Has anyone here actually taken a world cruise?

[Druke I]

I would love to do a world cruise, but my wife doesn't want to be gone that long - so we are doing it in segments.

 

The longest cruise I have gotten her on was 27 nights, San Francisco to Sydney, on the last voyage of the Sky Princess as a Princess ship.

 

She enjoyed it, but prefers two to three week segments.

 

Truth be known, I am not sure my wallet would go for a 90 night world cruise, but I can dream.

 

Michael

[petlover]

Slinkiecat, the sewing supplies is a great idea! As for hair salon...I too was thinking of that! My hairdresser told me that she can pre-mix my "special formula" in a container and all the ship's hairdresser adds is the peroxide (or whatever it is that is added?? that apparently ALLl salons have).

[Kami's pal]

iginally posted by Casey12:

If I can retire some day, this will be on the top of my list.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

One of the items on my "must do" list is to take a world cruise with the Semester at Sea program that the University of Pittsburgh runs. While the cruise programs are designed for college students, they do have a cadre of adults who join them on each cruise. Some of them are true "world cruises" ... these are the ones that take place during the regular semesters. Then they run a slightly shorter cruise in the summer months.

 

 

Which ship is this? Does one register as a student? Do you pay tuitiion fees?

[Slinkiecat]

Slinkiecat, the sewing supplies is a great idea! As for hair salon...I too was thinking of that! My hairdresser told me that she can pre-mix my "special formula" in a container and all the ship's hairdresser adds is the peroxide (or whatever it is that is added?? that apparently ALLl salons have).

I generally settle for the standard beauty shop offering on my color, and the main concern is that the stylist leaves it on long enough to color the new growth adequately. I HATE it when the roots shine through after a couple of shampoos. It takes a full 45 minutes and I always know when they rush me out that the color won't stay sound.

 

Anyway, I don't want to return after three months looking as if I had been gone for ten years! hahaha.

 

Is the barber shop also part of the spa on board? None of the men is giving me a clue. My handsome man will need his regular beauty treatment too, and although his favorite barber would love to come along, we aren't buying him a ticket. :D

 

Slinkie

:)

[rkacruiser]

Yes, the employees in the beauty shop also act as barbers for the men. The nice lady who cut my hair did an acceptable job. But, I prefer my own barber here at home.

[HighDesert]

Hi PetLover. Let me know how you resolved bill-paying and the IRS. I am planning to book on the Prinsendam for 2006 around the world. I thought seriously about Radisson's Voyager (I love the idea of an all-balcony ship), but couldn't bring myself to part with the money. I see that the Voyager goes to Luxor and Turkey and Dubai...I envy that. But Prinsendam goes up the Amazon. Oh well.

[petlover]

High Desert, I checked with our tax man and he says there's no problem getting the IRS extension at all. He's going to take care of it for us. The one thing that you do need to do when applying for an extension is send in a check for the estimated taxes owing (OUCH). There's no way around that or you could end up with penalties and interest owed.

 

We have set everything up so that we can pay online (use AmEx for everything). Most all our "routine" monthly charges go on there each month, then we just pay on line. There are a couple of things (cable TV comes to mind) where the money just comes out of our checking account each month. These will all be easy! I will have to pay my gardener a couple of months in advance. Other than him, everything else should go online or auto withdrawls.

 

I am also going to arrange a "credit line" of sorts with my VET so my daughter can take the pets there should there be any emergency. She will soon be 24 and will be living here with the pets. Mail is another issue....I need to train my daughter to throw out all the junk mail. Otherwise I can only imagine what we'd come home too! I'm also going to cancel the newspaper to help make things easier for her to keep up with.

 

I wonder how people years ago use to go on around the world cruises for months at a time long before bill paying online, auto debiting checking accounts etc.???? I know my biggest issue is missing my 2 dogs and 3 cats! I plan on taking lots of photos of them to decorate the cabin!

 

BTW, High Desert....when we were looking at world cruise options, Radisson Voyager was less $ than HAL's mini suite (category A/B). We received quite a discount through Radisson because of being a previous client, (we're also a previous HAL client); onboard booking it and that sort of thing,,.10% off here, 10% off there etc. It also includes ALL the gratuities, 100% of All liquor and soft drinks etc, $1,500 shipboard credit, plus about 8 complimentary excursions (even an overnight one in Bangkok), round trip transportation of our luggage (they come to our home and pick it up and return it again at the end of the cruise), an overnight at the Los Angeles St. Regis and private transfer to the pier the next day, plus all Visa cost. The fare also included FREE Firstclass airfare or $3,000 credit. Since we live in Los Angeles we only needed air from Ft. Lauderdale back to LAX at the end. We took the $3,000 credit and booked 2 one way tickets in coach on AA for $136. each! The least expensive cabin on Radisson Voyager was less than the total cost would have been on HAL with a mini-suite AND the cabin on Voyager is noticeablly larger!! The gratuities and wine with dinner and that sort of thing can really add up. My husband did the math for days before we booked.Everyone thinks Radisson is so much more expensive than other cruise lines and this is NOT necessarily so. It sure wasn't in the case of our world cruise. It pays to compare!

