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Round-the-world itineraries are the hottest selling cruises today. Teresa Ooi discovers why these voyages are booking out so quickly. TAKE THE LONG WAY ROUND
This is one of the most surprising trends of the post-pandemic travel booking bonanza: far from shunning long trips, cashed-up cruisers can’t get enough of world voyages.
And the longer the better. For many wealthy retirees, cruising the world on a luxury liner for more than 100 nights with everything taken care of – from food and wine to entertainment and shore excursions – is the ultimate holiday of a lifetime.
Perhaps it’s the convenience of not having to negotiate multiple airports; perhaps it is ticking off multiple bucket- list places in one trip; or perhaps there is an element of “revenge spending” after a year of being cooped up by COVID.
Booking early for a world cruise often comes with extra bonuses thrown in – think onboard credit, included fl ights, discounts and fi rst choice of cabins – but you need to be quick.
It looks like months of isolation have sparked a renewed interest in world cruises departing as far out as 2023.
When cruise itineraries were cancelled because of the pandemic, many lines gave future cruise credits (FCC) instead of refunds, and it wasn’t long before avid cruisers began using their credits to book world cruises.
Viking Cruises has already sold out its 2021/2022 and 2022/2023 world cruises – a record for the premium line.
“Longer itineraries are resonating most with Australian consumers who are wanting to make up for lost time,” says Michelle Black, Viking’s managing director ANZ.
Luxury line Regent Seven Seas Cruises’ 2023 world itinerary has also sold out because of “pent-up demand for future travel among Australians and Kiwis for the line’s Grand Voyages, including Oceania’s extended journeys spanning many weeks and across multiple continents,” says an RSSC spokesperson.
The joys of cruising all the way around the globe while enjoying lavish dinners, gala balls and bucket-list destinations has never been more attractive – even if it’s all conducted in post-pandemic socially distanced decorum.
Here’s a look at what’s on offer:
/ REGENT SEVEN SEAS CRUISES The 143-night world cruise in 2023 will explore South America, the South Pacifi c Islands, Australia, Southeast Asia, India, the Middle East, Africa and Spain, calling at 72 ports over six continents. Guests can also look forward to 356 free shore excursions including 48 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and a transit of the Panama Canal.
The fi ve-month world cruise aboard Regent Seven Seas Mariner departs Miami on 7 January 2023 and ends in Barcelona on 30 May 2023, a voyage of more than 38,000 nautical miles.
Prices range from $77,999 to $208,999 pp, which includes fi rst-class air fare, door-to-door luggage service, unlimited valet laundry, dry-cleaning and pressing, unlimited internet access and premium beverages. The cruise is already sold out, but you can join a waitlist.
/ CUNARD Queen Victoria is sailing a 108-night round-trip world cruise departing Southampton and visiting 30 ports, including Sydney, Brisbane, Cairns, Bermuda, Fort Lauderdale, Aruba, Costa Rica, Mexico, San Francisco, Honolulu, Samoa, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Hong Kong, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, South Africa, Namibia and Spain, and includes a transit of the Panama Canal.
It departs Southampton on 10 January, 2022, and returns on 29 April, 2022, with
prices starting from $27,199 pp for a Britannia inside cabin to $124,099 pp for a Queens Grill suite.
Guests in the top suites will have a butler, a well stocked mini-bar, pre-dinner canapés and a reserved table in the Queens Grill restaurant.
Queen Victoria can accommodate more than 2,000 passengers with 981 crew members at your beck and call. The Royal Court’s singers and dancers put on dazzling West End productions nightly as well as abridged Shakespearean plays, stand-up comedy and other shows.
/ PRINCESS CRUISES Coral Princess is sailing a 107-night round-trip world cruise, departing Sydney and visiting 41 incredible ports and hidden treasures including Singapore, Colombo, the Suez Canal, Mykonos, Rome, Barcelona, Lisbon, Reykjavik, Quebec, Halifax, the Panama Canal, Easter Island, Pitcairn Islands, Bora Bora, Auckland and the Bay of Islands.
The cruise departs Sydney on 4 June, 2023, and will visit 26 countries, 26 UNESCO World Heritage sites and six maiden ports: Elba, Italy; Marseille, France; Malaga, Spain; Tangier, Morocco; Belfast, Northern Ireland; and Invergordon, Scotland. There will also be overnight stays in Dubai, New York and Lima, which means passengers can explore the destinations in more depth.
Prices for the world cruise on the 2,000-passenger Coral Princess with 895 crew starts from $26,599 pp for an inside cabin and $79,999 pp for a suite. / OCEANIA CRUISES It’s around the world in 180 days aboard Insignia departing San Francisco on 15 January, 2023. The voyage will take in 96 ports across 33 countries including 61 UNESCO World Heritage sites, 27 islands and 20 overnight stays.
Passengers will be able to revel in the rhythms of Rio de Janeiro, soak up the paradise of the Seychelles and explore charming Kyoto. There will be exclusive, private onshore events from an immersive Bedouin experience to a candlelight dinner in an ethereal Ha Long Bay grotto.
Other amazing destinations Insignia will visit include Acapulco, Santiago, Ushuaia, Sao Paulo, Salvador, Cape Town, Durban, Dubai, Mumbai, Goa, Cochin, Colombo, Yangon, Penang, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Saigon, Hue, Hanoi, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Tokyo, Juneau and Astoria.
Prices for an inside cabin start at $60,880 pp and, at the higher end, start at $215,980 pp for the Owner’s Suite. / CRYSTAL CRUISES Crystal Serenity is offering a spectacular 128-night world cruise odyssey visiting 70 UNESCO World Heritage marvels, including man-made wonders from the Panama Canal to the temples of Bagan and the pyramids of Giza.
The cruise will also let guests discover pristine islands such as Fiji and the Maldives and wilderness wonders from Papua New Guinea to Africa.
Left, from top: the Viking Star Explorers Lounge; Chureito Pagoda and Mount Fuji, Japan; a colourful boat at Da Nang, Vietnam.
The world cruise departs Miami on 11 Jan, 2023, and ends in Venice on 19 May, 2023. Prices start at $87,639 pp, which includes US$1,000 air credit pp and shipboard credit of US$2,400 pp.
Passengers will cruise to the Bahamas, Central America, South America, including Easter Island, the Pacifi c Islands, Australia, Southeast Asia, Sri Lanka, India, the Maldives, Seychelles, the Middle East, the Mediterranean, Turkey and Croatia. / VIKING OCEAN CRUISES Viking has sold out its 138-day world journey in 2022-2023 onboard the 933-passenger Viking Neptune, which will visit 28 countries, departing Fort Lauderdale on 22 December, 2022, and ending in London on 9 May, 2023.
The voyage will explore French Polynesia, the South Pacifi c, New Zealand and Australia where passengers can immerse in Asia’s cultural treasures and sail the Arabian Sea to discover the ancient antiquities of the Middle East. There will be overnights in 11 destinations.
Prices start at $75,995 pp and run up to $243,995 pp for the owner’s suite. Fares include business class fl ights, US$2,000 pp shore excursions and US$1,000 pp shipboard credit.
From Fort Lauderdale you will cruise to Central America, the US, Bora Bora, New Zealand, Australia, Southeast Asia, Southern Asia, the Middle East, the Mediterranean, and Western Europe.
Viking has also sold out its 136-day world cruise on Viking Star in 2021/2022 with prices starting from $75,995 pp.
Above: Oceania Cruises in Sydney Harbour. Below: cruise passengers in Barcelona.
