WC 2026…thoughts?

[PaulaJK]

We have begun to consider the above. We are rather surprised at the itinerary which dedicates only  one day to major ports such as Luxor, Cairo, Saudi Arabia, Athens, Honolulu and several others. Also shortened ..roughly 1.5 days…in some ports that formerly garnered 3 days.  eg HongKong. A day in L. Chabang makes the trip into Bangkok mostly impossible…meanwhile 3 days are dedicated to Papeete.

 

Does anyone have information addressing these issues? Hopefully on a WC there is sufficient time in port to see/sample/ visit the world!

 

[PaulaJK]

No thoughts on this itinerary?

[Keith1010]

Paula, 

 

Overall, there is a lot of great places to visit on the WC depending on interests. As someone who never gets tired of visiting New Zealand that's a big plus.

 

I agree there are a few places with overnights that it is disappointing that they have to leave in the morning but my guess is that it is because another ship will be taking it's spot after it leaves. While that is disappointing, the positive is that since it is an overnight you don't have to rush back and can tour all day or even at night so to me that is a big plus.

 

The reality is securing port space has been a challenge for several years and I suspect even more challenging as Crystal is still in catch up mode plus there are so many more World Cruises and ships sailing these areas with each passing year.

 

Places like Sydney, Honolulu and Hong Kong are examples of ports where there is great demand.  My experience with Honolulu is often we were there for one day, Hong Kong normally a two to three days but I remember that World Cruise where we couldn't even dock and had to take a ferry which was something like an hour each way. That was not fun.  Having been to Saudi Arabia I really don't see a need for an overnight there. One day is sufficient IMHO.

 

Anyway, I've never seen a perfect WC itinerary. Whereas I prefer overnight and more time in selected ports often people want to go to lots of ports and when they build the itinerary they have to be thinking of selling segments.

 

The question is what will the world including the Suez Canal be like in 2026 but time will tell.

 

Keith 

[JTor]

Hi Paula, I'm booked on part of the WC2025 and basically considering that I have booked a "mystery cruise".  Current events in the world and especially Suez Canal and Middle East make it impossible for anyone to predict what will be happening in 2025 or 2026.  I think the decision right now is more about whether you want an extended period of time on a Crystal ship, wherever it may be roaming.  I would not book a WC right now specifically for certain ports, especially any of those that might be dependent on a ship getting through or around Africa.  As someone who likes to plan way ahead and have certainty about the future, this is hard for me as I'm sure it is for many travelers, but it's just the reality of the world right now.