You are undoubtedly aware that the pandemic caused complete carnage for EVERYONE involved in the tourism sector on a scale never seen before, and the effects of which we are still recovering. The poster child for pressure on the cruise segment was the demise of Crystal Cruises in 2022.
Crystal operated two ocean vessels, four river boats, and a 787-LR custom aircraft (if you want to see our video of our ride on the plane here’s the link: https://youtu.be/4YaJcEpBsSc?si=JXpuZlkHCsQjsVfC
All these assets were seized when Crystal’s parent company couldn’t pay its bills, and were sold off to pay staff, clients, and creditors.
A few months after this depressing debacle, it was announced that Abercrombie and Kent (a well established, luxury land tour operator, partially owned by Manfredi Lefebvre – previously of SilverSea and Sitmar Cruises fame), would buy up the ocean vessels and attempt to resurrect the brand.
I thought this was a textbook case of a really poorly thought out business strategy. The Crystal Ocean ships are old (29 and 22 years old), not particularly fuel efficient, and perhaps worst of all – Crystal was a very badly damaged brand, that upset a lot of travellers.
I was wrong. I always knew Crystal had an incredibly loyal following, and the A&K Group leveraged this to resurrect the brand. They hired back many of the same shipboard staff, offered travellers a credit that lost their money to the OLD Crystal, and updated the ocean vessels.
We have not been on board the new Crystal yet, but by all accounts those that previously loved Crystal are coming back again as raving fans.
In case you’re wondering, the river ships were bought up by Riverside Luxury Cruises, and two of them have become part of Uniworld’s fleet. The plane was bought up by an aviation specialist that does private VIP charters.
So all of this got me wondering with the recent demise of American Queen Voyages, whether we can expect a resurrection there as well. We really liked the American Queen on board product, and as more details come to light about the situation leading to their bankruptcy, it’s becoming clear they were mismanaged into receivership.
Still, there are structural challenges to making a go of it in US waters. Protectionist measures put in place decades ago by the Federal Government (and left in place by successive governments), make it very difficult for operators of cruises that operate exclusively in the US to compete. American staff and crew are notoriously difficult to retain, and travellers just aren’t willing to pay more for a domestic river cruise than they would elsewhere in the world.
The paddle wheeler vessels themselves are very expensive to operate — it’s old technology. We loved the American Queen on board product, but it doesn’t engender the same raving fans that Crystal did, and you can only take so many cruises on the Mississippi River system, whereas the Crystal Ocean ships can move to various markets around the globe.
So I’m not as hopeful for AQ’s resurrection, but we need good domestic river cruise options, so I guess you never know!
Today’s Travel Opportunities
CRYSTAL CRUISES:
Quebec City to NYC departing September 24 for 7 nights:
- Visit Quebec City (overnight), Halifax, Saint John, Portland, Newport, NYC
- Veranda from $5100 per person.
Reykjavik round-trip departing September 1 for 7-nights:
- Visit 5 ports of call in Iceland, as well as the Faroe Islands
- Oceanviews from $5400. Veranda from $5900
Lima to Santiago departing January 25, 2025 for 9 nights:
- Visit Lima (overnight), Pisco (Peru), Iquique (Chile), Antofagasta, Coquimbo, Santiago (overnight).
- Verandas from $5100
Crystal fares include specialty dining, gratuities, an open bar, butler service, and wifi on the ship. Due to our exclusive arrangement with Crystal, we can also get you a minimum of $125 per person on board credit on any Crystal Cruise, but only if booked through our agency.
UNIWORLD BOUTIQUE RIVER COLLECTION
If you’d rather travel on the river, then you can experience the former Crystal boats that are now part of Uniworld’s fleet. Earlier this week, the Uniworld SS Victoria (formerly Crystal Bach) hit the waters:
Basel to Amsterdam departing June 16 for 8-days:
- Visit Amsterdam, Cologne, Koblenz (for Marksburg Castle), Rhine Gorge, Rudesheim, Speyer, Strasbourg, Breisach, Basel
- This is the PRESIDENT’S CRUISE, and you get to travel with Ellen Bettridge. We’ve sailed with Ellen before, and besides being a blast to hang out with, she always has a surprise or two in store for those travelling with her.
- French Balconies from $4999 (represents $1000 off).
Tulip Cruise departing Amsterdam on April 6, 2025 for 8-days.
- Travel on the SS Elisabeth (formerly Crystal Mahler).
- Visit Amsterdam, Cologne, Koblenz, Rhine Gorge, Rudesheim, Speyer, Strasbourg, Breisach, Basel.
- Fares from $4229 LESS the 10% early booking pay-in-full discount.
Uniworld’s fares include transfers, an open bar, a choice of shore excursion in every port, gratuities, and wifi on the ship. These two former Crystal River boats carry 110 guests on the same platform that other river cruise lines put 190 guests on.
Due to our exclusive arrangement with Uniworld, we can get you an additional $150 per person on board credit not available elsewhere.
OCEANIA FARE INCREASE
Our friends at Oceania are really good at giving us a heads-up when fare increases are coming, and that will happen April 1. If you want to experience the Finest Cuisine at Sea, and you’ve got your eye on an Oceania Voyage, then here’s a link to those voyages included in their current promotion:
https://www.oceaniacruises.com/special-offers/savings
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If you’re planning a trip, I’d love to help! Click here or call 800-876-0168 to get in touch today.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Sue Bradley
Sue Bradley
