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☆ Travel news: Hotels reveal their wildest room service orders
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-14 | by ( Maureen O'Hare | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —In travel news this week: odd room service requests, the cruise passengers stranded for months at their departure port, plus how a rogue bag of Cheetos caused havoc in a New Mexico cave. Unusual guest requestsFar be it from us to say folks are getting a little entitled, but a new report from Hotels.com has revealed the oddest room service requests made to its hotel partners around the world. There’s the separate requests that were fielded for burnt toast, fresh goat milk and 2 kilos of bananas. And finally there’s the demand for a high-five from a team member to ensure their room service request was read. The nine-month itinerary of Royal Caribbean’s Ultimate World Cruise was considerably less ambitious, but at least it successfully completed its journey this week.

Persons: Hotels.com, it’s, there’s, –, CNN Anne Marie Hagerty Organizations: CNN, Service, Atlanta, Delta Airbus Locations: New Mexico, York, Carlsbad, Hawaii, Oahu, Georgia, England, Argentina, British, Italy, “

☆ An around-the-world cruise that's stuck at port is kicking off passengers who complain
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-12 | by ( Brittany Chang | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Unfortunately, she was kicked out before she could fulfill her world cruise aspirations. "They didn't just complain, they outright threatened with media unless they get what they want," Mikael Petterson, the founder and CEO of Villa Vie, told BI in an email. "That's how much I had wanted a world cruise." But she was kicked off before Villa Vie Odyssey could set sailOther buyers have begun moving onto the residential cruise ship. So far, Villa Vie has repaid her almost $8,000, with another about $7,400 still pending — still a few thousand short of her $18,600.

Persons: —, Jenny Phenix, — Phenix, Bonny Kelter, Mikael Petterson, Vie, Kelter, Villa Vie, Bonny, Petterson, Phenix, Villa, she's, aren't, Fred Olsen Cruise, Fred Olsen's, Angela, Stephen Theriac, Kathy Villalba, Stephen Theriac Petterson, hasn't Organizations: Service, Business, Residences, Sea Cruises, Villa Vie, Villa, Fred Olsen Cruise Lines, Norwegian Cruise, Security Locations: Europe, Asia, Australia, South, North America, Africa, Palm Beach , Florida, Braemar, Norwegian, Florida

☆ The viral nine-month cruise is ending. Here’s what it was really like on board
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-10 | by ( Francesca Street | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +21 min

Preparing for the endJoe and Audrey Martucci say they are grateful for the nine-month cruise experience, but at times they found the schedule tiring. A trip of a lifetimeGen Z traveler Little Rat Brain says Antarctica, pictured here, was her world cruise highlight. Little Rat Brain, passenger on board the nine-month cruiseThe TikTok-famous passengers are now considering how to pivot their online presences. “I don’t think anything’s ever going to have the virality of the nine-month cruise,” Fletcher says. “I’m not really sure if it will ever occur again,” agrees Little Rat Brain.

Persons: Royal, –, Angie Linderman, Linderman, Ale Kenney, Shannon Marie Lake, Anthony McWilliams –, Joe, Audrey Martucci, Joe Martucci, Bobbi Waterman, Tam, Julian Mendoza, Daniele Salvatore Arbisi, “, they’re, ”, Beth Anne Fletcher, ’ Fletcher wasn’t, you’re, ” Fletcher, Joe Martucci didn’t, TikTok, ” Oosthuizen, … ” LRB, itineraries, LRB, there’s, someone’s, Anthony McWilliams, Amike, Oosthuizen, Drake, ’ ”, McWilliams, y’all, Anthony Antoine McWilliams Fletcher, Fletcher, “ Beth Anne’s, Audrey, Shannon Lake, ” McWilliams, “ We’re, it’s, “ Truman, Brandee, aunties, It’s, ’, can’t, “ I’m, influencer Marc Sebastian, Sebastian, they’ve, ” LRB, ” Linderman, haven’t, There’s, Princess Cruises –, she’s, “ Everything’s Organizations: CNN, CNN Travel, Royal, NASA, Seas, New York City, MSC Cruises, Princess Cruises, Vie Locations: Royal Caribbean, Miami, Shannon, American, British, South Africa, Halifax, Canada, Southampton, “, California, China, New York, LA, Antarctica, India, Portofino, Italy, Iguazu, ”, Caribbean, Belfast , Northern Ireland

