world cruise routes

All four corners, one epic voyage.

The Ultimate World Cruise

The most epic world cruise ever to set sail.

Get ready to see the world in a whole new light — introducing the Ultimate World Cruise onboard Serenade of the Seas®. You can spend 274 nights bonding with like-minded explorers over global discoveries across all seven continents. Or pick a corner of the globe and explore every inch of it on one of four Ultimate World Cruise℠ segments — each an immersive voyage of 60+ nights. Connect with countless distinct cultures, soak up the most spectacular landscapes on Earth, and marvel at World Wonders that showcase mankind’s boundless imagination.

Or call your local travel advisor . For more information, call the Ultimate World Cruise Contact Line at 800-423-2100.

Dive deeper into the world's wonders

Ultimate world cruise.

Visit 150+ destinations and 8 World Wonders, across 7 continents and 60+ countries. The Ultimate World Cruise features four distinct segments that traverse the globe in one incredible journey.

Dec 10th – Feb 11th

Ultimate Americas Cruise

Feb 11th - May 9th

Ultimate Asia Pacific Cruise

May 9th - July 10th

Ultimate Africa & Southern Europe Cruise

July 10th - Sep 10th

Ultimate Europe & Beyond Cruise

Chichén Itzá, Cozumel, Mexico

Christ the Redeemer, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Iguazu Falls, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Machu Picchu, Lima, Peru

Great Barrier Reef, Cairns, Australia

Great Wall of China, Beijing, China

The Taj Mahal, Cochin, India

The Colosseum, Rome, Italy

Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Berlin, Germany

Copenhagen, Denmark

New York, New York

Dec 10th 2023 – Feb 11th 2024

Venture across Three Continents

36 Destinations, 64 Nights

Arica, Chile

Your once-in-a-lifetime journey begins December 2023, embarking from in Miami on the first segment of the Ultimate World Cruise℠ — the Ultimate Americas Cruise. Go from postcard-perfect Caribbean shores—including the ABC islands —to viewing abundant wildlife like sea lions, penguins and whales roaming glacier-studded Antarctica as you round Cape Horn. Along the way, discover World Wonders in South America, including man-made marvels and extraordinary natural phenomena.

Take in the largest Art Deco sculpture in the world, Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro. Behold the largest waterfall system on the planet, Iguazú Falls near Buenos Aires. And explore Machu Picchu, one of the most iconic symbols of Peru’s ancient Inca heritage. Then sail up to the Yucatàn Peninsula to discover hidden coves and dramatic rock formations along Land’s End in Cabo San Lucas before exploring Ensenada.

Feb 11th 2024 - May 9th 2024

Far East. Down Under. And up for anything

40 Destinations, 87 nights

Taj Mahal, India

Venture miles from ordinary in Australia and Asia on this leg of the Ultimate World Cruise SM . Explore Hawaii and discover the crystal-clear waters of Mo’orea and Tahiti in unspoiled French Polynesia. Set out for Australia’s Great Barrier Reef — the only living thing on the planet that’s visible from space. Trek from pristine natural beauty in Bali to one of the most iconic man-made World Wonders, the Great Wall of China. And discover the unparalleled culture and modern architecture of Tokyo, then take in one of the most breathtaking sights in the world — The Taj Mahal.

May 9th 2024 - July 10th 2024

Beauty beyond belief

Ultimate Africa & Med Cruise

39 Destinations, 63 Nights

Walvis Bay Sandwich Harbour

Explore the orange sand dunes of the world’s oldest desert in Namibia. Bask in the beauty of idyllic beaches in Cape Town. And hike mist-topped rainforests along the Ivory Coast. Plus, go back in time as you wander through the Colosseum in Rome and get lost in the Venetian-style streets of Corfu.

Then your journey continues to even more destinations known for their storied history — like the fortified walls of Split, Croatia and the cobblestoned streets of Barcelona, Cannes and Provence.

July 10th 2024 - September 10th 2024

Set a course for the north

40 Destinations, 63 Nights

Blue Lagoon, Iceland

The final leg of the Ultimate World Cruise is an immersive cultural exploration starting in the Med heading north. Discover Barcelona’s brilliant architecture, including Gaudi’s Sagrada Família. Savor flavors across continents — like a dinner of tagine and mint tea in Morocco.

Go from taking in fjords in Norway to biking through Copenhagen. Finally, experience another natural marvel — the other-worldly geothermal seawater at The Blue Lagoon in Iceland before stopping in New York and Perfect Day at CocoCay on your way back to Miami.

Amenities Included in your entire adventure

Join us for the entire Ultimate World Cruise, you’ll enjoy exclusive perks and amenities — all included in your adventure. So you can complement back-to-back discoveries onshore with all your favorite comforts onboard, plus thoughtful touches to elevate every moment.

*New World Wonders Shore Excursions included for Crown & Anchor® Society Platinum members & above

Business Class Airfare

Premium Transportation Between Airport, Hotel and Ship

Pre-cruise Hotel & Gala

New World Wonders Shore Excursion*

Deluxe Beverage Package

Wash & Fold Laundry Service

VOOM Surf & Stream

A World Wandering Fleet Favorite

Designed with acres of glass offering panoramic vistas of sea, sky and land, Serenade of the Seas® is the perfect ship for scenery-scoping. Take in captivating views of Norway’s majestic fjords, gaze at glaciers in Antarctica, and soak up the sun and the sights while cruising through French Polynesia. In between adventures onshore, you can unwind poolside or tee off on the mini golf green. Settle in for dazzling entertainment or dance until dawn beneath the stars. And with top-notch restaurants onboard, every meal turns into a global taste-tour that’s as immersive as your Ultimate World Cruise.

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Machu Picchu, Peru

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Cruise Details & Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Ultimate World Cruise?

The Ultimate World Cruise is a never-before-offered Royal Caribbean adventure that takes you on a 274-night journey around the world from December 10, 2023 – September 10, 2024. The adventure begins and ends in Miami, Florida, visiting all 7 continents, 65 countries, 150 ports of call, with 16 overnights and 8 World Wonders. More than 40 of the ports you’ll visit are either rarely available on our other itineraries or brand new to Royal Caribbean, so get ready for the exploration of a lifetime. Book The Ultimate World Cruise early to ensure the best accommodation throughout the entire voyage.

What is the starting price for the Ultimate World Cruise and its 4 individual segments?

Ultimate World Cruise Starting Price

Considering all that’s included in your 274-night Ultimate World Cruise fare, you’ll enjoy an incredible value. No matter which stateroom you choose, your fare includes Ultimate World Cruise complimentary amenities like business class airfare, pre-cruise hotel and gala, Deluxe Beverage Package, gratuities, VOOM internet package, wash and fold laundry service, and more.

*Taxes, fees, and port expenses of $4,667 USD per person are additional and are subject to change at any time. All starting prices listed are per person, in USD, cruise only, based on double occupancy and are subject to change at any time.

Ultimate World Cruise Segments Starting Price

Considering all that’s included in your Ultimate Cruise segment fare, you’ll enjoy an incredible value. No matter which stateroom you choose, your fare includes Ultimate Cruise segment complimentary amenities like Deluxe Beverage Package, gratuities, VOOM internet package, and wash and fold laundry service.

*Taxes, fees, and port expenses are additional and are subject to change at any time. All starting prices listed are per person, in USD, cruise only, based on double occupancy and are subject to change at any time.

What are the 8 World Wonders the Ultimate World Cruise and the four Ultimate Cruise segments will visit, and on what dates?

Ultimate Americas Cruise: December 10, 2023 – February 11, 2024

Chichen Itza: via Cozumel Dec 13, 2023

Christ the Redeemer: via Rio de Janeiro Dec 31, 2023

Iguazu Falls: via Buenos Aires Jan 5, 2024

Machu Picchu: via Lima Jan 29-30, 2024

Ultimate Asia Pacific Cruise: February 11, 2024 – May 9, 2024

Great Barrier Reef: via Airlie Beach and Cairns March 13-14, 2024

Great Wall of China: via Beijing April 7-8, 2024

Taj Mahal: via Cochin May 1, 2024

Ultimate Africa & Med Cruise: May 9, 2024 – July 10, 2024

Colosseum: via Rome July 1, 2024

Ultimate Europe & Beyond Cruise: July 10, 2024 – September 10, 2024

There are no World Wonders visited during this Ultimate Cruise segment.

What benefits are included when booking the Ultimate World Cruise or one of the four Ultimate Cruise segments?

Guests who join us for the entire Ultimate World Cruise will receive the following inclusions:

Embarkation Amenities

Round-trip business class airfare

Pre-cruise hotel and gala

Premium transfers between airport, hotel and ship

Onboard Amenities

Deluxe Beverage Package for entire voyage

VOOM Wi-Fi internet for entire voyage

Gratuities for entire voyage

Wash and fold laundry service

Our Crown & Anchor Society guests who hold Platinum status and above will also receive the exclusive benefit of included excursions to the 7 New World Wonders.

Guests who join us for one of the four Ultimate Cruise segments will receive the following inclusions:

Deluxe Beverage Package for entire segment

VOOM Wi-Fi for entire segment

Gratuities for entire segment

Wash and fold laundry service for entire segment

Will I receive the same stateroom for the entire duration of my Ultimate World Cruise or Ultimate Cruise segment?

Our Ultimate World Cruise team will ensure that you get the same stateroom for the entirety of the cruise when purchased within the exclusive booking window through November 2021. If you are purchasing your Ultimate World Cruise after the Ultimate Cruise segments have opened for sale, our team will work with you to make every effort to secure the same stateroom for your entire time onboard, based on the remaining available inventory.

What is the payment schedule for the Ultimate World Cruise and the four Ultimate Cruise segments?

To reserve a stateroom on the Ultimate World Cruise or one of the four Ultimate Cruise segments a non-refundable deposit is required. Final payment must be received by Royal Caribbean 180 days prior to cruise departure. For bookings created within 180 days prior to cruise departure, final payment must be received within 48 hours of booking.

How long do I have to place my deposit for the Ultimate World Cruise or one of the four Ultimate Cruise segments?

If outside of final payment, our Ultimate World Cruise and Ultimate Cruise segment guests are able to place a two-week hold to lock in their preferred stateroom and price before deposit is required. Your deposit must be placed within the two-week offer period to secure your selected stateroom.

Are there travel insurance options available on the Ultimate World Cruise or the four Ultimate Cruise segments?

There are travel insurance options available to guests who meet certain qualifications. For more information, please call 800-423-2100 or contact your Travel Advisor.

Why are the Ultimate World Cruise and the four Ultimate Cruise segments only offered as nonrefundable?

Our Ultimate World Cruise and the four Ultimate Cruise segments are a unique adventure that has never before been offered by Royal Caribbean and we want to ensure that our guests who are committed to sharing this experience with us receive priority placement. To preserve this unique experience, all sailings onboard Serenade of the Seas from December 10, 2023 – September 10, 2024, will be offered as exclusively nonrefundable.

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10 Around-the-world Cruises for the Trip of a Lifetime

These world cruises offer the ultimate itineraries.

Elizabeth Rhodes is a special projects editor at Travel + Leisure , covering everything from luxury hotels to theme parks to must-pack travel products. Originally from South Carolina, Elizabeth moved to New York City from London, where she started her career as a travel blogger and writer.

Want to island hop around French Polynesia, visit Africa's incredible cities, and cruise through Asia without ever switching hotels or repacking your bags? An around-the-world cruise provides the ultimate itinerary, packed with exciting international destinations (some even visit hard-to-reach destinations like Easter Island and Antarctica), and luxury cruise lines provide comfortable accommodations, specialty restaurants, and plenty to do on and off the ship.

There are two main things you need before booking a world cruise: plenty of time and some spare cash. Prices range from around $20,000 to upwards of $100,000 per person, and all our top picks are more than 100 days (one is even a whopping 275 days), so they're ideal for retired travelers looking for their next big adventure. Pack wisely for a range of destinations and climates, and get ready for the journey of a lifetime, filled with postcard-perfect destinations and new friends (because you're bound to meet a travel buddy or two after 100-plus days on a ship). If an around-the-world cruise is at the top of your travel list, you'll want to book sooner rather than later — these journeys frequently sell out because many cruise lines only offer a limited number of sailings.

Here are ten of the best around-the-world cruises you can take in 2023 and 2024.

Viking Ocean Cruises

Viking world cruise.

See 28 countries on the 138-day Viking World Cruise from Fort Lauderdale to London. After departing from Florida, the Viking Sky will sail the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, stopping in sunny destinations before crossing the Panama Canal to reach the Pacific. From there, the ship will visit destinations in Mexico and the continental United States, continuing on to Hawaii, French Polynesia, New Zealand, and Australia. Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar, and India are among the ports in Asia, then it's on to the Middle East before traveling to Europe, where final destinations include Italy, Spain, and Portugal en route to London. Fares start at $59,995.

Regent Seven Seas Cruises

Moments in time: world cruise 2024.

Sail around the world in 132 nights aboard the Seven Seas Mariner on a round-trip journey from Miami. You'll spend the days at sea enjoying the luxury ship's amenities, including the spa and several restaurants and lounges, between stops in destinations like Costa Rica, Mexico, Hawaii, Tahiti, Bora Bora, Fiji, New Zealand, Australia, Indonesia, Singapore, India, UAE, Israel, and Italy, among others. This 2024 world cruise , with fares starting at $73,499, is officially sold out , but you can join a waitlist to be notified of cancellations.

Royal Caribbean

The ultimate world cruise.

Royal Caribbean pulls out all the stops — and there are more than 150 of them — on this 274-night cruise to all seven continents. The itinerary aboard the Serenade of the Seas begins in Miami on December 10, 2023, and visits more than 60 countries, including Brazil, Ecuador, Nicaragua, French Polynesia, the Philippines, South Korea, India, Romania, and Greenland, before ending in Miami on September 10, 2024. Travelers who don't want to commit to the entire cruise can book shorter segments. Fares start at $59,999 for this cruise that gives travelers the opportunity to visit 11 of the great wonders of the world, including the Taj Mahal, the Great Wall of China, and Chichen Itza.

World Cruise 2024

Enjoy 133 days on Silversea's Silver Shadow with this round-trip sailing from San Francisco. During that time, the ship will visit 65 ports in 14 countries, including Fiji, New Zealand, Australia, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, China, Japan, and Canada. Fares start at $66,000 for this 2024 sailing, which currently has waitlist availability.

2024 World Cruise: Extraordinary Horizons

Climb aboard the Seabourn Sojourn for a 145-day world cruise from Los Angeles to Athens, visiting 72 ports in 28 countries. The cruise departs Los Angeles and goes to Hawaii, French Polynesia, New Zealand, Australia, Vietnam, Japan, and China — just to name a few places — before ending in Greece. Visit the website for booking details and shorter segments.

Oceania Cruises

Around the world in 180 days.

Travelers on Oceania's 180-day round-trip cruise from Los Angeles to New York aboard the Insignia will see some of the world's most impressive sights. Highlights include stops in stunning French Polynesia, Indonesia, Thailand, Egypt, Spain, France, and Iceland. Fares start at $48,499 for the 2024 sailing .

MSC Cruises

Msc world cruise 2024.

The MSC Poesia will take guests to 56 destinations on this 120-day cruise starting in Rome. Countries visited during this journey include Argentina, Chile, Peru, New Zealand, Australia, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, India, and Jordan. When you're not exploring each port, you can relax in the swimming pools and hot tubs, visit the many restaurants, bars, and lounges, or go to the spa. Fares start at $17,199 per person; find booking details on the MSC website.

Princess Cruises

111-day world cruise.

This round-trip cruise from Los Angeles on the Island Princess will visit 47 ports in beautiful places like New Zealand, Australia, Bali, Sri Lanka, UAE, Egypt, Greece, Italy, Spain, Morocco, Bermuda, Mexico, and more. Fares for this 2024 sailing start at $19,497.

Holland America Line

128-day grand world voyage.

Explore the world on this 128-day round-trip journey from Fort Lauderdale on the Zuiderdam . This cruise's itinerary includes a trip down the Amazon River, stops in the Caribbean, a Panama Canal crossing, and stops in cities like Honolulu, Tokyo, Shanghai, Singapore, Abu Dhabi, Istanbul, and more. Fares start at $23,599 for this 2024 cruise .

Azamara World Cruise

This 155-night itinerary to more than 40 countries kicks off in Fort Lauderdale and finishes in Barcelona. The itinerary features ports for experiencing some of the great wonders of the world, including the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, as well as Petra in Jordan and the Colosseum in Rome. Travelers can also choose to join segments of the cruise aboard the Azamara Onward for as few as 10 nights. Fares for this 2024 sailing start at $36,379.

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Grand World Voyages

There’s no trip in the world like an around the world cruise. Holland America Line Grand Voyages invite passengers to deeply connect with every destination. Guests of these superb world voyages will luxuriate in exceptional cuisine from renowned chefs, an enhanced enrichment program, and exclusive entertainment. Come see why travelers vote these expeditions as the best around-the-world cruises.

Coming Soon: 2026 Grand World Voyage

Early Booking Benefits Promotion

Download 2025 Grand World Voyage Planner  (PDF)

Grand World Voyage Featured Ports

Reykjavik, Iceland

Komodo Island, Indonesia

Antarctic Experience

Zanzibar, Tanzania

Featured shore excursions.

Home » Cruise Tips » The Expert’s Guide to World Cruises – Costs, Itineraries, Ships, Tips, and More

The Expert’s Guide to World Cruises – Costs, Itineraries, Ships, Tips, and More

In our expert's guide to world cruises, we discuss the costs, itineraries, ships, tips, and more to help you decide if one is right for you.

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World cruises have long been a huge bucket-list item for travelers who want to visit many cities and countries in a seamless and comfortable way. Visiting multiple continents and dozens of ports while only unpacking once sounds like a far-fetched idea, but that’s exactly the opportunity that a world cruise affords.

Here, we have a full guide to world cruises including how long they are, where they go, how much they cost, and lists of world cruises departing in 2024 and 2025.

Call to Book Your Next Cruise Now: 1-855-228-5584!

What is a world cruise?

When you think about a traditional cruise, you would typically think of a week-long voyage to a specific region like the Caribbean , Alaska , or Mediterranean . Maybe a short weekend getaway to a place like the Bahamas , or perhaps a 10+ day adventure through the Panama Canal or to Hawaii.

The vast majority of cruises are two weeks or less — getaways that most people with typical careers can easily take with some of their designated vacation time.

But what if you want to go all-out with your top bucket list trip, sailing on the sea and visiting dozens of ports for months on end? This is where world cruises come in. A world cruise is a months-long sailing that visits dozens of ports across multiple continents. Certainly not for everyone, world cruises tend to attract mostly retired travelers and those who can work remotely via the ship’s wifi.

Cruise lines usually deploy their smaller, older vessels for the task because these types of voyages are much more about the itinerary than the ship (therefore not as many flashy, new amenities on the ship are needed). And a smaller vessel means fewer guests and an easier time getting around — very helpful for a sailing that skews much older than the typical cruise passenger demographic.

Plus, these smaller ships can also visit more remote ports of call that can not accommodate larger vessels.

How long are world cruises?

A cruise typically isn’t billed as a full “world cruise” unless it’s at least a couple months long. The majority of world cruises range from 90 to 150 days. Though, it’s common to find some that are shorter or longer as well.

When searching for a world cruise, you may notice that there are many itineraries that are shorter than two months… and some that may even be shorter than one month. This brings us to a great option for sampling a world cruise without the full time and cost commitment: world cruise segments.

These shorter segments offer a portion of the world cruise itinerary and experience to more people and often attract a bit more of a diverse crowd . You won’t find every world cruise divided into segments, but many do have them as a booking option.

These segments typically focus on one region/continent. For example, if a 100+ day world cruise is traversing northern Europe, the Mediterranean, Asia, and the South Pacific, there may also be segmented booking options for each of those regions.

If you really want to visit lots of ports in Asia and spend many weeks on a cruise ship doing so, you can look into boarding the ship just for the Asia segment of the world cruise.

This is a great option for those who want a taste of a world cruise without committing to the entire trip.

Where do world cruises go?

Where cruise ships can go, world cruises can (and pretty much will) go. Each world cruise is different. The exact itinerary is dependent entirely on the cruise line operating it, with considerations including the ship, its size, and environmental limitations; which destinations the cruise line’s guests most desire; costs and time constraints; as well as other factors.

To put it simply, if there’s a region you want to visit where there are facilities for cruise ships, chances are you’ll be able to find a world cruise that includes it. Some of the most popular places featured on world cruises are the Mediterranean, the South Pacific, the Caribbean, Asia, Australia, South America, Northern Europe, and the Panama Canal. Some also include visits to Antarctica .

EXCLUSIVE RATES: Get Deals on World Cruises Now!

Which cruise lines offer world cruises?

You may be surprised to learn that there are actually quite a few cruise lines that operate world cruises. If you’re loyal to a specific line, it’s worth keeping an eye out if you’re interested in their longest sailings.

Mainstream cruise lines that offer world cruises include Princess Cruises , Holland America Line , MSC Cruises , P&O Cruises, Costa Cruises, and AIDA Cruises. Even Royal Caribbean has gotten into the game, as it’s currently operating its first-ever world cruise aboard Serenade of the Seas.

More premium and luxury lines tend to offer world cruises than mainstream ones. These include Azamara, Oceania Cruises, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Crystal Cruises, Viking, Silversea Cruises, and Seabourn.

British line Cunard also offers world cruises, including a 111-night one in 2025 that breaks the mold with its newest upcoming ship, Queen Anne, embarking on the adventure rather than an older ship.

How much does a world cruise cost?

The cost of a world cruise depends heavily on a few main factors: the cruise line, the length of the voyage, and the type of accommodation you choose. For the cheapest cabin on a mainstream or premium cruise line, expect to pay somewhere between $10,000 and $30,000 for the base fare per person. This means an interior stateroom with no windows or balcony. For an oceanview, balcony, or suite, the price goes up from there.

For a luxury cruise line, expect to pay between $30,000 and $125,000 per person for the cheapest cabin. This could be an interior, but many luxury ships are balcony or suite-only, so that would be the cheapest/lowest option.

Here’s a tip: if you’re looking for the best deal on a world cruise, go to a cruise aggregate website that allows you to search for a cruise from many different cruise lines. You’ll be able to sort based on your preferences and see options from mainstream to luxury all in one place.

Once there, narrow your preferences to ‘world cruise’ and then sort by ‘price per night, low to high.’ Cruiseline.com is a great place to do this. Keep in mind, though, that different cruise lines include different extras and amenities on their world cruises, so look into what’s included in the fare to help determine the value.

What’s included on world cruises?

Since we’re on the topic, you may be wondering what’s usually included in the base fare on a world cruise. It might be a pleasant surprise to learn that pretty much all world cruises include more in the fare than you’d get taking a regular cruise with the same company.

Each line varies slightly in their inclusions, but in general you can expect your world cruise fare to include these extras on top of what’s usually included in a mainstream cruise:

• Airfare to and from the cruise homeport (often in business class)
• A pre-cruise hotel stay and gala
• Transfers between the airport, hotel, and ship
• Laundry service and/or free use of self-service launderettes
• WiFi package
• Beverage package

Some world cruises even include shore excursions , which can be an enormous added value for those who like to take tours and do organized activities while in port.

