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

Passengers who were looking forward to sailing on the three-year cruise have been left in limbo after the voyage was officially canceled. 

The embattled Life at Sea Cruise faced a significant hurdle in October 2023 when it announced that it still hadn’t secured a ship yet. However, they assured passengers that they were still on track to have a boat shortly. Sadly, this week, the company made the decision to cancel the cruise altogether after being unsuccessful in getting a vessel. This has created a wave of unexpected hardship for those who have sold their cars, homes, and other possessions in anticipation of being on the water starting on November 30th. Given the length of the cruise and the fact that Life at Sea had given the option to extend the journey indefinitely, some felt they did not need these items.

In the weeks ahead of the cancellation, customers have been worried due to the company’s silence on the matter. Before the plan was axed altogether, several passengers expressed concern after one Life at Sea engineer deemed the ship they were expected to use “‘unseaworthy.” This led to many to demand refunds.

To make matters worse, many passengers had already traveled to Istanbul, Turkey, which was the city from which the cruise was set to depart. Now, having shelled out over $300,000 in some cases, they will have to wait months to receive their money back. Life at Sea has revealed it will begin issuing refunds from mid-December until late February. They will also pay for hotel accommodations and flights home, though their efforts are not enough. 

“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,” said one anonymous passenger who spoke to CNN.