World Cruise

I can imagine getting bored quickly

I love cruises, but I’m usually ready to be back home after a week or two.

Where does all the shit and piss go?

R2 Right there with you. Even with all the land excursions, I’m usually ready to stay off for good after a week.

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I would love to do an Alaska Cruise...any recommendations? I’m pretty nervous about it as I’m really prone to seasickness but my understanding is that a cruise is the best way to tour Alaska.

[quote]I would love to do an Alaska Cruise...any recommendations? I’m pretty nervous about it as I’m really prone to seasickness but my understanding is that a cruise is the best way to tour Alaska.

I'd never been interested on a Caribbean or Mexican cruise, but I did this one a few years ago and loved it — going up Alaska's Inside Passage (insert your own jokes here). The ship was so big I never needed the seasickness medication I brought.

The glaciers were amazing and the sea air the cleanest thing I ever smelled. Food was delicious and fresh and you didn't feel like they were slopping the cruisegoers at lunch or dinner.

I'd recommend Celebrity because there's very little for children to do, so you're not dealing with families everywhere.

R7, did you go on Celebrity Cruises? Which package did you use.

So no one has gone all-in and taken a true round-the-world cruise?

I think the only circumstances under which I'd do that would be if I had a terminal diagnosis, and a suitcase full of morphine

I couldn’t imagine being stuck on a ship for several months with the same people.

OP. listen to R2. I week is perfect. 2 weeks tops. I know people who went on longer cruises (40 days) and they were exhausted. 3 or 4 months is WAY too long.

I recall reading that it can actually be cheaper to “live” on a cruise ship when you retire rather than in a retirement community. It makes sense. You can get one week cruises for less than $500, and it covers your meals and entertainment, housekeeping, etc. I may consider it when I get to that age.

The reason I'm considering it is because I think it would be great to go to New Zealand and Australia and Bora Bora, etc., and I don't want to have to fly there.

R13, not bad idea, but note its more expensive than you think. That "$500" is per person, so you have to pay double rate if you're by yourself. Then add in port fees, extra pay for drinks, and gratuities (daily). You're paying closer to $1,300.

It's doable. it depends on how resourceful you are . Get an outside cabin with a balcony and plan on spending most of the time there, reading, writing, dreaming. Bring a few things from home--pictures, pillows, a throw -- to personalize your cabin. Set up an exercise routine, walking around the decks very early in the morning.

Unless you're a mad extrovert and want to mingle with the other passengers. I don't think it will be the same crowd for the entire route. People will be getting off and on at different ports once the ship leaves US waters. You can take meals in your cabin if you tip the stewards well over what you normally need to tip them.

Of course the idea is appealing, who doesn't want to see the world at a mellow pace, in a little home away from home?

So while it sounds like something I'd love to do on the surface, the reality is that I'd probably be stuck with a shipload of rich Republicans and their horrible children for months and months, and be miserable and angry much of the time. And my experience of "the world" would be a few hours for each tourist harbor area, not a proper travel experience. Still, I could get a hell of a lot of pelagic birding in...

You don't stay in the harbor though; there are excursions available in every port.

I'll just leave tis here for DL senior set:

It would be nice if one, or more, of those cruise ships polluting the Arctic were torpedoed!

My parents go for three months at a time. They love it - they would be happy to live on a ship full-time, I think. They're very old but they do excursions in every port, take lots of pictures, see all the sights, not just the usual tourist things. It's a very easy life - no cooking or cleaning. But of course it costs a mint.

How's the cruising on these cruises?

r21 is watching his inheritance diminishing every day.

No kidding.

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I saw that Viking round the world article as well.

I imagine it would be for people who have never been to most, if not all, ports of call. I would never get bored and would look forward to every location. It would be super expensive though, since I’m a souvenir buyer. Magnets, t shirts, mugs, key chains.

Not much to do on long cruises but eat. I'd be afraid to go and come back morbidly obese.

This is what I would do if I were told that I had 2 years to live and would be on kidney dialysis. If I could smuggle the dialysis machinery on board disguised as my accordion I would definitely do this.

I'd like to visit New Zealand and Australia but can't imagine the flight to get there because I can never sleep on an airplane. This seems like the only realistic way. I'd love to see all of the other places as well and think it would be a grand adventure, but I also am not sure I would like being gone from home for four months.

I met some older folks who sailed around the world on cargo ships. They ate with the Captain and officers, and had a private room.

R19's link is intriguing. I remember reading about this ship 'The World' which is basically a full-time retirement community that offers a variety of different living configurations. I think it's a very intriguing idea.

[quote]There are only 165 Residences aboard The World, and each one has its own unique story.

[quote]Owning a Residence is like having a home on land, but with new scenery outside your window each morning. You wake in new destinations as you sip your morning coffee on the veranda.

[quote]After a day of exploration, you return home and reflect on the day with a bottle of wine from your collection. You peruse a book from your personal library. Or prepare dinner in your kitchen.

[quote]You wind down in your own bed, lie your head on your own pillow, and ponder the following day’s adventures.

