“We are working tirelessly to get our banks the documentation they require to release our funds, and all our passengers can be assured that they will be repaid in full by Feb. 15,” Ethem Bayramoglu, Miray’s chief operating officer, said in an interview on Jan. 12.
Many passengers aren’t buying it. “I will not believe anything until I have my money in hand,” said Kara Youssef, a 36-year-old former humanitarian worker from Ohio who sold her apartments to pay for the cruise and has been living in an Istanbul hotel with her husband for more than two months as she awaits her refund of $80,000. On Dec. 29, she received a bank receipt indicating that the first installment of her repayment had been sent, but she never received the funds.
After several attempts to reach Mr. Bayramoglu (who, at one point, told her he was at a soccer game and couldn’t talk), Ms. Youssef finally spoke to him on Jan. 14. He offered to pay her part of the sum in person, in cash, but has yet to set up a time and place to meet.
The too-good-to-be-true allure of a world cruise
The Life at Sea passengers are primarily U.S. citizens. Many of them learned about the cruise on CNN and “Good Morning America.” One of the biggest draws, they said, was the price, which for many would have been less expensive than living in a city for three years. That, combined with the opportunity to explore the world, led them to leap at the opportunity.
“I always wanted to go on a world cruise, but they were all out of my budget,” said Jenny Phenix, 67, who gave up two small businesses, rented her condo in Florida and paid $70,000 to go on the cruise.
Kaynak: briturkish.com
