A group of passengers who were set to embark on a three-year cruise that didn't end up happening are calling for a criminal investigation to be launched.
Promising passengers the journey of a lifetime - Life at Sea Cruises three-year trip was set to cover 130,000 miles, visit 135 countries, and stop off at 375 ports - all for the price of $38,500 per person.
Some passengers had reportedly sold their houses and apartments to finance the money needed to embark on the trip.
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But it didn’t quite work out that way, however.
Two weeks before the ship’s departure, Miray Cruises, the company in charge of the cruise, ended up cancelling the entire voyage due to the lack of an available ship.
There had also been a prior postponement that led to the trip being scheduled to departure from Amsterdam on November 11, before it was moved back to November 30 in Turkey.
The company offered to pay for flights and accommodation until December 1 for those left stranded in Istanbul, the cruise's set-off point, without a home to go back to.
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The passengers were also told that they would receive refunds in monthly instalments, which were meant to start in the middle of December, CNN reported.
However, they have claimed that they still haven’t received any of their money back.
Now 78 passengers have come together to write a letter to Markenzy Lapointe, the US attorney for the Southern District of Florida, asking for him to open a criminal fraud investigation into the company.
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According to The New York Times, the letter accused Miray Cruises of allegedly taking around $16 million from customers and intending to use the cash as the deposit for a ship - which the company didn't end up purchasing.
In the letter to the attorney, the passengers also claimed that they had been assured their money was not being used for upfront payments.
UNILAD has contacted Life at Seas Cruises, Miray Cruises and Markenzy Lapointe's representatives for comment.
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Keri Whitman, a marketing executive, had previously told the Business Insider that she'd actually sold her home in order to pay for the cruise.
She said it had offered her the unique opportunity to travel the world without flying, whilst also working remotely.
However, another passenger, Kimberly Arizzi, pulled out of the plans after being one of the first to sign up after noticing alleged internal company issues.
She also spoke to the Business Insider, but told them she had received a refund of $5,000 which was her down payment.
Mia Williams