Remember that 3-year-long cruise? Its been cancelled, 1 week before departure National

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• JCPenney expects to return half a billion dollars to customers this year
• Sundar Pichai fires 28 Google workers for staging sit-in protest over $1.2 billion Israeli contract on company property
• Comments
• MSC Cruises Became First Cruise Line to Cancel Cruises Due to Red Sea Attacks
• Red Sea Attacks and Ongoing War Lead to More Canceled Cruises in Middle East

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. Cruise lines have begun canceling itineraries scheduled to call on the Middle East as the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Gaza Strip escalates. “Instead, they will sail around the west coast of Africa with no ports of call on their journeys to their respective European homeports for the summer 2024 season. “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.

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But if it's unable to sail on December 1, the company said it will offer buyers "alternative departure dates or expedited refunds." 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. “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.

JCPenney expects to return half a billion dollars to customers this year

The original itinerary mapped 1,095 days of travel, heading from Istanbul to Europe and then to South America and the Caribbean. 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. These ships visit destinations such as the Western and Eastern Mediterranean, the Caribbean, the Adriatic Sea, the Middle East, the Red Sea, Asia and northern Europe, according to Cruise Industry News.

Sundar Pichai fires 28 Google workers for staging sit-in protest over $1.2 billion Israeli contract on company property

In October, delays in the ship's acquisition forced the company to postpone its launch twice. Amid this, Mediterranean cruise operator Celestyal announced in mid-November that it had purchased the AIDAAura, now renamed the Celestyal Discovery. Throughout 2023, Life at Sea has wooed travelers with its advertised three-year around-the-world cruise on the MV Lara, a ship. After this 1,095 days at sea, the vessel would continue its global circumnavigation on a different route every three years.

Luxury line Silversea canceled a 17-night voyage from Mumbai to Athens aboard Silver Whisper, citing the geopolitical situation in the Red Sea region. On Nov. 16, Life at Sea Cruises' former CEO Kendra Holmes, who said she wasn't speaking on behalf of Miray Cruises, sent passengers a recorded 15-minute video explaining the journey was canceled. Some passengers said they didn't have a home to return to, since they were expecting to be on the cruise for three years. One woman, Kimberly Arizzi, sold her apartment, furniture, clothes, and TV to pay for her retirement cruise, Business Insider reported. Similarly, construction on Storylines' luxury residential vessel has been repeatedly postponed, prompting at least one buyer to ask for a refund. The embarkation of Victoria Cruises Line's residential Victoria Majestic — formerly a Holland America ship — was postponed from May 2023 to July 2024.

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]

3-year cruise for remote workers cancelled as organizers admit they have no ship - Fortune

3-year cruise for remote workers cancelled as organizers admit they have no ship.

Posted: Mon, 27 Nov 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]

He said that while the company had made the down payment for the ship, the investors "declined to support us further due to unrest in the Middle East." Some passengers booked on itineraries in the region, however, are making alternate plans. Itinerary changes as a result of the conflict are also being felt in other geographic areas, too. Passengers aboard Norwegian Epic were notified that their November itinerary would drop ports in Israel – but also the Greek ports of Rhodes and Patmos. In a letter to passengers, Cunard said the changes were being made for the safety of passengers and crew aboard the company's flagship. The cruise line also shared that it is currently reassessing other geographically similar repositioning voyages and will provide an update in the coming weeks on further changes.

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. In the meantime, Life at Sea's erstwhile CEO, Kendra Holmes, who resigned last week, claims she's planning to offer a new long-term cruise with a different company. "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. "Although we are all disappointed and frustrated that we didn't sail this time, it is important to us that you feel positive overall about your experience with us," the message reads. "Vedat in particular is still hopeful that Miray will someday soon have an option for you to consider."

Passengers experienced prolonged periods of silence from Life at Sea Cruises, coupled with two postponements of the departure date of AIDAaura/MV Lara, initially set for November 1st, then rescheduled to November 11th, and finally to November 30th. The company has said it will make refund repayments in monthly installments starting mid-December and will complete them in late February, according to CNN. It has also offered to pay for accommodations until December 1 and flights home for anyone who has already traveled to Istanbul. 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.

Red Sea Attacks and Ongoing War Lead to More Canceled Cruises in Middle East

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. 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. "In two days' time, we own this vessel," Life at Sea itinerary planner Robert Dixon said in late September, speaking in a promotional video from the bridge of a ship he called the "MV Lara." And rather than portioning the cruise for sale in smaller stages, the company required customers to commit to the full three years.

On Sunday, Miray Cruises issued a statement in Turkish, denying that the cruise is canceled. Instead, the company said the voyage is postponed — and it blamed a lack of enough passenger bookings, rather than problems finding an appropriate ship. In his message, Ugurlu also confirmed that the cruise was canceled because the company could not afford the ship. On Nov. 17, Life at Sea revealed to passengers that the inaugural cruise was canceled, and that it had no ship, CNN reported.

“The safety of our guests, crew, and the communities we visit is always our top priority. Our Global Security teams continue to monitor the evolving situation in the Red Sea. In an abundance of caution, we have adjusted select itineraries of Silver Moon, Silver Spirit, and Silver Whisper. We are notifying guests and travel advisors of changes directly,” the cruise line said in a statement shared with Cruise Critic. British line Marella Cruises is the latest in a string of cruise lines to adjust itineraries amid the ongoing Red Sea conflict and crisis in the Middle East.

According to CNN, the new HLC company would get a “temporary ship” to sail for a few months before acquiring a permanent vessel. 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. 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. The company said that anyone requesting a refund will get one, and that it will reimburse travel expenses related to the cruise. In exchange, passengers — or residents, as the company called them — were promised a long list of amenities, including an onboard hospital and doctor.

"Because as you know, three-year cruises is a mega project. The reason for this is our vessel capacity—needed to exceed more than 600 cabins. And right now, we only have 104 cabins." 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." The cheapest packages started at $196,000 for a single traveler, and $231,000 for couples, according to the company's website. "Still waiting for my refund. And now you've gone belly up?" a woman who identified herself as a Life at Sea customer said recently on the company's Instagram account.