What sets a world cruise apart?

[arielmomma]

I am considering taking a full world cruise aboard QM2.  I am curious, besides the length and convenience, what sets a full world cruise apart from its standard 7-14 day cruises? Does Cunard do anything different/unique on its world voyages? Or is it basically like several of its standard cruises all linked together? Thank you in advance for answers.

[safarigal]

Although it does vary they offer the following. We did not get a drinks package or free laundry on ours, but got the rest

• a welcome reception 
• drinks package
• free laundry
• a commemorative gift each segment
• World Voyage cocktail parties each segment
• a gala dinner ashore 
• daily gratuities 
• the services of a World Voyage concierge. 

For me, the best part of the sea days was waking up each morning and not feeling pressured to do anything, I could just relax and write my blog. The same thing with the ports - we had been to several before so we didn't feel we had to do a tour and see everything, we could just wander in to town and find a good place for lunch and people watching.

 

A world cruise is a good thing :)

[arielmomma]

Thank you, Safarigirl, for sharing your experience. Do the daily classes/lectures/evening entertainment vary with each segment? Just as an example, will the waltz be taught in the ballroom the 1st sea day of each segment or do they switch up the daily options a bit? I'm someone who loves to take advantage of the scheduled daily activities. I'd like to know that there would be a nice variety of fresh activities for 113 days. On another note, what is the gala dinner ashore like?

 

 

[ricki]

I'm afraid I can't tell you much about the dance classes, but there were certainly many enrichment activities each sea day.   You will not be bored.

 

We were in a balcony, and were fortunate to have free laundry--the best possible perk, IMO!!

 

The WC also gives one the opportunity to forge and solidify new friendships  (including Safarigal!) with guests from all over the world.  Fortunately, many of these same friends will be doing the QV this January around South America, so we will have a reunion.

 

The shoreside dinner was held at the Kerry Hotel in Hong Kong, and was a lovely event.  We  shared it with the QM2, who was also in Hong Kong.  The pre-dinner cocktails (open bar for cocktails and during dinner, plus wine served at the table.)  included Chinese fortune tellers, calligraphy artists, and many other entertainers in beautiful costumes.  The dinner was elegant with addtional entertainment including acrobats, muscians, etc.  It was really a special evening!

 

Selfishly, one of the benefits of the WC is seeing the luggage out in hallway for those on segments, and realizing one had many more weeks onboard.

 

Ricki

 

 

 

 

 

[Lakesregion]

11 hours ago, arielmomma said:

I am considering taking a full world cruise aboard QM2.  I am curious, besides the length and convenience, what sets a full world cruise apart from its standard 7-14 day cruises? Does Cunard do anything different/unique on its world voyages? Or is it basically like several of its standard cruises all linked together? Thank you in advance for answers.

For myself a world cruise is the ultimate in luxury no matter if you are Queens Grill Penthouse or the smallest inside cabin. 113 days of sheer bliss. Arrive, unpack and you are home. However unless you are of the 1% home will not be like aworld cruise. Imagine 113 days of zero housekeeping, cooking, dishes etc. 113 days of dining out three meals a day. entertainment pretty much 24/7, exotic places and container ports (Cunard is not known for paying for the best downtown dock-age) which I found to be way more interesting as the bus ride from the ship to downtown went through local neighborhoods that the average tourist never gets to see. Meeting hundreds of very interesting people from all over the world. Book a ten seat table for dinner. Cunard do an  excellent job of matching up the passengers for a fun group.

 

No packing and unpacking as on a long auto rip. And yes Cunard does paper the full world cruise passengers. While the ship is usually full for the entire 113 days, the majority of the passengers are on for segments. The ful world people get special attention and the end of the voyage on-shore party is very special. You will have numerous get togethers with the officers and if you play your cards right even a segment of the voyage at the captain tables. That is special.

 

So do book, while the initial expense looks large divide it by 113 days and it comes out pretty much of a bargain. There is really no where that you can get 113 days of pure bliss for that price.

