Woman Sold Her Apartment And Furniture To Join A 3-Year Cruise That Will Not Happen: 'I Just Don't Think I'll Be Happy ...'

A woman says she sold almost all of her belongings — including her apartment — to join a cruise whose future is now in jeopardy. 

In March, Life at Sea Cruises announced the launch of the world's first — and only — three-year world cruise. The voyage promised to cover over 130,000 miles, visiting 375 ports across 135 countries and seven continents.

According to a report by CNN, Life at Sea Cruises and its subsidiary Miray Cruises organized the MV Gemini cruise. The cruise was supposed to sail from Istanbul on Nov. 1. But with an ongoing crisis at the company, the plans to sail the world are now in a rut. 

Mike Petterson, the former managing director for Life at Sea Cruises, told CNN that he and the rest of the founding team have "stepped away" from the project.

CNN reported that passengers paid down payments on rooms costing up to $109,000 a year.

Customers, who spent thousands of dollars on the cruise booking, are now demanding their money back as the MV Gemini doesn't seem to be sailing anytime soon.

Also Read: Cruise Lines See Smoother Seas On Horizon As Profitability Returns

Insider reported that one of the customers who signed up for the cruise was Chicago-based Kimberly Arizzi, who sent a $5,000 down payment. 

But with uncertainty over the ship, Arizzi demanded her money back. According to the report, Arizzi sold her clothes, furniture and her TVs in preparation for the cruise. She even sold her apartment after she retired, she said.

"I thought I had my life set up for the next few years," Arizzi told Insider. "It's not only the furniture I lost, but it was also the boat-utopia — the idea of being in a like-minded community, all doing something together for the first time."

Arizzi told Insider that her deposits were refunded in April. She also added that she learned that Miray is still planning to move forward with the cruise.

"I believe the Gemini ship will go on, but I just don't think I'll be happy on it," she said.

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