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ArtsyCraftsy
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57 minutes ago, Aquadesiac said:

 

Did you have to pay for your Viking insurance at the same time as booking? The 2021 itinerary is seriously calling to me... 

We did pay for the insurance upon booking to get the pre-existing conditions waiver. However, you cal purchase the insurance at a later date, but then you must comply with the pre-existing conditions clause. You have 14 days after making the deposit to purchase the insurance to receive the pre-existing conditions waiver.

 

I tried local brokers and the common online ones mentioned on CC and none of them would accept the risk, hence the reason we went with Viking insurance.

 

The 2021 itinerary is even better than the 2020 we booked. Really like the schedule in the meddy and the additional overnight stops.

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6 hours ago, Aquadesiac said:

 

Did you have to pay for your Viking insurance at the same time as booking? The 2021 itinerary is seriously calling to me... 

 

That's the one that I've been looking at too, as an alternative to the Regent 2021 WC that we're currently booked on.  Haven't cruised Viking, however, so a little leery.  But the insurance sounds great.  Not only pre-existing but "cancel for any reason". 

 

Heidi, does that last include after final payment, or just up until final payment.  If you hadn't purchased their insurance, what would the cancellation penalty be up to final?

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10 hours ago, Aquadesiac said:

Did you have to pay for your Viking insurance at the same time as booking? 

 

I understand that the Canadians have some special circumstances about getting travel insurance, but we live in the USA and had no problem finding and purchasing it for a pretty expensive Oceania world cruise. 

 

We went to insuremytrip dot com during the first 14 days after booking and found 4 comprehensive policies.  We compared coverages and premiums....purchased a policy from Berkshire Hathaway. The premium cost 6.4% of the basic cruisefare. You don't have to buy a policy from the cruiseline. 

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Plus I noticed the Viking insurance reimbursed with travel vouchers that had to be redeemed in 12 months instead of cash. Not optimal. 

 

We use Berkshire Hathaway for some of our rental properties. Wonder if they offer multi-policy discounts?

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2 hours ago, Aquadesiac said:

Plus I noticed the Viking insurance reimbursed with travel vouchers that had to be redeemed in 12 months instead of cash. Not optimal. 

 

We use Berkshire Hathaway for some of our rental properties. Wonder if they offer multi-policy discounts?

 

Oh, I did not know that!  Thanks for that important piece of information.

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16 hours ago, Go-Bucks! said:

 

I understand that the Canadians have some special circumstances about getting travel insurance, but we live in the USA and had no problem finding and purchasing it for a pretty expensive Oceania world cruise. 

 

We went to insuremytrip dot com during the first 14 days after booking and found 4 comprehensive policies.  We compared coverages and premiums....purchased a policy from Berkshire Hathaway. The premium cost 6.4% of the basic cruisefare. You don't have to buy a policy from the cruiseline. 

 

Yeah, the Canadian situation really sucks, and I'm not sure why this has happened. I can't see any reason, but perhaps there are arcane laws to do with such coverage that aren't common knowledge.

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Wendy - The Viking Insurance has 2 separate clauses:

 - Cancellation Penalty Waiver

 - Enhanced Cancel For Any Reason Penalty Waiver

 

Both of the above are applicable from the date following the day the insurance is paid until departure.

 - Cancellation Penalty Waiver - we are covered up to the total trip cost. The published cancellation fees applicable at the time you cancel are waived and all monies paid are refunded in "Cash", provided you cancel for one of the stated reasons. Note - stated reasons are fairly comprehensive.

 - Enhanced cancel for any reason - if you cancel for a reason not included, you receive travel vouchers, which should be used within 12 months, but not later than 15 months after cancelling the cruise.

 

Both above clauses are actioned by Viking directly. Once you sail the insurance company takes over.

 

Hope this clarifies the Viking Insurance

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On 1/14/2019 at 10:43 AM, LynnTTT said:

My husband and I are booked on a Costa world tour in January 2020.