Are world cruises worth it?

Asking whether a world cruise is worth it is highly subjective. First of all, you’re likely asking whether it’s worth the cost and/or time commitment. And like with most vacation bookings and extras, whether or not it’s worth it is entirely up to you.

The majority of people — and even many die-hard cruisers — are not willing to part with such a large amount of money at once for a trip. Although it is the adventure of a lifetime, it’s certainly not necessary to see different parts of the world. Along the same lines, many people flat-out can’t quit their jobs or work remotely, and not many have enough vacation time to take off work for several months in a row.

But if your situation is such that you can afford it both in terms of money and time, sit down with a digital spreadsheet or piece of paper and do the math to determine the price per night for the world cruises you’re interested in. Also, think about your everyday situation and determine if it would be feasible for you to leave your home, family/friends, etc. for an extended period of time.

If it doesn’t work now, consider whether you could do a world cruise a few years down the road. There are lots of considerations to be made when it comes to taking a very extended trip that could easily cost a good chunk of a year’s salary (or more!).

If the time commitment isn’t an issue and you see the value for the cost, it’s worth it to you… and that’s what matters most.

BOOK NOW: Get Discounts When Booking a World Cruise!

World Cruises Sailing in 2024

Here’s a list of world cruises that are departing in 2024:

Holland America

• 43-night Grand World Voyage on Zuiderdam from Honolulu to Singapore departing February 8th

Princess Cruises

• Roundtrip from Auckland on April 26th
• Roundtrip from Sydney on April 30th
• Roundtrip from Brisbane on May 2nd

Costa Cruises

• 130 nights roundtrip from Trieste on December 7th
• 122 nights roundtrip from Rome on December 11th
• 120 nights roundtrip from Savona on December 12th
• 118 nights roundtrip from Marseille on December 13th
• 116 nights roundtrip from Barcelona on December 14th

AIDA Cruises

• 117-night World Cruise on AIDAsol roundtrip from Hamburg departing on October 23rd (with segments available)

Crystal Cruises

• 125 nights from San Diego to Miami on February 3rd
• 141 nights roundtrip from San Diego on February 3rd
• 42-night Grand Journey on Crystal Serenity from Vancouver to Quebec City departing August 13th

• 123-night World Voyage on Queen Mary 2 roundtrip from New York City, departed on January 3rd (with segments available)
• 107-night World Voyage on Queen Victoria roundtrip from Southampton, departed on January 11th (with segments available)

Oceania Cruises

• 51-night Epic Northern Hemisphere on Insignia roundtrip from New York City departing July 12th
• 79-night Ultimate Pacific Traveler on Regatta from Los Angeles to Sydney departing October 3rd

P&O Cruises

• 99-night Western Circumnavigation on Arcadia roundtrip from Southampton, departed January 6th
• 116-night World Cruise on Seabourn Sojourn from Auckland to Piraeus (Athens) departing February 10th (with segments available)

• 137 nights from Fort Lauderdale to Greenwich
• 179 nights from Fort Lauderdale to New York City
• 61-night Longitudinal World Cruise on Viking Polaris from Milwaukee to Ushuaia departing October 1st

World Cruises Sailing in 2025

Here’s a list of world cruises that are departing in 2025:

• 124-night Grand World Voyage on Zuiderdam roundtrip from Fort Lauderdale departing January 4th
• 133-night Grand Voyage 2025: Pole to Pole on Volendam roundtrip from Fort Lauderdale departing on January 25th

MSC Cruises

• Roundtrip from Rome on January 4th
• Roundtrip from Genoa on January 5th
• Roundtrip from Marseille on January 6th
• Roundtrip from Barcelona on January 7th

• Roundtrip from Fort Lauderdale on January 5th
• Roundtrip from Los Angeles on January 20th
• Roundtrip from Auckland on May 31st
• Roundtrip from Sydney on June 4th
• Roundtrip from Brisbane on June 6th
• 155-night World Voyage on Azamara Onward from San Diego to Southampton departing January 6th
• 123-night World Voyage on Crystal Serenity from Fort Lauderdale to Barcelona departing January 7th
• 111 nights roundtrip from Hamburg on January 7th
• 107 nights roundtrip from Southampton on January 9th
• 196-night Global Horizons roundtrip from Miami
• 180-night Around the World in 180 Days from Miami to San Diego
• 200-night Kaleidoscope of Your World from Miami to New York City
• 111-night Epic Continental Explorer on Nautica from Papeete to Barcelona departing on February 25th

• 99-night Western Circumnavigation on Arcadia roundtrip from Southampton departing January 3rd

Regent Seven Seas Cruises

• 150 nights from Miami to San Francisco
• 168 nights roundtrip from Miami
• 116-night Grand Cultural Quest on Seven Seas Mariner from New York City to Barcelona departing July 10th (with a segment available)
• 84-night Grand Continental Sojourn on Seven Seas Navigator from Barcelona to Sydney departing October 31st

Silversea Cruises

• 136-night Controtrempo World Voyage on Silver Dawn from Tokyo to New York City departing January 13th
• 83-night Grand North Atlantic & Northern Europe on Silver Shadow roundtrip from New York City departing June 11th
• 120-night Viking World Journeys from Los Angeles to Greenwich
• 162-night Viking World Voyage from Los Angeles to New York City
• 68-night Longitudinal World Cruise on Viking Octantis from Buenos Aires to Mikwaukee departing on February 20th
• 61-night Longitudinal World Cruise on Viking Polaris from Milwaukee to Ushuaia departing September 15th

What’s your take on world cruises? If time and finances allowed, would you book one of these extended voyages? Drop us an anchor below to share your bucket list cruise destinations.

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11 epic around-the-world cruises that will check off all your bucket list travel destinations

Imagine the joys of traveling seamlessly from one bucket list country to another without packing and unpacking, switching hotels, boarding countless flights or even doing laundry.

Think it's a fantasy? It's actually a world cruise, the nirvana of many ocean-going devotees. As a bonus, most of these around-the-world voyages include enviable perks, like pre-cruise hotel stays, alcohol, shipboard credit, exclusive-access shore excursions — and, yes, laundry service.

Retired, taking a job hiatus or working remotely? A world cruise is a safe, easy and exhilarating way to score a global adventure beyond compare. You might even make new lifelong friends sharing similar interests.

For cruise news, reviews and tips, sign up for TPG's cruise newsletter .

So, pull out your travel wish list and find an itinerary for those coveted destinations.

Here, you can learn more about what's involved in an around-the-world cruise and drool over 11 terrific choices across a range of fares for an incredible monthslong voyage at sea.

What is a world cruise?

Never mind the moniker, a world cruise may visit several continents but not circumnavigate the globe. Cruise lines usually designate one ship (a few offer two) to sail about 100 days or longer — some even sail more than 200 days — without repeating ports.

World cruises traditionally start in January and end around April or May. They sail round-trip from one American city, such as San Francisco or Miami, or offer a choice of starting points on both coasts, making access easy.

What to know about world cruises

With so few world cruises available, book far in advance. Bookings open roughly two years in advance, and some small-ship cruises sell out within hours. You'll need the extra time to make arrangements to leave your home for months. For that reason, this story will focus on 2025 world cruises.

Related: Hot cruises you'll need to book at least 1 year in advance — maybe even 2!

Around-the-world cruise cost

Such lengthy sailings cost plenty. The bigger ship lines offer the lowest fares, although extra fees for what's not included (such as shore excursions and alcohol) can add up quickly. If contemplating a big-ship voyage, read the inclusions carefully, as they vary among lines.

Luxury vessels bundle many costly amenities into the fare, like business- or first-class plane tickets and luxury hotel stays, and charge the most. They also deliver fine dining, pampering service, glam surroundings and impressive special events. (Silversea Cruises has previously rented out an entire island to entertain its world cruise guests.)

Thus, expect considerable price differences. Count on spending about $20,000 per person minimum to score an entry-level accommodation on the bigger ships and approximately $80,000 to $90,000 per person for an ultraluxury vessel.

Note that for the poshest lines, "entry-level" may mean a spacious, elegant suite with a veranda. For other lines, the most basic cabin is a small, windowless room.

Read on to discover where you can sail to in 2025 on a world cruise.

World Voyage

Thanks to an overwhelming response to its 2024 world cruise (which is currently waitlisted), Azamara announced itineraries for both 2025 and 2026, both aboard the 684-passenger Azamara Onward.

Azamara Onward is the newest ship to join the Miami-based line's four-vessel fleet. The ship's size provides an intimate experience and allows it to call on small towns bigger ships can't access.

For 2025, the 155-night, 37-country voyage begins in San Diego and ends in Southampton, England, with visits to exciting locales in French Polynesia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Italy, France and others.

Along the way, world cruisers can sample authentic Hawaiian cuisine; explore the unspoiled beaches and the lush rainforest on Stewart Island, New Zealand; and visit the world's largest Buddhist temple in Indonesia.

The itinerary will include a pre-sailing welcome party, exclusive cultural events, concierge service and other upscale perks.

The 2026 world cruise sets sail from Miami and concludes in Barcelona. The itinerary for this 155-night expedition features some of the world's most iconic landmarks and sites.

Cruisers will have the opportunity to explore the great pyramid of Kukulcan and other ancient Mayan sites in Chichen Itza, Mexico; wander among Rio de Janeiro's architectural gems and experience the awe of Iguazu Falls in Brazil; sample Peruvian cuisine and soak in the landscape of Machu Picchu in Cusco; scale the Great Wall of China; and enjoy other bucket-list worthy adventures.

The 2025 world cruise departs Jan. 6, 2025. Prices start from $89,001 per person.

The 2026 world cruise departs Jan. 6, 2026. Prices start from $85,141 per person.

World Cruise

If luxury and unparalleled personal service are important to you, consider Crystal 's 2025 world cruise aboard Crystal Serenity .

The beloved upscale line went bankrupt and stopped sailing in 2022. However, luxury tour operator Abercrombie & Kent acquired it and brought it back to life with a $150 million glow-up, starting with 740-passenger Crystal Serenity.

With newly renovated expansive suites, an array of social areas and nearly one staff member per guest, Crystal Serenity offers ultimate comfort, quality and personalization. Every cabin comes with a butler ready to assist with reservations, laundry and any other needs you have during your global odyssey.

Beginning in Fort Lauderdale and concluding in Barcelona, the sailing spans 123 nights with visits to 31 countries. The cruise kicks off with a welcome celebration, and guests can enjoy themed onboard and shoreside events and gala dinners throughout the sailing.

Exciting destinations along the way include Belize, Honduras, Argentina, Chile, South Africa, the Seychelles, Sri Lanka, Egypt and Jordan. Passengers can get a close-up look at Argentine tango through performances, enjoy street food in Sri Lanka's capital city and celebrate like a Greek god on Mount Olympus, among other events.

Custom excursions and pre- and post-cruise tours organized by Abercrombie & Kent are available along the way (for an additional cost).

Departs Jan. 7, 2025. Prices start from $66,200 per person.

Cunard Line

Be among the first to explore the world aboard Queen Anne, the line's first new ship in 12 years. Scheduled to launch in May 2024, the 2,996-passenger ship will take over Cunard 's world cruise duties in January 2025.

Queen Anne's maiden World Voyage in 2025 will span 111 nights, beginning and ending in Hamburg, Germany. Along the way, guests can explore historic churches in the Old Town of Lubeck, Germany, a UNESCO World Heritage site; visit the historic city of Antigua, Guatemala's original capital; and indulge in retail therapy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia's bustling shopping hub.

Passengers will enjoy spectacular new elements on this ship. The vessel's main pool area, The Pavilion, is topped with a gorgeous retractable glass roof that will act as a showpiece and also a functional structure to keep poolgoers dry on rainy days.

If you're seeking the most luxurious accommodations and exclusive experiences on board, book Princess or Queens Grill suites. Fares include outstanding amenities such as private dining rooms, coffee and specialty tea service, priority boarding, and a private outdoor lounge area.

Queens Grill suite passengers receive butler service, too. However, many lovely inclusions, such as white-gloved servers presenting complimentary daily tea, are available for all guests.

Departs Jan. 7, 2025. Prices start from $17,799 per person.

Holland America

Grand World Voyage

Holland America 's 124-day Grand World Voyage on the 1,964-passenger Zuiderdam cruises round-trip from Fort Lauderdale. The enticing itinerary ventures far from Florida to must-visit cities such as Tokyo, Mumbai, Singapore and Istanbul. The ship will also traverse the Panama Canal.

Many included overnights allow opportunities to dive deep into local cultures and experiences. Spend extra time in Kobe, Japan; Hong Kong and Shanghai, China; and Singapore. As a bonus, Zuiderdam will take guests to incredibly remote locales, such as the Amazon.

On board, relish music venues like Billboard Onboard and BBC Earth in Concert, where a live orchestra plays before a huge backdrop of spectacular wildlife footage. Step One Dance Company presents works by noted choreographers. Count on a buzzy casino, fine dining at specialty restaurants and a professionally staffed fitness center.

Departs Jan. 4, 2025. Prices start from $24,999 per person.

Related: A beginners guide to picking a cruise line

MSC Cruises

MSC Cruises is doing something a little different with its 2025 world cruise. It's offering a choice of four embarkation ports — Rome and Genoa in Italy; Marseille, France; and Barcelona. Passengers will return to the same port they left from.

The 2,550-passenger MSC Magnifica is the home base for the 116-night journey. The itinerary features port calls at 50 destinations across 21 countries in the Mediterranean, South America, the South Pacific, Australia and Asia. Among the cities you'll explore are Puerto Madryn, Argentina; Rio de Janeiro; Casablanca, Morocco; Colombo, Sri Lanka; Phuket, Thailand; Broome, Australia; and Auckland.

Spend your port days ogling at Genoa's majestic Metropolitan Cathedral of Saint Lawrence and Doge's Palace; exploring the peaceful mountaintop monastery in Montserrat, Spain; and wandering through the restored ceremonial village of Orongo, Rapa Nui (Easter Island), a World Heritage Site.

Departs Jan. 4, 5, 6 and 7, 2025 (depending on your embarkation port). Prices start from $14,469 per person.

Oceania Cruises

Around the World Cruise

The lovely 656-passenger Insignia sails a whopping 200 days from Miami to New York for Oceania Cruises ' 2025 world cruise. It might seem a long way away, but inside cabins and some suites are already waitlisted for the sailing.

Prepare to tear up any bucket list on a cruise this long. The ship begins in the balmy Caribbean islands, ventures to the Brazilian Amazon, explores more of South America and then heads off to Africa and Asia. Australia and New Zealand, Hawaii and Latin America round out the itinerary before Insignia circles back to the Caribbean (different ports on this end) and sails triumphantly back to Miami.

Oceania Cruises is renowned for fine dining. Expect to eat and drink exceptionally well on board.

Departs Jan. 5, 2025. Prices start from $54,099 per person.

Princess Cruises

Princess Cruises promises an unforgettable journey on its 116-day world cruise sailing from Fort Lauderdale (or Los Angeles, as an alternative embarkation port) on the 2,200-passenger Island Princess.

This ship delivers many onboard activities like cooking and dance classes, trivia contests, enrichment programs and games of basketball, volleyball and tennis on the sports court. A putting green ensures golf games stay sharp.

You can also expect outdoor movies, original musical productions and onboard wellness features such as a spa and fitness center.

World cruisers can visit 26 countries with 51 destinations across six continents; the exciting port of call include Lisbon; Bali; Naples, Italy; Milan; and Haifa, Israel. With late-night stays in 11 ports of call and a Dubai overnight, you can relish multiple opportunities to wine, dine and enjoy the nightlife ashore.

For 2025, Princess offers two 116-day world cruise itinerary options on Island Princess, one round-trip from Fort Lauderdale and the other round-trip from Los Angeles.

From Fort Lauderdale: Departs Jan. 5, 2025. Prices start from $16,225 per person.

From Los Angeles: Departs Jan. 20, 2025. Prices start from $16,298 per person.

Related: Big vs. small cruise ships: Which will I like better?

Regent Seven Seas Cruises

Navigate the World

World cruises prove perpetually popular on this ultraluxe line. They often sell out in the blink of an eye.

Availability is limited on the 2025 150-night world cruise on the 700-passenger Seven Seas Mariner, sailing round-trip from Miami to San Francisco. This itinerary includes cruising in Antarctica, the Chilean fjords, French Polynesia, Taipei and Bali.

Perhaps because its 2025 sailing is nearly sold out, Regent Seven Seas Cruises is one of the first cruise lines to announce its 2026 world voyage, also on Seven Seas Mariner.

This journey will be the line's longest, sailing for 154 nights and visiting 77 ports in 41 countries across six continents. The itinerary includes three new ports of call for Regent, including Lifou Island and Mare of the Loyalty Islands in the New Caledonia archipelago. Count on visiting 47 UNESCO World Heritage sites, including Australia's Great Barrier Reef and Robben Island in South Africa.

For all its around-the-world cruises, Regent piles on primo inclusions — first-class flights, unlimited shore excursions, luggage service, an open bar and a visa package are among countless amenities.

The 2025 world cruise departs Jan. 7, 2025. Prices start from $87,999 per person.

The 2026 world cruise departs Jan. 10, 2026. Prices start from $94,999 per person.

Related: The 9 best luxury cruise lines for elegance and exclusivity

Grand Africa Voyage

Wander the majestic Grandmaster's Palace in Malta. Snorkel the pristine waters along the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt. Ogle the tropical beauty of the 115-island archipelago of the Seychelles. Soak up the beauty of Cape Town from atop Table Mountain.

You'll find many pinch-me moments on Seabourn 's 90-day, 26-country Grand Africa cruise in late 2024 and early 2025. It takes place onboard the 450-passenger all-suite Seabourn Sojourn and sails round-trip from Barcelona. (The line is not currently offering a more traditional world cruise in 2025.)

On the ultraluxurious vessel, you can expect exclusive VIP celebrations, like a Caviar in the Surf party. (Note that complimentary Champagne and caviar flow freely on board, too, adding to the happy vibe.)

There's much to love about Seabourn Sojourn. Its intimate size allows truly personalized service from a polished, attentive crew. Seabourn Square, a living room-like venue, is a magnet for affable passengers who quickly make new friends. Count on superb dining and 24-hour room service among a slew of upscale amenities.

Departs Nov. 30, 2024. Prices start from $38,999 per person.

Related: 7 extremely decadent things you can do on a luxury cruise vacation

Silversea Cruises

Controtempo

Silversea Cruises ' 2025 world cruise aboard the ultraluxurious, 596-passenger Silver Dawn looks amazing. The around-the-world cruise is designed to visit far-flung and more remote ports, often out of season, to avoid the touristy crowds.

This 136-day voyage sails from Tokyo to New York and explores 59 ports in 30 countries. Count on visiting enchanting cities, including Istanbul, Naples and Stockholm. Wonderfully remote ports, like Cochin, India; Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; and Nuuk, Greenland, tempt travelers to come aboard for the long haul.

Silversea's world cruises are known for showcasing exceptional special-access events, and this sailing is no different. On this cruise, applause goes to a private tour of Cairo's 500-room Abdeen Palace and an inimitable evening at Versailles in lavish Marie Antoinette style (pre-guillotine, of course).

Silver Dawn is a wowser with a game-changer spa , all-suite accommodations, tux-clad butlers for all passengers and complimentary caviar service anytime, anywhere. Expect many fare inclusions, such as business-class flights, shore excursions and private transfers.

Departs Jan. 13, 2025. Prices start from $81,900 per person.

Viking World Voyage II

Imagine the joy of ticking many bucket list boxes on Viking World Voyage II, Viking 's 163-day world cruise on board the 930-passenger Viking Sky in 2025. Book quickly; availability is extremely limited, with many suites and penthouses already sold out.

The Los Angeles-to-New York voyage visits 29 countries and 78 ports.

Palm-tree ports are plentiful, including Moorea, French Polynesia; Bay of Islands, New Zealand; and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. You'll cross many seas, such as the Tasman, Arafura and Arabian, and take your pick of a plethora of possible excursions, including a visit to a Balinese Hindu temple in Indonesia and a tour of the ancient Elephanta Caves in India. You can pretty much do it all on this world cruise.

Departs Jan. 5, 2025. Prices start from $74,995 per person.

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Protect Your Trip »

8 Top World Cruises

Dream big and set sail on the monthslong trip of a lifetime.

Getty Images

Sailing for months on a luxurious cruise ship is an exciting way to travel the world.

If your ideal vacation involves spending months sailing around the world – exploring storied, faraway lands and learning the mysteries of ancient civilizations and cultures – then you should consider booking a world cruise. These epic voyages transport guests around the globe to some of the world's top historical and cultural attractions. You'll sample locally inspired cuisines from Asia, Europe and other diverse regions, plus enjoy special events on the ship and in port, including expert guest lectures, cultural programs and memorable themed nights. And best of all: You'll only have to pack and unpack once. Read on to learn why a world cruise may check all the boxes for your dream getaway – and get started on planning your next vacation.

When do world cruises depart, and how long do they last?

World cruises typically begin in January and end in April or May, but some lines, like Viking Ocean Cruises , offer voyages that embark in December. Therefore, full itineraries often last anywhere from around 100 to 150 days, though Royal Caribbean International recently launched the world's longest world cruise at 274 days. If you're not able to set sail for three to five months (or longer), some cruise providers also offer select, shorter segments of their full world cruise itineraries.

Are world cruises in high demand?

Before setting your sights on a particular itinerary, you should know that world cruises are very popular and usually sell out quickly. Post-COVID-19 shutdown, there's been even more pent-up demand for these cruises in the 2022 and 2023 cruising seasons. In fact, many 2022, 2023 and even 2024 world cruises sold out within an unprecedented amount of time this year. Oceania Cruises ' 2024 voyage sold out within 30 minutes of the line announcing the itinerary, and its 2023 cruise was completely booked within one week. Similarly, Viking's world voyages are sold out until the line's 138-day sailing on Dec. 20, 2023.

With so many world cruises booking up in record time, you may wonder what other options are available for travelers seeking a lengthy voyage. Howard Sherman, president and CEO of Oceania Cruises, advises, "In 2024, we are providing guests more extended voyage options to deeply and meaningfully rediscover the world." He adds, "While a globe-circling journey is the pinnacle of life-changing travel experiences, we have specially curated a set of Grand Voyages for seasoned and time-rich travelers to navigate storied seas, straits and oceans that boldly connect diverse and exotic corners of the globe." The line's grand voyages range from 72 to 82 days long.

Torstein Hagan, chairman of Viking, has this to say about Viking's world cruises: "We are delighted to once again offer explorers the opportunity to circumnavigate the world in comfort. Our previous world cruises sold out in a matter of weeks, and we are now seeing more interest in these extended voyages than ever before. Like me, our guests are curious people; we view travel as an opportunity to discover, learn and grow. With that Viking spirit of exploration, our seamless world cruises are possibly the greatest of all adventures."

