May 13, 2024
8/1/23 Enter Life at Sea by Miray
I tempered my disappointment with Storylines.com when I saw an advertisement for another Residential Cruise Ship proposing a sail date of November 1, 2023! Enter
Life at Sea
by Miray, a Turkish company that was buying a 15-year-old cruise ship and retrofitting it in dry dock for continual 3-year world sailings, that was basically the same itinerary and concept as
Storylines. Miray
had paid a deposit to Aida Cruises of Germany
to take possession of their Aura
ship in September 2023, when it would finish its charters, and then drydock the ship and renovate it to a Residential Cruise ship ( remove casino and children areas and convert to business center and lounges). They advertised that we would sail out of Istanbul, as
Miray’s MV Lara, on November 1, 2023.
In August 2023, I signed a typical cruise contract and paid a deposit. I investigated renting out my shore house in Ocean City and opted instead to sell it in October, with the thought it would be easier than managing from afar and I most likely would not be in a hurry to return. I also negotiated the sale of my car to a family member, who offered to drive me to airport in November and do the transfer then, Easy Peasy!
All through September and October I was busy downsizing my possessions; getting a bunch of medical precautions and a significant number of vaccines and prescriptions in place; procuring a time-consuming Chinese visa in NYC; securing an appointment for a 10 year renewal on my passport and ultimately preparing myself for departure. I shipped four 40# boxes, full of dry goods, provisions and clothes to the port for pickup and bought my airline ticket to travel w/ 2 suitcases and a carryon. I opted to meet the ship on November 15, 2023 in the Bahamas, after it did the trans-Atlantic crossing from Istanbul, to have a couple more weeks of family time.
In late October,
Miray
advised us that the transfer of ownership was taking longer than expected and we would be delayed but hold tight, all was good. Fellow passengers who were already enroute to Istanbul or had nowhere to live come November 1, traveled to Istanbul, and were put up by
Miray
in a hotel where they were given 3 meals a day, plus excursions, while they waited. We were all patient and trusting. Then SHOCKINGLY on November 19th,
Miray
advised us the trip was CANCELLED!! A Greek company had bought the ship;
Miray
claimed their investors pulled their support due to unrest in Middle East and they lost the purchase of the Aura! In late November, I got settlement paperwork from
Miray
for a full refund and paid to have my four boxes returned to me from the port. The News outlets had a field day with our devastation and Saturday Night Live even did a bit about it in weekend update with Colin Jost!
We had a beautiful sunny day to explore Wellington ! Was a very nice change from the stormy, big swells weather we have had the last two days! Wellington is the Capital city of New Zealand and the CBD is nice and big with lots of shops and museums. We didn't make it to the LOTR studios due to the time crunch but we took the cable car up to the top, for a scenic overlook of the port and then leisurley walk down through the Botantical Gardens, parks and historical cemetary.
Rotorua became a bonus city for us. Our Port stay in Tauranga got cut down to one day, due to NZ biosecurity regulations and since we really wanted to do Hobbiton, we decided to get off the ship and stay in hotels and get back on the ship, in a few days. Due to a variety of factors, the Ship ended up doing a quick pick up of us in Tauranga, three days later. The Kiwi's we encountered along the way, who helped with all our last minute details, were amazingly kind, hospitable and generous. Below is our tired, chilly group huddled at the security shed, outside the Port in the wee hours (1:30 am) Monday morning, awaiting our final hurdle of getting back on our Home. Home sweet home! What an adventure!
Rotorua, New Zealand is known for it's geothermal activity ( geysers, mud pools, hot springs) and rich Maori culture . I saw lots of that last time I was here in 2016, so this time I wanted to see their Redwoods in Whakarewarewa Forest. John and Colleen joined me in exploring. Their redwoods are smaller than the ones in Muir Woods California, but still impressive. Both are planted forest dating back to around 1908.