Life at Sea Cruises (Miray Cruises Turkey's new cruise travel brand) canceled its 3-year Around the World Voyage leaving customers in a state of frustration and disarray.
The voyage was originally scheduled to start on November 30th (out of Istanbul), was marketed by the cruise line as a transformative journey covering 382 ports across 140 countries.
Despite the promises of a trip of a lifetime, signs of trouble emerged over the past few months. 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.
Complicating matters, Life at Sea Cruises informed customers that the retired ship intended for renovation had been purchased by another company. The company cited challenges due to investor withdrawals in a memo to customers from its parent company's CEO.
In a statement on November 19th, Vedat Ugurlu (Miray Cruises CEO) apologized to customers and acknowledged the challenges faced by the company. The statement outlined efforts to create alternative plans and acquire a similar vessel, with the option of alternative departure dates or expedited refunds if the December 1 sail was jeopardized.
The statement followed the resignation of Kendra Holmes (Life at Sea's CEO) who reportedly recorded a video for passengers admitting the voyage's cancellation. The reasons for her being chosen to make the announcement after her resignation remain unclear.
Life at Sea Cruises is now committed to refunding the minimum US$115,500 per person package, with monthly refund installments starting mid-December. The company is also offering to cover accommodation expenses until December 1st and provide flights for passengers who had already arrived in Istanbul, the intended departure destination.