A 3-Year, Nearly $100,000 Cruise Appears to Now Be Canceled

Table Of Content

• Canada cuts its ban on cruises short, plans to welcome back cruise ships Nov. 1
• Norwegian Cruise Line cancels more than a dozen upcoming cruises
• Year World Cruise Abruptly Canceled 2 Weeks Before It Was Scheduled to Set Sail
• Newsfeed Now: President Trump campaigns in NC; Presidential …
• In Warmer Climate, A Luxury Cruise Sets Sail Through Northwest Passage
• Some aldermen raise new concerns about plan to end …

Earlier this year, the Canadian government had extended its ban on cruises until the end of February 2022. Sister ship Sun Princess was also delayed ahead of its launch earlier this year, with Princess citing “additional technical work” needed at the shipyard. Started in 2010, Royal Caribbean Blog offers daily coverage of news and information related to the Royal Caribbean cruise line along with other relevant topics of cruising, such as entertainment, news, photo updates and more. Attacks by the Iran-backed rebel group have prompted a military response, and the cruise industry has had to shift gears.

Canada cuts its ban on cruises short, plans to welcome back cruise ships Nov. 1

Whether you cruise multiple times per year or you're new to cruising, the goal of Royal Caribbean Blog is for it to be a useful resource for keeping up to date with what's new and exciting with Royal Caribbean. The cruise industry has had to reroute and cancel cruises as a result of violence in the area. Anthem of the Seas was to sail through the Suez Canal as part of a repositioning from Southampton, UK to her new homeport in Singapore.

Norwegian Cruise Line cancels more than a dozen upcoming cruises

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. CNN has been reporting on a series of problems troubling the venture.

I spent half a million dollars on a three-year cruise, but the ship never turned up. Still, always be positive - The Guardian

I spent half a million dollars on a three-year cruise, but the ship never turned up. Still, always be positive.

Posted: Fri, 01 Dec 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]

Year World Cruise Abruptly Canceled 2 Weeks Before It Was Scheduled to Set Sail

Would-Be Passenger on Canceled 3-Year Cruise Sold Her House to Make the Trip - PEOPLE

Would-Be Passenger on Canceled 3-Year Cruise Sold Her House to Make the Trip.

Posted: Mon, 04 Dec 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]

The ship’s new inaugural itineraries will include 11 and seven-day Mediterranean cruises on Oct. 4 and 15, 2025, respectively. Those will be followed by a two-week transatlantic voyage to Fort Lauderdale, Florida on Oct. 22, 2025. Carnival Corporation rerouted itineraries for 12 ships across seven brands for voyages scheduled to sail through the Red Sea through May. While cruises in the Middle East do not constitute a major region for sailings, it's certainly impacting many lines and people's vacations. "We're truly sorry for the impact that this has on your vacation plans," Royal Caribbean said in a statement to guests booked on the now cancelled cruise.

Passengers would then pass through the Panama Canal before seeing the U.S. 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. Guests can purchase reservations by segments; there are 16 total, spanning 35 to 131 days.

Passengers were disappointed by the decision and lack of notice from the cruise line. Kiplinger is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. 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. Witman, who owns a marketing agency named Clever Lucy, was planning to work remotely aboard the ship, using its Starlink internet service.

The cruise line said the delay was a “mutual” decision with shipbuilder Fincantieri. As of December 28, the Youssefs had been living in a hotel in Istanbul for a month — paid for by the cruise company — and were still waiting for their $80,000 refund, The Times reported. While the cruise is canceled, some passengers are still in Istanbul, where the ship was set to originally leave Nov. 1 before the departure location was changed to Amsterdam. The company said that anyone requesting a refund will get one, and that it will reimburse travel expenses related to the cruise. "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."

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. "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." "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. The woman, a retired educator, did not respond to NPR's message seeking further comment.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently allowed cruise operators to begin sailing again, with strict health protocols in place. Norwegian Cruise Line said affected passengers will receive a full refund and a 10 percent discount that can be used on any sailing through Dec. 31, 2025. “We are committed to providing exceptional vacation experiences, both aboard our ships and by taking our guests to some of the most sought-out destinations around the world. While we try to maintain original itineraries as much as possible, at times modifications are made to optimize the itinerary, enhance the guest experience or accommodate certain circumstances,” a spokesperson said. The February Norwegian Epic sailing was set to depart from Port Canaveral.

Miray's attempts to purchase the ship dragged on for weeks, and it eventually stalled after investors balked, according to a company message obtained by CNN and other outlets. "We are going to be following summer the entire time that we go around the world," then-Life at Sea CEO Kendra Holmes told prospective passengers in a Zoom webinar in September. Neither Life at Sea nor Miray responded to requests for comment on Monday. Its website, which was promoting the cruise as of Monday, described the ship, the MV Lara, and promised visits to the Great Wall of China, the Pyramids of Giza, Machu Picchu and the Taj Mahal. The ship will feature eight decks that will house three restaurants, a communal kitchen, a large pool with four Jacuzzis, a business center, and space for live music and film screenings.

It's not clear yet if any of the scheduled sailings from Singapore will be affected. "They promised so much, and perhaps over-promised," a person who pulled out of the cruise in April previously told Business Insider. "I have received nothing yet, but I did not expect to," Mary Rader, a retired social worker from New York, told The Times. She said she had taken $80,000 out of her retirement savings to fund the trip. "They kept leading us on, making us hold out hope until the very last minute, just days before we were supposed to depart," Kara told The Times. Get a brief on the top business stories of the week, plus CEO interviews, market updates, tech and money news that matters to you.

When the cruise missed its planned departure date, the company promised to resolve lingering issues. Some would-be cruise passengers were in Istanbul, where the ship was originally scheduled to depart from, when they received news of the cancellation, per CNN. 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. Villa Vie is funded through donors and investments, Petterson said, and the operation waited until it purchased a ship before accepting deposits from passengers. Guests are required to provide a 5 percent deposit that is set to increase to 10 percent by early next year.

Life at Sea Cruises initially announced the three-year voyage in March and took on additional passengers in June. But after twice delaying the initial Nov. 1 departure date, it cancelled it altogether on Nov. 17, reports CNN. That’s leaving many passengers without a place to call home and some stuck in Istanbul, from where the cruise was set to depart. Life at Sea previously pushed the cruise’s departure back multiple times. Passengers said they were told its most recent sail date was Nov. 30, CNN reported last month, though the brand told the outlet at the time that there was not a confirmed departure date or place. Miray CEO Kendra Holmes also left earlier this month, according to Business Insider.

It was then pushed back to November 11, with the departure port changed from Istanbul to Amsterdam, and then delayed further to November 30, before ultimately being canceled. A three-year world cruise has been canceled less than two weeks before it was scheduled to set sail. But then in a message to passengers, Life at Sea said the sale had fallen through.

Norwegian’s website shows a new sailing on the Epic is scheduled for Feb. 15 to Feb. 22, 2025. Instead of going through the Middle East, the MSC ships will sail with no passengers on board and go around Africa. In a statement on Monday, Celebrity Cruises said it had postponed service on its ship Celebrity Eclipse. On Friday, Royal Caribbean canceled a sailing on the ship Independence of the Seas, in response to “Covid-related circumstances around the world,” the company said on its website.

And rather than portioning the cruise for sale in smaller stages, the company required customers to commit to the full three years. The cheapest packages started at $196,000 for a single traveler, and $231,000 for couples, according to the company's website. Witman says the company has begun the refund process, accepting her requests for other expenses to be paid, from airfare to the costs of foreign visas.