Highlights Of World Cruises And Grand Voyages
Vikings World Cruises and Grand Voyages are once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to see the world through a wider lens. Our world cruises circumnavigate the globe, introducing you to one fascinating culture after another and delivering you to the worlds most breathtaking corners of the world. Grand Voyages are also full of limitless discoveries, and they are economical because you pay just one airfare as you combine multiple Viking ocean cruises. As you traverse the worlds oceans on one of our epic journeys, raise a glass to the endless discoveries you will make along the way. On just one journey, you can:
- Visit all of Scandinavias major ports
- Embark a comprehensive itinerary that spans Asia
- Explore Asian and American cultures on a transpacific voyage
- Follow ancient trade routes between Europe and Asia
- Immerse yourself in innumerable and diverse countries
- Visit as many as six continents and more than 100 ports
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So How Much Does It Really Cost To Sail Around The World
Once weve acknowledged just how much each persons cruising costs vary. This is based on where they are, their lifestyle, the boat they choose, and more. Heres some indicative costs for cruising on a bluewater sailboats under 50ft with a crew of two on board.
Dont get put off by these numbers. You can cruise economically by cutting almost all of these costs down.
How do you live on a boat on a budget? Buy a smaller, simpler boat. Anchor out most of the time and use your sails more, . Do your own boat work and shop around for boat parts. Reduce the amount of gear on board. Eat in most nights, fish for food, and eat local produce. Spend most of your time enjoying free activities, such as snorkelling.
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Eating & Drinking Costs When Traveling Overland
So we ultimately spent very minimally on food and drink while cruising, given the included dining and our thrifty tricks to drink cheaply onboard.
But what about those 200+ days we spent on land? We went from gorging ourselves with endless fresh sushi in Japan to sipping French champagne, all in a matter of months. That cant be cheap!
Well, it wasnt entirely cheap. Overall, we spent an average of $21.89, per person, per day on eating and drinking around the world, during the 230 days we traveled overland in between cruises. This cost may be slightly overinflated, as it also includes all groceries such as medicine, toiletries, and other knick-knacks we picked up along the way.
This is an area of our budget that could easily be much less for frugal travelers. But we really enjoy eating and drinking!
Given the quality of food we sought out and our penchant for tipping back a few pints, were content with our budget here.
How We Saved on Eating & Drinking Well Around the World
In Canada, we cut costs by cooking in some nights, given we stayed in apartments during the vast majority of our time there. Yet we also found great dining deals. You can see some of the cheap eats we found in our Guide to Halifax on a Budget. Meanwhile, in Montreal, we frequented a great restaurant where everything on their menu was CAD$6 . Our downfall in Canada were the delicious beers we often splurged on.
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Too Expensive Heres How To Lower The Cost
Theres no doubt that its expensive to live on a cruise ship, but there are ways that you can trim that amount. If youre interested in cutting down the price, here are a few ideas.
Limit Onboard Spending: In our estimate, we used the average spending Carnival Corporation sees across all its cruise lines, which is 45% of the cruise fare.
You dont have to spend near that much. After all, when people cruise they are on vacation and likely willing to spend more freely than they would normally. By limiting the amount spent on board, you can cut thousands off this estimated total.
Its doubtful you can get by without spending at least some money on a cruise, but our estimate comes out to about $450 per person, per week. Being able to spend less than that should be relatively easy.
Older Ships: Our estimate is aboard the Carnival Horizon. We chose this ship because it is relatively new , but it also runs a regular schedule from Miami.
That said, in general newer ships like the Horizon are more expensive to sail aboard. If you look for older ships, you should be able to cut the price down.
Be Flexible for Cheaper Trips: For this estimate, we priced out a years worth of cruises on a single ship. This makes it easy if youre sailing long-term you simply stay on the ship and dont have to worry about changing ships, or ports.
What do you think about the cost of living full-time on a cruise ship for a year? Let us know in the comments below.
Shore Excursions Allow For Culturally Immersive Experiences
If you think a world cruise means youd be spending 90% of your time on board your cruise ship, youd be very wrong! Cruises offer some of the best excursions around says Adam, even letting you disembark for days at a time for a truly immersive experience.
Another benefit of a world cruise is the ability to disembark the ship for in-depth, multi-night shore excursions, either during an overnight call or by re-joining the ship in its next port. These types of bucket list excursions can add a lot to your experience and give a nice break from shipboard routine.
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Dinners And Drinks Out
This expense is completely dependent on your lifestyle and where you are. Do you currently indulge in dinners out and drinks a couple of times a week on land? Then itll be hard to change this habit completely, especially when you visit seaside towns with delicious-smelling restaurants by the quay.
