Imagine my surprise when three days ago, during my designated TikTok brain rot scroll time, I came across four consecutive videos of people either chatting away while on board a cruise ship or people talking about those on said cruise ship. Confused as to why my For You Page was suddenly bombarded by an influx of cruise-related videos, I did further research to see what all the hoopla was really about — and boy, it did not disappoint.
As it turns out, Royal Caribbean has unleashed a beast of a cruise: a nine-month-long voyage that promises to redefine the very essence of wanderlust. It departed from Miami, Florida on Dec. 10, 2023, and will return on Sep. 10, 2024.
While this idea of an ultimate bucket list cruise has been done before, during my research I found that very few come even close to the length and number of destinations this Royal Caribbean cruise offers. Princess Cruises has a 116-day trip of trekking across 26 countries and six continents in 2025, while Regent Seven Seas Cruises has one of 154 nights of visiting 41 countries and six continents in 2026. The Royal Caribbean Ultimate World Cruise, though? She is “that girl,” boasting 274 nights, over 60 countries, and all seven continents (yeah, they’re even hitting up Antarctica).
But what else is on the menu, you ask? Well, not just a buffet (though they do have that). Picture gazing upon the majesty of the Great Wall of China, diving into the vibrant chaos of Mumbai, sipping espresso in a Venetian piazza, and gawking at the grandeur of Machu Picchu or the Great Pyramid of Giza all in one journey.
But now for the question I know you’re dying to know the answer to: How much does this thing cost?
With a pay-in-full discount of 10%, pricing ranges from $54,000 per person to a whopping $105,839 per person for the junior suite. For the “other suite categories,” AKA the crazy-mega-deluxe suites, all Royal Caribbean provides is a number to call, which is when you know the price is probably even higher. Plus there’s an additional $4,667 per person for taxes, fees, and port expenses.
So what does the experience include? There are embarkation amenities such as round trip airfare and a pre-cruise gala and hotel, as well as onboard amenities including a beverage package for the entire duration of the cruise, Wi-Fi, and a wash and fold laundry service. Ultimately, all things considered, it’s about the cost (if not more) to visit all these places individually in a lifetime for many people. According to a recent article from Reader’s Digest, some people have found that life on land is more expensive than life on the sea.
While the prospect of visiting all of the world’s most iconic destinations in a set amount of time is certainly enticing, I also can’t help but ponder over the logistics of life on a cruise ship for nine months. Is the human body capable of living off of cruise buffets, endless drinks, and vacationing for that long? Would everyone quickly get sick if one person did? Would life be like The Suite Life on Deck? Surely amongst 2,000 passengers drama would ensue…the only thing I know for sure is that if it was a reality TV show, I’d tune in every week.
Since Royal Caribbean’s Ultimate World Cruise isn’t a reality TV show and I don’t foresee ever boarding it on account of boats slightly terrifying me (I blame Titanic and Triangle of Sadness…) and the itty bitty issue of it costing an arm, a leg, and probably all of my extremities, I plan on living vicariously through the TikTok creators on the cruise.
TikTokers on Royal Caribbean’s uLTIMATE wORLD cRUISE
This cruise is the ultimate geography lesson without the snooze-inducing textbooks. It’s the Olympics of travel. Over 60 countries in nine months, swooping by 11 of the world’s wonders and overall just embracing an itinerary that’d leave Phileas Fogg green with envy?! Would you do it?
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