Three-Year Cruise Officially Canceled After Failed Ship Purchase; Passengers Must Wait Months For Refunds

Passengers who have been trying ahead to crusing on the three-year cruise have been left in limbo after the voyage was formally canceled. 

The embattled Life at Sea Cruise confronted a big hurdle in October 2023 when it introduced that it nonetheless hadn’t secured a ship but. Nonetheless, they assured passengers that they have been nonetheless on observe to have a ship shortly. Sadly, this week, the corporate made the choice to cancel the cruise altogether after being unsuccessful in getting a vessel. This has created a wave of sudden hardship for individuals who have bought their vehicles, houses, and different possessions in anticipation of being on the water beginning on November thirtieth. Given the size of the cruise and the truth that Life at Sea had given the choice to increase the journey indefinitely, some felt they didn’t want this stuff.

Within the weeks forward of the cancellation, prospects have been fearful as a result of firm’s silence on the matter. Earlier than the plan was axed altogether, a number of passengers expressed concern after one Life at Sea engineer deemed the ship they have been anticipated to make use of “‘unseaworthy.” This led to many to demand refunds.

To make issues worse, many passengers had already traveled to Istanbul, Turkey, which was town from which the cruise was set to depart. Now, having shelled out over $300,000 in some circumstances, they must wait months to obtain their a reimbursement. Life at Sea has revealed it is going to start issuing refunds from mid-December till late February. They will even pay for resort lodging and flights residence, although their efforts usually are not sufficient. 

“There’s a whole lot of people right now with nowhere to go, and some need their refund to even plan a place to go – it’s not good right now,” mentioned one nameless passenger who spoke to CNN.