Believe it or not, world cruises are not just for the wealthy. Now, more than ever a world cruise is accessible to people of all backgrounds and income levels. This means that during your world cruise you will meet people young and old, wealthy and working class, liberal and conservative. A world cruise has never been more diverse or more popular than it is today.
The vast majority of world cruise lines such as Cunard Line, Hapag-Lloyd, and P&O Cruises used to offer only one world cruise per year. Today, world cruise offerings have been increased to two, and in some cases, even three world cruises per year. What does this mean for newcomers to world cruises? More opportunities to select a schedule that works for you and a variety of price ranges to accommodate just about any budget.
Depending on the cruise line and your departure location, a world cruise may last as little as 80-nights up to as many as 157 days or more. A typical world cruise voyage lasts around four months as world cruise passengers basically travel along the cruise line’s entire seasonal route. World cruisers remain on the voyage long after most other passengers disembark after traveling a segment. On most four-month world cruises full-time passengers may visit more than 50 ports dozens of different countries.
The following is the cruise itinerary for the popular Regent Seven Seas 111-night world cruise aboard Seven Seas Voyager.
Trip: Ft. Lauderdale to Rio de Janeiro, then east across the Southern Atlantic to Africa, and finally, back to Ft. Lauderdale.
Itinerary Segments: Ft. Lauderdale to Cape Town for 25 nights; Cape Town to Cruise the Straight of Malacca for 21 nights; Singapore to Hong Kong for 14 nights; Hong Kong to Muscat for 21 nights; Muscat to Livorno for 15 nights; Monte Carlo to Ft. Lauderdale for 15 nights
Price: Prices depend on the type of accommodations, but passengers can expect fares to range from $89,070 -$312,270 per person. Segments begin at $8,996.
While world cruise prices may vary greatly depending on a variety of factors, a typical 80-night world cruise aboard Cunard Lines Queen Mary 2 may range from $21,195 to $184,405 per person (based on double occupancy). A luxury 109-night world cruise aboard Crystal’s Crystal Serenity costs between $45,635 and $227,695 per person. Many of these cruise itineraries do offer segment sails, meaning, passengers can simply sail for a portion of the larger world cruise itinerary. Passengers can expect to pay as little as $3,500 per person up to $10,000 or more per person.
World cruises are rarely available at a discount at the last minute because of the way trip segments are sold. Passengers can earn significant discounts for early payment, early reservations, and even repeat travel.
Booking a world cruise is somewhat different than booking a regular cruise, meaning cancellation penalties are severe (100 percent loss, 74 days or less prior to sailing) and passengers are required to plan far in advance — preferably 8 months or more. In most cases, the option to book online may not be available. It’s best to contact a world cruise travel specialist or professional travel agent to book a world cruise.
Note: If you are interested in a luxury world cruise aboard the worlds only floating private residential community, check out The World. The World features private homes for purchase, long-term rentals, and short-term rentals.