Travel advisors said the news about Crystal Cruises pausing operations was "heart-wrenching" and "a shock" and expressed hope that the brand would stay intact.
Advisors expressed concern for the crew and booked clients.
Mary Jane.
Mary Jean Tully is the CEO of Tully Luxury Travel and Crystal's top producer for the last 28 years. I really like Crystal. I've known the crew for many years and that doesn't happen by mistake.
The CEO of the Signature Travel Network said that the situation will have a big impact on their members.
He said that they had a great relationship with them. The customer and advisor loyalty has remained strong even after two years of issues.
Customers impacted by Crystal's struggle to issue refunds have been made whole. Crystal has to issue many refunds again, but this time its parent company is not solvent.
Alex Sharpe.
Credit card companies held clients' money until after the cruise is over, so travel advisors continued to book Crystal.
"We feel comfortable that between credit card companies still having the funds and travel insurance for defaults, our customers will be refunded accordingly."
Money owed to travel advisors isn't as bright.
If a buyer comes along and picks up Crystal, it will be a key negotiating point in terms of our future support of the brand.
Advisors haven't been reimbursed for tour conductor berths.
It's a manageable amount, but it's very significant for the agencies that are still owed.
There is a person named Valerie Dorsey.
It was a shock when my clients who were traveling next week were canceled. The last time they shut down, it took a while, but I believe people were given refunds.
I am sorry they are having trouble, but I hope they can come back because they are an outstanding crew and make you feel at home. This is a wait-and-see situation.
Millions of dollars are on the books with the cruise line and many of the clients are on Crystal ships.
"We can't give them any more information right now," she said. We're here to help them. It's been a nightmare with Covid.
Will Crystal's brand save it?
Crystal could still have a future according to Sharpe.
The brand has great equity from both customers and advisors, but it would require someone picking up the entire company, making good on their obligations and committing to the same operational excellence we enjoyed for 30 years," he said.
Whoever buys Crystal has to understand that the hardware is old. They need new capacity sooner than later to have a profitable future.
Travel advisors and their clients love Crystal Cruises. The photo is from Crystal Cruises.
The next couple of weeks will be about Crystal's survival.
The biggest asset of the company is their crew and their loyal client following, so we hope that either Crystal can turn around and pull some magic or they get a buyer. She said it was a very sad day. I've seen this happen before, and the cruise lines rally behind everyone. We all try to find a way after they come together.
It's very heart-wrenching that Crystal laid off most of its staff. Hope and prayer are all I can do. I worry about the crew. I know that any cruise line would hire them because they are so great. I'm hoping one of our cruise partners invests in them. I know their two ocean ships are older, but they still bring in business.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
