HOHO World Cruise?

[Chas2crews]

I know this is a first world problem, but here goes. Not by design, I once had an around the world flight on different airlines going from Newark to India, Singapore, Philippines, Hong Kong and Newark. For reasons mentioned in other posts, I won’t be able to do the typical 84-day continuous world cruise.  So much like my flights, I would like to try a “deconstructed” world cruise.  To do so, I am aiming for some of the following:

 

1. Four separate cruises with no one exceeding 21 days, give or take.
2. Four separate luxury/premium cruise lines.  Candidates are Regent, Silversea, Seabourn, Oceania, Viking.
3. One direction, probably east to west.
4. A departure city that eventually is the return city (may have to relent on this one.)
5. Includes Panama and Suez Canals transit.
6. Target budget of $50k in a solo cabin
7. Not necessary to be in geographic and chronological order.  I.e, I could start Capetown to Lisbon followed by Miami to Seward. Etc. 
8. It will probably be done over 3 to 4 calendar years starting in 2023.

I have a great TA, but thought I would get this group’s learned input so I can help guide her.  I will cross post in the Luxury board as well. 
 

Thanks for your thoughts 

[Heidi13]

Sounds like a brilliant planning opportunity. Here are my comments/thoughts:

 

1) The premium/luxury lines spend many more days on WC's than the mass market lines. From L/A to London our next WC with Viking is 121 days. If you wish to limit each segment to 21 days, you will probably require at least 6 and probably 8 segments to go around the entire World.

 

2) We have already completed 1 WC with Viking and have another booked. Note - Viking WC's sell quickly, with the 23 WC already sold out. I don't expect any segments in 21/22 or 22/23 with Viking, so only Trans-Atlantics and Trans-Pacifics would be available with Viking.

 

3) Westbound is always our preference, as we prefer 25 hr days to 23 hr days

 

5) Lots of Panama options, but Suez may require a WC segment

 

6) Budget could be very low, especially as a solo pax. Don't know about the other cruise lines, but Viking's solo supplement is 100%, with a few exceptions. On some Trans-Atlantics, they have reduced the solo supplement, a few months before departure.

 

I would start looking at WC segments and Trans-Atlantics/Trans-Pacifics, then fill in the gaps with other cruises.

[WholeNewWorld]

We were on the 2018 Oceania ATW.  We used the cruise as our HOHO ship.  We hopped off in Africa for 3 weeks, hopped off in New Zealand for 3 weeks, and 1 week in Hawaii and Austraila. It was super easy to do.  We did most of the planning ahead of the cruise-then gave our plan to the powers that be for approval.  Then once on the ship we got the direct line and emails to the cruise guest specialist-that way they could keep us posted on the ship.  Twice the ship had to change the itinerary due to weather, we got the notice and adjusted our plans to meet them in the new dock spot.  Easy peasy!   

 

Enjoy your trip whatever you chose! 

[rkacruiser]

8 hours ago, Chas2crews said:

Target budget of $50k in a solo cabin

 

I agree with all that Heidi 13 posted.

 

If $50,000 is the total that you expect to pay as a solo for your entire plan,  you are going to re-think that figure.    2008, my entire world cruise in an outside cabin as a solo was North of $20,000 and that does not include the cost of shore excursions, etc.  I consider the price I paid then "a bargain" as compared to what it would cost if I were able to do it in 2021.  

 

There's many additional expenses that need to be considered when is on such a long cruise.  If nothing else, what's your bar bill going to be?  Gratuities need to be factored into the budget.  No dining in an extra cost restaurant or dining when off the ship?  

 

HOHO the same ship on the same world cruise might be possible to do, but you would need to arrange air transportation from the port where you disembark and then re-embark at another port.  That would be an interesting thing to do and provide one with an opportunity for some in-depth touring of areas of interest before returning to your floating "home" with crew and guests with whom you already know.  

 

Happy Planning!  Such is exciting to do!!!