 

This is a really cheap cruise so we do have some concerns. There are not as many port days as some world cruises.

 

As we did our research for world cruises, one of the things that we noticed was that the cheaper priced world cruises had more sea days and fewer port days.  As the prices increased, so did the percentage of port days.  Now, I love sea days but frankly I'm taking this very expensive cruise in order to see the world...not just float around in the water.  We chose Oceania and our itinerary has 60% port days and 40% sea days.  The cheaper cruises had about the opposite. 

 

When we compared 10 cruiselines, we wanted to have it be as "apples-to-apples" as possible.  So we decided which amenities/perks we needed or wanted, then determined the monetary value of them.  If a certain cruiseline didn't include the amenity in their base price then we added it to it.  We also decided that we wouldn't spend any extra on the base fare for any cruiseline that included alcohol so that automatically disqualified a few lines (we don't drink alcohol).  After adding the price of the amenities to a base fare, we compared the cruiselines.  What we found was that the amenities we wanted were equal to about $22-27,000.  The "cheaper" cruiseline fares actually turned out to be very close to the price of a cruiseline that charged more initially, but was pretty all inclusive.  So be careful when you compare fares....look at many different cruiselines to see which best meets your needs.

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8 hours ago, Go-Bucks! said:

 

As we did our research for world cruises, one of the things that we noticed was that the cheaper priced world cruises had more sea days and fewer port days.  As the prices increased, so did the percentage of port days.  Now, I love sea days but frankly I'm taking this very expensive cruise in order to see the world...not just float around in the water.  We chose Oceania and our itinerary has 60% port days and 40% sea days.  The cheaper cruises had about the opposite. 

 

When we compared 10 cruiselines, we wanted to have it be as "apples-to-apples" as possible.  So we decided which amenities/perks we needed or wanted, then determined the monetary value of them.  If a certain cruiseline didn't include the amenity in their base price then we added it to it.  We also decided that we wouldn't spend any extra on the base fare for any cruiseline that included alcohol so that automatically disqualified a few lines (we don't drink alcohol).  After adding the price of the amenities to a base fare, we compared the cruiselines.  What we found was that the amenities we wanted were equal to about $22-27,000.  The "cheaper" cruiseline fares actually turned out to be very close to the price of a cruiseline that charged more initially, but was pretty all inclusive.  So be careful when you compare fares....look at many different cruiselines to see which best meets your needs.

 

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9 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

Wendy - The Viking Insurance has 2 separate clauses:

 - Cancellation Penalty Waiver

 - Enhanced Cancel For Any Reason Penalty Waiver

 

Both of the above are applicable from the date following the day the insurance is paid until departure.

 - Cancellation Penalty Waiver - we are covered up to the total trip cost. The published cancellation fees applicable at the time you cancel are waived and all monies paid are refunded in "Cash", provided you cancel for one of the stated reasons. Note - stated reasons are fairly comprehensive.

 - Enhanced cancel for any reason - if you cancel for a reason not included, you receive travel vouchers, which should be used within 12 months, but not later than 15 months after cancelling the cruise.

 

Both above clauses are actioned by Viking directly. Once you sail the insurance company takes over.

 

Hope this clarifies the Viking Insurance

Thanks for that clarification. My eyes glaze over when I encounter legalese, so I missed this important distinction. Much appreciated!

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We would love to go on a Oceania or Regent or Viking etc worldwide tour.  But we can't afford it.  I'm not willing to raid my savings to that extent. We did look at other mid-price ww cruises but didn't like their itinerary as well.  We do drink and hope that a Eurocentric cruise line should have decent wine. Our tour will include some pretty basic tours and people who have been on Viking cruises say that their "included" tours were usually simply walking tours also.

Anyway, our bill for the tour, for the two of us and including taxes and fees and wine/beer at lunch and dinner, for an ocean view stateroom is less than the price for one person on more deluxe cruises. We're pretty flexible and I think we'll enjoy it.  

