The Crystal Symphony has returned to service following a refurbishment.
The 1995-built ship departed Athens on Sept. 1 on its inaugural voyage for Crystal, a revived luxury line owned by A&K Travel Group. The seven-day cruise will end in Istanbul.
The 606-passenger Symphony joins the Crystal Serenity, which re-entered service earlier this summer.
Like the Serenity, the Symphony now has fewer cabins and larger, revamped suites. Crystal collaborated with cruise ship architectural firm GEM on the redone cabins.
The new Crystal extensively renovated two ship in one year and returned more than 80% of Crystal’s former crew, which A&K Travel Group called “an impressive feat.”
“We are so proud that Crystal Symphony has officially joined Crystal Serenity back in the water, signaling an exciting new chapter for Crystal — two ships refurbished and back in service in under a year is completely unprecedented,” said Cristina Levis, CEO of A&K Travel Group.
Following the ship’s inaugural voyage, the Symphony will sail three more cruises in the region and then head eastward from Athens to Dubai, followed by Dubai-Mumbai and Mumbai-Singapore cruises. For the remainder of 2023, the Symphony will sail in Australia and New Zealand.