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That's no longer the case, thanks to the overhaul of the cabin decks mentioned above. The two decks were completely gutted, with smaller cabins replaced by suites that are twice as large. I'll go into more detail on this below in the cabins section, but the result is a game-changing transformation for Crystal Serenity's accommodations that give it some of the best luxury cabins in the business. For longtime Crystal fans, one of the great joys in returning to the brand's ships, again and again, is to see the same crew members they have come to know and love over the years. I experienced this myself upon boarding Crystal Serenity in July as I bumped into one crew member after another with whom I had sailed before and, at times, developed deep bonds. For starters, two whole cabin decks were completely gutted to rip out relatively small cabins and replace them with much bigger suites.
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Australia and New Zealand sailings include a 17-night round-trip voyage out of Sydney to New Zealand with stops in Auckland, Tauranga, Picton, Lyttelton and Dunedin in New Zealand, and Burnie and Hobart in the Australian island state of Tasmania. Most of Crystal's Mediterranean trips range from seven to 14 nights, although it occasionally offers much longer voyages. These itineraries include sailings focused specifically on the Western Mediterranean or Eastern Mediterranean and some that include stops across both.
SAIL THE BALTICS & NORTHERN EUROPE
This reduced the guest capacity of Crystal Serenity to 740 from 980 and Crystal Symphony to 606 from 848. In this new era for Crystal, the cruise line’s medium-sized ships are now sailing with passenger counts typically found on small-luxury vessels. Crystal River Cruises was a division of the old Crystal Cruises (managing 4x newbuild riverboats) and a separate branch offering fully all-inclusive deals. The product was marked by gourmet dining, expert enrichment, high-class entertainment, top-luxury amenities and impeccable service. In each port along the itinerary were offered culture-themed tours and excursions. In some of the ports, the river ships had overnight stays allowing tourists to enjoy high-class gourmet dining experiences at Michelin-starred restaurants ashore and also exclusive evening events and entertainment on board.
Crystal Cruises
Measuring a whopping 537 square feet including balcony space, these are unusually spacious suites for a main cabin category on a cruise ship. Each of these suites, notably, has a separate sitting room and bedroom, a walk-in closet and a large bathroom, as well as a 107-square-foot balcony. Crystal's partnership with COA expands upon the wildlife conservation efforts of the company, including its partnership with ORCA, the leading marine conservation organization dedicated to the protection of whales, dolphins, and porpoises. Wildlife experts from ORCA traveled on Crystal Symphony in Alaska in 2019 to train Crystal's Navigation Bridge crew in the protocol for collecting scientific data about the behavior of animals and treated passengers to hours of whale watching. The 141-night itinerary is a roundtrip from Miami (Florida USA) departing on January 18th and ending on June 8th, 2024. The grand voyage visits 70 destinations/ports in 35 different countries and features a Panama Canal transit followed by a Transpacific crossing to French Polynesia, Australia, and New Zealand.
They will be two 650-guest ocean vessels and two 220-guest Polar-Class-6-rated expedition ships. Fresh off a down-to-the-steel drydock and refit, the ship feels brand new, with one exception—it was originally built in 1995 before propulsion “pod” technology, so the vibration from the propellers in some parts of the ship is noticeable. The recent refurbishment reduced the passenger count onboard, giving the ship an immense amount of space per passenger—even for a luxury liner (84.2 cubic feet). Back onboard, popular activities include talks on topics such as food and wine, guest lecturers specializing in subjects including history, dance lessons and bridge sessions. During the recent refurbishment the spa and gym on both ships were revamped, and the sports courts will host both paddle tennis and the popular pickleball game.
The entertainment is low-key enough that you can maintain a conversation with your companions. Overnight stays are offered in Benoa Bali, Singapore, Bangkok Thailand, Saigon and Hanoi Vietnam, Hong Kong China, Manila Philippines. In April was launched the Crystal Referral Program encouraging past guests (loyalty program members) to refer their family, friends, and colleagues to travel with Crystal Cruises. For every first-time Crystal cruiser a past traveler refers, the new customer receives 5% cruise fare discount, while the past guest receives the 5% value in OBC/onboard credit applicable towards a future cruise. In February, Crystal signed a partnership with Beefbar (Monte Carlo-based restaurant brand with 20+ locations globally) to enhance the shipboard culinary program.
Crystal RIVER cruise itineraries
After Going Bankrupt, Crystal Cruises Relaunches As Crystal - AFAR Media
After Going Bankrupt, Crystal Cruises Relaunches As Crystal.
Posted: Fri, 04 Aug 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
For the ships' management, A&K contracted the Monaco-based V.Ships Leisure Ltd (part of V.Group Holdings Ltd). Crystal Cruises was founded in 1988 as a subsidiary of the Japanese NYK Line (Nippon Yusen Kaisha) - one of the world's largest container shipping companies. In January 2022, GHK filed for bankruptcy and all its assets were put to sale. In June 2022, the brand Crystal Cruises was acquired by A&K Travel Group Ltd (Abercrombie & Kent).