 

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1 hour ago, Aquadesiac said:

Thanks for that clarification. My eyes glaze over when I encounter legalese, so I missed this important distinction. Much appreciated!

The brochure that Viking sent with our provisional booking was only a summary and didn't explain it very well, in my opinion.

 

I followed the link to the actual policy, where it was explained in more detail, so I fully understood what was on offer before signing up for the cruise.

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1 hour ago, LynnTTT said:

We would love to go on a Oceania or Regent or Viking etc worldwide tour.  But we can't afford it.  I'm not willing to raid my savings to that extent. We did look at other mid-price ww cruises but didn't like their itinerary as well.  We do drink and hope that a Eurocentric cruise line should have decent wine. Our tour will include some pretty basic tours and people who have been on Viking cruises say that their "included" tours were usually simply walking tours also.

Anyway, our bill for the tour, for the two of us and including taxes and fees and wine/beer at lunch and dinner, for an ocean view stateroom is less than the price for one person on more deluxe cruises. We're pretty flexible and I think we'll enjoy it.  

 

Please be aware of the plethora of additional charges that could be incurred on mainstream cruise lines. While you have the option of not spending additional money, you will be constantly bombarded and not for a week or two, but 4 months..

 

I have compared what we spent on our 2015 WC on Princess to our projected spend on a 2020 WC with Viking. While both cabins are balcony, the Viking cabin is about 50% bigger. When I added our total spend in 2015 - cruise fare, excursions, internet, flights, drinks and other on-board spend, the actual per diem rate is very close to what we will spend with Viking in 2020. The Viking base fare is about 50% higher than the 2015 Princess fare, but after both cruises we will spend about the same amount of money (per diem).

 

Enjoy your cruise, but suggest keeping a close watch on the shipboard account throughout the cruise, as you don't want a shock at the end of the cruise.

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14 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

Wendy - The Viking Insurance has 2 separate clauses:

 - Cancellation Penalty Waiver

 - Enhanced Cancel For Any Reason Penalty Waiver

 

Both of the above are applicable from the date following the day the insurance is paid until departure.

 - Cancellation Penalty Waiver - we are covered up to the total trip cost. The published cancellation fees applicable at the time you cancel are waived and all monies paid are refunded in "Cash", provided you cancel for one of the stated reasons. Note - stated reasons are fairly comprehensive.

 - Enhanced cancel for any reason - if you cancel for a reason not included, you receive travel vouchers, which should be used within 12 months, but not later than 15 months after cancelling the cruise.

 

Both above clauses are actioned by Viking directly. Once you sail the insurance company takes over.

 

Hope this clarifies the Viking Insurance

 

Andy, thanks for the explanation of Viking insurance, that's a relief. 

 

13 hours ago, Go-Bucks! said:

 

As we did our research for world cruises, one of the things that we noticed was that the cheaper priced world cruises had more sea days and fewer port days.  As the prices increased, so did the percentage of port days.  Now, I love sea days but frankly I'm taking this very expensive cruise in order to see the world...not just float around in the water.  We chose Oceania and our itinerary has 60% port days and 40% sea days.  The cheaper cruises had about the opposite. 

 

 

Yes, Regent has 60% port days as well.  

 

2 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

Please be aware of the plethora of additional charges that could be incurred on mainstream cruise lines. While you have the option of not spending additional money, you will be constantly bombarded and not for a week or two, but 4 months..

 

 

Yes, those items will add up on any cruise line.  Regent always includes: gratuities, alcoholic beverages, specialty dining, some wifi and many excursions; the World Cruise also includes:  First Class Air to Miami with Transfers Between Airport and Ship,  Business Class Air back from Barcelona,  Exclusive Pre-Cruise Gala Event and 1-Night Hotel Stay in Miami, Exclusive Shoreside Experiences:  Unlimited WiFi, Door to Door Luggage Service,  Comprehensive Visa Package, Unlimited Laundry Including Dry Cleaning and Pressing, Commemorative Gift,  Onboard Medical Service.

