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"Our wonderful butler escorted us to the gangway about 5 pm whereupon we said goodbyes to our captain, Hubert, and the magnificent crew. We walked to the ferry where we waited for 2 hours. I looked outside and saw the Rabbi and his wife waiting in the cold in a line that was not moving. Werner and Norma were half frozen when they arrived. The ferry ride was more than two hours. Take off luggage. One hour."
That's what $400,000 gets you apparently.
Allyn Jaffrey Shulman described her harrowing experience escaping the Hellbound Crystal Serenity, which declared bankruptcy shortly after Allyn and her husband Barry left port. US law enforcement then issued an arrest warrant against the ship. The cruise was supposed to travel the world over a three month period. The only good news perhaps is that nobody contracted Covid. Even the virus was wise enough to stay onshore.
Barry reportedly organized an escape plan as the vessel had run out of food and employees were no longer getting paid.
A cold front had swept through the region where the Shulmans and their new friends disembarked in the Caribbean Sea with temperatures dropping below 60 degrees. A ferry awaited in shark infested waters with marine warnings issued due to choppy waves.
"Five hours in, we got off the ferry to find all of our luggage dumped everywhere, colors and numbers NOT together, luggage falling down, no porters and NO CRYSTAL REPS."
Well, they were understandably preoccupied.
Two other cruise liners owned by Crystal were arrested in addition to the Serenity while the landbound employees realized there were no more paychecks coming and returned to their shacks and shanty towns.
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The fugitive ships were mostly captured in the Bahamas after Crystal Cruises was sued by Peninsula Petroleum Far East for unpaid fuel bills. The suit alleged that sister ship, the Crystal Symphony owed $1.2 million, a portion of the alleged $4.6 million debt. As soon as the judge ordered the arrest warrant, that cruiseliner sent around 300 other filthy rich passengers still onboard back to the U.S. via ferry from the Bahamas to Florida on January 23. The Shulmans and others on board Crystal Serenity, however, remained at sea awaiting their fate. At least when the other rich folks scrambled off the Crystal Symphony it was still relatively warm outside.
Allyn Jaffrey continued describing the saga of her escape as the haggard group fended off hungry sharks.
But making it to dry land was not all it was cracked up to be.
"No one was giving instructions. No one was helping the older folks. It was a shameful sight.
"The one shining star was Sarah Hayes who was running her @^&$^ off to help every guest she could. Love that woman!!!!"
Then there were the busses...with no AC.
"NO CRYSTAL REP to be found!," Allyn Jaffrey exclaimed.
The couple and their friends had to board said busses as opposed to, say, black stretch limos.
"And to add insult to injury, some guests were bussed to the Intercontinental (Hotel) at 12:40 am and were being told there are NO reservations for them?"
As if there were no Holiday Inn Expresses with rooms available in the Miami area. Did they think to try Hialeah, a full ten minutes West of I-95, across the railroad tracks?
The crew, we are told, remain abandoned without food and much water and unable to find a way home. So this saga is certain to continue.
No word on what happened to the Rabbi.
- Nagesh Rath, Gambling911.com
