The two ships (the Crystal Symphony and Crystal Serenity) were on the market after Crystal, operated by Genting Hong Kong, suspended operations in January and shut down in February, ending a world cruise on Crystal Serenity just two weeks into the cruise. The ships were seized by authorities in The Bahamas in early February for unpaid fuel bills. The two ships will resume service in 2023 and will undergo an extensive refurbishment and will operate under the Crystal Cruises brand that has also been acquired by A&K Travel Group Ltd. Abercrombie and Kent‘s goal is to deliver the best experience, pampering guests from all over the world. This includes around-the-clock butler service and extraordinary culinary experiences.
Co-Chairman of A&K Travel Group Ltd and Crystal Cruises, and Founder, Co-Chairman and CEO of Abercrombie & Kent Geoffrey Kent commented, ‘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.’
On the other hand, river cruise companies show little interest in Crystal’s river ships. Many companies in the river cruise market offer a specific design in their fleet. For example, Avalon Waterways offers guests an entire “Suite Ships” fleet with two full decks of Panorama Suites with open-air balconies and beds facing the views.
Amadeus River Cruises mentioned that buying and renovating the Crystal ships would be a costly endeavor. In addition, Crystal’s vessels have many large suites, reducing the number of passengers, and making it more challenging to fill the vessels with high-yield guests.
Scenic Waterways does their ship-building in-house, and Viking Cruises has the patented design of Longships. AMAWaterways custom-designs their vessels, so they would all appear as unlikely buyers.
Four of Crystal Cruises’ former river ships built in 2017 and 2018 are currently docked in Amsterdam. The Crystal Mozart is docked in Austria and is the oldest of the Crystal line fleet, built in 1987 but rebuilt in 2016. Eventually, the asking price will drop, and at a certain price point, there will be a buyer to refurbish them and integrate them into an existing fleet.
