Caesars Palace at Sea
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Cruise line |
| Founded | 1988 |
| Founder | Nippon Yusen Kaisha |
| Fate | Acquired by A&K Travel Group in 2022; operations relaunched in 2023 |
| Headquarters | Hallandale Beach, Florida , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Manfredi Lefebvre d'Ovidio, Geoffrey Kent (owners) |
| Products | Luxury ocean cruises, expedition cruises, river cruises, private jet experiences |
| Owner | A&K Travel Group |
| Website | www |
Crystal Cruises is a U.S.-based cruise line currently owned by A&K Travel Group.
Originally established in 1988 by the Japanese maritime corporation Nippon Yusen Kaisha, the company changed ownership in 2015 when it was acquired by the Hong Kong conglomerate Genting Hong Kong. Following Genting's financial collapse in 2022, A&K Travel Group purchased the Crystal brand along with two vessels, relaunching operations in 2023 from its headquarters located in Hallandale Beach, Florida.[1] Significant refurbishments were carried out at a Fincantieri facility in Trieste, Italy, which included enhancements to butler suites and a reduction in passenger capacity. Service recommenced in July 2023, complemented by shore excursions organized through Abercrombie & Kent.
History
Crystal Cruises was founded by NYK in 1988, debuting with the vessel Crystal Harmony.[2]
On March 3, 2015, NYK divested Crystal Cruises to Genting Hong Kong for $550 million.[3] The transaction finalized on May 15, 2015.[4] By July of that year, Crystal announced plans to broaden its offerings to include expedition voyages, river cruises, and private jet experiences.[5]
In 2016, Crystal secured an option to purchase the historic , covering docking expenses during a feasibility assessment for its reactivation. However, the initiative was discontinued later that year due to technical obstacles; Crystal contributed $350,000 toward docking fees through the end of that year.[6]
In September 2019, Crystal unveiled plans for Broadway-themed cruises set to begin in 2020.[7]
The COVID-19 crisis had a profound effect on operations. By August 2020, all remaining cruises were canceled as Genting Hong Kong halted payments to creditors. Delivery of the new Crystal Endeavor, designed for 200 passengers, faced postponement from November 2020 because of shipyard shutdowns.[8]
In March 2021, Crystal initiated all-Bahamas sailings aboard Crystal Serenity as a strategy to navigate CDC cruise restrictions; these voyages mandated passenger vaccination. The initial booking day broke company records despite some local concerns regarding tourism impact.[9]
Following Genting Hong Kong's insolvency declaration, Crystal ceased all activities in January 2022. The vessels Crystal Symphony and Crystal Serenity were detained at Freeport due to outstanding debts; meanwhile, U.S. headquarters were shuttered. V.Ships Leisure was appointed to oversee fleet management during liquidation proceedings.[10]
On June 22, 2022, A&K Travel Group—owned by Manfredi Lefebvre d'Ovidio and Geoffrey Kent—acquired the Crystal brand along with two ocean-going ships and announced intentions to restart service in 2023.[11]
In June 2024, Crystal placed orders for two new vessels with Fincantieri, scheduled for delivery beginning in 2028. A subsequent order for a third ship was made later that autumn.[12]
Crystal Yacht Cruises
Launched in December 2015, Crystal Yacht Cruises featured the Crystal Esprit, a yacht with a capacity of 62 guests and a tonnage of 3,000 tons. The yacht included amenities such as a submarine accommodating two passengers, four zodiacs each capable of carrying ten guests for excursions, and a tender with a twelve-passenger capacity. Additional water sports equipment included water skis, wakeboards, kayaks, jet skis, fishing gear, scuba diving apparatus, and snorkeling supplies.
Crystal Expedition Cruises
The construction of Crystal Endeavor commenced on January 15, 2018, at MV Werften, a shipyard recognized for its expertise in passenger vessels and icebreakers. This expedition yacht, designed to PC6 standards, was launched on July 17, 2021, in Reykjavik, Iceland. Boasting a gross tonnage of 20,200 GT, it is equipped to carry 200 passengers on polar explorations as well as journeys to secluded tropical destinations.
Crystal River Cruises
Crystal River Cruises was introduced in July 2016 with the refurbishment of the vessel Template:Interlanguage link multi. The fleet grew with the addition of four newly constructed Rhine-class river ships: Crystal Bach and Crystal Mahler arrived in 2017, followed by Crystal Debussy and Crystal Ravel in 2018.
