Exploring the Mediterranean Along the Italian and French Rivieras
Some readers of my blogs may remember my tale of anguish in February of 2020 as the Covid pandemic was rampaging across Asia, and I was sailing around the South China Sea onboard the beautiful Crystal Symphony hoping that one day a port would agree to let us dock. We eventually disembarked safely in Singapore. I had been so enamored with the ship I was on, that I booked additional cruises, including a World Cruise planned for 2022. While I returned home to wait out the pandemic in isolation, the cruise industry (along with other tourist-intense businesses) suffered significant losses. Crystal declared bankruptcy, and my anticipated future cruise deposits were lost. I recovered some of my money through one of my credit cards, some through the bankruptcy court, and some as future cruise credits issued by the company that ultimately purchased Crystal’s two ocean ships, in an attempt to lure back Crystal’s former passengers. In September of 2025, I was ...