President of Azamara , Carol Cabezas, agrees that travelers are excited and ready to set sail on a world cruise. She states, "Azamara is thrilled to offer its new World Voyage launching in 2024. As self-described curious travelers, our guests are eager to explore destinations further and make meaningful connections to each destinations' culture and people, spending more time in a given port." Cabezas adds, "Departing from our backyard in Fort Lauderdale , this once-in-a-lifetime World Voyage will take our curious guests to over 40 countries across six continents, giving them the time and opportunity to making these connections and explore the hidden gems and mystical wonders of the world, including the Great Wall of China , Great Pyramids of Giza , Chichén Itzá , Taj Mahal and more."

Anne Scully, a partner at Embark Beyond, a luxury travel agency in New York City, says, "World cruises are always sought after as clients make lifelong friends and travel year after year together. World cruises are the ultimate dream trip, especially for great celebrations such as retirements, special anniversaries and getting out of the cold for the winter!" She notes that some lines' upcoming world cruises may highlight new and unique events. For example, Silversea Cruises ' 2024 world voyage offers an overnight visit to the Buddhist and Hindu temples in Borobudur, Indonesia, two of the country's nine UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

How does pricing work on a world cruise?

When planning a world cruise, it's important to note that fares can vary significantly between cruise lines. Some lines advertise cruise-only fares, which do not include meals at specialty restaurants, alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages, excursions, some entertainment or other expenses. On top of that, many cruise lines' base prices exclude port fees and taxes. Given the length of a world cruise, even small expenses can add up after several months on the ship and in ports around the globe. Typically, travelers can expect to spend a base fare of between $15,000 and $95,000 for their world cruise.

Regent Seven Seas Cruises ' all-inclusive fares include almost everything you could need, including door-to-door luggage service, first- and business-class airfare, pre-cruise gala events, unlimited dry cleaning and laundry, prepaid gratuities, meals, open bars and lounges, unlimited Wi-Fi access and more. Other lines may use a mostly all-inclusive payment plan and include additional perks, like Viking's Silver Spirits beverage package. Still, others – like MSC Cruises – may include wine and beer at dinner, but charge extra for select beverages, some excursions and other items throughout the voyage.

Picking your world cruise

To help you choose which world cruise is right for you, U.S. News has compiled a list of some of the best sailings that are still available to book for 2023. Keep in mind, if you're interested in a world cruise that is fully booked, you shouldn't lose hope. Scully advises that there are usually cancellations when trips are booked this far in advance, and you may be able to get on a waitlist through a travel adviser or by contacting the cruise line directly. Otherwise, if you're ready to book your tickets and set sail on the trip of a lifetime, consider one of these eight upcoming world voyages.

Ready to plan a cruise? Find the best value sailings on  GoToSea , a service of U.S. News.

Regent Seven Seas Cruises: Navigate the World

Courtesy of Regent Seven Seas Cruises

Date: Jan. 7 to May 30, 2023 Length: 143 nights Price: Starts at $94,599 per person (deluxe veranda suite, double occupancy)

Starting on Jan. 7, 2023, 684 guests will call Regent's Seven Seas Mariner home for its 143-night Navigate the World cruise. The ship sails from Miami to Barcelona, with stops in enchanting destinations across South America and idyllic islands like Bora Bora in French Polynesia. There are also stops in Australia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Japan, Vietnam, India, South Africa, the Canary Islands and more.

The cruise fare includes up to 356 complimentary excursions, meals, open bars and other amenities and perks. Guests will also have access to exclusive shoreside experiences in several ports, such as the Moonscapes & Moonlight event in Namibia.

Seabourn Cruise Line: Extraordinary Discoveries

Courtesy of Seabourn

Date: Jan. 6 to May 27, 2023 Length: 140 days Prices: Starts at $71,299 per person (ocean-view suite, double occupancy)

Seabourn Cruise Line 's 140-day itinerary departs from Miami on Jan. 6, 2023. Guests aboard the 448-passenger Seabourn Sojourn will visit 61 faraway destinations in 32 countries across six continents. Highlights of the Extraordinary Discoveries voyage include stops in cities like Lima, Peru ; Sydney and Melbourne , Australia; and Casablanca, Morocco. There are also exotic ports of call in Seychelles and West Africa.

In the South Pacific, you'll visit magical locales like French Polynesia, Fiji, Vanuatu, Easter Island and Papua New Guinea. While here, travelers can also experience an intensive exploration with a team of experts known as Ventures by Seabourn. These skilled professionals host optional Zodiac, snorkeling and trekking excursions in South Pacific destinations like Tonga and the Cook and Solomon Islands.

Other notable features of this itinerary include cruising the Panama Canal, crossing the equator and the international dateline and passing the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa. This incredible journey ends in Barcelona, Spain . Travelers who are interested in a shorter journey can also opt to sail certain segments of the full world cruise ranging from 21 to 30 days; abbreviated sailings travel through Australia, Indonesia, South Africa and more.

Holland America Line: Grand World Voyage

Date: Jan. 3 to May 12, 2023 Length: 128 days Price: Starts at $37,199 per person (veranda cabin, double occupancy)

Holland America Line 's 128-day Grand World Voyage departs on Jan. 3, 2023, and sails round trip from Fort Lauderdale. The extensive itinerary on the 1,964-passenger Zuiderdam features a Panama Canal transit and stops in exotic locales like Papeete, Moorea, Bora Bora and Raiatea, the Society Islands in French Polynesia. Travelers will also visit ports of call in New Zealand and Australia, Madagascar, Mozambique, South Africa, Spain, Morocco, France, Northern Europe and more stunning places in the world.

Princess Cruises: World Cruise

Courtesy of Princess Cruises

Dates: Jan. 5 to April 27, 2023; Jan. 19 to April 27, 2023; Jan. 19 to May 11, 2023 Lengths: 97 to 111 days Prices: Starts at $21,499 to $23,171 per person (interior cabin, double occupancy), depending on route

Princess Cruises offers a 111-day world cruise that sails round trip from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Jan. 5, 2023, aboard the 2,200-passenger Island Princess . The itinerary includes 50 exotic ports of call, from Cartagena, Columbia, to destinations in Hawaii, French Polynesia and New Zealand. Guests on the world cruise will also visit the United Arab Emirates, transit the Suez Canal in Egypt and tour European cities like Venice, Italy , and towns in Croatia and Slovenia. You'll also enjoy the magical beauty of Provence in the South of France.

Other options for the 2023 world cruise on Island Princess include a 97-day sailing from Los Angeles on Jan. 19, 2023, that returns to Fort Lauderdale. This itinerary features 43 ports of call. Travelers can also hop aboard the ship on the same date in Los Angeles for a longer 111-day round-trip voyage.

If you'd like to sail a shorter section of this world cruise, keep in mind a one 14-day segment is available. This itinerary embarks from Fort Lauderdale and ends in Los Angeles, visiting the Panama Canal, Columbia, Costa Rica , Nicaragua and Mexico along the way.

MSC Cruises: World Cruise

Courtesy of MSC Cruises

Date: Jan. 4 to April 30, 2023; Jan. 5 to May 1, 2023; Jan. 6 to May 2, 2023; Jan. 7 to May 3, 2023 Length: 116 nights Price: Starts at $15,549 per person (interior cabin, double occupancy)

This Jan. 4, 2023, world cruise sailing on the 3,013-passenger MSC Magnifica departs from Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy, for a 116-night voyage around the globe. Other possible departure ports include Genoa, Italy (Jan. 5); Marseille, France (Jan. 6); or Barcelona, Spain (Jan. 7). The transatlantic itinerary boasts 43 incredible destinations, including cities in South America like Ushuaia, Argentina; Punta Arenas, Chile; and Lima, Peru. Guests will also cross the South Pacific Ocean, visiting locales along the Indian Ocean, the Arabian Sea and the Red Sea. The ship will then transit through the Suez Canal into the Mediterranean Sea before returning to Genoa.

Cruise fares include 15 complimentary shore excursions, as well as a Dine & Drink package that features a selection of wines, draught beer, sparkling water and other nonalcoholic beverages in the main restaurants during lunch and dinner. There is also a 30% discount on laundry services. Guests can enjoy themed evenings, guest speakers and language classes while on board.

If you're interested in a shorter voyage along this route, consider booking a 22- to 94-day segment in a region of your choosing. Options include Rome to Sydney, Genoa to Singapore, Barcelona to Sydney and more.

Planning a Mediterranean getaway? See the top  Mediterranean cruises on GoToSea .

Cunard Line: The Centenary World Voyages (Queen Mary 2)

Dates: Jan. 3 to April 30, 2023; Jan. 11 to April 23, 2023 Lengths: 102 or 117 nights Prices: Starts at $20,029 to $21,299 per person (Britannia inside cabins, double occupancy), depending on route

Cunard Line 's Queen Mary 2 departs round trip from Southampton, England, for a 102-night voyage on Jan. 11, 2023. This world voyage travels to Asia, Australia and Africa, while paying homage to the 100th anniversary of Cunard's maiden world sailing. Highlights of this voyage include transiting the Suez Canal and visiting Luxor, Egypt . The ship will also call on Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, plus Muscat, Oman, before heading to Asia, Australia, South Africa, Namibia and Spain.

Cruisers can also opt to depart round trip from New York City on a 117-night voyage from Jan. 3 to April 30, 2023. Or, if you'd rather sail a select segment of this world cruise itinerary, opt for a 9- to 67-day sailing in a region of your choosing. Options include New York City to Southampton, England; Dubai to Singapore; Hong Kong to New York City; Cape Town to Southampton and more.

Cunard Line: The Centenary World Voyages (Queen Victoria)

Dates: Jan. 9 to April 25, 2023; Jan. 11 to April 23, 2023; Jan. 20 to April 23, 2023 Lengths: 92 to 105 nights Prices: Starts at $18,499 to $21,699 per person (Britannia inside stateroom, double occupancy), depending on route

Cunard Line's 105-night Centenary World Voyage aboard the 2,061-passenger Queen Victoria departs round trip from Hamburg, Germany, on Jan. 9, 2023. Other embarkation ports include Southampton, England, on Jan. 11 for a 101-night voyage or New York City on Jan. 20 for 92 nights. Highlights of the journey include spectacular beaches and UNESCO World Heritage Sites, with stops across Hawaii, Australia, the Philippines, Vietnam, the Middle East, Europe and more.

Meals in the main dining room, most onboard entertainment, gala evenings, afternoon tea and other activities are included in the cruise fare. Special wine events and tastings, as well as extras like exercise classes, are an additional cost. Travelers who are interested in booking a portion of this world cruise can opt for a voyage lasting between 12 and 75 days. These segments include routes like San Francisco to Southampton, England; Sydney to Dubai; Dubai to Hamburg and more.

P&O Cruises: World Cruise

Courtesy of P&O Cruises

Date: Jan. 3 to April 13, 2023 Length: 99 nights Price: Starts at $16,388 per person (ocean-view cabin, double occupancy)

P&O Cruises' world cruise departs round trip from Southampton, England, on Jan. 3, 2023. The 99-night sailing on the 2,094-passenger, adults-only Arcadia features international cities, exotic islands, UNESCO World Heritage Sites and stunning coastlines. Ports of call include stops in the Caribbean and Mexico, Hawaii, Fiji, New Zealand and Australia, before heading to Asia and the Middle East. All meals and some nonalcoholic beverages are included in the fare.

Travelers can opt to sail on one segment of the longer itinerary, ranging from 11 to 60 days. Shorter route offerings include Hong Kong to Dubai; Southampton to Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Fort Lauderdale to Sydney and more.

Looking for a Caribbean escape? See the top  Caribbean cruises on GoToSea .

You might also be interested in:

• The Most Anticipated New Cruise Ships
• The Top Cruises on Small Ships
• The Biggest Cruise Ships
• Bucket List Cruises for Seniors and Retirees
• The Top Transatlantic Cruises

Tags: Travel , Cruises , Europe Vacations

World's Best Places To Visit

• # 1 South Island, New Zealand
• # 4 Bora Bora

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It's not a 'shoot-from-the-hip decision': What to know about world cruises

Brandee Lake’s home address changes nearly every day.

The 46-year-old boarded Royal Caribbean International’s Ultimate World Cruise in December and will live on the line’s Serenade of the Seas for the nine-month journey .

Lake, who previously lived in Los Angeles, gave up her apartment and left a job in advertising and marketing to travel full time, embarking on a 274-night sailing to more than 60 countries alongside her sister and parents.

“I always tease that I only worked to travel anyway, that I worked to support my travel habit,” she told USA TODAY. “So, to me, it was a no-brainer.”

Lake, who had already visited 77 countries and lived abroad, decided to set sail and see even more of the world, and her parents gifted the cruise to her and her sister.

Videos about the Ultimate World Cruise proliferated on TikTok following its departure from Miami, but it’s not the first cruise of its kind. World cruises offer passengers an easy way to travel the globe, delivering them to a range of far-flung destinations.

But there’s more to booking those trips than other kinds of cruises. Here’s what to know:

What are world cruises?

World cruises visit multiple continents, usually no less than three. 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.

“You're in your room, and that's where you're going to be the whole time, and you're not flying around and packing and unpacking,” she said. While at a resort, guests might meet one another in passing, world cruise passengers are on the same itinerary for an extended period, which Kuther said can be “such a bonding experience.”

“I mean, I guess it could go sideways if it was horrible people,” she said. “But I think people usually find their people.”

For travelers who can’t – or would rather not – spend so much time at sea, many cruise lines also sell segments of those itineraries separately. That allows guests to embark for days, weeks, or months at a time and adds new faces to the mix.

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.

How do cruise lines plan world cruises?

Mapping out so many months at sea can take years. Luxury line Silversea Cruises , for example, plans its world cruises three to four years in advance, according to spokesperson Brad Ball.

“Silversea has a team of destination experts that select destinations that are unique and culturally diverse,” he said in an email. The line, also part of Royal Caribbean Group, sailed its first world cruise in 2007 and works to create destination themes and make segments distinct.

Silversea’s 140-day The Curious and the Sea voyage aboard Silver Dawn in 2026, for example, features a 28-day exploration of French Polynesia and the South Pacific, a semi-circumnavigation of Australia over 21 days and more.

“We try to provision food items locally and source goods from the different regions we travel to as much as possible,” Ball added.

Michael Bayley, president and CEO of Royal Caribbean International, said the cruise line took great pains to anticipate guests’ needs on the Ultimate World Cruise, even putting a dentist on board.

The line also threw a gala dinner for guests before they departed. “I said, ‘The only one thing that we've failed to do, and I apologize now, is we failed to put a marriage counselor on board,’ ” he said during a press briefing last month on the line’s newest ship, Icon of the Seas .

When should I book a world cruise?

Many cruise lines offer only one world cruise a year, and staterooms go fast. Michael Bray, owner of Braycation Travel, likened it to “a really cool house coming on the market.”

“The suites or larger cabins could go the fastest because folks want space,” he added. Bray said his clients have booked between 1 ½ to 2 ½ years out.

“People know they have to plan to be with their homes for six months,” Bray said. “They've got to shut down their homes. You've got to figure out medications, mail, family, so this is not a shoot-from-the-hip decision.”

Lake, the Ultimate World Cruise passenger, said she stored some of her belongings with a friend and packed the rest of what she needed.

Tips for taking a long cruise: What to know about sailing for 6 months or more

World cruises from lines like Cunard Line have long been popular, Kuther noted, but in recent years, more brands have leaned.

Royal Caribbean’s nine-month sailing is its first foray into the category, and Azamara is currently sailing its first world voyage since becoming an independent cruise line in 2021. Princess Cruises, which operated its first world cruise in 2008, also plans to sail its longest voyage ever (116 days) in 2025.

Kuther attributed that to a rise in remote-friendly jobs like content creation , particularly among younger people. “This ability to travel and work from wherever you are has opened up such a younger demographic and also more demand,” she said.

Ball at Silversea echoed that. “Over the past 15 years, we have seen increased demand for World Cruises, both from retired travelers as well as from working professionals and digital nomads,” he said. “Due to the advance of improved cellphone connectivity technology and onboard internet, more travelers are able to work remotely and better able to take longer voyages.”

How much do world cruises cost?

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. Luxury world cruises are likely to cost upward of $70,000.

Those prices will also likely include more than a typical cruise fare.

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 .

Luxury lines, which already bundle more costs with their base fares , may throw in extras too. Ball said travelers who book Silversea’s 2026 world cruise get $1,000 in onboard credit per person (up to $2,000 per suite), a spa treatment and other amenities.

For Lake, the trip is a chance to see new places – like Antarctica , which she “always wanted to do” but never thought she would – while spending quality time with family. No matter where they are in the world, she has a family dinner with her parents and sister every night.

“I think it's something that I'll look back on and never forget,” she said.

As for work after the cruise, she has no definitive plans, but has been posting about the trip on TikTok and is "enjoying the creator space."

"I am seeing where this adventure and the world takes me," Lake said.

Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville. You can reach him at [email protected].

• CruiseMapper
• Themed Cruises

World Cruises

This is CruiseMapper's World Cruise schedule where you can compare itineraries, departure dates, ports, and destinations. For more detailed information on "Around The World" cruise ships - just follow the ship links from the below table. This page is integrated with our Suez Canal cruise ship transits and Transatlantic cruises ( repositioncruises.com ).

Vacationers on cruises around the world are able to experience culture-rich opportunities while sightseeing on multiple continents. Combine exciting land tours with leisurely days at sea. Fulfill your dreams and book a world cruise to explore the globe!

You are not alone in your dream to discover what lies there, beyond the horizon... It has been a part of human nature since immemorial time. It was not until 1922 when the first passenger circumnavigation was made by Cunard Line that adventurous souls could follow Magellan's way around the world.

"Around the World Cruise"

"Around The World" cruises are the perfect voyages for those who want it all. This type of cruise vacations is an opportunity to explore beautiful landscapes, diverse cultures, and wildlife on earth. As they last as long as 110 days, dock at upwards of thirty ports, round the world cruises take guests to the globe's most exciting destinations in comfort and style. Another option for travelers who think it's much time at sea is taking just an itinerary section (one of the smaller segments), so as to explore one region only.

Cruisers who look for stunning landscapes, histories, exotic wildlife, fine beaches, or first-class cuisine are certain to find the ideal destination on round the world itineraries. The main World Voyage attraction is that they allow you to visit far-flung destinations in one package, for example- the Mediterranean & the South Pacific, without the typical travel drawbacks. Go and see exotic locations, and then return to your ship for dinner and entertain yourself. And imagine this goes on and on for so many days... Sounds like perfectly splendid to me!

Around The World voyages itinerary routes

• Australia - Sydney Harbour; tropical Queensland; the Great Barrier Reef;
• the Pacific - Pacific islands; the islands of Fiji, French Polynesia & Hawaii;
• Asia - Vietnam coastline, rich with monuments & temples;
• the Middle East - heading through the Suez Canal at Egypt - Aqaba, Luxor, Muscat. The alternative route- down Africa's east coast with stops at Cape Town or Mombasa;
• West America - the cosmopolitan USA cities; the ports of Mexico, with ruins of ancient Mayan cultures.
• South America - the Brazilian rainforest; the magnificent city of Rio de Janeiro.
• Europe - Athens- the ancient capital, and the architecturally amazing Barcelona.

List of popular cruise ports on Around The World voyages

Round the World voyages usually from some of the world's largest major port cities, such as Southampton , Tilbury-London , NYC New York , Los Angeles , Miami , Fort Lauderdale , Sydney Australia . A lot of cruise vacations run from Singapore or Sydney to Pacific islands, west to Europe, and around the Asian ports, either round Africa (via Cape Town) or through the Suez Canal (transition) . Some of the lines take guests west, down the USA coast through the Panama Canal (transition) , after which- across to Dubai . If you are interested in the subject of the world circumnavigation in general - this is the Wikipedia article about it.

Shorter around the world itineraries (segments) may start in Melbourne Australia , Brisbane Australia , Singapore , Hong Kong China , Cape Town (South Africa) .

Is the World Cruise cost worth it?

There are people who really love the endless lazy days at sea with little to do. For others, the joy of cruising is to be able to visit different new places all around the world in a short time.

What about Around The World cruise ship offers, then? Will you survive after experiencing all the long days at sea (for example, an Australia-Southampton sector lasts 40 days)? If your answer is "not sure", better book two shorter voyages instead- thus you'll have more call ports and more new impressions. Just look carefully at the new-issued itineraries before you book a world cruise.

The atmosphere onboard Round The World cruise ships is very different from Mediterranean or Caribbean cruise vacations, so choose the world cruise line very carefully! Lots of people believe that you have to be old enough and retired to set sail on a Grand Voyage. True, and not so true. There are plenty of still working people onboard who have persuaded employers to give some months off. And all of them are mid-class and above, and most of them are really really really affluent.

Before committing to a World Voyage of three or more months away from home, bear in mind a few things first:

• World Cruises deals present a great chance to see interesting parts of the globe, but better work out the number of sea days included in cruise deals, first. With more ports of call in your itinerary, you will be swept off your feet by the exotic sites and forget to think about the long days at sea in between.
• If you don’t have the money and time for sailing all the way around, better book a segment! Companies have an amazing organization - some passengers get off here, others board there.
• Around-the-world cruises attract older people just because they have the time (and money, of course) to be away for several months. Do you want to show the kids new cultures? Forget about world cruising and book two shorter cruises instead!
• The irony about "Around The World" voyages is that actually they don't sail fully round the world. On the other hand, it is true that these voyages, lasting from more than seventy, and up to 116 nights, offer vacationers the chance to see diverse cultures wrapped into one single voyage. Even those who cannot commit to a full voyage can participate through the popular "segment" option, ranging from a week to more than one month.
• Most "world cruise ships" usually start their Grand Voyages in January and the itineraries end in March-April-May. However, after Australia became a hot ship travel vacation destination in 2015, some of the companies offer roundtrip "World Cruise" deals from Sydney Australia. These itineraries often start in May, and even in July.

World Cruises 2024-2025-2026 ships schedule

Note: In the following table, all links are internal (CruiseMapper) redirecting to the ship’s itinerary schedule where you can compare dates and prices per person (double occupancy rates).

At the following tag-link are listed all CruiseMapper's news related to world voyages .

World Cruises

There is no better way to see the world than on a silversea world cruise.

The world has so much to offer, and so do we. A Silversea World Cruise is the occasion to see our wonderful planet in ultra-luxury . Experience diverse cultures, enjoy unique gastronomy, see iconic sights - each one of our Luxury World Cruises is a singular story that we invite you to join. Sail with us and discover remote and remarkable destinations across all seven seas . See why we have been crowned "Best World Cruise" on multiple occasions. From impeccable service to superb gastronomy and luxurious suites to small ship intimacy , our World Cruises put the excel into excellent. Not forgetting extraordinary events designed to emphasise the beauty of the places you visit, and you have the journey of a lifetime. The world awaits.

The Curious and the Sea - World Cruise 2026

Controtempo - World Cruise 2025

Experience silversea's world cruise 2026.

