Jul 14, 20232 min read

RUN AWAY TO SEA

MV LARA will set sail for 1000 day World Cruise

MV Lara - 42,289 Tonnes - 1266 Passengers - 389 Crew

Earlier this month Miray Cruises announced that `MV Gemini would be replaced by

MV Lara setting sail for a three year trip around the world.

MV GEMINI

After the catastrophic earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria, Gemini was chartered to house the homeless from the Haray region, mostly the elderly, sick, pregnant and families with small children who, for a time called it home.

Gemini is now back to cruising, mostly three or four day trips to Greece and Turkey.

Gemini faced controversy when a former senior-level employee of the line revealed Gemini was found to be unseaworthy by an engineer. Kendra Holmes, CEO of Miray Cruises has stated that Gemini had received her Passenger Ship Safety Certificate as required under Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) policies. The former employee, along with several of the company’s executives, including managing director Mike Petterson, left the company in recent months.

This week Miray cruises announced that it has upgraded its vessel, replacing the 1,000 guest Gemini with the larger and newer 1,250-gt MV Lara, for the three year World trip.

AidaAura was retired by Carnival Corporation last year.

MV Lara was formally AIDAaura, she was christened on April 12, 2003, originally built for P&O Cruises, a subsidiary of Carnival Corporation. However, in 2004, she was acquired by Costa Crociere, and the ship's registry was changed to Genoa, Italy. The operator of the vessel also changed to AIDA Cruises, which is a subsidiary of Carnival Corporation.

The new vessel will offer Life at Sea Cruises residents an enchanting fusion of amenities and convenience with redesigned staterooms, a business center with offices, a cigar and wine bar, along with other creative offerings. There will also be a 24-hour on-call hospital with complimentary medical visits, learning and enrichment lectures, and opportunities to engage in volunteer and philanthropic initiatives.

MV Lara will have a business centre, with workspaces, meeting rooms, printing capabilities and a professional library. Starlink internet will be available free of charge. This is surely a big move forward for cruise ships. I recently experienced Starlink on Azamara and without doubt it was a big step up from the normal cruise ship internet service.

However it does vary greatly from port to port.

When you check out the “Life at Sea Cruises” website most of the images are computer generated and with a sailing date of 1st November they have a lot of work to do to fulfill their promises.

Leaving from Istanbul on November 1 of this year, the three-year schedule includes stops at 382 ports and 148 countries. She will travel 130,000 mile with visits to iconic architectural sites such as the Taj Mahal, the Pyramids of Giza, the Great Wall of China, and Machu Pichu.

This little jaunt all-inclusive world cruise starts from only $87,720 per year based on double-occupancy.