World Cruise - You?

[Scrapnana]

Reporting back from the first test to see if we are suited to a full world cruise. The 65 days on Solstice from Auckland to Seattle went smoothly and we now know that the time on board would not be a problem.

 

We loved it and are moving on to the second test. Will we like a small ship? We need to know this since almost all of the full transits use small ones.

 

To this end we have booked 31 days on Azamara this fall. I would love to hear from any of you that have spent extended time on an R type.

 

Thanks for your input.

 

Glad you enjoyed your 65 days at sea. As far as I know, the two largest ships that do complete circumnavigations are Costa Deliziosa and Cunard QE or QV. At least half of the ships that advertise a "world cruise" do not actually make complete circumnavigations.

 

Enjoy test 2!

[Keith1010]

The reality is you cannot see every port of call on a World Cruise and it is not always possible to circumvent the globe. We have taken full World Cruises that do not go to each continent but they have been extraordinary.

 

Keith

[Going Coastal]

Thanks, Scrapnana, I have enjoyed your posts on different forums and look forward to meeting you on a cruise.

[cruiserking]

We're just a lottery ticket away from booking the World Cruise, can hardly wait.

 

Jonathan

[Going Coastal]

We almost jumped at the 2015 WC on Oceania Insignia, but it overlapped with too many we already have booked, and still have to try the R ship's, the second part of our test. And still have not won the lottery.

[Sherard]

Reporting back from the first test to see if we are suited to a full world cruise. The 65 days on Solstice from Auckland to Seattle went smoothly and we now know that the time on board would not be a problem.

 

We loved it and are moving on to the second test. Will we like a small ship? We need to know this since almost all of the full transits use small ones.

 

To this end we have booked 31 days on Azamara this fall. I would love to hear from any of you that have spent extended time on an R type.

 

Thanks for your input.

 

Hello

 

Not sure if this will answer your question but the original R ships are now the Azamera and Oceania. We have sailed on the Oceania for 4 times the longest was 27 days. We had a fabulous time and fellow cruisers were great. Cabin size and especially bathrooms can be smaller - usually a lot of comments can be found on the latter subject.

 

But all said and down we cancelled our 2014 Bangkok to Rome and booked on the 2015 WC with Oceania. As much a retirement gift as a chance to see lots of ports with minimal flights. So size is not a major factor but the opportunity meet other cruisers and see new places.

 

You should have a good feel for this size ship after your fall cruise - all the best.

 

Howard

[glojo]

Just stumbled onto this section and am trawling through all the numerous threads. :)

 

My thoughts here are that we are all individuals, some might like long cruises, some might not like them?? Some might like warmer countries others prefer colder areas. We all pays our money and makes our choices.

 

My wife and I have never ever cruised before, my wife has never even been abroad but here we are all booked up for a World Cruise and thoroughly looking forward to it. Some folks tell me we should try a short cruise to make sure we like this type of holiday.. Fine, good advice but... What if the seas are extremely rough for those few days and a high proportion of passengers are ill.. Would that then turn us off? Here in the UK a short cruise will keep us in what I will call cooler climates and that is not what we want, so hey ho.. Let's not bother.

 

Folks state they could not stand being confined on a ship for long periods in excess of 14 days! Fine and much respect to that opinion but we cannot judge what others might like or dislike.

 

A world cruise is something my wife and I have always wanted to do, the ultimate dream holiday of a lifetime and here we are.. But to those that for one reason or other do not like the idea, then don't do it :)

 

Unfortunately I will be stuck in my cabin for most of this cruise but that is not a turn off nor a reason not to take to the high seas. My thoughts here are that if we are considering a world Cruise and can afford it... Go for it. This has always been our dream and if I cannot complete the full dream then I will take advantage of the parts I can achieve.

 

If it is not for you then great, but to those who are thinking about it... Don't be turned off and grab it while you can.

 

I hate caviar but I would not criticise anyone that likes it.

 

Oops nearly forgot.