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MSC WORLD CRUISE 2025

Journey into wonder with MSC Magnifica.

Your 2025 around the world cruise is now up for sale.

MSC World Cruise 2025

Journey into wonder with msc magnifica. your 2025 around the world cruise is now up for sale.

Make dreams of travelling the world a reality in 2025 and embark on the journey of a lifetime with MSC Cruises. Unpack once and set sail from January to May on a 116-night epic cruise around the world , visiting up to 50 spectacular destinations in 21 countrie s. MSC Magnifica will journey to hidden gems and iconic sights of 5 continents on this ultimate World Cruise across the water's farthest reaches.

Take a grand Mediterranean tour around Europe, then head to South America via Casablanca and Cape Verde , and explore Rio, Buenos Aires, Falklands Islands, Argentina, the snow-capped mountains of Ushuaia , Chile's Valparaíso and more. Your cruise around the world will then sail into the Pacific for sun-kissed Tahiti, French Polynesia, Cook Islands, before navigating toward the celebrated coastlines of New Zealand and Australia . Discover the pristine beauty of Bali , the buzz of Singapore , the authenticity of Malaysia , the postcard perfection of Phuket , and the cosmopolitan candour of Colombo . The ship will then set course back to Europe via an Arabian escapade through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal to uncover the ancient temples and treasures of Jordan and Egypt .

Port by port, this impressive world cruise will introduce tastes and traditions, cultures and communities, providing a total immersion in the most authentic experiences imaginable. Extended stays, seven overnight anchorages and custom-designed excursions ensure no stone will be left unturned. Whether choosing the complete itinerary or selecting a shorter segment for a tailor-made trip, MSC Magnifica will be the best base to indulge in this desire to cruise around the world. With its perfect combination of traditional craftsmanship, elegant design and relaxed refinement MSC Magnifica promises a journey of a lifetime. Dine at 5 gourmet restaurants, make life-long friends with fellow adventurers over drinks in one of 12 bars and relax in the award-winning spa and outdoor pool.

Enjoy 15 shore excursions as part of the fare and the option to book additional excursions in advance or during the cruise. The fare also features a Dine & Drink Package and a 30% discount on laundry packages. MSC Voyagers Club members benefit from a 5% discount and triple membership points for the selected experience at the time of booking.

Are you ready to fulfil your thirst for adventure with a memorable round the world cruise? Start planning now your MSC World Cruise 2025!

Civitavecchia, Italy - Genoa, Italy

Marseille, France - Barcelona, Spain

Itinerary ports

DAY 1 GENOA

DAY 2 MARSEILLE

DAY 3 BARCELONA

DAY 4 AT SEA

DAY 5 MALAGA

DAY 6 CASABLANCA

DAY 7, 8 & 9 AT SEA

DAY 10 MINDELO

DAY 11, 12, 13 & 14 AT SEA

DAY 15 SALVADOR

DAY 16 AT SEA

DAY 17 & 18 RIO DE JANEIRO

DAY 19 & 20 AT SEA

DAY 21 & 22 BUENOS AIRES

DAY 23 & 24 AT SEA

DAY 25 PUERTO MADRYN

DAY 26 AT SEA

DAY 27 PORT STANLEY

DAY 28 AT SEA

DAY 29 AT SEA

DAY 30 USHUAIA

DAY 31 & 32 AT SEA

DAY 33 PUERTO CHACABUCO

DAY 34  PUERTO MONTT

DAY 35 AT SEA

DAY 36, 37 & 38 VALPARAISO

DAY 39, 40, 41 & 42 AT SEA

DAY 43 HANGA ROA RAPA NUI

DAY 44 & 45 AT SEA

DAY 46 BOUNTY BAY PASSAGE (TRANSIT)

DAY 47 & 48 AT SEA

DAY 49 & 50  PAPEETE

DAY 51 MOOREA

DAY 52 AT SEA

DAY 51 AITUTAKI

DAY 52 RAROTONGA

DAY 53 & 54 AT SEA

DAY 55, 56 & 57 AT SEA

DAY 43 BAY OF ISLANDS

DAY 59 AUCKLAND

DAY 60  TAURANGA

DAY 61 NAPIER

DAY 62 AT SEA

DAY 63 CHRISTCHURCH

DAY 52 DUNEDIN

DAY 65 MILFORD SOUND  & FIORDLAND PARK TRANSIT

DAY 66 & 67 AT SEA

DAY 68 SYDNEY

11 & 12

DAY 69 & 70 SYDNEY

DAY 71 EDEN

DAY 72 AT SEA

DAY 73  MELBOURNE

DAY 74 AT SEA

DAY 75 ADELAIDE

DAY 76 PENNESHAW

DAY 77 & 78 AT SEA

DAY 79 ALBANY

DAY 80 AT SEA

DAY 81 BUSSELTON

DAY 82 FREMANTLE

13 & 14

DAY 83 FREMANTLE

DAY 84 & 85 AT SEA

DAY 86 BROOME

DAY 87 AT SEA

DAY 88 & 89 BENOA

DAY 90 & 91 AT SEA

DAY 92  SINGAPORE

DAY 93 PORT KLANG

DAY 94 PENANG

DAY 95 PHUKET

DAY 96 AT SEA

15 & 16

DAY 97 AT SEA

DAY 98 COLOMBO

DAY 99, 100, 101, 102, 103, 104 & 105 AT SEA

DAY 106 AQABA

DAY 107  SHARM EL-SHEIK

DAY 108 SAFAGA

DAY 109 SUEZ CANAL SOUTH (TRANSIT)

DAY 110 SUEZ CANAL SOUTH (TRANSIT)

DAY 111 ALEXANDRIA

DAY 112 & 113 AT SEA

DAY 114 MESSINA

DAY 107  NAPLES

DAY 116 CIVITAVECCHIA (ROME)

Excursions & Other Services Included

Free excursions.

15 Shore Excursions included, selected Among The Best Excursions Created By MSC Cruises: Malaga, Spain:  MALAGA CITY TOUR  (MAL01W)

Casablanca, Morocco:  CITY TOUR AND HASSAN II' S MOSQUE ( CAS23W)

Rio De Janeiro, Brazil:  SIGHTS OF RIO & SUGARLOAF MOUNTAIN PANORAMA ( RIO02W)

Buenos Aires, Argentina:  THE CHARMS OF BUENOS AIRES ( BUE02W)

Valparaíso, Chile:  CITY TOUR VALPARAÍSO & VIÑA DEL MAR ( VAP01W)

Papeete, French Polynesia  EAST COAST TAHITI ( PPT02W)

Auckland, New Zealand:  AUCKLAND MUSEUM AND WATERFRONT SIGHTS ( AKL02W) 

Sydney, Australia:  DISCOVERING SYDNEY ( SYD07W) 

Adelaide, Australia:  PANORAMIC TOUR OF ADELAIDE ( ADL01W) 

Fremantle, Australia:  FREMANTLE & PERTH ORIENTATION ( FRE02W)

Benoa, Indonesia:  HIGHLIGHTS OF UBUD ( BOA04W) 

Port Klang, Malaysia:  HIGHLIGHTS OF KUALA LUMPUR ( PKG11W) 

Colombo, Sri Lanka:  COLOURS OF COLOMBO TOUR WITH TRADITIONAL SHOW ( CMB21W) 

Aqaba, Jordan: WONDERS OF PETRA ( AQA03W)

Messina, Italy:  MESSINA CITY TOUR ( MES05W)

Other Services included

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11 Around-The-World Cruises For An Epic Getaway

"Sailing around the world" sounds so romantic, doesn't it? You're sailing to remote islands with like-minded people while chasing sunsets on a distant horizon. Sure, you can just board a plane to, say, New Zealand, but there's something so pure and patient about maritime journeys. Cruises are like floating resorts, which ease their way over the waves. It's the definition of "slow travel." 

Amazingly, in the modern world of jet-setting travel, round-the-world cruises do exist. Voyagers visit dozens of ports over the course of their odyssey, each with its own landscape, climate, and personality. There are lots of ways travelers can experience "the trip of a lifetime," but this kind of circumnavigation outmatches just about all of them -- and in style. However, there are a few things to consider before investigating such cruises. First, what does it actually mean to sail "around the world?"

Many companies use this phrase — and sail thousands of nautical miles — but only around a single ocean or hemisphere. Even when ships do sail a distance equivalent to the equator (or more), they rarely return to their precise port of origin. Also, these epic  cruise vacations can be pricey ; the kind of dream that merits cashing in a 401K, and the time commitment is also substantial, meaning months on the water. But for diehard cruisers, crisscrossing the planet could easily be worth the time and money, and if this sounds like you, these 11 cruise lines are scheduled to sail around the world.

Read more: The Prettiest Waters Around The World

Viking: World Cruise

For 138 days, passengers frog-hop through the Caribbean, pass through the Panama Canal, make their way to the islands of Polynesia, and skirt Australia, Asia, and Europe before finally dropping their anchor in London. On Viking's World Cruise, you can step ashore in 28 different nations and pick from 57 guided tours. Viking has been a prolific, respected cruise line since its founding in 1997, and this three-quarter circumnavigation sets sail in December 2024, so there's still time to book.

Ships are equipped with spas, luxury dining options, and cabin beds that can be separated or combined, among many other touches. Long before stepping aboard, the Viking website has a virtual 360-degree tour, acquainting future travelers with the ship's staterooms. Viking has thoughtfully put together a reading list to help travelers get a deeper understanding of the countries they will visit, which is especially helpful in little-understood destinations like Moorea and Indonesia. The ship also has a sizable library onboard for further research. This, plus its sophisticated tours and dining options that reflect the culture of each port, may explain Viking's moniker, "the thinking person's cruise." Quality does come at a price, with full passage starting at $59,995.

Ambassador: Grand Round The World Cruise

The Ambiance sets off from London, crosses the Atlantic, passes through Panama, and hits Australia, Southeast Asia, Africa, and South America before pinging back to the United Kingdom. Not only do you cross all the major oceans, but you actually cross the Atlantic three times. Most of these destinations are warm-weather ports, including Sydney at the height of summer. Sunscreen and wide-brimmed hats are recommended on this largely equatorial route.

Ambassador is new to the cruise scene, having been established in the United Kingdom in 2021, and Ambiance is its flagship vessel. Passengers will spend their 120-night voyage in extreme comfort, traveling to 24 countries and 34 ports of call, with top-notch dining, live entertainment, and about 35,000 nautical miles in between. If you can live without a porthole, opting for an  inside cabin on the cruise , then passage starts at the budget-friendly price of $8,500 per person, making this Ambassador cruise one of the most economical on this list. You can also add on drink packages and arrange tours in advance or onboard through an agent or the Ambassador app. You can also explore the ship before you travel, thanks to a 360-degree virtual tour. The 2024 voyage sets sail on June 6.

Regent: World Cruise

The 2026 Regent World Cruise starts in Miami and ends in Miami, which makes it convenient to coordinate, especially if you're already based in the United States. Regent Seven Seas Cruises was founded in 1992 and is a respected brand in the industry.

The ship, the Seven Seas Mariner, also lives up to its name with a formidable 154-night itinerary: the Panama Canal, points along Central America, a dozen Pacific islands, Australia, South Asia, East Africa, and two Atlantic islands before returning to Florida. The Mariner arrives in many well-trod ports like Cape Town and Acapulco, but the route also includes locations that most travelers would have trouble pinpointing on a map: Lautoka, Abidjan, and Male are all names cruisers will become familiar with. To really explore these places, Regent organizes a whopping 431 free shore excursions across six continents, 77 ports, and 47 UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Sailing nearly 40,000 nautical miles with world-class spas, dining, and entertainment aboard doesn't come cheap. While you'll need to contact Regent to request specific prices, passengers can expect to pay nearly $100,000 for passage. Regent's World Cruise is considered a luxury-level experience with first-class airfare, gratuities, and 24-hour room service included. If this is your tax bracket, just wait until you see the suites.

Royal Caribbean: Ultimate World Cruise

Royal Caribbean has been taking tourists to far-flung destinations since the late 1960s, and it's now one of the most recognizable cruise companies in the world, so naturally Royal Caribbean would host a round-the-world voyage. But even for seasoned travelers, the Ultimate World Cruise is pretty, well, ultimate. Royal Caribbean's world cruise lasts 274 nights and arrives in no fewer than 60 countries. In other words, you'll spend nine months at sea and personally visit more than a quarter of the sovereign nations on Earth. The saga starts and ends in Miami, where the Royal Caribbean is headquartered, which should make arrangements easy.

The biggest bragging right of all: This cruise touches on every single continent, including Elephant Island and Paradise Bay in Antarctica. You'll find yourself in both Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Australia, plus ports you've never even heard of. That said, unless your soul is fueled by pure wanderlust, this itinerary may sound like a lot of cruising, which may explain why Royal Caribbean has divided the journey into four segments. Cruisers don't have to commit to the entire itinerary; they can easily pick from the quarter that most interests them. 

By the time you read this, a segment may be the only option left, as the next Ultimate World Cruise departs in December of 2023. The segments are significantly more affordable as well. An interior stateroom for the full cruise costs at least $60,000 per person, while a segment starts at $12,500.

Cunard: Full World Voyage

When the Queen Mary 2 departs from New York City on January 3, 2024, it won't return to this same harbor for 123 nights. The itinerary isn't exactly "around the world," but rather a crossing of the Eastern Hemisphere — twice. Passengers traverse the Atlantic to the United Kingdom, then ease their way down the eastern coast of Africa before beelining for Australia. The ship boomerangs back, with many stops in Asia, a shortcut through the Suez Canal, and a tour of the Mediterranean before heading back to the U.S.

The voyage comes at the heels of Cunard's 100th anniversary, making it the second-oldest company on the list. The Queen Mary 2 has been Cunard's flagship vessel since 2004, and the company has mastered hospitality over the past century, with exceptional dining, luxury suites, and Broadway-quality performances by the Royal Court Theatre. Cunard also takes pride in its children's facilities, encouraging families to travel together, as well as the great English tradition of afternoon tea. Most of the budget cabins on the Queen Mary 2 were already booked at the time of this writing, but cabins with balconies are still available, starting at the not-ludicrous price of $16,899 per person. 

Oceania: Around The World In 180 Days

When Junes Verne wrote his novel "Around the World in Eighty Days," his Victorian goal was to travel as quickly as possible. Oceania is now advertising the opposite: This journey takes passengers the long way from Los Angeles to New York City, across the Pacific, around Australia, along the coasts of East Asia, and then up through the Middle East, Mediterranean, Northern Europe, and even Greenland. The itinerary doesn't spend much time in the "global south," so you'll have to visit Africa and South America another time.

The Miami-based Oceania was founded in 2002 and specializes in long-haul cruises, so they know their system well. This cruise may be especially appealing to foodies. The company takes particular pride in its onboard meals as well as in-country Culinary Discovery Tours. Passengers can also take advantage of The Aquamar Spa & Vitality Center, which can orchestrate a special dietary regimen.

Oceania exudes "small-ship luxury" and caps its total number of passengers at 1,250. Everything about the ship is more intimate than found on its larger cousins, from the live entertainment to the duty-free boutiques. If you like a small-town feel, 180 days should be just enough time to meet all your shipmates. If you can't summon the time or (at least) $47,599 by January 2024, the next ship departs in January 2025.

Princess: 111-Day World Cruise

This Princess cruise is another true circumnavigation, starting in Los Angeles and bearing west until the ship arrives back at its original dock. The 111-day cruise starts on January 18, 2024, and includes all three major oceans, both the Suez and Panama Canals, plus 47 ports along the way. The itinerary is light on Asian and African ports and skips South America altogether, but you can still enjoy visits to Australia, the Middle East, and numerous destinations around Europe.

Princess is a hallowed name in the cruise industry. Not only have its ships been sailing the world since the 1960s, but Princess is still one of the most profitable cruise companies in the world. Passengers can expect onboard enrichment programs, award-winning live performances, and rejuvenating treatments at the Lotus Spa. Each port will also bring its own offerings of special excursions, from river rafting to art tours. 

With its dependable quality of service and nearly four-month itinerary, it's remarkable that base bookings start at only $15,498. Better yet, if you want to circle the globe with the whole family, this Princess itinerary is a family-friendly cruise and offers youth programming, which is not always the case. If you miss this one, no worries. Three more, of varying lengths, are slated for January 2025.

Holland America Line: Grand World Voyage

Fort Lauderdale is the beginning and end point for the Zuiderdam, which spends 128 days making a complete circle around the globe. Holland America's Grand World Voyage is true to its name. Passengers travel across the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans, making port on five continents. Most of its destinations are clustered around Asia and the Mediterranean, and it skips over Australia. But the Voyage is a rare opportunity to sail up the Amazon River, with visits to inland Brazilian cities most travelers would never think to visit.

Holland America began as a shipping and passenger line in the mid-19th Century, and its history of cruising is nearly as old as the concept. The flagship Zuiderdam is a luxury vessel with a swimming pool and sizable theater. It also boasts several diverse dining areas, including the Pinnacle Grill steakhouse, the Italian-themed Canaletto, and the à la carte Lido Market. There's Billboard Onboard, a special room for trivia nights and karaoke, as well as World Stage, a presentation space with a wraparound LED screen. Bookings start at the more expensive rate of $22,499 for an inside cabin, and the 2024 voyage will set sail on January 3, 2024, but you can expect additional Grand World Voyages to be slated in the coming years.

Azamara: World Voyage

Formerly part of the Royal Caribbean fleet, Azamara is now an independent company taking its own journeys. The 2025 World Voyage begins in San Diego and sails westward, across the Pacific, to Australia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and the Mediterranean, before passengers disembark in Barcelona. The World Voyage doesn't quite girdle the globe, stopping just short of the Atlantic Ocean, and the only stop in Africa is Giza. But this 155-night expedition should satisfy almost any traveler, especially with its 40 countries and 22 overnights.

Unlike many world cruises, Azamara has divided its full itinerary into segments with clear geographic themes, such as "South Pacific Jewels" and "Mediterranean Icons." These titles can help turn experiences into coherent narratives. For example, "Ancient Pathways" draws a historic and economic line between Mumbai and Athens, along with all ports in between. These themes are coupled with thoughtful excursions, which are often scheduled around local holidays and festivals. The World Voyage for 2024 appears to be sold out, but the 2025 edition sets sail on January 5. Passage starts at a princely $39,999.

Freighter Cruises

Some of us want to keep it simple. No need for late-night show-stoppers, cocktail parties with hundreds of strangers, or daring bets at the roulette wheel. "Freighter cruises" have gone by many names over the years, such as "banana boats" and "cargo cruises," but passengers have hitched rides on commercial ships since the dawn of seafaring. These accommodations come in many forms, and you do have to share your vessel with stacks of massive shipping containers; still, you can expect a comfortable cabin and regular meals, along with friendly and respectful crewmembers from around the world. For travelers with a Jack London streak, the freighter cruise feels raw and adventurous.

The Freighter Travel Club was founded in 1958, and companies like Maris Freighter Cruises and Voyage en Cargo have booked passengers on commercial vessels for years. Maris has arranged round-the-world itineraries in the past, and multi-week journeys are common, as enormous loads are floated from one nation to the next. The pandemic took its toll on this niche industry, and most of these journeys do not precisely travel around the world. But when they're in operation, freighter cruises usually cost a little over $100 per day, and savvy travelers have flexibility in their bookings.

Miray Cruises: Life At Sea

Sure, cruising is fun, but what if you want to turn your ship into a semi-permanent address? Life at Sea Cruises promises three years of luxury seafaring, with stops in 140 countries across all seven continents. By the time you're done with these 382 ports, you'll have more photos to sort through and stories to share than most people will amass in a lifetime.

That sounds life-changing, but we'll have to see whether it's too good to be true. Life at Sea is a brand-new enterprise from Miray Cruises, and the maiden voyage has been fraught with delays. However, at the time of this writing, Life at Sea should get underway by the end of 2023, and most full-voyage passengers should already be sailing by 2024. If all goes well, there are four scheduled embarkation options for travelers who want to hop aboard later on, and more will likely be scheduled.

One of the problems has been the ship itself. For a while, the purchase of the ship was in limbo, pushing back the original sail date. However, the MV Lara now seems ready to sail. The medium-sized vessel has space for 1,266 passengers, with a range of cozy cabins, a wellness center, and a pool deck, among many other amenities. Travelers committed to living at sea for three years should get a lot out of their floating home. Life at Sea is a dreamy concept, so let's hope for calm waters once it finally sets sail. 

Read the original article on Explore .

Roaming Around the World

Travel Guides, Tips, and Tales

A Cheap World Cruise: Tips & Tricks for How to Afford the Voyage

June 5, 2023 By John Widmer 32 Comments

Is a cheap world cruise actually possible?

That’s the question we asked ourselves.

So we thoroughly investigated this seemingly impossible travel desire and then went on to plan a cruise around the world, filled with a mix of luxury and adventure. Ultimately we were successful in piecing together a cheap round the world cruise that amounted to only $60 per person, per day , all costs included.

We’re now here to show you how you can afford to enjoy an inexpensive world cruise as we also detail what this grand voyage was like.

Throughout six years of nonstop travels around the world to 100 countries, we’ve made a concerted effort to uncover some of the best travel values in the world , while stretching our travel dollars as far as possible.

We’ve already shown how many seemingly extravagant travel experiences can be affordable. For example, we’ve proven how to visit the Galapagos on a Budget , take an African Safari for $50/Day , or even have a Luxury Trip to Egypt on a Budget .

Yet we gave ourselves the biggest budget travel challenge we’d ever set out on: attempting a cheap around-the-world cruise .

Generally speaking, world cruises are indeed very expensive. But it’s a common misconception that such comprehensive voyages are beyond reach for budget-conscious travelers.

With careful planning and smart strategies, it’s entirely possible to experience the magic of an around-the-world cruise without breaking the bank. There are a number of ways to make world cruising more accessible. This guide will serve as your roadmap to inexpensive world cruises, bringing the dream of budget world cruising closer to reality. So, buckle up and get ready to explore the world on a shoestring budget.

• Cost of World Cruises
• Book a Low-Cost World Cruise
• Live on a Residential World Cruise Ship
• Combine Multiple One-Way Cruises to Form a Cheap World Cruise
• How to Form a Cheap World Cruise
• Eat & Drink for Less
• Find High-Value Accommodation
• Minimize Excursion & Activity Expenses
• Use Cost-Effective Transport
• World Cruise Costs and Total Expenses
• Where to Begin
• Book Cruises with Changing Seasons
• Which Direction: East-to-West or West-to-East?
• Planning Tip: Book the Aisa-Europe Segment First
• Cheap World Cruise Sample Itinerary 2023-2024
• Tips for an Even Cheaper World Cruise
• When to Book
• Best Cruise Lines to Book
• Best Sites to Search and Book
• Book a Cheap Stateroom
• How to Secure Inexpensive Visas
• Secure Travel Insurance to Protect Yourself
• Key Strategies to Achieve a Cheap World Cruise

The Cost of a World Cruise

The base price of a world cruise typically ranges between $10,000-$100,000 per person, based on double occupancy.

