Crystal Serenity rejected by Aruba, heads to Bimini

A second ship operated by Crystal Cruises was diverted to Bimini in the Bahamas over the weekend after it was refused entry to Aruba.

According to reports, Crystal Serenity was scheduled to offload all passengers in Oranjestad, Aruba’s capital, on Saturday (Jan. 29) but was turned away by the island for reasons that are unclear.  

Serenity was on a global voyage that would have docked in some 80 ports in four months, but due to bankruptcy filings by Crystal’s parent company, Genting Hong Kong, the sailing had to be cut short not long after departure.

Instead of disembarking in Aruba as planned, passengers were transferred to Bimini, from which they were taken to Port Everglades, Florida via Balearia fast ferry on Monday.

In a statement, Crystal said guests will be taken to a hotel where overnight accommodations will be provided by the company and that it will reimburse applicable airline change fees.

READ MORE: "We are devastated": Crystal suspends cruises through May amid financial trouble

“All of our attention is now focused on taking care of our guests and returning them home or to their next destination. There are simply no words to express our deep regret and disappointment,” Crystal said in a statement, as reported by Seatrade Cruise News.

In a message to passengers on board, first reported by CruiseHive, Crystal said it “spent hours conferring with Aruba officials toward a positive resolution – with even our humanitarian please falling on deaf ears – but to no avail.”

"Although Crystal Serenity was cleared to arrive in Aruba today with all services paid for in advance and even though there are no reasonable risks or claims made against the vessel, local officials informed us on Friday at 4:30 p.m. that the ship will not be permitted to dock in Aruba as scheduled.”

Troubled waters 

Crystal Serenity is the second Crystal-branded ship to seek refuge in Bimini this month. 

Serenity joins Crystal Symphony, which was supposed to return to Miami on Jan. 22 following a 14-day Caribbean voyage, but instead was re-routed to Bimini to avoid facing a warrant that would have resulted in the ship being seized if it had docked in Florida.

The warrant stems from an unpaid fuel bill amounting to more than $1 million dollars, according to reports.

READ MORE: Crystal Symphony diverts to Bahamas with 700 aboard to avoid arrest warrant

The two ships were presumably re-routed to Bimini because parent company Genting Hong Kong owns a dock and resort there.

Earlier this month, Genting, which owns Crystal Cruises, Dream Cruises and Star Cruises, faced an immediate debt payment of $2.78 billion USD after filing for bankruptcy following a failed bailout proceeding involving the German government.

As such, Crystal Cruises announced that it would suspend all future ocean sailings through April 2022, as well as river cruises through May, as the team works through the situation.

Crystal Serenity and Crystal Symphony were two of three Crystal ships still in operation this month.

The last ship standing is Crystal Endeavor in Antarctica, which is set to complete its current voyage before sailings are suspended, wrote Jack Anderson, Crystal’s interim president and CEO, in a letter to partners this month.

Endeavor is due to complete its voyage in Ushuaia, Argentina on Feb. 4.

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