Crystal Cruises’ new luxury expedition ship Crystal Endeavour delayed until 2021
The luxury cruise line Crystal Cruises has confirmed that its new expedition cruise ship Crystal Endeavour will be delayed until 2021 due to work stoppages at the MV Werften shipyard.
MV Werften, along with all the major shipyards across Europe where the world’s cruise ships are built, was forced to delay some projects due to social distancing and reduced capacity measures put in place due to the Coronavirus pandemic.This has resulted in delays to the construction of vessels and delivery of parts, which are sourced globally.
The 200-guest luxury expedition ship Crystal Endeavour was meant to enter service this year, her maiden voyages coinciding with the 2020 Olympics in Japan (which have also been delayed due to the virus). Instead, she will now be delivered in early 2021, although Crystal Cruises has not yet committed to a set date.
The six-star expedition ship, the only one of her kind in the world, will mark Crystal Cruises’ entry into the increasingly competitive expedition cruise sector, a space already occupied by Silversea, Seabourn, Celebrity Cruises and other luxury operators. Even if the shipyard had been able to complete the ship in time, it’s likely that Crystal would have opted to delay her launch due to ongoing uncertainty over which cruise destinations will allow ships to dock.
“Cruise ports around the world remain temporarily closed, including Australia and New Zealand,” Crystal Cruises said in a statement.“Because of these factors, Crystal has made the decision to further postpone the introduction of Crystal Endeavor and cancel the remainder of the ship’s 2020 itineraries,” it added.
Crystal has indicated that guests booked on the ship’s November and December cruises will receive a future cruise credit equal to 125 percent of their cruise fare, or deposit paid, for any Crystal experience through 2023.
Crystal added that its entire 2022 deployment is available for booking, while its 2023 deployment will be announced in early July.
For her 2022 cruise season, Crystal Endeavour will cruise 28 itineraries of nine to 19 nights, visiting the High Arctic and Antarctica, Svalbard, Iceland, Greenland, the Falkland Islands, and Chilean fjords and glaciers. Three of her 2022 cruises will include voyages on the coast of West Africa.
