Miray's 3 year World Cruise, compared with Royal's 9 month one?

[orville99]

22003027_2023_Panama_Deployment_Flyer.pdf

[grandgeezer]

14 hours ago, John&LaLa said:

 

So, why are you here?

 

Seems like you've given up on cruising

Because I can. I have a lot of cruising experience and have the right to voice my opinion even though it doesn’t side with the majority most of the time. I’m not going anywhere literally and figuratively. 

[John&LaLa]

5 minutes ago, grandgeezer said:

Because I can. I have a lot of cruising experience and have the right to voice my opinion even though it doesn’t side with the majority most of the time. I’m not going anywhere literally and figuratively. 

 

Living in the past isn't all that helpful😉

[gkbiiii]

6 hours ago, John&LaLa said:

 

Living in the past isn't all that helpful😉

Pissing away our standards isn't either! 

Edited March 6, 2023 by gkbiiii

[John&LaLa]

24 minutes ago, gkbiiii said:

Pissing away our standards isn't either! 

 

Well, this barge expedition surely won't be up to the lowest of Royal's standards. 😉

 

Take that to the bank🤣

 

 

[Biker19]

Gemini’s three-year world cruise surpassed 1,000 booking requests in the first 24 hours of launching, with operator Life at Sea expecting the voyage to sell out in less than two months’ time.

 

That is according to Mikael Petterson, MD, Life at Sea, a new cruise brand launched by Miray, who revealed to Seatrade Cruise News, ‘Bookings are off to a flying start, with over 1,300 booking requests in the first 24 hours. Our team, as you can expect, are working long hours to keep up with this sort of volume and expect to be fully sold out within 60 days, if not before.’

 

What's behind Gemini’s three-year world cruise? (seatrade-cruise.com)

[Ffpres]

I paid my $500 refundable deposit for this new 3 year cruise, but I still have a lot of questions. I started a new roll call for this sailing: 

 

[knightone]

On 3/5/2023 at 8:41 PM, Saucytexan said:

I need a roommate! I really want to go, though I'm suspicious of the low price. This three year as a single would cost me about the same as the RC one year ultimate...

Life at Sea Itinerary.xlsx 54.83 kB · 15 downloads

 

[Biker19]

"

Miray Cruises said it replaced Gemini with a newer, larger ship, Lara, for Life at Sea Cruises, the three-year world cruise concept.

 

Though Miray declined to confirm Lara's former name, multiple sources indicated it is the 2003-built AIDAaura. The Life at Sea website describes Lara as 42,289gt with 627 cabins and capacity for 1,266 passengers — the identical size as AIDAaura. And a rendering of the ship there shows a profile resembling AIDAaura's.

 

Carnival Corp. & plc confirmed the sale of AIDAaura, without identifying the buyer, to Seatrade Cruise News. Early this year, AIDA Cruises said the ship would be leaving its fleet in September after a series of farewell voyages. It is currently on a 12-day British Isles cruise round-trip Hamburg.

 

New livery in Bremerhaven and further work in Istanbul

A public relations person for Miray Cruises said the vessel it's calling Lara would be handed over at the end of September. She said the hull will be repainted in Bremerhaven and some cabins and public spaces will be refurbished in Istanbul and a new business center and wine and cigar bar will be installed.

 

Life at Sea Cruises is scheduled to embark Nov. 1 from Istanbul on a three-year voyage the company said will cover more than 130,000 miles, visiting 382 ports across 148 countries and all seven continents.

 

Unanswered questions

Miray has not responded to questions about deposits, refunds and claims by former Life at Sea Cruises Managing Director Mikael Petterson, who had voiced concerns about Gemini's ability to operate the program and is no longer associated with the company.

 

Gemini, built in 1992 as Crown Jewel, earlier this year housed Turkish earthquake refugees. On Thursday, Miray said that with Lara's addition, Gemini is now slated to continue operating Aegean Sea voyages."

 

Miray Cruises is the reported buyer of AIDAaura (seatrade-cruise.com)

[vacationlover_mn]

Saw Life At Sea in the news today… I’m confused… I thought they had a ship already… but now I see that they haven’t actually closed on the sale, and have no ship??!!