Crystal Luxury Air/Crystal AirCruises
Launched in 2015, Crystal Luxury Air began operations with a Bombardier Global Express aircraft accommodating 12 guests. In August 2017, Crystal AirCruises introduced Crystal Skye, a Boeing 777-200LR featuring 88 first-class flat-bed seats, a lounge and dining space for 24 passengers, and a fully stocked bar. Among its earliest charter clients was the National Hockey League. Additionally, the company acquired a Boeing 787 Dreamliner in May 2017; however, it remained in storage as of late 2017.
Current fleet
| Name | Built | Builder | Entered service for Crystal |
Gross tonnage | Flag | Notes | Image |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crystal Symphony | 1995 | Knaerner Masa-Yards Turku New Shipyard | 1995 | 51,044 | File:Flag of the Bahamas.svg Bahamas | ||
| Crystal Serenity | 2003 | Chantiers de l'Atlantique | 2003 | 68,870 | File:Flag of the Bahamas.svg Bahamas |
Former fleet
| Name | Built | Builder | Entered service for Crystal |
Gross tonnage | Flag | Notes | Image | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crystal Harmony | 1989 | Mitsubishi Heavy Industries | 1990 | 50,142 | File:Flag of the Bahamas.svg Bahamas | Transferred to Nippon Yusen Kaisha in 2006 and renamed Asuka II | |||||||||
| Expedition ships | |||||||||||||||
| Crystal Esprit | 1991 | Flender Werke | 2015 | 3,370 | File:Flag of the Bahamas.svg Bahamas | Formerly known as MegaStar Taurus. Sold to Lindblad Expeditions in 2021. | |||||||||
| Crystal Endeavor | 2021 | MV Werften | 2021 | 20,449 | File:Flag of the Bahamas.svg Bahamas | Purchased by Silversea Cruises in June 2022. | |||||||||
| River ships | |||||||||||||||
| Crystal Mozart | 1987 | Deggendorfer Werft und Eisenbau MV Werften (redesign) |
2016 | 532 | File:Civil Ensign of Malta.svg Malta | Operated by Crystal River Cruises. Named in honor of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. | |||||||||
| Crystal Bach | 2017 | MV Werften | 2017 | File:Civil Ensign of Malta.svg Malta | Operated by Crystal River Cruises. Named after Johann Sebastian Bach. | ||||||||||
| Crystal Mahler | 2017 | MV Werften | 2017 | File:Civil Ensign of Malta.svg Malta | Operated by Crystal River Cruises. Named for Gustav Mahler. | ||||||||||
| Crystal Debussy | 2018 | MV Werften | 2018 | File:Civil Ensign of Malta.svg Malta | Operated by Crystal River Cruises. Named after Claude Debussy. | ||||||||||
| Crystal Ravel | 2018 | MV Werften | 2018 | File:Civil Ensign of Malta.svg Malta | Operated by Crystal River Cruises. Named in tribute to Maurice Ravel. | Aircraft | |||||||||
Bibliography
- Cudahy, Brian J. The Cruise Ship Phenomenon in North America. New York: Cornell Maritime Press, 2001.
External links
| Registration | Year built | Manufacturer | Entered service | Gross tonnage | Flag | Notes | Image | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N989SF | 2007 | Bombardier Aerospace | 2015 | N/A | Template:USA | Bombardier Global Express. Managed by Corporate Flight Management. | ||
| '‘Crystal Skye’' | '‘P4-XTL’' | '‘2011’' | '‘Boeing’' | '‘2017’' | '‘N/A’' | '‘Template:ARU’' | '‘Formerly Air Austral Boeing 777-200LR registration F-OLRA. Operated by Comlux.’' | |
| N947BA | '‘2016’' | '‘Boeing’' | '‘2017’' | '‘N/A’' | '‘Template:USA’' | '‘Previously Royal Air Maroc Boeing 787-8 registration CN-RGB. Did not enter service.’' |
- ↑ https://atlantistravel.co.uk/cruise/crystal
- ↑ Miramar Ship Index: Crystal Harmony
- ↑ USA Today, Maritime Matters
- ↑ TravelPulse
- ↑ Travel and Leisure
- ↑ Cruise Industry News
- ↑ TravelPulse
- ↑ Travel Weekly
- ↑ Washington Post, Miami Herald
- ↑ The Maritime Executive, TradeWinds
- ↑ Forbes, Travel Weekly
- ↑ Crystal Cruises Press Releases, Fincantieri