A luxury six-month world cruise that sold out in 30 minutes has set sail — see how it compares to Royal Caribbean's Ultimate World Cruise

16.01.2024 - 05:07 / insider.com / Royal Caribbean

Around the world in 80 days? Try 180 days instead.

Oceania Cruises' 180-day, around-the-world cruise finally set sail from Los Angeles on January 14. It had been a long time coming for these globetrotting passengers, many of whom were quick to book their cabins: When reservations opened in March 2022, the itinerary sold out within 30 minutes, a record for the premium cruise line, it said at the time.

Almost half of the bookings were made by travelers who had never sailed with the Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings subsidiary, while a little over 40% were from guests on the then-ongoing 2022 world cruise. Prices ranged from $48,500 to $174,000 per person, depending on the cabin category.

Oceania, which titles itself a "culinary and destination-focused cruise line," is leaning into the second attribute for this itinerary. Over the next half year, the cruise line says the Insignia and its up to 684 guests will visit 96 ports across 34 countries and five continents.

From Los Angeles, the vessel is scheduled to sail to Hawaii, the Pacific Islands, Australia and New Zealand, East and Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and Canada before concluding in New York City on July 12. Along the way, the Insignia would have 24 overnight stays in ports like Yangon, Myanmar; Reykjavik, Iceland; and Tokyo, giving travelers more time to explore these destinations.

Over the last month, a competing global vacation has been receiving plenty of attention on TikTok: Royal Caribbean's nine-month Ultimate World Cruise. This itinerary, which began in December 2023, is three months longer than Oceania's. Naturally, this leaves more time to sail to ports not found on Oceania's shorter cruise, including destinations in Antarctica and South America.

However, the starting per-day prices were almost comparable at about $222 for Royal Caribbean's and $270 for Oceania's. This higher per-day cost is expected of the latter, a leader in the premium cruise segment, as evidenced by the Insignia's all-access dining venues, art workshops, and putting green.

For seasick-prone travelers, the shorter 2024 world cruise was probably a better idea anyway.