After around 28 years docked at Pier 82 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the famous SS United States was hours away from a pier transfer on February 6, 2025. It would have been the first step in beginning her final voyage, but the US Coast Guard called for a delay. 

She was then supposed to officially leave Philadelphia on Saturday, February 8, 2025 – just two days after the pier transfer – with her final departure now also delayed. 

The historic flagship will eventually be bound for Mobile, Alabama, where she will be prepared to take on a new life as the world’s largest artificial coral reef under the ownership of Okaloosa County, Florida – which purchased the ocean liner in October 2024. 

However, these plans will have to wait until the US Coast Guard can ensure a safe and proper tow for the 1952-launched vessel can be accomplished.

“Plans to move the SS United States from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Mobile, Alabama, have been delayed due to follow-up details requested by the US Coast Guard to ensure a proper tow from Pier 82 to Pier 80,” reads a statement from Okaloosa County.

The original plan was for the former ocean liner to be moved laterally from Pier 82 to Pier 80 on February 6 – ahead of being towed out of Philadelphia two days later.

Tug boats were then supposed to maneuver the ship down the Delaware River during the low tide in the early morning hours of Saturday, February 8. But of course, neither of these steps have taken place yet and new dates have not been selected.

“Because of the delay of the pier transition, the departure tow out of Philadelphia originally planned for Feb. 8, 2025, has been delayed. A new date has not been set for departure,” continued the Okaloosa County statement.

Perhaps the third time will be the charm, as this is actually the second time the 53,330-gross ton vessel’s final voyage has been delayed. 

She was originally supposed to begin her final oceangoing voyage on November 15, 2024, but this was postponed due to potential poor weather and more time needed to work out “logistical details.”

Honoring the Legacy of SS United States

As one of the first great record-breaking ocean liners of the twentieth century, SS United States became a symbol of American innovation, ingenuity, and of the American Dream. 

Originally designed by naval architect William Francis Gibbs, “America’s Flagship” was once an important innovative achievement of American engineering. At 990 feet long and capable of speeds over 38 knots, the liner was once the fastest and largest passenger ship ever built in the US.

To this day, the old ship still holds the record for the fastest transatlantic crossing by an ocean liner.

In her heyday, the historic ocean liner could accommodate up to 1,928 passengers and 1,044 crew members. She was in service from 1952 to 1969, originally retiring in Virginia before relocating to Philadelphia in 1996. 

Read Also: Discovering Abandoned Cruise Ships and Ocean Liners

The SS United States Conservancy, which was founded in 2009, has worked hard to protect the legacy of the vessel it’s named for – and fought a years-long legal battle to try to keep the ship docked in her Philadelphia home.

But once a judge ruled that the ocean liner must relocate, selling her to Okaloosa County to become an artificial reef was the best compromise to honor her history. 

Not only will she take on a new purpose benefitting marine life, but the Florida county will also open a shoreside museum in Destin – which is located in the Florida Panhandle – that will highlight her history as a symbol of American ingenuity. 

The process of preparing the ship to be converted and scuttled is expected to take at least a year. There is not yet a confirmed date for when the ship will officially be sunk or when the museum will open.

When she’s ready, her final resting place will be off the coast of Destin.

Wastin’ away again in Margaritaville, with a more expensive bill? That’s right!

As of February 1st, 2025, Margaritaville at Sea (formerly the Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line) has updated its gratuity guidelines, imposing a $2 per person per night increase regardless of the accommodation.

Previously, the gratuity was set at $18 per person per night for stateroom guests, and $22 per person per night for guests staying in Suites.

The gratuity now has increased to $20 per person per night for stateroom guests, reflecting an 11% increase in costs.

Those guests staying in Suites will now pay $24 per person per night, reflecting a 9% increase in costs.

Margaritaville at Sea does allow you to pre-pay for gratuity. If you have already booked your cruise and you have not already pre-paid gratuity, additional gratuity costs were added to all Margaritaville at Sea effective February 1st.

Consider always prepaying for gratuity at the time of booking your cruise to lock in the best rate!

If you do not pay in advance, gratuities will be automatically added to your stateroom account during your voyage, so expect an extra bill at the end!

What this also means is that if there are any gratuity increases, such as the one just implemented before your cruise, that is the rate you will be paying even if you booked your cruise when there were lower gratuity rates in place.

To put this into perspective, let’s say a 4-person group of friends go on a Margaritaville at Sea cruise for 3 nights staying in two Suites. At the previous rate, they would have paid $264 in gratuity, but at the new one they will pay $288.

So you can see that even a $2 increase, it can start to add up on your bill. But wait, there’s more! These changes to gratuity will also affect some additional services.

Also included in the update by Margaritaville at Sea on February 1st, service charges have increased to 20%, another 11% increase in costs.

This particular service charge applies to all specialty dining, bars, drinks packages, and St. Somewhere Spa & Salon tabs.

This is not the first time the Margaritaville at Sea has adjusted its gratuity, doing so most recently in 2024. This previous increase raised stateroom gratuity by 20% and Suites by 10%.

