AROUND THE WORLD IN 2022: The Initial Cruise Portion

 From Worldometer (new  COVID-19 deaths yesterday):

        DAY  USA  WORLD   Brazil    India    South Africa

June     9    1093     4732       1185        246        82

July    22     1205     7128        1293      1120       572

Aug    12     1504     6556        1242       835       130

Sept     9     1208      6222       1136      1168        82

Oct     21     1225      6849         571       703        85

Nov    25     2304    12025        620       518      118

Dec    30     3880    14748      1224       299      465

Jan     14       4142    15512       1151         189      712              

          20      4385    17350      1382        152     566

          28       3908   16388      1439        162     555 

Feb      3       4005   14265      1209        107     398

            4       3523    14287      1291         120     261  

            9       3265    13005     1340         85     396

Summary:  The decline in new deaths is definitely occurring.  The same drop is being shown for new cases.  By the end of the summer, vaccinations should lead to herd immunity.  There are those variants, but one more booster dosage should eliminate that problem.  I suspect, though, that many more masks will be worn wherever you go into 2022, for, while inconvenient, they will protect you from flus, colds and other transmittable germs.

Thus, on to the next around the world adventure.  To recap, I will be going around the world, beginning early in 2022, with a midway stop for the Dubai Expo.  Dubai is the largest city in the United Arab Emirates, which just yesterday orbited their space craft Hope around Mars.

Click on my January 30 posting for previous info.  Star Alliance will be used for the air portion, which could end up being 100% of the total trip if this cruise portion shown below is skipped.  On the other hand, it's intriguing to think about the full 111-day global itinerary of the Island Princess if cost is a factor.  In other words, staying on the ship can be much cheaper than combining air and water, plus hotel, ground transport and food costs.  The Crystal Serenity and Cunard Queen Victoria world fare, including drinks and WiFi, is slightly more than $50,000/person.

For now the plan is to start with a cruise from either Honolulu or the West Coast going west.  There could also be a European river cruise after Dubai.  Did you know that, like Star Alliance and those airline partnerships, cruise lines, too, have them.  For example, Cunard and Princess sometimes share office space and both belong to the World's Leading Cruise Lines, which also includes Carnival, Seaborne and Holland America.

Checking into all the possible cruise options, the following three appear to be the most promising for the initial cruise portion (I'll later post on which European cruise and when):

• 
  Cunard (1 800 728 6273), Queen Victoria, 22 days
• Board on 6 February 2022 in San Francisco
• Arrive on 1 March 2022 in Sydney, Australia
• Stateroom/Cat  7008 / BE-Balconey
• First Sitting in Brittania Restaurant
• Total cost for two people, including taxes, and port fees = $15,746 = $358/person/day
• Plus
• $167 for 530 minutes of internet (probably will end up costing $400 for trip)
• $69/person/day unlimited beverage package = $1518/person 
• Total cost would be $447/person/day for everything, but not tours
• There is an onboard credit of $300/person.
• First deposit of $1712  by February 11 (deposit returned if cancelled before October 9)
• Full amount on October 9
• Stops
• Feb 11  Honolulu
• Feb 14  Cross International Dateline
• Feb 18  Apia
• Feb 20  Suva
• Feb 24  Tauranga
• Feb 25  Auckland
• Feb 26  Bay of Islands
• Mar  1  Sydney
• Then start the Star Alliance Around the World trip to Honolulu, with stops to be determined, which also means there will be a free trip from Honolulu to Sydney if taken within a year of the start date.

• 
  Crystal (786 971 1240), Serenity, 19 days
• Board on February 2, 2022 in San Pedro, California
• Arrive on February 21, 2022 in Auckland, New Zealand
• Deluxe Stateroom with Verandah, cabin 9091
• Brochure fare:  $18,918/person, or $37,836 total for two
• Actual cost because of discounts = $8,805/person, or $17,610 total, including fees, taxes, unlimited alcoholic beverages and wifi
• Total cost of $463/person/day for everything, but not tours.
• First deposit of $2642 on February 22 (deposit returned if cancelled before September 5)
• Final Payment up to the full total on September 5
• The itinerary is similar to Cunard's.  This would be the front portion of the Serenity's 116 night trip from San Pedro to Puerto Vallarta.
• These stops in Sydney (Queen Victoria) and Auckland are unusual for around the world cruises.  There might be others, but they will be too late to get to Dubai by mid-March, for the world's fair ends that month.
• Star Alliance for remainder of trip from Aukland to Honolulu, providing 16 flights.  Which means there will be a free trip back to Auckland if completed within a year of starting.  There should be Air New Zealand service between Honolulu and Auckland, so 15 legs can be used for the around the world trip.

• 
  Princess (860 403 9360), Island, 52 Days
• Board January 19, 2020 from San Pedro, California
• For those living closer to Florida, this same ship leaves Fort Lauderdale on January 5, 2022
• Arrive March 12, 2020 in Dubai.
• For now, a balcony room in class BE, aft, starboard (waiting list for class BB mid-front, slightly more expensive, and in the future there will be an attempt to get on the list for a mini-suite, because it has a bathtub and is not that much more expensive)
• Cost of class BE, $15,144/person, including taxes, fees, Premier Beverage Package, tips, unlimited WiFi and gratuities at end.  The presently assigned room is in the aft and next to the teenage lounge, so I asked to be placed on a waiting list for mid-front and starboard.
• Total cost of $303/person/day for everything, but not tours
• Deposit of $3029 due on February 15
• Additional deposit of $6058 on March 5
• Final full payment up to $31,468 for two by September 21 (deposits returned if cancelled before September 21).

• San Pedro to Dubai, the front portion of the 111-day world tour.
• Star Alliance from Dubai to Honolulu, via ten or so stops.  Which means there will be a free trip from Honolulu to Dubai if completed by March of 2023. Five stops will be reserved for the trip after the world tour.
• Another option for some would be to continue on the ship by flying from Dubai to Salalah, Oman on March 17, to rejoin the cruise, or Aqaba, Jordan on March 22.  However, four whole days in Dubai should be enough.  The Island Princess then eventually goes on to Fort Lauderdale, then San Pedro:  111 days, 51 destinations, 29 countries, 25 UNESCO World Heritage sites and 34,000 nautical miles.  The total cruise cost should be around $32,000/person in a room for 2.

The Island Princess is perfectly matched with the Dubai Expo, which runs until the end of March.  Plus, the price is a lot more attractive than Cunard and Crystal.  In checking hotel room prices, because of this world's fair, a $150 Marriott hotel room in Dubai today will cost something closer to $400 in March of 2022, even if you make the reservation today.

Looking ahead, I would surmise that by September, a good percentage of those who paid the original deposit to Princess will drop out.  That pandemic scare will be difficult to shed, especially now with all those variants.  From mid-September, I suspect deals should be widely available.  For now, I thought it was wise to reserve a cabin as early as possible, while still looking for a better price.  All deposits are returned by the deadline date of  September 29.  If nothing better is found, we'll probably go with the Island Princess as currently arranged, especially if a free upgrade comes with the lack of passengers.  Then again, this cruise can be cancelled before September 29 for an all air global journey.  My experience with these trips is that you can easily book flights if given a month or more to plan.

-