Passengers who booked trips have been told refunds will be issued in monthly installments
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Life at Sea Cruises’ first three-year sailing was announced in March and promised passengers willing to fork out at least $29,999 per year
Cruise ships really need to disappear if we are gonna keep this planet somewhat livable. Mega polluters.
The problem isn’t the ships it’s the insane amount of diesel they suck down. We already run giant ships powered by nuclear reactors.
Honest question: do the use diesel? A lot of big ships when they are not in a nation’s waters burn bunker oil which is significantly worse.
While googling this, it seems like there is an international cap on marine fuels for 0.5% sulphur.
https://www.cruisemapper.com/wiki/752-cruise-ship-engine-propulsion-fuel
A lot of ports and shipping areas require 0.1% sulphur content.A lot of places I’ve read say things along the lines of “cruise ships run on diesel, specifically MDO or MGO”.
E.g.
https://luxurytraveldiva.com/what-does-a-cruise-ship-use-for-fuel/Here’s a thing about MDO and MGO.
https://maritimepage.com/what-are-mgo-and-mdo-fuels-marine-fuels-explained/
MGO is 0.1% sulphur content.
MDO is 2% sulphur content.
For comparison, car diesel sulphur content is like 0.001%.
Best source I can find for bunker fuel is 3.5%. So, MDO/MGO are better than bunker fuel, I guess. Feels like a rebrand with minor improvements, so everyone can say “yeh, it’s just diesel. Not bunker fuel”.But 2% MDO is still a 40% improvement over 3.5% bunker fuel.
Seems like there is a lot of changing and outdated information on this.
And it being related to international trading, laws and standards… There doesn’t seem to be a reliable definitive source on it.My takeaway is “yeh, it’s not bunker fuel. It’s diesel. But it’s not diesel as we know it from driving cars, trucks, tractors and other plant”
I was surprised to learn that many cruise ships burn diesel rather than bunker oil.
That’s a recent change, IIRC, and not all cruise lines are in on it.
Cruise ships are pretty big polluters, yes. Cruise passengers have about 8x the emissions that they’d have from a comparable land-based vacation.
But when people talk about ship pollution, they’re usually talking about non-carbon pollution.
For example, ships often burn heavy fuel oil, which produces tons of sulfur dioxide, which causes acid rain, and NOX, which depletes the ozone and causes smog and asthma.
Cruise ships are bad for the environment, but there’s honestly bigger fish to fry. Gas power plants are way, way worse for the planet.
It’s all bad. This isn’t a competition. It all needs to cease.
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Are you comparing power plants to cruise ships?
From the comparisons I’ve made in the past, they’re also relatively cheap compared to land based vacations. For some reason, it’s cheaper to make your hotel float.
Then there’s places where ships are more inherent to the experience, like transiting the Panama canal, or coastal regions of Alaska or Norway. Places that are too remote to get to by most other means.
But fuck Caribbean cruises. That’s a boat taking you from one tourist outdoor shopping mall to another.
Nations won’t stop using oil as long as it is economically viable.
We’re already forced to burn oil to power air conditioners so our elders don’t die in heatwave. Just imagine the inside of a giant Vegas casino without electricity.
Way to complete ignore my point.
You said we will still use oil because it’s profitable. I said that we can’t stop using oil, because our earth is too hot, because we are too much burning oil. How am I off topic?
My point is, it’s not economically viable for an elderly Texan to spend 500 bucks on inflated energy prices during a heatwave, but it’s not like there is a choice. We’re gonna burn it all up because we don’t know how to stop.
Cruises oughta be banned for how polluting they are. Rich folks can have em back when theyve cleaned up their climate mess.
No they may not. We acknowledge they’re filthy, rife with noro and other viruses, and aside from other pollution, dump raw sewage into open water.
Acquaintance went on a cruise. I made “covid cruise” jokes before he left. Well he came back and guess what.
Surprised Pikachu face?
Said I told you so without saying I told you so.
I went on a cruise before COVID. The cruise line stressed washing hands to the point that it became annoying. (They have a “washy washy happy happy” song that they sing.) They had good reason to even before COVID as norovirus spreads like wildfire on cruise ships.
Overall, my cruise was a fun experience, but I don’t think I’d do it again - even setting COVID concerns aside. I’d rather go to some destination and walk around seeing the sights than be trapped on a giant boat with all those people.
when theyve cleaned up their climate mess.
