Who is currently booked on a World Cruise?

[Little Rascal]

Wow!  You worked for Princess as well. You must of gotten a nice discount on your WC. We have friends that get a great discount on their cruises because they have a family member that works  for them. We are considering Princess but I don’t care for all the additional charges they have. I like Viking and Oceania and am considering both of them. Regent sounds nice but I’ll have to look at their prices for their WC. 

Edited July 28, 2019 by Little Rascal

[Scrapnana]

I am booked on the 2020 HAL Grand World Voyage - 128 days r/t Fort Lauderdale.  This will be my third world cruise.  My first was in 2014 on Cunard's Queen Elizabeth (118 days r/t Southampton).  I loved the cruise and especially the formal nights (I am one of the dying breed that still likes to dress up for the evening).  My second world cruise was on HAL's Amsterdam in 2018 (113 days r/t Fort Lauderdale).  After reading numerous blogs about the HAL world cruise, I decided I needed to try it.  There were a number of things I really liked about the HAL cruise (including the fact FLL is a short 2-hour non-stop plane ride from home).  On both cruises I met a number of great people - both guests and crew.

[Heidi13]

16 hours ago, Little Rascal said:

Wow!  You worked for Princess as well. You must of gotten a nice discount on your WC. We have friends that get a great discount on their cruises because they have a family member that works  for them. We are considering Princess but I don’t care for all the additional charges they have. I like Viking and Oceania and am considering both of them. Regent sounds nice but I’ll have to look at their prices for their WC. 

Negative on getting a discount on our last WC, as the WC wasn't available on the Friends & Family program. We wouldn't have booked it anyway, as paying the higher rate was worth the internet & laundry benefits, especially for 4 months. The best discounts are available, if your family member actually works on the ship. Did this a few times with our son, but it also has downsides.

 

When researching our upcoming WC, we also shortlisted to Viking & Oceania. Selected Viking, mostly because of route, but also seemed a better fit for us - all ships the same, no kids & no casino.

[camnjoss]

On 7/12/2019 at 1:32 PM, Juno777 said:

I've become obsessed with world cruises lately. I cannot seem to find enough information on them. I am curious who is already booked and looking forward to your trip? I would love to hear which cruise line you are taking and what you are most looking forward to! 

Booked on the Regent 7 Seas Mariner starting January 24 to June 4.  Just choosing excursions today.  

[camnjoss]

On 7/13/2019 at 3:03 PM, ArtsyCraftsy said:

 

I’m booked on the 131-day Regent Seven Seas 2020 world cruise, round trip out of San Francisco on the Mariner January 24 - June 4.  I’ll be making the final payment at the end of this coming week.  I travel solo, and Regent’s pricing structure, especially the all-inclusive aspect, and general overall quality make it attractive for folks like me.  I booked this cruise while I was onboard the Mariner on a 28-day Panama Canal cruise last fall -- my first RSSC cruise -- and even booked the same cabin.  

 

Most looking forward to: everything, really.  I have some physical challenges that make excursions tricky sometimes, so the onboard experience is at least as important as the extra port exploration.  Regent offers a superb onboard experience with the smaller ship size, attention to detail, and relaxed friendly vibe.  Having a 4.5-month vacation where I don’t have to worry about a thing is my idea of a wonderful way to spend part of my retirement.  

 

Lana in Bellingham, WA (but currently on the Oceania Regatta on a short Alaska cruise)

We will be joining you on the cruise! We live south of SF so no planes for us on this true around the world cruise. Just finished booking all our excursions.  We got some we wanted and some we wanted we did not get.   We just got off Viking for month.

 

Edited July 29, 2019 by camnjoss

[luvmesometravel]

Anyone done a WC on Oceania? We too are looking. We want great food not just good food and free everything. free WiFi, health care, excursions, laundry, drinks!  

[Wendy The Wanderer]

3 minutes ago, luvmesometravel said:

Anyone done a WC on Oceania? We too are looking. We want great food not just good food and free everything. free WiFi, health care, excursions, laundry, drinks!  

You won't get all of that except for Regent. Oceania doesn't include excursions.  I believe on the O WC you get a premium drinks package; on Regent pretty well all drinks are included.

[luvmesometravel]

33 minutes ago, Wendy The Wanderer said:

You won't get all of that except for Regent. Oceania doesn't include excursions.  I believe on the O WC you get a premium drinks package; on Regent pretty well all drinks are included.

Thank you for that info. I’ve been looking but not carefully but at a glance it seems the itinerary for us is better on Oceania than Regent.  But they both sound lovely!

Edited July 29, 2019 by luvmesometravel

[Wendy The Wanderer]

2 hours ago, luvmesometravel said:

Thank you for that info. I’ve been looking but not carefully but at a glance it seems the itinerary for us is better on Oceania than Regent.  But they both sound lovely!

