Crystal adds more shorter cruises for 2013

Crystal Cruises added another series of shorter cruises to its 2013 schedule, based on the popularity of its abridged cruises in Europe this fall.

The luxury line split up some of the 12- to 18-day cruises it had originally scheduled during the first half of 2013 into ten, five- to 11-day sailings on the 1,080-passenger Crystal Symphony.

These "Crystal Getaways" run from January through May, and start at $1,365 per guest if booked by Dec. 28.

Crystal added the shorter cruises based on the popularity of the Getaways it launched in the Mediterranean this fall.

Crystal said the shorter itineraries appeal to the new breed of Crystal passengers.

"The new Crystal cruisers were either travelers with busy schedules who couldn't take longer vacations, travelers who moved up to luxury to celebrate a meaningful occasion, or travelers who wanted to combine Getaways with their own land programs," said Jack Anderson, Crystal's senior vice president of sales and marketing, in a statement.

The 2013 Getaways on the Symphony include options in Australia, New Zealand, China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Singapore, Thailand, Canada, Alaska and New England.

This item was written by Johanna Jainchill, who covers the travel industry for Travel Weekly. Jainchill is serving as Guest Editor of The Cruise Log while USA TODAY Cruise Editor Gene Sloan is away.