Everything You Need to Know About World Cruises
Planning a cruise around the world can be pretty daunting – here is everything you need to know about world cruises.
Have you been thinking about going on an around the World Cruise but are wondering what all of the fuss is about? World Cruises are an incredible opportunity to see the world – sometimes circumnavigating the entire world – in one trip, often roundtrip from the same airport.
I’ve been able to sail on World Cruises, work on Grand Voyages and see nearly every corner of the globe from a cruise ship. A world cruise can be an experience of a lifetime. You will visit multiple continents, countries, go through nearly every time zone, cross oceans and transit canals (I should mention, all while only having to pack and unpack once).
Everything You Need to Know About World Cruises
World Cruises are incredible with so much to offer! There are a lot of cruise lines to choose from and factors to consider – from the itinerary, the ship you are on, what’s included with the cruise line – to the logistical side of it and things like vaccine requirements and visas. It’s a lot of think about but if you’re seriously considering a world cruise, it’s worth it.
If you’re looking for specifics about upcoming World Cruises, check out this post about all of the World Cruises sailing in 2026.
Which Cruise Lines Do World Cruises?
There are typically about 12 cruise lines that offer World Cruises each year. These range from mainstream cruise lines all the way up to ultra luxury.
There’s a pretty consistent group of cruise lines that offer these incredible voyages, but every once in awhile another cruise line, like Royal Caribbean, will pop their heads in for a 274 Ultimate World Cruise and then disappear from the World Cruise market for a few years.
Here’s a list of all the cruise lines offering world cruises in the next few years (through 2026 anyways):
- Azamara Cruises
- Costa Cruises
- Crystal Cruises
- Cunard Cruises
- Usually offers two “World Cruises”
- One a full circumnavigation
- One a hundred plus day roundtrip continent circumnavigation
- Fred. Olsen Cruise Line
- Had typically offered World Cruises but isn’t for the next couple of years. They are offering some UK roundtrip Grand Voyages to places like Antarctica though.
- Holland America Line
- MSC Cruises
- Oceania Cruises
- Typically one of the longest world cruises offered, most often at 180 days
- P&O Cruises
- Princess Cruises
- Two world cruises, one for Northern Hemisphere winter (sailing roundtrip from the US), one in Southern Hemisphere winter (roundtrip from Sydney)
- Regent Seven Seas
- Royal Caribbean Cruise Line
- Nothing currently planned but will likely make an announcement Sept. 2025 about another Ultimate World Cruise
- Seabourn Cruises
- Silversea Cruises
- Viking Cruises
- Has had two ships sail the World Cruise in the same year before but has shifted to one per year for the next few years.
Example Itinerary:
What is a World Cruise?
A World Cruise is an around-the-world voyage onboard a cruise ship. The title of “World Cruise” is one denoted to a voyage by the cruise line. In many cases (though not all) it means a full circumnavigation of the globe. For some though it will be a near circumnavigation – for instance leaving from Fort Lauderdale, sailing west through the Panama Canal and then ending somewhere in Europe.
Some are less about going around-the-world and instead are more about visiting a large swath of the earth in one journey. For instance sometimes there are “world cruises” that visit a few continents very in depth – perhaps leaving from Europe, visiting Asia and Africa, and then returning to their home port.
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How Much Does an Around the World Cruise Cost?
An around the world cruise can be more affordable (albeit still expensive) than you might think. Many World Cruises are advertised with starting prices between $15,000-$20,000 per person. In 2026 the least expensive World Cruise is listed for $15,039, whereas the most expensive starting price is $96,147 per person.
The average price per day for these cruises ranges just as far, going from $129 per person, per day on Costa all the way up to $722 per person, per day on Regent Seven Seas.
Who Goes On An Around the World Cruise?
Passengers on cruises around the world are most often retirees. Occasionally, there are some younger people that are still working that have occupations that travel well – this is most common with writers but certainly not exclusive to writers.
The demographic is higher than you’d find on a one week Caribbean cruise, but it is far from a retirement home at sea. There are people that retired at 40, a young couple on a sabbatical. There are retired doctors, lawyers, school teachers. There are some investment bankers and everything in between. It’s a pretty big mix of people that sail on a World Cruise.