[halcruiser]

We also are booked for the 2005 HAL World Cruise - 112 days. Our longest before this was 70 days, 2002 World Cruise. We will try to build on our experiences from this one. The one nice thing is most all the cruise is warm weather, therefore not needing cold weather clothes other than getting to the ship. Was wondering how big the closet is. Have seen picture, but hard to tell size. I was thinking of taking the hanging closet shelves, like for sweaters, shirts, etc. They fold flat and are soft except for hanger part. Having pickup for luggage ahead of time will help packing also. I look forward to meeting you all. I read CC everyday, but don't reply too often. Enjoy the info I get from all.

Marion

[Opinions]

On cruises over 30 days what does one do about mail?...The Post Office claims they will only hold mail for 30 days...If one does not have a friendly neighbor or relative what other options are there?

[Robin7]

We would love to do a long cruise some day, but we have too many kids to be gone longer than a week for who knows how many years to come. (I have seven kids ranging from 20 to 4.) I usually gain between 5-7 pounds on a cruise. How on earth do you keep from gaining weight when you do a longer cruise??? I can just see me coming home 100 pounds heavier from a 100 day cruise! :eek: How do you all control your weight? Do you exercise like mad or what??? Just wondering.

 

Robin

[RuthC]

On cruises over 30 days what does one do about mail?...The Post Office claims they will only hold mail for 30 days...If one does not have a friendly neighbor or relative what other options are there?

I can't answer your question, but I have the shakes just thinking about the mountain of mail you'd come home to. I've taken many cruises in the mid-length range and come home to---well let's just say it resembles the local landfill.

It does help if whoever takes the mail in tries to sort it into piles of "important", "junk", "bills", etc.

How do you all control your weight?

Actually, it isn't as hard to control your weight on a long cruise as it is on a shorter one.

On a long cruise one tends to get in to a rhythm, more like real life. The compulsion to eat something because it's there is lessened---there's always tomorrow. Sure, you need to watch it, and excercise, but the pace is slower so you feel there is time for everything.

[halcruiser]

Robin7, hang in there, we also have seven children (all grown). We started w/short cruises and are now up to a World Cruise in 2005. As far as weight gain, we were on a 70 day cruise several years ago and I only gained 7 pounds. As RuthC says, it is more like everyday living at home. I think you do have a different midset since you don't have to cram all the wonderful food that is available into 7 days. I also tend to do more walking & exercising.

[Slinkiecat]

We would rent a PO box if we didn't have a sister in the vicinity to pick ours up and sort it for us once a week. That is easiest to do. We can use BillPay online to pay whatever bills can't be handled automatically.

 

I have to watch what I eat all the time anyway because of my cholesterol, so I just continue on a ship and also make sure I get enough exercise every day. If I were to gain 10 pounds my formal gowns would no longer fit, so I would cut back until I lost the extra pounds.

 

Slinkie

[terrascape]

I was fortunate enough to take part in the Semester at Sea Program for the Fall semester in 1971. At the time it was sponsored by Chapman College in Orange County, California. As mentioned in an earlier post it has been run by the University of Pittsburgh for numerous years now. We were on the old SS Universe for 114 days. Sailed frfom Los Angeles, around the world westbound, ending in New York City on December 23. We visited one US Territory and 12 countries. Our length in port varied from 3 days to 6 days. Plenty of time to either explore on our own or make trips arranged through the college, i.e. visiting the Taj Mahal in India. We had plenty of homework, and exams. Classes were held 6 days a week all day when at sea. No classes in port. Term papers were required. This was certainly an outstanding 4 months of my life, and something I will never forget. Probably lots of changes in the past thirty years, but the basic ideas are still the same. The Universe has since been scrapped, but it will always hold a soft spot in my heart for those fantastic four months at sea, learning about our world in which we live.

[kryos]

Which ship is this? Does one register as a student? Do you pay tuitiion fees?

I know we are normally not permitted to post web sites, but I would hope this would be an exception since it is not really a travel-type website.

 

Information about the University of Pittsburgh's Semester at Sea Program can be found at http://www.semesteratsea.com

 

The adults on the cruise are NOT considered students ... i.e., they receive no college credit for the cruise unless they are actually registered with the University of Pittsburgh as matriculated students. However, the adults are permitted to sit in on courses of their choosing, and participate in the related shore excursions. This is not a "cruise," in the real sense, but rather a life-changing experience. The learning opportunity is absolutely invaluable, but you will give up many of the cruising ammenities that are staples on the big ships. For example, you won't find a midnight chocolate buffet on this ship, nor will you find a cruise director's staff busily arranging activities for the many days you will spend at sea. But, you will get three square meals a day served cafeteria style, many fascinating lectures to attend, and entertainment as organized and provided by the students themselves. You will also find rather unique shore excursions that are designed to supplement the learning that goes on in the classrooms. You will also have a cabin steward to clean up your room.

 

From what I understand, the adults have cabins that are seggregated from the facilities shared by the students, and the prices are amazingly affordable.

 

I know that when the opportunity presents itself (either retirement or any other time when I can get a leave of absence from work ... and have the finances available), I plan to do this. In my opinion, it is truly what they call a "once in a lifetime" opportunity.

 

Blue skies!

 

--rita

[kryos]

Term papers were required. This was certainly an outstanding 4 months of my life, and something I will never forget.

That's why I'd like to participate in their continuing ed program. No termpapers required ... no tests either. :)

 

Sounds like you had a great experience ... and one that you'll still be talking about for the rest of your life!

 

Blue skies!

 

--rita