Berlitz Cruising & Cruise Ships 2017 (Berlitz Cruise Guide) (2016)

Around-the-World Cruises

They are a great way to roam the world without having to pack and unpack constantly. But choose carefully: some cruises spend very little time in ports.

Since Cunard operated its first world cruise aboard the Laconia in 1922, this has become the ultimate classic journey - more a voyage of discovery than a cruise. It is defined as the complete circumnavigation of the earth in a continuous one-way voyage, typically including both the Panama and the Suez Canals. Ports of call are carefully planned for their interest and diversity, and the entire voyage can last six months or longer.

Galas, themed balls (for example, Cunard’s Black & White Ball, Royal Ascot Ball), special social events, top entertainers, and, typically, well-known lecturers are all part of the package. It’s a great way of exchanging the northern winter for the southern sun in a grand voyage that is over 32,000 nautical miles long, following in the wake of Ferdinand Magellan, who led his round-the-world voyage in 1519-22, although he himself was killed en route.

Aurora transiting the Panama Canal.

P&O Cruises

Around-the-world cruises generally pursue the sun in a westbound direction, which gives the added bonus of gaining an hour each time a ship goes into the next time zone. Travel in an eastbound direction - between, for example, Europe and Australia - and you lose an hour each time. A few ships that include an around-South America voyage will generally travel in a southbound, then westbound, direction.

A world cruise aboard a modern ship means enjoying stabilized, air-conditioned comfort in luxury cabins, combined with extraordinary sightseeing and excursions on shore and overland. Such a cruise is all about exchanging familiar environments with new ones, glamorous evening soirées, special social parties, black-and-white-themed balls, and entertainment that ranges from intimate recitals to large-scale shows and headline cabaret specialty acts. Best of all: you need pack and unpack just once during a three-month circumnavigation.

It generally appeals to retirees, the widowed, those who simply want to escape the winter, and those who delight in roaming the world in search of new experiences, sights, sounds, cultures, and aromas. There’ll be lots of sea days, during which your suite or cabin can be a private refuge, so it’s worth choosing the best you can afford.

There are four aspects to a good world cruise: itinerary, ship, price, and the cruise line’s experience. Some of the most ambitious itineraries are those operated by the German cruise lines such as Hapag-Lloyd Cruises and Phoenix Reisen (whose itineraries usually feature more than 60 ports of call, compared to the average 35). Spending overnight in several ports of call means you can plan to meet friends, go out for dinner, and enjoy nights out on the town. But check cruise line websites and brochures and itineraries carefully, because some ships spend surprisingly little time in port.

World cruise segments

If you want to experience all the extra things that around-the-world cruises provide but don’t have the three months needed, remember that most lines offer the cruise in several ‘segments.’ This also allows you to ‘test’ the ship and service levels before investing the time and money needed for a full circumnavigation. Queen Mary 2, for example, offers 16 segments on its around-the-world cruise. The most popular length for a segment is around 30 days.

‘Segmenters,’ as they are called, typically add on a stay pre- or post-cruise in a destination combining a cruise ’n’ stay vacation. In this way they can visit exotic destinations such as China, the South Pacific, the Indian Ocean, or South America while also enjoying the elegance, comfort, splendid food, and good company of their cruise ship.

Bear in mind that you get what you pay for. Ships rated at four stars or more will probably include shuttle buses from your ship to town centers; ships rated three stars or less will not.

Ships that roam worldwide during the year offer the most experienced world cruises or segments. Most operate at about 75 percent capacity, providing much more space per person than they could normally expect.

Calculating the cost

Prices for a full world cruise vary depending on the cruise line, ship, and accommodation chosen. The following examples are taken from 2014 world cruise brochures (per person rates are quoted, based on double occupancy for an interior cabin. Single-occupancy rates are available on request:

Amsterdam (113 nights: from $19,999 per person).

Black Watch (104 nights: from £9,799 per person).

Queen Mary 2 (119 nights, from $21,995 per person).

Seabourn Sojourn ($52,214 per person).

Substantial discounts (up to 50 percent) and special incentives are offered by many cruise lines, particularly if you book early. The lowest-grade cabins tend to sell out fastest, so book as soon as you can for a chance of securing one of these. Some cruise lines quote only a ‘from’ price as a lead-in rate, and provide the price for the large suites only upon application.

Passengers who book a full world cruise will probably enjoy a pre-cruise five-star hotel stay and extravagant dinner with the cruise line’s top executives, onboard credit, plus other special events during the cruise (not available to ‘segmenters’). Note that some cruise lines reserve the right to add a surcharge if the NYNEX oil price exceeds $70 a barrel - read the fine print in the brochure. Also, the lowest prices may not include the airfare, if any is required.

Planning

For passengers, one of the most important decisions to make will be about what clothes to pack for different climates and conditions. What’s really good is that once you have boarded the ship, you need unpack only once. Also, you can take as much luggage as you wish; if you need to fly to join the cruise, you can send your luggage on ahead with a courier service. Although all ships have laundries, some also have self-service launderettes (the place to go for all the inside gossip), so you can clean small items that you need to reuse quickly.

