Too good to be true: living on a cruise ship year-round

It got many people around the world extremely excited: the possibility of living on a cruise ship for three full years. Sadly, the bubble burst in November 2023.

What kind of cruise residency was the company 'Life at Sea' offering, and what went wrong with this magnificent idea?

Life At Sea Cruises made international news in early 2023 when it started promoting an enchanting journey around the world. The company appeared to change the travel game by offering an epic three-year live-on-our-boat experience for the ultra-low price of 30,000 dollars.

By November 2023, however, when the ship was supposed to depart, it became clear that Life At Sea Cruises could not make good on its promise.

"After weeks of silence," CNN reported, "the company has acknowledged to passengers that it has no ship, and has canceled the departure, vowing to refund those who'd signed up for cruises costing up to hundreds of thousands of dollars."

Hundreds of thousands of dollars, you say? So what happened to the price of 30,000? Well, as NPR reports, the cruise's "cheapest packages started at $196,000 for a single traveler, and $231,000 for couples, according to the company's website. Costs ranged much higher for guests staying in premium rooms."

In March 2023, CNN travel writer Julia Buckley reported that the lowest-end 130-square-foot stateroom on the ship would cost 29,999 dollars per person per year. Recent reporting suggests, however, that the majority of cabins rented were the larger ones with balcony suites, costing $109,999 per person per year.

To start their 3-year adventurous residence on the cruise ship, Life At Sea's customers had already moved out of their homes by November 1.

The ship was to depart Istanbul, Turkey, on that day. However, it never left. Some of its customers are still stuck in Istanbul, NPR reports.

Shortly before November 1, the cruise ship's departure was postponed to November 11 and relocated to Amsterdam, The Netherlands, CNN reports. Then, the company rescheduled once again, to November 30 in Amsterdam. As passengers got increasingly nervous, the news finally broke on November 17 that the cruise would not take place at all.

Photo: @getalifeatsea / Twitter

As announced in March 2023, the company was supposed to "tick off 375 ports around the world, visiting 135 countries and all seven continents," CNN travel writer Julia Buckley reported. The ship would cover "more than 130,000 miles over the three years."

There would be five-star luxury restaurants onboard as well as dancing clubs, karaoke bars, and even golfing, not to mention lots of space to relax in the sun or lounge by one of the ship's many pools or the upper deck's spa and wellness center. There would also be an onboard medical facility for the residents.

Almost everything onboard would be included in one's yearly fee: you could spend three years drinking bottomless pinã coladas if you wanted. But you could also visit "13 of the 14 Wonders of the World and embark on a journey of a lifetime," the company promised its customers.

The ship wouldn't be all about play, though. 'Life At Sea Cruises' also targeted the business crowd. "Part of the idea," wrote Fortune’s Chris Morris, "is to take advantage of the notable number of remote workers, who learned during the pandemic that they could still do their jobs without having to commute into the office each day."

The company promised high-speed internet, free dining, alcohol and laundry service, and "enrichment seminars." There would be a large auditorium for meetings and conferences as well as a full-time Starlink internet connection and fourteen offices.

Life at Sea Cruises also said that there could be some tax advantages to living onboard their ship. Their website recommended that passengers talk to an accountant to find out more. By now, however, it's probably better for passengers to talk to a lawyer.