World Cruise Recommendations

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candb
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World Cruise Recommendations

Post by candb »

Hello,

my wife and I are considering taking a world cruise sometime in 2022 or maybe later, depending on how the pandemic continues to play out.

It looks like there's many options - from itineraries, length of cruise to different cruise lines. I think we might be leaning towards some of the Viking offerings - smaller ships and it looks like their rooms seem to be larger on average.

I'd be interested in hearing other people's experiences and recommendations for these longer cruises!
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JamesSFO
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Re: World Cruise Recommendations

Post by JamesSFO »

this has always been a bucket list item for me, tracking the thread.
stan1
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Re: World Cruise Recommendations

Post by stan1 »

What is the longest cruise you have been on before? I'd recommend a 30 day cruise before committing to a world cruise. Being on a ship for a month let alone 90-110 days is not the same as 7-14 days.
tibbitts
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Re: World Cruise Recommendations

Post by tibbitts »

candb wrote: Thu Jun 17, 2021 12:30 pm Hello,

my wife and I are considering taking a world cruise sometime in 2022 or maybe later, depending on how the pandemic continues to play out.

It looks like there's many options - from itineraries, length of cruise to different cruise lines. I think we might be leaning towards some of the Viking offerings - smaller ships and it looks like their rooms seem to be larger on average.

I'd be interested in hearing other people's experiences and recommendations for these longer cruises!
Unlike some Bogleheads, I was always a fan of cruises and might still be, although the situation isn't stable enough for my taste yet. I think the issue the cruises lines have to deal with, and haven't yet, is the possibility of people being stuck indefinitely at sea and not even being allowed out of their (inside, in my case, being cheap) cabins, much less allowed to disembark at a port. It seems to me that part of the port agreements with government authorities have to incorporate some provision for that going forward. I think we have to assume that the next pandemic will be along any day now, and I really haven't seen the cruise lines respond to that concern. So far they seem to be fighting the last battle.

I haven't even considered a cruise so far longer than a few weeks, so if you don't have experience with longer trips you might try one first before committing to a really, really long cruise. I guess I'd be a little concerned about getting stuck in a situation (cabin next to the kitchen or engine room, noisy neighbor, whatever) I didn't like - honestly I used to think more about that even on a 14-day cruise even than on a 4 or 5-day.

As for your choice of Viking, I don't have experience with them, and choice of cruise line is going to be somewhat budget-dependent, regardless of cruise length. The size of the ship factors into what ports you can visit, with smaller ships obviously able to navigate where larger ones can't. But also for me at least it's nice to find someone else to talk to on a cruise, and the odds of that are smaller the smaller the ship is. I've only been on what are now medium-sized ships and without other experiences they've felt "just right" for me.
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Taylor Larimore
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Re: World Cruise Recommendations

Post by Taylor Larimore »

candb wrote: Thu Jun 17, 2021 12:30 pm Hello,

my wife and I are considering taking a world cruise sometime in 2022 or maybe later, depending on how the pandemic continues to play out.

It looks like there's many options - from itineraries, length of cruise to different cruise lines. I think we might be leaning towards some of the Viking offerings - smaller ships and it looks like their rooms seem to be larger on average.

I'd be interested in hearing other people's experiences and recommendations for these longer cruises!
candb:

I live in Miami, Florida, "The cruise capital of the world." We have enjoyed many cruises.

In 1996 my wife and I took a world cruise aboard the old SS Rotterdam. We liked it so much that a year later we took a second world cruise (different itinerary) aboard the new MV Rotterdam.

For those who can afford it, and have the time, I believe a world cruise is the ultimate travel experience.

Thank you, Jack.

Taylor
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candb
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Re: World Cruise Recommendations

Post by candb »

stan1 wrote: Thu Jun 17, 2021 12:47 pm What is the longest cruise you have been on before? I'd recommend a 30 day cruise before committing to a world cruise. Being on a ship for a month let alone 90-110 days is not the same as 7-14 days.
Good point. We were starting to think the same thing...30 days might be a good entry point. We've only been on one cruise so far, and that was for 7 days.
tibbitts
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Re: World Cruise Recommendations

Post by tibbitts »

candb wrote: Thu Jun 17, 2021 12:55 pm
stan1 wrote: Thu Jun 17, 2021 12:47 pm What is the longest cruise you have been on before? I'd recommend a 30 day cruise before committing to a world cruise. Being on a ship for a month let alone 90-110 days is not the same as 7-14 days.
Good point. We were starting to think the same thing...30 days might be a good entry point. We've only been on one cruise so far, and that was for 7 days.
Even 14 days is different from 7. The longer the cruise, the worse the implications of something going wrong. On the other hand I do see the appeal of a world cruise, and might have considered one before the pandemic, partly just to avoid flying.
Jim Baround
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Re: World Cruise Recommendations

Post by Jim Baround »

About a month ago a came across a stack of postcards my great grandparents sent to my dad and his siblings while they were on the 1958 inaugural around the world cruise of Holland America. Found this description of the trip online http://ssmaritime.com/Statendam.htm (scroll about halfway down to the Jan 7, 1958 departure). Seemed really incredible and I'm interested in replicating the trip so I'll be following along this thread.
curmudgeon
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Re: World Cruise Recommendations

Post by curmudgeon »

In-laws did a couple of world cruises on Seabourn. They were quite happy with them, though the last one got cut short halfway around the world. Excellent service, food, good quality enrichment lectures. My impression is that Viking might be a similar quality experience, though maybe with some different priorities.

