Crystal Cruises reports “biggest single-day of bookings” in its history for Bahamas cruise

Crystal Cruises reports “biggest single-day of bookings” in its history for Bahamas cruise
The Crystal Cruises Serenity ship.

Global Ports Holding “extremely excited” as cruise industry set to relaunch in The Bahamas

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Crystal Cruises recorded its biggest single-day of bookings in its 30-year history in response to its Bahamas cruise set to launch July 3.

According to a statement from the Ministry of Tourism, the cruise line saw an extraordinary response in the first 24 hours of reservations opening for its new Luxury Bahamas Escapes aboard Crystal Serenity, set to launch July 3.

Nearly 4,000 patrons reportedly reserved staterooms or suites on at least one of the seven-night voyages that cruise from Nassau or Bimini round-trip, booking more than 25 percent of the 16 voyages’ combined availability. Additionally, nearly 200 guests reserved back-to-back voyages, with some planning to spend 42 days onboard the company’s flagship.

Jack Anderson.

Jack Anderson, Crystal’s interim president and CEO, said: “We are thrilled by the wonderful response to these new sailings. It’s clear that travelers have been eagerly looking forward to exploring again and are as excited to see Crystal Serenity return to sailing as we are.

“We are incredibly grateful to our loyal Crystal guests and our valued travel partners for their support as we begin to emerge from what has been an unprecedented year for everyone.

“I want to thank our employees around the world whose passionate dedication and professionalism in navigating the last year has allowed us to resume cruising this summer. We are looking forward to welcoming our wonderful officers and crew back onboard, where they are eager to reconnect with our guests.”

The Luxury Bahamas Escapes will cruise July through October, with an itinerary that includes visits to Harbour Island, Great Exuma, San Salvador Island and Long Island

In a statement yesterday, Global Ports Holding (GPH) Regional Director, Americas, and CEO of Nassau Cruise Port Ltd Mike Maura Jr said: “We are extremely excited to participate in the relaunch of cruising in the region.

Michael Maura Jr.

“While homeport service may not have been a part of the short-term strategy for Nassau one year ago, we are more than willing to speed up our plans and adapt to ensure the survival of the industry.”

He confirmed: “At its peak, vessels that homeport here will potentially bring thousands of new passengers to Nassau annually, which is not only significant for us but for other local industry players as well.

“This opening will generate an extensive amount of economic activity for hotels, tour operators, taxis and other tourism stakeholders as this area of our business grows.”

Colin Murphy, GPH Head of Business Development, Americas, said: “The ability to give cruise lines the option to homeport presents a massive opportunity for Nassau and Antigua, making partnerships with our ports even more critical in influencing the regional success of the industry.”

Murphy added: “We have actually received interest from several cruise lines about providing homeport services in Nassau and Antigua recently.

“Being able to offer this benefit to them will bring an extensive boost to the profiles of each of these countries as major tourism players, which has always been one of our overarching goals as a partner and supporter of their local tourism industries.

“As our discussions with the cruise lines advance, we continue to pursue opportunities to expand our reach in the Americas to bring more business and opportunities to other communities in the region.”