Q – I have been interested in doing portions of a world cruise this year or next. But it seems as though the lines want their customers to book the full 90 days and only certain longer segments remain. I was wondering if there is any way to buy a section of a world cruise on a five-star line this winter or spring when I only have, at the most, 17 days of total time off?
A – Your assumptions are essentially true but full world cruise clients are not that plentiful. The lines that operate the ATW sailings generally do longer segments that are promoted to the various agent consortium groups. But this year there is a late-option that might possibly serve your needs. Crystal has had some difficulty filling their berths on the full ATW sailing on the Serenity so they are segmenting several shorter sailings. Here is the full list:
- February 29, 2016 – Bali to Port Kelang, 6 days
- March 6, 2016 – Port Kelang to Singapore, 6 days
- March 12, 2016 – Singapore to Ho Chi Minh City, 8 days
- March 20, 2016 – Ho Chi Minh City to Shanghai, 11 days
- March 31, 2016 – Shanghai to Incheon, 7 days
- April 7, 2016 – Incheon to Tokyo, 7 days
- January 22, 2017 – Colón to Callao 8 days
- January 30, 2017 – Callao to Valparaíso, 9 days
- February 8, 2017 – Valparaíso to Ushuaia, 10 days
- February 18, 2017 – Ushuaia to Buenos Aires, 13 days
- March 27, 2017 – Manaus to Bridgetown/Barbados, 9 days
Personally, we like combining the two 6-night sailings into a Bali to Singapore itinerary. The February Ushuaia to Buenos Aires itinerary is also a major winner and it is offered during absolute prime season.
Do expect a mature crowd. There will not be any repelling off the upper deck. Also expect some favorable pricing incentives as this space should have been sold out six months ago.
