Back in March 2023, a cruise line announced an exciting three-year round-the-world cruise and people were quick to book. Who wouldn’t want to spend time on a luxury ship, visiting such iconic destinations as Machu Picchu, Egypt and more? Meanwhile, Life at Sea Cruises promised the adventure of a lifetime to anyone who could afford to spend three years away from home. However, sadly, despite having bookings, the cruise line had to cancel, as it didn’t have a cruise ship.

Three-year round-the-world cruise canceled by Life at Sea Cruises

Ever since Life at Sea Cruises announced the upcoming three-year round-the-world cruise in March, they have been busy marketing the unique offer. Meanwhile, the cruise line has been signing up passengers for the marvelous adventure and taking their hard-earned cash. However, what they should have realized is that you should really have a cruise ship available before asking people to book.

Even now, Life at Sea Cruises is promoting the cruise on its website, describing the ship as the MV Lara. In its description of the cruise, visits to the Pyramids of Giza, the Great Wall of China, the Taj Mahal and Machu Picchu are among the promised shore visits along the way.

However, any potential passengers who read carefully might decide against booking when they realize the ship was set to sail on November 1. They would also find out that the cruise ship, under its original name the AIDAaura, has been acquired in mid-November by the cruise line Celestyal Cruises, and not by Life at Sea. Meanwhile, following the sale, Life at Sea announced the cancelation of its famed, round-the-world cruise.

What happened to cancel the cruise?

Miray Cruises, the parent company of Life at Sea has announced that it could not afford the $40 to $50 million price being asked for the ship. Moreover, on top of this, the cruise line said that investors had dropped out of the deal due to unrest in the Middle East, as reported by CNN.

According to the New York Times, neither Life at Sea nor Miray Cruises has responded to its requests for comment. Meanwhile, the cruise itinerary and booking links are still live on the Life at rounSea website.

Where would the cruise have traveled?

The three-year round-the-world cruise was supposed to be a leisurely journey around the world. After setting sail from Istanbul, Turkey, passengers were to take an extended tour of the Western Hemisphere, arriving in Asia in August 2024.

Most of 2025 was set to see the ship sailing in the South Pacific and to Australia, followed by a visit to India. From there, the cruise ship and its relaxed passengers would have visited Africa in 2026, before heading to Europe to end the cruise, three years after its launch.

How much did the round-the-world cruise cost?

Life at Sea Cruises was charging from $38,513 to $98,226 per person per year in double occupancy. This would cost a couple taking the full cruise a minimum of $230,000, which is admittedly lower on a daily basis than many longer cruises.

Meanwhile, the MV Lara, as the cruise ship was to be named, would have had a capacity of 1,266 passengers. According to the company, 80 percent of the cabins were expected to be booked. However, as of this week, less than half the cabins on the ship have so far been booked.

Meanwhile, Life at Sea initially delayed the cruise departure to November 11 and then to November 30. Also, its departure point was changed to Amsterdam in the Netherlands. Fast-forward to now and the cruise has been canceled.

As reported by CNN, passengers were promised repayment in monthly installments through February. The report quoted some of the unnamed passengers who said they were dismayed by the cancellation. Moreover, they had already planned the next three years of their lives around the cruise.

According to Miray, it had considered shifting the cruise to one of its other ships, but they were all too small. Anyone reading this who had longed for such a wonderful, round-the-world cruise should be relieved that they hadn’t booked a cabin.