Yet a world cruise can easily exceed $200,000 for a multi-month grand voyage around the world. Take this Regent World Cruise for example. Beginning in Miami, in January 2025, this luxurious cruise around the world spanning 5.5 months looks nothing short of incredible. And it has an incredible price tag to match. This world cruise is currently “on sale” for $209,998.00 for two people. Yikes! This is not a cheap world cruise.

The price of this Regent world cruise works out to a daily rate of $1,249.99, or about $37,500 per month of world cruising. And those high prices don’t even factor in additional expenses, such as the many excursion costs and other add-ons. Ultimately, this half-year trip would likely well exceed a quarter million dollars. In other words, this Regent World Cruise is prohibitively expensive and out of reach for most of us.

While the cost of this world cruise may seem like a harsh reality, there are indeed less expensive world cruises . Cheap world cruises can be found for just over $10,000 per person, for the base fare. But taxes, port fees, and gratuities must be added to get the true price of any world cruise.

Realistically, a couple should plan to budget a bare minimum of $30,000 for the cheapest world cruise available. Yet a budget of $50,000-$100,000 (per couple) is a more realistic price range that would allow a nice assortment of world cruises to choose from and a less restrictive budget while on board.

That is still a lot of money to spend. So let’s now review how you can achieve a world cruise on a much lower budget.

Understand the Total Costs of World Cruise

When booking a world cruise at a low price, you must understand and budget for additional costs. When searching for cheap world cruises, the low advertised fare usually does not include many obligatory fees and expenses that will add thousands of dollars to the cruise fare.

Taxes and port fees : Taxes and port fees usually aren’t shown in the base cruise fare even though they must be paid as part of the total world cruise price. Be sure to see the total cost with taxes and port fees, which can add thousands of dollars.

Gratuities : Most cruise lines add gratuities to your cruise bill once onboard. Gratuities on world cruises typically range around $14-$16 per person per day. So for a full world cruise, this can easily add over $3,500 to a couple’s budget. Often the gratuities can be adjusted if you wish. But it would be cruel to deprive the hard-working crew of their wages if you’re on a world cruise that uses a tipping system as payment to the crew. If tips are expected on your world cruise, budget accordingly.

Travel insurance  is mandatory on some world cruises. Yet even if it’s not required, all world cruisers should strongly consider travel insurance to avoid financial hardships if unforeseen circumstances do occur. Couples can expect to spend a few thousand dollars extra for decent coverage. To save, don’t book directly with the cruise line. Compare policies that fit your needs.

Visas will likely be required for at least a few of the countries that a world cruise visits. For convenience, most world cruises will handle visas for you, for a fee, of course. To minimize costs, it’s usually possible to secure any necessary visas yourself, before the cruise.

Onshore expenses: Although it may be possible to get by on the world cruise itself without spending anything on the ship, world cruisers will almost certainly want to explore ashore. Whether booking excursions or going ashore independently, you will inevitably incur expenses whenever leaving the ship. The cost for port days can range wildly, depending on your travel style. These expenses can be easy to minimize expenses for those comfortable with independent travel.

Other common world cruise expenses to budget for :

• Laundry  is usually not included and can be expensive on world cruises.
• Wifi  is usually not included and is usually expensive on world cruises.
• Alcohol  is usually not included and can get expensive for those who like to drink.
• Shopping & souvenirs  you may want to pick up some mementos during your grand voyage
• Other cruise expenses : Gambling, spa treatments, or specialty dining may be tempting.

3 Methods to Achieve an Inexpensive World Cruise

There are three main ways to consider when attempting to score a cheap world cruise, with approximate starting prices shown, per person, based on double occupancy:

• Find a low-cost world cruise : ~$25,000/cruise, ~$170 per day
• Consider a residential world cruise : ~$40,000/year, ~$110 per day
• Combine multiple one-way cruises to form a grand voyage : ~$19,000/year, ~$60 per day

Option 1: Find a Low-Cost World Cruise

While a Regent world cruise would cost a couple more than $200,000, thankful there are usually a few cheap world cruises each year, with prices under $20,000 per person. As of 2023, budget-friendly cruises start at about $15,000 per person for a 3-4 month world cruise. Again, understand that is just a base price.

Those interested in booking the cheapest world cruise available must budget at least an additional $5,000 per person for expenses such as gratuities, visas, laundry, and exploring ashore on your own. A bare minimum of $20,000 per person would be needed for the absolute cheapest world cruise.

That’s $40,000 for the cabin for a couple, which breaks down to about $10,000 per month. But prospective world cruisers must understand that is for an inside cabin, meaning no outside light in your stateroom for the duration of the world cruise. Those desiring luxuries like a balcony stateroom, wifi, or alcohol, will inevitably need to spend more or try to score perks like a free cruise balcony upgrade .

Pros of a low-cost world cruise:

• Easiest and most convenient to plan: one world cruise in a single booking
• Shortest time commitment: starting at 99 days
• Low-ish cost meets convenience: Book a cabin for less than $30k

Cons of a low-cost world cruise:

• Ship may be less desirable or a cruise line you’re unfamiliar with (although usually still a pleasant experience)
• Itinerary: routes may be less desirable, with infrequent stops and many sea days
• High per-day costs: highest among these three methods
• To maintain low costs, you’ll need to forgo or minimize extras and luxuries

Despite the drawbacks, low-cost world cruises can be a bargain and absolutely should be considered. Before booking such a lengthy journey, just ensure you’ll be comfortable with the ship and the cabin you’re considering. Review the itinerary closely. Make sure it goes to locations that are desirable to you. Also, look at the total number of sea days, relative to the entire cruise.

If that all checks out, scoring a low-cost world cruise can be an excellent way to cruise around the world for cheap.

Cheapest World Cruises You Can Book for 2024-2025 World Cruises

As of June 2023, here are three of the least expensive world cruises you can book right now :

• Embarkation Location : Southampton, England
• Dates : January 6, 2024, and again on January 3, 2025
• Length : 99 nights
• Ship : P&O is a British cruise line catering to British passengers. The Arcadia is a 4-star cruise ship, 935 ft in length, built in 2005, with 952 cabins.
• Itinerary : This world cruise itinerary makes a complete westbound circumnavigation around the world, going from the UK to North America, through the Panama Canal, across the Pacific to Australia, up to Asia, and through the Suez Canal to ultimately return to England.
• Sea days : Two-thirds of this itinerary are at sea: 66 sea days and 33 days in port.
• Base starting price per person, interior : $11,734
• Total stateroom price : $23,417
• Price per night : $237 ($120 pp)
• More info : P&O website . Note that outside UK, you may need to call a travel agent to book.
• Embarkation Locations : Civitavecchia (Rome), Genoa, Marseille, or Barcelona
• Dates : January 4, 2025 – April 30, 2025
• Length : 116 nights
• Ship : The MSC Magnifica is a 3.5-star cruise ship, 964 ft in length, launched in 2010, and has 1,259 cabins.
• Itinerary : This world cruise itinerary makes a complete westbound circumnavigation around the world, voyaging from Europe around South America, then to Australia, Asia, and through the Suez Canal (and Egypt), before returning to Europe.
• Sea days : Good split of sea/port days, about half of the itinerary is sea days: 59 sea days and 57 port days.
• Base starting price per person, interior : $15,199
• Total stateroom price, including taxes : $31,358 + gratuities (~$3,000) = $34,358
• Price per night : $296 ($148 pp)
• Check up-to-date pricing & reserve : Book Magnifica World Cruise here on CruiseDirect
• Embarkation Locations : New York City (Alternatively, departs Southampton Jan 11)
• Dates : January 4, 2024 – May 5, 2024
• Length : 123 nights
• Ship : Queen Mary 2 is a 5-star luxury ocean liner, one of the most notable ships of its kind. The 1,132-ft ship was launched in 2003 and has 1,360 cabins.
• Itinerary : This world cruise itinerary is not entirely around the world, as the route goes from NYC to UK, then around Africa, over to Australia, up to Asia, and comes back through the Suez Canal to briefly hit Europe before returning to NYC.
• Sea days : Over two-thirds of this itinerary are at sea: 83 sea days and 40 days in port.
• Base starting price per person, interior : $16,599.00
• Total stateroom price, including taxes : $35,907.06 + gratuities ($3,567) = $39,474.06
• Price per night : $320 ($160 pp)
• Check up-to-date pricing & reserve : Book Queen Mary World Cruise on CruiseDirect

Of these three most inexpensive world cruises, which is best ? This is a matter of preference, of course.

If you’re already in (or near) the UK and you’re simply looking for the cheapest world cruise that truly circumnavigates the globe, the P&O Acadia world cruise does just that. But prospective passengers must understand the cruise is geared towards British preferences and it has a rushed itinerary around the world in 99 days, most of that time at sea.

Meanwhile, we suggest the MSC Magnifica for having the best itinerary of any inexpensive world cruise. It’s truly a remarkable route with many interesting stops. Yet MSC receives mixed reviews on its 3-star ships. Although the onboard experience should be just fine for many travelers, choose the Magnifica world cruise for the great ports and itinerary, rather than for the ship.

Conversely, we recommend choosing the Cunard Queen Mary 2 for the incredible ship , rather than for the itinerary. The Queen Mary 2 is the lowest-priced world cruise you can take on a true ocean liner with the opulence of a 5-star ship. That said, prospective passengers will need to be okay with the fact this journey doesn’t completely circumnavigate the globe and is filled with far more sea days than port days.

For a few more options of the cheapest world cruises you can book right now, here are a few more that are priced under $20,000 per person :

• Crown Princess : departs Sydney on June 4, 2025, 5-star, 113 days, 66 days at sea (58%), $34,486 for cabin + gratuities = $38,102 total ($168 pp/pd), more info .
• Island Princess : departs from Fort Lauderdale or LA, January 2024, 4.5-star, 111 days, 61 days at sea (54%), $38,083 for cabin + gratuities = $41,635 total ($188 pp/pd), more info .

Booking Tips to Get the Best Priced World Cruise

Book interior : If wanting the cheapest world cruise, be sure to book an interior cabin . But also be sure to compare the price difference between outside and veranda staterooms. Often times it’s negligibly higher and can be well worth having a window or balcony on such a lengthy voyage.

Book early : World cruises typically go on sale 2-3 years before their sale dates and are often announced in January. Booking these cruises shortly after they go on sale not only ensures your cabin, this early bird booking strategy can often lock in the lowest rates.

Or book last minute : Conversely, if a world cruise happens to have an excess of empty cabins within the months before it’s set to sail, it’s possible for fares to drop to attract prospective passengers. So this can be a consideration for flexible travelers looking to score a cheap world cruise. But be careful and don’t rely on this. It is more likely that world cruise prices will rise or even sell out entirely, closer to the embarkation date.

Book non-refundable fares : Just like booking last minute, booking non-refundable fares is another risky method that will ultimately help to secure the lowest possible price for a world cruise. To mitigate this risk, you can consider booking a non-refundable fare with travel insurance that offers refunds in certain unforeseen circumstances.

Option 2: Live on a Residential World Cruise Ship

For those with a desire to pursue a world cruise beyond their typical length of 4-6 months, living on a residential cruise ship can be a good consideration. While you may have to pay more upfront, the per-day cost on a residential ship can be even less than the cheapest world cruise.

Residential ships start at about $37,000 per person, per year, which includes most of the same amenities as regular cruise ships (meals, entertainment, etc.), plus extras such as wifi and laundry. So additional expenses can be minimized to adventures pursued in port.

Affordable residential ships can offer great value overall, particularly when calculating the per-day cost. If you limit spending ashore to no more than $100 per week, you could reasonably pursue a world cruise on a residential ship for about $42,000 per person per year, or $84,000 per couple per year. That works out to about $7,000 per month for the cabin.

So it’s still not entirely cheap, but this works out to a less expensive rate than the prior method discussed, booking the lowest cost world cruise. So a residential ship is a great option to consider using for a world cruise for those that have the time and want to go all in on the experience.

Pros of taking a residential ship world cruise:

• Itineraries & Ports: These ships tend to have excellent itineraries and stay in ports longer.
• Vast Experience: See more of the world, visiting many countries.
• Community: Living on a residential ship allows you to form a community with fellow residents.
• Convenience meets cost: Least expensive turn-key world cruise on a per-day basis.

Cons of taking a residential ship world cruise:

• Committing to live for multiple years on a cruise ship
• While per-day costs can be quite reasonable, the upfront cost commitment may be prohibitive
• Limited options: this is a new and untested concept with very few ships/companies to choose

The least expensive world cruise residence we’ve found is Life at Sea Cruises . They require a three-year commitment. Their itinerary over the three years is incredible, spanning 135 countries and all seven continents, with frequent ports and overnight stops. This new residential ship experience begins in November 2023 from Istanbul, Turkey.

While rates are said to start at $33k per year, at last look the cheapest interior cabins still available were listed at $37,398/year, per person. That’s a grand total cost of $224,388 for the cabin for all three years, based on double occupancy. All the details can be found at lifeatseacruises.com .

Option 3: Combine Multiple One-Way Cruises to Form Your Own World Cruise

This is the absolute cheapest way to cruise around the world. This is the method we created to achieve our dream of an affordable world cruise. In its most basic explanation, this method involves combining a series of one-way cruises to form a cheap world cruise route around the world. But it’s not quite that easy to pull off.

It takes careful planning, knowing how/when to book, honing independent travel skills, and taking advantage of repositioning cruises . We’ll show you how to do all of this.

Pros of combining cruises to create a world cruise:

• Cost: It’s truly the least expensive way to form a cheap world cruise
• Variety: You get to experience different ships and cruise lines
• More time ashore: In between cruising segments, you can enjoy more time exploring on land

Cons of combining cruises to create a world cruise:

• Complexity: It takes a tremendous amount of planning
• Limited Schedule: One-way cruises are seasonal and rare, limiting options
• Itinerary gaps: Additional forms of travel and (potentially lengthy) stays on land are required
• Travel skills: Strong independent travel skills are needed

Luxury on a Budget: How to Form a Cheap World Cruise

Our secret weapon to accomplishing a cheap world cruise would be to carefully utilize a series of repositioning cruises .

During six years of traveling around the world, we’ve regularly used repositioning cruises as a cost-effective means of transportation to get from one continent to another. This is when cruise lines reposition their fleets using one-way voyages in the spring and fall when the seasons change.

For example, during the fall many cruises will be repositioned from the Mediterranean to Florida and the Caribbean. Rather than floating an empty ship across the ocean, cruises are instead loaded with entertainment and interesting itineraries.

Never heard of these one-way seasonal voyages and want to learn more? Then be sure to read our Ultimate Guide to Repositioning Cruises: Everything You Need to Know .

These lengthy voyages with many sea days typically aren’t popular, so prices often get slashed in attempts to fill the ships with paying passengers. When that happens, we take advantage of astonishingly low rates and set sail across the ocean in luxury. (Example: This 4.5* Royal Caribbean Enchantment of the Seas repositioning cruise , is sailing from Barcelona to Florida on Nov 13, 2023, and is currently priced at $420 per person, for the two-week cruise across the Atlantic.)

Rather than sitting in a cramped coach seat on an overnight flight, you can instead get to enjoy two weeks of island hopping, fine dining, entertainment, and relaxing in a comfy stateroom. Such repositioning cruises have given us a way to afford luxury that is often otherwise unattainable to our travel budget ways. The crazy thing is that these repositioning cruises are often priced less than a flight between two continents.

Over the years, we’ve used repositioning cruises to cross the Atlantic numerous times, in addition to crossing the Pacific, crossing the Indian Ocean, voyaging between Asia and Europe (Suez Canal), from Europe to South Africa, and between North and South America (Panama Canal). Repositioning cruises can be a wonderful and inexpensive way to travel the world, for those who have the time.

Armed with a keen awareness of these different repositioning cruise routes and the corresponding seasonalities, it’s possible to stitch together a series of repositioning cruises in a grand attempt to form a cheap world cruise.

Doing so admittedly takes a great degree of planning, a bit of gambling on the ever-changing rate fluctuations, and a little luck to ultimately form a patchwork of a cheap world cruise.

Using this method will not allow for a one sole world cruise residing on a single ship entirely around the world for a 100+ day voyage. Rather, to catch these rare one-way cruise deals, it would require carefully plotted timing, while also traveling overland in between the oceanic cruise segments.

These overland travel segments can be a welcomed concession to make in order to achieve the financial feat of a cheap luxury cruise entirely around the world. Personally, we’ve found it to be nice to break apart all this time at sea with some extended adventures on land.

In summary, our method involves two components that are absolutely critical to taking a cheap world cruise:

• Understanding repositioning cruise routes and timing
• Having the time and desire to spend time on land in between repositioning cruises

We’ll break all that down.

Proof of Concept: Our Cheap Around the World Cruise

While we largely wanted to embark on this journey for our personal travel desires, we also to demonstrate to others that a cheap world cruise can be achieved.

Budget travel in low-cost destinations can be fairly easy to pull off. But our goal for this grand trip around the world was to achieve some level of luxury on a budget while also visiting higher-cost countries that we’d been avoiding.

To up the ante and prove this concept, we decided to plan our cheap world cruise route through some of the most expensive countries to travel to. Lingering in budget travel havens like Thailand and Mexico would be far too easy of a strategy to keep travel costs low.

Instead, our cheap around-the-world cruise route would wind through all three of the world’s top 3 most expensive countries to visit: Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and France (source: BusinessInsider: Most Expensive Countries to Visit ). The journey would further include prolonged stays throughout notorious budget-busting nations like Japan, Canada, and Italy.

We further raised the stakes by visiting many of the world’s most expensive cities , including Singapore (#1), Hong Kong (#4), Seoul (#6), Tokyo (#11), Rome, London, and Beijing. (source:  Economist Worldwide Cost of Living survey )

We would attempt to carry out this seemingly expensive feat by staying in mostly nice hotels and renting out entire homes, which would even include our very own Italian villa on the Mediterranean. Throughout the voyage, we would partake in quintessential high-end culinary experiences from eating Kobe beef in Japan to indulging in fondue in the Swiss Alps, and even some Michelin-stared restaurants in between.

We would go on to have such costly experiences as downhill skiing across South Korea’s Olympic mountains, visiting an international Disney theme park, and sipping on bubbly while touring France’s Champagne region.

✅ We did it all.

But to top it all off, our primary form of transportation to get to all these pricey places in the world: luxury cruise ships !

We spent a total of 2½ months cruising entirely around the world on luxury cruises , getting wined and dined each night before taking in an awesome show, retreating to our lavish stateroom, and then being transported to the next exotic port for another day full of adventure on land.

And we accomplished this all on a fairly low budget.

For those with champagne tastes on a beer budget , this is how a cheap world cruise is possible.

Our Cheap World Cruise Itinerary & Travel Stats:

Our inexpensive world cruise journey began in somewhat of an unlikely location of Halifax, Canada . This city in Atlantic Canada is a popular cruise port but is rarely (if ever) used as an embarkation point. Yet while spending a summer exploring the Canadian Maritimes, Halifax became our embarkation point to begin this around-the-world journey without flights.

There are arguably better places to begin a pieced-together world cruise. Yet the best place to begin any around-the-world adventure is from wherever you are right now ! And Halifax, Nova Scotia, was where we were when we began concocting this crazy idea.

Part of the reason we spent so much time in Canada was because it acted as a staging ground for us to meticulously plan and plot this complex trip, cruising around the world for so cheap. So we set off from Halifax to travel overland to the other side of Canada, reaching Vancouver, where the cruising portion of our journey would begin.

Our cheap world cruise itinerary :

🚗🚆 Rental cars & train ( Amtrak Empire Builder ): Halifax to Vancouver 🛳️ Cruise 1 : Holland America Volendam – Vancouver, Canada to Japan 🚅 Mostly trains Across Japan, ⛴️ ferry to Korea + more trains, ⛴️ ferry to China + more trains to Hong Kong 🛳️ Cruise 2 : Celebrity Millennium – Hong Kong to Singapore 🛳️ Cruise 3 : Costa Victoria – Singapore to Italy 🚆 Mixed transport: Italy to England 🛳️ Cruise 4 : Norwegian Bliss – England to NYC (Stopping in Halifax to complete our circumnavigation)

Our cheap world cruise journey ultimately took us to:

• 22 countries ,
• visiting 35 UNESCO World Heritage Sites,
• sleeping in 74 beds , and
• through over 100 different cities in the world!

The trip from Halifax completely around the globe and back took exactly 300 days , utilizing four repositioning cruises in combination with some overland travels and stays in between the cruises. This effectively formed a world cruise on a budget! We traveled entirely around the world without flights.

Yet much more remarkable than the travel route or a list of countries visited was the vast amount of amazing travel experiences this grand adventure allowed. After all, the low price isn’t the only benefit of piecing together a cheap world cruise. You also have more time to experience so many international wonders!

Highlights during the 10-month trip around the world included :

🇨🇦 Tidal Bore Rafting Across the Most Extreme Tides in the World 🇨🇦 Hiking among Moose in the Canadian Wilderness 🇨🇦 Lobstering in Prince Edward Island 🇺🇸 Taking the Amtrak Empire Builder Across the US 🇺🇸 Cruising through Alaska’s Glacier Bay National Park 🇯🇵 Exploring Japan’s Most Atmospheric Ancient Temples 🇯🇵 Hiking Japan’s Ancient Komono Kodo Pilgrimage Route 🇯🇵 Eating Everything in Japan 🇰🇷 Skiing on Downhill Olympic Ski Runs in South Korea 🇰🇷 Attending a local Ice Fishing Festival (and actually catching!) 🇰🇷 Venturing to the DMZ at the North Korean Border  🇰🇵 🇨🇳 Exploring the Great Wall of China without any crowds 🇨🇳 Taking a River Cruise Down the Yangtze 🇨🇳 Hiking Across China’s Fabled Avatar Mountains 🇻🇳 Floating on a Junk Boat Through Vietnam’s Ha Long Bay 🇹🇭 Relaxing on a Tropical Thai Beach 🇮🇳 Experiencing the Wonderful Culture Shock that Incredible India Delivers 🇴🇲 Roaming around the Desert in Oman 🇪🇬 Cruising Through the Suez Canal 🇮🇹 Hiking from Seaside Village to Village in Cinque Terre 🇮🇹 Discovering Just How Delicious Fresh Pasta in Italy Is 🇨🇭 Trekking the Swiss Alps 🇫🇷 Drinking Champagne  within France’s Champagne Region 🇧🇪 Cycling to a Remote Belgian Monastery to Seek the World’s Best Beer 🇬🇧 Pub Crawling around London ‘s River Thames on a Sunny Day 🌊 Taking the Inaugural Cruise on the Brand New Norwegian Bliss to Complete Our Journey

^Phew and that’s just the highlight reel. It was truly a trip of a lifetime.

Detailing the Total Costs of Forming a Cheap World Cruise

Throughout the next several sections we’re going into the deep details to break down the cost of this entire trip around the world, connecting four cruises to travel entirely around the world. This trip budget includes the four cruises in addition to detailing the expenses of our stints traveling overland across the world’s most expensive nations.

