Royal Caribbean acquiring Crystal Cruises ship, will protect customers' deposits
Royal Caribbean Group received court approval to acquire a Crystal Cruises ship and will protect the deposits of customers who had bookings on the ship after the cruise line suspended operations this year.
Crystal Endeavor will join the Silversea Cruises fleet this month, Royal Caribbean said in a news release Monday. The ship, which will be renamed Silver Endeavour, "is designed specifically to take travelers to the world’s most remote destinations, including both polar regions," the company said.
Endeavour will spend its first season in Antarctica, beginning in November.
"With Endeavour, 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," Royal Caribbean Group President and CEO Jason Liberty said in the release.
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Royal Caribbean will protect customers' deposits
The cruise line operator said it will protect the deposits of customers who were booked on the ship and who make a new booking on Celebrity Cruises, Royal Caribbean International or Silversea Cruises.
"We believe those Crystal guests will receive back their deposits regardless, but we want to give them added assurance," Silversea Cruises spokesperson Matthew Scott told USA TODAY in an email. "Therefore, should these Crystal Endeavor guests not receive their deposits back from Crystal (or other sources), Royal Caribbean Group will refund any amount paid on their new bookings made with any of the three brands by November 30, 2022, up to the amount of their lost deposits from Crystal."
Scott said the credit those passengers can get from Royal Caribbean Group "will be equal to the fare paid by the guest to Crystal Cruises for the qualifying Crystal Endeavor booking, less all amounts the guest received (or will receive) in refunds or recovery from any source."
Guests can book their cruise as they would normally, but they'll need to show documentation to prove their eligibility. Scott said they are still finalizing the details of the process and will share more "as soon as the information is available."
He added that customers who want to book a trip with Silversea and take advantage of the offer can reach out to its Contact Center by calling 1-877-353-4281.
Other Crystal Cruises ships were sold
Nearly a month ago, A&K Travel Group, owned by Geoffrey Kent of luxury travel company Abercrombie & Kent and industrial holding company Heritage, announced the purchase of the Crystal Serenity and Crystal Symphony ships.
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A&K Travel Group acquired the cruise line's brand as well, and the ships will return to service next year.
After an arrest warrant was issued for the Symphony over unpaid fuel bills, Crystal Cruises reportedly shut down at least its U.S. operations this year. The line suspended trips for months after its parent company, Genting Hong Kong, declared bankruptcy.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Royal Caribbean acquiring Crystal Cruises ship, will protect deposits