Couple who sold their flat to live on cruise ship for three years fear they’re now homeless after stroke of bad luck
A couple that decided to sell their apartment to set sail for the seas on the trip of a lifetime instead now fear they could be left homeless.
The pair, who sold their home and all of its belongings to embark on a three-year cruise around the world, are now left in a tricky situation as their voyage has been cancelled last minute.
Kara and Joe Youssef, a couple from Ohio, decided to leave their old lives behind when they found out about Miray Cruises' Life at Sea trip, scheduled to embark on its journey on November 1 and spend a whopping 1,095 days at sea. The trip was expected to stop at 382 ports across the globe, making it a travel fanatic's dream.
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However, the pair were unfortunately told the trip wouldn't be happening just days before they were meant to depart.
The situation has been compared to the doomed Fyre Festival, which promised to be an exclusive and glamorous festival for attendees who were willing to pay thousands for a ticket and accommodation in the Bahamas, but turned out to be a complete shambles with no music, bad food and an insufficient amount of beds.
A disappointed Kara told The New York Times: "They kept leading us on, making us hold out hope until the very last minute, just days before we were supposed to depart,
"We sold everything we have to make this dream happen. We feel completely defeated."
The initial idea for the cruise came from entrepreneur Mikael Petterson in June of last year. He worked closely with Miray owner Vedat Ugurlu who recommended a ship called the MC Gemini - one which had 400 cabins and could hold around 1,000 passengers.
Cabins ranged from $90,000 to $975,000 for a suite, but hundreds of people began to show their interest and started booking reservations.
However, concerns began to arise around the amount of fuel it would take to reach each destination.
Around this time, the business also began to have trouble 'processing credit card transactions' too. To top it all off, Mikael then decided to cut ties with Miray, further causing worry for the couple who had already put thousands of dollars down as a deposit.
Kara admitted that her and her husband felt nervous, but they had participated in a series of webinars with other passengers and Kendra Holmes, vice president for business development strategy at Miray, which had reassured them that all was going to plan.
"Kendra was very convincing and dedicated. She was very realistic, whereas Mikael had promised us the sun and the moon."
In June, the company claimed there was 'unprecedented demand' and it planned to acquire a significantly bigger ship (627 cabins) to accommodate everyone. However, according to the Times, investors were being used to fund the bigger ship.
Along with Kara and Joe, other prospective passengers have made sacrifices too, including sending their belongings elsewhere, applying for visas and even making arrangements for their dogs. The couple are now left waiting for an $80,000 refund and are residing in a hotel in Istanbul, which is being paid for by the cruise company.
Earlier on this month, Miray's owner Vedat said the trip was canned due to shortage of funds and interest.
"We tried everything to find a solution, but at the end of the day we couldn't get the investors and we couldn't sell enough cabins," he said.
LADbible has reached out to Miray for further comment.
Harley Young