It can be hard to resist when its sunny and warm and the promenade is filled with tanned tourists enjoying an indulgent dinner out. So go on and add dinners out and drinks to your budget. Make sure to take into account that restaurants can be more expensive in some countries . The worst case scenario is that you save some money.
World Cruise: Extraordinary Discoveries
Climb aboard the Seabourn Sojourn for a 140-day world cruise from Miami to Barcelona, visiting 58 ports in 27 countries. The cruise will begin in the United States, then stop in Central and South America, followed by a pause in famed Easter Island. Then, it’s on to French Polynesia, the Cook Islands, Fiji, and more before stopping in Papua New Guinea and Australia. After Indonesia and the Seychelles, the cruise will go around Africa, hitting destinations like Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, Namibia, Gambia, and more before ending in Spain. Fares start at $66,299 for this 2023 sailing.
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World Cruises: What You Need To Know
World cruisers, I have discovered, fall into two groups: those who fill their days moaning about anything and everything — and those who are fed up with the nitpickers. On my voyage on P& O‘s Aurora, one of my tablemates at dinner fell into the latter category. “People who haven’t been on a world cruise before get bored at this point, so they start to moan,” she told me on my first evening onboard. It was her 52nd night since the ship sailed from Southampton.
Like 1,100 others, she was following in the footsteps of that most famous of circumnavigators, Phileas Fogg, and cruising around the world in 80 days. I, on the other hand, was a world cruise virgin, doing a two-week sector between Hong Kong and Mumbai in India.
My tablemate was only half right. Even practiced circumnavigators were starting to long for home by the time I got onboard, due mainly, I suspect, to the many consecutive sea days, which are trying for all but the saltiest sea dogs. Aurora had just done six in a row when the ship got to Hong Kong, and another five were looming after Mumbai.
“They see the list of ports and don’t realize how many sea days it takes to get between them,” my world cruise expert advised knowingly. Lesson number one: Count the days in between those exotic-sounding ports.
Circumnavigators have a hard life. Here are some tips if you’d like to become one of them and take a world cruise.
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Thwarted travellers are clearly suffering from extremely itchy feet as evidenced by the fact that a £38,000 round-the-world cruise has sold out in just one day.
The 180-day voyage, offered by Oceania Cruises on its Insignia ship, sets sail in 2023, calling at 96 destinations in 33 countries across four continents.
Every single one of the available 684 berths was purchased within hours, according to the company, with some guests even opting to pay more for an extended sailing of 218 days.
The vessel departs from San Francisco, California, on 15 January 2023 and returns just shy of six months later, on 13 July.
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Unpack Once In Your Floating Hotel
One of the most unpleasant parts about traveling is having to unpack, get settled, and then re-pack for every new destination. Especially when you’re traveling to multiple countries, it gets pretty inconvenient. Since the cruise ship doubles as your hotel at each overnight port, a world cruise is one of the only ways you can visit 20+ countries and only have to unpack your suitcase one time. Youll be able to focus more on exploring your destinations instead of trying to zip up your over-stuffed suitcase and hoping it will fit in the overhead compartment!
Leg : 66 Days Manila To Puerto Vallarta 06012024 10032024
Experience the variety of the island state of the Philippines from the water. Visit the most delicious mountains in the world on Bohol and discover why Bali is quite rightly known as Island of the Gods. In Indonesia youll meet giant lizards, and in Australia youll encounter kangaroos, koalas and the colourful submarine world of the Great Barrier Reef. In the vast expanse of the South Pacific Ocean you realise your island dreams on the Cook Islands and the Society Islands, as well as sunbathe to your hearts content en route to the Mexican Pacific Coast.
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Oceania’s World Cruise Will Stop In Almost 100 Destinations In 180 Days
After record demand for its 2023 world cruise, Oceania Cruises has unveiled the itinerary for its epic global voyage for the following year.
The cruise line’s 180-day journey around the world will set sail on Jan. 14, 2024, and visit more than 96 destinations in 34 different countries.
“Incredibly, last year our 2023 world cruise sold out in just one day, so for 2024 we are providing guests more extended voyage options to deeply and meaningfully rediscover the world,” Howard Sherman, President and CEO of Oceania Cruises, said in a statement shared with Travel + Leisure.
Oceania’s “Around the World in 180 Days” cruise will depart from Los Angeles and cross more than three oceans and 15 seas as it makes its way around the globe to New York. The journey, on the Oceania Insignia, stops at more than 100 UNESCO World Heritage sites with 24 overnight stays.
Passengers will journey across the Pacific, through French Polynesia and Australia before continuing onto destinations like Japan and Vietnam’s Ha Long Bay. The voyage continues along the shores of India and the Arabian Peninsula before sailing across Europe and completing its route across the Atlantic in New York.
