“We’re going to Freddie Mercury’s house in Zanzibar for my 67th birthday,” Ann Swann from Australia tells me when we speak.
She is currently on cruise with her husband Grant, 68 – but not just any cruise: they are now 18 days into history’s longest commercial cruise, Regatta by Norwegian’s 371-day sailing, scheduled to visit more than 220 ports across 62 countries, from Rome to Southampton via Europe, Africa, India, Asia, Australasia and the Americas. The starting price for a cabin? £56,000.
That’s only if you’re planning to do the full 53-week itinerary, however – which only two couples are. The rest of the ship’s 680 passengers have opted for shorter legs of the voyage (such as the eight-night Singapore round trip to Thailand and Cambodia, and the New York to Reykjavik 19-night crossing), or for longer partial sections. Ann and Grant are one of five couples who have opted for a 169-night (24-week) stint.
Filling in the blanks
“It’s incredible value for a small ship experience as everything is included,” Ann says. “What we save in groceries, utility bills and vehicle expenses back home makes the cruise even more attractive, and having our own chef, cleaners, chauffeur and tour guide looking after us onboard is priceless!”
Ann and Grant have been going on cruise holidays since 1997 and now have 69 voyages under their belts, including a World Cruise with Princess Cruises in 2024. “Back then we went around the bottom of Africa, up the Baltic coast to Iceland, across to New York and down to South America. With this cruise we’re filling in the blanks where we haven’t yet been. For example we’re never seen the Northern Lights, so we’re very excited about that and last week we actually touched a pyramid in Egypt which fulfilled a lifelong dream.”
Ann and Grant took two years to plan this cruise, having downsized from their family home when they retired just before the pandemic hit. Ann was formerly a high school operations manager and Grant managed an electrical wholesale company.
“We started our retirement dreams in September 2022 with a trip to cruise Alaska and the Inside Passage, then cruised back from Vancouver to Sydney and that was the start of the best job we’ve ever had – retirement! We’re barely at home now and a couple of weeks after Grant’s birthday in March we’re off on another cruise to Hawaii.”
Filling the hours
Making the most of all their time away, Ann and Grant always attend onboard talks about upcoming destinations and meticulously plan each port stop to maximise their time on land. Usually they explore independently or hire a guide from a company like Viator. As soon as the ship is cleared for disembarkation, they’re ready to set off, easily clocking up at least 10,000 steps a day. Having rather over-indulged on their first round-the-world cruise, they are determined not to be a cruise cliché and pile on the pounds this time.
As always on cruise ships, food is plentiful, and there is a range of accommodation, from a basic 19 sq m interior rooms to the 92 sq m Owners Suite, complete with teak balcony and luxurious interiors. Ann and Grant chose a generous-sized interior cabin. “We’re hardly ever in the cabin anyway – we like to be out on the terrace in the fresh air, plus there’s loads to do on the ship. The entertainment and lectures are excellent. We haven’t tried the spa yet, but there’s plenty of time for that, and anyway, that’s what sea days are for.”
Gossip, cocktails and Facebook friends
They regularly keep up with their two daughters, grandchildren and friends and family on FaceTime and WhatsApp, and also have a Facebook group where they post pictures of their travels. Social media and messaging services have also helped to create a sense of community on the ship. There are even Facebook groups (like that run by New Zealander Karen Thorp, for passengers who’ll be joining the ship in October for the 24-night Southampton to Cape Town leg) intended to help people meet digitally and find their feet before they’re on board.
“I’ve created a photo itinerary of the places we’ll be visiting to welcome new guests to the group,” says Karen. “People ask questions such as where there’s a kettle in the cabin and what’s included in the beverage package?”
Having been a keen cruiser with her husband Bob since 2000, Karen loves how Facebook has helped connect people and is looking forward to meeting her new shipmates when they arrive in a few weeks.
Ann and Grant say they already have a close-knit social group onboard, with Grant preferring to eschew digital platforms and instead pick up cruise gossip in the ship’s launderette – an essential facility for any long cruise.
“There will always be people that moan about this and that,” he says. “But you make the cruise as good as you want it to be – and we don’t have a single complaint so far. Maybe ask us again in six month’s time…”
Regatta by Norwegian is an Australian-based company, part of the Flight Centre Travel Group and multi-award-winning Ignite Travel.