Crystal Cruise Lines' Captain Announces Company's Demise! Customer Refunds Delayed.

Earlier this month, Crystal Cruises was issued with an arrest warrant in relation to a $1.2 million unpaid fuel bill. When the arrest warrant was announced, the In January, two of its ships — Crystal Symphony and Crystal Serenity — diverted to the Bahamas with passengers on board, to escape arrest from United States authorities. Ultimately, the plan failed as the ship was seized in the Bahamas. At the time of the seizure, only the captain and crew were on-board the two vessels. Just before the seizure, the captain of the Crystal Symphony addressed the crew, over the ship’s public announcement system. He said the seizure was "unfortunate" but "actually quite expected." He went on to say, "Unfortunately, this is the end of Crystal Cruises. We don't know what's going to happen in the future." The announcement was later posted on Twitter. According to the company website, Crystal Cruises said it has suspended voyages for its Ocean and Expedition ships through April 2022. The cruise line has stated that they are processing refunds. However, they are claiming that due to the amount of refunds, their credit card processor is bogged down, and refunds will take longer than expected. Laziza Lambert, director of strategic communications and public affairs for Cruise Lines International Association, told USA Today that cruise-line-specific refund policies can be found in booking contracts, which are available from travel advisory firms and cruise lines themselves.