Now this is a World Cruise

[cwtravel]

Royal Caribbean is doing an actual “world” cruise in 2023 the is over 250 days round trip from Miami.

Lots of included perks also.

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/ultimate-world-cruise/?ecid=em_12179415&rid=708230484&rcid=4310766&empc=RCIN_WOS_0920&emsc=RCIN_WOS_0920_DA_US&empf=&emct=DIAMOND&lnkid=INTRO_CTA&ect=TAC&ecv=DA_US
 

Chris

[kazu]

Hmm not sure how getting to some of the smaller, unique ports will work on a ship this size (2476 passengers).

[CruiserBruce]

Just now, kazu said:

Hmm not sure how getting to some of the smaller, unique ports will work on a ship this size (2476 passengers).

I was about to write the same thing.

[AncientWanderer]

This is going to sound really rude, but truth is they'd have to pay me to get on an RCI ship for a world cruise.  🤯

[kazu]

10 minutes ago, AncientWanderer said:

This is going to sound really rude, but truth is they'd have to pay me to get on an RCI ship for a world cruise.  🤯

 

Nope - I was nearly going to say the same thing 😉 

[KirkNC]

It interesting that they would venture into a WC especially one that 250 days.  Have they ever done one before?  I would think they should stay in their niche.

[OlsSalt]

Except for Bergen Norway or Bora Bora French Polynesia, their featured photos do require extended shore excursions, long bus rides and/or often very expensive over-night extras to even get close to what they are marketing. Few are actually "port stops".  Caveat emptor.   Cruise marketing imagery is always worth a separate discussion.

 

Wonder what they charge for their shore excursions, or will cruising soon become similar to selling cheap desk top printers -with the real profits are selling the print cartridges later and forever.  Selling  shore excursions - now often "covid" mandatory - is where the real cruise money is made. 

 

Always a disappointment when one gets shunted to the larger industrial commercial ports in many cities, due to both size and impact of ships today. As we are seeing happen more and more: Venice, Key West come to mind. But have also run into this in Singapore, Barcelona, Hong Kong, Valpariso, and Lisbon putting a damper on any independent touring. 

[Sir PMP]

1 hour ago, cwtravel said:

Royal Caribbean is doing an actual “world” cruise in 2023 the is over 250 days round trip from Miami.

Lots of included perks also.

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/ultimate-world-cruise/?ecid=em_12179415&rid=708230484&rcid=4310766&empc=RCIN_WOS_0920&emsc=RCIN_WOS_0920_DA_US&empf=&emct=DIAMOND&lnkid=INTRO_CTA&ect=TAC&ecv=DA_US
 

Chris

Lots of tendering..with 2500 pax

[cwtravel]

48 minutes ago, AncientWanderer said:

This is going to sound really rude, but truth is they'd have to pay me to get on an RCI ship for a world cruise.  🤯

Why? I have never been on a RCI cruise/ship ( I have Diamond Status in their Crown and Anchor due to my Celebrity status) but my guess is the customers on this type of sailing are much different than their typical 7 night Caribbean crowd.

 

I was shocked to see the cruise when I got the email. I believe for a full sailing they are currently offering business class air, WiFi, gratuities, beverage package and some shore excursion. 
 

I have never been on a World Cruise, as some others have, but I do have 40+ cruises completed and I can see the wife and I taking one in the future (we both turned 60 this year). This one looks more interesting the day HAL or Princess for 2023.

[Cruise NH]

21 minutes ago, Sir PMP said:

Lots of tendering..with 2500 pax

Won't that be the same for the ship HAL is using in 2023?  Isn't it about the same size?

[ski ww]

Sounds very interesting but the devil is in the details. 

[AncientWanderer]

2 minutes ago, cwtravel said:

Why? I have never been on a RCI cruise/ship ( I have Diamond Status in their Crown and Anchor due to my Celebrity status) but my guess is the customers on this type of sailing are much different than their typical 7 night Caribbean crowd.

 

I was shocked to see the cruise when I got the email. I believe for a full sailing they are currently offering business class air, WiFi, gratuities, beverage package and some shore excursion. 
 

I have never been on a World Cruise, as some others have, but I do have 40+ cruises completed and I can see the wife and I taking one in the future (we both turned 60 this year). This one looks more interesting the day HAL or Princess for 2023.

 

Royal Caribbean and Celebrity are totally different, I think.  RC is very hectic.  I mean, when we were in Greece on a shore excursion with HAL, a Royal Caribbean excursion came onsite with music blaring and guys in Roman gladiator costumes leading the way.    They didn't stay long -- just appeared in a big way.

 

I'd definitely do a short trial cruise with them to see if they are a good fit before embarking on a long journey.

[Sir PMP]

6 minutes ago, Cruise NH said:

Won't that be the same for the ship HAL is using in 2023?  Isn't it about the same size?

Zuiderdam holds 1900 pax, The problem with this ship it doesn't hold a lot of supplies...

[cwtravel]

1 minute ago, AncientWanderer said:

 

Royal Caribbean and Celebrity are totally different, I think.  RC is very hectic.  I mean, when we were in Greece on a shore excursion with HAL, a Royal Caribbean excursion came onsite with music blaring and guys in Roman gladiator costumes leading the way.    They didn't stay long -- just appeared in a big way.

