Crystal Serenity set sail for the first time since 2020 from Nassau in the Bahamas over the weekend, making it the second cruise ship to resume operations from the island nation. This follows Royal Caribbean’s Adventure of the Seas, which became the first cruise ship to homeport in Nassau and restart cruises from the port.
The ship will be homeporting in Nassau until November, operating several seven-night cruises. The luxury Bahamas Escapes, as the cruise line calls the voyages, include only Bahamian ports of call, enabling the local tourism trade to recover from the pandemic.
More Than A Year Of Planning
Crystal Cruises has been planning the restart from Nassau for more than a year; no wonder then that the departure of Crystal Serenity was attended to by several Crystal executives, as well as Bahamian government officials. These included Minister Dionisio D’Aguilar and Director General Joy Jibrilu from The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism and dignitaries from the Port of Nassau.
Crystal Cruises’ flagship officers and crew welcomed guests onboard in Nassau, while a Junkanoo parade also entertained the guests in true Bahamian fashion. The vessel even received a water cannon salute as she sailed out of the port on a voyage around the Bahamian islands.
Carmen Roig, senior vice president of marketing and sales for Crystal:
“This is a historic moment for Crystal, our employees, and especially for our officers and crew and we are happy to be back where we belong, sailing the oceans of the world and creating experiences that become cherished lifelong memories. We are delighted to celebrate this historic day in Nassau as Crystal Serenity resumes sailing and welcomes our guests, who we consider our Crystal Family, back on board,”
The cruises on board Crystal Serenity have been incredibly popular. Upon release of these voyages around the Bahamas, the company recorded the biggest single day of bookings in the company’s history.
Luxury Bahamas Escapes
Crystal Serenity will be homeporting in Nassau, although guests will also have the opportunity to board the ship in Bimini and sail roundtrip from here. The seven-day itinerary features a unique collection of ports of call in the Bahamas, including rarely visited areas of the archipelago.
Exploring the island nation’s “Out Islands” also known as the “Family Islands” include Great Exuma, San Salvador, and Long Island. These islands feature some of the most beautiful beaches and Ocean reefs in the island group. The itinerary also offers Crystal the chance to give a more local vibe to the guests.
The cruise line has partnered with more than 30 local businesses and offers fully vaccinated guests onboard a local and authentic experience. This also contributes to starting up the tourism industry that suffered heavily from the lack of tourism in the last 15 months. Guests can explore the islands independently and are all COVID-tested before the start of the voyage.
In the meantime, Crystal also plans to start operations onboard its newest expedition vessel, Crystal Endeavor. Starting July 17, the newest member of the Crystal family will sail a 10-day round trip voyage from Reykjavik, Iceland visiting rarely explored parts of the Atlantic island.
Crystal’s second ocean ship Crystal Symphony will be coming into operation in January of next year. The cruise line has planned a 100-day Grand Voyage that will see the ship sail from Melbourne, Australia, to Athens, Greece. This is, of course, subject to change given the uncertain opening of Australia to foreign ships and tourists.
