At7Seas

The countdown: seven days until leaving home, 15 days until boarding Hello everybody, I’d like to invite you to follow me virtually on this voyage around the globe. Finally! When my early retirement approached I had the idea to start this new part of my life with a long cruise. After a covid-related failure I booked in June 2021 this cruise and wanted to go in January 2022. As so many cruises also this one didn’t take place because of the pandemic. I was offered to rebook for a cruise going around Africa and South America in 2023 or to circumvent the globe in 2024 on pretty much the same itinerary as planned for 2022. I decided to do the latter, because for me a world cruise does exactly this, going around the entire globe. The last months I spent a lot of time researching the ports, bought tickets and selected the - for me - best excursions. Before I’ll board the cruise I’ll stay a week in Venice to welcome the New Year. Jump aboard with me and feel free to ask questions.

Well, it is not about a “could”, but about a “both and”. Cruising the Americas is on the agenda now for exactly two years after my own world cruise, which is going to sail away in January 2024. I am not less excited than you probably are these days, the wardrobe in my guest room is filling with the things I‘m going to pack, the paperwork is sorted out as far as possible, next week I may apply for Indian visa. The America cruise is simply something very different, there are only three ports visited the same as on the world cruise, one on Canary Islands, one in the Caribbean and one port on South American mainland. Out there is an entire world to be discovered and I try my best to do so.

Depends a lot on cruise, desired cabin - and luck! As solo cruiser getting a suitable cabin can be hard, the demand for them is high. I’ve since two days a confirmed booking for the 125-day cruise on the Artania circumventing South America in 2026 - and I stood for a short time on the waiting list!

On embarkation days the buffets are usually open all the afternoon.

Absolutely! My only problems with Phoenix are that they are fully booked very early. So I will leave in January on another ship. Have a great cruise!

My own experience with Phoenix - although I did no cruise that long with them yet either - is that they try offer a broad variation. And two consecutive cruises are not the same as a world cruise. You said that they essentially use the same fish again and again. Yes, of course. You will be offered a bit less than 300 main courses with lunch and dinner and at least one of them will be fish. Thinking about this fact it becomes very obvious that the same fish is used again and again. But the way of preparation will make the difference! Think about the different things beef can be turned into…

Of course you are right regarding the basic idea rapister has. It is definitely not hard to get the opportunity to go ashore and find food locally. But you also have some misconceptions. There is no unified definition of mega ships, depending who you ask the answers are for example the 10 or 20 largest ships world-wide or those with a capacity of at least 5,000 or 6,000 passengers, so the answer is difficult. But the answer how many mega ships go on a world cruise is easy: none. As far as I know the largest ship on a world cruise this season is Queen Mary 2. When she entered service 20 years ago - long before the mega ship area - she was massive, but newer vessels are about twice as big and can carry even more passengers. Among the mass market lines there are a few indeed rushing around the globe in about 90 to 100 days, while most world cruises go for more than 120 days, some much longer. The mentioned Viking cruise did not circumvent the globe completely but went from the USA to the UK. Of course the ratio of days in port is different on different segments. The oceans to be crossed on a full world cruise aren’t getting smaller if you pay much more, physical reasons prevent the average speed being turned up massively. You really should be aware of these facts! But if you go on a cruise that lasts a month longer and you are still sailing the same distance you have more time to visit ports. Very simple maths.

Thank you for caring! You will need to use official name and marker for travelling, there is no way around the details as certified in a passport. Cruise lines have to communicate them to the authorities of countries visited. Only the US authorities may change them and the passports certify world-wide who you are and who your great grandson is. Please inform exactly about the documentation needed for a minor travelling without parents for all countries visited. I don’t need to tell you that you will find haters everywhere, that won’t be different while travelling to Europe. Italian people are for the largest part very laid back, while the government tries to turn back the clock. Greece has a more traditional population, especially the elderly are heavily under the influence of the orthodox church, but Greece offers much better legal protection than Italy does and made on this field a lot of progress the last years. Cyprus is following the path of Greece in a social cultural a highly comparable environment, they are just a bit behind. I wouldn’t be afraid about these countries, not everything is great, but it isn’t scaring either. Turkey is different in a very bad way. Latest ILA report does not make Turkey look as favourable destination. Something innocent as rainbow colours are nowadays already enough for police harassment - no exceptions for minors. And we still don’t know where recent government calls to equalise LGBT+ persons with terrorists will lead to. You should know that for example calling for peacefully granting autonomy rights of an ethnic minority in Turkey, which we would regard as fully protect free speech, can lead in Turkey to a long imprisonment as being a terrorist, also foreigners are convicted for this. If you really want to enter Turkey together with your great grandson you should completely blend into a large group and let him not contradict expectations his passport implies. I as cis gay man decided for myself not to visit Turkey any more. Still for spring 2020 I was booked on a cruise calling Kusadasi (I love Ephesos) despite a bad feeling, but as things are today I wouldn’t do that any more. Turkey is one of the few states that might turn against me for what I am, not for what I do.

