Avid Cruiser Voyages: The World Cruise, Shorter Segments Can Provide World Cruise Excitement | Travel Research Online

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Avid Cruiser Voyages: The World Cruise, Shorter Segments Can Provide World Cruise Excitement

A few months back, we talked about World Cruises, arguably the grandest and most adventurous voyage an avid cruiser can take. Massive in both scope and scale, these multi-month voyages are growing in popularity, and, as you might expect, require a good deal of pre-planning — and a healthy bank account. But even if you don’t have the time or money, there are still ways to take part in a World Cruise: Segments. Read on.

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Crystal Serenity sails Crystal’s newly announced 2015 World Cruise. Photo courtesy of Crystal Cruises

Crystal Cruises took the bold step of putting on the books not only its 2013 and 2014 World Cruises, but also its full 2015 World Cruise itinerary aboard the Crystal Serenity.

Departing January 15, 2015 from Miami, Florida, this 108-day voyage marks the 20th World Cruise for Crystal Cruises, as well as the 25th anniversary of the company. In honor of that, Crystal created an entirely new world cruise route: a full circumnavigation of the globe from one end to the other, a first for the company.

Guests will be able to visit Central and South America, the South Pacific, New Zealand, Australia, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, South Africa and the Caribbean, bookended by both a transpacific and transatlantic crossing.

If you don’t have the time to partake in the full 108-day voyage, however, Crystal offers several shorter segments that may be worth looking at:

  • Miami to Callao / Lima – 16 Days
  • Callao / Lima to Auckland – 19 Days
  • Auckland to Perth – 21 Days
  • Perth to Cape Town – 21 Days
  • Cape Town to Rio de Janeiro – 15 Days
  • Rio de Janeiro to Miami – 16 Days

Crystal may be first out of the gate for 2015, but Cunard Line has also just announced some exciting World Cruise news: All three of its ships will sail their own individual World Cruises in 2014.

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Cunard’s iconic RMS Queen Mary 2 is the last true ocean liner at sea, and a great ship for a World Cruise. Photo courtesy of Cunard.

The three Cunard Queens will cover an astonishing 116,808 nautical miles of the globe by sea, with visits to 85 ports of call in 40 different countries. 2014 marks the largest World Cruise program the line has ever unveiled since it began offering these epic journeys back in 1922.

Queen Mary 2 will celebrate her 10th anniversary with a 119-day World Voyage departing from Southampton that will take her guests to 30 ports of call in 19 countries, including overnight calls in Cape Town, Hong Kong and Dubai.

Shorter segment voyages are also available, including:

  • Sydney to Cape Town – 18 Days
  • Cape Town to Sydney – 22 Days
  • Roundtrip Sydney – 23 Days
  • Sydney to Hong Kong – 19 Days
  • Hong Kong to Dubai – 19 Days
  • Dubai to Southampton – 18 Days

Fans of Cunard’s smaller ships aren’t left out either, with both Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth setting out from Southampton on 116 and 118-day World Voyages, respectively.

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Queen Victoria sails the world in 2014. Photo courtesy of Ralph Grizzle

Queen Victoria will return to both North and South America on her stunning World Voyage, first sailing “’round the horn” of South America, bound for Australia and up the Pacific Coast, where she will spend an anticipated overnight stay in the vibrant city of San Francisco. From there, Queen Victoria sails through the Panama Canal and into the Caribbean, up the eastern seaboard, and finally, across the Atlantic Ocean to return to Southampton.

As with her larger fleetmate Queen Mary 2, several shorter segment voyages are available:

  • Southampton to Fort Lauderdale – 10 Days
  • Fort Lauderdale to Buenos Aires – 16 Days
  • Buenos Aires to Valparaiso – 12 Days
  • Valparaiso to Sydney – 23 Days
  • Sydney to San Francisco – 28 Days
  • San Francisco to Fort Lauderdale – 15 Days
  • Fort Lauderdale to Southampton – 12 Days
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Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth shown here arriving at the historic port of Southampton, England. Photo courtesy of Cunard.

Onboard the new Queen Elizabeth, guests are treated to a World Voyage that also sets sail for America, but one that doesn’t just stop there. Instead, Queen Elizabeth carries on across the Pacific Ocean, bound for Japan, China, the United Arab Emirates, the Suez Canal, the Mediterranean and finally, returning once more to Southampton.

Once again, for those who can’t quite swing the full World Voyage, shorter segments can still offer all the buzz and wonder of the full event:

  • Southampton to New York – 8 Days
  • New York to San Francisco – 19 Days
  • San Francisco to Sydney – 23 Days
  • Sydney to Yokohama – 15 Days
  • Yokohama to Singapore – 19 Days
  • Singapore to Dubai – 14 Days
  • Dubai to Southampton – 20 Days

With itineraries becoming more numerous and diverse with each passing year, it’s becoming easier for those lacking time (and the full world cruise funding) to experience what is truly the crown jewel for many cruise lines and the greatest achievement any avid cruiser can hope for. After all, what could be more exciting than to cruise around the world?

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