Some passengers love it so much that go every single year for decades. These folks consider it they’re “winter home”. For other passengers it is truly a once in a life time journey that they’ve been saving up for over the course of decades. This creates a mix of passenger demographics.
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Are There Kids on an Around the World Cruise?
Yes, sometimes. Sometimes there are kids on a World Cruise but it’s definitely not a guarantee. Oftentimes there might only be one or two kids but on different parts of it there might be ten.
While there might be some children onboard, most often if they are there they are onboard for a segment of the World Cruise (see below for an explanation on segments) versus for the full voyage.
Some cruise lines do not include children’s programming on this long of voyages though, so contact the cruise line ahead of time to ensure you’ve set the correct expectations.
Cruise Line Loyalty Status
As it’s not uncommon for passengers to go on a world Cruise every year some have been on 18, 19, 20 or more.
With so many passengers cruising on these long voyages it’s easy for them to rack up cruise line loyalty, within one cruise going from the lowest level to often at least mid-level.
This means that on a ship with 1,000 passengers it’s easy to have 800 or more of those passengers be near the “elite” or whatever the highest or near highest tier of loyalty is for that cruise line.
Some cruise line loyalty perks include things like having your laundry done – those type perks are absolutely still included.
But, what happens when a perk says you can cut in line for tenders…and 800 other people can, too? On a more common cruise – for instance a week in the Caribbean – having these top-tiered cruisers on is the exception, not the rule. So, things like being able to queue jump for tenders is a small issue – maybe 10 people have the perk out of 2,000.
On a World Cruise sometimes certain perks that you might have earned through your years of sailing – might be downgraded. Hopefully you can sort out the math that if 80% of the people onboard are eligible to jump the line then you just end up with a really long line.
However, if you want to upgrade your loyalty status quickly, a World Cruise is a great way to do it.
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What Makes These World Cruises Special?
A World Cruise is an opportunity to see the world while also having a “home” to go back to. It’s a logistically easy way to see the world – you only have to pack and unpack once, and quite often you can fly in and out of an airport that’s convenient for you.
A lot of people think that on a cruise you just stop somewhere for a few hours. And, while that is somewhat true of normal cruises – on a World Cruise there is the time (after all a lot of these voyages are 4 months long!) to spend longer at some of the most incredible places on earth. World Cruises regularly feature overnight stops at top destinations – giving you multiple days to go out and explore.
The destinations and the travel might be what draws people to a World Cruise initially, the shipboard experience is likely what keeps them coming back year after year. Onboard a World Cruise there are typically additional cultural talks and cultural ambassadors onboard.
There are also usually extra activities onboard such as crafts, watercolors, and additional dance classes. On top of that there are a lot of events befitting of a World Cruise – themed nights, Gala dinners, and so much more!
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What’s Included in the Cost of an Around the World Cruise?
It varies greatly by cruise line. Nearly all cruise lines will include:
- onboard meals in the main dining room, buffet, poolside grille/burgers, etc
- basic drinks such as lemonade, iced tea, coffee, tea, etc. available at the buffet
- onboard activities and entertainment
Beyond that, it depends on which cruise line you are sailing on. Here are some inclusions offered on world cruises:
- onboard medical care
- Wi-Fi
- prepaid crew gratuities
- increased onboard cultural programming
- shoreside events
- shore excursions
- onboard beverages
- required visas
- airfare
- luggage transfer service
- transfers
- room service
- specialty restaurants
- pre-cruise hotel stay
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How Long Is an Around the World Cruise?
There is no set answer to this as it differs drastically between cruise lines. There are World Cruises as short as 80 days and as long as 180 days.
A long world cruise tends to includes more overnight ports whereas a shorter world cruise tends to have longer days in port but less overnights.
The longest cruises also tend to be on luxury lines. Here’s a sample of how long a world cruise is on different cruise lines:
- Costa – 127 nights
- Crystal Cruises – 140 nights
- Cunard – 117 nights/ 105 nights
- Fred. Olsen – 79 nights
- MSC – 118 nights
- Oceania – 180 days
- P&O Cruises – 99 nights
- Princess – 107/111 nights
- Regent Seven Seas – 143 nights
- Seabourn – 140 nights
- Silversea – 140 nights
- Viking – 138 nights
When Does an Around the World Cruise Sail?
