Day 91 ~ 2020 World Cruise itinerary

Like all great travelers, I have seen more than I remember, and remember more than I have seen. ~ Benjamin Disraeli

Today is our last sea day until we call on Hamilton, Bermuda. We love days at sea, but if you don’t, a world cruise might not be your cup of tea. Any time you cross one of the major oceans, you have to expect a stretch of nothing but water all around, barring the occasional pod of dolphins.

But in case you’re interested, I have the itinerary for the 2020 World Cruise in my hot little hands. It was announced here onboard first. The route covers five continents, 42 ports of call in 111 days.

Segment One: Ft Lauderdale to Los Angeles—15 days, Jan. 5^th-Jan. 20^th

            Ports of call: Aruba, full transit of the Panama Canal, Puerto Quepos, Puerto Chiapos, and Cabo San Lucas before reaching LA.

Segment Two: LA to Sydney—29 days, Jan. 20^th-Feb. 19^th

            Ports of call: Honolulu, Kona, Rangiroa, Tahiti, then it’s all New Zealand: Aukland, Picton, Kaikura, Dunedin, Stewart Island, Fjordland National Park Scenic Cruising. Cruise across the “Ditch” to Sydney and this leg is done.

Segment Three: Sydney to Cape Town, South Africa—45 days, Feb. 19^th- April 4^th

             Ports of call: Melbourne, Perth, Bali, Singapore, Phuket (Thailand), Colombo (India), Maldives, Seychelles, Zanzibar (Tanzania), Mayotte, Nosy Be (Madagascar), Mauritius, Reunion Island, Durban, East London, Cape Town

Segment Four: Cape Town to Ft. Lauderdale—22 days, April 4^th-April 26^th

            Ports of call: Luderitz, Walvis Bay, St. Helena, Natal, Devil’s Island Scenic Cruising, Martinique, St. Bartholemy, Ft. Lauderdale

If you wanted to do the partial WC, segments 2-4, it’ll be 96 days from LA to Ft. Lauderdale. Figuring the most economical cabin in each category, here’s the breakdown on what it would cost per person:

            Inside Cabin--$20,990

            Ocean View--$22,699

            Balcony--$28,949

            Mini-Suite--$39,349

            Owner’s Suite--$52,199

Of course, that doesn’t include taxes, port fees, travel insurance, excursions, tips, soft drinks, not-so-soft drinks, vaccinations, visas, flights to and from embarkation and disembarkation ports, hotel for night prior to departure... I could go on and on. Your travel agent may be able to shave some off these figures or offer additional incentives. If you don’t have a travel agent, let me recommend ours: Teresa Skeim at Cruise Specialists. She did a wonderful job for us!

We will not be on the 2020 WC unless we win the Publisher’s Clearing House Grand Prize (And not to burst anyone else’s bubble, but I’ve never been closer!) However, I hope we will do another world cruise someday. It’s been an amazing adventure, and even though the DH reminds me there is no crying on a world cruise, I almost can’t help tearing up at how blessed we are to have been able to do this one.

It really has been life changing. I’ll be years trying to sort out all the experiences and what they’ve meant to me. I guess Princess was right.

I will be coming back new.