The SS United States Conservancy has entered into an agreement with commercial real estate development firm RXR Realty to explore options for the revitalization of the historic SS United States. According to the Conservancy, over the next several months RXR Realty will be working to determine the viability of the SS United States’ redevelopment and will … [Read more...]
Do You Love Your Ship More Than Your Wife? YES Said Gibbs (Book Review)
When a reporter asked William Francis Gibbs if he loved his favorite ship more than his wife his answer was surprising both in its honesty and in the fact most didn't doubt that the statement was true. Gibbs answered, "Yes, you are 1000% percent correct!" While working in an industry plagued with high divorce rates, Gibbs is not the … [Read more...]
Cruise Line Cancels Plan to Return SS United States to Sea
Any hope of the SS United States returning to the high seas as a modern luxury cruise ship has now faded with Los Angeles-based Crystal Cruises cancelling its plan to restore the vessel after a feasibility study determined that the project was just a bit too ambitious. Crystal Cruises instead will be donating $350,000 to help secure a future for the famed transatlantic … [Read more...]
S.S. United States Restoration One of Many Grand Projects for Crystal Cruises
(Bloomberg) -- “You either grow or die.” To Edie Rodriguez, president and CEO of Crystal Cruises, those words weren’t just lip service for the journalists and VIPs gathered in the Seychelles recently, they’re a rallying call for a brand that’s won a raft of travel magazine reader polls since its founding in 1988, but never grown beyond two mid-size cruise ships—until … [Read more...]
SS United States: Crystal Cruises Planning Return of Historic Transatlantic Liner
A major development today in the ongoing saga to save the SS United States from a trip the scrapyard. Los Angeles-based Crystal Cruises says it has signed a purchase option for the historic - yet weathered - transatlantic steam ship with the plan to refurbish the vessel and return it to oceangoing service as a modern luxury cruise ship. The announcement was … [Read more...]