I am reading about full World cruisers ignoring those just taking a sector, or part of the cruise. An interesting point that made me think... Could it simply be that folks on the complete cruise will already be socialising together, maybe going on shore excursions together and perhaps taking part in cruise ship activities together. Could it be that this developed comradeship might be misunderstood? Folks are not being ignored they are just not at that specific time friends with those they feel are being rude. Could it be that once introduced, they then fit in with those who have been aboard longer?

 

I am not being judgemental on those that suggest they were ignored or treated differently as I was not there but could my theory hold water?

 

Best wishes

John

[Keith1010]

John, which cruise line have you booked?

 

Keith

[glojo]

John, which cruise line have you booked?

 

Keith

Hi Keith,

I have had the very good fortune to be on the same cruise as scrapnana which is the Queen Elizabeth cruise which sails in just 3 months and 14 days time. Are we counting the days or what? ;)

[Aldeya]

My thoughts here are that we are all individuals, some might like long cruises, some might not like them?? Some might like warmer countries others prefer colder areas. We all pays our money and makes our choices.

 

My wife and I have never ever cruised before, my wife has never even been abroad but here we are all booked up for a World Cruise

 

 

I have to say you and your wife are really brave :)

 

I would never go on a World cruise or as a matter of fact on any long cruises if I never cruised before. We wouldn't commit to the months of cruising if I didn't know for sure cruising was for us.

 

Personal experience. Me and my DH LOVE cruising (23 cruises and counting).Last year our friends finally decided to try cruising after getting sick of me talking about cruising all the time:D.

 

We booked 7-day cruise on Oasis of the Seas (to try a big ship) and they went along with us. Long story short they were M.I.S.E.R.A.B.L.E. The whole time. There were so many things to do on this ship but they felt very uncomfortable to be confined " to one place". We were grateful it was only 7 days cruise. They literally couldn't get off the ship fast enough and now saying they will never go on a cruise again.

 

So to us it would be imperative to TRY cruising before committing to the long cruise if we never cruised before. But to each it's own.

 

I sincerely wish you and your wife to have the best time on your World cruise! :)

[glojo]

 

I sincerely wish you and your wife to have the best time on your World cruise! :)

That is very kind and thank you.

[Keith1010]

I have to say you and your wife are really brave :)

 

I would never go on a World cruise or as a matter of fact on any long cruises if I never cruised before. We wouldn't commit to the months of cruising if I didn't know for sure cruising was for us.

 

Personal experience. Me and my DH LOVE cruising (23 cruises and counting).Last year our friends finally decided to try cruising after getting sick of me talking about cruising all the time:D.

 

We booked 7-day cruise on Oasis of the Seas (to try a big ship) and they went along with us. Long story short they were M.I.S.E.R.A.B.L.E. The whole time. There were so many things to do on this ship but they felt very uncomfortable to be confined " to one place". We were grateful it was only 7 days cruise. They literally couldn't get off the ship fast enough and now saying they will never go on a cruise again.

 

So to us it would be imperative to TRY cruising before committing to the long cruise if we never cruised before. But to each it's own.

 

I sincerely wish you and your wife to have the best time on your World cruise! :)

 

I have sailed with some people who did make the world cruise their first cruise. They all loved it.

 

Keith

[glojo]

I have sailed with some people who did make the world cruise their first cruise. They all loved it.

 

Keith

I think it highlights how we are all different and as the saying goes....'Different strokes for different folks!' To suggest I will enjoy this cruise and have no regrets is being pompous, arrogant and perhaps silly but...

 

I have been practically bed bound for over twenty years, during that time my wife has not had one single day's respite, not one..... This cruise will be a change of scenary for me, a chance for bucket loads of fresh air and places to see with people to meet.

 

For my wife, she will be waited on hand and foot for 118 days. She will get away from me and.... She has NEVER, ever been abroad before and now has the oppurtunity to see things most people can only ever dream of seeing and yes.. I have already booked a trip where she is actually walking over the top of Sydney Bridge!! Folks may disagree with what we are doing but by crikey I am prepared to put my head on the block and say... 'I disagree' :o 10pence says we will have a great time ;)

[Keith1010]

I think it highlights how we are all different and as the saying goes....'Different strokes for different folks!' To suggest I will enjoy this cruise and have no regrets is being pompous, arrogant and perhaps silly but...