I don't think I would trust any 2022 RTW itineraries at this point; they usually start in January, and a good part of the world is still not likely to be well-vaccinated then. Lots of potential for major itinerary changes and long slogs of sea days (in-laws went three weeks without setting foot on shore on that last cruise).

Before committing to that long of a trip, I'd be inclined to try a shorter segment on the cruise line of interest, to see how it matches up to my expectations. Note that the passenger profile on a long cruise is likely to be significantly different that what you find on a one-week Barbados or Iceland cruise.
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Watty
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Re: World Cruise Recommendations

Post by Watty »

I am not a "cruise person" but one of the drawbacks of a cruise is that you are mostly limited to things that are near the coast. If you are going to the Caribbean and enjoy seeing different beaches that is OK but you might be missing out on a lot of the inland attractions with an around the world cruise.

You might need to piece them together but it might be better to take a series of flights around the world where you can stop for a week or longer at some of the interesting locations.

With a cruise that long also consider that if you have any health issues partway through the cruise that could be a major issue.

Decades ago my parents took a repositioning cruise where it roughly went through the Caribbean, down the coast of South America, across the Atlantic, up the cost of of Africa, and into the Mediterranean. The repositioning cruises are generally pretty affordable since few people can take a trip that long.

Before you commit to a world cruise you might try a long repositioning cruise like that.

Unfortunately going across the Atlantic my Dad fell down some stairs and badly broke his arm and got generally banged up with things like bruised ribs. It was bad enough that the ships sick bay could not really treat it well enough so he could return to his cabin so he had to stay in the sick bay. The first couple of ports in Africa did not have good enough medical facilities for him to go to. Eventually there was a port with good medical facilities where he was treated and then flew home. He recovered fine and they had trip insurance so it did not work out too badly.

Being in the sick bay for that long made it obvious that here were lots of passengers that either died or had major medical problems during the cruise. If you go on a real long cruise be sure to consider that for much of the time you will be a long way from advanced medical care and some moderate health problem can get real serious if you cannot get to a good hospital for several days or longer.

You can research it on the internet but more people then you might expect die on cruise ships especially in cruises that attract older people. I suspect that many of them might have survived if they could have promptly gotten to a hospital.
victw
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Re: World Cruise Recommendations

Post by victw »

candb wrote: Thu Jun 17, 2021 12:55 pm
stan1 wrote: Thu Jun 17, 2021 12:47 pm What is the longest cruise you have been on before? I'd recommend a 30 day cruise before committing to a world cruise. Being on a ship for a month let alone 90-110 days is not the same as 7-14 days.
Good point. We were starting to think the same thing...30 days might be a good entry point. We've only been on one cruise so far, and that was for 7 days.
I also would like to do a RTW cruise but have only done one cruise. Because cruise ports can be so far from the desired locations and only spend a limited amount of time in one location I'm looking to piece cruises together. This will likely mean different cruise lines and different lengths. And might not be very practical.

My first cruise was purchased impulsively and I still have a fare amount to learn about cruising. I did not pay enough attention to the itinerary and will go back to that region again on a different cruise. So I would look closely at itinerary and ports. Cruisecritic is helpful in this area.

Best wishes.
Vic
tibbitts
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Re: World Cruise Recommendations

Post by tibbitts »

Watty wrote: Thu Jun 17, 2021 1:19 pm You might need to piece them together but it might be better to take a series of flights around the world where you can stop for a week or longer at some of the interesting locations.

...

You can research it on the internet but more people then you might expect die on cruise ships especially in cruises that attract older people. I suspect that many of them might have survived if they could have promptly gotten to a hospital.
I'd say it would be different, but not necessarily better or worse, to do the same trip by air. Much of the attraction of cruises is going back to the same cabin every night and not having to pack and unpack. If you're traveling around the world by air you may be lugging both hot and cold weather clothing to all your stops, as well as items you'd want in some places but not in others. You can use shipping services, of course, but that's an added complication. But what it comes down to is that for many people, air travel is, well, just unpleasant - it's bad enough having to tolerate it to reach a cruise port if you have to do that.

