Free Republic

The ship was scheduled to arrive in Miami on Saturday. But a federal judge in Miami issued an arrest warrant for the ship Thursday, a maritime practice where a U.S. Marshal goes aboard a vessel and takes charge of it once it enters U.S. waters. The lawsuit was filed in a Miami federal court by Peninsula Petroleum Far East against the ship under a maritime procedure that allows actions against vessels for unpaid debts. The complaint says Crystal Symphony was chartered or managed by Crystal Cruises and Star Cruises, which are both sued for breach of contract for allegedly owing...

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – A cruise line is in a state of chaos after unpaid fuel bills caused a Miami judge to issue an arrest warrant for the Crystal Symphony cruise ship. It’s owned by the ultra-luxury cruise line Crystal Cruises. The warrant gives authorities the ability to seize the ship if it enters U.S. waters. As a result, the ship is currently docked in Bimini instead of returning to South Florida. Passengers on the ship have told multiple media outlets that they’ll be shuttled via ferry back to Port Everglades sometime on Sunday. It comes just days after Crystal...

Good journalists are supposed to be impartial. They stay neutral when reporting the news. And even as someone who has built a career writing about the fluffiest of topics — cruising — I have tried to hold fast to such principles. Alas, every so often a story that I am covering hits me in the gut to such a level that it is hard to stay impartial. The suspension of operations at Crystal Cruises Wednesday in the wake of a financial meltdown at its parent company is just such a story. Crystal is, without a doubt, the finest cruise line...

Luxury line Crystal Cruises has become the first in its segment to announce that future guests will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 at least two weeks prior to their cruise. The news comes after three other cruise brands announced a mandatory vaccination requirement in recent weeks: UK-based Saga Cruises, which caters to the senior market; and U.S.-based sister brands American Queen Steamboat Company and Victory Cruise Lines. “We know that peace of mind is the greatest luxury; and the vaccine requirement is simply the best way to ensure the safest possible Crystal experience for all onboard,” Jack...

The parent company of Crystal Cruises, one of the world’s best-known luxury lines, is in financial trouble. Hong Kong-based Genting Hong Kong late Wednesday said it had stopped making payments to creditors as it contended with a sharp loss of revenue due to the coronavirus crisis. The announcement came two days after the company missed a 3.7 million euro payment of fees related to the construction of certain ships. The payment was due from subsidiaries of the company related to new vessels, and the failure to pay the fees puts the subsidiaries into default, the company said. In its statement,...

"A major development today in the ongoing saga to save the SS United States from a trip the scrapyard. Los Angeles-based Crystal Cruises says it has signed a purchase option for the historic – yet weathered – transatlantic steam ship and plans to refurbish the vessel and return it to oceangoing service as a modern luxury cruise ship. The announcement was made Thursday by Crystal Cruises together with the SS United States Conservancy preservation group at a press conference at the Manhattan Cruise Terminal in New York City."