At the start of 2023, small cruise ship company Miray made major waves when it unveiled an offering that seemed shocking to some and very attractive to others: three years touring the world aboard a ship.
The price, which started at $29,999 a year for a cabin and an additional $2,499 a month for a food package, was a major selling point given that renting a one-bedroom apartment in a city like New York or Los Angeles would cost about $40,000 — about $10,000 more.
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While aimed at the young remote worker, the cruise attracted a wide range of customers. Miray's Life at Sea Cruises program has changed the ship that will carry the cruisers from the MV Gemini to the MV Lara — the latter can carry 627 cabins and 1,266 passengers instead of MV Gemini's 1074-passenger cap.
Miray Cruises
Three-Year Cruise Program Switches Ships
The cruise is set to depart from Istanbul in November 2023 and, over the three-year period, will visit more than 140 countries and classic world sites such as the Pyramids of Giza and Machu Picchu.
"We looked at a lot of different vessels and we liked her layout," Miray Cruises CEO Kendra Holmes told CNN in reference to the MV Lara. "[...] My big focus is on public spaces – you don't want to be cooped up in a cabin for three years. [The ship] has great covered outdoor spaces, open spaces, and a deck on top to watch the stars."
The 42,000-ton and 203-meter-long cruise ship was built in 2003 and has reportedly previously been used for shorter journeys by German cruise company AIDA. Miray purchased it earlier this month amid internal turmoil and a PR conflict — as the company was deep into selling spots ahead of the November departure, one of the engineers working for the company deemed the MV Gemini "unseaworthy" upon examining it.
Miray insistence that the comments were "defamatory" and that the ship had passed "multiple inspections" prompted much internal disagreement over whether such a response was adequate — multiple founding members of the cruise as well as the managing director hired for the voyage walked off.
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Even so, bookings for the three-year journey have been coming in fast and Miray was able to walk away from the conflict by buying the MV Lara. To maintain space onboard, the company plans to sell tickets to 532 cabins and keep about 15% of the space unfilled.
"Our fleet is expanding due to the unprecedented demand for our long-duration circumnavigation voyages to responsibly explore every corner of our planet," Holmes said in a statement. "Our residents are changing their lives for this opportunity, and we are honored to be a part of their personal journeys."
Miray has not been commenting on how many spots for the three-year cruise it has sold so far but the voyage has been heavily marketed for remote workers — along with getting to see the world, Life at Sea Cruises previously promoted the "additional tax benefits when working as an international resident aboard the ship" to potential travelers (doing so is not as simple as that since those who choose to do so need to formally give up residency in their home country).
