One Company Founder Sold Her House And Plunked Down $32K To Join A Threeyear Cruise Where She Would Work Remotely. Then It Was Canceled
When Life at Sea Cruises abruptly canceled its highly publicized three-year round-the-world cruise a few weeks ago, potential passengers naturally fell in love. But some were more disappointed than others.
Smart Lucy, founder and president of Cincinnati digital marketing agency Keri Whitman, made a lot of changes in her life to go sailing, including selling her house. She plans to work remotely during a world cruise that will visit 148 countries and hundreds of ports.
"I've been working the last eight months to get things in order, to get my life in order," Whitman told the Cincinnati Enquirer . "It was very sad to find out he wasn't going."
In addition to selling her home and moving into a short-term rental, Whitman got rid of many of her belongings. She also rushed to have knee surgery, she told Good Morning America .
But signs of trouble emerged last month. It was originally scheduled to depart from Istanbul, Turkey, on November 1, but the flight was unexpectedly delayed until November 11, with Amsterdam becoming the new departure point. It was rescheduled again to November 30. Finally, on November 17, passengers were notified that the cruise had been cancelled.
As tensions rose, Whitman told the Inquirer , "It was a moment where you didn't want to plan ahead." Life at Sea Cruises offers interior cabins starting at $38,500 per year, with some exterior cabins costing nearly $100,000.
But, as it turned out, there was no ship. The ship that Life had planned to buy was bought by another company. After that, Mirai Cruises, the owner of Life at Sea, was unable to purchase another ship. Fortuna contacts Mirai but gets no response.
The company said the money will be returned to passengers in installments. "I'm very sorry for the inconvenience," Mirai owner Vedat Ugurlu said in a message to customers.
Of course, selling your home for a cruise that never happens is more than just a "hassle." However, in a statement provided to local television station WKRC, Whitman said:
The last few months have been a whirlwind of excitement and change, preparing for three years of life aboard/lifeboat... I hope to be part of a living ship in 2024. I'm very grateful for that too.” a community of people I've met over the past few months (maybe my new neighbors). (It was). "A lot of us are rallying around Plan B and working together."