[firefly333]

11 minutes ago, vacationlover_mn said:

Saw Life At Sea in the news today… I’m confused… I thought they had a ship already… but now I see that they haven’t actually closed on the sale, and have no ship??!!

I've seen multiple articles they are looking for a ship. Maybe same one repeated idk. First it was crew quitting, now they are a go . ... just need to find a ship to hire. 

[steamboats]

The ship (former AIDAaura) is available but they couldn´t close the deal. Obviously some financial problems.

 

steamboats

[vacationlover_mn]

I would be so nervous right now.  if I had booked the Miray cruise!!

[firefly333]

1 hour ago, vacationlover_mn said:

I would be so nervous right now.  if I had booked the Miray cruise!!

Idk if you or others remember, it was a long time ago a no frills cruiseline tried to make a go of it where the pax did the work. No steward making your bed, or washing dishes, pax were going to do that. They failed.

 

... but I'm picturing this cruise devolving into this where pax are there trying to cook their own dinners and no cabin service. .. and that was before this where now they no longer have a ship lined up. But everyone said much better deal than rcl 9 months cruise .. what a good deal. 

[Jimbo]

Still would amaze me that Royal can pull off a 9 month cruise all  over the world without issues. Should be interesting. Hope it works out.

[Ocean Boy]

2 hours ago, Jimbo said:

Still would amaze me that Royal can pull off a 9 month cruise all  over the world without issues. Should be interesting. Hope it works out.

Amazes me that people want to be on a ship for nine months.

[Biker19]

Life at Sea Cruises’ three-year sailing around the world has been canceled.

 

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. The guest asked to remain anonymous for fear of retribution from the company.

 

“We both wanted to see the world, and this seemed like a cheap way to do this,” he said. Prices started at just under $30,000 per year for each guest based on double occupancy when the cruise was announced earlier this year, including meals, drinks, Wi-Fi and more.

 

They spent around $85,000 on the cruise and sold their Florida home – which the couple estimates was at a nearly $40,000 loss – in order to go.

 

The sailing was originally going to take place on the MV Gemini ship, but Life at Sea later reportedly set its sights on the larger former AIDA Cruises ship AIDAaura. However, Celestyal Cruises announced earlier this month that it had acquired that vessel.

Vedat Ugurlu, CEO of Life at Sea’s parent company Miray Cruises, said the cruise was facing “challenges due to investor withdrawal” in a statement shared with USA TODAY.

 

“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,” he said. “Although we could use our current vessel, the Gemini, we remain committed to delivering the promised larger, newer vessel.”

 

Life at Sea did not immediately respond to additional questions about the guest’s experience.

 

Ugurlu sent a similar note to guests on Nov. 19, according to screenshots shared by a Life at Sea passenger. But in a subsequent message, COO Ethem Bayramoglu wrote, “In case we weren’t clear, the Life at Sea cruise trip is cancelled.”

He said all passengers would be given full refunds in installments between December and February. Hotel accommodations in Istanbul will also be covered until Dec. 1, and “subsequent travel expenses to your chosen destination will be reimbursed,” Ugurlu said in his statement.

 

Life at Sea previously pushed the cruise’s departure back multiple times. 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.

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.

 

Three-year cruise around the world canceled, passengers awaiting refunds (msn.com)

[time4u2go]

On 10/14/2023 at 8:55 PM, Ocean Boy said:

Amazes me that people want to be on a ship for nine months.

I agree.  No way would I want to be away from my family for that long.  But everyone has their preferences.

[cruiselvr04]

32 minutes ago, time4u2go said:

I agree.  No way would I want to be away from my family for that long.  But everyone has their preferences.

I spoke with someone going on the world cruise in October on Radiance.  Lovely couple by the way.  They admitted they weren’t that close to their kids and saw them once a year anyway so for them it’s fine. Many, many people are like that.  Others live next door or down the street and couldn’t fathom being away for more than a week or two.  
 

The 3 year cruise sounded a little fishy from the start.  I do feel for those who sold everything to go.  What a huge disappointment.