By
Alex Smith |
Crystal Cruises has marked the 30th anniversary of its first sailing, when Crystal Harmony sailed from San Francisco, California, to Alaska.
The cruise line has since welcomed Crystal Symphony and Crystal Serenity to its fleet, with Crystal Harmony departing in 2005. Genting Hong Kong purchased the company in 2015 and launched Crystal Yacht Cruises in December that year with first ship, Crystal Espirit. The launch of Crystal River Cruises followed in 2016.
“I am immensely grateful for the officers and crew, Crystal Society Members and travel partners who have made this 30th anniversary milestone possible,” said Tom Wolber, Crystal Cruises’ president and CEO. “I want to thank all the members of the Crystal Family over the years who had the passion and dedication to create this company, and the vision for all the possibilities it represented, and our parent company, who has continued to empower this vision and steadfastly supports us every day.”
Crystal Cruises observed the occasion by hosting a 30th anniversary edition of ‘Friday Nights at the Galaxy’ as part of its Crystal@Home series of digital programming. It has also launched a guest-curated playlist on Spotify, called ‘Crystal: Sailing through 30 years’, comprising of traditional sail-away songs such as Louis Armstrong’s ‘What a Wonderful World’ alongside guest’s choices such as Bobby Darin’s ‘Beyond the Sea’. The cruise line is also now making available the Taste: Crystal’s 30th Anniversary Cookbook, which was released onboard earlier this year. The book includes more than 260 pages of recipes for classic and modern dishes.
With cruise operations currently paused due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Crystal Cruises recently announced its Crystal Clean+ programme, which will see the cruise line introduce a new set of health measures once sailings resumes.