Cruise the world? I’ve done it eight times!
A WORLD cruise is the ultimate dream holiday. It conjures up visions of months away from the cares of home, soaking up the sun on deck and enjoying cocktail parties in between adventures ashore in exotic destinations.
Circumnavigating the globe by sea is a huge investment of time and money – a trip can easily cost £25,000 per person. So it is important to ensure you have the best experience from the moment you set sail until the day you return. The key to this is preparation, says retired medical scientist William Sietz, from St Albans.
He should know because in January he will be embarking on his ninth world cruise when he boards the Pacific Princess in Fort Lauderdale in Florida for 111 days.
In all, Mr Sietz reckons he has spent 1,500 days at sea.
Here he shares his tips for first-time world cruisers…
DON’T BE PUT OFF BY FEAR OF SEASICKNESS
I HAVE only been knocked out of bed once, and that was on a ship that was too big to go through the Panama Canal and we had to go around the notoriously choppy Cape Horn. Captains are very good at watching the weather and altering the course when necessary. Choose a cabin on a low deck and midship for the least amount of movement.
ACT FAST TO GET THE BEST CABINS
WORLD cruises typically go on sale 18 months before the departure date, so you have to be quick if you want to get your choice of cabin.
But don’t make a world cruise your first voyage. Try a shorter cruise first to find out if this type of holiday is for you. Taking a segment of a world cruise will give you the experience of several consecutive days at sea. And try out different cruise lines before committing to a roundthe-world voyage, if possible. I have taken short cruises on Norwegian Cruise Line, Cunard, Holland America Line, Royal Caribbean, Carnival and Princess. I enjoyed
them all but I thought that Princess had the best food.
CHECK THE ITINERARY CAREFULLY
COUNT the number of sea days, and if you or your companion has limited mobility, check where the ship will be at anchor. Disembark king on a tender can be difficult and you might have to give those ports a miss. Book your shore excursions online as soon as they are available. Some sell out very fast and you can always cancel later.
GET FAMILIAR WITH ANY NEW GADGETS
I ONCE met a woman on board who had bought a
new Kindle but then couldn’t get the hang of swiping to turn pages. And practise taking photographs with your new tablet before you decide to leave your camera at home.
TAKE THE CORRECT AMOUNT OF MEDICINES
ON my first world cruise, I realised I would be crossing the South Pacific when my tablets ran out. The ship’s doctor was able to get a supply flown in to Hawaii, but it cost a fortune.
DON’T GET TOO FRIENDLY TOO FAST
BE CAREFUL not to get too pally with other passengers too quickly. If after a few days you decide that they are not really your cup of tea, you might find yourself trying to hide from them for the rest of the voyage. Just smile and say hello to your fellow passengers for the first few days.
BE PREPARED FOR SOME UNEXPECTED DRAMA
BRING some larger clothes or learn not to over-eat. One woman I know buys larger clothes as she goes round the world and leaves the ones she boarded with behind. Of course, not all trips go to plan. A man dropped down dead next to me last year. The body was flown home but the widow stayed on!