[arielmomma]

"113 days of pure bliss"

 

If that's not reason enough to book, I don't know what is. 😀

[seacruise9]

Hi, 

 

Because I am still working, I am unable to take a world cruise at this time. However, I certainly hope to take a full world cruise on a Cunard ship after I retire.

 

I have done short segments during two world cruises: the Queen Victoria in 2015 and the Queen Mary 2 in 2017. These segments provided me with a taste of a world cruise. I had an excellent time on both of these cruises and greatly enjoyed talking to some of the passengers who were taking the full world cruise or long segments. There is a wonderful atmosphere on the Cunard ships. 

 

Chuck

Edited October 21, 2019 by seacruise9

[canoncruiser]

Hi,

 

I did the full World Cruise on QE in 2016; NY to Soho’ton on QM2, then QE Soho’ton to Soho’ton, then QM2 home. Shall I use the work GLORIOUS because it was. Aside from the usual excellent Cunard levels of service, the land tours were beyond superb, the preparation for them was thorough and also elegant - drinks and canapés -along with thorough advice and instruction about every stage of the tour in preparation for each tour. My only -sort of regret - was having to miss Shanghai because our overland to the Terra Cotta Warriors , the Great Wall and Beijing which began in Hong Kong ended in Shanghai on the evening that the ship sailed from Shanghai. We had 2 stops in Hong Kong and five in Japan, two in Korea. There was a special lounge for full WC passengers with a delegated Concierge for said passengers. I had a Deck 7 balcony forward which was perfect for port departures, as well as sea days; night sailings from among others Cape Town, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Singapore were magical.

SAVE YOUR PENNIES AND DO THE FULL WORLD CRUISE>😊😊😊😊

[tv24]

We are actively considering a full world cruise...on another line...and are very attracted to the many days of sheer bliss, the extra perks for WC guests, and the special service.  However I have some reluctance due to fear of repetition of food.  The work around for that would be to eat some meals off the ship.  Another issue for me is the repetition of activities as the WC is made up of segments and each segment would have many of the same activities.  But I do note that the first poster is considering QM2 WC, and we all know that the QM2 has the broadest array of activities on the sea.  Lovely to be able to have these dreams and realize them if we choose to.

[exlondoner]

I have never done a world cruise, and it sounds as if it can be an awe-inspiring experience. Here are two reasons I never shall. One, obviously, is lack of cash. The second is fear of coming back. Coming back must be something that sets a world cruise apart. Being away so long must put you out of touch with your home environment, and the shock of having to do your own washing up must be quite extreme. Plus of course there will probably be a fair amount of weight to lose. 😀

 

I should be intereseted to know now how long it takes to get over being institutionalised, and readapt to normal life.

 

Still, if offered the chance, I should probably jump at it.

[Lakesregion]

12 hours ago, tv24 said:

We are actively considering a full world cruise...on another line...and are very attracted to the many days of sheer bliss, the extra perks for WC guests, and the special service.  However I have some reluctance due to fear of repetition of food.  The work around for that would be to eat some meals off the ship.  Another issue for me is the repetition of activities as the WC is made up of segments and each segment would have many of the same activities.  But I do note that the first poster is considering QM2 WC, and we all know that the QM2 has the broadest array of activities on the sea.  Lovely to be able to have these dreams and realize them if we choose to.

On Cunard at least the menus were well rotated with say the same dish appearing now and then but never the exact same total menu during the full world cruise. As to activities, there was except for dancing and afternoon tea no real repetition as Cunard flies entertainers in and out over the full cruise. And now, actually for about ten years now, the gentlemen dance hosts do not sail the full world cruise. On board time is limited to no more than 30 days. Seems there were too many ladies falling in love for all the wrong reasons.

