How to Choose a World Cruise
If you love cruising, the ultimate trip is an around-the-world cruise. But how do you plan for many months at sea? In 2019 this page listed one 111-day world cruise, round trip from Fort Lauderdale from €18,000 or from Los Angeles from €12,000. For 2027 and 2028 there are more than a dozen world cruises to choose from, and the ships, dates and fares are on our cruises around the world page. This page is about how to pick one.
Round trip or one way?
A round trip brings you home to the port you left, so you only need a flight at each end if you don't live near it. Holland America sails round trip from Fort Lauderdale, Cunard's Queen Victoria from Southampton and Costa's 2028 world cruise from Savona.
Most of the rest are one way. Oceania's 2027 voyage goes from Miami to London, Viking's from Fort Lauderdale to London, Regent's 2027 voyage from Miami to New York and Silversea's from Los Angeles to Copenhagen. That means a one-way flight home from another continent, which is worth pricing before you book the cruise.
Does it really go all the way round?
Not every "world cruise" circles the world. Princess's 2027 World Cruise is a Grand Circle Pacific: three continents, Fort Lauderdale to Los Angeles. Regent's 2028 world cruise sails from Los Angeles to San Francisco round the Pacific. MSC's 2027 voyage from Italy goes down South America and across the Pacific to Sydney, then turns back by way of Hawaii and the Panama Canal. These are good trips, but if crossing every ocean is the point, check the map first.
Holland America, Cunard's Queen Victoria and Costa cross the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic Oceans and bring you back to the port you started from. Silversea's 2027 route, called The Three Oceans, and MSC's 2028 voyage cross all three as well.
Big ship or small ship
Size decides where you can go ashore. Silversea's Silver Dawn carries 596 guests and Oceania's Vista 1,200. Holland America says its Volendam and Zaandam are small enough to dock in remote harbours that larger ships can't reach.
What the fare includes
Compare what's in the price before you compare prices. Regent's fare is all-inclusive, with up to 409 shore excursions on its 2028 world cruise. MSC's 2028 fare includes 15 excursions, a drinks package with lunch and dinner and 30% off laundry. Oceania offers a choice of free drinks or a shore excursion credit, and Viking includes 62 guided tours.
Only part of the way
You don't have to do the whole thing. Silversea sells its 2027 world cruise in ten legs of 11 to 22 days, Regent sells the first 126 nights of its 2027 voyage (Miami to Rome) and Costa sells 100 days from San Francisco back to Italy. A leg of two or three weeks is a good way to find out whether you like months at sea before you commit to four.
Packing and life on board
A world cruise leaving in January sails from a northern winter into a southern summer and back into a European spring, so you need clothes for all three. Every ship has a laundry, so two weeks of clothes will do for four months.
Take enough of any prescription medicine for the whole trip and some spare, and a letter from your doctor listing it. Check that your travel insurance covers the full length of the voyage, since many annual policies limit how long a single trip can be. Our pages on travellers' health and insurance go into more detail.
If you'd rather go slowly without a cruise ship, see freighters. And for ships, dates and fares by departure port: from Florida, from Southampton, from California.
Tags: cruises around the world 2017, rtw cruises
Planning a round-the-world trip? AirTreks has built multi-stop itineraries since 1987. See sample routes or ask a specialist.