Having utilized medical services on a cruise, including in a life-threatening situation (for someone I was traveling with), they certainly aren't equal to a medical center, but a lot of people in the U.S. don't live near one of those either. And if you're close to shore you may have similar access to decent medical facilities as you would at home. If you're far away from land - well, you have access to better facilities on a ship than you do on an aircraft, balanced against being farther time-wise from better care. Realistically I think the only argument you can make is that some people might survive if they don't travel at all, which is probably the case. If you cruise enough you do see some people die and others being taken away to medical facilities frequently, but I don't think more often than if they'd engaged in similar activities in an unfamiliar environment that wasn't a ship. In most situations, staying home is safer than travel, in lots of ways.
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Re: World Cruise Recommendations

Post by Gill »

tibbitts wrote: Thu Jun 17, 2021 1:00 pm
candb wrote: Thu Jun 17, 2021 12:55 pm
stan1 wrote: Thu Jun 17, 2021 12:47 pm What is the longest cruise you have been on before? I'd recommend a 30 day cruise before committing to a world cruise. Being on a ship for a month let alone 90-110 days is not the same as 7-14 days.
Good point. We were starting to think the same thing...30 days might be a good entry point. We've only been on one cruise so far, and that was for 7 days.
Even 14 days is different from 7. The longer the cruise, the worse the implications of something going wrong. On the other hand I do see the appeal of a world cruise, and might have considered one before the pandemic, partly just to avoid flying.
Some of the world cruises are as long as 180 days although they sometimes offer booking segments for less time. Our longest cruise was 27 days and my wife vowed never again. The ultimate test seems to be six or seven consecutive days at sea without stopping at a port or seeing land. I always enjoyed long sea days but it can be a bit tiring confined to the ship for that length of time just watching the ocean go by.
Gill
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Re: World Cruise Recommendations

Post by RadAudit »

candb wrote: Thu Jun 17, 2021 12:30 pm I think we might be leaning towards some of the Viking offerings - smaller ships and it looks like their rooms seem to be larger on average.
Both good points. OTOH, you may wish to check out the options for nightly entertainment before you commit.
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Re: World Cruise Recommendations

Post by THY4373 »

tibbitts wrote: Thu Jun 17, 2021 2:19 pm If you're traveling around the world by air you may be lugging both hot and cold weather clothing to all your stops, as well as items you'd want in some places but not in others. You can use shipping services, of course, but that's an added complication. But what it comes down to is that for many people, air travel is, well, just unpleasant - it's bad enough having to tolerate it to reach a cruise port if you have to do that.
Some of this depends on how you travel. I can operate indefinitely out of a small 30L backpack that will fit under most airline seats or in the overhead bin. Layers of clothings are the secret to covering multiple weather conditions. I can do about 3.5 seasons with one bag. For example I did one trip where the first week was in Europe in January followed by the second week in the UAE and had zero issues. Air travel is not a lot of fun these days but I'd rather spend more time exploring a place than getting there but I totally can see how others would prefer the reverse. If you can make the leap to travelling light it can totally change your perspective on travel but I admit it comes with its own tradeoffs.
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Re: World Cruise Recommendations

Post by tibbitts »

THY4373 wrote: Thu Jun 17, 2021 2:32 pm
tibbitts wrote: Thu Jun 17, 2021 2:19 pm If you're traveling around the world by air you may be lugging both hot and cold weather clothing to all your stops, as well as items you'd want in some places but not in others. You can use shipping services, of course, but that's an added complication. But what it comes down to is that for many people, air travel is, well, just unpleasant - it's bad enough having to tolerate it to reach a cruise port if you have to do that.
Some of this depends on how you travel. I can operate indefinitely out of a small 30L backpack that will fit under most airline seats or in the overhead bin. Layers of clothings are the secret to covering multiple weather conditions. I can do about 3.5 seasons with one bag. For example I did one trip where the first week was in Europe in January followed by the second week in the UAE and had zero issues. Air travel is not a lot of fun these days but I'd rather spend more time exploring a place than getting there but I totally can see how others would prefer the reverse. If you can make the leap to travelling light it can totally change your perspective on travel but I admit it comes with its own tradeoffs.
I need more than a 30L backpack just for my tripod and part of my below-average-size camera equipment, not even considering any clothing.
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Re: World Cruise Recommendations

Post by tibbitts »

RadAudit wrote: Thu Jun 17, 2021 2:27 pm
candb wrote: Thu Jun 17, 2021 12:30 pm I think we might be leaning towards some of the Viking offerings - smaller ships and it looks like their rooms seem to be larger on average.
Both good points. OTOH, you may wish to check out the options for nightly entertainment before you commit.
I can see the appeal of smaller ships more if you're stopping at ports continuously or doing "expedition" activities, less so for ocean crossings.
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Re: World Cruise Recommendations

Post by tibbitts »

