1) What places did you enjoy the most?,
It’s hard to pinpoint an exact place as almost every port had some aspect that I enjoyed. If I did have to choose, I would say that Asia and the South Pacific Islands were perhaps my favorites because they were so new and foreign. Easter Island was fascinating with so many of the large Moai all over the island. How did the people move these huge statues without modern day machinery and why? These are questions that perplex people even today. Since we lived in Europe for 4 years, these ports although enjoyable, were not as interesting. Having said that, the exception would be Normandy, France as one of the most memorable tours. This was in part because of our excellent tour guide Ellwood. He brought the battles of D-day alive and made us more aware of the enormous sacrifice our soldiers made during WWII.
2) What would you do differently if you had the cruise to do over again?
Investigate private tours thru the internet before I leave. Time is always a factor, but it would be easier once you were on the ship to have it arranged ahead of time, especially since our internet was very slow and sometimes nonexistent. One can normally find some other passengers willing to join you for a private tour. This is especially true if you had been in touch with other cruisers on the Cruise Critic site before hand. It is a toss of the coin as to whether or not you get a good guide but this is the same problem you can have with a cruise tour. It takes more time and effort and some people would just rather leave it up to the ship—it is a matter of choice. Usually a private tour you see more and the cost is less.
I would also have booked my own flight as it would have been easier to change and perhaps get a better connection. Maybe staying overnight in the last port to see the city and then getting a better connection home in the morning. Just something to think about for the next time.
Buy international calling cards before leaving. Sometimes it was difficult to find a card and if in a foreign country, the directions weren’t always in English. Walmart usually sells them and the cost would be much cheaper and you wouldn’t be at the mercy of a tourist trap shop trying to jack up the price. I would also investigate how much an international cell phone would cost.
3) Would you do another cruise of this type again?
Maybe, but being away for such a long time was hard as I wasn’t able to make contact with the family as often as I would have liked. Perhaps getting an international phone would have helped. Over 100 days is a long time to be gone. Probably my max for the moment would be no more than 60 days.
4) What are your most memorable events?
There have been so many it again is hard to think of one specific event. The whole trip has been an amazing adventure. Seeing how people in other parts of the world live their daily lives with all the hardships and struggles has been a real learning experience. The one port that is most memorable is sailing into Rabaul with the volcano smoking and still spewing out ash all over the ship. These people live daily with this ash and many experience bronchial problems. The volcano erupted 12 years ago and they are still struggling to make a living after half their town was destroyed by the ash. Even with living in such a harsh environment and extreme poverty these people were very friendly and welcoming. Swimming with the sea lions on Galapagos islands—Angkor Wat in Cambodia-- Great Wall of China—Taj Mahal of India-- the list goes on and on for memorable events and places.
5) At any point did you think doing this cruise had been a mistake?
Maybe when it was really rough on the Tasmanian Sea and again from Lisbon to Ireland, otherwise no.
6) What recommendations do you have for someone preparing to take a world cruise?
Do your homework on the ports before you leave. Book your own flights so you have more flexibility as to whether or not you want to change or upgrade your flight. Some people packed too much but I didn’t feel it was a problem for me. I wore almost everything I brought and left quite a bit. Take some older outfits and leave them—the crew will use it or it goes to shelters. Waterproof shoes were a must as some cities it really poured and if you are going to be in the rain forest—keeps the feet dry.
If you have maps of some of the cities you are visiting, bring them along. The ships maps were very basic and they can be expensive overseas. We had many maps of Rome and forgot to bring them.
7) How easy or hard has it been to keep in touch with loved ones?
Very difficult. Phoning wasn’t always an option because of the time difference and not all ports had international phones. In some ports you were busy with touring and didn’t have time to call when you got back to the ship. Other places it was difficult to find internet cafes and some had no skype. The kids were easier to keep in touch with thru email and occasionally could IM. However, many times I would have to switch from standard mode to HTML which wouldn’t allow any IM. Having a mother in an assisted living facility meant that phoning was the only option. It wouldn’t have been an issue if the ship didn’t block skype.
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