3-year cruise canceled weeks before setting sail, prompting passenger backlash

Table Of Content

• year cruise canceled weeks before setting sail, prompting passenger backlash
• Cruise Ship Collides With Dock at Turkish Port
• Unexpected Development for Life at Sea Cruises’ Guests
• The outlook for home prices has changed drastically in just the past month as Fed rate cuts look more and more distant
• The case against work friends: The office has changed. Maybe it’s time our relationships do too
• Carnival Cruise Passengers Attempt to Bring Portable Washing Machine Aboard Ship

Life at Sea Cruises has cancelled its three-year 130,000-mile cruise around the world. A 3-year cruise around the world from cruise operator Life at Sea Cruises has been cancelled, due to lack of a ship. Holmes resigned last week, according to CNN, days before Ugurlu officially announced the cancellation.

year cruise canceled weeks before setting sail, prompting passenger backlash

The letter goes on to confirm that the situation has been resolved, though details of the technical issue have not been disclosed. "They promised so much, and perhaps over-promised," a person who pulled out of the cruise in April previously told Business Insider. "I have received nothing yet, but I did not expect to," Mary Rader, a retired social worker from New York, told The Times.

Cruise Ship Collides With Dock at Turkish Port

Furthermore, the ship’s planned visit to Kona was cancelled completely. Fortunately, the visit to Kahului, Maui took place as planned from 8 a.m. But then in a message to passengers, Life at Sea said the sale had fallen through. Another company bought the ship that was to be rechristened the MV Lara, and Miray Cruises, the parent firm of Life at Sea, couldn’t afford to buy another ship. There were serious doubts about the ship’s seaworthiness, leading to multiple refund requests and safety concerns.

Unexpected Development for Life at Sea Cruises’ Guests

“Miray is not such a big company to afford to pay 40–50 million for a ship,” said Vedat Ugurlu, owner of Miray, in a message to passengers. In June, Life at Sea announced it had acquired a larger vessel for the trip, allowing it to accommodate 200 additional passengers. With that ship, the MV Lara, the company raised the price of the trip from $30,000 to $38,513. Vedat Ugurlu, owner of Miray Cruises, the parent company of Life at Sea, expressed regret over the situation. He cited financial constraints and geopolitical factors as contributing to the inability to secure a vessel for the cruise.

In a statement to the news outlet, Miray Cruises owner Vedat Ugurlu said the cruise wasn't canceled but postponed until May 2024. The three-year cruise was initially set to depart from Istanbul, Turkey on November 1. Shortly before that date, it was postponed to November 11 and relocated to Amsterdam, then rescheduled to November 30. But Miray Cruises' owner told ABC News this week they had only 150 passengers for a vessel with over 600 cabins. On Nov. 20, in another update from Miray Cruises owner Vedat Ugurlu to passengers, he said the Life at Sea Cruise trip was canceled.

Travelers will have to wait longer than planned to sail on Princess Cruises’ upcoming ship. That’s little comfort to some passengers who did not renew leases, or sold their homes or rented them out to travel the world for three years. Miray and Life at Sea CEO Kendra Holmes resigned from the company in November, according to CNN, which also reported that she is behind a new start up world cruise under the HLC Cruises banner.

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Despite the setback, Witman says she's been able to form connections with other would-be passengers, who have been keeping in touch via apps and group texts. Warning flags went up earlier this year, when the company changed course from its initial plan to refit one of its ships, the MV Gemini. For the lengthy worldwide voyage, it planned to deploy the larger "MV Lara" — a ship that never materialized. Terms of the deal help illuminate the would-be passengers' financial and logistical plight. Under its 12-month payment plan, the first draw came due one month ahead of the sail date. Those customers are now scrambling to make new plans for where they will live for the next three years — and to extract refunds from the cruise line.