In general world cruises leave at the beginning of January. Typically the 3rd or 4th after the end of the holiday cruises. Most commonly from Southampton in the UK (Cunard, P&O, and Fred. Olsen when they have one), Fort Lauderdale/Miami, Los Angeles, and a couple from Europe (MSC and Costa).
This gets folks away from the cold of winter. It’s also among the slow season for cruising so it’s a great time to take a ship out of regular rotation to go explore the world.
Princess Cruises has been offering a World Cruise roundtrip out of Sydney, Australia for the past few years. This cruise – to line up with the Australia and Southern Hemisphere cruise market – heads out in what the Northern Hemisphere views as the summer (also known as there winter) and is gone over the months of June, July, and August (plus or minus a bit either way).
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World Cruise FAQ’s
Can I just sail part of the World Cruise?
If you look at a World Cruise itinerary and love it but know that you can’t be gone for months at a time, what is there to do? The itinerary is fantastic and you like the idea of a World Cruise. Maybe you just want to test it out and see if it’s for you.
Have no fear – segments are here!
A segment of a World Cruise is just what it sounds – it’s just a part of the larger voyage. Segments are usually divided up into at minimum three weeks long but can be months long as well.
Things to know about World Cruise segments:
- They aren’t available on every around the world cruise
- Some World Cruises sell out completely as a full voyage. If this happens it’s easier for the cruise line to offer the sailing to the same group of passengers for the whole cruise.
- The cruise line decides what segments are possible
- Unfortunately you can’t just say, I want to join the ship here and leave there. To have passengers join the ship requires additional facilities on both the pier as well as additional set up and work for the crew onboard the ship. There are also different visa requirements for different parts of the world so that will also play a role in where cruise lines allow passengers to embark/disembark the ship.
Will I need any visas?
When you visit so many countries around the world you are bound to need a visa for at least one or two countries you visit.
What visas you need will depend on which country you are from. The cruise line should provide guidance for which visas are needed; however, it is always the responsibility of the guest to ensure they have the required visas.
If you are from the United States, here is a link to a government tool to check if you’ll need a visa for different destinations. You put in where you are traveling to and it gives you information on what you need to travel to that destination.
I am from the United States and here are some countries I’ve needed visas from prior to visiting while cruising:
- Australia (electronic visa)
- New Zealand (electronic visa)
- India (electronic visa)
- Sri Lanka (electronic visa)
- China (complicated and expensive visa)
Some of these world cruises will include the cost of visas in your cruise fare.
Is it true I need certain vaccines?
Absolutely. Depending on where in the world you are traveling to will determine which vaccines you need. For instance if you are traveling to the Amazon River you will need to get a Yellow Fever vaccine. There are different vaccines that you will need for different parts of Africa as well.
The cruise line should let you know in advance which vaccines are required before sailing; however, it’s always best for you to check into which vaccines are needed for the various parts of the world you are sailing in.
This search tool will help you find what vaccinations you need before visiting.
Vaccine notice through Holland America.
Why Wouldn’t A World Cruise Go All The Way Around the World?
The age old question. There are a few reasons for this and they are all logistical.
- Ship location
- If the World Cruise ends in Europe at the start of the cruise lines summer European season it makes good sense for them to end the cruise in Europe versus sailing back and forth across the Atlantic several extra times.
- Length of Voyage
- To do a World Cruise that went in depth on every continent would end up taking a whole year. (If you’re interested in that take a look at Royal Caribbean’s Ultimate World Cruise) At some point cruise lines have to focus on what itinerary will offer an opportunity to explore different regions.
- If a cruise line is opting to focus on a few continents versus actually circling the globe it is because they know their guests are especially interested in those regions and want to explore more in depth. To actually circle the globe with that kind of focus on those continents would take extra months that the cruise line doesn’t have available for that ship (and that the passengers probably don’t have, either).
- Political unrest causing itinerary changes
- In the case of the 2026 group of World Cruises, there are a few cruise lines that have shifted their itineraries because of the ongoing war in Gaza to avoid the middle east region.
Conclusion: World Cruises
A world cruise is an incredible adventure, full of new cultures and experiences. It’s a chance to see the world from the comfort of the ship. Get a taste of the world from beyond your shore.
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