It’s been quite the sea change at Crystal. After running into stormy weather when its Hong Kong-based parent company su ered serious financial diculties, 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 o ering 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 Geo rey Kent and his parents on the plains of Africa, it has earned a reputation over the years for o ering 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 o ered to buy it twice – and was twice rebutted. It was only when the previous owners su ered 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. CRYSTAL: A NEW CHAPTER OVER THE COURSE OF MORE THAN THREE DECADES, CRYSTAL SET THE STANDARD FOR EXEMPLARY SERVICE AT SEA,WITH SUPERB FOOD AND TOP-QUALITY ENTERTAINMENT “ ” CALL OR VISIT OUR WEBSITE FOR PRICING, ITINERARIES, AND MORE 10
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