The word "luxury" has been associated with cruises for so long, even overused, that when you want to describe true luxury, you have to use the word "exceptional," and that's how they describe themselves at Crystal: "exceptional at sea." It's said that something exceptional is something that deviates from the ordinary and occurs rarely…
Article from CruisesNews magazine no. 70 – September 2024
When major tour operator A&K Travel Group bought the Crystal Cruises brand and its two ships, it promised to continue offering and improving everything that had made this company a favorite among luxury cruisers for 30 years.
It was a difficult task to accomplish given Crystal's well-known reputation for impeccable service, its close staff-to-guest ratio, and its arguably unparalleled base of completely loyal customers. After spending a few days traveling on the refurbished Crystal Symphony, it's safe to say that this partnership between A&K and Crystal is a winning formula.
The expansion of the fleet with two ships of similar dimensions to the current ones has already been announced, followed by an incursion into the expedition market
The Symphony doesn't look a day over 30 years old. The renovation saw much of the traditional wooden decor replaced by Italian marble, glass, and fabrics in a much more contemporary style.
Even so, the biggest change was in the number of suites. The company not only renovated the decor and redesigned some rooms, but, in an effort to enhance the onboard experience, combined single cabins to create larger suites, reducing the number of accommodations by almost a quarter. Today, it can accommodate 600 passengers.
A suite at the Crystal Symphony has everything you could want, decorated in light and blue tones, including a spacious balcony, marble, fine fabrics, crystal, and a bed you'll never want to get up from. Apparently, at the request of Crystal guests, some suites have retained their more traditional wood decor. Of course, there are also the Penthouse and Junior Penthouse suites, with furnishings and amenities that rival those of the world's finest hotels.
We spent a few days on board enjoying the ship and its excellent cuisine, yes, excellent, exceptional.
The Crystal Symphony was renovated with Italian marble, glass, and fabrics in a much more contemporary style
Umi Uma is the only Nobu restaurant on a ship, and that alone says it all. But the Nobu experience combined with Crystal service makes for a truly unique evening, and that's what makes it exceptional.
Osteria D'Ovidio is a high-end Italian restaurant named after Manfredi Lefebvre D'Ovidio, one of Crystal's owners. It offers sophistication and excellent Italian cuisine.
But the food, wine pairings, and service are excellent in all the ship's restaurants. The Marketplace, with its indoor and outdoor seating at the stern, is highly recommended, as is Taste, and of course, the Waterside Restaurant, the ship's main restaurant.
I don't want to forget the bars. Many of the most memorable moments on a cruise involve a good drink before or after dinner, and at the Symphony they know how to serve the perfect cocktail to surprise you, or that drink just the way you like it. The right drink in the right glass. It's all about the details, and luxury is in the details.
The ship's expansive public spaces blend seamlessly with the restaurants, spa and gym, pickleball court, library, lounges, theater, nightclub, and putting green. The ship as a whole has a sleek and modern feel, while retaining its unique character, from the Palm Lounge where afternoon tea is served, to the pool with its large, original jacuzzi, and those little hidden gems that make it special, like the Connoisseur Club.
But if there's one thing that makes Crystal special, it's the service, and you truly perceive it as exceptional. It's exactly the kind of personal and (this time) luxurious service that Crystal fans adored and expected, perhaps with some skepticism after the company's dissolution. But with 80 percent of the ship's former, highly loyal crew back on board, that signature Crystal service model, and a near 1:1 crew-to-passenger ratio, the exceptional service is back.
The new Crystal aims to expand and evolve the brand, leveraging the company's global network of luxury travel specialists and partnerships with leading global business partners. This will allow them to develop a broader range of itineraries, excursions, and pre- and post-cruise options, going even further than traditional offerings. The expansion of the fleet with two ships of similar size to the current ones has already been announced, followed by an entry into the expedition market. We'll have much to discuss in the coming months. Crystal promises to be exceptional.
Interview with Manfredi Lefrebvre D'Ovidio
President of Heritage Group
Manfredi Lefebvre is chairman of Heritage Group, a diversified conglomerate that invests in tourism, real estate, and other industries. The Lefebvre family founded Silversea Cruises in Monaco in 1994 and sold it to Royal Caribbean Group in 2018.
In February 2019, it acquired a majority stake in the luxury travel company Abercrombie & Kent, which in turn acquired the brand and some of the ships of the bankrupt Crystal Cruises in 2022, reviving it.
Born in Rome in 1953, Manfredi Lefebvre is the son of Antonio Lefebvre d'Ovidio de Clunières di Balsorano, a distinguished Italian jurist, university professor, and businessman. He worked in the family business from a young age and simultaneously started his own ventures.
He was honored with the title of Knight of the Order of Saint Charles and Grimaldi by HRH Prince Albert II of Monaco in 2007, and was appointed Honorary Consul of the Republic of Ecuador in Monaco in April 2019. In addition, he is currently Chairman of Heritage Group, Co-Chairman of the Board of Directors of Abercrombie & Kent, a member of the Executive Committee of the World Travel & Tourism Council, and a member of the Board of Directors of SKULD, a marine insurance company based in Oslo.
Your family invented cruising and contemporary luxury 30 years ago. How do you think the luxury segment has evolved during this period?
Yes. Back then, we had a company called Sitmar Cruises, and it was the beginning of cruising, when transatlantic ships were converted into cruise ships because the transatlantic routes for migration and crossing oceans were replaced by airplanes, and migration from Europe ended. To ensure the company's stability and continued operation, we bought it and converted it into a cruise line, building some new ships that had the typical features; that is, each ship had all classes of passengers because they were former transatlantic cruise ships.
