“There’s going to be mutiny, there’s going to be blood, someone is going overboard. I want to watch.”
This isn’t a teaser from some Hollywood thriller, but the opening to a video shared on TikTok about a cruise. Royal Caribbean’s Ultimate World Cruise, to be precise, a round-the-globe odyssey that has become an unlikely online obsession. Since it first left port in November, videos about the journey have been viewed millions of times by a growing cult following.
The scale of the journey is impressive. Over the course of nine months, 27,000 passengers will visit more than 60 countries across all seven continents. There are four main sections of the cruise – the Americas, Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Europe – split into 17 legs. Passengers can opt in to join for one of the sections, mix and match the 17 legs, or stay for the duration. Those who signed up for the full shebang will have parted with between $60,000 (£47,286) and $118,000 (£92,996).