We are doing this because we want to show exactly how it is possible to actually afford a trip of this caliber .

Our travel expenses during the ten-month journey can be grouped into four large categories of costs :

• Accommodation
• Eating & Drinking
• Entertainment
• The cruises themselves

Before drilling down into our detailed financial data , it’s worthwhile to take a second to understand some accounting challenges we faced when tracking our travel expenses.

Many expenses are tricky to categorize because many of these groupings often overlap. For example, we regularly seek out accommodation that includes breakfast, as we’re willing to pay a bit more for that. In such instances, we only allocated the expense to “accommodation,” even though the price we paid for the hotel included breakfasts. As a result, hotel expenses are a bit overinflated since cheaper places were available that didn’t include meals.

We often used taxis and public transport for sightseeing, which could logically be attributed to transportation. Yet given that our intention of using such transport was to pursue activities, local transportation was instead allocated as entertainment. There are many more blurred lines like these aforementioned examples, but you get the point.

Perhaps our biggest accounting challenge is with the cruises themselves. Their costs are all-inclusive of our transportation, dining, onboard entertainment, and accommodation. This is what makes cruises such great value! But it also makes it near impossible to categorize. As such, we’ve separated cruising expenses entirely from our land-based travels in between.

This preface is simply to let you know that these allocations may not be a perfect science, but we made a solid effort to categorize expenses the best we could to give you a glimpse into our personal finances of this cheap world cruise route we’ve attempted to achieve.

So let’s take a look!

Minimizing Eating & Drinking Costs on a Cheap World Cruise

Part of the value of taking a world cruise is the ability to indulge in the wonderful dining, which is included in the cost of your world cruise fare. While on the ship, you don’t need to spend a dime on food expenses.

During this cheap world cruise, we indulged in the included fine dining every day while sailing across the world’s oceans. The four-course dinners are an absolute treat that can otherwise be out of reach for budget travelers, with decadent meals such as filet mignon, lobster, chateaubriand, and beef wellington.

Despite the inclusive nature of dining during a world cruise, there are three potential food & beverage costs that can inflate any world cruise budget :

• Specialty dining
• Alcoholic beverages, sodas, and other specialty drinks
• Local food & beverages when exploring ashore

💡 Tip: Avoid Specialty Dining to Keep World Cruise Costs Low

Those trying to pursue a world cruise on a budget can save by simply avoiding specialty dining, which comes with an upcharge. These shipboard restaurants can easily be avoided. Many people love specialty dining, particularly so on lengthy cruises because returning to the main dining room every night may become monotonous.

There’s no doubt that many of these specialty restaurants are great and some would argue they’re absolutely worth the splurge. Personally, we never find specialty dining experiences to be worth the upcharge, given the excellent meals available for free in the main dining rooms.

Even if returning to the main same dining room each evening, the chefs develop a brand new menu for each night of the cruise. So there’s always something new and interesting to look forward to. For a change of scenery, have a quick and informal meal in the buffet or one of the ship’s other complimentary dining venues.

If you have the extra cash to enjoy the specialty restaurants, go for it! But those pursuing a cheap world cruise should avoid it.

💡 Tip: Do Spend Money to Eat Ashore during a World Cruise

With limited time on land, make the most of the experience by diving into the local cuisine. Although it will certainly add to your world cruise budget, we find it to be very worthwhile for the negligible spending to eat local when on land .

During days in port, we always roam around to try the local cuisine. In Vietnam, we devoured banh mi and pho. In Thailand, we slurped up as much tom yum and pad thai as possible. We chowed on kottu in Sri Lanka, followed by curries in India. We couldn’t possibly stop into a Greece port without stuffing our faces with a traditional Greek salad.

Eating locally is a wonderful way to experience a country’s culture, contribute directly to the local economy, and do so at reasonable costs. Depending on the country, there are many wonderful dining experiences to be had for cheap.

You can see this separate post that details our top nine favorite meals during our cruise around the world from our world cruise journey. And they were all under $25!

💡 Tips: Use These Hacks to Drink during a Cheap World Cruise

Alcoholic beverages are typically not included during a world cruise. Drinks on these ships are very expensive. For example, a beer typically costs anywhere from $6-$8 and cocktails are around $10 and up. It’s budget-busting prices for anyone who likes to kick back a few. (We do.)

Alcohol costs can add up quickly during a world cruise. Consider if a couple had two glasses of $9 wine each night with dinner. That seemingly minor indulgence would ultimately add about $2,500 to your cruises! ($9 per glass x 2 glasses x 2 people x 100 days = $2,520)

Due to high costs, we have to recommend having great restraint from visiting the bars on a cruise ship.  But that doesn’t mean we’re suggesting not to drink during a world cruise. Instead, use some clever hacks and tips to stretch your alcohol budget and even score free drinks while cruising around the world.

For example, most cruises allow you to bring aboard your own wine . So researched the rules in advance and bring the maximum allowance. Attend the Captain’s Toast for more free cocktails. Visit the duty free liquor store during free sampling events. There are lot of tactics to get free booze during a world cruise.

Booking cruises during promotions often give perks such as wine or champagne gifted to your room once onboard. Occasionally, you may even be lucky enough to score a cruise promotion that includes a beverage package. Having a loyalty status is another solid way to get free cocktail hours or more gifted wine.

On one of our world cruise segments, we brought our own wine, got gifted wine from a promo, received gifted wine from loyalty, then we further won bottles of champagne by participating in a shipboard trivia contest. We ultimately had more alcohol in our stateroom than we knew what to do with !

Just as we suggest eating locally on port days, we also recommend drinkers to drink locally while docked. Seek out local breweries or whatever interesting libations are native to the country you’re passing through. And although security won’t let you bring liquor back to your world cruise stateroom, we’ve often found security to be lax about bringing a few cans of beer back onto the ship, even though it was technically not allowed.

To further enjoy some beverages while on the ship, take advantage of any drink promos being offered.

And although it can be fun to party hard during a 7-day cruise, you may find a lengthy world cruise can be more relaxed, with less temptation to drink. We would purposely give our livers some much-needed breaks during these long voyages since booze was often a costly commodity.

Those aforementioned tips just scratch the surface of our cheap cruise drinking strategies. For even more hacks to drink for cheap on a world cruise, be sure to read our comprehensive article:

• 25 Best Tips to Get Cheap and Free Alcohol on a Cruise

💵 Cost Breakdown: Total Food & Beverage Expenses during World Cruise Segments

During the four cruises we used to form our cheap world cruise, we managed to keep our food & beverage budget under $500. Between eating & drinking in ports and some very minimal bar bills on the ships, our eating & drinking expenses totaled: $238 per person during the 2½ months aboard the cruises. That’s about $3.45 per cruise day, per person. 

We were very content with this amount

💵 Cost Breakdown: Eating & Drinking Costs When Traveling in Between Cruises

We spent very minimally on food and drink while cruising, given the included dining and our thrifty tricks to drink cheaply onboard.

But during our land-based travels in between cruise segments, we went from gorging ourselves with endless fresh sushi in Japan to sipping French champagne, all in a matter of months. That can’t be cheap!

Well, it wasn’t entirely cheap. Overall, we spent an average of $21.89, per person, per day on eating and drinking around the world , during the days we traveled overland in between cruises. This cost may be slightly overinflated, as it also includes all groceries such as medicine, toiletries, and other knick-knacks we picked up along the way.

This is an area of our budget that could easily be much less for frugal travelers. But we really enjoy eating and drinking!

Given the quality of food we sought out and our penchant for tipping back a few pints, we’re content with our budget here.

Cheap World Cruise Accommodation Costs & Strategies

We spent 2½ months sleeping in luxury on the cruises themselves. It was heavenly waking up to the lapping of rolling swells and the sweet ocean breeze , as we often scheduled a morning pot of coffee to be delivered to our stateroom upon waking up.

Of course, this is included in the cost of the four cruises we used to travel entirely around the world.

💡 Tip: Cruises with Overnight Ports Contain Excellent Value

Overnight port calls are a nice perk that can be found on some world cruises and other one-way voyages. When ships do stay in port overnight, not only does it give you a chance to explore more and experience the nightlife, but the ship essentially acts as a floating hotel in a prime location .

Our overnight port calls were fantastic cost savings, with stops included both Singapore and Hong Kong. These are two of the most expensive cities in the world! Decent low-end budget accommodation starts at about $100 per night, while hotels easily cost well into the hundreds of dollars. Yet our accommodation cost while in Singapore and Hong Kong was fully covered on the Celebrity Millennium, as it docked in ideal waterfront locations right within these two cities.

Our nightly cost in these most expensive world cities was $59.50 per person for five-star accommodation , which included breakfast, lunch, and dinner!

💵 Cost Breakdown: Accommodation in Between World Cruise Segments

While piecing together one-way cruises to form a cheap world cruise, you’ll be challenged with finding good value accommodation in between cruise segments. Unless booking a true world cruise, you’ll inevitably need to stay on land for considerable amounts of time in various locations around the world.

During the cheap world cruise we strung together, we spent more time on land than we did on cruises. In doing so, our ability to find inexpensive accommodation was thoroughly tested in expensive destinations like Tokyo, Seoul, Beijing, and throughout high-priced countries such as Canada, Italy, and France.

During all this time paying for accommodation on land, we spent an average of $39.26 per night ($19.63 per person) while traveling through the most expensive countries in the world. Costs shown here are the total costs paid, including any taxes and cleaning fees.

At a nightly rate of less than $20 per person , we were quite happy with this rate, particularly considering the expensive destinations we were traveling across, for such prolonged periods of time, and frequently in nice 3 & 4-⭐ hotels.

💡 Tip: Be Flexible and Open to All Types of Accommodation

A key strategy for keeping accommodation costs low is to be flexible. Don’t completely ignore budget accommodation when there is a significant difference in price. Given the theme of this trip, we attempted to stay in mostly nicer establishments. But that wasn’t always the case.

We readily made occasional concessions to stay at budget hotels and private room Airbnbs whenever passing through high-cost locations, or when it just made sense financially.

In between the four cruises we used to travel around the world, we stayed in six countries for a week or longer and this is our average nightly costs:

There are different strategies to pursue good value accommodation throughout the world, but it depends on the country, as accommodation prices vary from one region to the next. For example, when in China during the off-season, we enjoyed 4-star hotels for a low cost. But that would have cost us a fortune along the Italian Riviera, where we instead found exceptional value at a beautiful seaside vacation rental (Airbnb).

Meanwhile, in Japan, the best accommodation bargains were at business hotels that had so many nice amenities we could utilize. Having a rental car throughout France afforded us the opportunity to travel to lesser-visited destinations and stay outside of pricy city centers. Perhaps most interestingly, we found bargain rates at Korea’s “love motels,” which turned out to be rather nice.

The key to finding the best accommodation deals is to be flexible with the type of places you stay at. What may be an excellent value in one country, may not be in the next. Cast a wide net, be creative, and find some great places to stay at a low cost!

World Cruise Costs for Excursion and Activities

Cruising and independent travel are like oil and water. They usually don’t mix together. Yet we enjoy both forms of travel and love to combine the two! Traveling independently was an absolutely critical strategy for keeping our world cruise costs low.

💡 Tip: Forgo Shore Excursions to Explore on Your Own

Shore excursions can be a very expensive proposition for a world cruise, as this is yet another expense that can easily snowball during lengthy voyages. On a weeklong cruise, using a few shore excursions might only add a couple hundred dollars to your portfolio. But using shore excursion at every port on a world cruise will potentially add tens of thousands of dollars to your final bill – yikes!

For budget travelers like us, shore excursions offered by the cruise line are entirely cost-prohibitive. Therefore a critical component to keeping any world cruise within a reasonable budget is to simply step off the ship and explore on your own .

Shore excursions can be an extremely convenient and efficient way to explore ashore, but they’re not cost-efficient.

For those who are comfortable traveling independently, exploring on your own comes easy and saves loads. A little advanced research and planning goes a long way. Look up transportation logistics and things to do nearby wherever the ship is docked. Or find local tour operators and deal directly with them. Or after arriving, negotiate with a taxi driver to take a taxi tour of the city.

Also, be sure to leave yourself some room for error to get back to the ship with plenty of time. Cruises do not wait for late passengers and world cruises are no exception. Minimize this risk by being back in the direct vicinity of your ship with an hour to spare, just in case. If there are any attractions or activities near the ship you wanted to visit, do so at the end so you’ll have quick access to return to the ship.

With over 30 port calls during the four cruises we used to travel around the world, we never once took a single tour that was purchased from the cruise ship. This ultimately saved thousands of dollars (likely tens of thousands) by exploring on our own throughout our cheap world cruise.

For example, when we docked in Juneau, Alaska, most glacier tours were well into the several hundred dollars per person. Instead, we hopped on a $2 public bus, which took us directly to the impressive Mendenhall Glacier.

When we arrived in Ha Long Bay, Vietnam, most cruise passengers got on a bus to take them on a boat tour around these most scenic islands, for hundreds of dollars. Instead, we hopped on the back of a scooter taxi, which took us to a boat and a $17 half-day tour of the same famous islands that our fellow cruise passengers were splashing the cash to see.

Those are just two small examples, but we used these same independent travel tactics in every single port we visited. In many of the ports we pulled into, like Heraklion, Greece, or Kushiro, Japan; the ship docked only steps away from the city center. So we could just walk off the ship and easily sightsee on our own.

⚠️ Don’t Pay for Pricey Taxis during a World Cruise

Given the often exotic itineraries of world cruises, ships will occasionally dock at industrial ports with nothing to walk to. This presents logistical challenges, requiring transportation. These situations often bring out aggressive taxi drivers ready to take advantage of cruise passengers. Unknowing cruisers often pay extremely inflated costs to these money-hungry taxi drivers.

It wouldn’t be entirely uncommon for taxi drivers to ask the equivalent of $100 USD to drive a few miles, looking to take advantage of cruise passengers that don’t have a firm grasp on the exchange rates. Some taxi drivers wouldn’t budge in negotiations, knowing they would be able to get this inflated rate from the next group of cruisers who walked by. It’s all a frustrating situation that we regularly faced while walking into ports from a cruise ship.

Use these strategies to avoid overpriced taxis :

• Use public transportation if available.
• Use rideshare apps, like Uber, available in the majority of ports, and keeps drivers honest.
• Walk away from the cruise port, then catch a taxi.

💵 Cost of World Cruise Shore Excursions: on Your Own

In total, we spent $303 per person during all of our DIY shore  excursions , including all local transport and activity costs. That comes out to about $10 per person in each port visited.

This is an enormous cost savings when attempting a cheap world cruise. It’s not uncommon for a single shore excursion to be priced at $300 or more. Yet we managed to stretch that same amount across all 30 ports that we docked in.

💵 Cost Breakdown: World Cruise Shipboard Entertainment & Activity

Yet again, one of the nice things about taking a cruise around the world is that all that time on the ship is completely inclusive of activities and entertainment . People sometimes wrongly assume repositioning cruises are boring stripped-down versions of a cruise. But we’ve found that usually to be quite the opposite. Often cruise lines add even more lecturers, activities, and entertainment to repositioning cruises, as they want to keep passengers having fun during the additional sea days.

Broadway-style shows, rock concerts, themed parties, and comedy filled our evenings. While during sea days, we regularly attended enrichment activities like complimentary cooking demonstrations and language classes. It was fun to learn Japanese on the way to Japan!

Some cruise lines, like Norwegian, do have a small fee for certain activities, such as their longest go-cart track at sea ($6). We had to pay it to give that a try. We also paid $25 to see their Prohibition burlesque show, which was actually a good deal because it included 5 craft cocktails during the hilarious performance. Beyond those two minimal expenses, all onboard entertainment was entirely complimentary and included during the 2.5 months of cruising.

So our entire entertainment costs while on all four cruises for 2.5 months was a mere $31 total per person, averaging to $0.44 per day.

💵 Cost Breakdown: Entertainment & Activities in Between World Cruise Segments

Meanwhile, we also incurred entertainment and activity costs while traveling overland too. Local transport, attraction entrance fees, museums, and adventure activities all contributed to this amount.

In places where we traveled slower (Canada), these costs averaged less. In China, when we traveled at a fast pace and incurred some higher expenses like a Yangtze River cruise, expenses averaged more. It was easy to keep costs lower in places like Europe as sightseeing around the historic towns and hiking are free. Our funds were better used on French and Italian cuisine.

After all, many of the best sights and experiences around the world are free!

Maintaining Low Transportation Costs during a Cheap World Cruise

When stringing together a series of one-way cruises to form a cheap world cruise, it’s nearly inevitable to incur some transportation costs in between these cruise segments. It can turn into a big game of planes , trains, and automobiles. But we switch out the planes for cruises!

When piecing together our cheap cruise around the world, we used the following transport methods:

🚆 71 trains , 🚌 52 buses , ⛴️ 11 ferries + 1 river cruise, 🚗 7 rental cars , 🚕 6 long-distance taxis , and 🚢 4 ocean cruise ships carried us around the world for a total of 2½ months !

Of course, navigating all of this foreign transit does take a knack for independent travel. There are useful transit websites and resources that can help, such as Rome2Rio , Seat61 , and even Google Maps .

During our world cruise segments, the lengthiest overland transportation segments included: (1) Tokyo to Hong Kong, (2) Halifax to Vancouver, and (3) Italy to England.

Those keen on avoiding such lengthy overland segments should know that, while rare, additional cruise routes exist to minimize these stretches of overland segments.

Use the following two cruise routes to effectively eliminate the lengthy overland segments we pursued:

• Panama Canal cruises can take you between the US east coast (usually Florida) to the US West Coast (usually California, although occasionally Seattle or Vancouver).
• Infrequent cruises also exist between Tokyo and Singapore.

💵 Cost Breakdown: Transportation to Connect World Cruise Segments

We spent about $2,275 per person on transportation costs while traveling overland clear across North America, Eastern Asia, and finally from Italy to England. That averages out to about $10 per person, per day during our overland travels.

Our itineraries were almost never the most direct, efficient, or cheapest routes to cross the countries. That would be a boring trip. Instead, we carefully planned our itineraries with major points of interest in mind and often spared no expense to divert there.

Here’s what we spent on transport by country:

We always carefully weighed out costs as a leading factor in choosing our form of transport. Taking the easiest or fastest route was not always the cheapest. Also, taking what would be presumedly a cheap form sometimes would not be the most economical.

For example, we chose one-way rental cars over Canada’s more expensive Via Rail. We then rode the US’s Amtrak Empire Builder for only $146 , traversing the US to Seattle in three days.

We circumvented Japan’s pricey bullet trains using cheaper regional trains, buses, and budget rail passes. South Korea’s compact size made bus and rail travel affordable. China, being vast, required us to use the expensive high-speed rail often, which was worth it for us to cover as much of the country as we could during our time there.

Meanwhile, in Italy, regional rail lines and low-cost buses proved economical. France’s rail strikes necessitated costlier rental cars, with country roads used to avoid pricier toll roads.

A bus to London and train to Southampton concluded our thrifty transport segments, before crossing the Atlantic on our final cheap world cruise segment.

Cost of Flights during a Cheap World Cruise: $0

One awesome aspect of embarking on an around-the-world trip entirely over land and sea is that there are no flight expenses involved. Nothing. Nada. Zilch!

It’s a huge money-saver not having to account for the cost of flights!

Usually, the cost of flights on a trip around the world would total well into the thousands of dollars!

We instead put this nonexistent flight budget towards the cruises, which can often be priced about the same (often less!) than flights going along the same routes. Yet the cruises offer so much more value since they cover meals, accommodation, and so many luxury amenities all while stopping along into the fascinating destinations you get to explore while traveling from one part of the world to the next.

An added bonus was going the entire year of traveling without having to deal with airport security, baggage fees, shrinking seat space, rude passengers, airplane food, and flight delays , among the many other hassles that come with air travel.

Grand Total Costs of Combining Cruises to Form a Cheap World Cruises

Up to this point, we’ve detailed all our cheap world cruise expenses except the cruise segments themselves. The four cruises we took to form our world cruises were indeed relatively large expenses. So let’s get into it.

💵 Cost Breakdown: One-Way Cruises to Form Cheap World Cruise

The cost of these world cruise segments was a greater expense than we had initially anticipated. Cruise rates do fluctuate. Despite our best efforts, the timing of our cruise bookings didn’t always secure the lowest rates. Prior to this around-the-world journey, we’ve taken repositioning cruises for far less than we paid on these four world cruise segments.

After adding in all port charges, taxes, fees and even adding in gratuities, the grand total of our cheap world cruise came out to $81 per person, per day. These cruise days averaged higher than our overland travels, which helps to bring down our entire trip cost average as we’ll get into in a bit.

First, let’s look at how the world cruise costs shook out: $5,574 total pp for all world cruise segments .

Spending over $5,000 per person on cruises may not seem cheap. But this was over the course of 2.5 months of luxury living while being effortlessly transported all around the world. It’s also less than half the cost of even the cheapest world cruise.

Also, consider the cost it would take to fly between all of these locations. It would have likely cost tens of thousands of dollars. Using repositioning cruises to form a cheap world cruise is truly exceptional travel value!

💵 Cost Breakdown: The Grand Total of Entire Cheap World Cruise

Here is the total breakdown by country and by cruise, per person, per day. This includes all of the travel expenses we incurred during this 300-day cheap world cruise. So the cruise costs shown here absorb additional eating, drinking, and entertainment expenses that were incurred onshore during that cruising timeframe.

South Korea was the cheapest due to minimal transport costs, with Canada and Italy following thanks to spread-out transport costs and minimal entertainment expenses. China felt cheap daily but high-speed rail use increased our average costs.

The transpacific cruise was expensive due to heavy port fees, particularly in association with Glacier Bay National Park . Cheaper transpacific alternatives existed but the timing didn’t work for us. The high cost was easily justified by the luxury, having an Alaska cruise on the front end, and a cruise to Japan’s lesser-known ports on the back end.

If anyone really wants to examine our cheap world cruise budget, the table below gives a complete breakdown of every travel expense we incurred over this cheap world cruise journey.

We’re happy with coming in at about $19,000 per person for a luxury trip entirely around the world’s most expensive countries, lasting nearly an entire year!  That averages out to about $1,900 per month or $63 per day.

But the above figures are expenses, as we technically paid less ! Here’s how:

We used just a bit of travel hacking (points) to reduce our spending. We redeemed $382 worth of accommodation using points and travel credits, such as from Hotels.com, SPG, and Priceline. We still accounted for those expenses in all the budgeting we’ve detailed, even though we didn’t actually pay money for them.

Furthermore, we tried to use our Capital One Venture credit card for nearly every expense possible, which earns us 2% cash back that we then used to erase whatever travel expenses we chose. So we racked up enough expenses on that credit card over the course of this trip to erase $639 worth of travel expenses!

This brings our actual out-of-pocket cost to $18,500 per person.

That’s a travel budget of $1,850 per month or just above $60 per day for this around-the-world trip of a lifetime !

