Royal Caribbean to offer 274-night cruise — world’s longest

Want to float away from your worries for the better part of a year?

Then Royal Caribbean International has the cruise for you: a 274-night, 65-country water journey across the world, aptly titled “Ultimate World Cruise.”

Bookings for the seven-continent experience are now open — the inaugural journey of which is set to happen in 2023, and it’s being billed as the world’s longest.

For those looking to take on the full, 150-destination package, including “11 great wonders of the world,” tickets start at $60,999 per person.

If committing more than two-thirds of a year to see the world by boat isn’t for you, there’s also the option to book single legs of the four-leg trip.

The globe floating adventure will set sail from Miami on Dec. 10, 2023, and return there on Sept. 10, 2024.

“This is the world cruise of world cruises,” Royal Caribbean CEO Michael Bayley said in a press release. “Now more than ever, people have resolved to travel the world and make up for lost time. Royal Caribbean is making that a reality with the ultimate vacation . . . to travelers asking themselves where they should go next, we say everywhere.”

The new, extreme offering comes amidst an ongoing, if ebbing, nightmare for the cruise industry as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, with passengers testing positive for the coronavirus aboard ships as recently as this month. 

Still, executives clearly believe people are ready for the Serenade of the Seas’ ambitious expedition which touches every continent, with stops including Australia’s Great Barrier Reef; the Great Wall of China; the Taj Mahal in India; the Pyramids of Giza, Egypt; the Colosseum in Rome, Italy; Iceland’s Blue Lagoon; Brazil’s Christ the Redeemer; Peru’s Machu Picchu and more. 

Indeed, the full itinerary reveals a truly action-packed schedule of visits, with one or two cruising days consistently followed by some of humanity’s most heralded tourist attractions, one after another after another. For anyone with deep pockets, a flexible schedule and a love for nautical travel, Ultimate World Cruise is certainly an efficient way to see all the sights.