Crystal Cancels Africa Over Variant Concerns, Replaces with Europe and Antarctica Itineraries

Crystal Scenery, one of the largest international airlines in Europe, has decided to cancel all its Africa-bound flights due to variant concerns. It appears that these fears are not unfounded as just a few weeks ago another popular airline had an accident where the plane plummeted into Mt. Kilimanjaro and killed everyone on board. The company stated it was moving forward with reprogramming all aircrafts and destinations by replacing them with European countries like Spain or Portugal instead of their original intended destination Kenya

Crystal Cruises is cancelling all its Africa itineraries and replacing them with Europe and Antarctica. The company said the change was due to concerns over variant, which means a shortage of passengers in one area.

Crystal Cruises has announced additional sailings for its exploration ship Crystal Endeavor in Antarctica, South America, and Europe.

The new 10- to 15-night trips, which are now on sale, will take place from March 1 to April 29, 2022, and will visit 31 ports of call in nine countries. In cities like Seville, Monaco, and Santa Cruz de Tenerife, there will be multiple prolonged stays and overnight stops.

crystal endeavor expedition shipCrystal Aspiration (Photo courtesy of Crystal)

The new cruises will replace four West African journeys that were canceled owing to “ongoing uncertainty regarding the Omicron strain and its possible effect within the area,” according to the company.

Following the addition of these additional sailings, Crystal Endeavor will resume its previously stated program of cruises to Europe, Iceland, and Greenland, including summer Arctic adventures, which will begin April 29, 2022. The ship will return to South America in November for another Antarctica winter season.

“We’re thrilled that our talented itinerary planning team was able to create these immersive new sailings aboard the new Crystal Endeavor, which has received worldwide acclaim for her unique onboard experience that combines bold adventure with the finest in luxury travel,” said Crystal president Jack Anderson.

“We appreciate our valued visitors and travel companions’ tolerance and understanding.” We made these modifications out of an abundance of caution since our guests’ and crew’s health, safety, and well-being are always our top priorities.”

expedition lounge crystal endeavorCrystal Endeavor’s Expedition Lounge (Photo courtesy of Crystal)

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The following are some of the new voyages:

From Ushuaia to Buenos Aires in 14 Nights (March 1-15)

This two-week “South Georgia Wildlife Expedition & Uruguay” trip will take you to isolated South Georgia for four full days of exploration, with two Zodiac landings scheduled each day to see penguins, seals, and other wildlife. A visit to the ultimate resting site of explorer Ernest Shackleton will be included in these landings.

Visits to the Uruguayan ports of Punta del Este and Montevideo will round off the journey.

This trip includes one-way chartered flights from Miami to Ushuaia as well as a luxury pre-cruise hotel stay in Ushuaia for passengers.

From Buenos Aires to Santa Cruz de Tenerife in 15 Nights (March 15-30)

This “Buenos Aires to the Canary Islands” excursion, which includes a transatlantic passage, stops at Montevideo and Punta del Este before allowing passengers to rest and relax on an eight-day journey across the Atlantic.

When the ship reaches the ocean’s eastern side, it will dock at the Cape Verde Islands’ Sao Filipe (Fogo Island), which has streets lined with colonial-style mansions, old churches, black-sand beaches, and fortresses dating from the mid-1600s.

From Santa Cruz de Tenerife to Lisbon in ten nights (March 30-April 9)

This “Canary Islands & Madeira Archipelago Discovery” itinerary includes stops in the Canary Islands at Santa Cruz de la Palma, Puerto de la Estaca/El Hierro, San Sebastian de la Gomera, Puerto Del Rosario (overnight), and Arrecife, as well as Portugal’s Funchal (overnight), Ilha De Porto Santo/Madeira, and Lagos.

From Lisbon to Barcelona in 10 Nights (April 9-19)

Following a two-day stop in Seville, the “Seville, Andaluca & Balearic Islands Discovery” journey will include stops in Portimo, Portugal, as well as excursions to Málaga, Alicante, Castellon de la Plana, Port de Soller, and Mahon, Spain.

This itinerary is notable for the rare opportunity to cruise the Guadalquivir River through Andalusian countryside and dock in the heart of Seville, as well as a visit to Portimo, a fishing and shipbuilding town in Portugal’s Algarve region, which is home to quaint seaside cottages, ancient forts, and gorgeous beaches.

From Barcelona to Málaga in 10 Nights (April 19-29)

This “Rivieras & Mediterranean Isles Discovery” cruise departs in the spring, providing the ideal setting for visiting eight European destinations, including some of the continent’s most well-known resort towns: St. Tropez, France; Monte Carlo, Monaco (overnight); Nice, France; Portofino, Italy; Bastia (Corsica), France; Porto Cervo (Sardinia), Italy; and Ibiza and Málaga, Spain (overnight).

umi uma japanese restaurant crystal endeavorThe only Japanese restaurant on an expedition ship is Umi Uma (Photo courtesy of Crystal)

The Crystal Endeavor, which has a crew-to-guest ratio of 1:1, a two-story solarium with pool and Jacuzzi, the first and only Japanese cuisine on an expedition ship, and the first casino on an expedition boat, has all-verandah suites.

Following the vessel’s debut season of Antarctica sailings, which started in November, these cruises will take place.

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The “crystal esprit itinerary 2021” is a new product that will be released in 2021. This product is replacing the current crystal itineraries in Africa and Europe with ones in Antarctica.

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