It may be worth noting that a few additional expenses were not included in our budget, for example, Christmas/birthday gifts. Healthcare expenses, like a dental check-up in Thailand and our $59/month international phone plan were also omitted. We further didn’t include the cost of running our business (this website), which includes hosting, domain, etc. These regular expenses that have nothing to do with the trip itself were not included in the totals listed above.

Travel Tips: How to Plan a Cheap World Cruise

Now that we’ve shown our finances of how we budget for our cheap world cruise, we want to relay some more tips to get you on your way! If you would like to attempt an unconventional voyage around the world like us, there are a few more details you should know.

Where to Begin Your Cheap World Cruise Journey

As we’ve already mentioned, the best place to start such a voyage is wherever you’re currently located, even if it’s not a port town served by cruise lines. Determine your nearest major cruise port hub and start researching when long-distance cruises depart from there.

Common ports include:

• North America Atlantic ports : Miami, Port Everglades (Fort Lauderdale), Port Canaveral (Orlando area), Tampa, New York City, and more.
• North America Pacific ports : Los Angeles, Seattle, Vancouver
• Asia Ports : Tokyo, Hong Kong, Singapore
• European Ports : Piraeus (Athens), Civitavecchia (Rome), Barcelona, Copenhagen, Southampton, and more.

If you’re reading this from the southern hemisphere , don’t feel left out. It is also possible to begin a cheap world cruise from international ports such as Sydney, Cape Town, Buenos Aires, and Valparaiso (Santiago). Repositioning cruises exist from each of these cities to some of the other aforementioned hubs, where you can then proceed east or westbound above the equator.

How to Book With the Changing Seasons

To catch these repositioning cruise deals to form a cheap world cruise, you have to be keenly aware of when and where cruise lines are shifting their fleet during the changing of the seasons. Here’s where they flow:

Common fall routes :

• Transatlantic: Europe to Eastern US and Caribbean (most common)
• Transatlantic: Europe to South America
• Transpacific: North America to Asia
• Transpacific: North America to Australia and South Pacific
• Europe to Asia (Suez Canal)

Common spring routes :

• Transatlantic: Eastern US to Europe (most common)
• Transatlantic: South America to Europe
• Transpacific: Asia to North America
• Transpacific: Australia or South Pacific to North America
• Asia to Europe (Suez Canal)

While rare, it’s also possible to find rogue cruises that aren’t seasonal . Occasionally a ship will be moved to/from a dry dock location for refurbishments, which can form a non-seasonal repositioning cruise to utilize.

And when brand new ships launch, they don’t necessarily follow the seasonal shifts either. For example, we caught the brand new Norwegian Bliss eastbound across the Atlantic in the late spring, a time when most cruise ships are being repositioned in the opposite direction.

So it’s certainly worth doing thorough research to see what your options are. Or contact an excellent travel agent that specializes in cruises.

By carefully scouring through every potential cheap repositioning cruise option, we even managed to find two cruises lined up in Singapore on the exact same day. So we cruised from Hong Kong to Singapore on the Celebrity Millennium and were able to step right off and move our luggage onto the Costa Victoria for the remaining voyage from Singapore to Italy. It took a bit of planning, but when it finally happened, this was such a beautiful sight!

World Cruise Direction: East-to-West or West-to-East?

Pursuing a cheap around-the-world cruise can be accomplished by piecing together repositioning cruises in either direction. But which way is better?

First, that depends on where you’re starting your voyage and the time of year. For example, if you’re beginning in the US in the Fall, your best options are transpacific repositioning cruises heading west. If you were to begin in the US in the Spring, the likely option would be to begin on a transatlantic from the East Coast and head east.

We took a westward route around the world and find that direction to be ideal. You skip a day jumping the International Date Line while crossing the Pacific, which is interesting. But the beautiful part about a westbound itinerary is the frequent rolling back of the clock, which regularly gives you 25-hour days!

Throughout a westbound world cruise, you’ll have 24 nights in which you get an extra hour of sleep ! That’s a great perk about traveling slowly by sea around the world. You won’t experience jet lag!

Meanwhile, it’s the opposite traveling east, as you lose an hour of sleep during each time zone crossing. Doing these time zone transitions little by little does ease the jet lag effect, but you’ll still feel this loss of sleep when having to change the clocks forward multiple nights in a row.

There’s an old travel expression that we found rings very true: “ East is a beast, west is the best. ”

Planning Tip: Determine Your Asia-Europe Cruise Segment First

In order to form a cheap world cruise, you must rely on three main segments:

• Crossing the Pacific (North America – Asia)
• Crossing the Indian Ocean (Asia – Europe)
• Crossing the Atlantic (Europe – North America)
• Optional: Across America (Panama Canal cruise)

The Atlantic crossing is the easiest to schedule as there are dozens of transatlantic cruises every spring (eastbound) and fall (westbound), plus the occasional outliers in between. Fewer ships make the Pacific crossing, but there are still enough to choose from, usually at least a half dozen or so.

The Asia-Europe cruise segment that is needed is the rarest and most infrequent route. Typically there are only a few of these Asia-Europe cruises throughout the year. Yet it’s a necessary piece of this puzzle. So we suggest working out the feasibility of this Asia-Europe cruise segment first, then letting the other puzzle pieces fall into place.

The most common hub to search to/from is Singapore , although occasional connections exist from Tokyo and Hong Kong too. In addition to repositioning cruises, it’s also possible to join a segment of a world cruise. Also, find one-way cruises that are heading in your general direction. It’s possible the cruise continues onward in a subsequent cruise.

Here’s A Real Itinerary to Form Your Own Cheap World Cruise 2023-2024

To fully demonstrate how you can form your own cheap world cruise, here are some cruise segments that you can book right now for your own cheap world cruise using a westward approach.

Use these cruises segments to form a one-year world cruise, with stops in Tokyo, Singapore, and Europe . We’ve provided two examples for each of the four segments needed to form a cheap world cruise.

The prices reflected below are per person and not including taxes and gratuities unless noted. Also, understand these prices are current as of the last update to this article (June 2023) and have likely changed (possibly lower) by the time you’re reading this. You can click on each link to confirm up-to-date pricing.

Fall 2023: Transpacific World Cruise Segment – Seattle to Tokyo

Each of these are very cheap transpacific cruises that will get you from Seattle to Tokyo at low rates with stops along the way throughout Alaska and Japan:

• Norwegian Jewel, 16 nights, Oct 3-19, Seattle to Tokyo: $799 ($50/night)
• Holland America Westerdam, 13 nights, Oct 1-15, Seattle to Tokyo: $819 ($63/night)

Winter 2023-2024: From Tokyo to Singapore by Cruise or Other Transport

Spend the winter traveling throughout Asia . You can enjoy colder winter climates like we did in Japan, Korea, and China. Or breakaway to warmer climates by catching a cruise or even a series of land transport and ferries to get to Singapore, which you could further use as a gateway to Malaysia and other cheaper destinations around Southeast Asia.

If you prefer to cruise, after spending a month or so in/around Tokyo, consider these one-way cruises from Tokyo to Singapore :

• Diamond Princess, 15 nights, Dec 1-16, Tokyo to Singapore: $1,138 ($76/night)
• Celebrity Millennium, 12 nights, Nov 17-29, Tokyo to Singapore: $1,649 ($137/night)

Spring 2024: Singapore to Europe World Cruise Segment

After spending a few months exploring Asia, begin your cruise from Singapore to Europe in the Spring as things start to heat up.

• Singapore to Dubai, 15 nights, Apr 24-May 9, 2024: $1,903 ($127/night)
• Dubai to Athens, 18 nights, May 9-27, 2024: $2,188 ($122/night)
• Note: although priced relatively high – this is a 5.5-star ship that includes gratuities, a beverage package, wifi, and laundry, so it’s an excellent deal!

Summer 2024: Summer in Europe

After arriving in Greece, enjoy the summer in Europe traveling by rail or take some more cruises!  Head to Eastern Europe to get out of the Shenzhen Zone and to linger in cheaper countries to help keep your budget down. Eventually, make your way to the west where you can catch a final transatlantic back to North America. Popular ports to depart from include Copenhagen, London (Southampton, Dover), and Barcelona.

Fall 2024: Transatlantic World Cruise Segment

Exactly one year later, now cruise across the Atlantic Ocean to complete your trip around the world without flights. There will be several cheap cruises making this journey across the Atlantic in the Fall and prices will likely drop from current rates. At present, there are dozens of cruises making the journey for well under $1k and well under $1,000/night. Here are simply two examples, showing (1) what is currently the cheapest transatlantic and (2) an earlier fall transatlantic cruise.

• Royal Caribbean Explorer of the Seas, Barcelona to Miami, Nov 2-14, 2024: $524 ($44/night)
• Princess Sun (Sphere), Southampton to Fort Lauderdale, Sept 23-Oct 9, 2024: $1,235 ($77/night)

Total Cost of Sample Cheap World Cruise 2023-2024:

If you were to follow the above-suggested itinerary to form a cheap world cruise, you can reasonably spend about $5,000 or so on those cruise segments.

The Asia-Europe segment is the budget-buster of this world cruise equation, at $3k. Typically, there are more economic connections across the Indian Ocean and through the Suez Canal. But prices do fluctuate and there are a handful of other options between Asia and Europe.

By the time you’re reading this, there may already be a far cheaper connection available to book. In 2024-2025 , we expect even more great options all around the world. Yet looking so far ahead, many of those options to build a cheap world cruise have yet to be listed for sale.

More Money-Saving Tips: Form a Cheap World Cruise For Even Less!

There are three areas of our actual travel expenses, where it would be very easy to bring costs down even less. Forming a $50/day cruise around the world isn’t impossible. Here’s how to cut costs even lower than us.

World Cruise for Less: Book Cheaper Cruises

We’ve taken cruises across the Atlantic for as low as $159 per person ($12/day)! More realistically, $500-600 can be a good price to shoot for on a transatlantic. Due to some timing issues, we paid a bit more (~$1K) for our Atlantic crossing on a brand new 5* ship, the Bliss. And it was our high-cost transpacific cruise, on the Volendam, that really rose the budget.

Typically transpacific repositioning cruises are on sale for as low as $600 between Seattle or Vancouver to Japan. Unfortunately, the timing didn’t quite work out for us to grab those deals, as we weren’t able to make it to the Pacific coast in time to take advantage of those low-priced transpacific cruises.

Additionally, we splurged a few hundred dollars extra for two cruises to have a stateroom with a window during these lengthy voyages. If you’re okay with an interior cabin , you can easily shave off even more from the world cruise expenses we’ve shown throughout this post.

World Cruise for Less: Visit Cheaper Countries

We traveled through the most expensive countries in the world and our daily costs reflect that. It would be easy to plan an itinerary through cheaper countries , which would significantly lower costs.

In Asia, Singapore is the common connection for repositioning cruises. From there, it’s a quick ferry ride into Indonesia or a hop across the land border to Malaysia . Both countries are extremely economical to travel through and Malaysia then opens up to Thailand and all of SE Asia to explore cheaply overland, living off daily budgets closer to $20, rather than the $60 per day we averaged when traveling overland.

Meanwhile, in Europe, instead of passing through the budget-busters of France, Switzerland, and UK, there are two other much more economical approaches. Barcelona is a very common hub for repositioning cruises and Spain (along with Portugal) is the most budget-friendly country to travel in Western Europe. So that’s an easy way to drive down costs. Otherwise, the cheap destinations throughout Eastern Europe are another good idea, and you can sometimes find repositioning cruises, to or from Athens.

World Cruise for Less: Travel Slower

We often have a bad habit of fast travel, racing around a country while packing in as much as we can. Traveling at a slower pace allows you to spread out transport costs , secure lower long-term accommodation rates, and simply become attuned to the inner rhythms of a locality in which you’ll gain a better understanding of where the value lies.

“Slowmads” could successfully execute a world cruise itinerary similar to ours at a much lower daily average by simply relaxing the pace of travel. Stay in places for longer periods of time and don’t constantly move from one destination to the next as we often did.

When to Book World Cruise Segments: A Tricky Proposition

Cruise prices regularly fluctuate based on demand, cancelations, promotions, and a variety of other factors. Often waiting until the last minute (within a month or so) can be a smart move to get a rock-bottom deal. It’s a strategy that has proven to work very well for us many times.

In other instances, it turned out to be a bad move. Booking last minute can be risky. Cruises can unexpectedly sell out or increase dramatically in price, even at the last minute. It’s high risk, high reward .

When trying to plot out all these different routes & connections to form a world cruise while prices constantly fluctuate, the planning becomes increasingly complicated.

One wrong move or a sold-out cruise can break apart an entire world cruise itinerary being strung together. There are a lot of moving pieces that form one giant puzzle. And it’s a puzzle you may be working on while simultaneously traveling, which makes assembly all the more difficult.

Tip: Make Multiple Reservations and Cancel

Yet one positive aspect to booking cruises is that if you’re willing to place a deposit of a few hundred dollars, such cruise deposits are usually cancelable and refundable up until about two months or so before the cruise is scheduled to disembark.

Therefore what we do, and recommend, is to make refundable reservations on whatever repositioning cruise fares around the world look attractive at any time. Even though we only took four cruises, we had actually made eight reservations. We ended up canceling four reservations for completely different cruises (similar routes) that we never took. We received full refunds.

It was nice to lock in those rates as contingency plans while keeping an eye on the prices of other potential cruises. We booked our cruise on the Celebrity Millennium from Hong Kong to Singapore over a half-year in advance and locked in a rate of $883 with prepaid gratuities. It was a great deal that only lasted two days before the price for that cruise later shot up to $2,500 and never dropped again. So we certainly held that reservation and were really happy we booked the refundable reservation when we did.

Meanwhile, we had booked a particularly expensive cruise from Singapore to Barcelona that we ultimately canceled because a better deal suddenly emerged.

Tip: Monitor Prices of Your World Cruise Bookings

It can prove very wise to regularly keep an eye on cruise prices and promotions since there can be sudden sales and price changes. When planning our world cruise, we checked the prices every day. Some people check the stock market on a daily basis. I check cruise prices.

There are pay sites that will actually monitor this for you and send you emails. Or find an excellent travel agent, who may offer to do this.

Yet a simple approach is to bookmark the cruise fare pages and make it a 1-minute morning routine to see if rates have changed. I make notes on the bookmarks to remind me of what the cost was and what promotions they were offering, so I can easily recall and compare how rates may have changed.

Above, you can see my bookmarks and the crazy notes that help me keep track of it all. Being the data geek that I am, I also make spreadsheets. It’s admittedly a bit of work to keep track of. But it’s work that can pay off in the form of a cheap world cruise!

Tip: Mitigating the Risk of Last-Minute Bookings for Cheapest Rates

If you don’t have a booking during the month before sailing, this can be extremely risky. If the cruise sells out, you potentially don’t have passage to the next region when forming your own world cruise. However, taking this risk can often yield extremely low last-minute cruise fares. Here’s a booking strategy to mitigate this risk and score an ultra-low fare.

Once the cancelation period rolls around, make your best guestimate as to whether the rates may rise or fall. If there are other cruises embarking on similar routes at similar time frames at similar price points, you may feel comfortable canceling a booking and holding out for a cheap last-minute rate, knowing there are multiple options to watch and consider.

But if there is only a single cruise on a critical route, it’s best to keep the reservation and pay the remaining balance. Don’t risk it.

The most crucial component to employing this cheap world cruise strategy is to ensure you are well aware of the cancelation periods. You need to meticulously know this so you can cancel on time and get a refund.

Best Cruise Lines to Book with When Forming a Cheap World Cruise

People ask us all the time what’s the best cruise line to attempt this patchwork world cruise with.

Our honest answer is: whatever cruise is currently the cheapest !

We’ve sailed on almost every major cruise line now (Royal Caribbean, Holland America, Celebrity, Costa, Pullmantur, Carnival, Norwegian, Princess, MSC, etc.) and have never had a bad cruise. Each cruise line has its own appeal, novelties, strong points, and drawbacks. Any cruise is a great cruise to us if the price is right.

For us, a cruise ship is a comfy form of transport to amazing destinations. We’re easy to please. Although we very much enjoy the amenities that cruises offer, this isn’t the main draw for us. For others, the cruise ship is the destination and the shipboard experience is a huge part of the appeal.

Most people do have strong preferences towards certain cruise lines . We understand that.

There are some lines we’ve personally enjoyed more than others. Celebrity tends to be one of our favorite cruise lines. So if we can utilize a Celebrity ship to form a world cruise, that’s a big bonus for us. Yet if that Celebrity cruise is hundreds (or thousands) of dollars more than another cruise taking a similar route, it’s usually not worth it for us. Whatever the cruise line is, we’re still going to enjoy our time in ports, the decadent meals, and relaxing at sea.

If you’re taking a one-week vacation on a cruise, it can be worth spending more to go with a cruise line that fits you. But if attempting to piece together a cheap world cruise, we advise booking the least expensive segments that fit your itinerary!

Best Sites to Book With

Most cruises will be at similar rates between different booking sites. But there can be some variances. Some cruise booking sites do sometimes offer stronger promotions than one others. So when you’re ready to pull the trigger on a cruise, it’s worth cross-checking across a few different cruise booking sites just to ensure you have the best deal and best promos. Or call a travel agent.

Our favorite site to search (not necessarily book) is  CruisePlum . CruisePlum acts as a comprehensive cruise search engine, with many filters to drill down your search when piecing together a cheap world cruise.

Once you find an attractive price on a cruise to build your world cruise itinerary, then determine where to book your best price and promotion. This may vary slightly from one booking platform to the next, so it can be worthwhile to spend a few minutes comparison shopping.

Hence, we’ve typically found the best price/promos for our world cruises segments using   CrusieDirect . Lately, they’ve even been offering generous Visa gift cards (hundreds of dollars) when booking with them, which we essentially view as cash back.

We also like how CruiseDirect shows the total price, cabin availability, and the ability to complete the entire booking transaction online yourself without the need to speak to an agent over the phone. The search functionality of CruiseDirect isn’t the best, so we don’t use it to search but rather to book.

Cheap World Cruise Tip: Book Guaranteed Cabins

A “guaranteed cabin” is the least expensive room you can book on a cruise. That’s what we book every time. The only downside to booking this way is that you don’t get to choose the exact location on the cruise. Instead, your exact cabin location is assigned to you a week or so before the cruise departs. (We’ve always been fine with our locations.)

On the upside, you have an off-chance of potentially getting an upgrade. You also are guaranteed to be paying the lowest possible rate within the category you book (inside, outside, balcony). In the past, we’ve booked a guaranteed inside cabin and have gotten an elusive upgrade to a balcony stateroom. It does happen.

We weren’t so lucky on any of these four cruises, although we did indeed get a free balcony upgrade on the brand-new Norwegian Bliss, using a different method.

• Further Reading: 10 Secrets to Get a Free Balcony Upgrade

How To Obtain Visas the Cheap Way

During any world cruise, you will likely few different visas to legally enter some countries. Holding a US Passport, we’re fortunate to be able to enter many countries free on arrival. Other countries have a more complicated and bureaucratic approach, which can take some advanced planning to sort out.

One interesting aspect about cruising is that some countries actually waive the required visas and associated fees for cruise passengers as a way to lure cruises to come there. For example, the costs associated with the letter, stamp, and fee to procure a single-entry visa to Vietnam in advance is $100. That fee and the process are waived for cruise passengers. This is yet another way how cruises can really save!

Yet other countries do impose fees on cruise passengers. Sometimes the cruise charges a fair rate for this but other times it is very inflated. So it can be worth inquiring about these fees and determining whether it may be worth it for you to procure your own visas to sustain significant cost savings during your world cruise.

For example, we paid a $32 fee to enter Cambodia, which the cruise handled entirely for us at this fair rate. Meanwhile, a visa was also required for India and the cruise was charging a very inflated rate (hundreds of dollars) to procure. We instead secured the e-visa ourselves electronically for $77. It was still a hefty price to enter the country for only a single day, yet it could have been much more had we not gotten it ourselves.

Visas are always cheaper if you go through the hurdles of obtaining them directly. Just be very careful that you go through the proper channels to procure them correctly.

Bottom line : Research any required visas for any countries being visited. Plan accordingly.

Travel Insurance: A Must-Have for Any World Cruise

Another worthy expense that we strongly urge for any worldly adventurers is travel insurance. If you were to encounter any sort of major disaster along the way, travel insurance will have you covered. Whether a nasty car accident or a violent earthquake, travel insurance can cover your foreign medical expenses and help get you home.

When world cruising, travel insurance can be even more important. Medical services on cruises is notoriously expensive. Visiting a ship doctor for a simple cold can easily be serval hundred, or even thousands, of dollars. Travel insurance can have you covered and reimburse you for such financial burdens.

Unexpected emergencies are our primary reason for having this coverage during a world cruise. But travel insurance has many additional benefits such as rental car insurance, petty theft, minor medical issues that may arise, trip cancelation, missing passports or credit cards, and so much more.

As it relates to cruising, it can be wise to find travel insurance that includes (air) emergency evacuation. If you were to need to be evacuated by helicopter from a cruise ship this would potentially cost hundreds of thousands of dollars that would likely prove financially devastating to anyone that might need such a life-saving service.

It’s best not to book travel insurance with the cruise company directly. Often the rates are very high. It won’t cover any travel in between cruise segments. And if you have any disputes with the cruise company, it’s best to have an independent travel insurance company to help with that fight.

For long-term travel, we use and recommend  World Nomads . They offer a great mix of coverage for the price and include $300k/$500k of emergency evacuation coverage, depending on the plan.

You can’t book a plan for more than 180 days but you can extend or book a new plan mid-trip to cover your entire world cruise. Tip : It’s best to book the longest period possible, as we’ve found that the per-day rate becomes higher, the shorter the coverage length is.

Check World Nomad rates for your trip .

Thankfully during our cheap world cruise, we never had any major incident requiring us to use the travel insurance we purchased, despite being hit by a typhoon in Japan. But we have made claims with World Nomads on previous trips to cover rental car damage, illness, and lost luggage, in which we found the claims process was efficient and fair.

Key Strategies to Pull off a Cheap World Cruise

To keep costs low and actually accomplish a cheap cruise entirely around the world, there are so many critical strategies to success. Here’s a recap of what we found to be the most important to keep in mind:

🚢 Book inexpensive  repositioning cruise deals , rather than pricey world cruises.

🚢 Be comfortable and skilled at independent travel whenever not on the cruise (extremely important). 🚢 Researc h things to do and travel logistics in destinations you’re visiting. 🚢 Use public transportation whenever possible.

🚢 Have a travel partner . Single supplements are usually imposed on solo travelers on cruises.

🚢 Take a digital detox on the cruises, as wifi can be very cost prohibitive. Use Internet on land.

🚢 Don’t run up a high bar bill while onboard the cruises. It’s easy to do, but just as easy to avoid.

🚢 Pack as light as possible, yet for multiple climates. See what we packed here : Ultimate Packing List .

🚢 Take time to research & find low-price accommodation . 🚢 Book far in advance in popular destinations and/or high season. 🚢 Make concessions to stay at budget-friendly places occasionally, when necessary.

🚢 Have fun! This all takes a bit of planning and strategy to organize, which all leads to an adventure of a lifetime, cruising around the world without flights!

