CRYSTAL : A NEW CHAPTER
It ’ s been quite the sea change at Crystal . After running into stormy weather when its Hong Kong-based parent company suffered serious financial difficulties , the fabled cruise line has returned to calmer waters under new owners A & K Travel Group . And they ’ re promising to redefine high-end cruising , making it better than ever before .
They have plenty of heritage to build upon . Over the course of more than three decades , Crystal set the standard for exemplary service at sea , with superb food and top-quality entertainment , making passengers feel they had journeyed back to the golden age of travel . While offering voyages into yesteryear , it wasn ’ t afraid of innovation – the cruise line started arguably the first onboard chef collaboration , with Michelinstarred Nobuyuki ( Nobu ) Matsuhisa ’ s only restaurant on the waves , as well as introducing on-deck pickleball and paddle tennis courts long before they became fashionable .
It was a heady blend . No wonder guests – myself included – couldn ’ t get enough of this remarkable cruise line , with 60 % returning time after time to experience life aboard its two ocean-going ships . So when new owners came on board it was only natural to question to what degree they would honor Crystal ’ s hallowed past . Thankfully , Abercrombie & Kent ( A & K ) knows a thing or two about heritage . Formed more than 60 years ago by Geoffrey Kent and his parents on the plains of Africa , it has earned a reputation over the years for offering some of the best land-based travel experiences around the world .
What ’ s more , its Executive Chairman Manfredi Lefebvre d ’ Ovidio , from the Italian shipping dynasty that founded Silversea , has cruising running through his veins . When he took a majority stake in A & K Travel Group in 2019 after selling Silversea to Royal Caribbean Group it was only ever going to be a matter of time before a cruise company was added to the portfolio . “ I woke up in the morning and had no ships and said , ‘ This is not possible ,’” he recalled .
Having long admired Crystal , he offered to buy it twice – and was twice rebutted . It was only when the previous owners suffered financial woes that A & K Travel Group was able to acquire the brand name as well as its ocean-going ships , Crystal Serenity and Crystal Symphony , in 2022 . The aim was simple but brilliant – to deliver excellence on both land and sea , capitalizing on the many synergies between the companies . As CEO Cristina Levis , who had worked with Lefebvre at Silversea , said : “ We have two legends : the legend of the cruise industry and a legend and pioneer of land and expedition experiences . You can only imagine what the two of them can do together .”
But time was of the essence , with just a year to make it happen , and all the associated administration of building a new reservation system and website . What ’ s more , before returning to service , both ships needed a makeover , which in parts turned out to be less of a tweakment , more full-scale surgery . Recognizing that the “ market wants two notches above what it wanted before ,” Lefebvre decided that the answer was to make Crystal even more exclusive , and that one of the ways to achieve this was by creating more space .
“ OVER THE COURSE OF MORE
THAN THREE DECADES , CRYSTAL SET THE STANDARD FOR EXEMPLARY SERVICE AT SEA , WITH SUPERB FOOD AND TOP-QUALITY ENTERTAINMENT
”
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