Insights from a 9-month sailing trip

Insights from a 9-month sailing trip

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  • The Ultimate World Cruise, which departed from Miami in December, attracted a lot of attention in the weeks following its departure.
  • During the 274-night cruise, which visited more than 60 countries, the ship visited a wide variety of destinations.
  • The journey didn’t always go as originally planned either. Royal Caribbean diverted the ship earlier this year and there was even a flood.

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Audrey Martucci had never been on a cruise before booking a nine-month cruise with Royal Caribbean International.

The trip was one reason, but the 60-year-old had another motivation. Her husband Joe, according to Audrey, had “no intention” of retiring. “And when the travel agent contacted us and called me, my first thought was, ‘Well, this means you’re retiring, so I’m going to say yes to this cruise,’” she said with a laugh.

She and Joe, an avid cruiser, took a few sailing trips to warm up for the Ultimate World Cruise, which set sail from Miami in December. “But nothing can prepare you for nine months,” said Joe, 67.

The Orlando, Florida, couple, now both retired, turned to travel, selling their car and moving their nephew into their house while they made the Serenade of the Seas ship their home.

The 274-night cruise, which visited more than 60 countries, received a lot of attention in the weeks after its departure, with passenger posts going viral on TikTok, amplified by other users who recapitulated the latest developments and subsequent media reports.

Before the sailing ended on Tuesday, USA TODAY spoke with several guests about what it was like to sail around the world for nearly a year.

‘This ship went to places I had never been before’

The length of the cruise allowed the ship to visit a wide range of destinations. That was a big draw, even for guests like Joe Martucci, who had traveled extensively for work. “This ship went to places I’d never been,” he said. They included Buenos Aires, Argentina — where he and Audrey watched the sun rise over Iguazu Falls — and Copacabana Beach in Brazil.

Adita Larson, a guest from Houston, said Antarctica was her favorite destination. “You can’t film and you can’t photograph how beautiful it is to stand in front of those icebergs and see them so close and right in front of your eyes,” the 64-year-old said.

Royal Caribbean also curated experiences for passengers. Brandee Lake, 47, had been to the Great Wall before, but the cruise line offered an exclusive tour of the Badaling section this time. “So it was super exciting to have it basically private for our group,” said Lake, who previously lived in Los Angeles. “When does that happen?”

She also took opportunities to venture out on her own. For example, when the ship skipped a stop in Madagascar due to a storm, Lake flew there herself for a short visit.

But even visiting the most exciting places can take its toll after a while. The ship’s European leg, which began in July, was quite port-heavy, with only a handful of sea days in the first few months. Larson said many people on board complained of being “exhausted.”

“It’s a blur,” she said. “We don’t know where we were yesterday; we don’t know where we’re going tomorrow.”

The Martuccis agreed. At one point during the cruise, a friend of theirs stayed behind while their partner went on a shore excursion. “And I remember coming back and saying to Joe, ‘You can do that? We don’t have to go?'” Audrey recalls. “That was a huge revelation to me.”

At the beginning of the cruise, she said many guests “hated” days without stops. “Now we’re all like, ‘Oh my gosh, a day at sea. This is so good,’” she said.

The journey didn’t always go as originally planned, either. Royal Caribbean diverted the ship earlier this year due to ongoing attacks in the Red Sea, for example. Instead of sailing through the Suez Canal, the ship took an alternate route around Africa.

According to Lake, canceled ports during the trip served as a “reminder to be flexible.”

“If I’ve learned one thing, it’s to expect the unexpected,” she said.

In January, the ship experienced flooding in parts of the ship due to bad weather off the coast of South America. In February, the shipping company confirmed the death of a passenger.

The story continues below.

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Watch: Royal Caribbean cruise ship floods on nine-month voyage

Video footage from a cruise ship during a nine-month voyage around the world shows the ship encountering flooding and bad weather.

‘Just like any other community’

Cruise ships are often described as cities at sea and the Ultimate World Cruise created a sense of camaraderie among neighbors, passengers said.

“I mean, it’s just like any other community, obviously,” Lake said. “You have the people that you’re really close to, some of them are acquaintances, maybe some of them aren’t your people, but that’s okay. It’s just, you have your group that you naturally get along with.”

In addition to the approximately 650 guests on Ultimate World Cruise, the cruise was also sold in segments, with new people joining every few months or so. If passengers ever need space, Audrey Martucci said, they can find solace in their cabins. “Or there are lots of spaces on the ship where you can hide away,” she said.

And while the Martuccis took pains to prepare for the trip — they even explored the ship during one of their training cruises — it was a change to spend so much time together. “We went from him working full time to all of a sudden, we’re in these small spaces together all the time, and we’ve done it,” she said. “So everything else is going to be a breeze now.”

“And you didn’t throw me overboard,” Joe added.

Guests also help each other out. Larson said there’s a group chat on Facebook where passengers can ask for items they need or post things they no longer want to trade with each other.

Lake advised anyone considering a world cruise to pack light — a lesson she learned from experience. She brought three large suitcases, a wheeled carry-on and a backpack. “I scaled it back, but it’s still too much,” she said. “It’s kind of like your own wardrobe: You only wear 10 to 20 percent of it.”

Although she felt like she had too many shoes and rarely wore her accessories, other items, like storage compartments in the closet, came in handy.

Still, the logistics of living on a ship can be more complex. Larson pointed to her apartment, which sustained minor damage during Hurricane Beryl. “So not being there to deal with those kinds of things,” she said. “Sure, we could have gone home, but it wasn’t a huge emergency.” She found that other tasks, like paying bills, were easily kept up with online.

The Martuccis even managed to buy a car remotely, so they’ll have one when the cruise ends, and a house in Audrey’s native Scotland, where they plan to spend the summers. “We’ve been able to function,” Joe said.

Asked if they were tired of the food, Joe said: “It’s just like at home, you open your fridge and think, ‘That’s all we have,’ and you decide to go out to eat instead of eating (at home). Sometimes you get that feeling.” But he stressed that compared to the previous cruise they took on Serenade of the Seas, the culinary team had “stepped up their game” for the nine-month sailing.

What is a world cruise?: It’s not a decision you take lightly

Going viral

The attention the cruise received online surprised passengers like the Martuccis. They had originally planned to share videos with their children, who suggested they post them on TikTok. According to Joe, their follower count went from “almost none” to nearly 100,000 within a week.

“We fell for it and we got caught up in this daily video,” Audrey said. “But it’s great.”

Lake, who also documented her journey online, agreed, calling the experience a “surprise.” She and the Martuccis both noted that they were recognized by strangers on board.

Larson didn’t have a TikTok account when she boarded, but she’s enjoyed sharing videos from the trip. She hopes to continue doing so on land, “especially when we’re home, adjusting after nine months away from home, and sleeping on a bed that doesn’t rock anymore.”

Nine months at sea haven’t deterred them from traveling. Larson has nearly 30 cruises booked, with the first one coming up in October. Lake, who gave up her apartment and a job in advertising and marketing to travel full-time, plans to take up a new profession: organizing group travel.

The Martuccis also have plenty of travel plans, including a family cruise on Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas in January. “We’re not wasting any time,” Joe said.

Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY, based in Nashville. You can reach him at [email protected].