Crystal Will Honor Guest Payments Lost When Crystal Cruises Went Bust

Eligible guests who lost money under the previous Crystal Cruises ownership will be able to apply for credits toward future cruises under the new Crystal’s Exceptional Initiative. To be eligible, guests must hold a verified claim in the Crystal Cruises LLC case and credits given must be split into five separate credits to be used on five separate sailings.

The initiative is being created in partnership with A&K Travel Group, the new owners of Crystal and its two ships.

“This Initiative is a plan we have been working on since we acquired Crystal as it will benefit our most loyal customers,” said Manfredi Lefebvre d’Ovidio, co-chairman of A&K Travel Group and of Crystal. “This is not something we were legally obliged to do. However, we believe that being Exceptional means doing what is unexpected, unusual and unprecedented. 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 services that has made Crystal an award-winning cruise line for three decades.”

“What Crystal has decided to do with this gesture is remarkable partly because they had no obligation to do it, but mostly because it gives customers another alternative to recover funds lost in the shut down,” said Mark Healy, executive vice president of Moecker Associates. Healy is the court-appointed assignee who was tasked with liquidating the former Crystal Cruises’ assets and distributing the proceeds to the line’s creditors. “We are also working to analyze all the claims we received and believe that by the end of the summer we will be in a position to release the first reimbursements.”

To Qualify
In order for guests to qualify for the credit, the following conditions apply:

• Guests must have filed a valid claim with Moecker & Associates in the Crystal Cruises LLC case for amounts owed related to cruises onboard Crystal Symphony and Crystal Serenity that were cancelled.
• The amount of the credit will be restricted to the outstanding balances owed to the guest minus any funds that have already been refunded through the insolvency proceedings.
• The credit will be split into five installments to be applied towards five future bookings.
• The first booking must be made by July 1, 2023 and the credit must be used towards voyages departing on or before December 31, 2025.
• Credits may be retroactively applied to existing bookings.

The specific terms and conditions of the Exceptional Initiative along with FAQs can be found on Crystal’s website.  

Royal Caribbean Group did something similar when it acquired the previous Crystal Endeavor for its Silversea Cruises brand. The company honored deposits made for any cancelled cruises on that ship when cruisers made a new booking on Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises or Silversea Cruises.