 

I have been practically bed bound for over twenty years, during that time my wife has not had one single day's respite, not one..... This cruise will be a change of scenary for me, a chance for bucket loads of fresh air and places to see with people to meet.

 

For my wife, she will be waited on hand and foot for 118 days. She will get away from me and.... She has NEVER, ever been abroad before and now has the oppurtunity to see things most people can only ever dream of seeing and yes.. I have already booked a trip where she is actually walking over the top of Sydney Bridge!! Folks may disagree with what we are doing but by crikey I am prepared to put my head on the block and say... 'I disagree' :o 10pence says we will have a great time ;)

 

Please reread what I posted.

 

I never said you would like the cruise. I just shared with the other poster the experiences of some people I know.

Edited September 27, 2013 by Keith1010

[glojo]

Please reread what I posted.

 

I never said you would like the cruise. I just shared with the other poster the experiences of some people I know.

:)Hopefully I never said you did say I would like it? (I guess I just have a way of saying the wrong thing) Oh and the pompous reference was aimed squarely at me ;)

[Keith1010]

John, thanks for clarifying this. :)

 

Keith

[Going Coastal]

John,

This sounds like a wonderful adventure for you and your wife!

Hope you will let us know how it goes. My DH always takes much more active outings than I do, so I am particularly interested in your experiences on board as well.

Happy travels to you both.

[glojo]

John,

This sounds like a wonderful adventure for you and your wife!

Hope you will let us know how it goes. My DH always takes much more active outings than I do, so I am particularly interested in your experiences on board as well.

Happy travels to you both.

Hi, I will do my darndest to try and remember and I feel I owe it to everyone to be honest in any review I make but we have to take into account my condition is not the norm.

 

I have signed up for this cruise and calculated for the worse case scenario. I have accepted I may welll be onboard for the whole cruise without managing to get ashore.

 

I have signed up on the understanding that room service for Cunard Britannia class guests is limited. All this means is there can be no criticism of Cunard when it comes to these points. I will hopefully give a fair appraisal of our experience and if this was not the best way to spend those four months then I will say so but....

 

Confined to my room for four months or seeing the statue of Liberty, Golden Gate Bridge, the beautifil South Pacific islands... Decisions, decisions.

 

I am here to listen to folks that disagree with this and hopefully I will accept their observations in the spirit they are meant but should we all also accept that we are individuals with differing likes and dislikes?

 

My wife has booked the walk over Sydney Harbour Bridge and I am hoping to watch her from the ship, plus she will be going whale watching whilst we are at Lahaina and with any luck, I might be able to see these whales from our cabin??

[Going Coastal]

I have seen some wonderful things from the ship. I am not sure what your itinerary is but in both Auckland and Sydney there is so much activity on the water when you are tied up that you will be fascinated and never bored. And in French Polynesia the best views are from the ship. If you sketch or take photos you will have wonderful subjects.

I can't wait to hear how you fare and wish you safe travels.

[glojo]

I have seen some wonderful things from the ship. I am not sure what your itinerary is but in both Auckland and Sydney there is so much activity on the water when you are tied up that you will be fascinated and never bored. And in French Polynesia the best views are from the ship. If you sketch or take photos you will have wonderful subjects.

I can't wait to hear how you fare and wish you safe travels.

Thank you for the very supportive posts and I cannot read enough advice regarding cruising. Rather than me try to post an itinerary, we are on the Queen Elizabeth 2014 World cruise. The icing on the cake is that we have a very nice balcony cabin on deck 7, so I am hoping this height will be an added bonus when it comes to looking at all the beautiful sights. We have binoculars and more to the point I have a very nice, very powerful, telephoto lens :). what will make this cruise is to see lots of wildlife including any whales and then..... I would love to snap an albatross :)

[Going Coastal]

I did look at the handy map of your stops and think you should have great photo opportunities. It may be a little early for whales around Hawaii but your chances may pick up as you go south. The seabirds after you leave Brisbane should be spectacular. We were there in April and there were many birds all along the Great Barrier Reef.