[Lakesregion]

11 hours ago, exlondoner said:

I have never done a world cruise, and it sounds as if it can be an awe-inspiring experience. Here are two reasons I never shall. One, obviously, is lack of cash. The second is fear of coming back. Coming back must be something that sets a world cruise apart. Being away so long must put you out of touch with your home environment, and the shock of having to do your own washing up must be quite extreme. Plus of course there will probably be a fair amount of weight to lose. 😀

 

I should be intereseted to know now how long it takes to get over being institutionalised, and readapt to normal life.

 

Still, if offered the chance, I should probably jump at it.

There is the saying that on a world cruise one can board as a a passenger and disembark as cargo. But that is an individual choice. One can dine three times a day plus a fine afternoon tea and then continue to "eat" the rest of the day or one can show some moderation. I manged to gain a modest 6 pounds over the full world cruise after making a sincere effort prior to the sailing to lose 10 pounds.

 

As to returning home after being pampered for that long, it did take a few days sitting down for a meal only to realize that I had not cooked it so there would be no meal until I got back up and entered the kitchen. Depending on the seas throughout the entire cruise, it is possible that you will feel a bit of roll for a few days after landing back home.

 

My biggest surprise was that after not having driven for that long, riding in a car back from the ship to Home I was terrorized at what I thought was a very high speed but when I looked at the speedometer it was not that fast. Just felt that way.

 

So in long, the minor readjustments after returning home are just that minor and the trip if you can squeeze out the cash so very well worth it. If for no other reason, out of multiple billions of people in the world, you will be in a group that is less than 15,000 All annual world cruises) that takes such a voyage and in your social set most likely the only one. Not quite as exclusive as being the president of the United states one of 45 but still impressive for the autobiography we all plan to write one day.

[ricki]

On 10/22/2019 at 4:17 AM, tv24 said:

We are actively considering a full world cruise...on another line...and are very attracted to the many days of sheer bliss, the extra perks for WC guests, and the special service.  However I have some reluctance due to fear of repetition of food.  The work around for that would be to eat some meals off the ship.  Another issue for me is the repetition of activities as the WC is made up of segments and each segment would have many of the same activities.  But I do note that the first poster is considering QM2 WC, and we all know that the QM2 has the broadest array of activities on the sea.  Lovely to be able to have these dreams and realize them if we choose to.

Hi TV24,

 

if you are considering the line that you have 38 days on so far...don’t worry about repetition of menus. Cunard did repeat, and the cycle between menus was very short.  But there were the options of the specialty restaurants.  Some  lines offer many more options and the opportunity to special order. We did the WC on that other  line in 2016, and hope to do it again in 2021.  If you have questions, please feel free to email me at ricki at aol.com.

 

Ricki

[tv24]

5 hours ago, ricki said:

Hi TV24,

 

if you are considering the line that you have 38 days on so far...don’t worry about repetition of menus. Cunard did repeat, and the cycle between menus was very short.  But there were the options of the specialty restaurants.  Some  lines offer many more options and the opportunity to special order. We did the WC on that other  line in 2016, and hope to do it again in 2021.  If you have questions, please feel free to email me at ricki at aol.com.

 

Ricki

Thanks, Ricki.  I might take you up on this.  We are exploring other extravagant options as well.

[arielmomma]

On 10/22/2019 at 4:53 PM, Lakesregion said:

 "the gentlemen dance hosts do not sail the full world cruise. On board time is limited to no more than 30 days. Seems there were too many ladies falling in love for all the wrong reasons."

This is a bummer! Dancing is one of my favorite parts of sailing Cunard. As a lady who would likely travel the world cruise solo, I'd intended to take full advantage of the dance hosts. 😞

[arielmomma]

On 10/22/2019 at 4:17 AM, tv24 said:

 However I have some reluctance due to fear of repetition of food.  

 

  Another issue for me is the repetition of activities as the WC is made up of segments and each segment would have many of the same activities. 

On my 1st QM2 sailing, I had the privilege of sailing with a woman who was writing a book about cruise dining. During her research, we learned that Cunard has a 28 day rotating menu in the main dining room. Yes, some dishes repeat, but there is a lot of variety.