 

I'd definitely do a short trial cruise with them to see if they are a good fit before embarking on a long journey.

Thanks and I understand. Generally I look at RCI (and Carnival) as a step down from HAL, Celebrity or even Princess but quite frankly that is based on nothing but “what I have heard”, etc. I am going with my wife’s family on Carnival’s Mardi Gras in Jan. and am curious what the experience will be like.

 

Initial pricing is around $75 k/per person for a standard balcony cabin for the full 274 day round trip from Miami which includes the perks. 

[Cruise NH]

I see the deposit is nonrefundable, that makes it a no-go for us.  There's just too much time between now and then to take that chance.  You have to go into willing to lose the money.  If I were going I would do the middle two segments and fly home from Barcelona...oh well.

[cruise kitty]

I've personally never been on Royal, but if I was in a position to take that much time, I'd do this one...  the included perks are outstanding:  laundry, drinks package, business class air, internet, tips...  our status with Celebrity would qualify us for priority tendering....  the thing that has always put me off about a HAL world cruise is all the extra expenses we would incur onboard daily,  that this is all inclusive is a game changer for my future planning for a post retirement W.C. 

[Sea Viewer]

It also appears that higher level members in the Crown and Anchor  program  get some included  excursions.

Adding the beverage  package  as part of the fare does mean that the diamond  and above member benefit  of daily free drinks (4-6 depending on level) is no longer a benefit. But I  can see how this would make things easier for the staff.

All in all an interesting  concept  at this time. Not booking yet, but the first  segment  looks interesting. I had planned  the HAL South America  for Jan this year, but of course  that was canceled. I  still have hope I'll  get to sail it eventually.

 

 

[rkacruiser]

This world cruise defines excess.  

[carolyn22]

Not very many overnights which surprised me given the length of the cruise. Also, some of the time frames are VERY port intensive.  For example from June 9 - July 15th there is only 1 sea day. All other days you are in a port. I would be exhausted!

 

It would be a neat cruise to do, but it’s just too long for me. Plus that non- refundable deposit would stop me cold. I also wouldn’t do this particular cruise given that it’s their first world cruise. I don’t want to pay that much money to be their world cruise guinea pig. 
 

Having said all of that, I bet it sells out super fast!

[goldsmip115]

$61,000 for an inside cabin.  160 sq foot cabin. I wonder if the powdered eggs at the buffet will be an up charge.  Insane!!

[cccole]

cwtravel - Thank you for posting.  In December they will start selling segments of this amazing WC.  I've been on HAL, RCI, Celebrity, Carnival, and Disney in suites and really think that the ship and itinerary are the most important to us.  I'm not a cruise snob and we have thoroughly enjoyed every cruise we have been on.  Of course I do like to choose a cabin/location that we know we will like.  Again, thank you cwtravel.  Fun food for thought!!  Cherie  

[cccole]

7 hours ago, kazu said:

Hmm not sure how getting to some of the smaller, unique ports will work on a ship this size (2476 passengers).

The maximum passengers on the HAL Zuiderdam and the RCI Serenade of the Seas seems to vary by website, on some the difference is 120 passengers and others 300+passengers.  But as others have said there will be a lot of tendering with both World Cruises.  Cherie

[whogo]

Marketing Cochin as the port for the Taj Mahal is like marketing Ft. Lauderdale as the port for Yellowstone National Park.

[zgscl]

It is really surprising to me that they would offer this under the RCI brand rather than under Celebrity. I’m no expert but I would think the world cruise crowd would be more inclined to sail a premium brand. It would be like ditching the HAL world cruise in favor of doing it on a Carnival ship? The perks are great and could be a game changer, but from what I have heard I have no desire to set foot on a RCI ship. That being said I don’t have a spare $120,000 and 4 months (and I would have no desire to go in an inside cabin so it would be more than that), so I guess my opinion is irrelevant. Will be very interested to see how quickly this sells out and hopefully someone onboard will post lots of pictures. 
 

[nocl]

6 hours ago, cwtravel said:

Thanks and I understand. Generally I look at RCI (and Carnival) as a step down from HAL, Celebrity or even Princess but quite frankly that is based on nothing but “what I have heard”, etc. I am going with my wife’s family on Carnival’s Mardi Gras in Jan. and am curious what the experience will be like.

 

Initial pricing is around $75 k/per person for a standard balcony cabin for the full 274 day round trip from Miami which includes the perks. 

I have sailed Princess, Celebrity, HAL, Royal Caribbean, and Viking.

 

The major difference between Royal and Princess for example is that Royal is more focused on families.  As a result they have more activities geared to the under 18 age groups, and have many children on board many of their cruises.  Not much of an issue on a world cruise.  

 

The ship they are using for the world cruise is one of their smaller ones and does not have a lot of the children focused features that are on their newer larger ships.  Though it does have a climbing wall.

 

Without a number of children on board it will not be much different than any of the other lines above (except Viking) On my last RCL cruise to Alaska the food selections took a bit of getting used to compared to HAL or Princess, but then again the selections on those lines are not the same as they were 4-5 years ago.