[Chas2crews]

10 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

Sounds like a brilliant planning opportunity. Here are my comments/thoughts:

 

1) The premium/luxury lines spend many more days on WC's than the mass market lines. From L/A to London our next WC with Viking is 121 days. If you wish to limit each segment to 21 days, you will probably require at least 6 and probably 8 segments to go around the entire World.

 

2) We have already completed 1 WC with Viking and have another booked. Note - Viking WC's sell quickly, with the 23 WC already sold out. I don't expect any segments in 21/22 or 22/23 with Viking, so only Trans-Atlantics and Trans-Pacifics would be available with Viking.

 

3) Westbound is always our preference, as we prefer 25 hr days to 23 hr days

 

5) Lots of Panama options, but Suez may require a WC segment

 

6) Budget could be very low, especially as a solo pax. Don't know about the other cruise lines, but Viking's solo supplement is 100%, with a few exceptions. On some Trans-Atlantics, they have reduced the solo supplement, a few months before departure.

 

I would start looking at WC segments and Trans-Atlantics/Trans-Pacifics, then fill in the gaps with other cruises.

Thanks for replying, RKA, as these are all great points.   I am limited to the 84-90 days, so some of the full world cruise will have to be hinted at. The budget is low for luxury/premium so I know that goes up from here for sure, hopefully only by 50%.   I was thinking your point about plenty of Panama Canal transits means I might leave it out and look for a Trans-Pacific. It will be fun piecing it all together. 
 

[Chas2crews]

10 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

Sounds like a brilliant planning opportunity. Here are my comments/thoughts:

 

1) The premium/luxury lines spend many more days on WC's than the mass market lines. From L/A to London our next WC with Viking is 121 days. If you wish to limit each segment to 21 days, you will probably require at least 6 and probably 8 segments to go around the entire World.

 

2) We have already completed 1 WC with Viking and have another booked. Note - Viking WC's sell quickly, with the 23 WC already sold out. I don't expect any segments in 21/22 or 22/23 with Viking, so only Trans-Atlantics and Trans-Pacifics would be available with Viking.

 

3) Westbound is always our preference, as we prefer 25 hr days to 23 hr days

 

5) Lots of Panama options, but Suez may require a WC segment

 

6) Budget could be very low, especially as a solo pax. Don't know about the other cruise lines, but Viking's solo supplement is 100%, with a few exceptions. On some Trans-Atlantics, they have reduced the solo supplement, a few months before departure.

 

I would start looking at WC segments and Trans-Atlantics/Trans-Pacifics, then fill in the gaps with other cruises.

Great points here, Heidi, and sorry I called you RKA!   

[GUT2407]

Your $50K budget is a problem.

 

I have looked at a couple of options to do a world cruise in legs, but all in one go, so Syd-USA west cost, time on land, canal to east cost, time on land, to UK, time on land etc.

 

‘’The cruise fare alone ran to about $50K each.

[Chas2crews]

3 hours ago, rkacruiser said:

 

I agree with all that Heidi 13 posted.

 

If $50,000 is the total that you expect to pay as a solo for your entire plan,  you are going to re-think that figure.    2008, my entire world cruise in an outside cabin as a solo was North of $20,000 and that does not include the cost of shore excursions, etc.  I consider the price I paid then "a bargain" as compared to what it would cost if I were able to do it in 2021.  

 

There's many additional expenses that need to be considered when is on such a long cruise.  If nothing else, what's your bar bill going to be?  Gratuities need to be factored into the budget.  No dining in an extra cost restaurant or dining when off the ship?  

 

HOHO the same ship on the same world cruise might be possible to do, but you would need to arrange air transportation from the port where you disembark and then re-embark at another port.  That would be an interesting thing to do and provide one with an opportunity for some in-depth touring of areas of interest before returning to your floating "home" with crew and guests with whom you already know.  

 

Happy Planning!  Such is exciting to do!!!

Thanks, RKA, and how I wish I could have done it when you did in 2008.   Budget is headed north for sure, and because I want to sample the other lines, it will be less likely I actually stick with one line for a true HOHO.  

