3-Year Cruise Canceled, What’s Next For Passengers?

A three-year cruise where passengers would have traveled around the world has been canceled. What’s next for the customers who paid upwards of $200K for the over 1000-day experience?

The cruise company Life at Sea recently told customers who bought passage on a three-year voyage that their trip was called off. The itinerary was for passengers to visit upwards of 140 countries and was set to depart on Nov. 30, 2023. Many passengers had already arrived in the Netherlands or Turkey, where the trip was initially slated to start before another last-minute change, where they learned of the cancellation.

The cruise was due to set sail from Amsterdam on Nov. 30 after the original Nov. 1 departure from Istanbul was delayed and rescheduled. ABC News reported that messages passengers received from the owners of Life at Sea’s parent company, Miray Cruises, said the company could not purchase a ship after “investors declined to support us further due to unrest in [the] Middle East.”

Miray Cruises owner Vedat Ugurlu said in a statement to ABC News that the trip has not actually been canceled but rather postponed until the spring. He said, “We just had to extend our approval. 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.”

NPR reported the original itinerary mapped 1,095 days of travel. The trip was scheduled to begin in Istanbul and travel to Europe, South America, and the Caribbean. Passengers would then pass through the Panama Canal before seeing the United States’ West Coast, Hawaii, and Alaska and heading west across the Pacific. “Voyagers were to see seven continents, visiting 140 countries. They would spend roughly 300 days at sea, 795 days at port and have 413 overnight port stays,” according to the COO of Miray Cruises, Ethem Bayramoglu.

The company’s website claims that all food, beverages, amenities, port fees and taxes, doctors, laundry, housekeeping, and entertainment were included in the ticket cost. There was also a fully equipped hospital onboard, with free visits and 24-hour on-call service.

According to the website, the cheapest packages started at $196,000 for a single traveler and $231,000 for couples. Costs ranged much higher for guests staying in premium rooms.

On Nov. 17, cruisers were told the voyage was canceled via a 15-minute video from the former CEO of Life at Sea, Kendra Holmes. She resigned from the role several days prior. Ugurlu confirmed this news two days later by sending a message to passengers.

The company is reportedly issuing refunds for passengers in monthly installments. These include money spent on visas and other travel expenses as well as the price of a cabin. Travelers who wish to continue on this particular voyage are guaranteed a cabin when the ship reportedly sets sail in May 2024.