The 2024 “Around the World” journey starts at $48,499 per person and includes roundtrip first-class airfare and amenities like prepaid gratuities, laundry, and luggage delivery.
But if half a year at sea seems a bit too long, Oceania has also created four new Grand Voyages, varying in length from 72 to 82 days.
Best For Ex Uk: Saga Cruises
Saga Cruises have launched two new sister ships, Spirit ofDiscovery and Spirit of Adventure, which they refer to asboutique ships, with just under 1,000 passengers each.Purpose-built for the British market, they sail year round from theUK. Special features include private transfers from your home tothe ship, interesting dining options, and insurance included inyour fare. All cabins have their own balcony, with dedicated singlecabins for solo travellers.
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The Centenary World Voyages
Cruise aboard the Queen Victoria on this 105-night round-trip journey departing from Hamburg, Germany. From Germany, the ship will sail to Southampton, England, and then travel on to New York City before reaching the Caribbean and sailing the Panama Canal. Stops in Mexico, San Francisco, and Hawaii come next, and later ports include Samoa, New Zealand, Australia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Dubai, Egypt, Portugal, and more before arriving back in Germany. Fares start at $21,699 for this 2023 sailing.
Around The World In 6 Months On The Vasco Da Gama
Around the world in 80 days? Well leave that up to Jules Vernes fictional character Phileas Fogg. On our grand world cruise well have all the time in the world 183 days to be precise to take you to the most beautiful places on Earth with our VASCO DA GAMA! This six-month cruise is a unique opportunity to experience the worlds fascinating abundance and uniqueness.
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Msc World Cruise 2023
The MSC Magnifica will take guests to 43 destinations on this 117-day cruise starting and ending in Genoa. Countries visited during this journey include Argentina, Chile, Peru, New Zealand, Australia, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, India, and Jordan. When you’re not exploring each port, you can relax in the swimming pools and hot tubs, visit the many restaurants, bars, and lounges, or go to the spa. Fares start at $15,549.
Optional Expenses On A Cruise Vacation
The following expenses are optional, and whether you spend on these extras or not really depends on what youll enjoy.
That said, cruise lines make a lot of money from cruise passengers who do spend on these things on a cruise. Despite cruise linespushing specialty dining and other pay to play activities, there is a lot available and included on a cruise.
Dont feel pressured to blow your budget instead first check what is included and available, and pay extra only for what really matters to you.
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World Cruises & Grand Voyages
Achieve countless milestones on an epic World Cruise visiting the worlds most iconic cities and lesser known towns. Equally rewarding yet shorter, Grand Voyages combine two or more itineraries on one seamless journey. Our signature cultural immersion, destination insights and great value place the entire globe within reach.
All About The Destinations
On the cerebral side, Viking cruises are “designed for discerning travelers” with an interest in art, cuisine, history, science, culture and exploration. Itineraries are aimed at attracting this type of traveler, and a destination-focused approach underlies all activities.
“For more than 20 years we have been committed to connecting travelers to culturally immersive experiences that allow them to explore the world in comfort,” said Hagen.
To this end, one included tour is available at every port some better than others, it must be said in addition to a variety of payable excursions. As a result, almost every passenger goes ashore. Guest lecturers on various topics provide plenty of cultural enrichment, too.
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Book A World Cruise With Ease Through Discerning Traveller
If you prefer talking a travel consultant when planning a world cruise than scrolling through a selection of sailings, our team is available to call! Contact us on and one of our experienced travel consultants can work with you to find a bucket-list world cruise or world cruise segment that matches your budget and timeframe. Plus, we are more than happy to extend your trip and build a bespoke holiday to any destination across the globe.
Why Did Viking Do This
Viking’s first World Cruise launched in 2017. The cruise spanned 141 days and visited 35 countries.
“We received resounding feedback from guests on our first sold-out World Cruise in 2017 that they were interested in spending more time with us,” said Viking marketing executive Richard Marnell. He noted that a “good number” of guests on Viking’s first World Cruise also booked on the latest, much longer cruise.
He added that the Ultimate World Cruise itinerary “was developed with feedback from our guests who desire to experience the cultures of the world in-depth, over an extended period of time, while sailing onboard a ship that was designed for discovery, with all the comforts of home.”
However, one person’s idea of home comforts may be wildly different from the next. Someone who fancies a floating family vacation with young children in tow, gaudy umbrella-topped cocktails, or nightly flutters at a casino should not choose Viking.
We received resounding feedback from guests on our first sold-out World Cruise in 2017 that they were interested in spending more time with us.Richard MarnellViking’s SVP of Marketing
Tranquility rules on Viking ships. Apart from the captain’s noon-day message, PA announcements are a rarity, and melodious birdsong plays in all the restrooms.
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