This could well be my most important posting of my life. Nothing to do with saving Humanity and Planet Earth, but the ramifications could be life-changing for some. I'm not organizing anything, but we've invited our friends to join us, and they might also be able to take advantage of our bargaining with cruise lines. Then, there are the 2 million plus of you out there in 221 countries who have read this blog, and might want to tag along.
- My cabin mate (I'll come up with a more appropriate term later) and I are considering tossing in a cruise or two on our upcoming Grand Around the World Adventure (GAWA2--and I should come up with a better acronym)
- On a January cruise from Honolulu to Dubai, or somewhere in between by mid-March so that we can begin the air part of the journey to Dubai, then parts further west to Honolulu. Of course, those living elsewhere can start where you are and link with us.
- European river cruise from probably Basel, Switzerland to Amsterdam, the Netherlands. By the end of this phase, the tulips should be blooming. I will have a posting comparing possible options after settling on the first cruise portion.
For this upcoming trip I use GAWA2 because I already had a Business Class GAWA, my Greatest Around the World Adventure six years ago. 65 days, including a Tauck River Cruise from Budapest to Amsterdam, and perhaps my best one day on any trip, in Venice, where I met my Blue Bar Pigeon. Also an incredible stay in Dubai. There were, though, two mishaps, the first where I lost my wallet on an Asiana flight (which was miraculously returned to me intact) and a lost tooth in Istanbul.
- There was also a MUFA (My Ultimate Fantasy Adventure) in 2014, while only Circle Pacific and not worldwide, this 31-day long journey on Business, ended with a Crystal cruise from Tokyo to Honolulu, and overall might have been my most enjoyable of all.
- Then there was MUGA (My Ultimate Global Adventure) in 2013, which involved First Class travel for 51 days, where the final two weeks involved a week of golf in Napa and another another of wine-tasting throughout Sonoma and Alexander Valleys.
I notice that all Norwegian cruises now offer 30% off, PLUS, FREE open bar, specialty dining, excursions and wifi. While there will be considerable reluctance for all companies to match that, this posting will focus on negotiating favorable rates with cruise lines, so if an agent is reading this, please send me a quote (PatKenTak@hotmail.com) on cost of a double room per person, mentioning those perks, and in consideration of the following:
- The type of stateroom will be described below.
- In general, right side front half of ship facing forward.
- With a bath tub.
- Balcony with no obstruction.
- Two preferred offers at discount or free would be: open (even if limited) bar and wifi.
- No kids and excursions will later be determined.
- Will find our own air travel accommodations as necessary.
- Cost/person for boarding in HONOLULU. If this is NOT allowed, please quote anyway as restricted. We can fly to Los Angeles if absolutely necessary.
- Deposit/person.
- First decision date to send more money.
- When full payment will be required.
My favorite and most traveled line over the seas is Crystal, and their Serenity is currently scheduled to take 116 days to depart from Miami on 17 January 2022 or Los Angeles on 2 February 2022, with a stop in Hawaii on February 8. A deluxe forward stateroom with verandah for the entire trip costs $54,425/person. If the cost is prorated to board in Honolulu and disembark in Sydney, which would be on February 6, or 18 days on the ship, using simple mathematics, dividing 116 into 18 and multiplying by $54,425, the cost showing no discount should be around $8450/person ($469/day). After spending a few days in Sydney, the intent then would be to begin a Business Class Around the World Journey with Star Alliance. Anyone wedded to Delta, American or whatever can also consider OneWorld or SkyTeam.
To the Crystal agent reading this, the quote should be for two people in the same balcony room from Honolulu to Sydney, mentioning what you can about amenities and perks.
Cunard this year celebrated a century of global cruising. They tend to be a bit stuffy and formal. But that is what I've heard, haven't yet stepped on board, save for the Queen Mary, which served the company from 1936 to 1967, and is now a tourist attraction in Long Beach, California.
Cunard has two world cruises:
- Queen Victoria: 10 January 2022 to 9 April 2022, 108 days, Southampton to Southampton, UK
- Britannia Balcony room from $24,000
- Arrives in Honolulu on Day 33, February 11
- Arrives in Sydney on Day 51, March 1
- Using the same mathematics (something most cruise lines don't really do), would cost around $4000/person. ($222/day).
- Brittania Club room would be $6600/person ($367/day).
- There will be two of us in the same stateroom, and ONLY from Honolulu to Sydney.
- So to the Cunard agent reading this, please quote for both the Britannia Balcony and Club rooms, mentioning what you can about amenities and perks.
- Queen Mary 2 goes eastward, 10 January 2022 to 2 February 2022, 22 days, Southampton, UK to Dubai
- As this ship is going in the wrong direction and not stopping in Honolulu, I'll skip the details.
- The Island Princess departs on a global cruise from Los Angeles on 19 January 2022, a 111-day journey.
- 51 destinations
- 6 continents
- 29 countries
- 34,000 nautical miles
- 25 UNESCO World Heritage sites
- As there is a stop in Honolulu on January 25, perhaps we can board here.
- From Honolulu, the ship arrives 47 days later in Dubai on March 13, just in time for the World Expo.
- Doing the similar math, the cost would proportionately be $6412/person for a balcony stateroom. That would be $136/person/day.
- A mini-suite would also be fine, but my reading of the Princess site is that this category is sold out. But this only means that eager travelers only paid a minimal deposit. When the time comes, a lot of staterooms will suddenly become available.
- So to the Princess agent reading this, I would like the quote to be for two people from Honolulu to Dubai. Plus, indicate something about amenities and perks. Also, put us on the waiting list for a mini-suite.
If anyone reading this works for an airlines or similar travel organization, you also subscribe to a separate service that can get cruises for ridiculously low rates, as we did for the Diamond Princess. If we cannot reach any kind of reasonable accommodation from any cruise line, the other option will be to wait until a couple of months before the departure date. That might turn out to be what will happen, for the air portion of the global adventure need not be made until a month before that portion starts. There are always seats available in paid business class, and especially so for the next year or so with the variants spooking the pandemic.
Finally, we will be staying at Marriott/Sheraton, for their international hotels generally have a club lounge with free buffet breakfast and free cocktail hour with appetizers. Of course, it would help if you were a platinum member. Thus, this perk almost eliminates (you don't want to eat large meals three times/day on a global trip) meal costs, save for those must-go-to Michelin 3-star or Pellegrino Best 50 restaurants.
-
Comments
Post a Comment