On this week's episode, we're talking about Crystal Cruises, which stopped cruising after its parent company, Genting Hong Kong, filed in January to wind up. For this talk, host Rebecca Tobin and news editor Johanna Jainchill go back in history to talk about the founding of the cruise line and some of the standards and philosophies that made it such a success.

Crystal Cruises was founded in the late 1980s by Japanese shipping company NYK, and its founding president, Art Rodney, put together a team of executives, two of which you'll hear from on this episode: Dietmar Wertanzl, its first hotel director and later the senior vice president of hotel operations, and Art Sbarsky, the first senior vice president of marketing. 

We also asked two travel agents, Susan Reder of Frosch and Richard Turen of Churchill and Turen, who is also a columnist with Travel Weekly who has written about Crystal, to talk about the line from the perspective of their clients: why cruisers came back time after time and why they loved to sell Crystal. 

This episode was recorded Feb. 18 and has been edited for length and clarity. We've included a few of our recent reports on Crystal, but also check TravelWeekly.com for updates on the status of the line and its ships. 

Related reading: 

Legal Briefs: Obtaining Crystal refunds not as easy as ABC

Shedding tears over Crystal -- then and now

Crystal Cruises is reportedly shutting down 

Reports: Crystal Cruises ships seized in the Bahamas

After Crystal pauses cruising, agents wait, watch and wonder

Genting Hong Kong says it's out of cash, files to wind up

 

On this week's episode, we're talking about Crystal Cruises, which stopped cruising after its parent company, Genting Hong Kong, filed in January to wind up. For this talk, host Rebecca Tobin and news editor Johanna Jainchill go back in history to talk about the founding of the cruise line and some of the standards and philosophies that made it such a success.
Crystal Cruises was founded in the late 1980s by Japanese shipping company NYK, and its founding president, Art Rodney, put together a team of executives, two of which you'll hear from on this episode: Dietmar Wertanzl, its first hotel director and later the senior vice president of hotel operations, and Art Sbarsky, the first senior vice president of marketing.&nbsp;
We also asked two travel agents, Susan Reder of Frosch and Richard Turen of Churchill and Turen, who is also <a href="https://www.travelweekly.com/Richard-Turen">a columnist with Travel Weekly</a> who has written about Crystal, to talk about the line from the perspective of their clients: why cruisers came back time after time and <a href="https://www.travelweekly.com/Cruise-Travel/Insights/Travel-advisors-remember-their-Crystal-cruises">why they loved</a> to sell Crystal.&nbsp;
This episode was recorded Feb. 18 and has been edited for length and clarity. We've included a few of our recent reports on Crystal, but also check <a href="https://www.travelweekly.com">TravelWeekly.com</a> for updates on the status of the line and its ships.&nbsp;
Related reading:&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.travelweekly.com/Mark-Pestronk/Obtaining-Crystal-Cruises-refunds-not-as-easy-as-ABC">Legal Briefs: Obtaining Crystal refunds not as easy as ABC</a>
<a href="https://www.travelweekly.com/Richard-Turen/Shedding-tears-over-Crystal-then-and-now">Shedding tears over Crystal -- then and now</a>
<a href="https://www.travelweekly.com/Cruise-Travel/Crystal-Cruises-reportedly-shutting-down">Crystal Cruises is reportedly shutting down&nbsp;</a>
<a href="https://www.travelweekly.com/Cruise-Travel/Crystal-Cruises-ships-seized">Reports: Crystal Cruises ships seized in the Bahamas</a>
<a href="https://www.travelweekly.com/Cruise-Travel/After-Crystal-pauses-cruising-agents-wait-watch-and-wonder">After Crystal pauses cruising, agents wait, watch and wonder</a>
<a href="https://www.travelweekly.com/Cruise-Travel/Genting-Hong-Kong-cease-operations">Genting Hong Kong says it's out of cash, files to wind up</a>
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Travel Weekly's team of reporters, editors and contributors explore ideas, share experiences and provide insight into what they’ve uncovered while reporting on some of the biggest trends in travel.

Travel Weekly's team of reporters, editors and contributors explore ideas, share experiences and provide insight into what they&rsquo;ve uncovered while reporting on some of the biggest trends in travel.

Hosted by Rebecca Tobin, managing editor of Travel Weekly

The Folo by Travel Weekly

Travel Weekly's team of reporters, editors and contributors take a deep dive into the biggest travel story of the week. 

In each episode, we invite invite our team of journalists and their trusted sources to delve into major travel trends that industry insiders, or just travelers, want to know about.  

You may be wondering: Why the Folo? Well, a folo -- f o l o -- is a journalism term, a kind of shorthand that basically means to follow a breaking news story with more in depth reporting and analysis. And at the Folo podcast, that's what we do. 

Hosted by Travel Weekly managing editor Rebecca Tobin.

Travel Weekly's team of reporters, editors and contributors take a deep dive into the biggest travel story of the week.&nbsp;
In each episode, we invite invite our team of journalists and their trusted sources to delve into major travel trends that industry insiders, or just travelers, want to know about. &nbsp;
You may be wondering: Why the Folo? Well, a folo -- f o l o -- is a journalism term, a kind of shorthand that basically means to follow a breaking news story with more in depth reporting and analysis. And at the Folo podcast, that's what we do.&nbsp;
Hosted by Travel Weekly managing editor Rebecca Tobin.

On this week's episode, we're talking about Crystal Cruises. Host Rebecca Tobin and news editor Johanna Jainchill go back in history to talk about the founding of the cruise line and some of the standards and philosophies that made it such a success.

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