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Crystal Cruises

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Crystal Cruises
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryTransportation
Founded1988;36 years ago(1988)
HeadquartersHallandale Beach, Florida, US
Key people
ProductsCruises
Parent
Websitecrystalcruises.com
Footnotes / references
[1]

Crystal Cruisesis an Americancruise line.It was founded in 1988 by Japanese shipping companyNippon Yusen Kaisha,and sold toHong Kong-headquartered conglomerateGenting Hong Kongin 2015. Following insolvency in 2022, the Crystal Cruises brand and two cruise ships were bought by A&K Travel Group, to recommence operations in 2023, with headquarters in Hallandale Beach, Florida.[2]The new company has announced major refurbishments and enhancements for the two ships in aFincantierishipyard in Trieste, Italy, including increasing the number of butler suites and reducing guest capacity, and resumed service in July 2023 with shore excursions organized byAbercrombie & Kent.

History

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The company was founded in 1988 by Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK).[3]Its first ship wasCrystal 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 theSSUnited 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 theCOVID-19 pandemic.The new 200-passengerCrystal Endeavorwas 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 aboardCrystal Serenitywould 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 SymphonyandCrystal Serenitywere subsequentlyarrestedinFreeport, Bahamasover 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 thatA&K Travel Group,owned byManfredi Lefebvre d'OvidioandGeoffrey Kenthad bought the bankrupt line's brand and two ocean vessels,Crystal SerenityandCrystal Symphony,intending to return the ships to service in 2023.[23][24]

Two new ships were ordered atFincantieriin June 2024 for delivery from 2028 onwards.[25]

Former Sub-brands

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Crystal Yacht Cruises

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Crystal Yacht Cruises launched in December 2015 with theCrystal 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.[26]

Crystal Expedition Cruises

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On January 15, 2018, the company cut steel forCrystal Endeavorat MV Werften, part of a family of shipyards known for their passenger-ship, icebreaker, and private-yacht building expertise.[27]The new PC6-designated expedition yacht was to launch on July 17, 2021, in Reykjavik, Iceland.Crystal Endeavorhas 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.[28]

Crystal River Cruises

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In July 2016, Crystal launched Crystal River Cruises with the refurbished vesselCrystal Mozart[de].Crystal BachandCrystal Mahler,the first two of fourRhine-class new-build river ships, were added in 2017 followed byCrystal DebussyandCrystal Ravel,in 2018.[citation needed]

Crystal Luxury Air/Crystal AirCruises

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Crystal Luxury Air private jet service launched in 2015 with the company'sBombardier Global Expressjet, available for charter and accommodating 12 guests. In August 2017, Crystal AirCruises took flight with the launch ofCrystal Skye,aBoeing 777-200LRconfigured with 88 first-class, flat-bed seats, a lounge/dining room that seats 24, and a full bar. TheNational Hockey Leaguewas one of its first three charter customers. In addition, the company took delivery of aBoeing 787 Dreamlinerin May 2017. As of November 2017, this aircraft was in storage.[29]

Fleet

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Current fleet

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Name Built Builder Entered service
for Crystal		 Gross tonnage Flag Notes Image
Crystal Symphony 1995 Knaerner Masa-YardsTurku New Shipyard 1995 51,044 Bahamas
Crystal Serenity 2003 Chantiers de l'Atlantique 2003 68,870 Bahamas


Former fleet

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Name Built Builder Entered service
for Crystal		 Gross tonnage Flag Notes Image
Crystal Harmony 1989 Mitsubishi Heavy Industries 1990 50,142 Bahamas Transferred toNippon Yusen Kaishain 2006 and renamedAsuka II
Expedition ships
Crystal Esprit 1991 Flender Werke 2015 3,370 Bahamas PreviouslyMegaStar Taurus
Sold to Lindblad Expeditions in 2021.[30]
Crystal Endeavor[31] 2021 MV Werften 2021 20,449 Bahamas Acquired bySilversea CruisesJune 2022.[32]
River ships
Crystal Mozart 1987 Deggendorfer Werft und Eisenbau[33]
MV Werften(redesign) 		2016 532 Malta Operated by Crystal River Cruises
Named afterWolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Crystal Bach 2017 MV Werften 2017 Malta Operated by Crystal River Cruises
Named afterJohann Sebastian Bach 		Crystal Bach in Kiel Canal I
Crystal Mahler 2017 MV Werften 2017 Malta Operated by Crystal River Cruises
Named afterGustav Mahler
Crystal Debussy 2018 MV Werften 2018 Malta Operated by Crystal River Cruises
Named afterClaude Debussy
Crystal Ravel 2018 MV Werften 2018 Malta Operated by Crystal River Cruises
Named afterMaurice Ravel
Aircraft
N989SF 2007 Bombardier Aerospace 2015 N/A United States Bombardier Global Express.Operated byCorporate Flight Management.
Crystal Skye
P4-XTL[34] 		2011 Boeing 2017 N/A Aruba ExAir AustralBoeing 777-200LRreg F-OLRA. Operated byComlux.
N947BA[34] 2016 Boeing 2017 N/A United States ExRoyal Air MarocBoeing 787-8reg CN-RGB. Never entered service.

