New Crystal on Broadway Voyages Take Center Stage in 2020". TravelPulse. September 30, 2019.
  13. ^ "Crystal Cruises parent halts payments on debt of US$3.4B". Travel Weekly. 20 August 2020. Retrieved 21 August 2020. temporarily suspend all payments to the Group's financial creditors.
  14. ^ "Crystal Cruises "Not Going Out of Business" Despite Genting Troubles". Travel Weekly. 21 August 2020. Retrieved 21 August 2020. temporarily suspend all payments to the Group's financial creditors.
  15. ^ "The CDC is still banning U.S. cruises. Americans sailing this summer, thanks to a workaround". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2021-03-30.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  16. ^ "Miami-based luxury cruise company plans COVID-19 comeback in the Bahamas in July". Miami Herald. Retrieved 2021-03-30.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  17. ^ "Crystal Cruises reports "biggest single-day of bookings" in its history for Bahamas cruise". Eye Witness News. 2021-03-23. Retrieved 2021-03-30.
  18. ^ "NOT ALL ON BOARD: Exuma & Harbour Island concerned with mass cruise tourism plans". Eye Witness News. 2021-03-25. Retrieved 2021-03-30.
  19. ^ "Crystal Cruises Suspends Operations Due to Genting HK Insolvency". The Maritime Executive. Retrieved 2022-01-22.
  20. ^ Martin, Eric Priante (2022-01-21). "Fuel provider secures arrest order against Crystal Cruises ship over unpaid bills | TradeWinds". TradeWinds. Archived from the original on 2022-01-21. Retrieved 2022-01-22.
  21. ^ "Crystal Cruises Ships Arrested in Freeport". Cruise Industry News. 6 February 2022. Archived from the original on 1 March 2022.
  22. ^ "Crystal Cruises Shutting Down; V.Ships To Manage Ships". Cruise Industry News. 8 February 2022. Archived from the original on 18 April 2022.
  23. ^ Gollan, Doug (22 June 2022). "A&K Purchase Of Crystal Cruises Receives Applause From Travel Industry". Forbes. New York. Archived from the original on 22 June 2022. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
  24. ^ Davies, Phil (22 June 2022). "A&K Travel Group confirms purchase of Crystal Serenity and Symphony". Travel Weekly. London. Archived from the original on 2 August 2022. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
  25. ^ "Crystal Esprit Overview".
  26. ^ Staff, CIN (2018-01-15). "Construction Starts on Crystal Expedition Ship". Retrieved 2018-01-16.
  27. ^ "Crystal Reveals More Details on Endeavor". 2018-03-06. Retrieved 2018-03-09.
  28. ^ "Crystal Luxury Air Fleet Details and History". Planespotters Net. 19 November 2017.
  29. ^ "Lindblad Expeditions Is the Buyer of the Crystal Esprit". 9 September 2021.
  30. ^ "DNV GL: Crystal Endeavor". Retrieved 2021-07-06.
  31. ^ Staff, C. I. N. (2022-06-14). "Silversea Set to Acquire Crystal Endeavor". www.cruiseindustrynews.com. Retrieved 2022-06-14.
  32. ^ "Premicon AG". 2014-02-06. Archived from the original on 2014-02-06. Retrieved 2019-10-17.
  33. ^ "Crystal Luxury Air Fleet Details and History". Planespotters Net. Retrieved 19 November 2017.

Bibliography

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