Crystal Cruises is suspending operations for its two ocean-going ships and one expedition ship through April 29, with river cruises on hold through the end of May.
“This was an extremely difficult decision but a prudent one given the current business environment and recent developments with our parent company, Genting Hong Kong,” said Jack Anderson, Crystal’s president. “Crystal has been synonymous with luxury cruising for more than 30 years and we look forward to welcoming back our valued guests when we resume our operations. We wish to thank our guests and travel advisors for their incredible support during these ongoing challenging times.”
This news follows on parent company Genting Hong Kong announcing its intention to wind up operations, noting it would run out of cash by the end of January earlier today.
Genting Hong Kong owns the Crystal, Star and Dream Cruises brands. Company owned shipyard MV Werften also announced its insolvency earlier this month.
“Suspending operations will provide Crystal’s management team with an opportunity to evaluate the current state of business and examine various options moving forward,” Crystal said, in a statement sent to guests and travel agents.
Crystal’s three ships currently in operation, the Crystal Serenity and Crystal Symphony sailing in the Caribbean and the Crystal Endeavor in Antarctica, will complete their current voyages, the company said.
The Crystal Symphony’s current voyage ends in Miami on January 22.
The Crystal Serenity completes her current cruise in Aruba on January 30 and the Crystal Endeavor in Ushuaia, Argentina, on February 4.
For guests currently sailing on back-to-back voyages, Crystal will provide a refund for unused days of the cruise fare paid as well as the corresponding port charges, taxes and fees. Crystal will provide a full refund of cruise fare paid on affected bookings. Refunds will be processed automatically to the original form of payment so there is no further action on the guest’s part. If the cruise was paid via a Future Cruise Payment or Credit, the full value will be returned to their Crystal Society profile account.
For a complete breakdown of the luxury cruise market, see the Luxury Cruise Market Report by Cruise Industry News.
