Reservations are officially open for the 2023 luxury itineraries aboard Crystal Symphony, bringing three and a half years of luxury choices to market for discerning travelers. In all, Crystal Symphony will sail 36 all-inclusive itineraries of six to 15 nights, with 23 sailings of 10 days or fewer. Itineraries focus on Southeast Asia and India; the Middle East, Holy Land and Egypt; and the Mediterranean, Baltic and Australia – including a New Year’s Eve celebration in Sydney. For a limited time, the Crystal Confidence 2.0 program allows guests 90 days from the time of booking to place their deposit on any of Crystal’s Symphony’s newly released 2023 voyages or any 2020-2023 sailings across all brand experiences – Crystal Cruises, Crystal River Cruises, Crystal Yacht Cruises and Crystal Expedition Cruises.
Crystal Symphony will spend the entire year sailing abroad, offering guests multiple options to sail select regions at different times of year, including March and November itineraries through Southeast Asia and India; March, April and October itineraries through the Middle East, Egypt and Holy Land; and spring, summer and autumn options in the Mediterranean, Dalmatian Coast and Black Sea.
Sailings in Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Holy Land, Mediterranean and Western Europe, the British Isles and Ireland highlight Crystal Symphony’s 2023 collection of voyages, all of which feature at least one overnight stay. Also featured are five maiden calls – in Kampot, Cambodia; Khor Fakkan, UAE; Bristol, England; Malmoe, Sweden; and Gisborne, New Zealand – as well as new embarkation and disembarkation in the boutique port of Eilat, Israel; a return to charming Skagen, Denmark for the first time in nine years; and an overnight in the fashionable city of Antwerp, Belgium (rare among ocean ships). Boutique ports accessible thanks to the smaller size of Crystal ships include Bordeaux’s city center; Kepez, Turkey; Port Vendres, France; Bristol, England(gateway to Bath); Paphos, Cyprus and more.
A turnaround in Rouen, France offers access to Paris, as well as the culinary roots of Julia Child, while a stay in Le Havre brings guests to the banks of the Seine River, Paris and Giverny, and an overnight in Edinburgh allows guests to enjoy the famed festivities of the Military Tattoo. New routings include Scandinavia to Paris (Copenhagen to Le Havre), Iceland to the Baltic, London to Bordeaux and several others not offered before. Dozens of UNESCO World Heritage Sites range from Bordeaux and Saint-Emilion and Spain’s Rioja Wine Region to culturally significant sites like Israel’s Old City of Acre and Western Galilee and Egypt’s Pyramids of Giza and Luxor and the Valley of the Kings and Queens.
In 2023, Crystal Symphony and Crystal Serenity will sail a total of 68 individual itineraries ranging from six to 23 nights, with many combinable options for longer journeys. The voyages span 216 ports – with an impressive 10 maiden calls – in 92 countries across six continents. Crystal Serenity will also offer closer-to-home routes in North America – exploring New England and Canada and the Caribbean. Both award-winning ships will offer extended seasons in the Mediterranean and Western Europe in the summer months.
With Crystal’s new Crystal Confidence 2.0, a new 90-day deposit window, extended final payments, relaxed cancellation schedules and more are combinable with the Easy Book program, which offers reduced deposits and waived admin fees for all new bookings made by September 2 on any 2021, 2022 and 2023 voyage, adding enticing value to the acclaimed Crystal Experience, with Book Now Savings cruise fares for Crystal Symphony’s 2023 sailings beginning at $1,999 per guest, based on double occupancy.
While its fleet is paused, the company has been developing new procedures and policies that will support all public health and regulatory requirements and ensure that guests’ vacations continue to be not only relaxing and pleasurable but safe and healthy. 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. The safety of its 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.
