Planning.....
Planning for a World Cruise. And I must admit, it's really not 5 whole months, but 131 days. Sometimes those sea days can be really long, and after crossing International date lines and many time zones, it gets quite confusing. So I will give myself some slack on the title. We are doing a back to back cruise on the same ship, hence the 131 days. The Grand World is 113 days and then we will be doing a repositioning cruise back through the Panama Canal ending up in Seattle 18 days later. We booked the same room on that one so we don't have to pack-up until Seattle and then our Son will pick us up when we disembark. Anything to get out of flying... When the ship docks in Ft Lauderdale we will have to get off for an hour or 2. The ship has to show a 0 headcount before they can let the passengers on for the next cruise. We will probably make phone calls and take a taxi to a mall to refresh supplies and have lunch.
We are cruising with Holland America. We chose this line because we like the itinerary, and it is one of the few lines that does a full circumnavigation of the globe. Ft. Lauderdale-Ft. Lauderdale. Which means that we don't have to fly international. I hate flying, and if I could avoid it I will. And the best part...it heads west, so you are always turning the clocks back instead of forward. We are sailing on the Amsterdam ship. It is a smaller ship with a passenger capacity of 1380 and a crew of about 600. It's not a mega ship, with all the bells and whistles, but a dignified sailor of the sea, with a little bit of class. Its not a party ship, which we like, but after so many days on a ship it does have its Peyton Place moments amongst some of the passengers and the crew. It is an older ship, but it was refurbished this last year, so I hope to see improvements. She usually sails most of the Grand Voyages throughout the year, and since she is smaller, can navigate smaller ports more easily. We were on this ship for the Grand World in 2012 and the 50 some day South Pacific in 2016 and loved the more intimate experience. And if you sail on a Grand Voyage, you really are treated like royalty by the staff. But best of all, when you are on a ship that long some of the staff and fellow passengers become your family...
As our TA we chose Cruise Specialists based out of Seattle. They have been booking world cruises for many years and were highly recommended. So far, it's been great. They also provide their own on-board host for the full length of the cruise for any problems that might arise. It's like having your own TA with you the whole time.
Committing to a world cruise is a big deal....I'm not going to lie, it's a huge amount of money and time. And depending on which category of stateroom you want, it will be even more, or less. We chose an oceanview since the price was right and we were very happy with that before.
Planning starts at least a year in advance. This particular cruise usually fills up fast, and if you book early and pay in full 6 months before sailing you get certain benefits depending on your category of stateroom. The Grand World always leaves in January, so if you pay in full by the end of May of the previous year you get a 3% discount. Our perk is that all of the hotel charges(gratuities)are prepaid, 4 pieces of luggage(2 each)is paid for and is picked up by Fed-ex at your home and delivered to the ship prior to sailing and vice versa when you get off , and a shipboard credit. The luggage thing is huge for me. I don't want to lug 6 bags plus to the airport and pay for them. I have to pack for summer and spring weather, formal wear, and all of our personal supplies that we might need or even think of using for 131 days.
Since we booked with our TA, they also give perks.....They put us up in a hotel the night before we sail, provide a Bon Voyage dinner party, and transport all of us to the ship the next morning.
One less thing to worry about......Now, its on to preparing.
On another note...….We never ever thought that we would take another World Cruise. But there is something about sailing. I love being on the water and found out I am a darn good sailor, even in the worst weather. Its a good way to see a little bit of the world without unpacking all the time. We were supposed to go on the World cruise last January, but I had a major medical issue that was unplanned, and would take over a year to recuperate from. So...we are really looking forward to this.
Planning for a World Cruise. And I must admit, it's really not 5 whole months, but 131 days. Sometimes those sea days can be really long, and after crossing International date lines and many time zones, it gets quite confusing. So I will give myself some slack on the title. We are doing a back to back cruise on the same ship, hence the 131 days. The Grand World is 113 days and then we will be doing a repositioning cruise back through the Panama Canal ending up in Seattle 18 days later. We booked the same room on that one so we don't have to pack-up until Seattle and then our Son will pick us up when we disembark. Anything to get out of flying... When the ship docks in Ft Lauderdale we will have to get off for an hour or 2. The ship has to show a 0 headcount before they can let the passengers on for the next cruise. We will probably make phone calls and take a taxi to a mall to refresh supplies and have lunch.
We are cruising with Holland America. We chose this line because we like the itinerary, and it is one of the few lines that does a full circumnavigation of the globe. Ft. Lauderdale-Ft. Lauderdale. Which means that we don't have to fly international. I hate flying, and if I could avoid it I will. And the best part...it heads west, so you are always turning the clocks back instead of forward. We are sailing on the Amsterdam ship. It is a smaller ship with a passenger capacity of 1380 and a crew of about 600. It's not a mega ship, with all the bells and whistles, but a dignified sailor of the sea, with a little bit of class. Its not a party ship, which we like, but after so many days on a ship it does have its Peyton Place moments amongst some of the passengers and the crew. It is an older ship, but it was refurbished this last year, so I hope to see improvements. She usually sails most of the Grand Voyages throughout the year, and since she is smaller, can navigate smaller ports more easily. We were on this ship for the Grand World in 2012 and the 50 some day South Pacific in 2016 and loved the more intimate experience. And if you sail on a Grand Voyage, you really are treated like royalty by the staff. But best of all, when you are on a ship that long some of the staff and fellow passengers become your family...
As our TA we chose Cruise Specialists based out of Seattle. They have been booking world cruises for many years and were highly recommended. So far, it's been great. They also provide their own on-board host for the full length of the cruise for any problems that might arise. It's like having your own TA with you the whole time.
Committing to a world cruise is a big deal....I'm not going to lie, it's a huge amount of money and time. And depending on which category of stateroom you want, it will be even more, or less. We chose an oceanview since the price was right and we were very happy with that before.
Planning starts at least a year in advance. This particular cruise usually fills up fast, and if you book early and pay in full 6 months before sailing you get certain benefits depending on your category of stateroom. The Grand World always leaves in January, so if you pay in full by the end of May of the previous year you get a 3% discount. Our perk is that all of the hotel charges(gratuities)are prepaid, 4 pieces of luggage(2 each)is paid for and is picked up by Fed-ex at your home and delivered to the ship prior to sailing and vice versa when you get off , and a shipboard credit. The luggage thing is huge for me. I don't want to lug 6 bags plus to the airport and pay for them. I have to pack for summer and spring weather, formal wear, and all of our personal supplies that we might need or even think of using for 131 days.
Since we booked with our TA, they also give perks.....They put us up in a hotel the night before we sail, provide a Bon Voyage dinner party, and transport all of us to the ship the next morning.
One less thing to worry about......Now, its on to preparing.
On another note...….We never ever thought that we would take another World Cruise. But there is something about sailing. I love being on the water and found out I am a darn good sailor, even in the worst weather. Its a good way to see a little bit of the world without unpacking all the time. We were supposed to go on the World cruise last January, but I had a major medical issue that was unplanned, and would take over a year to recuperate from. So...we are really looking forward to this.
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