Work commitments make it impossible for me to get away for several months at a time on a world cruise, but I’ll do it in one day. Why? Because it is the ultimate journey by sea.
I personally love the idea of sneaking off in winter, when the days are short and the weather is gloomy, but there are so many more attractions. It is an easy way to see the world and there are new friends to be made as you sail from one continent to the other - a big attraction for solo cruisers.
Maybe it’s just me, but there is something just a little bit romantic about the idea of running away to sea for all that time? World cruises begin in either the US or the UK - the latter, of course, are the easy ones to choose as there are no flights or luggage restrictions to worry about. Just arrive at the port, someone else will carry your bags to your cabin and off you go! Your holiday starts right away. Sailings from the UK tend to depart from Southampton to the Caribbean, through the Panama Canal, across the South Pacific to Australia and back through Asia. That’s a lot of sightseeing but also plenty of time at sea to relax with a good book, explore the ship’s amenities or learn a new skill.
A few years ago, I managed to hop on a two-week sector of a world cruise and took up line dancing, which was good exercise and great fun - even if I did annoy everyone else because I kept forgetting the steps! Incredibly, world cruises for January 2021 have already hit the shelves. Regent Seven Seas Cruises launched their 117-night global circumnavigation way back in August last year, Oceania Cruises unveiled an epic 180-day voyage last month while Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines is revealing its 2021 world voyage.
One of the big changes in world cruising over the past decade is the trend for late departures or overnight stays in key ports so there’s more time to explore ashore. Regent’s cruise, from Miami to Barcelona, includes overnights in Auckland, Brisbane and Bali, while Oceania Cruises has two nights in both Istanbul and Yangon. Choose Fred. Olsen’s world cruise and you’ll have three glorious days in Sydney to visit the Blue Mountains, have a ‘barbie’ on Bondi Beach and climb the Harbour Bridge. I’m told the view from the top is magnificent - as long as you dare to open your eyes!
