Royal Caribbean’s Serenade of the Seas has taken guests to 160 destinations in the last nine months. For 274 days, it documented various events, from itinerary changes to whale sightings, Amsterdam protesters to food reviews, and icebergs in Antarctica.
The 2,476-passenger ship left Miami on December 20, 2023, and ended its voyage this morning. Since its departure, the cruise has gone viral as many passengers have uploaded their daily experiences onboard. People began referring to it as a “reality show” while #ultimateworldcruise amassed over 340 million views as of January 22.
Reality Show at Sea
Royal Caribbean Vice President of Sales, Trade Support, and Service Vicki Freed informed Travel Weekly that the cruise had taken on “a life of its own.” “The response has been amazing,” she added.
Several influencers onboard contributed to its virality, including Jenny Hunnicut (@drjennytravels), who uploaded around 200 videos from the ship.
| “I think the fact that the internet was so good, for the most part, around the world allowed us to post more in real time, and that also blew the cruise up online,” Hunnicut shared with the travel news site. |
Meanwhile, ordinary passengers enjoyed newfound popularity. Sixty-seven-year-old Joe Martucci from Florida casually posted videos for his children but soon hit 1.5 million views.
“I was sending videos to my children, and they said, ‘Hey, Dad, put these on TikTok so we can let our friends see them too.’ I didn’t know ‘their friends’ were 90,000 people,” he said in surprise.
Diversions, Deaths, and Drama
Online audiences followed the postponement of the passengers’ visit to Devil’s Island in French Guiana, the protesters who prevented the vessel from calling on Amsterdam, the minor flooding on deck 12, and the countless dramas happening onboard.
The 22-year-old ship was also forced to change its route due to ongoing attacks in the Red Sea. Guests voted on two different itineraries, while those who preferred not to continue received compensation and assistance with their travel arrangements.
A death also occurred onboard last February. The cruise line didn’t reveal the passenger’s identity or cause of death to protect the family’s privacy. Though a few guests tried to post details about her passing, they were soon taken down.
Cruisers even captured Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley announcing a second world cruise.
“Yes, we are gonna do another Ultimate World Cruise,” said Bayley to a cheering audience. The CEO added that the cruise line will hold a reunion event for passengers, at which the details of the second cruise will be revealed.
The concept of a round-the-world cruise isn’t new, but Royal Caribbean is the first mainstream cruise line to offer the longest global cruise.
Villa Vie Residences also hopes to launch its 3.5-year sailing any day now. After months of delays, the Villa Vie Odyssey began sea trials last week.
