Life at Sea Cruises canceled sailings weeks before the trip was scheduled to begin.
Life at Sea Cruise
Life at Sea Cruises announced in March that it would be accepting reservations for a three-year round-the-world cruise. The ship was scheduled to sail on November 30th, but the original November 1st sailing date was changed several times.
With less than two weeks left until its maiden voyage, Life at Sea has confirmed to anxious passengers that there is no ship and the once-in-a-lifetime trip has been cancelled. CNN report.
A press release shared with CNBC Make It in March said the trip would cover more than 130,000 miles and visit 375 ports in 135 countries and seven continents. Pricing starts at $29,999 per year, with payment options starting at $2,499 per month.
When this cruise was first announced, pricing started at $29,999 per year.
Life at Sea Cruise
The three-year cruise was originally scheduled to depart from Istanbul, Turkey, on November 1st, but was postponed shortly before that date to November 11th, relocated to Amsterdam, and then rescheduled to November 30th. It was done.
On November 17, passengers were informed by Life at Sea’s parent company, Mirai Cruises, that they could not afford to purchase the ship because the investors refused further support due to security concerns. It was done. [the] According to “Middle East” ABC News. The company was aiming to buy the 20-year-old ship AIDAaura, which was sold to another cruise company in November.
Vedat Ugur, owner of Mirai Cruises, said in a statement to the press that the cruise was not canceled but postponed until May 2024.
“It was just an extension of the approval,” he said. “As you know, a three-year cruise is a huge project. The reason is that our ships need to have more than 600 cabins. And right now we only have 104 cabins.”
Statement posted on Millay Cruz’s Instagram page On Nov. 27, the company said in Turkish that the Life at Sea Cruise trip was postponed due to lower-than-expected passenger numbers, without mentioning that the company had changed its schedule because it could not procure a ship.
Life at Sea Cruises also said in a translated statement that customers who request a refund will receive a refund, including the cost of obtaining a visa and other travel expenses. They also told ABC News that those who have already paid will be waiting in their cabins when the ship is ready.
Some passengers are facing what to do next after selling their homes to embark on the three-year journey, ABC News and CNN reported.
Representatives for Life at Sea Cruises and Millay Cruises did not immediately respond to CNBC Make It’s requests for comment.
Life at Sea Cruises’ parent company, Mirai Cruises, said it would issue refunds to customers who requested it.
Life at Sea Cruise
According to CNN, the company announced that repayments will begin in monthly installments starting in mid-December and are expected to be completed in late February. For those who have already traveled to Istanbul, the government also offered to pay for their accommodation and return tickets until December 1st.
Millay Cruises and Life at Sea Cruises also plan to offer customers who purchased their original cruise another short free cruise next summer.
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