Manfredi Lefebvre d’Ovidio, executive chairman of A&K Travel Group, promised former Crystal Cruises loyalists in a video that the experience of sailing on the relaunched Crystal would be an “enhanced” version of what they knew. 

The video comes out a month ahead of a preview sailing for the Crystal Serenity, the first of two ships A&K acquired after the old Crystal collapsed in early 2022. A&K is renovating the Serenity, which will sail a preview cruise in the Mediterranean in late July, and the Crystal Symphony out of Athens in September. 

“You have my word, you’re going to find the same Crystal, enhanced,” Lefebvre said. “People are going recognize that we’re not luxury, we’re exceptional.”

He said 80% of Crystal Cruises’ crew has been hired by the reborn Crystal, the ships will have close to a 1-to-1 guest-to-crew ratio with a butler for every suite and guest room, and both the Serenity and the Crystal Symphony will bring back the Umi Uma restaurant by Japanese Michelin-starred chef Nobuyuki (Nobu) Matsuhisa. 

Lefebvre d’Ovidio, who founded and later sold Silversea Cruises to Royal Caribbean Group, said he began visiting shipyards when he was 14 years old and was itching to return to the cruise business. He has been in the cruise industry since 1986.

The collapse of Crystal Cruises in early 2022 shook the travel industry as travel advisors were left with unpaid commissions and guests lost out on paid deposits. Although the reborn line initially stressed it was not responsible for the tribulations of the former line, the line later launched a program to credit guests negatively impacted by the former line’s demise. 

Lefebvre said in the video he had been trying to acquire Crystal Cruises “for some time” before its collapse. He said when A&K acquired the Crystal brand, ships and guest list, the company “paid the banks and we paid them the money which is going to be used to pay back the passengers, so it’s very important to us.”

The legal process to compensate customers impacted by Crystal’s closure is still unwinding. A&K expects some guests will get at least partial compensation this year. Travel advisors will have to wait until that process is completed to see how much money is left over to pay their commissions.

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