Gill wrote: Thu Jun 17, 2021 2:21 pm
tibbitts wrote: Thu Jun 17, 2021 1:00 pm
candb wrote: Thu Jun 17, 2021 12:55 pm
stan1 wrote: Thu Jun 17, 2021 12:47 pm What is the longest cruise you have been on before? I'd recommend a 30 day cruise before committing to a world cruise. Being on a ship for a month let alone 90-110 days is not the same as 7-14 days.
Good point. We were starting to think the same thing...30 days might be a good entry point. We've only been on one cruise so far, and that was for 7 days.
Even 14 days is different from 7. The longer the cruise, the worse the implications of something going wrong. On the other hand I do see the appeal of a world cruise, and might have considered one before the pandemic, partly just to avoid flying.
Some of the world cruises are as long as 180 days although they sometimes offer booking segments for less time. Our longest cruise was 27 days and my wife vowed never again. The ultimate test seems to be six or seven consecutive days at sea without stopping at a port or seeing land. I always enjoyed long sea days but it can be a bit tiring confined to the ship for that length of time just watching the ocean go by.
Gill
I think most have been in the 100-130 day range in the past. I agree that you have to have a certain personality to be satisfied with the ship's facilities during consecutive sea days, so that's a consideration. Having at least decent internet, or not, would matter a lot, at least for me. Also if you're traveling by yourself vs. with another person, that can be a factor, especially if you're on a smaller ship where very few if any other passengers are traveling alone.
Random Poster
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Re: World Cruise Recommendations

Post by Random Poster »

Watty wrote: Thu Jun 17, 2021 1:19 pm I am not a "cruise person" but one of the drawbacks of a cruise is that you are mostly limited to things that are near the coast. If you are going to the Caribbean and enjoy seeing different beaches that is OK but you might be missing out on a lot of the inland attractions with an around the world cruise.

You might need to piece them together but it might be better to take a series of flights around the world where you can stop for a week or longer at some of the interesting locations.
Not what the OP asked, but that is basically what I did and why I did it.

I was interested in doing a world cruise and thought that the itineraries all sounded exciting, but realized that for the price of an inside, bottom-class cabin ($30k-ish, at the time, as I recall), I could see not just the ports but whole parts of the same countries visited. And take a longer trip.

So I bought an around-the-world airline ticket and took off on my own around the world trip, with just a backpack mostly. Plus a passport and an ATM card, of course.

Whole trip took about 9 months and came in at around $20k, I think.

Of course, you have to be your own tour guide and there is no guaranteed buffet for dinner each night, but it gives you a lot more freedom in going where and seeing what you want, for as long as you want. And you don’t have to dress up for dinner either.
curmudgeon
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Re: World Cruise Recommendations

Post by curmudgeon »

Gill wrote: Thu Jun 17, 2021 2:21 pm
tibbitts wrote: Thu Jun 17, 2021 1:00 pm
candb wrote: Thu Jun 17, 2021 12:55 pm
stan1 wrote: Thu Jun 17, 2021 12:47 pm What is the longest cruise you have been on before? I'd recommend a 30 day cruise before committing to a world cruise. Being on a ship for a month let alone 90-110 days is not the same as 7-14 days.
Good point. We were starting to think the same thing...30 days might be a good entry point. We've only been on one cruise so far, and that was for 7 days.
Even 14 days is different from 7. The longer the cruise, the worse the implications of something going wrong. On the other hand I do see the appeal of a world cruise, and might have considered one before the pandemic, partly just to avoid flying.
Some of the world cruises are as long as 180 days although they sometimes offer booking segments for less time. Our longest cruise was 27 days and my wife vowed never again. The ultimate test seems to be six or seven consecutive days at sea without stopping at a port or seeing land. I always enjoyed long sea days but it can be a bit tiring confined to the ship for that length of time just watching the ocean go by.
Gill
My wife was dubious about anything longer than seven days, but then we did a couple of 10-12 day ones that she really liked. We may try a 20 day segment (there's one that looks interesting to us next spring) next. I suspect she'd get pretty itchy on a long stretch of sea days, though. We tend to be very much into the ports, but I know other folks who just like the relaxation and the service and don't always even bother to get off the ship.

One of the other issues that can come into play is weather conditions at some of these smaller ports. Visiting someplace like Pitcairn Island or Saint Helena can sound fascinating on the itinerary, but tendering operations require smooth seas and the schedule doesn't allow time to hang around and try again the next day. I've heard that some of the more "open ocean" island stops end up with less than 50% success rate for having sea conditions meeting the cruise line requirements to allow landings.

On the flip side, on these world cruises it's not unusual to have options for extended shore excursions (like an African safari or such) where you rejoin the ship a couple of days later at another port, so you aren't necessarily restricted to just what is in the immediate area of the port.
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Re: World Cruise Recommendations

Post by tibbitts »

Random Poster wrote: Thu Jun 17, 2021 2:59 pm ...

So I bought an around-the-world airline ticket and took off on my own around the world trip, with just a backpack mostly. Plus a passport and an ATM card, of course.

Whole trip took about 9 months and came in at around $20k, I think.

