Crystal Cruises has announced it will be suspending operations for its ocean and expedition ships until 29 April, and its river cruises until the end of May.
Crystal Cruises has announced that it will pause operations in the wake of a financial crisis at its parent company, Genting Hong Kong, which said it is set to run out of cash by the end of January.
“This was an extremely difficult decision but a prudent one given the current business environment and recent developments with our parent company, Genting Hong Kong,” said Jack Anderson, Crystal’s president.
“Crystal has been synonymous with luxury cruising for more than 30 years and we look forward to welcoming back our valued guests when we resume our operations.
“We wish to thank our guests and travel advisors for their incredible support during these ongoing challenging times.”
Crystal has confirmed the three ships currently in operation will complete their current sailings in the Caribbean and Antarctica.
Parent company Genting Hong Kong owns the Crystal, Star and Dream Cruises brands, as well as its shipyard MV Werften, which also announced its insolvency earlier this month.
The company has said that a hearing at the Supreme Court of Bermuda has been scheduled on Friday to discuss the situation and appointment of administrators.
“Suspending operations will provide Crystal’s management team with an opportunity to evaluate the current state of business and examine various options moving forward,” the cruise line said in a statement sent to guests and travel agents.
Passengers and travel advisors are currently being notified and Crystal has said it will provide a full refund of the cruise fare paid, which will be processed automatically to the original form of payment.
If the cruise was booked with a future cruise credit, the credit will be returned to the passenger’s Crystal Society account.
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