3-Year Cruise Passengers Seek Fraud Charges Over Cancellation The New York Times

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• United Airlines offers 13% flight discount for 1 day in honor of Taylor Swift album
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• Cruise Line Adds “Glacier Day” to Its Alaskan Cruise Itineraries
• MORE: Cruise passengers speak out after Bahamas voyage reroutes to Boston
• Seven times more XL bullies in Britain than Government estimated
• MORE: 3-year cruise canceled weeks before setting sail, prompting passenger backlash
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In his message, Ugurlu also confirmed that the cruise was canceled because the company could not afford the ship. Since embarking on the high seas three weeks ago, the hashtag #ultimateworldcruise has garnered over 150 million views on TikTok, with videos from passengers giving followers a behind-the-scenes look at the 274-day circumnavigational adventure. A November 19 statement to customers from Miray's CEO Vedat Ugurlu apologized for the inconvenience, but said the company was "actively working on creating alternative plans for the future,ensuring an unforgettable experience for our valued community." According to CNN, the new HLC company would get a “temporary ship” to sail for a few months before acquiring a permanent vessel.

United Airlines offers 13% flight discount for 1 day in honor of Taylor Swift album

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. Trade publications reported Miray would be acquiring the 20-year-old AIDAAura — which left Carnival Corporation's fleet in September — for its never-ending cruise. But "confidential clauses" prevented Life at Sea from publicly confirming its vessel of choice, Holmes told Business Insider in August. After this 1,095 days at sea, the vessel would continue its global circumnavigation on a different route every three years. Would-be travelers could pay extra to stay on board — potentially indefinitely.

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Given the amount of time and money passengers invest to sail on world cruises, the MSC cancellation is news in itself -- especially because the sailing in question was set to depart in less than three months. Other cruise lines, such as Carnival Corporation brands Holland America, Princess, Seabourn and Cunard, canceled their world voyages months ago. The cruise, which was originally scheduled to depart from Istanbul on Nov. 1 and visit nearly 400 ports, was scrapped earlier this month. One passenger told USA TODAY he and his wife were notified of the cancellation on Nov. 17, after they had already arrived in Istanbul with plans to board the ship on Nov. 11. Life at Sea Cruises had promised passengers of its inaugural three-year voyage the trip of a lifetime — they were supposed to set sail on Nov. 30, travelling to 382 ports across 140 countries over the span of three years.

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Holmes relayed the information in a 15-minute video given to passengers, one of whom provided it to CNN. Life at Sea Cruises also stated in the translated statement that any customers who want a refund will receive it, including money spent on acquiring visas and other travel expenses. They also told ABC News that those who have already paid will have a cabin waiting when the ship is ready. On November 17, passengers were informed by Miray Cruises, Life at Sea's parent company, that the company could not afford to buy a ship after "investors declined to support us further due to the unrest in [the] Middle East," according to ABC News.

MORE: Cruise passengers speak out after Bahamas voyage reroutes to Boston

McDonald has an enormous following in the U.K., thanks to her Cruising and other tv travel shows, including her Jane and Friends variety show and two decades, ending in 2023, as a presenter on Loose Women. The government had seeded clouds in the preceding days, though meteorologists said it was unlikely that had a significant impact on the rainfall. The UAE has been carrying out seeding operations since 2002 to address water security issues, even though the lack of drainage in many areas can trigger flooding. Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. As vacation-goers around the world settle back into daily life after exciting holiday excursions, one group of ambitious adventure seekers is just getting started. Life at Sea did not immediately respond to additional questions about the guest’s experience.

Celebrity Cruises canceled four Pacific Coast sailings to date

Television’s first Robin Hood was Richard Greene in The Adventures of Robin Hood. And let’s not forget Errol Flynn, with Olivia de Havilland as Maid Marian, dashing about in Michael Curtis’s 1938 swashbuckler, The Adventures of Robin Hood. At 48,075 gross registered tons, the Seven Seas Mariner only carries 700 guests and 445 crew, giving the ship a guest-to-staff ratio of 1 to 1.6. Like other Norwegian Cruise Line Holding brands, Regent Seven Seas Cruises participates in the Sail Safe program that requires guests to be fully vaccinated to cruise, along with being tested at the terminal prior to embarkation. 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. "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."