☆ A residential around-the-world cruise is delayed again — and waiting buyers won't get free hotels anymore
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-10 | by ( Brittany Chang | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewVilla Vie Residences' highly anticipated residential around-the-world cruise has been delayed yet again from its original May target date, it told waiting customers on Monday. Villa Vie acquired Odyssey, formerly the Fred Olsen Cruise Lines' Braemar vessel, in December. Villa Vie Odyssey is currently docked in Belfast, Ireland. Angela and Stephen TheriacSince May, more than 100 Villa Vie buyers have stayed in the UK in anticipation of the ship's departure. Since the initial delay, Petterson told BI that Villa Vie had paid almost $2 million for its buyers' hotels.

Persons: —, Fred Olsen Cruise, Villa Vie, Lanette Canen Mikael Petterson, Vie, Petterson, Villa, Angela, Stephen Theriac, they've Organizations: Service, Residences, Business, Fred Olsen Cruise Lines, Vie, YouTube Locations: Belfast , Northern Ireland, Braemar, Belfast, Ireland

☆ They were due to leave for their dream cruise in May. Three months on they’re still stuck at the departure port
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-07 | by ( Julia Buckley | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

CNN —It was the years-long cruise that was supposed to set sail, but saw its departure postponed… postponed… and postponed again. However, there’s one crucial difference between Life at Sea and Villa Vie Residences, the company attempting the 3.5-year cruise: Villa Vie has a ship. This meant the certifications had expired – and instead of simply renewing them, Villa Vie was obliged to start from scratch. Olsen cruise ship. ‘Not what we were expecting’Angela and Steve Theriac have been traveling around Europe while waiting to set sail.

Persons: …, “, ”, Lanette Canen, Johan Bodin, Bodin, “ We’re, we’ve, “ It’s, We’ve, Peter Morrison, Villa, Mike Petterson, Petterson, –, Fred, Olsen, Villa Vie, “ Fred, DNV, Samantha Stimpson, ‘ We’ve, ’, Maureen O'Hare, Fran Paroissien, she’s, Paroissien, I’ve, we’d, he’d, ” Micky Murray, “ They’re, I’m, Bonny Kelter, ” Kelter, “ We’ll, ’ Angela, Steve Theriac, Angela, it’s, “ We’ve, that’s, We’re, They’ve Organizations: CNN, Sea Cruises, Residences, Olsen Cruises, Hawaii –, Canen, Edinburgh, Sweden –, Villa Vie, Survey, Braemar, Olsen Cruise Lines, Villa, Vie, ‘, Midlife, Liverpool Locations: Belfast, Northern Ireland, Braemar, Fred, Hawaii, Stirling, Scotland, Glasgow, Europe, Sweden, –, Melbourne, Australia, Canary, Seychelles, Liverpool, Edinburgh, Spain, Denmark, Dublin, Nicaragua

☆ This couple went on one cruise together. Now, they're moving onto a never-ending residential cruise ship.
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-24 | by ( Brittany Chang | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

AdvertisementThat is, until this spring, when Canen and Bodin, both 54, uprooted their lives in Maui, Hawaii, to move onto a new residential cruise ship called Villa Vie Odyssey. AdvertisementThe couple sold their business in MauiBodin told BI that before Villa Vie, the couple had never really considered leaving Maui. "We went pretty much every day for two weeks and spent all day there until they kicked us off," Canen told BI. AdvertisementBefore committing to Odyssey, Canen and Bodin looked into Storylines, which plans to construct its own residential cruise ship, MV Narrative. AdvertisementAre you sailing on a residential cruise ship like Villa Vie or have a tip?