As I was using this argument as well: it is definitely true! Although there is no shortage of ingredients I could buy and I love trying new things I don’t produce such a variation at home as I get aboard of those cruise lines with a positive focus on food. Not to forget that it should be a hard decision what to order - repetitions could be welcome because you get a second chance to try them. And I did not mention yet destination dishes offered once only. I really do understand what a world cruise is about. A good world cruise has at least about halve the time port days, although not equally distributed. There are port days in a row as well as five sea days for crossing an ocean on a row. So half the time eating out is definitely possible for at least one meal of the day. And overnights can be used to extend this experience. I for my part think that the initial query contains a couple of misconceptions. For example that stewed beef could taste the same as grilled octopus because it comes out of the same “kitchen”. Even if sushi and seafood risotto might be prepared in the same galley and both use up to some degree comparable ingredients the result is totally different. Or that a world cruise takes usually two months. If the search for confirmation of your own prejudices doesn't work you should not blame those who took the time to answer your question.

It works manually. But… as long as Costa didn’t invent anything to prohibit recently (system is currently updated) there is a convenient way to work around. You could use your phone as local hot spot. As soon as your phone is close enough to your laptop both are connected.

My concern would be another: that the cruise line wouldn’t prepare food well. The most expensive ingredients can be ruined by wrong treatment and from cheap ones you can prepare a very tasty meal. Expensive scallops need seconds from perfect to spoiled, but there are dozens of ways to prepare deliciously a quite simple thing as cod. Craftsmanship is the most critical factor. About variation I wouldn’t be concerned. Ask yourself how much you really vary in daily life and how often you prepare something comparable to the destination dishes some cruise lines offer. I for example will be 61 days in ports of 34 different countries on all continents except Antarctica from January to May. Besides the possibilities having lunch ashore six overnights extend chances. And still there are favourite dishes I am happy to see back on the menu. And of course a world cruise of two months simply can't happen, even those rushing around the globe as fast as possible need a bit more than three months.

It was just yesterday that China was in the news with introducing visa free travels to boost tourism. Two things to learn from this fact: things can change unexpectedly and inform yourself whether it is the same for your passport. The different procedures and fees for visa make it obvious that countries have different intentions. Australia for example with the recently introduced e-visa for Western passports to phase out the ETA collects quite a lot of data and issues these visa for free. Obviously they are screening and who doesn‘t trigger a closer look is welcome without paying anything. Others give you a simple stamp into a passport and call it visa on arrival. No practical difference to any other country that wants to check legal stay and prohibit overstaying by stamping a passport. And there are countries collecting money for a simple immigration stamp, just as a kind of tourist tax, an arrival tax in opposite to the departure taxes other countries charge. And regarding e-visa there are deadlines indeed, India allows the application 120 days before arrival only for one year and for five year visa, that one for the short term visit it is even shorter. Sri Lanka handles 90 days before arrival for every type of ETA. At least at the airport this is also available on arrival, on my last cruise to Sri Lanka there was no option to apply for in port, before passport only was sufficient. Australia has another policy, validity starts immediately and you have to leave again within one year after application. BTW, these three are already all countries I personally need more than just showing a passport valid long enough on my own world cruise, another three countries require principally visa, but have exemptions for cruise guests. Yes, I am writing this from a privileged point of view. I am an ordinary citizen having my passport from a rich country that has a government not being in conflict with many other countries. With some differences in details the British father of Stupet is similarly privileged. That makes travelling easy. Through the years I learned that there is no need being afraid about visa. Especially nowadays we don‘t need to run from one embassy to the other for a world cruise, since most countries reduced their efforts and want to see our data electronically in advance - if at all. And still there is a lot of panic about visa, nourished by companies that in the very most cases want to sell useless services. Just as the company that Heidi found, which does not provide any additional value. If somebody has to run from A to B for you applying for visa as in the old days it is completely justified paying this person. But if you have to file exactly the same data online as with the governmental online system? That is completely useless. And Heidi’s company charges you 336 % of the governmental fee for zero additional value. They produce online content just to show how good they are for you and to convince you that you really need them to get through this procedure - even in cases you may enter the country without paying any fee. Panic as a business model. The same with the company the father of Stupet used. They collected a lot of money and just cause headaches.

