Crystal is offering cruise credit to former passengers who lost money

The new Crystal Cruises is offering cruise credit to former passengers who lost money after the line shut down under its previous ownership, the cruise line said Thursday.

Dubbed the Exceptional Initiative, guests who have filed a valid claim related to canceled sailings on the Crystal Symphony and Crystal Serenity ships can apply to get the outstanding amount in credit to use on future cruises on those vessels.

The A&K Travel Group, which owns the luxury travel company Abercrombie & Kent, acquired the Crystal Cruises brand last year along with the two ships. The line will relaunch as Crystal this summer.

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"This Initiative is a plan we have been working on since we acquired Crystal as it will benefit our most loyal customers. This is not something we were legally obliged to do," Manfredi Lefebvre d’Ovidio, co-chairman of A&K Travel Group and Crystal, said in a news release. "We are choosing to help former guests and travel agents recover their money and hope we will be able to focus on returning to service, the exceptional crew and onboard service that has made Crystal an award-winning cruise line for three decades."

Former guests who qualify can apply via Crystal's website no later than June 1.

They "must have filed a claim with Moecker & Associates represented by the Assignee Mark C. Healy in the Assignment for the Benefit of Creditors process," according to the initiative's terms and conditions. Those who have not already filed a claim are not eligible for the initiative.

The credit will be worth the amount of the outstanding balances a guest is owed, excluding any money already refunded through insolvency proceedings, the line said in the release.

The credit will be split into five equal installments, and passengers who receive them must use the first of those by July 1. They can use the credit for sailings departing on or prior to Dec. 31, 2025, and retroactively apply them to existing bookings.

Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville. You can reach him at ndiller@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Crystal offering former cruise passengers credit for money lost