Of course, you have to be your own tour guide and there is no guaranteed buffet for dinner each night, but it gives you a lot more freedom in going where and seeing what you want, for as long as you want. And you don’t have to dress up for dinner either.
I've never had such a ticket but my understanding was that you have change fees, so "as long as you want" does involved added costs. Also I think it depends on the comfort level you have being by yourself in other countries and your comfort level with different types of lodging. You definitely have to do a lot more research for the airline approach. There is no way I could pay for a 1-year ticket plus lodging and food I'd want for $20k. The food can be an adventure when you travel, which can be a pro and a con. When I'm on a cruise, the ability to always eat instantly on the ship at most times without having to think much about food sources or safety is an advantage to me. Often I don't want to waste time eating during the day, so even with a long day I can come back exhausted and always have food readily available that I don't have to search for. Incidentally I never gain weight on a cruise, due to all the activity, and relatively healthy food options are always available. The dressing for dinner thing, or even eating at certain times, isn't really a thing any longer on most cruise lines.
Random Poster
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Re: World Cruise Recommendations

Post by Random Poster »

tibbitts wrote: Thu Jun 17, 2021 3:52 pm
I've never had such a ticket but my understanding was that you have change fees, so "as long as you want" does involved added costs.
It is possible that things have changed, but my ticket was through the OneWorld alliance (American Airlines, British Airlines, QANTAS, Cathay, etc) and there were no change fees, at least as to flight times. You had to use the entire ticket up in a year and had some routing restrictions, but they were pretty easy for me to work around.

Again, it has been a while, but there used to be “Circle Pacific” tickets and mileage based tickets through Star Alliance (United, ANZ, etc, I think). Maybe they still have them? Anyway, the pricing was usually pretty good on them.

And then there is AirTreks, which I think does one-way tickets to create an around the world trip.

I suppose though if someone really wanted total freedom and wasn’t much of a planner, they’d just buy one-way tickets on an as-needed basis. Or round-trip ones but throw away the return portion upon arrival.
Last edited by Random Poster on Thu Jun 17, 2021 4:15 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: World Cruise Recommendations

Post by Cruise »

candb wrote: Thu Jun 17, 2021 12:55 pm
stan1 wrote: Thu Jun 17, 2021 12:47 pm What is the longest cruise you have been on before? I'd recommend a 30 day cruise before committing to a world cruise. Being on a ship for a month let alone 90-110 days is not the same as 7-14 days.
Good point. We were starting to think the same thing...30 days might be a good entry point. We've only been on one cruise so far, and that was for 7 days.
My wife and I started cruising with a 6-day, then went to a 9-day, then a 12-day, and ultimately we jumped to 20 and 21 day cruises. We have found that after three weeks on a cruise ship--even a luxury one--we are a bit tired of not being in our own bed, cooking our own food, and in our own routines.

If you are going on a long cruise--however defined--suggest you purchase as much luxury as you can afford. Seabourn works for us.

ETA: I'd recommend that you try a short cruise on a specific ship that sails the world cruise route, trying the specific cabin which interests you. I've been on some (non-Seabourn) cabins which smelled of sewage because vents from maintenance areas were upwind of our cabin. Bad enough on a short cruise...
THY4373
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Re: World Cruise Recommendations

Post by THY4373 »

Random Poster wrote: Thu Jun 17, 2021 4:14 pm It is possible that things have changed, but my ticket was through the OneWorld alliance (American Airlines, British Airlines, QANTAS, Cathay, etc) and there were no change fees, at least as to flight times. You had to use the entire ticket up in a year and had some routing restrictions, but they were pretty easy for me to work around.

Again, it has been a while, but there used to be “Circle Pacific” tickets and mileage based tickets through Star Alliance (United, ANZ, etc, I think). Maybe they still have them? Anyway, the pricing was usually pretty good on them.

And then there is AirTreks, which I think does one-way tickets to create an around the world trip.

I suppose though if someone really wanted total freedom and wasn’t much of a planner, they’d just buy one-way tickets on an as-needed basis. Or round-trip ones but throw away the return portion upon arrival.
Another way to do this is with airline points if you have them. I frequently connect together multiple one-way tickets on airline points to cover a lot of ground (and try out a bunch of different airlines). Points have the added advantage to me of allowing me to frequently go in business or first class long haul. Flying is less of a pain when you are up front (in fact it is sometimes downright enjoyable). Points tickets usually have no or low change/cancellation fees. You can also do around the world tickets on points as well but I haven't done that yet due to the fact I still work and just don't have the time for that yet.
BuddyJet
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Re: World Cruise Recommendations

Post by BuddyJet »

candb wrote: Thu Jun 17, 2021 12:30 pm Hello,

my wife and I are considering taking a world cruise sometime in 2022 or maybe later, depending on how the pandemic continues to play out.

It looks like there's many options - from itineraries, length of cruise to different cruise lines. I think we might be leaning towards some of the Viking offerings - smaller ships and it looks like their rooms seem to be larger on average.

