Symphony departs Mumbai

[Whipsnade]

I suspect Elizabeth and Symphony may have rendezvoused and traveling together. Both have dropped off tracking services. Does anyone know if Elizabeth has any escort vessels typical of aircraft carriers?

[rafinmd]

Symphony is back on AIS in the middle of the Red Sea.  I hope this means past the prime danger zone.

 

Roy

[USCAdventurer]

Symphony did show up on cruise mapper this morning and she is well past jeddah heading for the canal now.  she is far north of Yemen now.  Hope she's past the danger zone.

[USCAdventurer]

what a fabulous video!  thanks for sharing it with me.  i never had seen it but it sure brought back good memories of a wonderful movie!

[Old Sea Dog]

2 hours ago, USCAdventurer said:

Symphony did show up on cruise mapper this morning and she is well past jeddah heading for the canal now.  she is far north of Yemen now.  Hope she's past the danger zone.

A post on another site states that contact with a crew member says that all things are very smooth 

QE is now approaching Dubai having sailed into the Persian Gulf.

Looks like the owners have pulled a master stroke.

How many other operators might do the same ?

 

[Keith1010]

Nice to know that they are now being detected and in a safer place.  I've been thinking of the brave people who were on-board, and hoping and praying that there would not be any incidents.  

 

Keith

[funarg]

Fortunately they made it though ok. They did get shot at.

 

[rafinmd]

3 hours ago, funarg said:

Fortunately they made it though ok. They did get shot at.

 

Yikes.

 

Roy

[crickette]

Do we know who is Master of this voyage?

[Crystal Guest Relations]

7 hours ago, funarg said:

Fortunately they made it though ok. They did get shot at.

 

We can confirm there was no gunshots heard and we are working with authorities to rectify this statement. We can further confirm that Crystal Symphony safely and successfully completed a transit of the Red Sea as part of a repositioning voyage. The ship was escorted by the U.S. Navy as a standard precautionary measure while traveling through the high risk area. Crystal Symphony is en route to Cyprus to resume sailing with guests on April 6. Thank you, Crystal Communications

[cruise_loverinlaval]

44 minutes ago, Crystal Guest Relations said:

We can confirm there was no gunshots heard and we are working with authorities to rectify this statement. We can further confirm that Crystal Symphony safely and successfully completed a transit of the Red Sea as part of a repositioning voyage. The ship was escorted by the U.S. Navy as a standard precautionary measure while traveling through the high risk area. Crystal Symphony is en route to Cyprus to resume sailing with guests on April 6. Thank you, Crystal Communications

Thank you to give us the latest update on this voyage.  We are looking forward to cruise on the Symphony next October.

[Old Sea Dog]

It’s been an interesting project  for those of us interested in maritime affairs trying to follow her course since departing Mumbai.

We now can rest easy that the ship and all personnel on board have almost made it back to the Mediterranean.

The big question now is what happens re the return cruise in December and the onward to Mumbai 

For all our sakes I hope a decision is made before balance payments are due in mid June

 

[rafinmd]

Most of the way through the canal:

 

 

Roy

[Whipsnade]

Cracked porthole??!!  

[Stickman1990]

Looks like she’s through now

 

[Texas Tillie]

33 minutes ago, Whipsnade said:

Cracked porthole??!!  

 

During a Drake Passage crossing back when, a cabin window on a deck 5 Symphony blew out. After that they put up plywood on all the deck 5 cabin windows for the next crossing.

 

Patty

Edited April 4 by Texas Tillie

[carsimann]

Hurray.  So glad she made it.  

[Whipsnade]

The Red Sea is like a mill pond compared to Drake Passage. Something doesn’t pass the smell test. 

[travelberlin]

I guess the repositioning cruise was not free of an incident. But thanks God, the crew is safe now in the Mediterranean. This is what it counts for me. And the ship with exception of that cracked port hole seems to have made it well. 
 

Looking forward to our cruises this year with the Symphony.

 

Ivi

[ctjon]

Thanks to, what is now probably, a happy crew. 

[ryndam]

From Seatrade Cruise News:

 

https://www.seatrade-cruise.com/safety-security/crystal-strongly-refutes-any-incident-red-sea-deadhead-transit

[ryndam]

On a semi-related subject, Seatrade Cruise News also reports that HAL has re-routed its 2025 WC to avoid the Red Sea. 

 

https://www.seatrade-cruise.com/ship-operations/holland-america-revises-2025-world-cruise-avoid-red-sea

[goldengatecruisers]

I thought the two owners were planning to join the deadhead transit of the area.  The Seatrade article cites two other individuals...  Fernando Delgado, chief product officer, A&K Travel Group, and Spyros Almpertis, VP port operations, Crystal.

[Whipsnade]

That was the report a month ago that both owners would be on board. Wish that had been the case. 

[Texas Tillie]

1 hour ago, goldengatecruisers said:

I thought the two owners were planning to join the deadhead transit of the area.  The Seatrade article cites two other individuals...  Fernando Delgado, chief product officer, A&K Travel Group, and Spyros Almpertis, VP port operations, Crystal.

 

Was that official info from Crystal or just a rumor, can't remember.

 

Patty