Crystal has announced a special initiative for travelers and travel advisors who were financially impacted by Crystal Cruises' former ownership following its financial collapse.
Created in partnership with A&K Travel Group-the new owners of Crystal and its two ships Crystal Serenity and Crystal Symphony-the plan is being called the "Exceptional Initiative" and allows eligible former Crystal guests who hold a verified claim in the Crystal Cruises LLC case to apply for a credit to use towards future Crystal voyages on board either of the aforementioned ships.
To qualify, guests must have filed a valid claim in the Crystal Cruises LLC case for amounts owed related to cruises onboard Crystal Symphony and Crystal Serenity that were canceled. Meanwhile, 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 also be split into five installments to be applied toward five future bookings.
Finally, the first booking must be made by July 1, 2023, and the credit must be put towards voyages departing on or before December 31, 2025.
"This Initiative is a plan we have been working on since we acquired Crystal as it will benefit our most loyal customers. This is not something we were legally obliged to do," Manfredi Lefebvre d'Ovidio, Co-Chairman of A&K Travel Group and of Crystal, said in a statement. "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 service 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 shutdown," added Mark Healy, Executive Vice President of Moecker Associates. "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."
Crystal Serenity's inaugural sailing from Marseille will depart July 31, 2023, while Crystal Symphony will set sail on September 1, 2023, from Athens. Scheduled voyages will visit the Mediterranean, Northern Europe, Canada and New England, Alaska, the Caribbean, the Panama Canal, the Middle East, Asia, Australia and New Zealand.
Specific terms and conditions of the Exceptional Initiative along with FAQs can be found on Crystal's website.
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