B2B in the same cabin is generally possible (I did it), but I am not sure, whether it works in this combination. The cabin category must be the same and has to be booked within the same tariff - and guaranteed cabins are often slightly cheaper than chosen ones. Quite obviously the cabin needs to be free during the second cruise and of course the cruises have to be linked, otherwise everybody expects you leaving the ship. Be aware of the fact that if you have to change cabin you also need to leave the cabin at 8:00 for cleaning and it‘s quite likely that your new cabin won‘t be ready. The earlier you contact the customers service of Costa the better the chances getting the same cabin are. Guaranteed cabins are assigned at least a couple of weeks before the cruise starts, you will see it in My Costa and they are part of the cruise ticket - this you generate during check-in two weeks before the cruise starts. Generally Costa will make staying in the same cabin possible, but it could be that you need to take another cabin, which is free all the time. And I could imagine that you need to pay the price difference for the second cruise, if the price for choosing a cabin isn‘t the same as for a guaranteed cabin. If you stay in the same cabin contact the reception to remind that you will stay in your cabin, just to check that everybody gets informed. No need to make a cabin steward panicking that a cabin is not emptied, because his agenda tells him that new guests will arrive. I got someone visiting me at my dinner table asking, whether I would like to stay at my table or have different wishes. At the reception you can get the new cruise card on the morning the second cruise starts, but at least the old card has to be scanned for leave the ship and the new has to get scanned for entering. And a handy tip: don‘t register your credit card in the morning before boarding started, otherwise the system gets confused.

Here a few things are mixed up completely. Especially there were no major changes to the system applied, just that Turkish citizens are admitted to visa on arrival / e-visa / quick trips, while Canadians no longer can and need to go to the embassy. Egypt knows three categories of nationalities. A very few Arab nationals may enter without formalities. A bit larger group may enter only after the embassy has handed out visa in advance. The by far largest group, among them UK citizens, may choose between the versions discussed here, of course the quick trip is only possible on very short visits. Who wants interrupting a flight for up to 24 hours can get into Egypt on what is called “quick trip”, who visits Egypt on a cruise at sea gets even 72 hours as quick trip. Legally it is a transit visa given on arrival free of charge, factually it is just a stamp one doesn’t need to do anything for. Who arrives at an airport and stays for more than 24 hours should buy visa on the spot, although getting e-visa is not complicated it is still easier to hand 25 US$ cash over the counter before going to the passport check. It is even faster when the border officer does not need to compare the data on the e-visa with those in the passport, but just has a look into the passport before stamping it. The commercial site Heidi linked states: “A visa is necessary to disembark temporarily from a cruise. Tourists can make their own visa arrangements and use a prearranged e-Visa.” Yes, they can. They can pay the company Heidi linked for this service 84 US$ instead of 25 US$ for simply forwarding data. It is allowed, Egypt - in opposite to other countries - does not discourage or even forbid to use third parties forwarding the data. Cruise guests can ask the Egyptian government directly for e-visa. And of course they can choose to get the quick trip stamp aboard. And to leave no gap in information: A Nile cruise doesn’t cross any border and lasts too long that it is technically impossible to use the quick trip regulations to avoid paying for visa. A part of Sinai including Sharm el Sheikh follows different rules, the visa for this area is a free stamp, just it is not allowed to visit other parts of Egypt with this visa.

