How does it feel to return from a world cruise?

I'm intrigued - s someone that can only looking longingly at WC itineraries - what is it like to return home? We went to watch the 2 Queens leave Southampton yesterday Ms it got me thinking about those that had disembarked that morning.

Is it relief? Joy? The 'glad to be home' feeling that you get at the end of any holiday. Or is there a real longing to remain onboard? Is there some sort of culture shock coming away from such luxury? (Assuming that many of us don't live like that day to day!) when you're travelling on board, do you get into some sort of routine? Do you eat in the MDR every day or does it somehow become boring? This is out of pure curiosity and fascination which I hope to one day experience!

I have done four world cruises in succession. It is very addictive. Once you have done one you want to go again. The months on board soon fly by and you get into a routine where the ship becomes your home and you are not in any rush to fit things in. People come and go and it is a really good feeling when they all depart and you are staying on. ;) Often people will book one world cruise to another whilst still sailing so by the time you depart it is only eight months away till to next one.

The eight months whizz by as you are sorting out your photos, your videos, and in my case I wrote about my world cruises and published it all. Catching up with family friends. Preparing for the next voyage can take up a good few months so no time to feel sorry to be home.

I am always happy to leave the ship. knowing we will be back soon for a another cruise or a world segment cruise.

Four months away is a long time and no matter how fabulous a time I have had I feel ready for home by the time we reach our last two ports. It is a slow down and It is good to look forward to seeing your home and garden again. eating normal food and getting back into real life. I usually go back to work and I enjoy that.

World cruising is not for everyone but it is very special and if you ever want to do one make sure you do it whilst you can. Whilst you are fit and well and able to enjoy the whole experience. I would think most world cruisers who departed the ships two days ago will now be feeling happy to be home, happy to see their own bed, even though Cunard have superb comfy beds ;) and happy to have some good old simple food. :) Next week they will be enjoying reminiscing the joys of the journey and they will have the wonderful memories with them now and always. Welcome home all fellow world cruisers. :D

Edit to answer your question do you eat in the MDR everyday I would say yes. Most nights we eat in the MDR. I eat only from the Spa menu and I only have two courses. Now and again we may go to the Lido buffet /Kings Court if we have been late in port. We often eat out whilst overnight in port as it is nice to try local food. I eat breakfast in my stateroom. I eat in the MDR at lunch time as you eat less as it is portion controlled and you over eat in the buffet.

I go to afternoon tea some days but do not eat the cakes and sandwiches. I go for the ambiance , the music and a nice cup of Earl Grey served to me.

I go to the gym and exercise classes daily, but then again I do so at home. Hope this gives you an insight into things.

I agree with everything that Maggiemou has written above except that we go to the buffet for breakfast and alternate between the dining room and buffet for lunch. We have been on four Cunard world cruises and will be on the QV next year for our fifth. We thought we were finished with worldies as we were tired of the expense and time that it took several times to fill in China and India visa forms, send them off to a visa agency and wait for the return of our passports. But, the QV isn't going to either of those countries next year so we happily booked.

I am one who could go on forever and be totally content where my husband loves all of it and then is happy to return home. I love my home in Hawaii but I also love the cultures, people, scenery, architecture and all else that visiting foreign places gives to us. We both love meeting people on board, the wonderful enrichment speakers and entertainment and just staring at the sea, feeling grateful that we are on a beautiful ship that is taking us to wonderful places. When I return home my mind goes to those times and I am ready to fly out as soon as possible.

It's a shock to return home and see a menu with prices on it and go back to the normal routine but there's always the hope that will be another adventure in our future and we are always looking at itineraries. There's an old saying "Don't cry because it's over but simply smile that it happened."

Cheers, Patti

Most interesting thing about returning home was that for the entire world cruise one does not usually drive a vehicle nor seat in the front seat of the tour bus. Riding in the front seat of the car taking me home, I was terrified of what felt like excessive speed even though when I looked at the speedometer the car was only going 60. Even so I had to ask the driver to slow down. It took me several days to get back into the faster pace of life on land vs. life on a world cruise.

I'm intrigued - s someone that can only looking longingly at WC itineraries - what is it like to return home? We went to watch the 2 Queens leave Southampton yesterday Ms it got me thinking about those that had disembarked that morning.

Is it relief? Joy? The 'glad to be home' feeling that you get at the end of any holiday. Or is there a real longing to remain onboard? Is there some sort of culture shock coming away from such luxury? (Assuming that many of us don't live like that day to day!) when you're travelling on board, do you get into some sort of routine? Do you eat in the MDR every day or does it somehow become boring? This is out of pure curiosity and fascination which I hope to one day experience!

Great question thanks for asking and the replies so far have been very interesting. Can't wait to get more of an insight of what to expect other than the sad loss of all that caviar.

(Hows the excursion searching going patti? that was a good url posted for us)

The last 4 days of my QV world cruise last year was in the Carribean. I live in Florida and been to the Carribean many times so I was hoping these last days would just end. That feeling disappeared as soon as I got home and started reviewing my pictures and notes.

The last day on the ship is hard saying your goodbyes to your new friends and packing. You also dread the long day of leaving the ship and traveling home.

I knew this trip was my once in a lifetime adventure but if the opertunity knocked, I'd jump at the chance to go again. As I tell my friends, "this trip emptied my bucket list and I had to sell the bucket to pay for it".

Don

Somebody asked me the day before the QE World Voyage ended last year if I would do that long a cruise again. I told her that I would have stayed on another 118 days if they would let me!

I definitely got into a routine on sea days. I preferred having lunch (I seldom eat breakfast) in the Lido so I could choose just what and how much I wanted. I enjoyed the MDR for most dinners. It was fun to check in with the others at my table to see what they had done each day.

I definitely want to take another World Voyage (if I could just make myself stop taking shorter cruises and save up for it:D).

When I returned home to New York after 108 days on QE2 in 2007, everything that was once familiar to me on land seemed distorted, as if looking through bad eyeglasses. For weeks, people I saw in stores or supermarkets sometimes reminded me of someone from the cruise. Everything seemed very small and ordinary, and I don't mean that in a snobbish way.

I was at odds with my at-sea routine ending so abruptly. The routine one establishes at sea on a long cruise ends so abruptly - this is the most jarring aspect of the post-cruise re-entry to the real world.

My final 6 days of the cruise were on the Atlantic, crossing from Southampton to New York. Many of the full world cruise passengers, many of whom I had become very close to, had disembarked in England, and a whole new crowd embarked for the TA to New York. So the last few days were a limbo - my connections to those to whom I was so connected for 4 months had already been severed - so I was able to focus on packing and re-connecting with my partner and my beloved dog. The cruise was my "gift" to myself upon my retirement.

The world cruise was an extraordinary experience for me, even as the seasoned traveler I am. I would not do it again as I fear the experience on the incomparable QE2 could not be replicated.

A world cruise is the adventure of a lifetime, so if you are blessed with good health and good fortune, I would recommend to go for it.

A world cruise is the adventure of a lifetime, so if you are blessed with good health and good fortune, I would recommend to go for it.

Hear hear! Well said, and how very true.