The new Crystal has launched a program for guests who lost money after the collapse of the old Crystal Cruises.
Eligible guests with a verified claim in the Crystal Cruises LLC case will be able to apply for a credit to use toward future sailings on the Crystal Serenity or Crystal Symphony.
To qualify, guests must have filed a valid claim in the Crystal Cruises LLC case related to canceled cruises onboard the Symphony or Serenity. The amount of credit will be limited to the outstanding balance owed to the guest, minus any payout they have received from the insolvency proceedings.
The credit will be split into five installments to be applied toward five future bookings, the first of which must be made by July 1, 2023, and used toward a voyage departing on or before Dec. 31, 2025.
If a travel advisor is named in the claim filed by the eligible guest and is registered with the new Crystal, they will be paid their commission on the original cruise fare (including the bonus portion if applicable) at the time of the new booking.
The court case to liquidate Crystal Cruises' assets and pay creditors is ongoing with expectations customers who lost deposits could see the first reimbursements by the end of the summer, according to Mark Healy, executive vice president of Moecker Associates, which is handling the liquidation case.
The program, named the "Exceptional Initiative," is being created in partnership with A&K Travel Group, which acquired Crystal's two ocean ships, brand and guest list after the line collapsed under ownership by Genting Hong Kong.
"This is not something we were legally obliged to do," said Manfredi Lefebvre d'Ovidio, co-chairman of A&K Travel Group and Crystal. "We are choosing to help former guests and travel agents recover their money and hope we will be able to focus on returning to service, the exceptional crew and onboard service that has made Crystal an award-winning cruise line for three decades."
The company has relaunched the brand with a shortened name, Crystal, and plans to begin sailing the Crystal Serenity out of Marseille, France on July 31, and the Crystal Symphony out of Athens on Sept. 1.
The move to offer guests credit is a departure from A&K Travel Group's earlier stance that the problems of the defunct Crystal Cruises were not A&K's to make right. When Silversea Cruises acquired the Crystal Endeavor expedition ship, the line announced it would honor deposits paid before the line collapsed. In response, A&K hinted last summer it would provide incentives for past guests to return to the relaunched Crystal.