Crystal Symphony to sail in Middle East for 2025 following major refit by new owners

Crystal Cruises is returning to the Middle East in 2025 following its change of ownership and the bow-to-stern refit and refurbishment of its two-ship fleet.

Following Crystal’s acquisition by the A&K Travel Group, the line plans to offer 144 new destinations with the itinerary offering consisting of 112 countries and 281 ports.

Crystal Symphony will be cruising in the Middle East for 2025 with port calls everywhere from the small Egyptian port of Safaga to Salalah in Oman, and Dubai in the UAE, from which she will be offering 2025 departures.

The Middle East voyages are among a range of new itineraries announced by A&K Travel, the new parent company of Crystal Cruises following the collapse of Genting Hong Kong.

“We’re excited to offer both past and future Crystal guests an inspiring assortment of itineraries in 2025,”said Cristina Levis, CEO of A&K Travel Group.

“Guests onboard Crystal Serenity and Crystal Symphony will have the opportunity to explore a treasure trove of lesser-visited corners of the world and check off some truly once-in-a-lifetime bucket list destinations with bespoke, industry-leading experiences designed by Abercrombie & Kent,” she added.

Crystal Serenity will end its world cruise in May 2025 and will then depart from Marseille, going sailing in the Mediterranean and then the Baltic.

Serenity will stop in destinations like Málaga, the hometown of artist Pablo Picasso and Longyearbyen, an area of Norway known for its views of the Northern Light.

In September the ship is in Canada/New England through November with calls in Quebec City, Newport, Boston and New York.

Guests spending the holiday season at sea can visit ports in the Caribbean and South America, including Aruba, the Cayman Islands, and transit the Panama Canal.

Crystal Symphony will kick off its 2025 itinerary in Southeast Asia, exploring beaches in Cambodia, volcanoes north of Sumatra, as well as rainforests in Brunei.

The ship then repositions to Europe with one highlight being a stop in Monaco for the F1 race. Other European highlights include calls into Haifa, Dubrovnik and Cyprus, plus stops in Zakynthos, Corfu and Santorini.

During her repositioning from Southeast Asia to Europe, she’ll make several port calls and offer a variety of cruises in the Middle East.

The new itineraries mark a return to the region for the cruise line, which in 2023 sailed between Dubai, India and Australia, while in 2024 Crystal Symphony is due to cruise from Abu Dhabi to Mumbai.