Since we returned, numerous people have asked about the experience, and now, with a bit of time and distance, we wanted to consolidate and share our thoughts.

1. The most common question: Would you do it again?
   Cheryl: No, I wouldn’t do a world cruise with the same route again. Maybe I would consider another world cruise with an itinerary that traveled to different places.
   Bob: The short answer is no, having already done it once.
2. A refinement of the question above: if you had not done it, knowing what you know today, would you do the cruise?
   Bob: Absolutely, without hesitation. It was one of the most educational, enjoyable, and entertaining experiences I have ever had, and I would not want to miss it.
   Cheryl: Yes. Knowing what I know today, I would have been even more excited for the journey. This trip has helped me see and understand the world with a broader, deeper perspective. The educational enrichment on the ship was excellent and truly made an impact on our experiences throughout the cruise. As someone once told me, traveling teaches you to “be a citizen of the world”.
3. Would you do a four-month cruise again?
   Cheryl: For the right itinerary, maybe.
   Bob: No, I would not. It was a long time to be away from family, friends, and the “real” world. I hit the wall at 3 months. I would consider a 1-month trip, 2 months at the absolute maximum. I guess if Cheryl goes longer, I go???
4. Top three moments?
   Bob: First, our five safaris. Seeing African animals in their native environments was absolutely the best (Tsavo East, Kenya; Taita Hills, Kenya Day 1; Taita Hills, Kenya Day 2; Addo Elephant Park, South Africa; Aquila Private Game Reserve, South Africa). I highly recommend photographic safaris to any and all travellers.
   Second: Our visit to Borobudur. It is such a unique and interesting Buddhist site. I had no idea places like this even existed. We only visited because of a comment Bryan Babcock made during an enrichment talk.
   Third: the following cities: Honolulu, Auckland, Sydney, Cape Town, Seville, Lisbon, and Porto. Not exactly earth-shattering choices, but I would go back to any of these places in a heartbeat.
   Honorable Mention: The Namibian desert evening event.
   Cheryl: Ditto. (Why are we agreeing so much?) My honorable mention would be snorkeling at the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.
5. How was Viking?
   Cheryl: I highly recommend Viking because they work hard to provide the best possible experience for their guests. And they know and understand their audience well. The ship was a beautiful floating hotel with a full amenity package. The staff was friendly and highly professional – and honestly, they were a big part of this incredible journey. They became our friends along the way. And I will add that when there was a problem, Viking wanted to know about it and usually tried to make it right.
   Bob: Very good. We had terrific service our entire trip. Almost every interaction we had with staff members was positive (guest services, not so much). The food was excellent at times and very good all of the time. This is our second Viking cruise, and we will likely sail with them again in the future (Antarctica, anyone?) See my comments on enrichment in the next section.
6. What happened that was unexpected?
   Bob: First, the Viking enrichment talks. Viking brings on world-class speakers to present material relevant to our locations throughout the tour. There were 20-25 speakers in total, and almost all of them were great. The following were my favorites: Julian Dowdeswell, Bryan Babcock, Hugh Neigbhor, Neil Caithness, and David Anderson. They were all excellent speakers who made their material educational, interesting, and most importantly, fun.
   Second, Indonesian and Malaysian inclusiveness. These countries have very diverse populations practicing multiple religions. Rather than argue about it, they chose to peacefully coexist and support each other. What a great way to live.
   Third: Gaining a much more comprehensive understanding of African slavery. I was totally unaware of how many polities were involved (the entire continent), the transactional relationship between European colonizers and local African ensalvers, and the sheer number of Africans enslaved. There were three main routes: the Trans-Atlantic, enslaving 12.5 million (with most slaves going to Brazil and the Caribbean); the Trans-Saharan, enslaving 9-10 million; and the Indian Ocean & Red Sea, enslaving 5 million. We did not visit a single African country that was not involved in the slave trade. From the internet: “There are no modern African countries that entirely escaped involvement in either the trans-Saharan, Indian Ocean, or transatlantic slave trades.“
   Cheryl: Ship life was more interesting and fuller than I had imagined it would be. I thought I would be bored on sea days, but that definitely was not the case, and in fact, I started to look forward to them. Every sea day, we had so many choices about how to spend our free time: enrichment lectures, art classes, games, performances, working out, reading, watching for wildlife, doing nothing, etc. And every port day, we had to choose between a variety of wonderful excursions or go out and about on our own. Never in my adult life have I had so much “me time” for pure fun and enjoyment.
7. What did not go well?
   Cheryl: Well, I got sick three times – two colds and the GI thing – which caused me to completely miss Cape Town, South Africa (sorry to complain again).
   Bob: First, Viking’s Wi-Fi throughput was marginal for the first 2 1/2 months and practically unusable the last 45 days of the cruise. It made keeping up with the world, family, friends, and blogging much more difficult.
   Second, numerous Viking free excursions (the default unless you upgrade) were less than stellar. We felt that a handful could have been completely skipped. If we were to take another cruise, we would review the included tours more, upgrade, and/or consider external tour providers (Viator, TripAdvisor).
8. Random thoughts:
   Cheryl: I love reading Viking marketing materials, and for the last couple of years, I have had my eye on this world cruise. But it seemed like it was outside of our reach, a dream, rather than a potential reality. I’m grateful we made the decision to take this trip – to see so many places where we hadn’t traveled before and to return to some of our favorite cities in the world. Sometimes you just have to do it. That being said, I think we will add cruising as a way to travel some of the time and continue to travel and explore on our own, spending more time in our destinations.
   Bob: First, I do not think I am a “cruiser“. We met many people on board who are definitely “cruisers“. It was not unusual to talk to someone on their 11th cruise and/or 3rd world cruise. They live for it.
   Cheryl and I have travelled a lot over the years, but differently, flying somewhere and staying for a week. There is clearly merit in both ways of exploring the globe.
   Second, the United States is a young country. A lot of the history we were exposed to during enrichment talks predates the US by centuries. Our country has only had a significant global presence since the 1930s and 40s. Compared to China, England, Italy, and much of Asia, our union is in its infancy.

Summary:

Bob: As hoped, the cruise was the trip of a lifetime. We saw places and things I never dreamed of growing up in North Dakota. It was educational and enlightening to see things from a global perspective rather than an American-centric one. We met many, many wonderful people, both cruisers and staff (and a very, very small handful of less-than-wonderful). Viking was terrific. The staff was fantastic. I did not gain weight.

My single biggest takeaway is: I am lucky to live where I live. Cheryl and I have many opportunities and benefits that many people in the places we visited simply do not have. Yes, things in the US can improve, but compared to many, many others, we lead a very, very good life, and I am grateful.

Cheryl: I completely agree with Bob, except for the part about gaining weight – I gained six pounds. This trip reinforced how much I enjoy traveling, seeing new places, meeting new people, and experiencing new cultures. I never had an “I just want to go home” moment.

I learned a lot about “how to be a senior” and live this phase of our lives. By talking with other passengers, hearing about their lifestyles, what they do, how they spend their time, and giving back to their community, I have developed a better sense of direction for living an enjoyable and meaningful life.

It was absolutely wonderful having Nicole and Christine join us in London – a perfect ending to our trip. Wish Matt and Brent could have been there, too.

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We were happily surprised by the loyal readership of our little blog. We appreciate the positive feedback and encouragement we received from many of you. Creating the content took time and effort, and the fact that many of you found value kept us working and posting. Thank you very much!

End of Post. End of the Blog (Finally!)

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