A cruise ship quarantined in a Caribbean port because of measles belongs to the Church of Scientology.
The ship is called “Freewinds” and is used as luxury retreat for elite followers of the church. But the government of St. Lucia in the Caribbean recently ordered that all 300 passengers and crew not leave the ship for 21 days. The quarantine came after a female crew member came down with measles.
Investigative journalist Tony Ortega, an expert on Scientology, spoke to Inside Edition about the ship.
“It's sort of a floating cathedral, its meant to be the culminating experience for Scientologists who have years and spent millions of dollars to get to the top level of Scientology,” he told Inside Edition.
The ship left Curacao Saturday and has been docked at St. Lucia since Monday morning. It was scheduled to sail to Dominica next.
It's being speculated that David Miscavige, the Church of Scientology's leader, may be on board celebrating his birthday.
“In past years Miscavige has gone to the ship for his birthday. His birthday was Tuesday,” Ortega said.
A Scientology promotional video claims Freewinds has all the amenities of a first-class cruise ship, including five-star gourmet cuisine.
Scientology's annual convention, known as “Maiden Voyage,” is scheduled for next month and was supposed to have been held on the vessel. But the measles outbreak has thrown planning for that event into chaos.
The Church of Scientology has not commented on the quarantine of the ship.
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