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Charter-related cancellations tend to take place with more notice than emergency dry docking, according to Joanna Kuther, a New York City-based travel agent and owner of Port Side Travel Consultants. She said she has never seen passengers bumped as a result of a full-ship charter less than nine months to a year ahead of sailing. Cruise lines may cancel sailings for a variety of reasons, forcing passengers to change their travel plans, sometimes with little notice.
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Passengers said they were told its most recent sail date was Nov. 30, CNN reported last month, though the brand told the outlet at the time that there was not a confirmed departure date or place. Miray CEO Kendra Holmes also left earlier this month, according to Business Insider. In exchange, passengers — or residents, as the company called them — were promised a long list of amenities, including an onboard hospital and doctor. Some cabins could host cats; travelers were also promised high-speed internet, free dining, alcohol and laundry service, and "enrichment seminars."
Why do passengers get bumped from cruises?
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. However, on Nov. 17, passengers who signed up for the multi-year journey were told there would be no cruise after all. Instead, the company reportedly promised to refund travelers who signed up for the cruise to the tune of up to hundreds of thousands of dollars. The sailing was originally going to take place on the MV Gemini ship, but Life at Sea later reportedly set its sights on the larger former AIDA Cruises ship AIDAaura. However, Celestyal Cruises announced earlier this month that it had acquired that vessel. Instead, Life at Sea planned to buy a larger ship, the AIDAaura, which was set to be renamed the MV Lara, per CNN.
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A Three-Year Cruise Is Canceled for Lack of a Ship - The New York Times
A Three-Year Cruise Is Canceled for Lack of a Ship.
Posted: Mon, 27 Nov 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]
Others are still in Istanbul, where the cruise was originally supposed to depart from. And many are waiting for a refund, which the company said it will pay in installments through late February. Norwegian Cruise Line recently canceled months of sailings for its Norwegian Spirit ship scheduled between July 3 and Sept. 18, 2024, because of a full ship charter. The cruise line notified guests in May and offered them full refunds and future cruise credits, according to a letter to passengers the line shared with USA TODAY. Charging $38,513 to $98,226 per person per year for double occupancy cabins, the entire trip would cost at least $230,000, a relative steal when it comes to cruise prices. The company said its ship, to be called the MV Lara, would have a capacity of 1,266 passengers, and it expected to be 80 percent booked.
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]
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. 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.
The family made the most of their planned time off anyway, renting an Airbnb in Orlando, Florida, and going to Disney World instead. The company had previously said it would offer buyers alternative departure dates or "expedited refunds" if it was unable to sail on December 1, Business Insider previously reported. The Times reported that Miray asked passengers to sign an agreement spreading refund payments out between December and February. The cruise, which was originally scheduled to depart from Istanbul, Turkey, on Nov. 1 and visit nearly 400 ports, was scrapped earlier this month after Life at Sea failed to secure a ship for the cruisegoers. The company’s website has not been updated as of Monday morning, and still has both a countdown to the start of the cruise and a link allowing people to reserve a cabin via wire transfer or credit card. When the cruise was announced, it was touted as a three-year journey stopping in 375 ports of call and traversing 130,000 miles.
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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.
Life at Sea said all passengers would be given full refunds in installments between December and February, according to USA TODAY. Hotel accommodations in Istanbul will also be covered until Dec. 1, and other travel expenses will be reimbursed. However, Life at Sea later reportedly tried for a larger vessel, the former AIDA Cruises ship AIDAaura. But Celestyal Cruises announced Nov. 16 that it had acquired that ship. 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.
What was once the trip of a lifetime has become the phantom trip from hell. The Life at Sea guest said he and his wife planned to stay in Istanbul until they get a full refund. “We’re at a complete loss as to what to do or where to go without having our money,” he said. "And I'm hopeful that it will, because I'd like to be on it. I still believe in the concept. I think it's a really perfect opportunity for me."
The Life At Sea cruise was canceled last minute after the owners failed to find a ship and said that investors withdrew. “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 late October, the original departure date of November 1 was postponed to November 11 and moved from Istanbul to Amsterdam because the company reportedly still didn't have a ship in which to operate the cruise. Passengers who signed up for the headline-making voyage — which was originally due to depart from Istanbul, Turkey, on Nov. 1 and visit seven continents, 135 countries and 375 ports — received news of its cancellation on Nov. 17, CNN reported.
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. Holmes relayed the information in a 15-minute video given to passengers, one of whom provided it to CNN. The company said that anyone requesting a refund will get one, and that it will reimburse travel expenses related to the cruise. On Sunday, Miray Cruises issued a statement in Turkish, denying that the cruise is canceled.
But it seems that it was the company's focus, not the public's, that was the problem. Witman says she also shipped boxes to have on the cruise, back in early October. "Having a like-minded community of people that all were interested in travel at the ready was really appealing to me," she said. The original itinerary mapped 1,095 days of travel, heading from Istanbul to Europe and then to South America and the Caribbean. Passengers would then pass through the Panama Canal before seeing the U.S.
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