It sounds like a jewel-heist mystery novel with a bad ending for the alleged perpetrators, who, in this case, are two elderly cruisers from Chile.
According to the Flying Squad of the Messina (Sicily) Police Headquarters and the Maritime Border Police Office of Messina, the couple, ages 77 and 87, are suspected of stealing an expensive ring from a local shopkeeper in the Sicilian town.
The senior cruisers allegedly made off with the ring on May 11, 2025, as their ship, Celebrity Cruises’ Celebrity Constellation, was docked in Messina for a port call.
Police say that the couple had asked the jewelry store clerk to let them try on the ring, and soon after, the two walked out of the shop with the ring, valued at about 1,000 euros ($1,100 USD).
The 2,170-guest Celebrity Constellation was roughly halfway through her 11-night “Best of Italy & Croatia” cruise from Ravenna to Rome, Italy, when the alleged theft happened.
But it wasn’t immediately noticed by the shopkeeper, and by the time the ring was found to be missing and the police notified, the ship had sailed on to the next port call, Naples.
Messina police alerted Naples authorities, and when the ship docked, police conducted a search of the couple’s belongings and discovered the missing ring was among their personal effects.
A statement from Messina police officials points out that the couple are presumed innocent, and that a trial will be held. It does not indicate whether the cruise ship guests are in police custody in Naples, were returned to Messina, or released on bail.
The case is still in preliminary stages, the police report states. There has been no statement about the incident from Celebrity Cruises, a brand of Royal Caribbean Group.
Messina is a popular call on Western Mediterranean cruises. Along with local shops and restaurants, the destination is known for the 12th-century Basilica Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta, aka Messina Cathedral, and other historical and cultural landmarks.
Besides Messina and Naples, other port calls on the ship’s current voyage include Zadar, Dubrovnik, and Split, Croatia; Kotor, Montenegro; and Livorno, Italy.
Celebrity Constellation is the line’s fourth Millennium-class ship, which debuted in 2001. She is sailing 10- and 11-night cruises featuring calls in Italy and Croatia through October 2025, when the ship will reposition to Tampa, Florida, for the winter season.
Case Adds to Spate of Unusual Incidents in Recent Weeks
The unusual jewelry theft case follows a few other rare crime-related events that have happened on cruise ships in recent weeks.
Read Also: How to Pack Jewelry for Travel on a Cruise Ship
On May 3, 2025, an altercation aboard MSC Cruises’ MSC Virtuoso ended with the death of one guest and the arrest of another. The ship departed Southampton, England, for a weekend getaway cruise to Bruges, Belgium, and a few hours later a fight broke out between two men.
The cruise continued on its scheduled itinerary, and when the 4,800-guest ship returned to Southampton on May 5, 2025, a 57-year-old suspect was taken into custody.
Media reports have since indicated that a second suspect was arrested in connection with the death.
In mid-April, two female guests disembarking a ship at California’s Long Beach Cruise Port were allegedly found to have 700-plus cartons of illegally imported cigarettes in their luggage.
US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers discovered the items. While tourists can enter the US with up to 200 cigarettes in their possession, a special permit is required to bring more than that into the country. The cruise guests did not have that permit.
The two suspects could be fined, or worse. The outcome of the case is not known.
