Crystal
Crystal: the back story
The back story
About Crystal: the back story
Crystal has sailed for more than 30 years. In 2022 the A&K Travel Group acquired the brand and refurbished and relaunched its two flagships, Crystal Serenity and Crystal Symphony; a third ship, Crystal Grace, is being built at Fincantieri’s Marghera yard near Venice.
A name with a following
Crystal has been sailing for more than three decades, and its guests are famously loyal. Ask what brings them back, the line says, and the answer is almost always the crew: almost one for every guest, many of them returning year after year. Every room and suite, not only the top categories, has a butler.
A new chapter
In 2022 the A&K Travel Group, whose brands include Abercrombie & Kent, bought the Crystal brand and refurbished and relaunched its two flagships. Crystal Serenity carries 740 guests and Crystal Symphony 606, both with a sea view from every room, bed linen by Jesurum Venezia 1870 and Revival New York, and Etro robes. A third ship, Crystal Grace, the first new Crystal ocean ship in 25 years, began with a steel-cutting ceremony at Fincantieri’s Marghera shipyard; her first voyages, from Civitavecchia for Rome, are on sale from 11 June 2028.
Butler service comes as standard for every single suite and guest room.
Nobu, and friends
Crystal opened Umi Uma with chef Nobu Matsuhisa in 2003, and it remains the only Nobu restaurant at sea. The relaunch added Beefbar, the first at sea, from the restaurateur Riccardo Giraudi, and Osteria d’Ovidio, an Italian restaurant named for the owner, Manfredi Lefebvre d’Ovidio, created with the brothers Raffaele and Massimiliano Alajmo. In all there are nine ways to dine, from Waterside’s daily-changing menu to Scoops, with gelato from the Florentine artisan Badiani.
Days on board
Crystal’s evenings run to production shows, a seven-piece show band, comedians and recitals, cocktail soirées in the Palm Court and the White Party. By day there are classes from photography to ballroom dancing, bridge and golf, and the Aurōra spa. Ashore, the sister brand Abercrombie & Kent designs By A&K experiences, from overland journeys between two ports to short breaks before or after the voyage.
What all-inclusive means here
On Crystal, the fare covers every restaurant and every bar, premium wines and spirits at any time of day, unlimited Wi-Fi and the tips. Specialty restaurants are reserved: one complimentary reservation at each on sailings of up to 11 days, more on longer voyages, unlimited for Junior Penthouse suites and above, and US$75 per person for each extra booking.
Our advice: book a voyage of 12 days or more if Umi Uma and Osteria d’Ovidio matter to you, since longer sailings include more specialty reservations; and keep an eye on Crystal Grace, whose Owner’s Suite is like nothing the line has built before.
Why it's on our list
- Over 30 years at sea
- Owned by A&K Travel Group since 2022
- The only Nobu restaurant at sea
- Crystal Grace on sale from June 2028
Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Crystal: the back story before you go.