Table Of Content
- Joe Lewis’ $250 million superyacht, ranked among the world’s 25-most valuable, sets sail after he pays US fine
- How Design-Savvy Electric Boats Are Shaping the Future of Yachting
- Business
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- Thousands of passengers affected as Princess Cruises delays new ship
- Three-year cruise around the world canceled, passengers awaiting refunds
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.
Joe Lewis’ $250 million superyacht, ranked among the world’s 25-most valuable, sets sail after he pays US fine
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.
How Design-Savvy Electric Boats Are Shaping the Future of Yachting
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. The guest asked to remain anonymous for fear of retribution from the company. Margaritaville at Sea also scrapped sailings set to take place between May 22 and June 1 so its ship could go to dry dock, offering to rebook passengers at no incremental cost and giving them onboard credit, according to a spokesperson. Vantage Deluxe World Travel recently canceled multiple trips – some “due to the vessel’s readiness,” according to its website – leaving a number of passengers waiting on refunds. The cruise, which first started accepting reservations earlier this year with cabins starting at $29,999 per year, was canceled after the company Life at Sea Cruises admitted it didn’t have a ship, CNN reported.
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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.
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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.
A 3-Year, Nearly $100,000 Cruise Appears to Now Be Canceled
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."
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When the Life at Sea cruise line failed to purchase the German cruise ship AIDAaura, seen here in 2020, its plans for a worldwide cruise embarking in November began to unravel. Passengers may be able to transfer their booking to another cruise in place of a refund, Kuther said. If they are rebooked on a voyage that costs less than their original sailing, they would be refunded the difference, but if the new sailing costs more, they would need to pay the remaining balance. In place of some of those sailings, Princess has added a new inaugural voyage for Star Princess out of Barcelona on Oct. 4, 2025. "We tried everything to find a solution, but at the end of the day we couldn't get the investors and we couldn't sell enough cabins," Vedat Ugurlu, Miray's owner, told The Times. A couple who sold almost everything they owned to go on the three-year Life at Sea cruise have been living in a hotel room in Istanbul, Turkey for the past month after its operators failed to find a ship.
Thousands of passengers affected as Princess Cruises delays new ship
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.
A 3-Year, Nearly $100000 Cruise Appears to Now Be Canceled - Kiplinger's Personal Finance
A 3-Year, Nearly $100000 Cruise Appears to Now Be Canceled.
Posted: Fri, 24 Nov 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]
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.
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.
Under development for more than six years, the Sphere Class includes the just-unveiled Sun Princess, which also was delayed by several weeks. Princess made the announcement Friday in tandem with its shipbuilder, Fincantieri, citing construction delays. Fincantieri originally planned to deliver Star Princess to the cruise line July 29, 2025. "They promised so much, and perhaps over-promised," a person who pulled out of the cruise in April previously told Business Insider.
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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