Thread by @ElioPace

A thread! You won’t believe this!

So, I boarded Crystal Symphony on Tuesday in Dominica. The plan was that I would be on the ship until 23 February and that Amy was going to join me for two weeks whilst I was onboard.

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Would you believe me if I told you that the day after I boarded (the night of my first show) we were notified by the captain that the company that owns Crystal Cruises, Genting Hong Kong, had gone into liquidation to the tune of $4 billion and that Crystal Symphony…

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… would cease to sail when it reached Miami today? We were told that we would all need to disembark the ship and make our way home.

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Would you believe me if I told you that yesterday, Friday, (the night of my second show) after all arrangements had been set for flights, car hire etc by all disembarking passengers and crew, we were notified by the captain that the ship was no longer sailing to Miami…

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… and was instead diverting to Bimini in the Bahamas where we would arrive tomorrow, Sunday, and disembark from there?

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Would you believe me if I told you that the reason for this last minute rerouting was because there is a warrant out for the arrest of this ship I’m on, the Crystal Symphony, because of an unpaid $3.5 million fuel bill that Genting Hong Kong have not paid…

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… and if the ship were to enter US waters it would be seized by the authorities?

Would you believe me?

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I wouldn’t believe it unless I was right here experiencing this surreal episode myself!

As far as I can see, this news hasn’t broken in the UK but a quick search on Google throws up all the proof you need that I am not writing the script to some new Netflix drama!

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As much as this is a logistical headache for me personally, I’m okay. However, the people I feel really bad for are the brilliant, beautiful and wonderful loyal staff and crew aboard this ship for whom the Crystal Symphony is their livelihood.

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I wish all of these friends of mine and this beautiful ship the very best for what lies ahead on the very uncertain horizon over the coming weeks and months. ❤️

10/10

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