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This is the age of remote work, and the era of taking some time off the 9-5 grind to find yourself. Besides Royal Caribbean, operators like Regent Seven Seas Cruises and Azamara also operate world cruises, albeit more expensive and much shorter. TikToks about the Ultimate World Cruise have since received millions of views. And it seems like everyone on TravelTok has been keeping a close eye on these seafarers, eagerly awaiting updates about the potential drama at sea.
Why is the 9-month cruise all over TikTok?
Red Sea crisis: Royal Caribbean alters 9-month world cruise itinerary - USA TODAY
Red Sea crisis: Royal Caribbean alters 9-month world cruise itinerary.
Posted: Mon, 19 Feb 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]
That should give you plenty of time to start pinching those pennies—tickets start at $61,000 for an interior stateroom and go up to $112,000 for a junior suite. The price covers business class airfare and accommodations at a five-star hotel before setting sail. After the past couple of years stuck at home, most people are more than ready to jump back into travel—ideally visiting as many places as possible, as soon as possible. The company just unveiled its Ultimate World Cruise, an epic 274-night sailing that visits all seven continents, including over 150 destinations in 65 countries.
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If this is all you can afford, you'll be staying in an interior stateroom which can run quite small and have zero windows. Starting prices for world cruises on mainstream lines can range from around $25,000 per person to $60,000 depending on the length, Kuther said. I have met so many people, experienced numerous cultures, and had the most amazing times in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru... Finally, the last leg sees passengers touring Europe, with stops in Sweden, Denmark, and Norway over the final 63 nights.
Road Trips
The fare for the entire Ultimate World Cruise – which started at around $54,000 for the full nine months – included gratuities, business class flights, Wi-Fi, wash-and-fold laundry service and more, according to Royal Caribbean’s website. World cruises also often take place on older ships, particularly on mainstream lines. "I don't think they'd want one of their newest ships out of commission for months," Kuther added. The itineraries last between three and five months on average but can be longer, according to Joanna Kuther, a travel agent and owner of Port Side Travel Consultants.
Passengers aboard Ultimate World Cruise go viral on TikTok - TODAY
Passengers aboard Ultimate World Cruise go viral on TikTok.
Posted: Wed, 27 Dec 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]
She and Shannon Lake, 42, said that nothing has happened yet on the ship that would be worthy of reality TV. The next leg of the cruise heads to the Pacific, stopping at 87 destinations in 87 nights. These stops include New Zealand, Japan, Australia, China and India, among other countries. Because the entire voyage did not sell out, the cruise line opened up smaller segments. This includes seventeen individual itineraries ranging from nine to twenty nine nights. It's no secret that Royal Caribbean has had its first world cruise planned for over a year, but social media took notice when the sailing began this week.
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The Lake sisters tell TODAY.com that other than this, they've yet to encounter any reality television-worthy bits of drama to mark on a Bingo card, but they do have a podcast where they plan on sharing their journey with followers. The sisters say they'll share the same cabin during their 9 months on the trip, and that they don't expect to butt heads too much with each other or their parents, since they're close and quarantined together during the Covid-19 pandemic. As user @megseestheworld notes, the entire experience reminds her of an episode of "Suite Life on Deck" when the sea days repeat themselves, a similar vibe to the movie "Groundhog Day."
With taxes and fees added, this brings the average cost to around $3,173 total for two guests in an interior room. With many itineraries between nights, the price per day makes the segments a great value. The buzz generated by the world cruise at its launch points to a lot of excitement surrounding the cruise, as well as a lot of people naive about how cruise ships operate wrapping their minds around going on a cruise for quite that long. Even as a seasoned cruiser, taking a cruise quite that long is hard to fathom. “I made an Ultimate World Cruise Bingo card for anyone else who is buckling in for this nine months TikTok reality show,” user @whimsysoul posted right at the start of the cruise.
"I would say the majority, like the overwhelming majority of passengers, are retirees (or seniors)," she explains, summarizing that number as being at least 90% of the passengers. Speaking to TODAY.com, 29-year-old Alé Kenney says that the cruise isn’t just a massive voyage made up of TikTokers and Generation Z. As it turns out, you don’t need to be a millionaire with a ton of savings in the bank and absolutely zero responsibilities back home.
Passengers Open Up About What It’s Like to Go on a 9-Month Cruise Around the World
I've stayed in one of these and if you can swing it, you're gonna want this for the balcony alone. You simply haven't lived until you've contemplated your existence overlooking miles of endless ocean while listening to Enigma's Return to Innocence. There are other suite options available but those must be so pricey, that Royal Caribbean suggests you call for details.
Users have expressed interest in following the Lake sisters in particular to see their perspective of traveling the world and taking part in a cruise as Black women. The Kenneys told TODAY Dec. 27 that when they first came on board, they had 200 followers, and that today, they now have 90K followers. Passengers are currently staying on Serenade of the Seas, a ship that had its maiden voyage in 2003. Royal Caribbean’s Ultimate World Cruise is a 274-night trip that began on Dec. 10, 2023, when it left from Miami and is expected to come to an end in the same place on Sept. 10, 2024. On Dec. 10, Royal Caribbean’s Ultimate World Cruise kicked off its round-the-world tour.
They secured the cheapest place on board as 'back-to-backers' with 17 individual trips, rather than the full-price ticket, via Yahoo News. Joshua Terry and his fiancee Ina Ra are among thousands of passengers on the global trip which departed Miami in December, making 150 stops in 275 days before its planned last leg in September 2024. The pair, who met in 2020, sold their car, investments and used savings to board the 'ultimate world cruise', securing a cheaper place on board as 'back-to-backers' with 17 individual trips, rather than the full price ticket. “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. You need to have balance,” one TikToker said in a video about concerns for the passengers aboard the ship.
Not only is she seeing the world while sailing the seas, but Madison is also studying online as a full-time student at the University of Central Florida (UCF). Beyond that, those documenting their time on the ship have yet to report any reality TV-worthy drama for TikTok to consume. The posts from those on land have mostly consisted of documenting who is aboard the ship, creating “bingo cards” for events on the ship, and cheering on drama. Although no major drama has unfolded aboard the ship, those following along on social media appear eager for reality TV-style turmoil to unfold.
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