Crystal Cruises Unveils 2028-2029 Deployment with Arrival of the Crystal Grace

Crystal Cruises announced its deployment plans for 2028 and new itineraries for 2029, covering the operations of its expanded three-ship fleet: Crystal Symphony, Crystal Serenity and the new Crystal Grace. The program runs from October 2028 through May 2029 and includes deployments in Asia-Pacific, Australia, New Zealand, the Caribbean, South America and the Atlantic. Bookings for these itineraries open on October 20, 2026.

The Crystal Grace, currently under construction at Fincantieri in Italy, will enter service in 2028 and become the cruise line's third ship. Starting November 20, 2028, it will operate Caribbean cruises from Fort Lauderdale before heading in February 2029 to its first South American season, following a route along the Brazilian coast, continuing through Uruguay and Argentina toward Patagonia, and including its first call at Îles du Salut. Cruise Mapper adds that the itinerary features an extended stay in Rio de Janeiro during Carnival.

After rounding Cape Horn on February 27, the Crystal Grace will sail through the Chilean fjords, visit Laguna San Rafael and call at Puerto Chacabuco, Castro, Puerto Montt and Valparaíso. The ship will then continue north along the South American Pacific coast, with stops in Peru, Ecuador and Panama as detailed by Cruise Mapper, and will make its first transit of the Panama Canal on March 22. It will subsequently return to the Caribbean and Central America, head up to Bermuda and cross the Atlantic to the Azores, Madeira, the Canary Islands and Morocco, concluding the season in Lisbon on May 2, 2029.

The Crystal Symphony will begin its program on October 3, 2028, with calls in Japan, including Tokyo, Shimizu, Nagoya, Osaka, Kochi and Nagasaki, followed by Incheon and Busan, before sailing along the Sea of Japan coast and continuing on to Taiwan, the Philippines and Southeast Asia, including Australia and New Zealand, where in December it will cruise through Milford, Doubtful and Dusky Sounds. The series concludes in Melbourne on January 7, 2029, when the ship will begin hosting the World Cruise. Meanwhile, the Crystal Serenity will depart on December 4, 2028, from Fort Lauderdale bound for Central America and Mexico, cross the Pacific to Hawaii, French Polynesia, Australia and Southeast Asia, and return to Japan and South Korea before repositioning to Alaska, ending the program in Seward on May 28, 2029.

Among the new ports added are Akita, Amami and Kumamoto in Japan, Hilo in Hawaii, Cooktown, Port Arthur and Phillip Island in Australia, as well as Surabaya and Rinca Island in Indonesia, and Corinto in Nicaragua and Puerto Quetzal in Guatemala. According to Cruise Mapper, Mario Parodi, Crystal's Vice President of Itinerary Planning and Port and Fuel Operations, noted that the program was designed to combine new destinations and less-visited ports with seasonal experiences such as cherry blossom season in Japan and the landscapes of Patagonia. Splash Cruise recalled that Crystal, acquired by A&K Travel Group in 2022, is rebuilding its fleet following a $170 million refurbishment of its two existing ships and has three new vessels on order at Fincantieri, with the Crystal Grace slated for 2028 and sister ships planned for 2031 and 2034.