 

You can do just "free" excursions if you like, or you can pay some extra and have a slightly smaller group with some more 'exclusive' elements.  On our last 18-day trip on RSSC Mariner, we spent maybe $400 on excursions, total.  So for a WC, this is a big win.

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While I agree that the likes of Viking, Oceania, Regent would be the way to go. A lot of people just don't have $100,000 to do this.  It's either going to be go and pay $40,000 or don't go at all.  I think we would all agree that the inclusions are a fantastic deal but for some it's really not a matter of choice, it's take the lower fare or don't go.

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If planning a frugal World Cruise with very limited on board spend, I agree that a cheaper base fare on a mainstream cruise line will have a lower gross cost than a premium/luxury line.

 

However, I question why anybody would sign up for a 4-month cruise and budget virtually nothing for airfares, Visas, gratuities, excursions, drinks and various other on-board spend.

 

What most of us are mentioning is that unless you are especially frugal, the gross spend on a lower cost mainstream line is not much different from some premium/luxury lines. This is our experience when comparing world cruises from Princess & Viking. Getting on-board the Princess ship cost significantly less than Viking, but by the end of the cruise, the total cost was almost the same.

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4 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

However, I question why anybody would sign up for a 4-month cruise and budget virtually nothing for airfares, Visas, gratuities, excursions, drinks and various other on-board spend.

 

What most of us are mentioning is that unless you are especially frugal, the gross spend on a lower cost mainstream line is not much different....Getting on-board the Princess ship cost significantly less than Viking, but by the end of the cruise, the total cost was almost the same.

 

Cruise Junky,

 

I'm a very frugal person (which is how, as a nurse, I have been able to save for a world cruise) and am always looking for the best VALUE for my money. Even with the cheapest fare, you'll still have many other expenses that you'll either have to pay or surely you'll want to pay...such as:

 

Gratuities...not many people would withhold tips on a 3-6 month cruise and they're not cheap.

 

Airfare...unless you can get to and from the port some other way, you'll have this expense. Also transfers or taxis.

 

Pre cruise hotel....you wouldn't want to risk missing a world cruise!

 

Medical care...the ship charges a fortune and you never know when you might need it.

 

Visas...expensive and time consuming to do on your own, but has to be done (we had 6).

 

Unlimited Laundry...this is expensive to have the ship do or doing yourself wastes alot of precious time. 

 

Unlimited wifi...you'll likely want to stay in touch with friends and family since you'll be gone for so long and internet is expensive on the ship.

 

Luggage delivery...you have to pack alot for 3-6 months so this service is great. 2 pieces of luggage per person on a plane isn't likely to be enough. 

 

Excursions...the most expensive thing, though, will likely be excursions. I'll be stopping in 81 ports...even at just $50 per port comes to $4,050! And it's almost impossible to do excursions for under $100. I can't imagine going on a world cruise and either not taking tours or only walking around the port. You're going to see the world. So doing all private tours or paying for ship tours will be costly. 

 

Ok, so the cheapest inside cabin fare I found ($18,000 per person) will likely include nothing or virtually nothing from the cruiseline. We calculated the cost of necessary other expenses at $22-27,000 per person. Added to $18,000 and your true cost is $40-45,000.  Oceania (and other lines) includes all the other expense items (we got 36 shore tours each plus 5 shore events) plus more and the cheapest inside cabin was $33,000. That's such a better value, saving $7-12,000 over the "cheap" fare.

 

If someone cannot afford the total cost of a cheap fare plus expenses then they will have to wait and keep saving...I get it. But a true "apples-to-apples" cost comparison is likely to show that a premium or luxury line isn't much different than a cheap mainstream line that doesn't include much.  Also, the cheap lines often have more sea days than port days which cuts costs for the cruiseline and makes them more money from onboard spending. 

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I'm with Go-Bucks here, as I've said previously.  And she didn't even mention drinks--budget cruise lines charge for most of them, even non-alcoholic ones like soft drinks and bottled water.  Something to consider.