It is disgusting that this kind of companies earn a lot of money with in many cases useless services and factually cause more problems than they solve. For your father you can gather detailed information for general visits here: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice I am not aware about Indonesia having special rules for cruise tourists, I never cruised there. Regular e-visa up to 30 days have a fee of roughly 25 £ to be paid in Rupiah. Normally you would apply for e-visa. https://molina.imigrasi.go.id/ Sri Lanka requires from cruise guests visiting not longer than 48 hours transit ETA, these are free and available online only within 90 days from arrival. Same time frame for Sri Lanka tourist ETA for stays up to 30 days the fee would be 50 US$. Only a couple of personal and passport details are needed as well as information regarding ship and itinerary. Simple as that. https://eta.gov.lk/slvisa/ Oman has no visa requirement up to 48 hours for guests only visiting with cruise ship. Everybody going ashore gets a green plastic card to prove being legally in the country if needed. I had to show it entering the port and it was collected when going aboard again. My passport remained aboard and got a stamp while I was visiting the country. No costs involved. Egypt visa are regularly done on arrival, but can be done online as well. Both at a fee of 25 US$ for 28 days. How cruises are handled I mentioned above, the 72 hour requirement is without passage through the Suez Canal, since passing through does not require any documentation or passport check. https://visa2egypt.gov.eg/ Souvenirs form Egypt, 72 h “quick trip” from Safaga Port Regular visa sticker, bought at Hurghada airport (and yes, it was exchanging money against sticker, sticker was stamped by border offical, that's it) And stamps from Oman collected during a cruise

Cruise lines definitely know about deadlines some countries handle. For example will I be on the Atlantic Ocean when Sri Lanka allows starting with the procedure for the required transit ETA on my own world cruise. Luckily it is an online procedure. And I was on a cruise in Egypt in March. My passport was collected, stamped by the Egyptian authorities and returned. They gave free transit visa for 72 hours, but this was really checked every single time I left the ship and returned. Only those citizens that need to visit the Egyptian embassy for visa were excluded from this simple procedure. Please be aware that countries often have quite different rules for different passport holders, and it is not always easy to understand the logic behind. I don’t know about which passport we are talking. It is always a good idea to look at the website of foreign affairs of your own country, there are normally travel advises. Also quite good, but not giving any warranty, is https://visaindex.com/. For world cruises interesting exemptions might be: Vietnam (if visa are required, not needed for passport) transit visa available aboard, Oman hands out a cruise visitor card, Jordan has cruise visa on arrival.

Two packages were renamed 2021/22. Più Gusto became My Drinks, Intenditore became My Drinks Plus, while Brindiamo doesn’t exist any more. Pranzo & Cena is only available on the world cruise. In September My Drinks was advertised aboard for 39 €. The only package that was not already available online was My Softdrinks for adults at 29 €. Status doesn’t matter for these packages.

True, but where does this change anything? BVILady’s inside cabin went on the same cruise as the other cabins aboard the ship she was on. It is simply a fact that you can book for 2025 a world cruise for the price I stated above. If you don’t want inside you pay exactly 3,000 € more based on double occupation, here 50% single supplement as well. Balcony doubles the difference compared to inside for double occupation to 6,000. For solo cruisers this category has even slightly less than 50% supplement (all for 2025). Fact is as well that the single supplement is variable, but when cruises are published it always starts with about 50% on Costa. Truth is that Viking prices are so extremely high that all these differences don’t matter. What is completely neglected by you is the fact that wind makes inside the cabin the much quieter place to sleep. In fact I personally regard this as an argument to avoid Viking. “The price is what a fool pays for it” (Dutch saying). Besides the rules of a free market the single supplement is also about the question how to treat passengers. The costs are a mixture of many different factors. Some costs are related to the entire ship, some to the cabin and others to the individual passengers. Simply said I don’t eat for two, but the fuel needed remains the same, whether I am occupying a cabin alone or not. In fact all prices are a mixture of expected costs and desired profit. The single supplement goes towards covering costs and profit, paying single supplement is definitely not getting a discount! Truth is that Viking tries punishing me for being widowed - but I am not the proverbial fool! I already wrote about the “more space” question. Do I really need it and if so do I want to pay so much more for it? Do I really need a cabin larger than my bedroom at home? Neither bedroom nor cabin are the places I spend my days in. Would I sleep better in a larger bedroom / cabin? Regarding segments in 2025 the situation is different, Viking offers segments and combinations of segments between Ft. Lauderdale and New York, Costa doesn’t. The latter offers segments late and only if cabins don’t sell fast enough or for those cabins free again after voyages have been cancelled late. My 2024 cruise had been sold out nearly one year before starting, right now are a few cabins available again, also for segments. The second world cruise Costa offers later in 2024 is not segmented yet.

