World cruise guide for 2027 and 2028: lines, routes and cost

What is a world cruise?

A world cruise is a single voyage that crosses several oceans and continents on one ship. Some are true round the world cruises that circle the globe. Others, such as Princess’s 2027 voyage around the Pacific, cover a third of the planet and come back the way they went. Lines use the name for both, so read the route map before the brochure.

When they sail

Almost all leave between late December and mid-January and end between May and July.

How long

109 to 180 days on the 2027 voyages we checked. Oceania sells one extended version of 244 days.

Where they start

Fort Lauderdale, Miami and Los Angeles in the U.S. Southampton and the Mediterranean ports in Europe.

Round trip or one way

Holland America and Princess sell round trips. Oceania, Regent, Silversea and Viking end in a different city.

Segments

Every line sells shorter parts of the voyage. Princess lists segments from 4 to 68 days in 2027.

Booking

Lines announce them about two years ahead. The 2028 voyages from Princess and Holland America are already on sale.

The best world cruises for 2027 and 2028

We picked on the criteria in how we rate cruises, weighted toward what matters over four months: value for the fare, what is included, the size of the ship and whether you can board in the United States. From-prices come from our monthly snapshot and show the date they were checked. Where the snapshot has no fare for a voyage, the pick says so.

1. 1

   Best-value world cruise from a U.S. port

   Princess Cruises, Coral Princess (2027 and 2028)

   Why: The 2027 World Cruise Grand Circle Pacific Voyage leaves Fort Lauderdale on January 6, 2027, for 129 days, or Los Angeles on January 21 for a 114-day round trip. It calls at 61 destinations in 20 countries. The 2028 voyage is a 115-day round trip from Fort Lauderdale or Los Angeles that starts on January 3, 2028.

   Watch out: The 2027 route circles the Pacific and does not go around the globe. Drinks, Wi-Fi and tips are extra unless you buy the Plus or Premier package, and the ship carries 2,000 guests.

   Fares change daily; check current prices
2. 2

   Best round-trip world cruise

   Holland America Line, Volendam (Grand World Voyage)

   Why: 129 days round trip from Fort Lauderdale, so there is no one-way flight home. The 2027 voyage leaves on January 5 and calls at 53 ports in 28 countries, with overnight stays in seven of them. The 2028 voyage leaves on January 4 and adds a four-day Antarctic stretch and Easter Island.

   Watch out: Volendam is one of the two smallest ships in the fleet, and evenings are quiet. Drinks and tips are extra unless a booking offer covers them, and it only sails from Florida.

   Fares change daily; check current prices
3. 3

   Longest world cruise

   Oceania Cruises, Vista (Around the World in 180 Days)

   Why: 180 days from Miami to London, leaving on January 6, 2027, with more than 100 ports in 46 countries. A 244-day version runs from Miami to New York and is the longest voyage Oceania has sold. Specialty restaurants, Wi-Fi and gratuities are in the fare, and the world cruise adds a visa package and luggage delivery.

   Watch out: Six months is a long time on a 1,200-guest ship, and the fare is far above Princess or Holland America. You choose between unlimited drinks and a shore excursion credit; you don't get both.

   From $88,799 per personChecked October 2026
4. 4

   Most inclusive world cruise

   Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Seven Seas Splendor (World of Splendor)

   Why: 140 nights from Miami on January 11, 2027, ending in New York, with 71 ports in 40 countries and 14 overnight stays. Regent's fare covers drinks, gratuities, Wi-Fi, specialty dining and shore excursions, so there is little left to pay on board.

   Watch out: The highest fares here: from $91,499 per guest for a Veranda Suite when it was announced in March 2024, and $839,999 per guest for the Regent Suite.

   Fares change daily; check current prices
5. 5

   Best world cruise from the West Coast

   Silversea, Silver Dawn (The Three Oceans)

   Why: 149 days from Los Angeles on January 8, 2027, to Copenhagen on June 7, with more than 80 ports in 35 countries and 11 overnight stays. The ship carries 596 guests, and drinks, tips and Wi-Fi are in the fare.

   Watch out: It ends in Europe, so you need a flight home. Luxury fares, and a small ship moves more in open ocean.

   Fares change daily; check current prices
6. 6

   Lowest-priced big-ship world cruise

   MSC Cruises, MSC Magnifica (MSC World Cruise 2027)

   Why: 121 nights from Italy, Spain or France in early January 2027, with 45 destinations in 25 countries and overnight stays in seven ports, among them Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires, Sydney and Tahiti. For 2027 the ship has a Yacht Club with 63 suites, its own restaurant and a private lounge.

   Watch out: It starts and ends in Europe, so Americans fly both ways. Expect a mostly European crowd. The ship carries 2,550 guests.