 

My problem with Oceania's RTW cruise is that it's too long.  But there is the advantage of having Inside cabins.  Regent is all outside, mostly balconies. 

 

But let's face it, you'll have plenty of time to do your laundry on your sea days.

 

Really, I'm sure you'll have a fabulous time.  Just make sure you've thought out the costs accurately.  For me, excursions would be the biggy--not cheap at all, although you can do private at reasonable cost in some parts of the world, and perhaps you can find other passengers to share the costs.  Private is always better, if affordable.

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I travel solo, booking a regular cabin and paying whatever "single supplement" is offered at the time I book.  Once I decided I could handle the length of a world cruise, I started looking at the cost.

 

I did a point-by-point comparison between Holland America's 2020 World Cruise and Regent's.  They are very different cruise lines.  Holland America is "additive" -- they have a base fare, and nearly everything else is charged in addition to that (gratuities, excursions, drinks except for basic stuff like water, tea, and plain coffee;  specialty dining, etc.). The length of the respective cruises was nearly identical (131 days for RSSC; 128 days for HAL).

 

In terms of base fare ONLY, Regent was $20K cheaper than HAL.  That's BASE FARE only, bearing in mind that Regent is all-inclusive and HAL is not.  When you add in the extras you have to pay extra for on HAL (gratuities, anticipated costs of drinks and excursions), the difference is even greater.  Also, Regent includes some "extras" that many other cruise lines don't:  free onboard medical care, free first-class airfare to/from embarkation/disembarkation port, free visa package, free internet, etc.

 

Yes, Regent's "per person double occupancy" fare is higher than HAL's, but the "single supplement" is very different:  42-45% for Regent; 100% for HAL.  And that made the difference.  

 

I'm at an age where physical challenges are presenting themselves in ever accelerating succession.  I know I won't be able to travel like this forever -- I have a couple of progressive "things" that are already making even cruise travel more difficult than I like, so I have a daily reminder that time is short and I'd better do as much as I can while I still have the means and health to do so.  I know I would regret it if I didn't seize the opportunity to see the world while I can.  I started planning for this when I was 7 yrs old (making a list of "places I must see before I die") and started saving for it when I was in my 20s.  It took some serious health issues in 2014-2016 to finally get me to start doing it.

 

Making up for lost time, I have 3 cruises booked this year: 28 days roundtrip from San Diego to Hawaii, Tahiti, and the Marquesas in Mar-Apr on HAL; a 7-day Alaska cruise from Seattle on Oceania; and a 35-day trip to Ecuador and Peru from Seattle ("Incan Empires") also on HAL in Sep-Oct.  Then in 2020, the 131-day Regent World Cruise (Jan 24 - Jun 4), a 20-day Alaska trip on Viking Ocean in August, and a 68-day LA to Miami around South America on Regent Oct 29, 2020 - Jan 5, 2021.  I'll have to see how I'm doing physically before I book too much beyond that.

 

Lana in Bellingham, WA  

 

 

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6 hours ago, ArtsyCraftsy said:

I travel solo, booking a regular cabin and paying whatever "single supplement" is offered at the time I book.  Once I decided I could handle the length of a world cruise, I started looking at the cost.

 

I did a point-by-point comparison between Holland America's 2020 World Cruise and Regent's.  They are very different cruise lines.  Holland America is "additive" -- they have a base fare, and nearly everything else is charged in addition to that (gratuities, excursions, drinks except for basic stuff like water, tea, and plain coffee;  specialty dining, etc.). The length of the respective cruises was nearly identical (131 days for RSSC; 128 days for HAL).

 

In terms of base fare ONLY, Regent was $20K cheaper than HAL.  That's BASE FARE only, bearing in mind that Regent is all-inclusive and HAL is not.  When you add in the extras you have to pay extra for on HAL (gratuities, anticipated costs of drinks and excursions), the difference is even greater.  Also, Regent includes some "extras" that many other cruise lines don't:  free onboard medical care, free first-class airfare to/from embarkation/disembarkation port, free visa package, free internet, etc.

