World cruises usually visit 35 – 45 exclusive ports of call and often focus on remote destinations like Fiji, the south Pacific Islands, Australia and New Zealand, Panama, Alaska, Antarctica and few more countries. The ship often anchors in these places for more than a couple of days for restocking as also to give the passengers a break or allowing them to explore inland. Weather conditions also sometimes affect destination ports when the ship is allowed to head a different port of call where weather conditions are believed to be better. Being aboard a cruise ship for nearly three to four months and meeting the same people all the while creates a greater camaraderie among the passengers, some of whom eventually become lifelong friends. They often indulge in lavish birthday parties or arrange banquets on marriage anniversaries. Needless to say, these activities keep the passengers happy on the high seas.
World cruises extending to several months sometimes include special scenic cruising that includes crossing the equator, crossing the Suez Canal, sailing the Amazon River or floating around Antarctic icebergs. While passengers can join the world cruise at several points, the most frequent departure ports for the voyage include New York, Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Los Angeles.
While some long voyages operate within a single region, others combine diverse regions of the world to provide its patrons with varied samples of people, places, climates and culture. These long voyages however need advance booking to ensure availability and timely embarkation. Some of these cruises are listed below for the benefit of people desirous of seeing the world sans any jet lag attached with the pleasure of seeing a new nation state.
- Antarctica + South America
- Asia + Africa
- Australia/New Zealand + Tahiti
- Mediterranean (Eastern) + Greek isles
- Mediterranean + Black Sea
- Northern Europe + Mediterranean (Western)
- Transatlantic + Caribbean
- Transatlantic + Northern Europe
- Panama Canal + South America
- Alaska + Panama Canal
Cruising duration – vacations where the cruise time is less
Not all cruise vacations are round the world affairs where the length of cruise may extend to months. There are many shorter plans as well, and in fact, these shorter plans are more popular. Most people who are just starting out prefer these shorter duration cruises where the number of days may be from 3 nights to a week or 10 days. And even if some people wanted to go on longer cruise holidays, the high cost prevents them from doing so and they prefer one of the shorter cruises.
So if you are a first time cruiser, it is probably better if you tried this out first for a few days – perhaps select one where the extent of cruise is not too hectic and is within a week or so. There are some fantastic cruise deals out there that will give you a great time on the cruise liners. Having gathered the experience, budget permitting, you may then begin to consider a longer cruise vacation where the number of days is more.