Yes, R31, I've heard of that ship. You basically have your apartment on the ship, and the ship has grocery stores and restaurants so you can live a fairly normal home life.

I thought about spending my future lottery winnings on a new shipboard life, because it really does sound fabulous at first... then I realized my neighbors would probably be 1%-er asshole oligarchs and I'd hate their company. I mean I'd love to see the world without leaving my home, but if I hated all my neighbors it wouldn't be at all fun.

[quote]Not much to do on long cruises but eat.

This depends on the cruise. If it stops at a port every day or even every other day, there's plenty of opportunity to go out and see tourist sites, get exercise, go shopping or whatever you want to do for much of the day. You can burn off a lot of calories. Of course if you're crossing the Pacific that's not going to happen.

They also generally have a lot of entertainment on the ships: lectures, performances, etc.

At least there are some places to visit in the south Pacific. It's four days to Hawaii and then five days more to Tahiti. The single longest stretch is the seven full days it takes to get across the Atlantic with no port in sight. I wonder how the internet access really is on board.

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[quote]I'd like to visit New Zealand and Australia but can't imagine the flight to get there because I can never sleep on an airplane.

From experience, you'll eventually fall into an unconscious state resembling sleep, so if that's your only worry, just go.

[quote] but can't imagine the flight to get there because I can never sleep on an airplane.

That makes no sense, R29. If you said you were afraid of flying or even being on a plane that long, I would understand. But missing one night of sleep?? You've never done that before?

I wish that were the case, R36, but it definitely hasn't been in the past. I was awake for 23 straight hours on one trip and 24 on another.

R38, fly to Hawaii. Sleep overnight in hotel. Then fly on to Australia.

Another thing that seems like a good thing about doing the cruise is that you normally have at least one day in-between visiting different places. It would be nice to have a day or so to sleep in/relax versus having to go, go, go every day from early morning to night which is the norm on most trips.

[quote]I wonder how the internet access really is on board.

Slow and very expensive.

Anyone that has done this?

[quote]The single longest stretch is the seven full days it takes to get across the Atlantic

R34, why does it take 7 days? In the days of the great ocean liners, the eastbound crossing was about 4 days.

It's because it is going to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, not New York.

R6 My cousin and her husband have gone on the Holland America (Eurodam) cruise to Alaska several times. They love it. Via Seattle.

[quote] It's because it is going to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, not New York.

The Cunard London-NY crossing also takes 7 days.

Maybe the biggest concern is just being away from home for four months straight.

r32 They don't indicated how much those things cost. And what do you do when the ship is in drydock for maintenance?

R47, I can barely stand to be away from home for four hours straight.

How does tipping your stewards work? Do you give them a few bucks everytime you want a fresh towel?

Any of you heading out soon on a world cruise?

Cruises are tacky. You will be bored with the food and staff after a week. You will also only visit other cities where large cruise ships sail in. Have you looked into the ‘unlimited around the world’ tickets that you can buy? My friend bought one 6ish years ago. She just separated from her wife, and for $16k, she was able to buy any tickets, as long as she travelled in the same direction.

Very few of the passengers on a world cruise are actually on board for the entire cruise. Most buy "sections" -from A to B, or R to S. That means there is a large amount of passenger turnover. Some even book multiple sections, with "vacations" back at home for a few weeks before returning to the ship. Given the pricing for these trips, you're very unlikely to find many children on board. More likely you'll find a few honeymooners, a few middle-aged people, and quite a few wealthy retired folks. Yes, there's a chance you'll meet some climbers and snobs, but you're also likely to find nice manners and pleasant conversation.

The ship will have special entertainment aboard for a world cruise. There will be travel lecturers and historians, along with the usual singers, dancers, comedians, and bands. There will also be daily offerings of bingo, trivia, karaoke, horse racing, various demonstrations, pool games, fitness classes, etc. The entertainers will join and leave the ship for segments of the cruise, just like some of the passengers, so there will be variety throughout the voyage.

There will be shore excursions available in every port, of course. You can also expect multiple days in some ports of high interest. Golf, diving, horseback riding, bus tours, museums, shopping -all the usual stuff. Many passengers will simply get off the ship and gravitate towards parks and gardens. World cruisers usually aren't the beach crowd, but they might charter a sailboat.

Tipping on board is discretionary, and with most ships on a world cruise gratuities are included in the price. You can add tips (or remove them) if you like. Internet on board is (as someone already said) slow and expensive. (Finding wi-fi ashore is the crew's favorite pastime -Follow crew members when you get off the ship!)

The ship's library and card room tend to get much more use on longer cruises -If only because the older clientele knows how to read and play bridge. There are often tables dedicated to jigsaw puzzles as well as board games. Not everyone's cuppa, but they offer relaxing ways to socialize with fellow passengers.

Another poster mentioned the fitness classes and workout opportunities available on board. If you're going to be there for months, you should sign up for a class. There will be so much good food available, it's all too easy to gain weight, so starting a workout routine is a great idea. Not to mention the opportunity to meet fit guys in the gym or sauna... Nearly every ship these days schedule's LGBTQ+ meet-ups ("Friends of Dorothy") just like AA meetings ("Friends of Bill W."). You may or may not meet someone...