[Chas2crews]

4 minutes ago, GUT2407 said:

Your $50K budget is a problem.

 

I have looked at a couple of options to do a world cruise in legs, but all in one go, so Syd-USA west cost, time on land, canal to east cost, time on land, to UK, time on land etc.

 

‘’The cruise fare alone ran to about $50K each.

Great analysis, Gut.  I am thinking the budget goes up for sure, but like the vermouth in a martini, I will likely only have a whisper of a true World Cruise.  I will try to get segments in that hit the Indian Ocean, Crosses the Pacific and transits the Sues canal.  The rest of the world may get covered by land.  

[GUT2407]

7 hours ago, Chas2crews said:

Great analysis, Gut.  I am thinking the budget goes up for sure, but like the vermouth in a martini, I will likely only have a whisper of a true World Cruise.  I will try to get segments in that hit the Indian Ocean, Crosses the Pacific and transits the Sues canal.  The rest of the world may get covered by land.  

I last priced it a couple of years back, it was balcony cabins and would have used a few lines because of our specific requirements. I haven’t really enjoyed the couple of times we did part of a W/C and would hesitate to do just a short leg again, as each time the majority were on for the whole trip and you were made feel like an interloper by some, maybe we were unlucky but it really didn’t feel the same.

[rkacruiser]

On 2/4/2021 at 8:09 AM, Chas2crews said:

Four separate luxury/premium cruise lines.  Candidates are Regent, Silversea, Seabourn, Oceania, Viking.

 

Is there a particular reason you want this category of cruise companies?  

 

After 61 cruises of not sailing on any of these lines, I'll admit that I want at least one of them to be experienced in the future.  My two cruises on Royal Viking Sky and my one Yacht Club experience on MSC Meraviglia is the closest I have come to such a luxury cruise.  

 

20 hours ago, Chas2crews said:

Thanks, RKA, and how I wish I could have done it when you did in 2008.   Budget is headed north for sure, and because I want to sample the other lines, it will be less likely I actually stick with one line for a true HOHO.  

 

Be careful in not including a Panama Canal transit somewhere in your plans.  Panama Canal has locks; tropical/mountainous scenery.  The Suez has no locks; desert with some habitation visible along the Canal.  And, lots of obvious military presence.  They are different from each other and both are very interesting in their own unique way.  

[Heidi13]

4 hours ago, rkacruiser said:

Be careful in not including a Panama Canal transit somewhere in your plans.  Panama Canal has locks; tropical/mountainous scenery.  The Suez has no locks; desert with some habitation visible along the Canal.  And, lots of obvious military presence.  They are different from each other and both are very interesting in their own unique way.  

 

Yes, the difference between the 2 canals is extensive. The Panama Canal is an engineering marvel, while Suez is basically a ditch through the desert.

[Chas2crews]

18 hours ago, GUT2407 said:

I haven’t really enjoyed the couple of times we did part of a W/C and would hesitate to do just a short leg again, as each time the majority were on for the whole trip and you were made feel like an interloper by some, maybe we were unlucky but it really didn’t feel the same.

I find this concerting for sure, as feeling like an interloper can be uncomfortable for 21 to 28 days.   With some of the other comments and maxing my budget at probably $75k, I may give up the World Cruise concept and instead do some regional cruises that cover areas I want to hit.  But it might be a catch-22, as many regions (Capetown to Lisbon) seem to only be done as part of a World Cruise segment.  I will keep gathering input, and thanks mucho for the follow up. 

[Chas2crews]

“disconcerting.”

[Chas2crews]

5 hours ago, rkacruiser said:

Be careful in not including a Panama Canal transit somewhere in your plans.  Panama Canal has locks; tropical/mountainous scenery.  The Suez has no locks; desert with some habitation visible along the Canal.  And, lots of obvious military presence.  They are different from each other and both are very interesting in their own unique way.  