“While we’re in talks to acquire a similar vessel, if the December 1st sail is jeopardized, we offer alternative departure dates or expedited refunds,” Ugurlu wrote, according to Cruise Industry News. Guests who decide to go forward with the new itinerary will receive a 30 percent refund. They can also opt to do a partial sailing and receive a refund for days not sailed plus 15 percent off. 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. Passengers who signed up for the headline-making voyage — which was originally due to depart from Istanbul, Turkey, on Nov. 1 and visit seven continents, 135 countries and 375 ports — received news of its cancellation on Nov. 17, CNN reported. In March, Life at Sea Cruises announced it was accepting reservations for its three-year cruise around the world.

MORE: 3-year cruise canceled weeks before setting sail, prompting passenger backlash

By now, they were supposed to be well into the first leg of the three-year Life at Sea cruise, sailing from Ushuaia, Argentina, to Punta Arenas in Chilean Patagonia. My social media’s packed with folk seeking to know the title of this year’s Palladium pantomime. Each year, award-winning designer Hugh Durrant, in consultation with Clary, attempts to outdo the previous year’s gloriously outlandish costumes. “There are huge creations being cooked up at the moment, all linked to Sherwood and the forest,” Harrison promised.

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“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,” a passenger who wanted to remain anonymous told CNN. Life at Sea Cruises, a division of Miray Cruises, wrote to its passengers that it was “facing challenges” because of investor withdrawals, according to a memo to customers written by its parent company’s CEO and obtained by Business Insider earlier this week. Most of the passengers paid Miray tens of thousands of dollars to secure their cabins, which ranged from $90,000 to $975,000 for a suite. After canceling, Miray said it would offer full refunds to all passengers, but two of the repayment deadlines passed and only four of more than 100 passengers have received partial refunds. After more than a month of missed deadlines for refunds, a group of hard-hit passengers who signed up for the failed Life at Sea cruise is pursuing legal intervention. Guests whose cruises were impacted were given full refunds of their fare and a 10% discount in the form of a future cruise credit.

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. To salvage this trip, Life at Sea is still exploring options to buy another ship, the statement said.

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The vessel that was believed to be heading to Life at Sea, the former AIDAuara, was sold in November to Celestyal Cruises. Set to depart on Nov. 1 and then delayed due to investment challenges, the company never acquired a ship.

The ship was scheduled to set sail on November 30, with the original November 1 departure date having been rescheduled several times. Looking ahead to 2023, MSC Poesia was already scheduled to complete a world voyage. To make up for the missed one in 2022, MSC is adding a second world cruise on MSC Magnifica. According to the line's statement, this will be the first time any cruise brand has offered two world cruises at the same exact time. The nine-month cruise is surprisingly not the longest voyage planned in the world of cruising.

The company also postponed its Vision of the Seas trip until March 7, 2022, and later added its Independence of the Seas sailing, which was due to depart on January 22, 2022, to its growing list of canceled cruises. Due to what Norwegian Cruise Line called “COVID-related circumstances,” the line delayed plans for five of its ships to resume service for the first time since the shutdown. In addition, three of the ships which already had welcomed back guests saw their next sailings axed.

A 3.5-year trip is in the works from Villa Vie Residences, which plans to depart England in May of 2024 and complete its trip in West Palm Beach, Florida, in December 2027. For travelers who were already in Istanbul, from where the ship was previously planned to set sail, Life at Sea will reimburse their hotels until December 1 and "subsequent travel expenses," the statement said. Life at Sea had promised customers a renovated vessel with “world-class” amenities, including a business centre, a library, a 24-hour on-call hospital with free medical visits and education classes for adults. There were also promises of a state-of-the-art wellness centre, multiple dining options and philanthropic initiatives that guests could register for. CNN reports that passengers faced “weeks of silence” from Life at Sea Cruises and at least two postponements since the beginning of the month.

This week, Celebrity Cruises—which is actually a subsidiary of Royal Caribbean Group—nixed four of its own planned trips on the Celebrity Eclipse, spokesperson for the company Susan Lomax confirmed to USA Today. Despite the fact that cruise ships are no longer required to abide by CDC guidelines, the agency has very much warned against the mode of travel in the wake of surging COVID-19 numbers. What was originally slated to be a 120-night world cruise underwent a pretty major itinerary change the night before it was to set sail.