Royal Caribbean's 9-month world cruise is getting attention for "drama", but it's nothing new

Table Of Content

• Passengers Open Up About What It’s Like to Go on a 9-Month Cruise Around the World
• Israeli strikes on southern Gaza city of Rafah kill 22, mostly children, as U.S. advances aid package
• 'How much time do we have?': 'Contamination' in Prairie groundwater identified
• Is This Trip Too Good To Be True?
• What is the starting price for the Ultimate World Cruise and its 4 individual segments?

The cruise which is labeled as "the most epic world cruise ever to set sail" by Royal Caribbean includes trips to all the 7 wonders of the world and 60+ countries with 274 nights on board. Currently, the cruise is sailing near the coast of Japan and is set to make a stop in Vietnam later this month. But travelers were not required to book the entire nine-month duration of the cruise. Instead, they were able to purchase either a nine- to 28-night duration aboard the ship or one of the four segments of the trip, rather than booking the entire trip, Royal Caribbean's website states. “Imagine eating unlimited cruise food for nine months, like what that’s going to do to your body. I just worry people aren’t going to pace themselves and it’s going to be really hard on their bodies.

Passengers Open Up About What It’s Like to Go on a 9-Month Cruise Around the World

In the wake of the pandemic, some round-the-world cruises opted to continue their months-long voyages -- just without any passenger stops -- due to closed ports and increasing concerns around COVID. It would've been unthinkable 12 months ago as the cruise industry reeled from the effects of Covid, but one operator is now offering an epic new voyage that will last nine months and take travelers to more than 150 destinations. I've been on three cruises and each one couldn't be more different from the other. The very first cruise I dipped my toes into lasted a full two weeks and took us to Spain, Greece, Italy, and Egypt.

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On a world cruise you can sit back and relax , because all these questions have already been answered. You just choose the route with the most interesting places for you and organise your journey to the starting harbour. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if you could discover the world, from America to Asia, without having to plan it all yourself?

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Aside from the whole nine months, or the duration of an entire leg, travelers had the option to book a nine-to-28-night voyage. Well, free with the entry-level $53,999 price for passage aboard the Symphony of the Seas, which will reportedly carry 27,000 guests in total over the four legs of the trip, while more than 600 were booked for the entire itinerary. All sorts of videos started popping up, and when it was time to board the ship, even more videos got posted and there's been 9 million views on the platform. But before you share that article that there's drama on the world cruise, here's a reality check. As soon as the ship set sail, it seemed to ignite an overnight sensation on TikTok among people who were intrigued by the notion of spending almost a year on a cruise ship.

Is This Trip Too Good To Be True?

Passenger Dies During 9-Month Royal Caribbean Cruise - TODAY

Passenger Dies During 9-Month Royal Caribbean Cruise.

Posted: Tue, 13 Feb 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]

On a nine-month cruise, your fellow passengers aren’t just incidental travel companions bound together by proximity, they’re like neighbors in adjacent apartments in a floating shared community. They’re not just people you might run into at dinner once or twice during the week, they’re semi-permanent fixtures of your world for nine months, with whom you’ll have the time to form actual relationships. The cruise differs from a typical seven-night voyage in several crucial ways.

Viking Cruises scheduled a 245-day trip from August 2019 to May 2020 on board Viking Sun, but this voyage was cut short when COVID-19 shut down the cruise industry in Spring 2020. Your epic journey around the world, of course, is sure to come with plenty of new-to-you destinations. From world wonders such as the Pyramids of Giza and the Great Wall of China to sun-dappled islands from French Polynesia to Greece, the array and diversity of horizons you sail to is unparalleled.

It’s seven continents, more than 60 countries, 8 World Wonders, and endless adventures — all one voyage. And after all that sailing toward Antarctica, the passengers weren't able to actually set foot on the icy continent. Brandee Lake, 46, and sister Shannon, 42, are sharing a state room while on the trip with their retired parents.

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This is your chance to dive deeper into the world’s most remarkable destinations on 16 unique, immersive sailings ranging from 9 to 28 nights. Besides Royal Caribbean, operators like Regent Seven Seas Cruises and Azamara also operate world cruises, albeit more expensive and much shorter. But the third and fourth segments, the "Ultimate Middle East and Mediterranean" and "Ultimate Europe and Beyond" itineraries, respectively, are still available to book. If you're one of the many people captivated by this nine-month cruise, you too can join the sailing. "This is the world cruise of world cruises," said Michael Bayley, president and CEO of Royal Caribbean International. "To travelers asking themselves where they should go next, we say everywhere."

Royal Caribbean's 9-month world cruise is getting attention for "drama", but it's nothing new

Built in 2003, this Radiance-class ship is one of the smaller ships in the Royal Caribbean fleet, with a guest capacity of 2,466. Take in the largest Art Deco sculpture in the world, Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro. Behold the largest waterfall system on the planet, Iguazú Falls near Buenos Aires. And explore Machu Picchu, one of the most iconic symbols of Peru’s ancient Inca heritage.

The young couple, who are among the many TikTok enthusiasts aboard, explained that they decided to go for it after Alé's father died of cancer at 57. A "deluxe beverage package," wash-and-fold laundry service and Wi-Fi are among the included amenities. And while the cruise has been going viral since it was first announced in 2021, it made more unfortunate headlines following the death of a passenger this month. But if even the very idea of a 274-night cruise has you reaching for Dramamine, you can always just stay on land and scroll TikTok. Then there's a video by Little Rat Brain that showed what her cabin looked like, and it has 1.4 million views.

But in reading through the comments and looking at the videos, what we're basically seeing is people post about things that happen on any vacation when you have a lot of people together in one place. In the lead up the world cruise, a number of people booked on the cruise started publishing videos about the cruise and used the #RoyalCaribbeanUltimateWorldCruise hashtag. Like so many things on social media, a bigger deal was made out of it than it really is.

Mainly – you’re not just on a short-lived vacation with your fellow passengers. You’ve essentially moved into a floating apartment building with them for almost a full year. You’re also putting your real life, relationships, and potentially careers, on hold. Who can just depart from their everyday responsibilities for a 9-month jaunt around the world? Sailing the world with many of the same passengers offers an unprecendented bonding experience with like-minded travelers.

"We were like, 'Well, we can do it. We don't have a mortgage right now. We don't have kids yet,'" Andrew said. "We're just in a season of life where we could actually take nine months off and see the world." Royal Caribbean enlisted the Radiance-class Serenade of the Seas, which holds 2,490 guests and 891 crew, for the Ultimate World Cruise experience. The 274-night Ultimate World Cruise is scheduled to visit more than 150 ports of call in 65 countries on all seven continents, according to Royal Caribbean.

The internet may be freaking out about the drama that may or may not occur on Serenade of the Seas. But there's no reason to believe this is really anything out of the ordinary. While there will certainly be people who get in trouble, annoyances, or other instances of guests behaving badly, this is not unique to a world cruise by any means. I'm not sure what constitutes "something big", but misbehaving guests, accidents, and strange occurrences happen on pretty much every cruise (and high school, theme park, or Starbucks) around the world.

Explore Hawaii and discover the crystal-clear waters of Mo’orea and Tahiti in unspoiled French Polynesia. Set out for Australia’s Great Barrier Reef — the only living thing on the planet that’s visible from space. Trek from pristine natural beauty in Bali to one of the most iconic man-made World Wonders, the Great Wall of China. And discover the unparalleled culture and modern architecture of Tokyo, then take in one of the most breathtaking sights in the world — The Taj Mahal.