Then we realized there was a developing market niche. People were starting to demand the same thing they expect when staying at a hotel for a short time—luxury—and that needed to be implemented on cruise ships, so we did.
When we received an offer, we couldn't refuse it. To put it simply, the company ended up with Princess Cruises, a subsidiary of P&O at the time.
We decided to start a new company because only Old Seabourn was operating with three ships that could carry 200 passengers, and there was another company called Seadream, which was owned by Cunard. But we expanded the concept.
So first we built two ships, then two more, and we kept growing. We decided that, contrary to what was normal on cruise ships, the all-inclusive concept should be implemented. We wanted to create an exclusive atmosphere, like a club. You go to a place where there are more or less the same people who share your tastes, your same aspirations in life, and you socialize. Then you want to sit down at a table, order a whisky, and not worry about the bill, like in a club. That's how it was initially. So was the quality of service. There were a number of things that we gradually identified and started adding, like the size of the cabins, the balconies, and so on. That's how it began and how we developed it.
And then I decided to do an expedition cruise, because people liked visiting remote places, but with all the comforts. So we took over a ship that would go to Antarctica and the Arctic, another ship to the Galapagos Islands, and so on. And we had a ship that would reach very remote destinations like the Russian Far East.
And how has this segment evolved from that time to the present? Because now there are many brands selling luxury.
Yes, but it's an overused term. We consider ourselves exceptional at sea because we want to distance ourselves from this misused term "luxury." There are many companies that aspire to it, some have been operating for longer.
So the traditional cruise lines were in Europe, like Hapag-Lloyd, and in the United States there were Seabourn, Regent, Silversea, and Crystal. There was also SeaDream, which only had two ships with, I think, 80 or 90 passengers each.
I believe there's a limit to size, both in height and in width. Small size is ideal, but then the onboard experience is limited because there's nothing to do on sailing days or in the evenings. After considering this, the ideal size is around 600 passengers, and that's where the balance and compromise between size and offerings is achieved. On Crystal ships, we reduced the number of passengers. We have the most space per passenger, which, combined with the size of the suites and the amount of public spaces, means you'll never see a crowded place.
Space is one of the components of luxury, something that defines it. If you have a building with a beautiful and spacious entrance lobby, it's considered wasted space, yes, but it's an element that makes the building more prestigious. So, you have to include several of these things to give this perception of exceptionality, of luxury.
For people, vacations aren't just about being on the beach, visiting a place they've never been, or even just eating. They're also about meeting people—people from other places, people you wouldn't meet in your daily life. That's why we always strive to have a diverse group of people on board. We're the only cruise line in this segment with roughly 50% North Americans and 50% from other countries: Europeans, some Asians, and South Americans. It's a cosmopolitan experience that allows us to provide perfect service to a German who wants dinner at 6:00 p.m. and a Mexican or Spaniard who wants to eat at 9:00 p.m. This makes service more complex, but on a ship like this, you're not just a number; you have to be able to serve each individual according to their needs and expectations.
The further you move away from this concept, the further you move away from this segment, and the closer you get, the more exceptional you are.
Space is one of the components of luxury, something that identifies it
Are travel agents still essential for selling this product?
Obviously, you need travel partners. I want to tell travel agencies that sell this product, and probably more so in Europe than in the United States, that they need to specialize significantly and be able to identify very clearly what this customer wants. We are significantly strengthening our position in Europe and the rest of the world precisely to expand our relationships with these travel partners.
The segment seems to be growing significantly, and many cruise companies are emerging. Is this making competition more difficult?
These new companies are primarily linked to hotel brands, and the reason they're launching is because the hotel brands saw that many of their customers were opting for cruises. They then decided they wanted to keep them within the family. This is how, for example, Ritz-Carlton Yacht Voyages and Four Seasons came about. They want to reach the customer who always goes to luxury resorts and who might soon choose a cruise, hoping to attract them based on brand recognition.
We'll see how it develops, because for now they'll be very small boats, and these small boats need to be sold at a very high price to operate. So they're opening up a new, very high-priced customer base.
I think they'd prefer passengers to come from their own hotel clients, but no one can survive without travel agencies. They might have direct bookings through their databases, advertising, and direct mailings, but travel agencies always account for the majority of sales. We've seen direct bookings increase, but that's because the volume of sales through agencies has also increased.
Crystal Cruises customers were very loyal. How have they reacted to the company's return?
A wonderful reaction. They come back crying and thanking us. Most have returned. Crystal had customers who cruised once a year and others every two or three years; many of them have already returned. They are very happy and they like what we did to the ships. They are thrilled that their favorite cruise line is back.
We consider ourselves exceptional at sea because we want to distance ourselves from this overused term of luxury
They've already announced two new ships and an option for a third, similar in size and design. Are they planning to create a large fleet, including expedition ships?
If so, then yes, new and improved ships, but with similar passenger capacity, space ratios, and crew proportions.
And yes, we also want to go on an expedition, but that needs a little more time.
How do you see the Spanish market in this segment? Is it growing? Is it important for Crystal?
Yes. The European market has always been growing in all segments. In Spain, the competition is with its own destination, and Spaniards have always been accustomed to having a second home or exploring their own country. I've explored Spain extensively, and it's absolutely beautiful. So, the competition, both in Italy and Spain, for people who can afford to travel, is that their own countries offer so much, and many have their own second home by the sea.
We need to convince people that traveling is essential to seeing certain places in the world from the comfort of their own home. If you imagine your summer at home on the beach, then go to Antarctica in winter and take that exceptional trip you deserve.
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