3-Year World Cruise Canceled 2 Weeks Before Departure Date
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Both cruises are set to depart on Jan. 4, 2023, from Civitavecchia (the port for Rome). They will also make simultaneous stops in Genoa on Jan. 5, Marseille on Jan. 6 and Barcelona on Jan. 7 to pick up embarking passengers before diverging to complete their respective sailings. The marathon cruise is expected to make stops in seven continents, 65 countries, and over 150 ports of call before finally docking back at the trip's origin port in Miami. For passengers unable to commit to nine months of international travel, the cruise also offered four separate segmented trips ranging from 63 nights to 87 nights, depending on the segment.
Major Itinerary Change for Sailing
Given the amount of time and money passengers invest to sail on world cruises, the MSC cancellation is news in itself -- especially because the sailing in question was set to depart in less than three months. Other cruise lines, such as Carnival Corporation brands Holland America, Princess, Seabourn and Cunard, canceled their world voyages months ago. 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. Life at Sea Cruises had promised passengers of its inaugural three-year voyage the trip of a lifetime — they were supposed to set sail on Nov. 30, travelling to 382 ports across 140 countries over the span of three years.
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The vessel that was believed to be heading to Life at Sea, the former AIDAuara, was sold in November to Celestyal Cruises. Set to depart on Nov. 1 and then delayed due to investment challenges, the company never acquired a ship.
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A three-year, around-the-world cruise that was supposed to set sail next week has been cancelled at the last minute, leaving passengers who sold or rented out their homes and made their way to the starting port stranded and very upset. "This was an extremely difficult decision but a prudent one given the current business environment and recent developments with our parent company, Genting Hong Kong," president of Crystal Cruises Jack Anderson said in the statement. "Crystal has been synonymous with luxury cruising for more than 30 years and we look forward to welcoming back our valued guests when we resume operations. We wish to thank our guests and travel advisors for their incredible support during these ongoing challenging times." 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.
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.
Beyond the firsthand accounts from the passengers, videos from onlookers reacting to the cruise's daily events have also gained attention on TikTok, with some garnering millions of views. 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. Life at Sea Cruises is "facing challenges" because of investor withdrawals, according to a memo to customers written by its parent company's CEO and obtained by Business Insider. That, however, is little solace to those who sold or rented out their homes and ditched a bunch of their possessions ahead of the cruise.
On March 1, cruise line Miray International, which owns Life at Sea, officially started accepting bookings for the first-of-its-kind world voyage aboard its MV Gemini ship, but later decided that the vessel was too small for the cruise. Finally, less than two weeks before its third and final departure date, the voyage was canceled altogether. 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. Miray and Life at Sea cruises are also offering customers who bought into the original cruise a separate, shorter free cruise next summer. "The decision was made after careful consideration and assessment to cancel the 2022 World Cruise, as it would not have been possible to carry it out due to there being too many ports still facing restrictions as a result of the pandemic," MSC said Thursday in its statement. But according to Joe Martucci, the nine months afforded by The Ultimate World Cruise means he and his wife can take things at their own pace.
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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." 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. The company also informed customers earlier this month that the retired cruise ship they planned to buy and renovate ahead of their departure had been bought by another company.
Residents would buy a three-year package for a little over $115,500 per person. This means at least some investors who had offered to help fund the purchase of the vessel likely have backed out. The company responded to a request for comment from BI with a statement that didn't address specific questions. Now, Life at Sea is promising customers repayment for the minimum US$115,500-per-person package, saying that monthly refund instalments would begin mid-December. It has also offered to pay accommodation until Dec. 1 and flights for those who had already made their way to the departure destination in Istanbul ahead of time. The decision was made as "part of our continuous review of our operating plans as we return to service," Lomax told the outlet.
The ship was scheduled to set sail on November 30, with the original November 1 departure date having been rescheduled several times. Looking ahead to 2023, MSC Poesia was already scheduled to complete a world voyage. To make up for the missed one in 2022, MSC is adding a second world cruise on MSC Magnifica. According to the line's statement, this will be the first time any cruise brand has offered two world cruises at the same exact time. The nine-month cruise is surprisingly not the longest voyage planned in the world of cruising.
Despite most passenger TikTok videos showing smooth sailing on the voyage so far, a logistical mix-up did temporarily impact one Ultimate World Cruise passenger. The vessel completing the tall task is the Serenade of the Seas, which has a guest capacity of 2,146 in 1,073 rooms, according to the cruise line's website. Some amenities onboard the ship include panoramic views, a mini-golf green and a variety of cuisines. Vedat Ugurlu, CEO of Life at Sea’s parent company Miray Cruises, said the cruise was facing “challenges due to investor withdrawal” in a statement shared with USA TODAY. “We both wanted to see the world, and this seemed like a cheap way to do this,” he said. Prices started at just under $30,000 per year for each guest based on double occupancy when the cruise was announced earlier this year, including meals, drinks, Wi-Fi and more.
Also set to be included were wellness and business centers, Starlink WiFi, and a hospital. But Life at Sea still has yet to acquire a vessel it would use for the around-the-world itinerary that was set to sail next week. And unless it's able to find one that doesn't require extensive refurbishments, this once-in-a-lifetime vacation could soon be called off.
This week, Celebrity Cruises—which is actually a subsidiary of Royal Caribbean Group—nixed four of its own planned trips on the Celebrity Eclipse, spokesperson for the company Susan Lomax confirmed to USA Today. Despite the fact that cruise ships are no longer required to abide by CDC guidelines, the agency has very much warned against the mode of travel in the wake of surging COVID-19 numbers. What was originally slated to be a 120-night world cruise underwent a pretty major itinerary change the night before it was to set sail.
The big ship was originally scheduled to leave port on Nov. 1, which was first postponed to Nov. 11 and then Nov. 30. Tuesday evening, guests who were to set sail on Regent Seven Seas Cruises’ Seven Seas Mariner the next morning learned that the sold-out sailing was being massively altered. Many are stuck in a tough position, having spent tens of thousands of dollars on the now-canceled voyage that may take months to get reimbursed — and, in some cases, having sold or rented out their houses ahead of the cruise.
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