Hotel accommodations in Istanbul will also be covered until Dec. 1, and “subsequent travel expenses to your chosen destination will be reimbursed,” Ugurlu said in his statement. Many are stuck in a tough position, having spent tens of thousands of dollars on the now-canceled voyage that may take months to get reimbursed — and, in some cases, having sold or rented out their houses ahead of the cruise. Some would-be cruise passengers were in Istanbul, where the ship was originally scheduled to depart from, when they received news of the cancellation, per CNN. In his message, Ugurlu also confirmed that the cruise was canceled because the company could not afford the ship. The following day, Life at Sea’s former CEO, Kendra Holmes — who had resigned just days before the sale fell through — informed guests that the cruise was canceled.

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Life at Sea Cruises cancels its 3-year maiden voyage - Business Insider

Life at Sea Cruises cancels its 3-year maiden voyage.

Posted: Fri, 24 Nov 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]

The ship’s new inaugural itineraries will include 11 and seven-day Mediterranean cruises on Oct. 4 and 15, 2025, respectively. Those will be followed by a two-week transatlantic voyage to Fort Lauderdale, Florida on Oct. 22, 2025. The delivery of Star Princess, which was set to debut next summer, will be pushed back by about two months. The cruise line said the delay was a “mutual” decision with shipbuilder Fincantieri.

It has also offered to pay for accommodations until December 1 and flights home for anyone who has already traveled to Istanbul. According to reports from ABC News and CNN, some passengers are now faced with what to do next after having sold their homes to embark on the three-year journey. The cruise was finally due to set sail on Nov. 30 from Amsterdam, after the original Nov. 1 departure from Istanbul was delayed and rescheduled.

"We are going to be following summer the entire time that we go around the world," then-Life at Sea CEO Kendra Holmes told prospective passengers in a Zoom webinar in September. Because of the dramatic changes to the itinerary, Norwegian Cruise Line has provided generous compensation to guests onboard. On Saturday, April 20 is not expected to be impacted and there should be no further delays or changes to the ship’s itinerary.

One passenger told USA TODAY he and his wife were notified of the cancellation on Nov. 17, after they had already arrived in Istanbul with plans to board the ship on Nov. 11. The guest asked to remain anonymous for fear of retribution from the company. Instead, Life at Sea planned to buy a larger ship, the AIDAaura, which was set to be renamed the MV Lara, per CNN. After telling its passengers that the sale was taking longer than expected, however, news broke that another cruise company, Celestyal Cruises, bought the ship on Nov. 16. The would-be passengers are understandably upset with the cruise company. More than 100 cabins had been sold, and some travelers had given up their homes and other possessions with the understanding that they’d be at sea for three years.

As would be expected, all shore excursions booked through Norwegian Cruise Line for Kona and Nawiliwili are automatically cancelled and fully refunded back to guests’ onboard accounts. Organizers have scuttled a heavily promoted three-year cruise, which promised to let remote workers (and more) travel the world for $30,000 per year, saying the company has no ship on which to ferry those adventurers. According to CNN, the new HLC company would get a “temporary ship” to sail for a few months before acquiring a permanent vessel. If the cruise line faces financial difficulties or bankruptcy, the process of obtaining a refund can become more complex and uncertain. In such scenarios, guests may need to seek legal advice or consider alternative routes such as claiming through credit card chargebacks or travel insurance. In terms of seeking refunds, guests are encouraged to formally request a refund from Life at Sea Cruises.

Some cabins could host cats; travelers were also promised high-speed internet, free dining, alcohol and laundry service, and "enrichment seminars." When the cruise missed its planned departure date, the company promised to resolve lingering issues. Pride of America operates inter-island Hawaii cruises year-round, and there is no indication that the next cruise or any future sailings will be impacted by the now-resolved technical issue. Additionally, all guests are receiving a 20% discount as a future cruise credit (FCC) for any published future Norwegian Cruise Line sailing through December 31, 2025. This will hopefully encourage guests to enjoy a different cruise, one without the technical difficulties.