I'd be interested in hearing other people's experiences and recommendations for these longer cruises!
While I've never taken a cruise over three weeks long, I have been on several different lines.

Personal style and budget will drive the decisions so my choices may not be yours.

I'd tend to go for a larger room , if possible due to the length of time onboard as well as the number of sea days.

For the line, my considerations would be small ship with fewer activities and food choices but larger groups on tours and restaurants. Personally, my wife and I are smaller ship people.

My other factor in line selection would be the way the line treats the passengers when things go wrong. Our most cared for feeling was from Viking (river, not ocean) and Silversea. We felt unsupported by Regent and Oceania but we love the Oceania Suite room.

Hope this helps the thinking process.
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StevieG72
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Re: World Cruise Recommendations

Post by StevieG72 »

My longest and most enjoyable cruise was 12 days. I would not want to take anything shorter than 7 days. I too would like to take a world cruise in retirement, due diligence in regards to cruise line itinerary etc. could take some time.
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tibbitts
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Re: World Cruise Recommendations

Post by tibbitts »

StevieG72 wrote: Thu Jun 17, 2021 5:21 pm My longest and most enjoyable cruise was 12 days. I would not want to take anything shorter than 7 days. I too would like to take a world cruise in retirement, due diligence in regards to cruise line itinerary etc. could take some time.
But I don't think as much time or due diligence as planning an equivalent trip on your own.
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Re: World Cruise Recommendations

Post by tibbitts »

Cruise wrote: Thu Jun 17, 2021 4:14 pm
candb wrote: Thu Jun 17, 2021 12:55 pm
stan1 wrote: Thu Jun 17, 2021 12:47 pm What is the longest cruise you have been on before? I'd recommend a 30 day cruise before committing to a world cruise. Being on a ship for a month let alone 90-110 days is not the same as 7-14 days.
Good point. We were starting to think the same thing...30 days might be a good entry point. We've only been on one cruise so far, and that was for 7 days.
My wife and I started cruising with a 6-day, then went to a 9-day, then a 12-day, and ultimately we jumped to 20 and 21 day cruises. We have found that after three weeks on a cruise ship--even a luxury one--we are a bit tired of not being in our own bed, cooking our own food, and in our own routines.

If you are going on a long cruise--however defined--suggest you purchase as much luxury as you can afford. Seabourn works for us.

ETA: I'd recommend that you try a short cruise on a specific ship that sails the world cruise route, trying the specific cabin which interests you. I've been on some (non-Seabourn) cabins which smelled of sewage because vents from maintenance areas were upwind of our cabin. Bad enough on a short cruise...
After a week I usually develop a certain sentimental attachment to the room, bed, etc. The buffet food is a superset of what I eat at home and you sort of make it yourself (salad, for example) so not that much different for me. If you have some things you really want that the ship doesn't have, sometimes you can buy it in port. Or at least you usually could pre-pandemic (sealed boxes, that is.) But I don't know how I'd react after a month or more.

Absolutely your example of sewage is a real problem that you can't plan for and it would be terrible to get stuck for a long cruise (or a short one even.) But it's not much different than leasing a residence for example - that's a risk too.
THY4373
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Re: World Cruise Recommendations

Post by THY4373 »

tibbitts wrote: Thu Jun 17, 2021 5:26 pm
StevieG72 wrote: Thu Jun 17, 2021 5:21 pm My longest and most enjoyable cruise was 12 days. I would not want to take anything shorter than 7 days. I too would like to take a world cruise in retirement, due diligence in regards to cruise line itinerary etc. could take some time.
But I don't think as much time or due diligence as planning an equivalent trip on your own.
Of course it isn't but then you give up a lot of control. If I do my own thing, I spend more time planning but I get to do exactly what I want. But I can also see the other side as well. It is a chose your poison situation. For me I love the planning and seeing exactly what I want to see. When I went to Egypt for two weeks in 2019. I completely designed my own itinerary to see every bit of ancient Egypt I could lay my hands on. I didn't want a Nile cruise, I didn't want time in a resort on the Red Sea (did that already when I was in Jordan a few years before). I planned everything out exactly the way I wanted it. Then hired a private guide and driver to make it so. Some of the most amazing things were the sights I literally had to myself off the beaten track. Basically there is no equivalent cruise or canned tour to what I want to do 95% of the time.
Last edited by THY4373 on Thu Jun 17, 2021 6:00 pm, edited 2 times in total.
alexander29
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Re: World Cruise Recommendations

Post by alexander29 »

We were on the 2021 Seabourn world cruise. While it was halted midway by COVID, the small ship (450 passengers), the high crew to guest ratio, (1 to 1.3) and the lectures, excursions, entertainment and food made it ideal. For such a long voyage, you want to select a cruise line that you know you like and research carefully what is, and is not, included. A luxury all-inclusive may be competitive with a cheaper voyage that requires more spending aboard, but it can take some research to compare. (A good speciality travel agent can help.) You should also be sure you enjoy sea days, which are the days crossing oceans without visiting a port. For us, it was a wonderful experience that ended too soon, but it's a long time aboard.