We will be on the reverse of your path in November, from Dubai to Mumbai, Goa, Cochin, then on to Sri Lanka, Singapore,Thailand( where we fly to Angkor Wat for a side trip), Vietnam, and Hong Kong, on Azamara Journey for 31 days. I will be happy to report back on verandah photo ops. We have never been to India or Cambodia before and it has been decades since the others.

Happy planning.

[cruiser1955]

When I took early retirement, I said I would not do a world cruise. Within 6 months I had booked one.

 

My longest had been around 35 days and I did wonder how I would cope with 92 days. Needn't have worried. The time went too quick. Only 10% of the passengers were on the full trip.

 

The problem now is deciding which worldie to do next. There are some wonderful itineraries, but you have to be careful and read the small print. A couple of ships list Easter Island in their itineraries, but when you look at the small print, they only cruise by. I did go on a cruise that did call at Easter Island (small ship) but we were only able to get ashore on one of the two days of the stop.

 

If doing a world cruise, you have to be prepared for some disappointments as to whether or not you will make it to all the scheduled ports. On this years cruise, we were due to call in to Christchurch New Zealand, but that was cancelled due to the earthquake.

 

I was on Queen Elizabeth, so dress code was roughly one third formal, one third semi-formal and a third smart casual. Cunard allocate part of one of the lounges (in this case the Garden Lounge) for exclusive use of those doing the full cruise for part of the day on sea days.

 

If you can and they are available, go for a balcony. Sometimes it was nice just to be able to get away and have some private space.

 

Biggest drawback was that the cruise was marketed as 6 segments, so it meant that for the first few days of each segment, the ship was on alert for noro and in one segment it went on for over a week.

 

Would I do another? Yes, but it will have to be on the right ship and the itinerary has to be interesting. Oh, and it has to depart Southampton - so much easier than flying.

[cruiser1955]

...............

My wife has booked the walk over Sydney Harbour Bridge and I am hoping to watch her from the ship, plus she will be going whale watching whilst we are at Lahaina and with any luck, I might be able to see these whales from our cabin??

 

John

 

QE visited Hawaii at the start of February this year and I didn't see any whales. However, when we retuned at the start of March there were loads. They even put on a display as we left port. I was only on deck 5,port, but had great views. Managed to get some on video as that had a longer lens than my DSLR which only had a 300mm.

 

You should get some great shots. Have a great trip.

[glojo]

John

 

QE visited Hawaii at the start of February this year and I didn't see any whales. However, when we retuned at the start of March there were loads. They even put on a display as we left port. I was only on deck 5,port, but had great views. Managed to get some on video as that had a longer lens than my DSLR which only had a 300mm.

 

You should get some great shots. Have a great trip.

We are at Lahaina on I believe the 12th February :( So it looks like I will have to try my whale mating call in the hope of attracting these beautiful creatures.

 

I have a 500mm lens plus if needs be a couple of converters but what will be, will be. I am hoping to see these whales from the ship, the better half is on an excursion to see them so hopefully we have our bases covered.

 

My main challenge was\is to snap an albatross or two as I never, ever thought about these humpbacks being within range :)

[cruiser1955]

We are at Lahaina on I believe the 12th February :( So it looks like I will have to try my whale mating call in the hope of attracting these beautiful creatures.

 

I have a 500mm lens plus if needs be a couple of converters but what will be, will be. I am hoping to see these whales from the ship, the better half is on an excursion to see them so hopefully we have our bases covered.

 

My main challenge was\is to snap an albatross or two as I never, ever thought about these humpbacks being within range :)

 

Hope that you will be in luck. 500mm should be fine, especially with a converter. I got some reasonable shots with a bridge camera set around 500-600mm but not as crisp as with a DSLR.

 

I'm hoping to get more shots of whales when I'm on the Solstice as we go down New Zealand. I have a stern facing cabin so with luck should get a few as we sail down the south island. I may invest in a converter - longer lens probably not an option due to weight as I'm flying out this time.