The upside for guests planning to stay in staterooms is that the recent gratuity percentage increase is in the single digits this year! Yay?

The best thing for passengers to do in the wake of these gratuity increases is to be mindful of their spending at any services and to budget to make sure they can cover the required gratuity owed at the end of their voyage.

What other Cruise Lines Have Recently Raised Gratuities?

Margaritaville at Sea is not the only cruise line that has raised gratuity costs recently. On November 1st, 2024, Royal Caribbean increased its gratuity cost by $0.50 a day.

“For standard inventory, new gratuity guidelines will nominally increase from $18 to $18.50 per guest per day, while Suites will change from $20.50 to $21.00 per guest per day,” Royal Caribbean stated.

Royal Caribbean has previously updated its gratuity guidelines several times since 2022, increasing its gratuity cost by nearly 25%.

The good news is if you book with Royal Caribbean and pay for gratuity in advance, you will pay whatever the current rate is locked in at so you don’t need to be worried about potential gratuity rate increases affecting the cost of your voyage.

Disney Cruise Line also updated its gratuity rates recently. As of January 22, 2025, the new rates are $16 per person per day for a standard room, and $27.25 per person per day for Concierge’s level staterooms and suites.

Previously, the rates were $14.50 per person per day for a standard room and $23.50 per person per day for Concierge’s-level staterooms and suites. This means that standard rooms saw an increase of 10% and luxury accommodations saw an increase of 14%.

Disney Cruise Lines allows you to pay for gratuity in advance, allowing you to not worry about potential gratuity rate increases ahead of your cruise.

All of this is not unusual, as cruise lines raise prices periodically over time to reflect the increase in all prices.

The SS United States, which has been berthed at Pier 82 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania since 1996, is now just hours away from beginning her final journey in preparation for scuttling as an artificial coral reef off the coast of Destin, Florida.

According to the SS United States Conservancy, which has overseen plans for the aged ocean liner once known as “America’s Flagship,” testing is now complete, plans are in place, and the ship is ready to move.

“After completing comprehensive due diligence involving extensive testing and reporting to local, state, and federal agencies, Okaloosa County has now received final approval from the U.S. Coast Guard to begin moving the SS United States from Pier 82 in South Philadelphia to a docking area in Mobile, Alabama,” the Conservancy confirmed.

The plan – subject to change based on weather or other operational factors – is that the ship will be moved laterally from Pier 82 to Pier 80 on Thursday, February 6, 2025.

Tugboats will direct that transfer and will further maneuver the liner down the Delaware River at low tide in the early morning hours of Saturday, February 8, from approximately 3:30-4:30 a.m.

Viewing opportunities from various Philadelphia vantage points will be available on Saturday, as well as a livestream broadcast on the Conservancy’s Facebook page.

Additional viewing opportunities during the ship’s roughly two-week journey from Pennsylvania to Alabama will be announced as available, and will depend on weather, coastal distance, local marine traffic, and other factors.

Online GPS tracking will also follow the ship’s progress as she is relocated down the Atlantic coast, through the Straits of Florida, north through the Gulf of Mexico, and into shipyard facilities in Mobile for the remediation work necessary to prepare the vessel for environmentally responsible scuttling.

The relocation operation had originally been planned for late November 2024. The ship’s journey was delayed due to late-season tropical weather systems that would have made it dangerous, if not impossible, to complete the trip without further damage.

The Fate of the SS United States

The fight to save the SS United States has been ongoing for several years, first as the SS United States Conservancy sought funding and feasible plans for the vessel’s restoration or repurposing as a hotel or mixed-use pier development.

Ultimately, those plans did not come to fruition. When the berth rent for the ship was dramatically increased in 2021, the issue moved to a legal battle that the SS United States Conservancy lost in mediation in June 2024.

After a further extension to ensure adequate planning for the ship’s relocation and final disposition, Okaloosa County, Florida purchased the liner in October 2024, with the intention of making her the world’s largest artificial coral reef.

The reef project will also be accompanied by a land-based museum that will feature artifacts and memorabilia from the ship to showcase her enduring legacy.

“We extend our deepest gratitude to the countless supporters, maritime enthusiasts, and all those who have stood by the SS United States throughout the years. Your unwavering dedication, passion, and commitment to preserving her legacy have been truly inspiring,” said Mike Strasbaugh, Chairman of the Conservancy’s Southeast Chapter.

“While this outcome is not what any of us had hoped for, it is the best possible alternative to losing her to the scrapyard. This decision ensures that the Big U will continue to serve a meaningful purpose—one that honors her history while creating a lasting ecological and economic benefit.”

Read Also: Cruise Ship Scrapping – Everything You Need to Know

The refurbishment before the ship can become a new reef is expected to take at least a year. The process includes removal of hazardous materials and structural work to ensure the ship will land appropriately on the ocean floor when she is finally sunk.

At this time, there is no confirmed timeline for when the ship may be officially scuttled or when the land-based museum may be opened to bring the ship’s legacy to a new generation.