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On select days, theme luncheons and dinners are offered poolside and special wine dinners are held in the Vintage Room. Other onboard dining choices include the casual Markeplace(Lido Buffet for breakfast and lunch), poolside Trident Grill (light snacks and casual lunch), The Bistro (French Cafe, coffee & wine bar for snacks all day and evening). The most luxurious of Serenity's 377 suites is the 1,275-square-foot Crystal Penthouse. The bathroom — with a full peachflower marble tub — is exquisite, as is the plentiful balcony space. And while most guests get only one reservation at each of the specialty restaurants, Umi Uma and Osteria d’Ovidio, reservations for the penthouse guests are unlimited, and they can order from both directly to their room. About 40% of the ship's accommodations (151 out of 377) are Sapphire Verandah Suites.
The Bistro (Cafe/Coffee Bar) serves light snacks like fresh-baked pastries and bagels, fruits in the morning and throughout the afternoons are offered cheeses, pates, prosciutto/dry-cured ham, smoked salmon, gourmet desserts. Of all Crystal Serenity staterooms (347 total), most are the Veranda Suites - Sapphire (151x, sized 430 ft2 / 40 m2, balcony 110 ft2 / 10 m2) and Aquamarine (86x, sized 320 ft2 / 30 m2, balcony 85 ft2 / 8 m2). The smaller Balcony cabins (Double Guest Room with Veranda) are only 46x, each sized 215 ft2 / 20 m2 (balcony 55 ft2 / 5 m2). Crystal Serenity was launched after Crystal Harmony (1990, now NYK Asuka 2) and followed by Crystal Symphony (1995).
The Vintage Room (10-seat fine dining venue with sommelier service) is at surcharge US$200 and (depending on the wine selection) on special voyages it operates as "Ultimate Vintage Dining Room". Here are served some of the rarest wines in the world - the cover charges sores up to US$1000, and even more. In June 2022, both Crystal Cruises' ocean ships (Serenity and Symphony) were auctioned in The Bahamas. Both vessels (being under arrest in Freeport Bahamas since February 5th) were sold via a sealed tender auction, with bids submitted to The Bahamas' Supreme Court and a 10% deposit. Crystal Serenity started a Preview Voyage on July 21st (2023) out of Trieste (Italy). Carrying VIP guests only, the itinerary's call ports were Kotor, Montenegro (Jul 22), Venice (Jul 24-25/overnight), Naples (Jul 28), Livorno (Jul 29).
In response to demand, Crystal Serenity had twice as many Penthouses in comparison to the fleetmate. There are two paddle tennis courts (instead of one) as boat devotees are fiercely competitive in this field. Following the bankruptcy of the parent company GHK-Genting Hong Kong Ltd in January 2022, GHK's subsidiary Crystal Cruises Inc (USA) went bankrupt in February. As for the entertainment, while I didn’t stray much from Pete’s piano in the Avenue Saloon, there are standup comedy and musical theater shows at the Stardust Club, Galaxy Lounge, and the Hollywood Theater. Crystal Cove bar is a great spot to catch live music (classical, jazz, piano, and even the occasional rock moment). Beloved brand Crystal Cruises came to an ignominious end during the pandemic.
The smallest rooms, at 215 square feet, are the doubles with an ocean view, singles with an ocean view, and doubles with a veranda. As more luxury ships enter the industry, Crystal Serenity remains a reminder that you don’t have to be the newest to offer a truly special experience. Crystal Cruises went bankrupt in 2022, but it was acquired by the Abercrombie & Kent Travel Group in 2023. New ownership prioritized keeping in place many of the things the line’s fan base loved, even the name – with only the slight tweak of dropping “Cruises” from the moniker. While the ship has been refurbished, it still is undeniably Crystal Serenity. For new fans, they’ll find a ship that is thoughtfully appointed, with a crew that is nearly as loyal to the line as its passengers.
Beefbar menu (available during lunches and dinners) features vegetarian and vegan dishes as well as specialty cocktails. After being acquired by Abercrombie & Kent Travel Group in 2022, the company was officially relaunched in February 2023 as just "Crystal", opening bookings for past guests on February 13th, and for the general public on February 22nd. The relaunched cruise company started with the maiden voyages of its (for now only) two ships - Crystal Serenity (debut on July 31st) and Crystal Symphony (debut on September 1st). Among the Asia itineraries that Crystal has on its schedule for the next two years is a 12-night voyage between Hong Kong and Singapore with stops in Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines and Brunei.
This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). However, the credit card information that we publish has been written and evaluated by experts who know these products inside out. This site does not include all credit card companies or all available credit card offers that are on the market. See our advertising policy here where we list advertisers that we work with, and how we make money. In addition, Crystal’s enrichment program presents an array of onboard lectures by guest speakers, who in the past have included actors, sports stars, political figures, scientists, entrepreneurs and even astronauts. These vary by sailing and guests are often delighted to discover who will be aboard and speaking during their cruise.
Sail onboard our newly refurbished ships Crystal Serenity and Crystal Symphony and travel on cruises that have been designed for deep destination discovery. The company has a fantastic reputation in the industry both pre- and post-bankruptcy, but Manfredi Lefebvre would not have purchased Crystal if he didn’t think that it would succeed, and I mean, no one in the world knows luxury cruising better than him, right? And on top of that, there is A&K who deliver these exceptional experiences on land. Not forgetting the incredible crew who have nearly all returned – I think the number is around 80% and more return rate. Bookings open Wednesday for travel advisors and travelers who have made $500 open deposits. Other past passengers can book a cruise starting on Feb. 13, and bookings will open to the general public Feb. 22.
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