Two Crystal Cruises ships will resume service in 2023 under new owners

Monday, June 27, 2022

After suspending operations earlier this year, Crystal Cruises will set sail again.

A&K Travel Group, owned by Geoffrey Kent of luxury travel company Abercrombie & Kent and industrial holding company Heritage, purchased the Crystal Serenity and Crystal Symphony ships, the companies announced Wednesday.

A&K Travel Group also acquired the Crystal Cruises brand, and following “extensive refurbishment,” the vessels will resume operations in 2023, according to a press release.

Heritage is chaired by former Silversea Cruises owner Manfredi Lefebvre d’Ovidio.

The idea of combining the unparalleled onboard service that Crystal Cruises is known for, with the extraordinary tailor-made experiences Abercrombie & Kent has been successfully providing for our guests for the past 60 years, fills me with excitement, enthusiasm and pride, Kent said in the release.

Crystal Cruises reportedly shut down at least its U.S. operations earlier this year after an arrest warrant had been issued for the Crystal Symphony due to unpaid fuel bills.

The cruise line had previously suspended sailings for several months after its parent company, Genting Hong Kong, declared bankruptcy in January.

The cruise line’s website at one point said its ocean cruises would be “paused” through April, but was directing visitors to crystalcruiseclaims.com by March, where passengers who had already paid could file a claim.

A source told news media in February that U.S. staff had been given termination notices.

Heritage did not immediately respond to a request for comment on how operations might change when Crystal Cruises relaunches.

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