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World Cruises

All you Need to Know

by Travel Journalist Phil Davies

I never took a gap year. Despite itchy feet and wanderlust, somehow the thought of back-packing and hostels never appealed to me, even at the tender age of 18.

The idea of business suits and what I perceived as the glamour of travel journalism held much more allure. So when my wife suggested we took around three weeks off last year to go on a sector of a world cruise, part of me was transported back to my youth.

We’d be having a gap “year,” but doing it in style and comfort. Over the years we have both travelled extensively but never done South America in depth.

We chose an itinerary from Rio de Janeiro to Santiago which took in great names such as Buenos Aires, with its Parisien café culture; Montevideo in Uruguay, Puerto Madryn and onto remote Port Stanley in the Falkland Islands.

We cruised by Half Moon island in Antarctica and saw chinstrap penguins, nesting terns and whales bounding along by the side of the ship. We then cruised by Hope Bay, named Iceberg Alley by the Swedish explorers who discovered it in 1902. It was an extraordinary humbling and memorable experience to see such desolate bays and sheer glaciers.

Travelling around this immense continent we witnessed all the landscapes of the world – rivers and rainforests, mountains and lakes, coasts and cliffs, beaches and deserts, snow-capped peaks and spectacular fjords.

When we met up with our fellow travellers each evening for dinner, we spoke non-stop of the sheer vistas we had seen that day. With fine dining and fine wines on our private balcony, there wasn’t a back-pack or a youth hostel in sight.

Off Deception Island we saw the volcanic slopes, steaming beaches and ash-layered glaciers. We transited the Beagle Channel and the Straits of Magellan and imagined the early explorers on these historic trade routes.

By the time we docked in Santiago we felt as though we’d really travelled and explored and, to use that well-worn phrase, had “the holiday of a lifetime”.

This year we once again appealed to our understanding offices and took off on another world cruise sector for two weeks, this time to the beaches of Australia and the South Pacific. Although quite different to last year, it was no less enjoyable and the warmth of the people and the sunshine were both very welcome as we left the grey skies of the UK.

The mix of cosmopolitan cities and isolated beaches made the itinerary very appealing and again, we felt as though we had really spoiled ourselves even though the cost of the holiday was very reasonable.

Anyone who tells you that world cruises are only for the retired or very rich should try one. Nothing beats that feeling of total escapism and pretending you’re 18 again…

DOS and DON’TS of World Cruising

DO look carefully at the different sectors offered for world cruises. If you are very active then choose one with a port-rich itinerary. If you prefer to relax on board then look at those with some sea days.

DO book early as the shorter sectors are very popular.

DO book a cabin with a balcony. Nothing beats sitting watching the sunset and getting an up close view of the wildlife.

DON’T worry about getting bored during long ocean crossings because you will find an extensive range of on board facilities available both the active and not so active.

DON’T be put off by the range of shore excursions available, as there will be experts on board to help you choose those that are most suitable.

World Cruises Offers

World Cruise Cruise

09 Nov 2008
13 nights
£1140

World Cruise Cruise

25 Oct 2008
15 nights
£1285

World Cruise Cruise

25 Oct 2008
28 nights
£2055