To book early 2022 might still be a gamble because of COVID. Will the listed ports be open? Can you explore on land? For example, Australia and New Zealand will probably still be shut this coming winter. Early 2023 could be a safer bet.
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David Jay
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Re: World Cruise Recommendations

Post by David Jay »

candb wrote: Thu Jun 17, 2021 12:55 pm
stan1 wrote: Thu Jun 17, 2021 12:47 pm What is the longest cruise you have been on before? I'd recommend a 30 day cruise before committing to a world cruise. Being on a ship for a month let alone 90-110 days is not the same as 7-14 days.
Good point. We were starting to think the same thing...30 days might be a good entry point. We've only been on one cruise so far, and that was for 7 days.
We have friends are avid cruisers who love 14 day cruises - we joined them for a 14 day repositioning cruise from Rome to Ft. Lauderdale.

They went from CA to Hawaii and on to Micronesia and ended up in Australia. The lady found that she "wanted out" after 4 weeks. So yes, a 30 day is a good test trip. A nice 28 day trip might be a back-to-back, say a 14 day in the Mediterranean combined with a 14 day repositioning to the US.
It's not an engineering problem - Hersh Shefrin | To get the "risk premium", you really do have to take the risk - nisiprius
tibbitts
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Re: World Cruise Recommendations

Post by tibbitts »

THY4373 wrote: Thu Jun 17, 2021 5:57 pm
tibbitts wrote: Thu Jun 17, 2021 5:26 pm
StevieG72 wrote: Thu Jun 17, 2021 5:21 pm My longest and most enjoyable cruise was 12 days. I would not want to take anything shorter than 7 days. I too would like to take a world cruise in retirement, due diligence in regards to cruise line itinerary etc. could take some time.
But I don't think as much time or due diligence as planning an equivalent trip on your own.
Of course it isn't but then you give up a lot of control. If I do my own thing, I spend more time planning but I get to do exactly what I want. But I can also see the other side as well. It is a chose your poison situation. For me I love the planning and seeing exactly what I want to see. When I went to Egypt for two weeks in 2019. I completely designed my own itinerary to see every bit of ancient Egypt I could lay my hands on. I didn't want a Nile cruise, I didn't want time in a resort on the Red Sea (did that already when I was in Jordan a few years before). I planned everything out exactly the way I wanted it. Then hired a private guide and driver to make it so. Some of the most amazing things were the sights I literally had to myself off the beaten track. Basically there is no equivalent cruise or canned tour to what I want to do 95% of the time.
Probably most people do some combination. For example on some cruises I've hired a local guide to show me places I'm interested in. Other times I've found very small group (like three-person) tours that I've enjoyed. I agree that large-group tours aren't always the best. Sometimes with a limited time I can see more of the things I'm interested in by hiring a local guide than going on my own.
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candb
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Re: World Cruise Recommendations

Post by candb »

Thank you for all the thoughts and recommendations! Definitely a lot to consider. Trying out shorter trips first, paying up for as much luxury as possible on a really long trip, and maybe waiting until 2023 instead of 2022 due to Covid....well, and a lot of research!
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Artsdoctor
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Re: World Cruise Recommendations

Post by Artsdoctor »

I definitely won't get into the medical aspects of decision-making when it comes to cruises, but there are at least two things I would really, really watch for. First, make sure you understand what exactly happens if you pay and can't go; there are several trip cancellation insurance policies but some are better than others. Second, I would strongly urge you to consider repatriation insurance; if you have to be hospitalized somewhere, figure out how you'd get back. Third, you'd want to find out exactly what policies are in place by the cruise line to keep crew and passengers as safe as possible.
stlrick
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Re: World Cruise Recommendations

Post by stlrick »

curmudgeon wrote: Thu Jun 17, 2021 1:11 pm Before committing to that long of a trip, I'd be inclined to try a shorter segment on the cruise line of interest, to see how it matches up to my expectations. Note that the passenger profile on a long cruise is likely to be significantly different that what you find on a one-week Barbados or Iceland cruise.
This is extremely important. Cruise lines differ greatly in their environment, demographics of passengers, and other features of daily life onboard. We have been on lines where we could not wait to get off, and others where we could not wait to get back on. You don't need to go on several different lines, but you certainly need to be confident that you like the one you will be on. You can't do that without first experiencing it on a 7-14 day cruise.
Glamdring
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Re: World Cruise Recommendations

Post by Glamdring »

Does anyone have any Cunard experiences?

I have done many one to three week cruises and enjoyed them My only observation is that many of their passengers are VERY elderly and handicapped. I was often not sure if I was on a cruise or visiting a British nursing home.
Jeepergeo
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Re: World Cruise Recommendations

Post by Jeepergeo »

candb wrote: Thu Jun 17, 2021 12:30 pm Hello,

my wife and I are considering taking a world cruise sometime in 2022 or maybe later, depending on how the pandemic continues to play out.