 

Oceania is 6 months, Regent about 4.  

[Little Rascal]

10 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

Negative on getting a discount on our last WC, as the WC wasn't available on the Friends & Family program. We wouldn't have booked it anyway, as paying the higher rate was worth the internet & laundry benefits, especially for 4 months. The best discounts are available, if your family member actually works on the ship. Did this a few times with our son, but it also has downsides.

 

When researching our upcoming WC, we also shortlisted to Viking & Oceania. Selected Viking, mostly because of route, but also seemed a better fit for us - all ships the same, no kids & no casino.

That’s what I like about Viking also. I’m looking at Regent also. Please post about your trip. 

[Heidi13]

24 minutes ago, Little Rascal said:

That’s what I like about Viking also. I’m looking at Regent also. Please post about your trip. 

Might not have time to post much on cruise critic, but I do maintain a daily travel blog - address is in our signature.

[Go-Bucks!]

4 hours ago, luvmesometravel said:

Anyone done a WC on Oceania? We too are looking. We want great food not just good food and free everything. free WiFi, health care, excursions, laundry, drinks!  

 

I just finished the 2019 Oceania world cruise 2.5 weeks ago. It was fantastic!

 

Regarding amenities, it's better to use the word "included" instead of "free."  As the amount of amenities increase, so does the cruisefare. Less expensive cruiselines rarely have many amenities but you'll still need some of them so you'll have to pay for them anyway.  Oceania includes virtually everything you need except alcohol and excursions...BUT, we got to choose 1 of 3 OLife perks...either the standard drink package OR 36 shore excursions per person OR $3,600 onboard credit per person. Since private shore excursions for 91 ports can get very expensive and we could pick ones valued up to $199, we chose that perk. Plus, we don't drink alcohol. 

 

Laundry, medical care, first class airfare, wifi, transfers, luxury hotel before embarkation, special events, parties, gifts, and much more was very valuable. Oceania staff are amazing and service is excellent. They're known for great food and it really was...best filet mignons I've ever had. Lobster in all venues 24/7. No formal nights, which is fine with me!

 

Hope that helps.

 

 

Edited July 30, 2019 by Go-Bucks!

[Little Rascal]

24 minutes ago, Heidi13 said:

Might not have time to post much on cruise critic, but I do maintain a daily travel blog - address is in our signature.

I’ll check that out. Thank you. 

[ArtsyCraftsy]

12 hours ago, camnjoss said:

We will be joining you on the cruise! We live south of SF so no planes for us on this true around the world cruise. Just finished booking all our excursions.  We got some we wanted and some we wanted we did not get.   We just got off Viking for month.

 

 

I was able to get all except one of my preferred excursions and I’m waitlisted on it, so I’m very happy!  I’ll have just a short plane ride from Seattle to San Francisco (plus the 2.5-hr shuttle ride from Bellingham to SeaTac).  It’s going to be a fun trip!

 

By the way, I lived in the Bay area for 17 yrs, 10 yrs of that in Half Moon Bay, while working all over Silicon Valley.  I left in 1997 to move to Seattle, recruited by a small upstart online bookstore. 😉 

 

Lana in Bellingham, WA

 

 

[camnjoss]

6 hours ago, ArtsyCraftsy said:

 

I was able to get all except one of my preferred excursions and I’m waitlisted on it, so I’m very happy!  I’ll have just a short plane ride from Seattle to San Francisco (plus the 2.5-hr shuttle ride from Bellingham to SeaTac).  It’s going to be a fun trip!

 

By the way, I lived in the Bay area for 17 yrs, 10 yrs of that in Half Moon Bay, while working all over Silicon Valley.  I left in 1997 to move to Seattle, recruited by a small upstart online bookstore. 😉 

 

Lana in Bellingham, WA

 

 

 

[wishIweretravelling]

A friend and I just booked the 2022 WC on Crystal. It's 2.5 years away, so lots of time for anticipation.

[camnjoss]

On 7/30/2019 at 12:35 AM, ArtsyCraftsy said:

 

I was able to get all except one of my preferred excursions and I’m waitlisted on it, so I’m very happy!  I’ll have just a short plane ride from Seattle to San Francisco (plus the 2.5-hr shuttle ride from Bellingham to SeaTac).  It’s going to be a fun trip!

 

By the way, I lived in the Bay area for 17 yrs, 10 yrs of that in Half Moon Bay, while working all over Silicon Valley.  I left in 1997 to move to Seattle, recruited by a small upstart online bookstore. 😉 

 

Lana in Bellingham, WA

 

 

Looking forward to meeting you. We are slowly getting off waitlist and on to the actual excursions.

We too are happy.

[NCCruzQueen]

On 8/3/2019 at 10:41 AM, wishIweretravelling said:

A friend and I just booked the 2022 WC on Crystal. It's 2.5 years away, so lots of time for anticipation.