For an operator, planning a world cruise involves daunting organization. For example, more than 700,000 main meals will be prepared during a typical world cruise aboard Queen Mary 2. A ship of its size needs two major crew changes during a three-month-long voyage. Hundreds of professional entertainers, lecturers, bands, and musicians must be booked a year in advance.

Some ships include alcoholic drinks and wine in their cruise fares (examples include Crystal Serenity, Seabourn Quest, Seven Seas Voyager, and Silver Spirit), but most do not. There will inevitably be the question of gratuities to staff, which are included for the 2015 world cruises aboard Albatros, Amadea, Asuka II, Crystal Serenity, Seabourn Quest, Seven Seas Voyager, and Silver Spirit. You’ll need to factor in about $10 per person, per day to your budget for these. On a 90-day world cruise, that’s a whopping $1,800. If you are in one of the largest suites, it would be considerably more - allow about $3,000 per couple.

Crystal Serenity in French Polynesia.

Crystal Cruises

Shore excursions

Part of the excitement of an around-the-world voyage is the anticipation of seeing new destinations, and planning how best to use your time. This is where the expertise of cruise line shore excursion departments and concierges can prove worthwhile.

10 typical excursions

1. 4WD desert safari (Dubai) - about five hours

2. Night safari (Singapore Zoo) - about four hours

3. James Bond Island (Phang Nga Bay, Phuket, Thailand) - about 3.5 to four hours

4. Luxor, Karnak, and the Valley of the Kings (Cairo, Egypt) - about 13 hours

5. The Lost City of Petra (from Aqaba, Jordan) - about 10 hours

6. The Acropolis - Crown Jewel of Athens (from Piraeus, Greece) - about four hours

7. A night at the opera (Sydney, Australia) - about four hours

8. America’s Cup experience (Auckland, New Zealand) - about four hours

9. Pearl Harbor and Honolulu (Hawaii) - about six hours

10. Alcatraz and Sausalito (San Francisco, US) - about four hours

Aboard some more ‘upscale’ ships, tailor-made excursions are always available, as are extras including arranging private cars with a driver and guide for a few hours or a whole day.

Overland tours lasting from one to five days are sometimes featured. Here, you leave the ship in one port and rejoin in another a few days later - for example, leave the ship in Mumbai, fly to Agra to see the Taj Mahal, and perhaps ride aboard the Maharaja Express train, then fly to another port to rejoin the ship. The cost for a three-day overland excursion on the Queen Elizabeth 2012 world cruise was $3,250 per person. Depending on the ‘overland’ country, you may need to apply for a visa before your voyage.

Helicopter or seaplane flightseeing tours, typically costing around $300, are always popular.

One problem is the lack of port information for independent passengers not wishing to join organized excursions. The answer is to do the research yourself. Books in the ship’s library should help if you haven’t done your homework before embarking.

Queen Mary 2 leaving Sydney.

Cunard Line

Extra baggage

One of the nice things about an around-the-world cruise is that if you buy big or heavy items along the way, the ship can store the item on board for you. If you only do a segment (Southampton to Sydney, say), you may be able to collect the items when the ship completes its voyage at your home port. Not all cruise lines offer this service.

Celebrations at sea

On around-the-world cruises, special dates for English-speaking passengers are usually observed with decorations, dinners, dances, teas, and menus that reflect the occasion. Examples include: Burns Night, Valentine’s Day, Australia Day, April Fool’s Day, May Day, etc.

Jan 25: Robert Burns Night (Burns Dinner).

Jan 26: Australia’s National Constitution Day.

Feb 6: New Zealand (Waitangi) Day.

Feb 14: St. Valentine’s Day Celebration.

Mar 1: St. David’s Day (patron saint of Wales).

Mar 17: St. Patrick’s Day (patron saint of Ireland - think green beer).

Apr 1: April Fools’ Day (a morning of jokes and tricks to be played before midday).

Apr 23: St. George’s Day (patron saint of England).

May 1: May Day (traditional Morris dancing).

Two special ceremonies form part of the passenger participation events on a traditional around-the-world cruise:

Crossing the Equator, when King Neptune (Neptunus Rex, the old man of the sea), his wife Amphitrite, and the Royal Court initiate those crossing the line for the first time (called pollywogs). An old naval tradition, it is usually conducted at the poolside - with inevitable results.

Crossing the International Date Line, where you gain or lose a day, depending on whether you’re traveling eastbound or westbound. The imaginary line, at approximately 180 degrees longitude, isn’t straight but zigzags to avoid splitting countries apart. Although it was established with international agreement, there are no formal treaties or conventions. It has confused explorers, navigators, and travelers ever since humans began circumnavigating the globe 500 years ago. In Jules Verne’s Around the World in 80 Days Phileas Fogg and his crew returned to London one day late (or so they thought), but it was the extra day gained by crossing the International Date Line that enabled them to win their wager.