In 2017 I made a wonderful grand voyage that I booked for less than 50 € per day. I know that it was a very lucky exception, not a rule and I wouldn‘t present it as such. Also Heidi‘s calculations can‘t be generalised. Heidi flew to her Princess cruise to Australia and back home again. Her Viking cruise was exactly the one I looked up for 2025 (see above), from Los Angeles to London. If you take Vancouver as base already these very different distances were causing huge differences in costs. And it is for us impossible to tell how her spending habits were. You wrote that you did two overland tours on your 2023 world cruise. Without knowing the prices you were charged I can tell you that doing these tours had a significant impact on your board account. If you do so on one cruise and don‘t on a second both grand totals aren‘t comparable any more. In 2025 Viking includes 2,000 US$ OBC, 1,000 you only may spend on shore excursions, the other 1,000 as you like. Why Heidi got 11,000 OBC I don‘t know, but if you read her statements above you know that she spent it. While she stated that she only had a small amount to pay things would look quite different with the OBC offered today, perhaps like this:

For those who are interested how generous Viking really is I looked what their offer for their world cruise starting in 2025 is, while it is actually not an around the globe cruise. I used the part from Los Angeles to London in 121 days. One can stay another segment aboard and go further to New York or add the earlier segment from Ft Lauderdale to Los Angeles, just the time involved would distort comparability too much. Fact is that Viking has a policy of inclusions, but also that some expensive inclusions are only offered to guests booking in a limited number of countries. And now let’s compare this to Costa’s pricing for the around the world cruise starting in November 2025 from Trieste to Trieste in 128 days. The approach is different, Costa makes you paying for things you actually decide to book. Flights you pay for only if you fly with Costa, not like Viking including flights for bookings from specified countries. Since aboard prices are not available yet I take those from the first 2024 world cruise prices I am on, there are hardly any differences in itinerary, where prices went up since booking I used the most recent prices. Costa has depending on legal circumstances different prices, in Germany the service charge is included, but this makes the fare more expensive. When I booked in all countries where pricing was in Euro the world cruise was the same after adding these components, differences I found in included add-ons during a sale. Viking Costa Business class flights, but only from four countries including those two where the cruise starts and ends. Travel expenses not included, flights can be booked with Costa from quite a number of airports. Transfers to and from the ship Transfer from Venice airport to the ship in Trieste one way 19 € with individually booked transport. Included if flights are booked with Costa. Service charge Service charge included (prices mentioned from German website, following a legal requirement Costa adds up basic fare and service charge for pricing on the German website, can be different in other countries) Full beverage package Beverages during meals are included, upgrade to full beverage package 18 € per night Visa service with limitations Visa not included, my costs were 40 US$, of course not every passport is the same Luggage shipping, but only for US customers No luggage shipping included, for EU guests available at 73.50 € per suitcase (up to 32 kg each) and direction. One excursion in each port, Viking chooses which one, all the others are paid for 15 included excursions, Costa chooses which one. My average costs for excursions are 91.25 € per port, price can fluctuate lightly regarding different currencies to be paid in. WiFi under technical restrictions WiFi full package for unlimited use on one device 998.50 €, using phone as hotspot is possible. Very recently upgraded system to avoid the formerly usual problems with the signal in some remote areas. Cheaper packages available to fit needs. Alternative dining Alternative dining against a fee, pizzeria maximum 13 € per pizza, sushi maximum 23 € (all you can eat), fine dining restaurant Archipelago 59 € per five-course dinner, discounted package one all you can eat sushi plus one dinner in Archipelago 63 €. Access to spa Cabins with direct spa connection have unlimited access to the spa included in the fare, alternatively entrance against a fee. Self service laundrette Laundry packages, 25 pieces for 0.80 € per piece, no self service but washing, ironing, folding service Port taxes included All taxes included for EU bookings (legal requirement, can be different in other countries) 1,000 US$ general use OBC plus 1,000 US$ OBC for excursions only No OBC included in the fare Starting price 54,995 US$ per person based on double occupancy for 121 days from Los Angeles to London Starting price 17,399 € per person based on double occupancy for 128 days from Trieste to Trieste Single occupancy prices not mentioned. Single occupancy prices are starting at 26,099 €, this is a 50% supplement only. Now everybody may start calculating…

