Second Crystal Cruises Ship Diverts to Bahamas As Aruba Entry …

A second cruise ship operated by Crystal Cruises has diverted to the Bahamas in the wake of its parent company's filing for liquidation.

In a statement sent to Insider Tuesday, the company said that the Crystal Serenity was cleared to dock in Aruba Friday, but was denied entry to the port later that day. The ship, which set sail from Port Miami January 17 to cruise the Caribbean, instead transported passengers to Bimini in the Bahamas Monday, before ferrying them to Fort Lauderdale, according to the statement.

The latest diversioncomes as Crystal Cruises grapples with the pending liquidation of its parent company, Genting Hong Kong, announced January 19, just two days after the Crystal Serenity set sail.

Crystal Cruises announced on January 19 that it would suspend all cruises through to April. Currently, only one other cruise ship operated by Crystal Cruises, the Crystal Endeavor, is still at sea, according to cruise tracking website, cruisemapper.com. The company did not confirm to Insider what would happen to the Endeavor cruise.

Another ship, the Crystal Symphony, also diverted to the Bahamas January 23, after an arrest warrant was issued in relation to a $1.2 million unpaid fuel bill owed by Genting Hong Kong, Bloomberg reported. The ship diverted from its destination of Miami, where the warrant would permit it to be seized, according to the report.

One passenger told The Miami Herald that the situation onboard the Crystal Serenity was a "colossal mess."

Nancy Plencner, who told the publication that she and her husband had paid over $75,000 for travel arrangements, added: "Everyone is up in arms. We have spent the majority of this cruise making travel plans, changing plans, losing more money on nonrefundable airline tickets and cruise deposits on other lines."

Plencner told the publication that they were due to be onboard for 116 days.

In the statement to Insider, Crystal Cruises said that there were "no reasonable risks or claims made against the vessel" which prevented it from docking in Aruba.

According to the statement, overnight accommodation Monday was provided by Crystal Cruises. The company also told Insider they would cover the cost of any replacement flights.

The suspension of itineraries and pending liquidation of Genting comes at a turbulent time for the cruise industry in the wake of the pandemic. Insider's Brittany Chang previously reported that a number of cruise lines had canceled sailings or returned home.

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Second Crystal Cruises Ship Diverts to Bahamas As Aruba Entry ...