3-Year World Cruise Canceled 2 Weeks Before Departure Date

Table Of Content

• A European cruise line has canceled its 2022 around the world cruise due to an 'unavailability of ports'
• Virgin Voyages Reroutes Resilient Lady's Repositioning Voyage
• OPB’s First Look newsletter
• Cruise Industry News Email Alerts
• Three-year Life at Sea cruise is canceled; company acknowledges it has no ship
• This 3-year cruise around the world is called off, leaving passengers in the lurch
• Windstar Cruises Cancels Star Legend’s Middle East Season, Redeploys Ship to the Med

The big ship was originally scheduled to leave port on Nov. 1, which was first postponed to Nov. 11 and then Nov. 30. Now, less than two weeks before its maiden voyage, Life at Sea has acknowledged to anxious passengers that there is no ship, and that the once-in-a-lifetime trip has been canceled, CNN reported. It's unclear why Holmes was chosen to make the announcement, which was provided to CNN by a passenger. But after six weeks of uncertainty, during which Life at Sea repeatedly told guests that the sale was taking longer than planned, on November 16 another company, Celestyal Cruises, announced that it had bought the AIDAaura.

A European cruise line has canceled its 2022 around the world cruise due to an 'unavailability of ports'

The cruise, which was originally scheduled to depart from Istanbul on Nov. 1 and visit nearly 400 ports, was scrapped earlier this month. 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. On November 17, passengers were informed by Miray Cruises, Life at Sea's parent company, that the company could not afford to buy a ship after "investors declined to support us further due to the unrest in [the] Middle East," according to ABC News. The company had been trying to buy AIDAaura, a 20-year-old ship, which was sold in November to another cruise company.

Virgin Voyages Reroutes Resilient Lady's Repositioning Voyage

Anticipated transits of the Suez Canal later in 2024 and into 2025 are not affected at this time. "Given recent developments and following extensive consultation with global security experts and government authorities, we have made the decision to reroute our itinerary to bypass the Red Sea and the surrounding area," the company wrote. Originally scheduled to traverse the Red Sea and the Suez Canal, the ship will now sail around the coast of Africa on its way to the Mediterranean. We will keep tabs on the situation as it develops, but if you have a cruise booked in this region it is best to reach out to your cruise line for all the latest information on changes and cancellations. Get a brief on the top business stories of the week, plus CEO interviews, market updates, tech and money news that matters to you. The Life at Sea guest said he and his wife planned to stay in Istanbul until they get a full refund.

OPB’s First Look newsletter

Life at Sea Cruises had been planning to buy the AIDAaura, a ship retired this summer by AIDA Cruises, a German subsidiary of Carnival Corp. The company had originally slated the sale to go through by the end of September, before working on the ship in dry dock in Germany, then renovating it before sailing to Istanbul to start the cruise. Most have spent tens of thousands of dollars on what was meant to be the experience of a lifetime, and now face a wait of at least several months to get their money back. The company has said it will make repayments in monthly installments, starting from mid-December and completing repayments in late February. It has also offered to pay for accommodation until December 1 and flights home for anyone now stranded in Istanbul. To address the ongoing demand for world cruises, MSC— which is owned by logistics and shipping group MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company — has moved its 2022 global cruise to the following year aboard the MSC Magnifica.

Cruise Industry News Email Alerts

“We’re at a complete loss as to what to do or where to go without having our money,” he said. Witman says the company has begun the refund process, accepting her requests for other expenses to be paid, from airfare to the costs of foreign visas. Witman, who owns a marketing agency named Clever Lucy, was planning to work remotely aboard the ship, using its Starlink internet service. And as a single woman, she had been looking forward to exploring the world with a group.

Three-year Life at Sea cruise is canceled; company acknowledges it has no ship

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. Life at Sea Cruises also stated in the translated statement that any customers who want a refund will receive it, including money spent on acquiring visas and other travel expenses. They also told ABC News that those who have already paid will have a cabin waiting when the ship is ready. He said all passengers would be given full refunds in installments between December and February. 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.

But Life at Sea still has yet to acquire a vessel it would use for the around-the-world itinerary that was set to sail next week. And unless it's able to find one that doesn't require extensive refurbishments, this once-in-a-lifetime vacation could soon be called off. “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.