   Fares change daily; check current prices

World cruises 2027: every line at a glance

• Princess world cruise 2027. Princess sails Coral Princess for 129 days from Fort Lauderdale to Los Angeles, 114 days round trip from Los Angeles, or 110 days from Los Angeles to Vancouver. The route runs through the Panama Canal to Hawaii, the South Pacific, Australia and New Zealand, Southeast Asia, Japan and Alaska.
• Holland America world cruise 2027. Holland America calls its voyage the Grand World Voyage. Volendam sails down the west coast of South America, across the South Pacific to Australia and Asia, around southern Africa to St. Helena and Ascension Island, and home by way of Europe. Nineteen of its ports are visited only on Grand Voyages.
• Oceania world cruise 2027. Oceania sends Vista from Miami through the Panama Canal, across the Pacific, along the Australian coast and through more than two months in Asia before ending in London. A shorter 127-day version ends in Doha.
• Regent Seven Seas world cruise 2027. The first Regent world cruise on one of its newer Explorer-class ships. It covers the Caribbean, the Pacific islands, Australia and New Zealand, Asia, Africa and Europe. See our luxury and small-ship picks for how Regent compares.
• Silversea world cruise 2027. Silver Dawn crosses the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic oceans, with a two-night overland trip in South Africa that includes a safari and Victoria Falls.
• MSC world cruise 2027. MSC runs the only big-ship world cruise at a mainstream fare, from Europe. Its 2026 world cruise was 119 nights and has already sailed.
• Viking world cruise 2026–2027. Viking sells four versions. The 170-day Viking World Voyage III leaves Fort Lauderdale on December 22, 2026, on Viking Sky and ends in Stockholm on June 10, 2027. A 153-day version leaves Los Angeles on January 8, 2027. Shorter 142-day and 125-day versions end in London. Viking is adults-only and is not one of the lines we price.
• Cunard world voyage 2027. Cunard’s Queen Victoria sails a 109-night world voyage from Southampton on January 10, 2027, with overnight stays in New York, Los Angeles and Singapore. Cunard sells it in sectors, from a few nights upward. Queen Anne leaves the same day on a 90-night voyage to South America.

The main 2026 world cruises left in January 2026 and have finished. The only departure still ahead in 2026 is Viking’s on December 22.

World cruises 2028

Two U.S. round trips are already on sale.

• Princess world cruise 2028. Coral Princess, 115 days from January 3, 2028, round trip from Fort Lauderdale or Los Angeles. It calls at 49 destinations in 24 countries, including Sydney, Auckland, Cape Town and Barcelona, with segments of about 20 to 100 days.
• Holland America Grand World Voyage 2028. Volendam, 129 days from January 4, 2028, round trip from Fort Lauderdale. The route goes south to Antarctica, through the Chilean fjords to Easter Island and French Polynesia, then on to New Zealand, Australia, Southeast Asia and around the Cape of Good Hope. It calls at 45 ports in 26 countries and territories.

We checked these two in October 2026. For the other lines’ 2028 voyages, look at each line’s own site.

How much is a world cruise?

It depends on the line far more than on the route.

• Luxury and upper-premium lines publish their fares. Oceania’s 180-day voyage started at $76,199 per person when it went on sale in March 2025. That is about $423 a night, with specialty dining, Wi-Fi and tips included. Regent’s 140-night voyage started at $91,499 per guest in March 2024, about $654 a night with drinks and excursions included.
• Mainstream lines cost less. Princess, Holland America and MSC usually charge much less for an inside cabin, but their announcements did not give prices. Check current fares before you compare.
• The fare is not the whole cost. Add flights to and from the ship if it is not a round trip, visas where the line does not handle them, travel insurance for the full length of the trip, tips and drinks on the lines that charge for them, and a budget for more than fifty ports.

Booking early usually brings extras. For its 2027 Grand Voyages, Holland America offered onboard credit of up to $2,000 per guest, a 3 percent discount for paying in full, Wi-Fi and airport transfers. For 2028 it offered up to $10,700 off per stateroom for bookings made by June 14, 2027.

Our all-inclusive cruise guide explains what each line’s fare covers.

Long cruises without the full voyage: 30-day and month-long cruises

You do not have to give up four months. There are three ways to take a long cruise of 30 to 90 days.

• Book a segment. Princess sells parts of its 2027 world cruise from ports such as Auckland, Hong Kong, Honolulu, Singapore, Sydney, Tokyo and Vancouver. A segment of three or four weeks gives you the sea days and the far-off ports for a fraction of the fare.
• Book a grand voyage. Holland America runs a 70-day Grand South America and Antarctica Voyage on Zaandam from Fort Lauderdale on January 3, 2027. In 2028 it adds a 90-day Grand Australia and New Zealand Voyage, round trip from San Diego on January 30.
• Join two cruises. Back-to-back sailings on one ship make a month-long cruise on almost any line. Spring and fall crossings are the cheapest building blocks; see our transatlantic and repositioning cruise guide and our Panama Canal guide.

Long sailings suit retired travelers best, and our senior cruise guide covers the lines that handle them well. Solo travelers should ask about single supplements early, because a supplement on a four-month fare is a large sum; see our singles and solo cruise guide.

What about Royal Caribbean’s Ultimate World Cruise?

Royal Caribbean ran one world cruise, and it has finished. The Ultimate World Cruise on Serenade of the Seas left Miami on December 10, 2023, and returned on September 10, 2024, after 274 nights, about 150 ports and all seven continents. It was sold whole and in four segments. We found no announcement of a second one when we checked in October 2026.

World cruise itinerary: what to check before you book

• Sea days. Pacific and Indian Ocean crossings mean runs of five or more sea days. Count them on the itinerary.
• Overnights. A night in port lets you travel inland. The 2027 voyages range from 7 overnight stays on Holland America to 14 on Regent.
• Where it ends. A one-way voyage means a long flight home with four months of luggage. Oceania includes luggage delivery on its world cruise.
• The ship. Princess, Holland America and MSC put one of their smaller ships on the world cruise, not their newest. That means fewer restaurants and shows, and easier access to small ports.
• Medical care. The ship has a doctor, not a hospital. Buy insurance that covers medical evacuation, and talk to your own doctor about prescriptions for the full trip.

A note on names: the World Cruise Center is the Port of Los Angeles cruise terminal in San Pedro, where many Pacific voyages start. Parking and transfers are in our Los Angeles and Long Beach port guide.

Sample long sailings

World cruise FAQ