“Anticipation…Anticipation… It’s making me late… It’s making me wait…” The lyrics of Carly Simon’s 1970s hit “Anticipation” describe my husband Humberto’s and my life these days. We are preparing for our eighth world cruise, dreaming about it now for a year and a half, and we can’t wait!
Cruise brochures tell you a world cruise spans 100-plus days, in our case, on the ultra-deluxe Regent Seven Seas Mariner’s “The Sense Of Adventure” 2026 World Cruise it will be 154 days, embarking in Miami on Jan. 10, with an included pre-cruise overnight at the luxurious, oceanfront Intercontinental Miami, located only five minutes from PortMiami. This epic voyage will take us to visit 77 ports in the Americas, Polynesia, Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand, Asia, Africa and Europe. But if you figure in preparation and dreaming/anticipation, you are not looking at 154 days, but much more than a year of enjoyment –not to mention, that after the voyage concludes, we have a lifetime of memories.
Along these lines we are still remembering episodes from our previous world cruises when we rode on a jungle trail in Thailand – hanging on to our basket as Tuti, our elephant, suddenly picked up her pace to pass other pachyderms. On other days, we watched penguins sunning themselves on an iceberg in Antarctica, admired the monumental statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, the mysterious moai of Easter Island, and a sunset at a beach in Bali.
For cruise lovers like us, a circumnavigation is like the experience of an avid reader who has been able to read only short stories and is now presented with a full-bodied novel – each of its chapters more exotic and exciting than the previous one.
Through the years, I have come across several definitions of “circumnavigation.” Most indicate it is a process of sailing or otherwise traveling all the way around something, especially the world. Some cruise ship captains I have spoken with add that a true circumnavigation departs and returns to the same point, crosses the equator at least once and all longitude lines. Some say it should cover a minimum of 21,600 nautical miles. I would add that it is an amazing voyage unveiling a progression of cultures from the Americas, Polynesia, Australia, Indonesia, and so on, and that it gives passengers the feeling that they are superheroes doing a circle around the planet.
Since our first world cruise in 2012, we have completed six more circumnavigations and several grand voyages and enjoyed some classic experiences including an overland trip to the Taj Mahal in Agra, India – its white marble so luminous it seems to float off the ground; safaris in South Africa to see taller-than-trees giraffes, and lions, elephants, hippos and other big game; and stays in overwater bungalows in French Polynesia where the aquamarine waters are so crystalline it seems you are snorkeling in a gigantic, well-kept aquarium. We have tried to decipher hieroglyphs in the temples of Luxor and Karnak in Egypt; shopped for handicrafts in the San Blas Islands; strolled the narrow streets of the Old City in Jerusalem; admired Michelangelo’s Pieta in St. Peter’s in the Vatican; visited some of the world’s best museums including the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh in Amsterdam, and stopped and smelled the flowers in some of the planet’s greatest gardens including the National Orchid Garden in Singapore and the Keukenhof Tulip Festival in The Netherlands.
One of the advantages of around-the-world cruises is that they feature several ports in a region for more insights into a culture, and also offer many overnights (our Regent voyage will include 16 overnights) to give passengers opportunities to spend a night at land resorts, catch sunsets, experience the nightlife and enjoy dinners ashore. Other advantages include distinguished speakers – on some of ours Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa and author Paul Theroux have been guest presenters – as well as special entertainment including headliners like comedian Rita Rudner and singer Melissa Manchester. World cruise guests also enjoy special port welcomes, with local groups showcasing dances and music at the pier in such ports as Santa Marta, Colombia; Manila, Philippines; Bali, Indonesia, and various Polynesian islands. World cruises typically also feature special events, ours on Seven Seas Mariner will include three exclusive events in Honolulu, Bali and Lisbon; a pre-cruise cocktail party at the InterContinental Miami, and a gala celebration on the ship while in Miami.
On board, in addition to a hand-picked staff – cruise lines like to put their best staff on their most important voyage – there are commemorative pillow gifts (things like journals and tote bags and jackets –so you need to buy fewer souvenirs). Also, there are typically more activities than on regular voyages. These may include lectures, culinary demonstrations, needlepoint, arts and crafts sessions, trivia contests, Mensa puzzles, and a variety of deck games.