It looks like there's many options - from itineraries, length of cruise to different cruise lines. I think we might be leaning towards some of the Viking offerings - smaller ships and it looks like their rooms seem to be larger on average.

I'd be interested in hearing other people's experiences and recommendations for these longer cruises!
Have you cruised before? If not, trying out a shorter cruise would be beneficial. Some folks love cruising and some folks hate it.

I've been on a couple, and while I enjoyed both, I could not see myself going longer than 7 days. The shipboard routine can become monotonous, and the other guests can become tiresome.

A lot will depend on what you want out of the cruise experience and whether you pick a cruiseline that is set up to deliver your desired experience. Each cruiseline has its own personality, so choose carefully.

Shipboard health should be a concern. My folks and grandfather took a three+ week excursion up and down the coast and around the tip of South America. About a week and a half in, grandpa did not feel well, and with a week to go the on board doc diagnosed a heart issue and ordered bed rest. Fortunately, the cruise ship did not take grandpa off in Argentina...which they might have done if they had the correct diagnosis. He got progressively worse, and a medical team was called to take him off ship in San Diego. Well, it turned out it was not a heart issue at all, but rather a bad case of MERSA. Grandpa spent 8 weeks in the hospital and recovery center, but at least he survived as was able to recover in the US.

Scripts in San Diego could not believe the mis-diagnosis by the cruise doctor. Once reported to the cruise line, they had to notify all passengers...what a mess. We never learned how many others contracted MERSA on that ship, but given the timing, Scripts assurred us that grandpa contracted the MERSA while on the cruise and that the ship doc should have diagnosed the issue and taken appropriate measures, but totally failed.

After that, I've decided against cruising as I don't want to be couped up in an incubator full of vectors and potential diseases. If I go again, it would be on a very small specialty ship with relatively few passengers and no more than 7 days.
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candb
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Re: World Cruise Recommendations

Post by candb »

Jeepergeo wrote: Fri Jun 18, 2021 10:50 am
candb wrote: Thu Jun 17, 2021 12:30 pm Hello,

my wife and I are considering taking a world cruise sometime in 2022 or maybe later, depending on how the pandemic continues to play out.

It looks like there's many options - from itineraries, length of cruise to different cruise lines. I think we might be leaning towards some of the Viking offerings - smaller ships and it looks like their rooms seem to be larger on average.

I'd be interested in hearing other people's experiences and recommendations for these longer cruises!
Have you cruised before? If not, trying out a shorter cruise would be beneficial. Some folks love cruising and some folks hate it.

I've been on a couple, and while I enjoyed both, I could not see myself going longer than 7 days. The shipboard routine can become monotonous, and the other guests can become tiresome.

A lot will depend on what you want out of the cruise experience and whether you pick a cruiseline that is set up to deliver your desired experience. Each cruiseline has its own personality, so choose carefully.

Shipboard health should be a concern. My folks and grandfather took a three+ week excursion up and down the coast and around the tip of South America. About a week and a half in, grandpa did not feel well, and with a week to go the on board doc diagnosed a heart issue and ordered bed rest. Fortunately, the cruise ship did not take grandpa off in Argentina...which they might have done if they had the correct diagnosis. He got progressively worse, and a medical team was called to take him off ship in San Diego. Well, it turned out it was not a heart issue at all, but rather a bad case of MERSA. Grandpa spent 8 weeks in the hospital and recovery center, but at least he survived as was able to recover in the US.

Scripts in San Diego could not believe the mis-diagnosis by the cruise doctor. Once reported to the cruise line, they had to notify all passengers...what a mess. We never learned how many others contracted MERSA on that ship, but given the timing, Scripts assurred us that grandpa contracted the MERSA while on the cruise and that the ship doc should have diagnosed the issue and taken appropriate measures, but totally failed.

After that, I've decided against cruising as I don't want to be couped up in an incubator full of vectors and potential diseases. If I go again, it would be on a very small specialty ship with relatively few passengers and no more than 7 days.
We have only been on one 7 day cruise. We enjoyed it, but we're not huge cruise fans. I just thought that an around the world cruise might be an interesting once in a lifetime thing to do. The potential medical issues are definitely something to consider...especially if you're gone for 60 or 90 days or more. Glad your grandpa ended up being ok.
SunRainSnow
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Re: World Cruise Recommendations

Post by SunRainSnow »

Wife and I enjoyed five week long cruises and always thought one of those round the world cruises would be a great thing to do when we had the time. Then we took a 15 day cruise and by day 11 we were ready to be done, couldn't wait to get off the ship at the end and get home! We'd never have guessed that'd be the cast after our enjoyable week long ones. Just glad we didn't jump right into a world cruise on the back of those week long ones!
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