Norwegian Cruise Line cancels more than a dozen upcoming cruises

Table Of Content

• 'We found out while we were flying': Last-minute cruise cancellations leave travelers scrambling
• This 3-year cruise around the world was going to cost passengers less than the average rent in NYC—now it's canceled
• Learn About Credit Cards
• In Warmer Climate, A Luxury Cruise Sets Sail Through Northwest Passage
• What are customers saying?
• Shipping issues
• “I hope one of y’all pick me,” 9-year-old boy desperately …

Some want to sail through the entirety of the ship’s first circumnavigation, he said, while others have opted for a shorter reservation. When you choose to apply (and are approved) for a new credit card through our site, we may receive compensation from our partners, and this may impact how or where these products appear. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information. Additionally, the Sphere Class ships have been designed with an innovative new type of "cabana cabin" along their extra-wide 10th deck that comes with access to a private deck area.

'We found out while we were flying': Last-minute cruise cancellations leave travelers scrambling

Some of the passengers who booked the 111 cabins sold are still in Istanbul, having made their way there ahead of the original departure date. Others say they have nowhere to return to, having sold or rented out their homes in anticipation of the round-the-world voyage, as well as jettisoning their possessions. In June, Life at Sea announced it had acquired a larger vessel for the trip, allowing it to accommodate 200 additional passengers. With that ship, the MV Lara, the company raised the price of the trip from $30,000 to $38,513.

This 3-year cruise around the world was going to cost passengers less than the average rent in NYC—now it's canceled

Passengers would then pass through the Panama Canal before seeing the U.S.

Learn About Credit Cards

Representatives for Life at Sea Cruises and Miray Cruises did not immediately respond to CNBC Make It's request for comment. 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 company also vowed to refund those who signed up for the cruise, whose costs ranged from $29,999 a year for a standard interior cabin all the way up to $109,000 per year for a luxurious suite with a large balcony. 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. "Some people read the headlines and think, 'Oh, that was a scam,' but I really did my homework before I put a deposit down," Keri Witman of Cincinnati told NPR. It was all but shuttered for nearly 18 months before making a comeback this past summer, but the industry has recently faced mounting criticism about its safety protocols.

In Warmer Climate, A Luxury Cruise Sets Sail Through Northwest Passage

Meredith Shay, a retired flight attendant who had been preparing for the adventure, told "Good Morning America" she was on a payment plan of $35,000 per month to stay in one of the biggest rooms on the ship. The main issue seems to be the company, a division of Miray Cruises, didn't have sufficient funds to be able to buy a ship. A memo to customers obtained by Business Insider said they were "facing challenges" due to investor withdrawals. The Life at Sea guest said he and his wife planned to stay in Istanbul until they get a full refund. “We’re at a complete loss as to what to do or where to go without having our money,” he said. Miray and Life at Sea cruises are also offering customers who bought into the original cruise a separate, shorter free cruise next summer.

Witman, who owns a marketing agency named Clever Lucy, was planning to work remotely aboard the ship, using its Starlink internet service. And as a single woman, she had been looking forward to exploring the world with a group. The original itinerary mapped 1,095 days of travel, heading from Istanbul to Europe and then to South America and the Caribbean.

The 3-year Cruise to All 7 Continents Has Been Canceled — Here's Why - MSN

The 3-year Cruise to All 7 Continents Has Been Canceled — Here's Why.

Posted: Sat, 20 Apr 2024 02:14:14 GMT [source]

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. The kitchen will be open for guests to make their own meals or take part in interactive cooking classes. The ship’s medical center will offer free visits, though procedures will cost extra. Guests can purchase reservations by segments; there are 16 total, spanning 35 to 131 days. Some of the areas the ship will sail through include Northern Europe, the Caribbean, South America, Japan and the Philippine Sea, the South Pacific, Africa and the Mediterranean. Petterson said much of the client base is business owners who work remotely or retirees.

Shipping issues

Holmes relayed the information in a 15-minute video given to passengers, one of whom provided it to CNN. Cruise lines may also offer additional compensation, such as a future cruise credit, though passengers could have to choose between that and a refund, depending on the company. Dry docking – when ships are taken out of passenger service for regular maintenance or refurbishment – is usually planned years in advance, according to Jared Feldman, owner of travel agency Jafeldma Travel. However, if a ship is damaged while in service, it may need to go to dry dock immediately for repairs.

Life at Sea is also promising to pay for the hotel rooms and return-trip airfares for passengers in Turkey. During a webinar on Sept. 6, 2023, former CEO Kendra Holmes said, "What percent of cabins have been sold? We're right around 50% right now so we're making good pace for where we want to be at this point in time. However, in a statement to ABC News, Ugurlu said nothing had been canceled, only postponed until the spring. Life at Sea Cruises’ three-year sailing around the world has been canceled.

On Nov. 19, two days after Holmes’ announcement, guests received another message, this time from Vedat Ugurlu, the owner of Miray International, who also stated that the cruise would not be departing, per CNN. Life at Sea Cruises’ three-year cruise scheduled to set sail this month has officially been canceled. Despite the setback, Witman says she's been able to form connections with other would-be passengers, who have been keeping in touch via apps and group texts. Warning flags went up earlier this year, when the company changed course from its initial plan to refit one of its ships, the MV Gemini. For the lengthy worldwide voyage, it planned to deploy the larger "MV Lara" — a ship that never materialized. "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."

If a cruise is canceled, the line typically notifies passengers directly or through their travel adviser, Feldman said. The couple left for Istanbul in late October, with the cruise set to depart on November 1. 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. Holmes told stranded Life at Sea passengers that if 60 or 70 of them “transferred” to the new company, they would be able to “get something going” by the first week of December, and already had approval from the HLC board to do so. “We choose not to because we have promised you a larger, newer vessel,” he wrote. The Gemini is at the heart of a defamation lawsuit brought by Miray against former managing director of Life at Sea Cruises, Mikael Petterson, who was one of several employees to split from the team in May.

In the meantime, Life at Sea’s erstwhile CEO, Kendra Holmes, who resigned last week, claims she’s planning to offer a new long-term cruise with a different company. Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, a week after the ship’s sale was originally supposed to have concluded. Life at Sea didn’t respond to a query about what prior unrest they were referring to that could have impeded the completion of the transaction.

Star Princess is being built at the Fincantieri shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy, which has a long history of building cruise ships for Princess, Cunard, MSC Cruises and several other brands. When it launches, Star Princess will be the second vessel in Princess' long-awaited new Sphere Class of ships. Under development for more than six years, the Sphere Class includes the just-unveiled Sun Princess, which also was delayed by several weeks. In place of some of those sailings, Princess has added a new inaugural voyage for Star Princess out of Barcelona on Oct. 4, 2025.