by Lacey Pfalz
Last updated: 9:54 AM ET, Mon July 18, 2022
Royal Caribbean Group received court approval to purchase the former Crystal Cruises ship, the Endeavor, to expand its Silversea Cruises fleet for $275 million today, July 18 for delivery to the new fleet later this month.
The ship was built in 2021 for the Crystal Cruises fleet. The PC6 polar-class vessel can sail all of Silversea's current expedition itineraries, including in the Arctic and the Antarctic. The ship will be renamed Silver Endeavor and will feature the same luxury as any Silversea ship, including experiences befitting an expedition vessel, complete with zodiac boats.
The ship will begin service during the winter 2022-23 season, exploring Antarctica beginning in November of this year.
"With Endeavor, we are seeking to grow our world class fleet to meet the exceptional demand for ultra-luxury expedition cruising, while also enhancing our profitability profile and affirming Silversea's position as the industry's leading ultra-luxury and expedition cruise line," said Jason Liberty, president and CEO, Royal Caribbean Group.
Additionally, Royal Caribbean Group will protect the deposits of guests originally booked for itineraries onboard the ship during its short time under Crystal Cruises, allowing them to rebook on Royal Caribbean, Celebrity or Silversea Cruises under the RCL Cares program.
If the guests don't receive their deposits back from Crystal, Royal Caribbean will refund the amount paid on their new booking up to the amount of their lost deposits.
"The expedition cruising industry is poised to resume accelerated growth driven by demand among high-end, affluent customers for travel to remote and hard-to-access destinations," said Roberto Martinoli, president and CEO, Silversea Cruises. "This ship will be the fourth vessel to join Silversea's fleet since 2020, which demonstrates our commitment to growth."
Crystal Cruises had a markedly dramatic fall from the industry spanning last year and earlier this year, when its parent company, Genting Hong Kong, went bankrupt. Its other two ships, the Crystal Symphony and Crystal Serenity, have been bought by A&K Travel Group Ltd., which also owns tour operator Abercrombie & Kent, for a combined price of $128 million, along with Crystal Cruises' name.
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