What Ship Is On the Top of Our Wish List?
Since our ship is being sold I have gotten asked by a lot of people what ship my husband will be assigned to next and where that ship will go. The cruise industry is largely still in shut-down mode and and we haven’t (and don’t expect to) hear about where his next assignment will be for a while still. The next time he goes back to work it’s entirely possible that there still won’t be passengers onboard and even if there is I might not be able to go with him at least for a little bit. There is also the potential that crew might not be allowed shore leave or it might be dependent on the port and what their current COVID status is.
So, we don’t know where we’re going. I asked Stuart which ship he wanted to go and he said, “wherever keeps paying me.” In this particular situation he is the realistic one. I’m going to go ahead and be the optimist and allow myself to day-dream about the places we will get to go once things get up and running again.
One of the incredible things about the company he works for is how incredible so many of the itineraries are. Below I debate between places like Africa, Australia, the Mediterranean and Antartica. How many people ever have the chance to do that?
This is not as simple of question as “where in the world would I like to go?”
While it’s nice to day-dream about the incredible places, there’s also the “real life” side of it. When he gets assigned to a ship he typically goes back to it contract after contract for at least a few years. That leads to questions like: who is on that ship already for crew? Are they good to work with and sail with? I would entirely choose a ship with more basic itineraries but incredible crew (especially if some of our best friends are there.)
And, truthfully, my excitement about itineraries has shifted from just thinking about incredible exotic places to places that friends and family might actually be able to come see me and/or want to/are able to go themselves. As fun as it is to say that I will have family come visit me on the other side of the world they probably aren’t going to fly to Australia to join the ship. And, honestly, I would rather cruise in the Caribbean with my family visiting us onboard than somewhere on the other side of the world. Plus, it’s a lot more fun to explore those incredibly exotic places when my husband isn’t working and can explore them with me. We just have to go on more vacations (eventually, someday).
January 2021 Update:
This post was originally written in August 2020. At that point it was believed that cruising would be back in the early to mid part of 2021. We shall see what it actually looks like. At this point we have some idea where my husband is going (quite possibly #4 on this list), but that is definitely subject to change.
The itineraries listed below have been updated and reviewed based on currently advertised itineraries as of January 2021. It is expected that over time this itineraries will once again change. Truthfully, at this point, the focus is on thankfulness for our health and for my husband still having a job (and read this if you’re confused why there are still crew on cruise ships).
Read on to see What Ship Is On The Top of Our Wish List?:
6. m/s Oosterdam
I love New Zealand and this ship has all sorts of itineraries with New Zealand in it. A great region that is full of history, hiking, and beautiful scenery it is certainly worth the flight. However, if I’m not working for the company I would have to pay for the flight which would likely be quite expensive.
Update Jan. 2021: There is now also scheduled a circumnavigation of Australia that looks incredible. So… realistically if I was making this list again it would be moved up to #5.
5. m/s Zuiderdam
The Zuiderdam made the list because of it’s incredibly immersive Mediterranean itineraries. I love the Mediterranean and I love when you get to explore more than only the big cities. This is an area that never gets old and still might be close enough for friends and family to come visit.
In the winter months the ship is doing Caribbean cruises, but also has some featuring the Panama Canal as a roundtrip out of Fort Lauderdale. While this isn’t a full transit it gives you a taste of going through the Panama Canal without having a long cross-country flight (for my family at least).
Update Jan 2021: So, most of the itineraries for this ship have changed. It is now planned to spend it’s summers in Alaska and winters on the Mexican Riviera.
Thinking of cruising to Alaska and not sure where to start? Check out How to Pick An Alaskan Cruise.
4. m/s Nieuw Statendam
This one is on the list because of Norway, the Baltic, and at the end of the season next year, the Mediterranean. These are regions that never get old to go to and I would love to explore some more. The winter would be spent in the Caribbean, but as it alternates between the Southern, Eastern, and Western itineraries it wouldn’t be too repetitive, and would be close to home for friends and family to come sail. This ship is also the current newest ship which could also be fun as it offers additional areas around the ship such as the Rolling Stone Rock Room, Billboard Onboard, and B.B. King Blues Club.
3. m/s Volendam
One of the two remaining “small ships” and home of the Grand South America and Antartica. It also has a whole lot of Mediterranean (hopefully in it’s future). While I’ve had a lot of fun sailing on Grand Voyages before they can be both a pro and a con. The itineraries are typically excellent and include more immersive onboard experiences overall than a normal voyage does. You have mostly one set of passengers for a long period of time. They can become like family – and, just like family they can be a bit difficult at times. However, just like family, I love them.
There is also some Southern Caribbean runs which would be a great opportunity for friends and family to come visit.
Update: while originally scheduled for a little Southern Caribbean, Panama Canal, and then off to Alaska for the summer, it now has plans for more time in the Mediterranean (never a bad thing!)
2. m/s Westerdam
The top of my travel bucket list is Antartica. This is apparently a challenging area to sail in from a work perspective, so Stuart would rather have me put this on a travel bucket list where he isn’t working, but he’s been there a whole bunch of times and I haven’t, so I am putting it on the list! The m/s Westerdam is currently scheduled for several Antartica trips at the beginning of 2022, which, when combined with a summer in the Mediterranean is why it is number 2 on my list.
1. m/s Zaandam
I hate to say it as it seems like I’m chasing the Grand Voyages. There are a lot of great things about us going to this ship – the itineraries are fantastic, there is a chance that a lot of the passengers and crew from past Grand Voyages will end up there, and it’s the same class of ship as the Amsterdam which makes it a bit easier for Stuart work wise. The other voyages that it will sail is what really put it over the top for me, though. The Zaandam will play host to the the Grand World Voyage in the spring of 2022, Grand Africa Voyage in the fall of 2022 but it will also have the Voyage of the Vikings (maybe summer 2022?)
Take a look to see what other World Cruises there will be in 2022.
To make that even better is the huge added bonus for me of sailing in Canada/New England for some of the summer which would mean that my family could come see the ship! Now, just because the ship is doing all of those itineraries doesn’t mean that we would be there for all of them, but there’s a good possibility of sailing to some incredibly cool places while also having some close to home options for my family to come onboard, add in some work friends and passengers and we I think we have a winner.
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