Reports referred to a letter sent by a Florida ship broker to other cruise lines suggesting Crystal’s five river vessels were available for sale.
But Walter Littlejohn, Crystal River Cruises’ senior vice president and managing director, said: “We emphatically deny the accuracy of an email sent to our competitors by a Florida ship broker, with whom we have no contractual relationship and to whom our legal team has issued an immediate cease and desist letter.”
Littlejohn added bookings were up by more than 50% for the next year and the line has been achieving its “absolute highest pricing ever”.
“This week, Crystal’s parent company Genting Hong Kong (GHK) successfully completed a financial restructuring agreement with its global creditors and following on from that, the company, like all other responsible enterprises, will continue to engage in fundraising exercises to address liquidity needs as it navigates through the Covid-19 pandemic,” he added.
“We would like to assure our valued guests, travel advisors and team members that Crystal is steadfastly focused on pivoting away from the travails of the pandemic as we prepare to gradually resume service this year.”
The river line is due to resume operations with Crystal Ravel on the Danube on 29 August, followed by Crystal Debussy on the Rhine on 30 August.
Crystal’s ocean cruises are due to restart on Saturday (3 July) when Crystal Serenity departs from Nassau in the Bahamas, with new expedition ship Crystal Endeavor due to make its maiden voyage on 17 July from Reykjavik, Iceland.