To be clear, I will definitely do Panama Canal.  But it seems based on comments, I may not need to do that on a luxury line or as a part of my poor man’s simulated World Cruise.  

[LHT28]

18 minutes ago, Chas2crews said:

 But it might be a catch-22, as many regions (Capetown to Lisbon) seem to only be done as part of a World Cruise segment.  I will keep gathering input, and thanks mucho for the follow up. 

Check out  Oceania or Azamara  for  2022

they both do that itinerary

But  the Oceania one is a segment of the RTW cruise

[Heidi13]

32 minutes ago, Chas2crews said:

I find this concerting for sure, as feeling like an interloper can be uncomfortable for 21 to 28 days.   With some of the other comments and maxing my budget at probably $75k, I may give up the World Cruise concept and instead do some regional cruises that cover areas I want to hit.  But it might be a catch-22, as many regions (Capetown to Lisbon) seem to only be done as part of a World Cruise segment.  I will keep gathering input, and thanks mucho for the follow up. 

 

Having completed 2 World Cruises, our experience with segments is rather different. In our experience, life aboard varies with the cruise line.

 

On our first WC, only about 600 of 2,200 pax were doing the entire WC. We did not consider it to be a true WC, as it felt more like a series of B2b2b. Each segment was a totally different cruise. This was on Princess, where different coloured cards are the norm and WC'ers and segmenters even had different coloured lanyards.

 

The last WC was almost split 50/50 with about 400 doing 120 day WC, 55 on for 245-days and 450 segmenters. When the first segment ended, the ship changed, but everyone was equal. This was with Viking, who has no loyalty tiers, so nobody cares, or knows how many cruises you have completed or whether you are onboard for 1 day or 100+ days.

 

Our next WC definitely won't have segment issues, as it sold out 23 months before departure.

[Chas2crews]

This is why they say YMMV, Heidi.  This information is very helpful as I was never going to be able to do an entire true World Cruise, and I fully intend to sample four different cruise lines.  So it looks like it probably will be a blend of segments, B2Bs, repositionings, or trans oceanics. Not a WC as a purist would see it, but enough over a 3-year period to give me the taste of what it might be like.  Budget wise, it will almost certainly cost more than staying on one ship for 120+ days, but some of the funds were going to be baked in by trying the 4 different lines anyway. 

[Chas2crews]

10 hours ago, LHT28 said:

Check out  Oceania or Azamara  for  2022

they both do that itinerary

But  the Oceania one is a segment of the RTW cruise

Yes, LHT, I had my eye on Oceania for sure. I think it is on Nautica, which may sell out fast based on what I am hearing. Hopefully, they will do it in 2023 or 2024 as well. I think Covid makes 2022 RTW cruising a gamble as I am not sure the rest of the world will get vaccinated by then. 

[LHT28]

5 hours ago, Chas2crews said:

Yes, LHT, I had my eye on Oceania for sure. I think it is on Nautica, which may sell out fast based on what I am hearing. Hopefully, they will do it in 2023 or 2024 as well. I think Covid makes 2022 RTW cruising a gamble as I am not sure the rest of the world will get vaccinated by then. 

Oceania RTW  cruises are on Insignia 

They do show sold out   on the website because they do hold back some cabins for segments

Even with only 684 pax  they may not sell out fully to RTW cruisers  so cannot imagine a larger ship doing so either

Last world cruise I think it was about 300 pax doing the full cruise

 

Enjoy  whatever cruise you choose

[rkacruiser]

A comment of sailing an entire world cruise and sailing segments:

 

I sailed the final segment of the 2007 Amsterdam's world cruise from Italy to Florida before my 2008 grand world cruise.

 

For the 17 days that I was aboard in 2007, I did not feel like an interloper.  I was welcomed "into the family".  I was seated at a dining room table with two couples who were full cruise guests along with another guest who embarked when the ship called at the port just previous to where I embarked.  That guest's personality clashed with one gentleman at the table and she changed tables after a couple of nights.  I was well accepted and looked forward to dinner and learning of their adventures.  Other guests whenever I encountered them were welcoming as well.