Ah, a doe eyed optimist, I see.
This oligarch party ain’t stopping until everything that can burn does. At this point hope is irrational, a side effect of rational despair.
No one tells the wealth class anything. They tell us, and we obey like good lil capital generating livestock.
The old gods must die. Clash of the titans time.
Apart from the areas others have mentioned they are also absolutely terrible for the local environment due to the number of tourists they drop on an area. We should ban them for that alone
Rich folks
Cruises are often cheaper than just going on vacation.
My honeymoon cruise was less expensive than if we’d just flown to the Caribbean and stayed at an all-inclusive hotel.
Nations won’t stop using oil as long as it is economically viable.
Banning cruise ships doesn’t matter if we still burn up the oil anyways.
You are correct. Not using oil in one place, will only make it MORE AFFORDABLE for China and other mega pollution providers.
Except 1) we sent our rubbish there and dumped it in the water, air and dirt, and it doesn’t stay put, 2) it doesn’t stay put, 3) we sent manufacturing there to avoid paying people minimum, let alone livable wage. How shallow thinking is amazes me.
we sent manufacturing there to avoid paying people minimum, let alone livable wage
This is a good thing for the people of both nations tho
No it isn’t, neolib.
It very objectively is. Their people stop subsistence farming and our people get cheaper goods.
It’s not like we’re hurting for jobs.
Now they get suicide nets and we get three jobs and a side hustle. That’s so disingenuous and just because fash lite party said it doesn’t make it okay to parrot it.
What the h does that have to do with anything?
Fact of the current global economy is: you buy less oil (etc), other will snatch it up very quickly.
Myopic much?
Sorry, but facts remain facts. Lots of good things you can do for nature but spending less oil just for the heck of it will probably mean some other country WITHOUT FILTERS IN THEIR CHIMNEYS will use it, at Lower price.
And that’s an old paradigm that must die. I rebuke your negativity. We have the power but some would deceive us into thinking we’re bound. I rebuke that too.
Refund paid in monthly installments seems like a huge red flag too…yikes. Hopefully these passengers can come out of this mostly okay at least.
Yeah that was my first thought. I’m willing to bet the company declares bankruptcy soon.
Seems like fraud to announce that close to leaving, the monthly payments on top makes it worse.
Was wondering if I floated a bad thousand dollar check if my restitution would be allowed in monthly installments.
(with a few extra steps) yes
Wage garnishment, repayment plans, etc. The difference is for you it typically requires litigation before you’re “allowed” to. Technically it’s probably the same for them if someone challenged it, but they have the benefit of litigation costing less than all the paid lump sums, where your proverbial thousand-dollar check would not.
I bet it would cost more than a thousand, too.
So they sold tickets to a cruise… But they didn’t have the ship ready.
It’s worse even, they couldn’t afford the ship. They claimed the sale was taking too long, when they couldn’t afford it, and another company bought it out from under them.
Larger companies do this often… but they build their own ships
Mmmm. What fun. Stewing in a disease-ridden floating money-sponge for three years. Marvellous.
Idk man. You go hang out on a cruise for a bit you will find some old people who have made cruising their entire retirement plan. Basically just staying on boats going from port to port until they die.
Which actually doesn’t sound all too bad. I’d think it’d get old after the first few weeks (I never heard Cupid Shuffle so many damn times in one week), but hey, whatever floats your boat.
It’s cheaper than a lot of retirement homes in America. Cruises outside of Caribbean voyages in peak season are like 90% retirees. It’s a more viable option for a lot of people. If this 3yr cruise was a lot cheaper per day, it would make a lot of sense for them.
Plus if you tick that little box, you (your estate/ descendants) save on funeral fees with a ‘navy burial’ at sea. The cabin boy-things garb your corpse in whatever finest they discover in your wardrobe/suitcase and slip you off a Teflon-coated plank into the gentle deep and sharks.
Is this real? I know nothing about cruises, that seems so insane and yet so… Practical.
The article said $29k/yr, and cruise prices generally include food. That’s cheaper than living most places
Not my idea of a good time either but it was appealing to some people. Cruises are incredibly popular. I’d only go if it were free and I was unable to sell the ticket(s).
I don’t think I’d go if it were free. I have other things - productive things I could be doing.