 

I am that friend.  Excited to take another World Cruise on Crystal.  

[Aquadesiac]

We did our first WC in 2018 on the Pacific Princess, LA to FLL. It was an amazing adventure, and like many who try it thinking a world cruise is a once in a lifetime thing, we are booked for our 2nd in 2021.

 

Originally, we were going to take the Queen Victoria from FLL to London for 97 days. We'd never been on Cunard, so we took a 21 day NYC to Norway and back to NYC this summer on the QM2. There's a lot to like on Cunard--wonderful live music throughout the ship, the English National Ballet joined us for the westward leg of the journey, fascinating visiting lecturers, and the ship is the poster child for traditional elegance.

 

But the deal breaker for me was all the formal nights (8 out of 21) and the fact that the "smart attire" rule requires a jacket for men EVERY night. So dressing for dinner is an every night deal. It's not what you think. I have no objection to dressing up and the DH is a silver fox in his tux! But when people dress up, even to the less ornate "smart attire" level, they also slather on more perfume, hair products and aftershave than usual. I have a lung condition that requires me to use supplemental O2, and a sensitivity to smells. When I first opened the closet doors in our stateroom, the miasma of perfumes past nearly knocked me over. Getting into an elevator was like Russian roulette for my lungs. Plus I'd  been fretting about how well I'd do on a transatlantic flight home from London. 

 

So we switched our 2021 reservation from Cunard to Princess--111 days roundtrip from FLL. We like the Princess style of travel, casual by day and resort casual most evenings with maybe 3 or 4 formal nights per segment. In 2021, the Island Princess will visit 6 continents. It's going to Jerusalem, a bucket list destination for me, extra stops in New Zealand and Morocco! And the itinerary has the leisurely days at sea we love.

 

Princess is not an all inclusive, but with an early booking, they are offering lots of goodies:

• Free First Class airfare with mini-suite or above,  Free economy airfare with a balcony cabin
• $1000 OBC per guest (our TA is ponying up an additional $1500. We plan to use this for many of our excursions.)
• Free wifi (one device per guest) The Island Princess has recently been upgraded to Medallion Class which means faster internet
• Pre-paid gratuities
• 4 complimentary Specialty Dining restaurant experiences per person
• 4 bottles of wine (We're not drinkers, so we may ask if we can exchange this for soda or bottled water. Otherwise, we'll share them with table mates.)

As a past Princess guest, we also got $1000 per person off the launch fares. By the time we reach LA, we'll be Elites, which means we also get free laundry including dry cleaning, shoe polishing, a mini-bar set up, canapes delivered to the stateroom  on formal nights, upgraded bath products, priority embarkation and debarkation, and a bunch of other little niceties   

 

I guess the main thing to consider is: Does the line fit your style of cruising? We enjoy a casual atmosphere with occasional gala evenings. We love long lazy sea days. A new port every day is exhausting to us. The itinerary for 2021 works for us, a few repeats we're looking forward to seeing again and many new places we're excited to explore.

 

Sorry for the book-sized post. Fair winds and following seas to everyone who's looking at a WC and all those who've already booked! We'll be celebrating our 45th anniversary in 2021. Is there a significant milestone in your life that's part of why you're considering or taking a WC? 

[Wendy The Wanderer]

3 hours ago, Aquadesiac said:

Is there a significant milestone in your life that's part of why you're considering or taking a WC?

 

Almost, we're delaying a year. Our 40th is 2020 but our WC is 2021.

[travelwell]

Our WC 2021 celebrates our 40th anniversary and the start of our retirement.

[Heidi13]

4 hours ago, Wendy The Wanderer said:

 

Almost, we're delaying a year. Our 40th is 2020 but our WC is 2021.

1980 was a good year, as we are also celebrating out 40th next year. First WC was our 35th.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

10 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

1980 was a good year, as we are also celebrating out 40th next year. First WC was our 35th.

 

Yes it was.  Our son was born that year too.  We celebrated 20th and 25th on the Paul Gauguin in Tahiti, a Caribbean cruise for 30th, and our wonderful Nile cruise for our 35th, although few of these were precisely 'on the day'.  We celebrated the year of me turning 70 and David turning 75 last September on Seabourn in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

[Plant]

Oh, my!  I've just gone a little crazy and booked the 2021 Island Princess World Cruise!  I'll be reading on this board for lots of info!

Fern

[Aquadesiac]

20 hours ago, Plant said:

Oh, my!  I've just gone a little crazy and booked the 2021 Island Princess World Cruise!  I'll be reading on this board for lots of info!

Fern

Hey Fern from MO! We'll be with you on your 2021 adventure! If you'd like to meet  more of our fellow travelers, check out the 2021 World Cruise thread under the Island Princess Roll Calls. Lots of folks have already booked and are starting to organize private tours. 

Diana