Part of the fun of a longer cruise is getting to know fellow passengers better, as well as the opportunity to experience different climates on the same vacation. With the variety of food on offer you're very unlikely to become bored with it. In fact, you'll probably find yourself eating breakfast and lunch much as you would at home, and look forward to new and exotic things at dinner. You'll likely enjoy planning ahead for shore activities in exotic places. If all else fails, you'll still have TV and movies on board.

In before Ernst makes a topic about taking a cruise around the world with his 6'6" husbear.

I wonder if my husband would like to go on a cruise? He’s 6’6” you know.

Y'all elder gays watched too many episodes of "Love Boat" !!! Gurl, you gonna catch that weird intestinal virus and you will get the Hershey squirts and be blowing chunks in your "stateroom" Toliet !!!! Also, more cases of syphilis are contracted on a cruise ship than any other venue !!! You gurls need to stay home and eat frozen entrees and masturbate to chaturbate !!!!

We have not done a true "world cruise" - meaning around the world, starting and ending at the same port. But when I connect all the individual cruises we have gone one, then I guess we have in a different way. I swore that we would go on a true world cruise when I retired, but the reality is the cost is prohibitive for us now.

I enjoy cruising but am ready to come home after a couple of weeks.

I've done more than thirty cruises, [R56], and never once got an intestinal bug. Nor has anyone I've known. Likewise the syphilis, I'm happy to say –And I've done a number of all-gay cruises. Interesting how you equate enjoying a cruise to being old. I started in my early 20s, and I continue to see young people enjoying themselves at sea.

The thought that I like about a world cruise is getting to see so many places around the world without having to fly more than to one airport that is only a couple of hours away and then being able to comfortably sleep on the vacation. It's also nice to be able to go somewhere, see a lot that day, and then be able to sleep in the next day because you're sailing between ports. I've been on multiple land-based trips that I very much enjoyed but they are also literally go, go, go every day from early in the morning until fairly late. I think that's part of the reason I'm always ready to be home by the end of 12 days or so.

[Quote] they do excursions in every port, take lots of pictures, see all the sights, not just the usual tourist things.

Those ARE the usual tourist things, Rose.

[quote]I realized my neighbors would probably be 1%-er asshole oligarchs and I'd hate their company.

They have yachts, because

[quote]Cruises are tacky.

Retirees tend to do these more. Who else has the time?

Yes, on the QE2's r-t-w cruise in 2000.

Most of the pax, as noted above, sail for segments - part of the entire cruise - because not a lot of folks can take off three months at a time. During most years we weren't able to go all the way around but took parts of the voyages on Cunard and HAL's Rotterdam (Southampton to LA, NYC to Honolulu, Miami to LA around South America, LA to Sydney, Capetown to NYC.)

For an awful lot of the people who go all the way around, it's a very posh nursing home for three months because they're in their 80's and 90's. For the rest of them, they're all at each other's throats by the time they get to Hong Kong. We met old women who brought boytoys, old men who brought "nurses" and "attendants" who were doing more than cutting up their chicken and tucking them in at night, a score of rich loonies, and an awful lot of alcoholics because let's face it: what else is there to do besides drink? It's a hundred or so days, more than half of them at sea, and how many "Trivial Pursuit" sessions can you sit through?

We wanted to do the whole thing, I was able to manage the time off, it was a big deal because of the millennium and an experience we will never forget, but I'd never do it again even though I'm retired now.

[quote] If I could smuggle the dialysis machinery on board disguised as my accordion I would definitely do this.

R28 They'd let you on with an accordion? Oh God, I hope I don't have the cabin next to you!

r65. They're called staterooms, dearie.

Can you imagine having saved for a lifetime to take your dream vacation around the world, costing over $70,000 per person and then all of THIS happens?

R67 That's why you buy travel insurance that allows you to cancel for any reason. Or none at all.

Yeah, most travel insurance doesn't cover this sort of situation, just like war, etc.

My great aunt did this in the 1920s or so. She was a spinster. She made port in Cherbourg, France; then South Africa; and Sydney, Australia. I heard from a cousin that it was a religious trip to spread the good book.

It appeals to me; however, a well thought-out plan by air would probably be more fun. I could take a three-day cruse in the Mediterranean and that would probably be enough.

But I’m not traveling anywhere for now.

I'm on a End of the World Cruise.

This is one of those threads where everything changes

I will go on a world cruise as soon as I pay off my mom’s mortgage on her mobile home.

It’s time to post The Post That Shall Not Be Named....

I wish I could somehow fuse this thread with the "Elderly, broke Trump cultist seeks Tantra Goddess" thread

I've done a 60 day cruise Seattle to Australia and back.

A 30 day cruise. Los Angeles to Rio De Janeiro

Both were amazing and, I was by myself.

If not for covid-19 I would entertain the South America for 30 days again.