Conclusion: Is a Cheap World Cruise Really Possible?

We hope this post has demonstrated that for a mere $60 per day, a world cruise absolutely is a realistic possibility. We find that to be a very cheap way for such a luxurious and effortless way to travel entirely around the world without flights!

If you want some further reading about cruise tips, you can check out these related posts:

• Read: Repositioning Cruises: Your Ultimate Guide & Tips to Know
• Read: 5 Things We Loved & Hated About Our World Cruise
• Read: Top 50 Cruise Hacks to Save Money

And if you’d like to save this post or share it, feel free to pin the image to the right to your Pinterest travel boards or share this Facebook video , below.

We’d also love to hear what you think about our cheap world cruise in the comments and any questions you may have about this crazy idea we lived out over the past year.

Otherwise, bon voyage! 🚢

Publishing note: This article was initially written August 2018 and was updated in June 2023 to reflect cruise industry changes and up-to-date pricing information.

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July 16, 2021 at 11:59 AM

Im a senior citizen from India and am shell shocked and wonderstruck,

THIS WAS ALWAYS ONLY A DREAM./

It will remain so. Can I just ask for some suggestions. and advise.

September 15, 2019 at 11:49 PM

Thanks so much for your indepth article, just amazing. I was actually investigating repositioning cruises when I came across your blog.

You guys are awesome for providing this information and it’s something that I would like to attempt. How do you think a single female traveller may fair? Obviously, things will be a little more expensive as a solo traveller and I’m okay with that. Safety is another issue, but I’ve travelled all over the world, so I’m fairly street smart. But something like what you’ve done, just piqued my adventurous side. I have the time with no limitations….

What you’ve done seems so much more authentic than just jumping on board a “world cruise” and paying c$125K for the privilege. I bet you’ve met some amazing people, had many funny and rewarding experiences that will stay in your memories your entire life. And as they say, the journey itself is the whole point.

I hope I can use your tips & strategies to pull together a trip like this next year.

October 4, 2019 at 12:39 AM

So glad it’s proven interesting and helpful! You’d likely fair just fine as a solo female traveler with street smarts! 🙂 It will indeed be a bit more expensive since most cruises do charge a hefty single supplement fee that’s often at least 50% or higher. Safety will come down to each locale you’re visiting, but most places shouldn’t warrant much concern at all, with modest precautions. We find most places around the world to be quite safe and most all destinations on the cruise itineraries will be too.

Also, we’re currently on an entire new repositioning cruise trip around the world, this time using a few flights. And we’re posting many more tips along the way from this trip over on Facebook, so be sure to connect with us over there (/RoamingAroundtheWorld) for more strategies you may be able to use on your upcoming trip!

May 8, 2019 at 10:21 PM

The conclusion I got from this lengthy post is that it’s miserable to be poor.

I m glad I am rich enough to not have to worry about all these and still enjoy everything, plus more.

I suggest you crack your head and think about how to make more money than scrimp and save.

May 9, 2019 at 9:57 AM

Congratulations on your wealth – that’s awesome! If you’ve got several hundreds of thousands of dollars lying around to take a world cruise, that’s definitely the way to go. But most people don’t and we want to show our method of how a cheap world cruise can still be possible, in relative luxury without the associated heavy cost.

Your conclusion strikes me as odd. This cruise around the world was such an awesome experience, that was not at all miserable for us. Also, we’re not poor.

For those who have the money to spend on a world cruise, it’s way easier to simply book one. And we’d recommend that. Yet we prefer to make our money go further and make smart financial decisions that enable us to travel indefinitely at a fairly young age. Thanks for the suggestion to make more money! As we continue to travel, we are indeed hustling hard to do just that. Happy travels! 🙂

May 24, 2022 at 2:10 PM

What an asinine thing to say. I think they did amazing for the money that they spent, and it shows far more initiative! I want to do a year around the world with my son when he gets older, and hate flying/love cruising. This blog has given me much food for thought. As for “make more money” I’m guessing that you ( the reply) are an entitled prick who thinks that student debt shouldn’t be forgiven bc YOU paid off your college debt when tuition was 4 figures. You probably made a decent wage and we’re able to buy a house when the market wasn’t inflated, either, and probably skimp on your fair share of taxes by money laundering or otherwise finishing loopholes. Go back and play with your MAGA hat. The rest of us appreciate tips to enjoy exploring the world on beer pockets.

March 7, 2023 at 4:35 PM

What a dick of a comment

February 27, 2019 at 12:09 AM

So awesome you pulled that off! I always recommend people visit in the shoulder season, since the weather is usually quite good still but there are WAY less tourists and everything is cheaper. Glad you were able to take advantage of that for your trip.

February 17, 2019 at 7:23 AM

We love cruising, but we haven’t taken a repositioning cruise yet. So I really enjoyed reading about your voyages. Plus, that tip about having the case of beer sent to your stateroom was brilliant!

Kudos to you for researching and executing such a lengthy itinerary! Our dogs at home keep us from taking lengthy cruises, but maybe in the future (retired? in between pups?) we can attempt something similar. You’re inspiring!

– Dana Pittsburgh, PA

January 10, 2019 at 6:26 PM

You have inspired me! I’ve been seriously thinking about a world cruise when I retire but even the cheap ones are $20,000. This strategy is brilliant. I was thinking about wedging this travel in between selling a house and before buying another….putting my things in storage which saves some money by not paying for housing I’m not living in. I am curious how much you think you spent…all in; including the land travel.

January 15, 2019 at 9:17 AM

Always glad to provide a bit of travel inspiration to show how such an extravagant experience can be an affordable reality! 🙂 Our total costs, including land travel, are outlined in detail in the post. Be sure to check out the section subtitled “What Did The Entire Cheap World Cruise Cost?”

April 15, 2019 at 6:53 PM

How does one find the time and money to do something like this??

April 18, 2019 at 4:54 PM

Many people could pursue something like this in retirement. That would perhaps be the easiest way. Personally, we take a more unconventional route. We live a nomadic and minimalistic lifestyle with no home, no car, and very few possessions. Hence we have almost no expenses other than travel. And our travel expenses actually cost us less than it would to live “normal lives” back in the US. Meanwhile, we work online which brings us income and fuels our travel expenses. So this is also a way that someone could have the time and money to do something like this, as I hope we have proven it can indeed be a reality.

November 7, 2018 at 3:38 AM

Hey you two look great together. I am happy that i’ve found this blog it has some interesting posts that i will read this week. Thank you.

September 4, 2018 at 11:10 AM

I’m so glad to have found this page! I’m a solo traveler who has developed a bit of a cruising bug, and that dreaded solo supplement causes a lot of problems. I’m trying to be more aggressive about finding re-positioning that will work with my schedule (I’m a university professor, so my time “off” is generous, but pretty inflexible).

My question is about Costa cruise lines. One reason I’ve shied away, despite they’re lower prices, is that they have a bad reputation among North American cruises. In your experience, how justified is this? As far as I can tell, the complaints come down to safety and rudeness by the crew. I’ve seen so many reviews that start with something like “COSTA CRUISES DOESN’T CARE ABOUT NON-ITALIAN PASSENGERS!” Obviously, Costa had a well-publicized accident that seems to have been partially due to negligence, but what about crew attitude? My sense is that the complaints I described have a hefty dose of “It wasn’t what I was used to, so I hated it!” hysteria to them.

Many thanks for any info you can provide, and for this great site in general!

September 6, 2018 at 12:58 PM

Personally, we enjoyed our experience with Costa overall. We had read many of those overly negative reviews which made us very reluctant to book an entire month cruise. So we came aboard the Costa Victoria with low expectations, which were easily exceeded. Coming from Asia, we absolutely loved all the Italian food. We never tired of it and found the cuisine to be excellent. And we loved all the Italian flair found throughout the ship. We were clearly in the minority as non-European passengers. (I think there were only a few dozen Americans total). But that never felt like a drawback for us. We found it to be a novelty to experience another culture while on a cruise, instead of being in the Americanized “bubble” that many international cruises sometimes are. We never felt any rudeness by the crew. Most of the crew was Indonesian, Indian, and Philippino anyways. Announcements were always repeated in English and there was a dedicated Guest Relations person from UK for English-speakers. I do think that some of the complaints is from the “It wasn’t what I was used to” sentiment. That said, there were still some negatives that we experienced. Perhaps the biggest is that they began a refurbishment project while in transit back to Italy, of which the construction in common areas justifiably upset a lot of passengers of all nationalities, and there were some safety concerns there too. Besides that, there were just little minor things that we found annoying, like free coffee only being available during breakfast and never any ice available at the buffet. But these are things we can easily look past. Overall, we’d definitely cruise with Costa again and would like to go on a different ship not actively undergoing refurbishment. We may try to write a full review of our experience as an American on Costa in a future post.

August 23, 2018 at 4:56 AM

It takes some diligent research and planning to string together all that you did. Kudos on making it happen on your terms and budget! It sounds like you really had some amazing adventures during your time traveling. Glad to hear you also splurged on some things like a proper Swiss fondue dinner and bouchons in Lyon – definitely important experiences in my book.

August 23, 2018 at 10:47 AM

It would have been a tragedy to pass through Switzerland without some fondue! 😂 It was one of our splurge spends on food throughout the trip and worth every cent. Eating (and drinking) across Europe was definitely some important experiences for us!

August 21, 2018 at 3:52 PM

My head is spinning! Shows you that I had no idea such a thing was even possible! So great your repositioning worked out so well! What an amazing experience. Thanks for the breakdown! This post is jam packed with helpful and useful info! Great job 🙂

August 21, 2018 at 11:57 AM

Wow, this is the first super detailed post that I really appreciate! So much to learn from this! Also, my first time reading about a repositioning cruise! Awesome!

August 20, 2018 at 3:28 PM

What an amazing idea – I’ve always dreamed of a world cruise but always thought the cost would be far more than that. I’d never heard of a repositioning cruise before, so even if I don’t manage a world cruise, I’m definitely considering booking one of those!

August 20, 2018 at 6:36 PM

It’s certainly an alternative way to be able to accomplish a world cruise much more affordably, that worked well for us! 🙂

August 19, 2018 at 11:06 PM

Cheapest cabin for a world cruise is $124,998 per couple – OUCH! I’ve heard of repositioning cruises but would never had thought to string them together creatively. Pretty brilliant actually

August 20, 2018 at 6:35 PM

Yeah, $125K… ouch is right! It was fun stringing together these repositioning cruises to form a much more affordable world cruise of our own. 🙂

August 19, 2018 at 1:30 PM

Wow you do have some amazing tips to save up on the cost. I just read the part on mathematics of saving and spending on drinks. Need to read others in details too. Saving up this post.

August 18, 2018 at 2:08 PM

wow, I’ve never heard of a repositioning cruise! What a fabulous idea. I’m off to research right now – you seem to have it so well sussed!

August 18, 2018 at 10:24 AM

What an interesting read. I would not have believed what you achieved possible, The tip about repositioning is an excellent one that I never knew about. I will definitely make use of that in the future. I have bookmarked this post as I intend to make the most of your fabulous advice.

August 18, 2018 at 10:40 AM

We weren’t sure it was possible either! 😂 But now happy to show that it is. Yes, the repositioning cruises was really a critical component to this whole plan and such a great travel tactic – we love using them!

August 16, 2018 at 11:05 PM

Thanks for sharing this. Can’t wait to spend more time to read this in detail and really soak it in – this is definitely the way we like to plan our trips, but haven’t planned one this long yet!

August 18, 2018 at 10:43 AM

Yeah, we tried to pack a lot of info into this one big, long post. We hope you may find some helpful nuggets of info or travel tips to use in planning some future adventures of your own. 🙂

August 16, 2018 at 12:46 PM

Did you come across any language barriers while travelling. The one thing that worries me about travelling to somewhere like Asia is not understanding signs/place names or making yourself understood to taxi drivers. Or was English used in most places?

August 16, 2018 at 2:01 PM

Sure, there were some languages difficulties occasionally, but really never anything to preventative. Having Google Translate on our phone has been a godsend to interpret signs and to communicate with other people. Also, we’ve found that just learning a few very basic phrases (greetings, thank you, etc.) can go a really long way. Also, English has become quite a common second-language around the world, so we’ve been fortunate that many people want to practice their English and are able to speak to us. When there has been a big language barrier, we’ve found miming and smiling can be surprisingly effective to get things sorted out. Among the countries we visited during this voyage around the world, China presented the most significant challenges, as English was rarely spoken there. But we managed to get by just fine between Google Translate and lots of miming. It was definitely a challenge at times but that’s all part of the fun!

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How Holland America Takes Guests on Longer Voyages with Fresher Fish The Insider Travel Report Podcast

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On a multigenerational family cruise, my kids got to know their grandmother better — and my husband and I got free babysitting

• My family has cruised several times and recently took my mother-in-law along on her first cruise.
• Cruising with Grammy proved to be a great option for a multigenerational vacation.
• Our experience on the Caribbean Princess was the perfect itinerary for older, first-time cruisers.

My kids are teenagers now, but we've been taking them on cruises since they were tiny. Each time we returned from our days at sea, I told my husband how much I wanted to take his parents on a cruise with us, as it seemed like the perfect multigenerational vacation to me for a variety of reasons. My father-in-law passed away unexpectedly last year, and the devastating loss made me even more determined to get my mother-in-law, who my kids call Grammy, onto a cruise ship with my family.

We finally planned an eight-day cruise aboard the Caribbean Princess this March, and we were all so excited. Not only did a cruise ship seem like a perfect spot to keep me, my husband, our kids, and Grammy all entertained for an entire week, but I thought my mother-in-law, who enjoys a slower pace of life, would enjoy the build-your-own-schedule style of a cruise.

The multigenerational trip , for which one of my mother-in-law's best friends tagged along as her travel partner, proved to be an unforgettable memory for all of us. My kids left the ship feeling like they got to know their grandmother — who lives far from our Florida home in Pennsylvania — even better, and so did I.

Cruising was a great way to spend time together

My mother-in-law had never cruised before, so we chose to book the Caribbean Princess because we'd had great experiences with Princess Cruises before. Plus, it had a great mixture of days at sea and ports of call, and the ports we visited were easy ones to navigate: Princess Cays in the Bahamas, Puerto Rico, and St. Thomas.

The trip was a perfect environment for making memories with my mother-in-law and her friend. On days at sea, there were tons of things for us to do: family activities, like dinner or trivia, that we'd all do together; individual activities, like paper-flower-making classes for the retirees in our group; and activities in the ship's teen club for my kids. On port days, we planned excursions through Princess Cruises that allowed everyone in our party to experience the destination, regardless of speed or physical abilities.

My kids got to see their Grammy be adventurous

While we focused on port excursions that offered driving tours and other slower-paced ways to see the destinations, my mother-in-law was a great sport when it came to being adventurous. In Puerto Rico, she climbed 100 steps to the top of a tower in the El Yunque National Forest tropical rainforest and tried mofongo for the first time on the streets of San Juan. She also rode a Skyride to a spot 700 feet above the harbor in St. Thomas to take in beautiful, panoramic views and climbed out onto rocks overlooking the beach on Princess' private island, Princess Cays.

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Seeing their grandmother's desire to see and learn new things was fun for my kids, and as experienced travelers, they enjoyed helping her along the way.

We had great conversations during meals

Most nights on the ship, we had dinner together in one of the main dining rooms. One night, we even splurged on a specialty dining experience, paying a bit extra for a steakhouse dinner at Princess' fleetwide restaurant, Crown Grill. Dining aboard a cruise ship is often a multi-course experience that unfolds at a leisurely pace, so having an hour or two to chat with their grandmother each night was special for my kids.

To keep things interesting, we took a book of questions along with us on the trip, breaking it out while we waited for our food to arrive each night and asking questions like, "What's your favorite way to connect with nature?" or, "Do you think money can by happiness?" Hearing each other's answers was a great way for everyone to connect and learn about each other.

Even when it didn't go as planned, we found things to laugh about

Combining a large group when traveling can bring its share of stressful situations, but even in the chaos we found things to laugh about. My kids are still talking about the time Grammy and her friend went back to the tour bus without us in Puerto Rico, and we thought we lost them during our excursion to Castillo San Felipe del Morro. But, all miscommunications and frustrating moments aside, the trip made us stronger as a family and was well worth those moments of stress.

Yes, bringing Grammy along meant we got some free babysitting

Although my kids are now teenagers, having Grammy on board the ship to help out was an invaluable part of our vacation. My husband and I went to another specialty dining restaurant on board the ship for a date night and even stayed in town in St. Thomas for some grow-up time, sightseeing, and shopping while the kids returned to the ship with my mother-in-law.

Though we spent the bulk of our time hanging out together as a family, having some extra help aboard the ship allowed my husband and I to make some vacation memories with just the two of us.

She's always supported us, and it was nice to thank her

My mother-in-law has always been there for my husband and me. She has taken care of our kids while we reconnect by traveling together and shared wisdom with us when we're struggling with life's stresses. It was a true joy to share our vacation with her and treat her to a week of sunshine and sightseeing after all the ways she's supported us throughout our nearly 20 years of marriage. Cruising together as a family was a great way to thank her.

Being together held an unexpected benefit

The last two days of our sailing were days at sea and, early on the first day, we learned of a family tragedy that had occurred back in Pennsylvania, where most of my husband's family lives. The tragedy was significant enough that my mother-in-law probably would have gone home early if we had been on a vacation on land. But because we were in the middle of the ocean, we were unable to cut the trip short and spent two days together processing what had occurred.

While there's never an optimal time for a great loss to occur, we found ourselves grateful that we were close to my mother-in-law when the news came in so we could help her process her grief in those first few days. Had we been in Florida and she in Pennsylvania, we'd have felt powerless to help comfort her, but being together during that time proved to be invaluable.

Experiencing a family tragedy during our vacation wasn't in the plan, but it was a reminder to all of us of the importance of being close to family and experiencing the world together while we can.

Watch: Inside the world's biggest cruise ship that just set sail

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Mapping the wide-scale Iranian drone and missile attacks

Iran launched waves of drones and missiles toward Israel on Saturday in retaliation for Israel’s attack on an Iranian site in Damascus, Syria, this month. A spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces said Iran fired over 300 ballistic missiles, UAVs, suicide drones and cruise missiles. The vast majority were intercepted outside of Israeli territory, according to the IDF.

Iranian strikes have hit Irbil in northern Iraq and the Arad region in southern Israel. An Israeli air base was also hit, causing “minor damage to infrastructure,” according to the IDF. Targets were intercepted in Jerusalem and Dimona on Saturday night.

No UAVs managed to infiltrate Israel. Of 30 Iranian cruise missiles launched, zero entered Israeli airspace, 25 were downed by the Israeli Air Force outside of Israeli airspace, and 120 ballistic missiles were downed by Israeli aerial defense systems, the IDF said.

Iranian missile and drone attacks were launched at Israel from positions in Iran, Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen, according to the Iranian state-run Tasnim News Agency. In a statement, the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah said it targeted Israeli barracks in the Golan Heights, an Israeli-occupied strip along the border with Syria, with a barrage of rockets after midnight local time.

After the attack, the IDF highlighted the close coordination of a coalition led by U.S. Central Command, the U.K., France and other countries, highlighting the Aerial Defense Array and the defensive abilities of the Israeli Air Force’s aircraft.

Defense systems of Israel

1,000 miles

Each Iron Dome battery can defend an area of up to 58 square miles.

David’s Sling

Arrow System

25 to 186 miles

Up to 1,490 miles

Iron Dome is an Israeli mobile missile defense system designed to intercept short-range rockets and artillery. It is intended to counter unguided rocket and drone attacks.

Defense system intended to prevent attacks from aircraft, helicopters, bombers, cruise missiles, UAVs and stand-off weapons.

Firing Unit

Python-5 for short-range engagements and the Derby for medium-range.

20 Tamir missile

Missile range

3 to 43 miles

Up to 62 miles

Up to 6 miles

DAVID’S SLING

ARROW 2 AND 3

It is designed to intercept ballistic and cruise missiles. Capable of intercepting targets at altitudes of up to 15 km.

Upper layer of Israel’s missile defense system. The Arrow 3 is the longest-range interceptor currently fielded with the Arrow Weapon System, complementing the Arrow 2, which engages targets in the upper atmosphere.

6 to 12 Stunner

interceptor

Up to 6 missiles

Up to 1,491 miles

Up to 9 miles

Note: Not all of Israel’s defense systems are included.

Sources: CSIS, Rafael, Army Recognition

Defense systems

20 container launchers each

with one Tamir missile.

Two types of missiles, the Python-5 for short-range engagements and the Derby for medium-range.

6 to 12 Stunner interceptor

According to the IDF, out of over 120 ballistic missiles, only a few crossed into Israeli territory. They caused minor damage to infrastructure at the Nevatim Air Force Base. According to IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari, the IAF’s Adir jets were returning to the base from the aerial defense mission.

The Israeli Air Force’s F-35I Adir

Weapons capacity

F-35 Lightning II

It carries weapons internally in stealth configuration or externally in permissible environments.

The Israeli Air Force gave the F-35 the Hebrew name Adir, meaning “Mighty One”.

18,000 pounds

Above 50,000 feet

Manufacturer

Mach 1.6 (~1,200 mph)

Lockheed Martin

Source: Lockheed Martin

The escalation prompted airspace closures in neighboring countries during the attack. Egypt suspended flights to Jordan, Iraq and Lebanon, according to Egyptian state TV. Israeli authorities announced the reopening of the country’s airspace starting at 7:30 a.m. Sunday. The IDF described the wide-scale Iranian attack as a “major escalation.”

Israel-Gaza war

The Israel-Gaza war has gone on for six months, and tensions have spilled into the surrounding region .

The war: On Oct. 7, Hamas militants launched an unprecedented cross-border attack on Israel that included the taking of civilian hostages at a music festival . (See photos and videos of how the deadly assault unfolded ). Israel declared war on Hamas in response, launching a ground invasion that fueled the biggest displacement in the region since Israel’s creation in 1948 .

Gaza crisis: In the Gaza Strip, Israel has waged one of this century’s most destructive wars , killing tens of thousands and plunging at least half of the population into “ famine-like conditions. ” For months, Israel has resisted pressure from Western allies to allow more humanitarian aid into the enclave .

U.S. involvement: Despite tensions between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and some U.S. politicians , including President Biden, the United States supports Israel with weapons , funds aid packages , and has vetoed or abstained from the United Nations’ cease-fire resolutions.

History: The roots of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and mistrust are deep and complex, predating the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948 . Read more on the history of the Gaza Strip .

• Israel weighs response to Iranian attack as U.S. and allies urge restraint April 15, 2024 Israel weighs response to Iranian attack as U.S. and allies urge restraint April 15, 2024
• Why did Iran attack Israel? What to know about the strikes, U.S. response. April 15, 2024 Why did Iran attack Israel? What to know about the strikes, U.S. response. April 15, 2024
• Mapping the wide-scale Iranian drone and missile attacks April 14, 2024 Mapping the wide-scale Iranian drone and missile attacks April 14, 2024