 

2008:  Many, many, many wonderful and pleasant fellow guests whom I enjoyed getting to know.  But, there was a "sense of entitlement" that a few of the 2008 guests displayed that was very irritating to me.  I experienced none of that during my 2007 segment.  

 

17 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

In our experience, life aboard varies with the cruise line.

 

And, I would add with the individual cruise and the guests that are aboard.  

 

18 hours ago, Chas2crews said:

To be clear, I will definitely do Panama Canal.  But it seems based on comments, I may not need to do that on a luxury line or as a part of my poor man’s simulated World Cruise.  

 

I doubt that a luxury line will provide a better experience than Panama Canal cruise with Holland America or Princess.  What you do want is a ship that will provide unobstructed forward and aft views when you transit the Canal.  You want a ship that will have commentary by either someone from the Canal Authority as you transit the Canal.  If the ship has an on-board staff member that will also provide commentary in addition to the one provided by the Canal, that is an added benefit.  

 

For me, all of my above "requirements" are met by HAL's ships.  Crow's Nest from which to observe/hear the commentary when the weather is inclement, accessible forward and aft open decks for guests view the transit (commentary may or may not be able to be clearly heard, however), and the opportunity during the morning of the transit to enjoy their Panama Rolls (a pastry with a citrus or apricot filling) along with a cup of coffee/tea  that we HAL guests always anticipate.  

[Chas2crews]

2 hours ago, rkacruiser said:

I doubt that a luxury line will provide a better experience than Panama Canal cruise with Holland America or Princess.  What you do want is a ship that will provide unobstructed forward and aft views when you transit the Canal.  You want a ship that will have commentary by either someone from the Canal Authority as you transit the Canal. 

Perfect analysis, RKA, and I like your assessment that the transit needs a professional touch more so than a luxury ship, although I imagine having both is nirvana. 
 

That “sense of entitlement” with the 2008 world cruise just goes to show that ships, itineraries and passengers all have individual rhythms, and like snowflakes, no two experiences  are exactly alike. 

[Heidi13]

5 hours ago, LHT28 said:

Even with only 684 pax  they may not sell out fully to RTW cruisers  so cannot imagine a larger ship doing so either

Last world cruise I think it was about 300 pax doing the full cruise

 

Viking ships hold 930 and they sold out the 2018 WC, and the 2022 has only 1 cabin remaining and the 2023 is sold out. The 2018 had no segments and I anticipate the 22 and 23 will also have no segments.

 

Other than Viking, I concur that to the best of my knowledge and experience other WC's include segments to fill the ship.

[mchell810]

22 hours ago, Chas2crews said:

I find this concerting for sure, as feeling like an interloper can be uncomfortable for 21 to 28 days.   With some of the other comments and maxing my budget at probably $75k, I may give up the World Cruise concept and instead do some regional cruises that cover areas I want to hit.  But it might be a catch-22, as many regions (Capetown to Lisbon) seem to only be done as part of a World Cruise segment.  I will keep gathering input, and thanks mucho for the follow up. 

 

You may want to look at Azamara for the the Capetown -- LIsbon trip: they reposition a ship from Europe to Africa and back again at the end of the season.   The link below is for the 2023 trip, but they are running it in 2022 as well.

 

https://www.azamara.com/voyage/jr21r005/21-night-western-africa-voyage

[Chas2crews]

1 hour ago, mchell810 said:

 

You may want to look at Azamara for the the Capetown -- LIsbon trip: they reposition a ship from Europe to Africa and back again at the end of the season.   The link below is for the 2023 trip, but they are running it in 2022 as well.

 

https://www.azamara.com/voyage/jr21r005/21-night-western-africa-voyage

Thanks, Mchell.  I like this, but I remain wary of the Azamara ownership change.   I am lucky though in that I don't go anywhere before 2023, so I will have time to see how the new owners work with the company.