If you haven’t heard of the nine-month-long cruise, called the Ultimate World Cruise, where have you been? Clearly not on TikTok (and, well, good for you staying off social media). But for those of us who love to make a viral trend our identity for its short lifespan, #UltimateWorldCruise has flooded our FYP and we’re obsessed with it.

So, what is the Ultimate World Cruise? 

It’s exactly that. The Royal Caribbean’s Ultimate World Cruise sails for 274 nights and travels to more than 60 countries, including Antarctica. Passengers are welcome to join the cruise for “segments” which go for months at a time. The cheapest room is an interior stateroom and that costs $59,999 per person.  If you were to splurge on the junior suite you’d be looking at $117,599, so it’s safe to say that an unlimited buffet for nine months straight at sea does not come cheap. The ship is called the Serenade of the Seas and has capacity for 2,476 guests.

@iambrandeelake Day 10 – Sea Day #ultimateworldcruise #cruisetok #RoyalCaribbean #serenadeoftheseas #aroundtheworldcruise #blackworldcruiser #melaninatsea ♬ original sound – Brandee Lake

Related story: Here are 9 things every first-time cruiser should know before setting sail 

Why is everyone so obsessed with it?

The ship officially set sail 26 days ago and social media savvy passengers have been documenting their day-to-day lives aboard the cruise. From dining experiences to on-board activities and shore excursions, everything you want to know about this trip around the world can be found on TikTok. Users on the social media app are calling it a ‘nine month reality TV show’ and have even created Ultimate World Cruise bingo cards and are anticipating drama unfolding as the cruise progresses. 

@spendingourkidsmoney #royalcaribbean #cruising #explore #WorldCruise #UltimateWorldCruise #UWC #Serenadeoftheseas #cruise #travel ♬ original sound – joe

Who to follow on TikTok? 

Passengers are riding the social media wave and are offering daily updates on what a day in the life aboard the Serenade of the Seas looks like. Some of the best accounts to follow are Brandee Lake (@iambrandeelake), Joe who has spent his kids inheritance on the cruise (@spendingourkidsmoney), Amike Oosthuizen who is travelling with her family (@amike_oosthuizen) and Madison Schwetje (@madisonschwetje) who sent TikTok users spiralling over her room tour of her stateroom. One user (@nchimad), who is not travelling on the ship has become the self appointed “Se Tea Director”, following passengers’ videos closely and reporting if there’s any drama unfolding on the ship. So far, the TikTok videos coming from the Ultimate World Cruise have been quite smooth sailing, the only real drama that’s happened is that a storm hit the ship and there is a whisper that someone has been diagnosed with Covid, but that is unconfirmed. Stay tuned, sailor. 

@amike_oosthuizen A glimpse of what I would eat on a cruising day! There’s so many options, but we just ate at the buffet area on this day 🍔🌭 #SAMA28 #worldcruise #travelvlog #royalcaribbean #foryou #travel #fypシ゚viral #cruisetok #fyp ♬ Deck the Halls – Lofi – Gentle State

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