Persons: —, Lanette Canen, Johan Bodin, Canen, Bodin —, we'd, Bodin, Mikael Petterson, Fred Olsen Cruise, Lanette, Villa Vie's, Villa, Maui Bodin, they've, Petterson, Villa Vie, We're, Angela, Stephen Theriac Canen, they'd, Kendra Holmes, they're Organizations: Service, Business, Villa, Residences, Fred Olsen Cruise Lines, South Pacific, YouTube, Sea Cruises, Cruises, Victoria Cruises Locations: Maui, Hawaii, Europe, Asia, Australia, South, North America, Africa, Belfast, Ireland, Braemar, Maui —, Italy, Croatia, Slovenia, Sweden, Canary, Norwegian, Villa Vie, Canen, Petterson

☆ The latest three-year cruise is running two months late
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-28 | by ( Julia Buckley | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Now, another company aiming to be the first to produce a round-the-world residential cruise at a reasonable price has delayed departure by two months. Villa Vie Residences was due to depart from Belfast on May 30. But after a couple of unexpected hiccups, the ship – the Villa Vie Odyssey – is still in the Northern Irish city. Villa Vie had bought the ship from Fred. Meanwhile, two people who were part of the Life at Sea management when the cruise was canceled have announced their own rival outlet.

Persons: Mikael Petterson, “, ” Petterson, Petterson, Villa Vie, Fred, Olsen, I’d, ”, we’ll, Kendra Holmes, –, Holmes Organizations: CNN, Passengers, CNN Travel, Villa, Olsen Cruise Lines, Miray Cruises Locations: Belfast, Northern Irish, Braemar

☆ The world’s best beaches, according to Lonely Planet
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-03 | by ( Maureen O'Hare | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The dim sum capital of the worldLegacy House: Legacy House's fantastic dim sum set includes steamed spotted garoupa dumplings with salted lemon. Courtesy Legacy House Forum: This three-Michelin-star restaurant, which serves classic Cantonese dim sum dishes, is famed for its impeccable attention to detail. Tai Wai Dining Room Veggie Kingdom: Veggie Kingdom serves high-quality meat-free versions of classic dim sum dishes. Maggie Wong/CNN Spring Moon: In addition to serving delicious, classic dim sum dishes, Spring Moon's cinematic interior is an attraction in its own right. Courtesy Peninsula Hong Kong Hong Kong’s best dim sum Prev NextThis is our essential guide to Hong Kong’s best dim sum: Where to find it and how to eat it, from classic no-frills joints to Michelin-starred adventures.

Persons: Cabo San Juan del Guía, “, ”, Heen, King Heen, Nicholas Wong, Maggie Wong, Emperor, Fook Lam, Hong Kong Hong, Hong, they’ve, Amelia Earhart’s Organizations: CNN, d’Argent, JetBlue, Japan, Port, Royal, Carnival Corporation, MSC Cruise, Cunard Cruise, CDC, Hong Kong, Hong, Golden Valley, Son Locations: Rio, Sarakiniko, Greece, Baltic, Danish, Bornholm, Cabo San Juan, Seychelles, Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima prefecture, Tomonoura, Port of Miami, Hong, Hong Kong, Veggie, Golden, Spain

☆ How the three-year cruise fell apart
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-20 | by ( Julia Buckley | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +22 min

CNN —In April 2023, George Fox was gearing up for the adventure of a lifetime: a three-year cruise taking him around the world. The high hopes and eventual failure of the Life at Sea cruise reads a bit like a Greek tragedy. When Miray objected, he resigned, along with much of his team, and told passengers the cruise was off. When the cruise was canceled in November, Bayramoğlu told passengers that only 111 cabins were booked. On October 24, Miray’s PR spokesperson told CNN that the departure date had been moved to November 30.

Persons: CNN —, George Fox, “, ”, ‘, Miray, who’d, Meredith Shay, Shay, she’d, Jenny Phenix, I’d, Mikael Petterson, Petterson, “ I’ve, Ethem, Miray’s, “ Vedat, ’ ”, Vedat, Cruises, hadn’t, Kendra Holmes –, –, Petterson –, they’d, Bayramoğlu, Sharon Lane, she’s, ” Shay, ” Holmes, Marit Hommedal, NTB Scanpix, Noel Hansen, Kendra Holmes, Hansen, ’ ” Hansen, ’ Rebecca Varner, Lorna Bolduc, Rebecca Varner, Holmes, Bonnie Kelter, Kelter, Varner, Ugurlu, Phenix, “ I’m, couldn’t, ’ George Fox, he'd, Bolduc, Miray’s Bayramoğlu, ” Miray, who’s, ” Hansen Organizations: CNN, Fox, Miray Cruises, Cruises, Passengers, Gemini, Carnival, Facebook, Life, Getty, US Foreign Service, ‘, Miray’s, ”, Miray Locations: Istanbul, ’, Turkey, Florida, Germany, Bayramoğlu, Petterson, AFP, Clermont , Florida, Costa Rica, New Jersey, Maine, that’s, Miami, Europe, Ecuador, Southern Florida

