Celebrated Living - Winter 2003 Edition Cruising The World Larry Olmsted It's the cruise equivalent of golfing Pebble Beach - an experience of a lifetime. But who has the free time (or finances) to pick up, pack up, and ship out for a three-month, round-the-globe cruise? A lucky few; perhaps you. Here's an inside look at world cruises and how you might work at least part of one into your vacation plans. In the golden age of ocean liners, the biggest choice most passengers had to make was which body of water to cross. Ships as famous as the Queen Mary and as infamous as the Titanic specialized in trans-Atlantic crossings, a route still active today. But when the transportation-oriented liners morphed into resort-style cruise ships, trips to specific destinations like the Caribbean, Mediterranean, and throughout Australasia have become more popular. Most of us choose either an intercontinental crossing or one of these regions, but for a few die-hard cruise lovers, there is no choice. They simply book a world cruise and visit them all. "A lot of people look at it as a chance of a lifetime," says Mary Jean Tully, CEO of The Cruise Professionals, a well-regarded luxury cruise agency. The cruise industry enjoys a very high repeat-guest rate, and a higher satisfaction level among past participants than any other form of vacation, from visiting relatives to resort stays. More than one-quarter of all travelers who have taken a cruise are expected to take another within the next three years, and the market, which has grown by more than 8 percent annually for over two decades, is on its way to an all-time record number of passengers in 2003. Serial cruisers sail year after year, and for many of them, the ultimate dream is a world cruise. These are the longest and most expensive of all cruises. "The cruise lines roll out the red carpet for world passengers," says Tully. "There's a lot more attention to individual detail, unbelievable private parties, special trips, and entertainment." Tully says she has several clients who have taken the world cruise every year for the past six or seven years. The typical world cruise lasts between 100 and 110 days, and the atmosphere tends to be more festive than on normal sailings. Rates - which can range from $3,500 to $75,000 for individual segments and $18,000 to $300,000 for a full world cruise - include lots of extra bonuses, from free plane tickets to special shore excursions. They usually begin in January and run through the winter, focusing on warm-weather ports. Surprisingly, you don't have to spring for the hefty price tag to relish the experience. Every trip is also sold in pieces, usually four to five segments of 20-plus days. While much shorter than the full trip, these are still longer than most standard itineraries, a chance to try an extended cruise experience. Some people skip a segment or two, flying home periodically to tend to business or personal affairs, then rejoining the ship. With segments, the unique flavour of the world cruise is preserved, as every passenger is onboard for a lengthy trip. "I'd always been interested in the idea of a world cruise. It goes back to the classic 'grand tour' concept of seeing the world, something that has gone by the wayside in modern times," says cruise passenger and frequent traveler Pat Gallagher, president of a financial services company in New York. "But in the immediate future I simply don't have the time, so a segment seemed like a good way to test the waters, so to speak." Last year Gallagher, 42, and his wife took the Pacific Ocean segment on Crystal. "The trip was longer than I had done, and you spend a lot more time at sea, so I was really impressed with how good a job they did of keeping everyone entertained. The camaraderie is much different than on other cruises. You have a very well-traveled audience, but on the other hand, for most of us it's the first time doing something like this. I defiantly will do the whole trip at some point." Only a handful of cruise lines at the high end of the luxury market offer world itineraries. This winter, Crystal's new Serenity will sail its inaugural world cruise. The trip begins in Los Angeles with a Pacific crossing to four ports in Japan via Hawaii and Guam. The second leg heads to Asia, visiting Shanghai, Hong Kong, Vietnam, then Bangkok and Singapore. Next, the Serenity sails to Myanmar, across the Bay of Bengal to India, the across the equator and the Indian Ocean to the Scychelles, Kenya, and South Africa. The final leg crosses the southern Atlantic to Rio de Janeiro, with stops elsewhere in Brazil, throughout the Caribbean, and Florida before finishing in New York City. This is fairly typical for a world cruise itinerary, spanning 160 days, 33,000 miles, and 34 ports of call. Four segments each last between 22 and 29 days. Guests purchasing the entire receive free first-class flights, a free hotel stay in Los Angeles, two gala entertainment events during the voyage, special complimentary shore excursions on each of the four legs, and pre-paid gratuities for the entire trip, significant bonuses in the cruise industry, but common on world trips. Rates for the entire trip range from $40,000 to $186,617 per person. Other lines offering world cruises include Cunard, Radisson Seven Seas, and Holland America. Cunard Line's QE2 will sail west from New York on a 110-day trip visiting Australia, New Zealand, India, Portugal, and destinations throughout Asia and Africa. This is one of the few world cruises that ends where it started, and it is also available as 14 different segments of as few as 12 days. Radisson Seven Seas' world cruise is a bit of a departure from the other global itineraries, starting and ending in Los Angeles with a focus on Asia and the Pacific, which the boat traverses twice, to different ports. While at 94 nights shorter than its siblings, the cruise visits far more destinations in Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii, the South Pacific, and Asia. The trip is available as five segments. Holland America's smallest and most intimate ship, the Prinsendam, will sail from Ft. Lauderdale to Los Angeles in 108 days, visiting the South Pacific islands, Australia, Asia and Europe on a unique routing that includes a transit through the Suez Canal leading to stops in Istanbul, Greece, Venice, and Gibraltar. While the 2004 trips are coming up fast, last-minute bookings have become common in the travel industry, and later segments don't depart until March and April. "More people are booking closer to departure than ever before," says Tully. "The ships typically hold the best cabins for world passengers." Of course, if 2004 is too soon, don't despair. These truly are trips of a lifetime, and the cruise lines will be ready for you when you are ready to take on the world.   Back         Top of Page

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