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. But responding to a social media comment about that same statement, the company sought to clarify that its other operations are unaffected — and in doing so, it stated, "The cancellation in question is related to our 3-year world tour project." And rather than portioning the cruise for sale in smaller stages, the company required customers to commit to the full three years. The cheapest packages started at $196,000 for a single traveler, and $231,000 for couples, according to the company's website. On Nov. 19, two days after Holmes’ announcement, guests received another message, this time from Vedat Ugurlu, the owner of Miray International, who also stated that the cruise would not be departing, per CNN.

Windstar Cruises Cancels Star Legend’s Middle East Season, Redeploys Ship to the Med

MSC says the changes were made due to the ongoing situation in Israel and uncertainty with countries in the surrounding area, as countries impose entry restrictions and governments issue travel warnings and advisories to various parts of the region. The line has canceled three repositioning ‘Grand Voyage’ sailings in April from South Africa and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to Europe. MSC Cruises has become the first cruise line to cancel cruises due to the ongoing risks to shipping in the Red Sea.

Life at Sea didn't respond to a query about what prior unrest they were referring to that could have impeded the completion of the transaction. "It would not have been possible to carry [the 2022 world cruise] out due to there being too many ports still facing restrictions as a result of the pandemic," the company said. MSC did not immediately respond to Insider's request to elaborate on said "restrictions," but ports around the world are currently facing congestion issues amid persistent and crippling supply chain delays. Cruise lines have begun canceling itineraries scheduled to call on the Middle East as the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Gaza Strip escalates. “The three ships will transfer directly to Europe without any passengers on board and avoid transiting through the Red Sea. Each brand is offering affected cruisers a variety of compensation options, depending on the circumstances and whether their voyages are already underway.

The company also vowed to refund those who signed up for the cruise, whose costs ranged from $29,999 a year for a standard interior cabin all the way up to $109,000 per year for a luxurious suite with a large balcony. According to the outlet, the cruise was postponed to Nov. 11 and relocated from Istanbul to Amsterdam shortly before its original Nov. 1 departure date. “We were due to visit Israel, Egypt and Jordan next April but spoke to TA this afternoon about canceling."

Life at Sea: What to know about the 3-year cruise around the world, now canceled - NPR

Life at Sea: What to know about the 3-year cruise around the world, now canceled.

Posted: Wed, 29 Nov 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]

Life at Sea Cruises and Miray Cruises did not respond to specific questions from CNN, but sent a statement from Ugurlu addressed to passengers citing "investor withdrawal" causing "challenges" to the project. The letter was sent to CNN November 21 and spoke about a potential upcoming cruise date - despite the cruise having already been canceled. Holmes told stranded Life at Sea passengers that if 60 or 70 of them "transferred" to the new company, they would be able to "get something going" by the first week of December, and already had approval from the HLC board to do so. "I had the next three years of my life planned to live an extraordinary life, and now [I have] nothing. I'm having a hard time moving forward. "We choose not to because we have promised you a larger, newer vessel," he wrote.

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. Some passengers reportedly only learned of the cancellation after arriving in Turkey. 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. The intense fallout is drawing comparisons to infamous debacles such as the Fyre Festival — the "luxury" music festival that was more like a "disaster relief area." "As we navigate these challenges, we are actively working on creating alternative plans for the future, ensuring an unforgettable experience for our valued community," it concluded.

This sailing will then accompany MSC's sold-out 2023 world cruise aboard the MSC Poesia, which first went on sale in 2020. Celebrity Apex was en-route to Haifa before altering course to dock in Limassol, Cyprus. Life at Sea Cruises initially announced the three-year voyage in March and took on additional passengers in June.

The cruise was initially set to launch from Istanbul on Nov. 1, but had since been postponed to Nov. 11 with the start port relocated to Amsterdam and then postponed again to Nov. 30. But cruise company Life at Sea recently told customers who bought passage on a three-year voyage that rather than visiting 140 countries, their trip was called off. 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. “While we’re in talks to acquire a similar vessel, if the December 1st sail is jeopardized, we offer alternative departure dates or expedited refunds,” Ugurlu wrote, according to Cruise Industry News.

The ship was originally scheduled to sail from Dubai to Athens on March 13, but will now circumnavigate Africa. A three-year world cruise has been canceled less than two weeks before it was scheduled to set sail. Miray and Life at Sea cruises are also offering customers who bought into the original cruise a separate, shorter free cruise next summer. Vedat Ugurlu, CEO of Life at Sea’s parent company Miray Cruises, said the cruise was facing “challenges due to investor withdrawal” in a statement shared with USA TODAY. After this 1,095 days at sea, the vessel would continue its global circumnavigation on a different route every three years. 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.