Chasing Summer –

I was so excited and spent a lot of money on a three-year cruise that was supposed to take me around the world, it’s billed as the first of its kind cruise that will cover over 130,000 miles across all 7 continents and 140 countries, 382 ports. Sounds fantastic doesn’t it? I certainly thought so. Miray Cruises along with Life at Seas Cruises put together a wonderful itinerary that hooked me in but it was supposed to start on November 1st. It’s past that date now and it still hasn’t sailed. Life at Sea Cruises

When I originally looked into it this past August, there was concern about the size of the boat proposed- the Gemini, which Miray already owned. Life at Seas Cruises would not co-sponsor the trip unless a bigger boat was found. At the time it wasn’t clear if Miray had found a new boat or not, so I emailed the sales director and asked for clarity.

So according to this, they had the new boat and I could feel confident that things would roll out according to their plan. Little did I know that acquired did not mean that they had the boat yet. Rumors were flying in September that the new boat, the Laura, hadn’t been purchased yet and there were problems. People began to panic and CNN even had an article about the concerns. Life at Sea’s three-year cruise hits another obstacle | CNN On October 2nd, the CEO of Miray sent out a notice to passengers.

I kept the faith because at this point I had no options. I had turned in my notice at work and let my landlord know I’d be moving out at the end of the month. No matter what I had to leave Albania. Up till this point, I had kept the news of my trip quiet and even told my closest friends that I’d believe it was happening when I got on the boat. I should have known it was too good to be true.

Later in the month, Verdat, the owner of Miray Cruises put out a notice that the ship would be postponing its departure until mid-November. Okay, that was fine as it gave me a little more time to get my vaccinations done. I also had to get a Clear to Travel by Sea medical clearance done.

Then it was postponed again to November 30th. This meant my ticket to meet the boat was no longer okay, but Miray agreed to reimburse the cost and anybody who had already left to meet the boat in Istanbul was getting covered with hotel and food. Good deal for them. The three-year cruise is running late | CNN

Unfortunately, this past week a new article has come out of a German Newspaper stating that a new buyer of the boat, not Miray, has been found. What this means for my trip is a mystery. At this point, there is no communication on whether the trip is postponed, canceled, or going ahead. I have an appointment tomorrow to get my vaccinations and I am continuing to hold out hope until something official is said, but I do know that several passengers are looking into litigation against the company and I just hope that if it is canceled, I get my money back.

I guess the saying is true, if it seems too good to be true then it is. In that last notice, Verdat stated that we would hear by the 16th, so there are 4 days before I will know for sure if I’m getting on that cruise or not. Fingers crossed that it happens.