This cruise has been the riskiest and most epic thing I have ever done in my life. Seriously. 10 out of 10, would do it again. Even though we haven’t been able to do everything we wanted to do it has still been 100% worth it.
Out of all of the things in our itinerary that have changed, missing the World Wonder of Petra hit me the hardest. Still, getting to explore Africa is an amazing opportunity and I am here for it. We will get to Petra another time.
My husband and I both love to travel – especially to historically significant locations. I thought that this trip would cross many things off of our bucket lists. And maybe as a result we could book fewer trips. For me, it has been the opposite. Now I don’t want to stop traveling.
What is going on now that we are halfway through? We reached day 137 when we arrived in Kuala Lumpur. The half-way point in our 274 day journey with Royal Caribbean on Serenade of the Seas on this Ultimate World Tour. So much has happened in the last four and a half months, I’m not even sure where to start.
Most of the people I’ve talked to that are doing the full nine months are an adventurous sort. We might all be doing this for different reasons, but the element of adventure is there for all of us. Most of us have put our lives on hold to do this. Some of us sold homes and cars. Some are working on the ship. Many of us are crossing multiple items off of our bucket lists. Some of us have had our trips unfortunately cut short.
Steve was forced into retirement due to a heart attack in late 2022, and I didn’t retire until a few months before the trip started. So what “regular life” looks like for us is going to be completely different than it used to. We have some things to take care of when we get back. And I am sure once we return home, more things will come up that we will need to stick around for. But I know that after a few months, I will want to be on the move again.
For me, the Ultimate World Cruise has been life changing. And I expect this will continue over the next four and a half months.
One of the biggest after-the-cruise plans for us, is that I am writing a book. I got a lot of grief on social media for the username “frugal vagabond” for a person on a trip that so many people think is out of their reach. When I looked around at my fellow passengers though and saw how many young – and clearly not independently wealthy people that were here, I had to get their stories.
So I interviewed several of my cruise mates and I am writing a book that tells all of our tales of how we were able to make this happen. Most of the people are here for the full nine months.
That takes dedication, planning, and a willingness to sacrifice in most cases. Not just from a financial perspective, but also from a time perspective. I want people to know that if they have a real desire – they can do things like this too.
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Don’t like: Missing out on several locations due to weather or wars
Before the cruise even started, the itinerary was changing due to world conflicts. That has continued and as most know, required a completely different route for our circumnavigation.
Also, when we were going around the southern point of South America, weather kept us from stopping at several tender ports. What can you do? No ones fault. Just disappointing. I still want to go to all of the places we have missed.
Do like: Royal Caribbean coming up with alternatives for the original itinerary items we missed
The top thing I like, of course, is getting to explore Africa instead of the Mediterranean locations. It looks to be an incredible opportunity and I can’t wait.
Missing out on Machu Picchu was a big disappointment. But the cultural locations we were able to explore in Cusco and the shows they set up for us in Lima were amazing last-minute substitutes.
Don’t like: Mean people
If you are following more than one content creator that is on the Ultimate World Cruise, then you know that there have been multiple incidents of mean people.
You are never in a place surrounded by perfect people. But on the few cruises we did before starting the world cruise, everyone was happy and living the vacation vibe.
This trip has been different from the start just due to the long duration and expectations of the people on the ship. Jokes were made in the beginning about this being a massive social experiment and sometimes it really feels like it is.
Do like: Lifelong friends and new family
Being so close to lots of new people also has an upside. Really easy to get together, and get to know like minded and adventurous people from completely different backgrounds. I feel like I have made new lifelong friendships with many of the people in the content creator group.
Also with some of the staff, and with various individuals and couples we have gotten to know on excursions, dinners, at the casino, and while having drinks. Time will tell if they really will be lifelong friendships.
I do know that I have at least two new “family members” though. My new brother Anthony, and a new sister Renee. From the beginning we have helped and supported each other through our content creators group, but after four and a half months, I can’t imagine not having these two people in my life and not talking to them regularly and following along with wherever life takes them once the cruise is over.
Don’t like: Overly crowded excursions
I get it, this is a popular cruise, and the places we are going are atypical for a Royal Caribbean ship.
I am not sure if most Royal Caribbean excursions are like this, but picture if you will: 40 people on each bus. Each excursion has at least three of these busses. And there are 2-3 other excursions with similar numbers that are going to at least some of the same location as yours. And since there is a limited time in each port location, there is a lot of overlap.
So at least 120 or as many as 360 of your best friends from the ship getting dumped for 20 – 40 minutes trying to explore. Limited time to actually “see” anything. Trying to get a few videos, pictures, learn something about the location, and enjoy it.
I really wish they would rotate the busses a bit better. And on this same idea, spending too much time in busses. Most of the “cool” locations are so far away from the port, this is necessary, but still not fun. Also, not enough time in each of the ports.
Do like: The incredible things we have been able to see
Despite wishing things could be different with regard to how the Royal Caribbean excursions are handled, this itinerary has allowed us the opportunity to see so many incredible things in the world.
I don’t think I have the words to describe all of the amazing places. Never did I think I would ever go to China. Or if I did, get to actually go to the Great Wall. We did that.
Christ the Redeemer in Brazil? We did that. Chichen Itza? We did that. Antarctica? Well, we sort-of did that. I didn’t get to put my toes in the water or step on land there, so in my book, it doesn’t count. Most of the other passengers think that it does.
Too many places to list them all out. Curaçao and Bonaire? I had no idea how beautiful the water there would be. Subic Bay? I was picturing an abandoned and dilapidated naval base. It was nothing like that! Beautiful. And a testament to the locals who volunteered to keep it maintained and operational while they got a plan in place to utilize what was left behind.
Don’t like: Inconsistent communication of vital information
From the beginning, information on the Ultimate World Cruise that was disseminated by Royal Caribbean has been inconsistent and frustrating. That has continued throughout this cruise.
Shoreside versus ship personnel have different information and they don’t seem to share. Not everyone has access to the same information, further confusing passengers.
Even though the World Cruise is new for Royal Caribbean, cruising isn’t and most of us feel they should be much better at it than they are.
Do like: Social sharing
Poor communication skills have given me the opportunity to share the information I have access to with the world and providing a service to those both on the ship and off.
This also helps my follower/subscriber counts and views. People are interested in hearing the details – even if it doesn’t directly affect them. I think I probably have several followers who are related to people on the trip and they find information on my socials about their relatives. It is a service I am happy to provide.
Don’t like: The constant noise on the ship
If you are following any of the content creators on this ship, you have probably heard this complaint. The noise. Everywhere. All the time.
I do love the layout of the Serenade. I only have one other ship to compare it to – the Adventure of the Seas. But in my opinion, the design of the Serenade is much better. It’s too bad it doesn’t have a Flowrider, but that’s another issue.
The one bad part about the Serenade design is the openness of the Centrum. The noise that reaches this area flows up from Deck 4 to 12. It is annoying and problematic.
Do like: Changes to make the ship livable
Did you know that we have doctors and dentist on board?
This is a long trip, with a majority of passengers in the senior citizen demographic. I really appreciate that Royal Caribbean recognized that having doctors and a dentist on board would mean that people would have access to care and that without it, many people would be forced to leave the ship for on-land care and perhaps miss important destinations, or even the rest of the trip.
And of course this is an opportunity for Royal Caribbean to make additional money from the services they provide. A win-win for everyone.