I doubt Costa along gets enough guests booked for an entire train. The port of Civitavecchia states the tourist train doesn’t run in December. Public train service in Italy is definitely reliable and easy to use. It is just possible to get on a quite full train when a lot of people decide doing the same, of course it is often a popular port for passenger changes as well. And make yourself familiar with the train stations and the metro system in Rome https://www.atac.roma.it/en/utility/maps?r=4. For Colosseum go by train to Ostiense train station and change to Metro (confusing, the Metro station is called Piramide) line B to either Jonio or Rebbibia, but not to Laurentina. Get out at Colosseo and you are just at the opposite side of the street.

I agree! Islandwoman often enough also asked for reasons, which could have resulted in more than “great service staff” or “financial reasons to buy a Ferrari”. Sure, you don’t book a world cruise if you don’t want one. Since circumnavigating the globe was on my bucket list as well we very easily can agree about this. Of course also the itinerary is important. Cunard - which I’d definitely use - disappointed me by offering a too short world cruise, I want to see the world, not only to go around as fast as possible. I don’t want to downgrade HAL, but they concentrate for my taste too much on European ports. For me as European it simply makes much more sense to visit on a world cruise mainly ports not close to my front door. Using a cruise line you know makes a lot of sense to me. Last year I booked a short cruise just to test a cruise line that offers a quite unique itinerary I am interested in doing one of the following years. And yes, the price. I think all of us want to get the best out of our money. Sure, all of us have different expectations. In the end the question is, whether someone is willing to pay more for a larger bathroom and if so how much. I had the choice between classic and premium cabins and took the latter, because they are in the less noisy part of the ship and I happily pay for being far away from engines, kitchen, bars or restaurants. My needs, my choice. But there is more! Calculations including business class flights to the most remote available starting point of a world cruise used as perfect example don’t make sense, because extremes distort suitability as example. Travel expenses at roughly 40 times more than I pay (a price that BVILady contested including long haul flights without compromising comfort) are simply not representative. This shows that one should do own research about costs involved regarding personal needs instead of believing statements that sound strange. Perhaps I am a bit more demanding, but nothing wrong with your approach, if it’s your style of cruising. For example my problem with NCL is that I feel pushed into the extra charged restaurants for getting a decent meal. The included restaurants I regard as not really bad, but very far from being good as well. In opposite to this: where I paid for I got excellent food. No limit at all, since NCL doesn’t offer world cruises. Basically I want well-prepared food. I am not snobbish, so not the price of products used count, but the taste. And yes, once in a while I spoil myself with something special. I am afraid a drink is available on each and every cruise that doesn’t call Saudi Arabia, while quality and quantity of entertainment can be very different on cruises. Regarding the point of leaving the ship in every port we have different views again. On all my cruises I skipped two ports ever, once I was simply too sick and the other time I had not the wish to enter that country.

Yes, this discussion started from no money for safety led to the Concordia disaster, not the totally wrong decision of the captain. A case wherein a Viking captain caused a comparable loss of human lives by again neglecting all safety rules was just bad luck. Indeed no need to continue reading your strange ideas.

I understand. Viking ocean liners are extremely safe because of the company’s safety culture and other Viking vessels remain beyond of consideration of safety. A five year sentence in the first instance for neglecting safety rules is not relevant. But indeed captain Chaplinsky did not run away, but gave command to another officer after the crash.

It sounds like using the Civitavecchia Express, a train especially designed for cruise guests visiting Rome, which runs again from spring to autumn: https://civitavecchia.portmobility.it/en/new-civitavecchia-express-non-stop-train-cruise-passengers. Out of season replacement busses are likely. The regular train connecting Civitavecchia with different stations in Rome every half hour is also quite useful, especially with a regional day ticket called BIRG for 5 zones (12 €). This ticket includes also local public transport within Rome as well. You can buy it in the train station’s newspaper shop and the bar therein. Regular train connections you can check on https://www.trenitalia.com/en.html.