Tough Choice: Around the World Again or Pole to Pole in 2025?
Day 107, Grand World Voyage
Thursday, April 20, 2023; At Sea, North Sea, Atlantic Ocean.
I’m facing a dilemma — which Grand World cruise to pick for 2025. Yesterday Holland America’s president, Gus Antorcha, followed tradition and first announced the 2025 World Cruise itinerary to the passengers on board the current world voyage on the Zuiderdam.
For the first time, the company will offer two choices. The more traditional Grand World Voyage will sail west around the globe for 124 days, visiting 46 ports in 32 countries on six continents.
As rumored, there will be a second option – not technically a world voyage as it doesn’t circle the globe, but a 133-day Pole-to-Pole Grand Voyage, visiting 68 ports in 28 countries on five continents.
I put a small deposit on the undefined 2025 cruise a couple of months ago, and now I need to decide which one. It’s not an easy choice. I will have visited almost all the ports on both cruises by 2025.
On the traditional world voyage, 55 percent of the days will be sea days (68 sea days and 56 port days), and people know I love my sea days. It will go to some of my favorite places – including Easter Island; Brisbane, Australia; Cape Town, South Africa; Safága, Egypt; and Barcelona. The Seychelles still is on my bucket list after we missed that stop in 2020.
The pole-to-pole grand voyage has the appeal of breaking the mold and nearly going around the world in a non-traditional direction of south to north. I’m disappointed it doesn’t go to Svalbard, Norway, in the polar ice cap. That seems a natural. There will be far fewer time zone changes. But just 43 percent of the pole to pole will be sea days (57 days at sea and 76 in ports). When would I ever be able to catch up on my blog and sketches?
One fun feature is that both ships will be in Barcelona for an overnight stop at the same time, with plans for a big party ashore. Details to come.
I’m beginning to realize that by spending so much time on Holland America’s longer cruises, I am running out of new places to visit. This fall I’m cruising on a Grand South America/Antarctica cruise, which pretty much matches the first half of the pole-to-pole cruise.
For example, I’ll sail up the Amazon this December, then again only a month later in January on the 2024 world cruise, so the pole-to-pole would make the third Amazon voyage in just over a year.
Between this cruise and my upcoming summer cruises, I will have visited most of the ports in the second half of the pole-to-pole. I don’t see anything new there to visit.
Beyond the itinerary is the fact that my many friends from long Holland America cruises will split between the two choices. There is a lot of discussion onboard these days about who thinks they will do which. Eloise thinks she may pass on 2025; Elaine hasn’t decided which yet, either.
I’m not complaining about facing this choice; I’m fortunate to be able to choose at all. And I need to seriously consider other options, such as other cruise lines and overland travel. The good news is that at this point my only commitment will be a fully refundable deposit.
Feel free to comment with your opinion or points I haven’t yet considered.
Interesting options. Given your other cruises I would suggest the grand world voyages as it takes you to some newish ( don’t know if you have been there on other cruises.) places and more sea days. Plus three times up the Amazon is a bit much. We did it once. Not our favorite area. Would not go back. But that’s us. Also consider what friends (family?) are doing.. ala in all its a fun decision to have to ponder.
What a wonderful situation to be in – two great choices..
I am the type of person who likes to try different things. While it is always ‘safe’ to go back to something that you are comfortable with, it is also fine to try something new. For example, we have booked three world cruises – 2023/2024 – 2025 – 2026 – on three different cruise lines – only one of which we have ever sailed on. The first one will take us from LA to Hawaii/Polynesia/Australia/New Zealand/Asia/Middle East/Europe to London. The second one we are flying to Japan and doing Japan and China (hopefully) and ending up in Boston. The third one we leave from Miami – do Panama Canal and some Central America – on to Hawaii – quite a bit of Africa and Portugal/Canary Islands and back to Miami.
We are not the well=traveled people like you – so we are excited about everything. We are excited about the different port and ship/sea day experiences we will have on all 3 lines – and probably meeting different people, too.
You like HAL – and have the low risk of that plus lots of people you already know will be doing the sailings. But life is an adventure – and we KNOW you are adventurous.
Just offering a different point of view..
Quite the decision! I couldn’t help thinking that if you are drawn to the new Pole to Pole voyage then you could skip some shore excursions on each voyage and catch them on the next thereby creating more sea days…or staying onboard days when the ships tend to be quieter.
Either way, you really can’t go wrong.
Gail (1of4)
Looking forward to what u choose and future blogs. Love reading them
Circling the arctic by traveling the NW & EW Passages are on my bucket list. 🙂
The Pole to Pole is foremost on my mind and will probably do that in 2025!
Hello Jo. Check out Cunard I am on a leg 🦵 of QV San Francisco to south Hampton leave SF February 6. That will give me a break from, not yet, booked Christmas cruise. Check CC roll call to see if the artsy programs are for you
If you want to go to Longyearbyn and NY Alsund, I suggest finding a cruise line that will take you there such as Hurtigruten. Hotels in Longyearbyn seemed to be priced at about $500-$700 per night making it not feasbile for us to travel there via land. We were scheduled on Holland’s cruise going there as their future cruise consultant told us how cool the place was. When Holland canceled the stops, we canceled the cruise and switched to Hurtigruten. As we see it, the Norway govt could even restrict Hurtigruten from going at some point in the future so we wanted to go there while we still can. By the way, my wife is in a wheelchair so we understand the frustrations you have been experiencing. Best of luck in your decison making
Well, I’m beginning to think it doesn’t matter where you go: you’re my friend “who lives on cruise ships’. What will you do when you run out of money? Come be my roommate? Lila’s?
Don’t joke — it could happen and I love your guest room!
Hi Jo,
One more factoid for your decision process- Steve and I will be hosting the pole to pole voyage and would love to sail with you again. But I can see why you would choose the other. We love returning to favorite places. We will hit 8 out of 10 of our personal favorites on the pole to pole.
We are enjoying your commentary and so glad you are getting around more. Stay well.
Wendy
Well, that makes the pendulum swing back toward pole-to-pole, Wendy! I have a feeling Elaine’s choice may determine it. I would love to sail with you again. I guess you aren’t on the Grand South America this fall?
We were originally scheduled to do GSA in the Fall, but we realized that would have us working almost 10 months straight, so we decided something had to give. We wanted to be somewhat rested before Grand Australia. So there will be other hosts assigned but they don’t know who as of this moment.
And then when Pole to Pole came up, which is more South America, we knew it was the right choice. We have already done GSA 5 times!
Whatever you choose will be wonderful.
We will just miss you in Boston on July 22- we get on as you get off the Zuiderdam.
How early is it possible to book for the pole-to-pole? I see that you’ve mentioned a refundable deposit for 2025. I would love to sign up for the 2026 cruise as early as possible. This will be my first long cruise so I’ve not had a lot of experience with how the calendar works for these things. Thanks!