I don’t think I’d go if it were free. I have other things - productive things I could be doing.
So you never take any vacation?
I didn’t say that. I said I’d rather be productive than go on a cruise.
But you’d still go? Like… if I bought you a ticket on a shitty cruise, you’d go just because you have to use up free things?
Who’s saying no to a free holiday? I went away this year for the first time in a decade and it was heavenly. I’d never chose to go on a cruise, but I’d jump at the chance for a new experience, some sun and relaxation - especially over winter when I having to chose between heating and eating ffs.
Who’s saying no to a free holiday?
Me when it’s an obvious timeshare scam.
Sounds like you take quite the beating. 😔
Edit: I’m rhyming with heating and eating ffs
If you bought me a ticket on “Unkle Sal’s Discount Cruises” I would not go. If you bought me tickets for Carnival Cruises… Yeah I’d probably go.
So… if I wanted to do a scam… and I’d sell tickets to a cruise ship for 3 years, upfront payment of $90k… let’s say I sell 2000 seats for $180mil.
Is that enough money to disappear forever and live under a false identity?
Slowly paying it back while having the money invested, like they’re doing, is the real play.
Slowly paying it back
Unless you declare bankruptcy.
There’s no way they’ll go bankrupt. Drop the money in a low risk investment, make 7% APR on it while waiting as long as possible to pay it back. It’s guaranteed profit at this point. Going bankrupt would only ruin that.
I am legally required to say no.
yes thoMaybe, maybe not. But if you’re paying back in monthly installments, there’s still going to be a lot of interest for you to live off of in the meantime.
Yeah, I’ll… pay it back. Promise.
Getting that money out of the company to use is very hard and can be traced/returned. It’s not like they’ve got 180M in cash. And having your company bank exclusively with shady banks is likely to prevent you from getting a business license.
You should read up on off shore accounts. Things are wild.
Just to add, you’re a cruise, it’d be expected you have an offshore account.
Ba dum tss
Bitcoin?
Why are we linking to a Fox News affiliate?
The article itself seems quite factual and straightforward. The comment section on the other hand…
Is it just me or does 10k a year for full accommodations seem wildly cheap?Fml I need coffee
Even at $30k per year it was ridiculously cheap. I have a friend of a friend that was going to do this for his retirement. $2500 per month for a room and board that allows you to spend your life sailing from port to port is actually a great deal, and if/when you need more medical care you simply move back off of the ship. The idea was that passengers could just buy another ticket and keep sailing for as many years as they wanted.
I called this one.
- It sounded too good to be true. I had a feeling that they wouldn’t launch and if they did it’d be a floating Fyre Festival except with senior citizens who would not be able to escape.
- Cruise ships are Petri dishes as it is. The idea of a cruise consisting of mostly elderly people who stay on board and mingle with crowds in the various ports of call sounds like a death cruise. Just imagine a viral outbreak on that ship that was killing passengers, resulting in a lockdown.
- It was basically someone watching Wall-E and deciding that the dystopian part was actually a pretty idea.
$30k/year is what I saw…
To be fair, 2.5k a month is what some people spend on rent+food+utilities. Assuming all food onboard is paid for, it’s sounds like an ok deal for someone who actually wants to temporarily live on a cruise ship and has the income/savings to pay for all of it upfront.
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It does kinda sound like a fun way to spend 3 years, but it will probably suck. It’s not going to be a good room. You’re gonna get sick no matter what you do. And unless you actually have money leftover, you’re not going to be doing much in the ports. Also, you’ve got no storage for 3 years of souvenirs.
Oh and if you miss the boat, you’d have to fly to the next port to get back on.
Thank you, that makes more sense.
Even 30k a year seems way cheap. Most of these “live at sea” “cruises” are orders of magnitude more expensive.
I personally hate boats but yeah I could see people like my lil bro loving this sort of thing, he cruised at least once every couple years and loved it.
Lmao this small business paper where I grew up just did a little blurb on a local executive “living at sea” for three years - article came out days after this was all canceled
Womp womp
What a fucking awful headline. There’s no way to read that without thinking that the woman selling her apartment somehow triggered the cruise being canceled. Why even include that bit in the headline?
Because headlines are for clicks in 2023. If that headline gets you interested in clicking at all, then they’ve succeeded.