References

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  1. ^Zelinski, Andrea (5 July 2022)."Jack Anderson will resume his leadership of Crystal Cruises".Travel Weekly.Rutherford NJ. Archived fromthe originalon 14 July 2022.Retrieved25 August2022.
  2. ^"Crystal".Atlantis Travel.Retrieved2023-05-23.
  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.RetrievedApril 12,2015.
  6. ^Dake, Shawn (March 3, 2015)."Crystal Cruises Sold To Genting Hong Kong For US$550 Million".Maritime Matters.Archived fromthe originalon May 3, 2015.RetrievedApril 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.Retrieved21 August2020.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.Retrieved21 August2020.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.Retrieved2021-03-30.
  16. ^"Miami-based luxury cruise company plans COVID-19 comeback in the Bahamas in July".Miami Herald.Retrieved2021-03-30.
  17. ^"Crystal Cruises reports" biggest single-day of bookings "in its history for Bahamas cruise".Eye Witness News.2021-03-23.Retrieved2021-03-30.
  18. ^"NOT ALL ON BOARD: Exuma & Harbour Island concerned with mass cruise tourism plans".Eye Witness News.2021-03-25.Retrieved2021-03-30.
  19. ^"Crystal Cruises Suspends Operations Due to Genting HK Insolvency".The Maritime Executive.Retrieved2022-01-22.
  20. ^Martin, Eric Priante (2022-01-21)."Fuel provider secures arrest order against Crystal Cruises ship over unpaid bills | TradeWinds".TradeWinds.Archivedfrom the original on 2022-01-21.Retrieved2022-01-22.
  21. ^"Crystal Cruises Ships Arrested in Freeport".Cruise Industry News.6 February 2022. Archived fromthe originalon 1 March 2022.
  22. ^"Crystal Cruises Shutting Down; V.Ships To Manage Ships".Cruise Industry News.8 February 2022. Archived fromthe originalon 18 April 2022.
  23. ^Gollan, Doug (22 June 2022)."A&K Purchase Of Crystal Cruises Receives Applause From Travel Industry".Forbes.New York. Archived fromthe originalon 22 June 2022.Retrieved23 June2022.
  24. ^Davies, Phil (22 June 2022)."A&K Travel Group confirms purchase of Crystal Serenity and Symphony".Travel Weekly.London. Archived fromthe originalon 2 August 2022.Retrieved25 August2022.
  25. ^https://www.crystalcruises.com/press/crystal-signs-memorandum-of-agreement-with-fincantieri-for-two-new-ocean-ships
  26. ^"Crystal Esprit Overview".
  27. ^Staff, CIN (2018-01-15)."Construction Starts on Crystal Expedition Ship".Retrieved2018-01-16.
  28. ^"Crystal Reveals More Details on Endeavor".2018-03-06.Retrieved2018-03-09.
  29. ^"Crystal Luxury Air Fleet Details and History".Planespotters Net.19 November 2017.
  30. ^"Lindblad Expeditions Is the Buyer of the Crystal Esprit".9 September 2021.
  31. ^"DNV GL: Crystal Endeavor".Archived fromthe originalon 2021-07-09.Retrieved2021-07-06.
  32. ^Staff, C. I. N. (2022-06-14)."Silversea Set to Acquire Crystal Endeavor".www.cruiseindustrynews.com.Retrieved2022-06-14.
  33. ^"Premicon AG".2014-02-06. Archived fromthe originalon 2014-02-06.Retrieved2019-10-17.
  34. ^ab"Crystal Luxury Air Fleet Details and History".Planespotters Net.Retrieved19 November2017.

Bibliography

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