 

Yes, Regent's "per person double occupancy" fare is higher than HAL's, but the "single supplement" is very different:  42-45% for Regent; 100% for HAL.  And that made the difference.  

 

I'm at an age where physical challenges are presenting themselves in ever accelerating succession.  I know I won't be able to travel like this forever -- I have a couple of progressive "things" that are already making even cruise travel more difficult than I like, so I have a daily reminder that time is short and I'd better do as much as I can while I still have the means and health to do so.  I know I would regret it if I didn't seize the opportunity to see the world while I can.  I started planning for this when I was 7 yrs old (making a list of "places I must see before I die") and started saving for it when I was in my 20s.  It took some serious health issues in 2014-2016 to finally get me to start doing it.

 

Making up for lost time, I have 3 cruises booked this year: 28 days roundtrip from San Diego to Hawaii, Tahiti, and the Marquesas in Mar-Apr on HAL; a 7-day Alaska cruise from Seattle on Oceania; and a 35-day trip to Ecuador and Peru from Seattle ("Incan Empires") also on HAL in Sep-Oct.  Then in 2020, the 131-day Regent World Cruise (Jan 24 - Jun 4), a 20-day Alaska trip on Viking Ocean in August, and a 68-day LA to Miami around South America on Regent Oct 29, 2020 - Jan 5, 2021.  I'll have to see how I'm doing physically before I book too much beyond that.

 

Lana in Bellingham, WA  

 

 

 

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Lana, what a great attitude! Enjoy the Marquesas, they're magnificent!

 

We very much are in the mode of "let's get this done while we can", with our own physical limitations closing in.  We have done quite a lot of travel this century, and had decided to slow down, but then we looked at the 2021 Mariner cruise and said, "what the hell!".  Our financial advisor is still reeling from the shock. 

 

Carpe diem, folks!

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Our broker is alternately envious of our travel and cautioning about not spending down too much too soon in our retirement. It's hard to know whether to seize the day or take the safe route. But if I'd lived my  life only worrying about what bad might happen I'd have never done anything!

 

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4 hours ago, Wendy The Wanderer said:

Lana, what a great attitude! Enjoy the Marquesas, they're magnificent!

 

We very much are in the mode of "let's get this done while we can", with our own physical limitations closing in.  We have done quite a lot of travel this century, and had decided to slow down, but then we looked at the 2021 Mariner cruise and said, "what the hell!".  Our financial advisor is still reeling from the shock. 

 

Carpe diem, folks!

 

Thanks!  I have a couple of shirts I had printed with the slogan "Carpe friggin' diem!" -- my motto, for sure.  🙂  When I first decided to start cruising a couple of years ago, I was really concerned what my finance folks would say.  Their response was "We wondered what was taking you so long to try this!  Have a great time!"  They know about the 2020 world cruise, but they don't have the numbers yet (that meeting is coming up next month).  The last time I budgeted that much for something, I was buying a house.  But really, you only live once, and life is short.

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9 hours ago, lovegod01 said:

You really start to think about this when you was 7 I think about it now a lot I supposed I’m worried it won’t happen

 

I really did.  When I was in 2nd grade (age 7), we read a series of stories about a child in Lapland.  That was when I started the list -- I knew I had to visit Lapland someday.  (I still haven't made it, but I'm looking at a Regent cruise that covers that area, possibly for 2021 - the Grand Arctic Adventure, which visits several ports in that area.)

 

As the years went by, I added new places to the list, usually based on stories or books I read for my classes, or penpals I obtained as part of school projects.  Bolivia, the Netherlands, Scotland, Mali, Ceylon, Fiji, and New Zealand were all early entries (2nd - 6th grades).  About 75% of the locations on the list are reachable via water -- either oceans or rivers.  So far, with 3 cruises, I've been able to tick off several, and the world cruise will definitely cover quite a few more.

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