 

I, too, am a bit concerned about the repeating of daytime activities with each segment. However, the kind and informative folks here are helping to put my concerns at ease.

 

I am sad about the lack of male dance hosts though.

[arielmomma]

On 10/21/2019 at 5:30 PM, canoncruiser said:

Hi,

 

I did the full World Cruise on QE in 2016; NY to Soho’ton on QM2, then QE Soho’ton to Soho’ton, then QM2 home. Shall I use the work GLORIOUS because it was. Aside from the usual excellent Cunard levels of service, the land tours were beyond superb, the preparation for them was thorough and also elegant - drinks and canapés -along with thorough advice and instruction about every stage of the tour in preparation for each tour. My only -sort of regret - was having to miss Shanghai because our overland to the Terra Cotta Warriors , the Great Wall and Beijing which began in Hong Kong ended in Shanghai on the evening that the ship sailed from Shanghai. We had 2 stops in Hong Kong and five in Japan, two in Korea. There was a special lounge for full WC passengers with a delegated Concierge for said passengers. I had a Deck 7 balcony forward which was perfect for port departures, as well as sea days; night sailings from among others Cape Town, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Singapore were magical.

SAVE YOUR PENNIES AND DO THE FULL WORLD CRUISE>😊😊😊😊

Your post is making me excited about the prospect of going. Glad you had a "glorious" experience.

[arielmomma]

Thank you all for the information. It is very helpful.

[Lakesregion]

8 hours ago, arielmomma said:

This is a bummer! Dancing is one of my favorite parts of sailing Cunard. As a lady who would likely travel the world cruise solo, I'd intended to take full advantage of the dance hosts. 😞

You misinterpreted my comment. There will be dance hosts on the full world cruise. Only after each one has reached their 30 day limit and some only sign on for 14 days etc. there will be new ones. Even better for the ladies on the full world cruise as not all of the gentlemen hosts are the best of dancers.

[arielmomma]

12 hours ago, Lakesregion said:

You misinterpreted my comment. There will be dance hosts on the full world cruise. Only after each one has reached their 30 day limit and some only sign on for 14 days etc. there will be new ones. Even better for the ladies on the full world cruise as not all of the gentlemen hosts are the best of dancers.

Wonderful! I love to dance onboard. I've had the dance hosts switch out on my 14 day cruises, so I'm used to that. Thanks for the clarification. I feel much better now. 🙂

 

[IB2]

On 10/19/2019 at 3:04 PM, arielmomma said:

I am considering taking a full world cruise aboard QM2.  I am curious, besides the length and convenience, what sets a full world cruise apart from its standard 7-14 day cruises? Does Cunard do anything different/unique on its world voyages? Or is it basically like several of its standard cruises all linked together? Thank you in advance for answers.

Judging from what some of the crew say, the answer is the average age of the guests.

[arielmomma]

13 hours ago, IB2 said:

Judging from what some of the crew say, the answer is the average age of the guests.

Not that the age of the passengers mean much to me, though I am somewhat on the younger side of Cunard's customary passengers, but what do you mean by this? I assume such a long cruise primarily attracts retirees.

[IB2]

5 minutes ago, arielmomma said:

Not that the age of the passengers mean much to me, though I am somewhat on the younger side of Cunard's customary passengers, but what do you mean by this? I assume such a long cruise primarily attracts retirees.

Crew told me that many passengers on the world cruise are old even for retirees.  

[Colin_Cameron]

It used to be said that the average age was 'deceased'

[kazzie]

1 hour ago, Colin_Cameron said:

It used to be said that the average age was 'deceased'

 I did a world cruise on the QV a while back... I was in my mid 40s. Many of the 'elderly' passengers were great fun to be with and incredibly interesting.  I'd do it again in a heart beat x 

Edited October 27, 2019 by kazzie
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