MIAMI – As travelers continue to navigate the uncertainty of planning travel during this time, Crystal is expanding its peace of mind focused booking policies. For a limited time, the new Crystal Confidence 2.0 allows travelers 90 days from the time of booking to place their deposit on all new 2020-2023 reservations across all brand experiences – Crystal Cruises, Crystal River Cruises, Crystal Yacht Cruises and Crystal Expedition Cruises. In addition, the company is relaxing final payment deadlines for all its current savings programs.
Crystal developed the new policy updates in response to the current environment as the global Covid-19 pandemic continues to impact when and where cruising can resume. Differing requirements from countries worldwide and no established guidelines for resumption of service continue to delay cruise lines’ ability to operate, creating uncertainty for cruise lines and travelers alike.
“We understand that many travelers are eager to begin planning vacations and exploring the world again but may be hesitant to make commitments of travel time and resources during this challenging period,” said Carmen Roig, Crystal’s senior vice president of marketing and sales. “The expanded window for deposits and relaxed final payment schedules offer them an opportunity to look forward to future journeys and book their dream vacations with ease.”
The 90-day extended commitment window for deposits complements the already generous peace of mind booking policies available. Details of policies include:
- Crystal Confidence Update: Relaxed Final Payment and Cancellation Policy for All 2020 Voyages – Final payment is now due 30 days prior to first date of service; guests will now receive a full refund (less admin fees) for cancellation of 2020 voyages up to 30 days prior to first date of service. Guests can also cancel up to seven days prior to first date of service and receive a 100 percent Future Cruise Credit for monies paid, redeemable through the end of 2023.
- New Crystal Confidence 2.0: Relaxed Final Payment and Cancellation Policies – Now extended through April 2021, Crystal Confidence 2.0 offers both relaxed cancellation terms and a final payment of 60 days prior to departure (previously 120 days prior) for all new bookings.
- Extended Early Full Payment Savings Program – Early payment has now been extended to 180 days prior to first date of service (the previous payment window was 270 days) to receive an additional 2.5 percent in savings for all experiences including Ocean, River, Yacht and Expedition.
- Advance Purchase Savings (Crystal River Cruises) – For a limited time, guests booking one of more than 60 sailings from March through December 2021 will now have 90 days from the time of booking to place their non-refundable full payment of $3,699 per person – a savings of up to 50 percent – for the best available suite at the time of booking. As per the original program parameters, guests have the flexibility to change their first date of service to another applicable sailing with no penalty before December 31, 2020.
- Crystal’s Easy Book Program – For all 2021-2023 bookings, guests can book with a reduced deposit of 15 percent, regardless of voyage length, and receive waived administrative fees. The new 90-day deferred deposit applies.
Additional peace of mind programs include:
- Crystal Voyage Assurance – Providing guests enhanced travel protection in the event that unforeseen travel restrictions require significant changes to set itineraries. Valid on new and existing bookings on itineraries from November 2020 through April 2021 aboard Crystal Symphony and select itineraries from October 2020 through April 2021 aboard Crystal Serenity.
- Crystal Clean+, Confidence Anchored by Care -The safety of guests and crew members is Crystal’s number one priority and the fleet will resume service only when the company’s expert team and global health and government authorities indicate that it is safe to do so. When Crystal ships do return to sailing, they will do so with detailed Crystal Clean+ health and safety protocols. The new Crystal Clean+ 2.0 protocols, announced on July 22, are the initial set of measures for Crystal Serenity and Crystal Symphony, developed with the latest data available from health experts and will be updated as new information and guidelines becomes available. Details can be found here. Currently in development are measures for Crystal River Cruises, Crystal Yacht Cruises and Crystal Expedition Cruises.