With lots to do on board we have found it helpful to establish a routine – not something etched in stone, but a pleasant framework to follow and give structure to our days. We take enrichment lectures, go for walks and spend time by the pool and hot tubs in the mornings, and trivia, Mensa puzzles and musical teas in the afternoons. We find participating in team events like trivia is a good way to meet others and make friends. When it comes to dining, we pace ourselves – important when you are on board for several months and tempted by gourmet fare, specialties of the regions you are sailing in, and a cornucopia of desserts. We try to keep breakfast and lunch similar to what we eat at home and splurge on dinners. And to counteract the delicious splurges, we are more physically active: taking stairs and walking more than at home.
Ashore we also pace ourselves, typically taking a mix of organized tours as well as free shuttles into town offered at some ports. We often take convenient hop-on/hop-off buses to orient ourselves and get to popular attractions.
Fellow guests on world cruises are great sources of practical information (transportation, attractions, cruise terminal facilities etc.) as many are veterans of several grand voyages as well as other cruises. Whole-voyage passengers are for the most part retirees in their 70s and 80s. Segment guests (world cruises typically have several portions or segments available for booking) tend to be younger people in their 50s and 60s.
Preparing for a world cruise is easy if you have a system. We take care of the big things first: checking that our passports will be valid for at least six months after the voyage ends, obtaining the required visas (Regent includes a comprehensive visa package), getting doctor and dental check-ups and any required vaccines (on our Regent cruise a yellow fever vaccine was required and we already had it), arranging for our mail to be forwarded to a relative, having bills paid electronically, and dusting off our luggage.
Packing was daunting for us when we took our first world cruise in 2012 –there were many formal nights and gala occasions – and we came across guests who packed more than a dozen trunks and one who booked an extra cabin just to keep her things (and there was talk that a guest had brought 31 bags on one of our world cruises). With the years, the number of galas has been reduced and dress codes have been relaxed on some ships. Regent, for example, does not require formal wear and neither does Oceania. We now pack as if we were going on a 14-day cruise when it comes to clothes (Regent has unlimited free laundry). We pack enough daytime color-coordinated resort wear for two weeks and add an equal number of dressier evening wear, two pairs of walking shoes, two pairs of dress shoes. We also pack two weeks’ worth of casual clothes, swimsuits, underwear and socks. Along the way, we buy some fun things: perhaps Hawaiian shirts in Honolulu, a sari in India and so on. More than half our luggage space is for our favorite toiletries, toothpaste, mouthwash, vitamin supplements, snacks/protein bars, over the counter medications, prescription medicine and the like to last the whole voyage (as some favorite toiletries and snacks may not be easy to find in Fiji or Mozambique). On our first world cruise we packed eight big suitcases and two rollaboards; now we bring much less –and on the return home the bags that had our toiletries and snacks are conveniently empty to accommodate purchases such as the Hawaiian shirts.
In addition to deciding what to pack and getting it ready (breaking in two new sets of good walking shoes, for instance) we prepare for our world cruises by researching each port. On Regent unlimited complimentary shore excursions are offered so we study the offerings carefully and reserve ahead of sailing. Most evenings we watch YouTube and other videos on the destination and on the areas covered by the shore excursions we have selected and we read up on the ports including books that shed light on the region. This is our favorite part of world cruise preparation! On our Regent voyage, where a lot of time is spent in The Dark Continent, I re-read “Out of Africa” by Isak Dinesen.
Having prepared, we are now counting the days to Jan. 10 when we embark the Regent Seven Seas Mariner in Miami. Come along with us and follow our progress as we send reports to the Cruise Specialists Blog from various points along our journey beginning in mid-January.
Some quick superlatives of our time preparing for our world cruise:
- Nicest: building a color-coordinated wardrobe and essentials like good walking shoes.
- Most fun: Watching videos of Madagascar and its lemurs, of an elephant sanctuary in Thailand, of attractions in Acapulco and its cliff divers, of the pilgrimage sanctuary of Fatima in Portugal and booking excursions.
- Most anticipated: A return to Bora Bora and other French Polynesian islands and visits to Spanish and Portuguese Islands and Portugal as we have roots in those countries and particularly looking forward to a visit to Fatima to give thanks for our blessings, including this world cruise.
By Cruise Specialists client, Georgina Cruz
Georgina Cruz is a freelance travel writer specializing in cruises. Her work has appeared in national magazines and regional publications as well as on travel websites. She has been on more than 200 voyages including seven circumnavigations, all booked through Cruise Specialists.
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