Crystal Cancels Antigua/St. Maarten Cruises on Symphony

Crystal Cruises canceled voyages on the Crystal Symphony from St. Maarten and Antigua “due to ongoing uncertainty regarding ports of call and availability of adequate airlift,” the company said in a statement on its website. The cruises were to operate starting Aug. 2 through December.

“However, the recent positive developments of ships sailing from U.S. ports have prompted U.S. travelers to show an increased preference for more direct access to luxury cruise options, and we do plan to announce a new deployment for Crystal Symphony close to home later this week,” the June 29 statement said. “We will keep you updated with details when they are finalized.”

The company said all affected guests and their travel advisers were notified about the cancelation, along with details on compensation and rebooking options.

Crystal also announced it would require COVID-19 vaccines for its passengers once cruising does resume.

“While our fleet has been paused, Crystal developed Crystal Clean+, an enhanced level of measures that builds on our stringent protocols already in place to help safeguard the well-being of our guests and crew. In addition to antigen testing, reduced capacity, social distancing, mask requirements and health-screening questionnaires, new among these measures is a COVID-19 vaccine requirement for all guests.”