☆ The three-year cruise is canceled
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Julia Buckley | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

But now the dream is over for passengers who’d signed up for Life at Sea Cruises’ inaugural three-year voyage. But on November 17 – less than two weeks before the third departure date – passengers were informed the cruise was off. “In case we weren’t clear, the Life at Sea cruise trip is canceled,” Bayramoglu wrote, giving instructions on the refund process, and how passengers can retrieve “pods” full of their belongings – which they’d shipped in advance of the cruise. If Life at Sea passengers didn’t take up the offer, she said, they’d also be looking to launch a long-term cruise in October 2024. The letter was sent to CNN November 21 and spoke about a potential upcoming cruise date – despite the cruise having already been canceled.

Persons: CNN —, who’d, “, –, ”, AIDA Cruises, Kendra Holmes –, Holmes, Vedat Ugurlu, Ugurlu, Miray, Mikael Petterson, Petterson, Ugurlu’s, Ethem Bayramoglu, ” Bayramoglu, they’d, Bayramoglu, Kendra Holmes, Holmes didn’t, HLC, – I’m Organizations: CNN, Cruises ’, Sea Cruises, Carnival Corp, Celestyal Cruises, Miray, Miray Cruises, Cruises, HLC Cruises, Petterson Locations: Istanbul, Turkey, Amsterdam, Netherlands, Germany, Israel

☆ Residential cruise ship startups selling condos at sea for over $100,000 are struggling for the same reason
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-18 | by ( Brittany Chang | Kate Taylor | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Throughout 2023, residential cruise ship startups have delayed their launches. AdvertisementBuzzy residential cruise ship startups like Storylines can't seem to stick to their timelines. But even it has faced roadblocks: Launched in 2002, residents had to pool $71 million to buy the $280 million ship themselves in 2003. AdvertisementStorylines is a prime exampleStorylines delayed the construction of its MV Narrative residential ship at least twice. Building a new ship is hard – but so is acquiring an old oneVictoria Cruises Line chartered its residential ship of choice.

Persons: —, Alister Punton, Brodosplit, Punton, Mike Kasperzak, Fares, Mikael Petterson Organizations: Service, Cruises Line, Residences, Brodosplit, Victoria Cruises Line, Victoria Cruises, Holland America Line's, Sea Cruises, Cruises, Miray Cruises, Villa Vie Residences Locations: Croatian

☆ Life at Sea's three-year cruise will get a bigger ship
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Julia Buckley | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

Life at Sea Cruises is now owned and operated entirely by Miray Cruises, a company with a 30-year history of operating in the Aegean. Bigger ship, fewer guestsStaterooms on the new ship will have 20 square feet more per cabin, say Miray Cruises. Life at Sea CruisesMeanwhile, Miray says it is launching its first Life at Sea cruise in its new ship as planned in November. MV Lara will be larger than the Gemini, Kendra Holmes, CEO of Miray Cruises, told CNN. And this Miray team is accommodating to everyone – If there are concerns, they fix it, if there are ideas they put them into place.

Persons: Miray, “, Mikael Petterson, Irina Strembitsky, Petterson, Staterooms, Lara, Kendra Holmes, Holmes, ” Holmes, Cruises, Heidi Klum, AIDA Cruises, Sharon Lane, ”, ’ ”, Meredith Shay, Shay, Ingrid Warwick, “ It’ll, “ That’s, Finnbarr Webster Organizations: CNN, Sea Cruises, Cruises, Miray Cruises, Gemini, Carnival, Sea, Petterson, Vie Locations: Europe, German, “, Florida, Germany, Istanbul

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