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6 July, 2023

The world’s first 3-year-long cruise has just gotten bigger (and more expensive)

By James Harrison

Life at Sea Cruises stunned the travel industry earlier this year when it announced its almost too good to be true itinerary: 36 months at sea starting at US$30,000 (AU$45,000).

But the dream sailing has hit a few waves along the way, with some of the team exiting the company and jumping ship to its rival Villa Vie Residences.

Though the sail is back on and the three year voyage is still on course for its 1 November 2023 launch date.

Owned by Miray Cruises, Life at Sea originally planned to operate its itinerary with the parent company’s MV Gemini, but the larger MV Lara will now be the ship of choice for the journey.

Dining room on MV Lara (Life at Sea)

The ship is home to 627 cabins with capacity for 1,266 passengers, Kendra Holmes, CEO of Miray Cruises, told CNN. She also said that the cruise line only plans on selling 85 per cent of the rooms to keep things feeling spacious onboard.

The rooms have approximately 20 square feet more room than on Gemini and the cheapest cabins will be on deck three, whereas on Gemini they started on deck two.

Additionally, the prices have also seen an increase. Find the updated list below (in US dollars):

Life at Sea Cruises prices, per the Life at Sea website

Miray Cruises typically operates itineraries in the Aegean Sea and the cruise line did not want to sacrifice this, so it opted for a bigger vessel.

“We looked at a lot of different vessels and we liked her layout,” she said. “She has lots of nice public spaces, an open pool deck, a running track – we liked the way everything was laid out on her.

“My big focus is on public spaces – you don’t want to be cooped up in a cabin for three years. [The Lara has] great covered outdoor spaces, open spaces, and a deck on top to watch the stars.

“You can get out close to the bow of the ship, and can see the ocean coming at you. She just met those criteria – and the restaurants are nice, the bars are big, there’s a lot of space… she just ticked all those boxes.”

Holmes can not reveal much about the new ship, which Miray has purchased from an undisclosed cruise line, but she confirmed to CNN that it’s currently in UK waters and recently completed a sailing around northern Europe.

The cruise site says that the ship will sail to all seven continents and hits 382 destinations.

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Life at Sea Cruises Miray Cruises