Travellers will soon be able to set sail on a trip of a lifetime - but they will need their sea legs, as the cruise will take a mega three years.
Costing £73,260 for the cheapest tickets, sailing 137,678 miles while taking in 135 countries and all seven continents, the luxury holiday, run by Life at Sea Cruises, is the world’s longest ship trip.
Currently expected to set sail from Istanbul on November 1, hundreds of passengers will be embarking on the round-the-world holiday run by the Turkish-based company Miray Cruises.
Visitors on the 400-cabin cruise ship MV Gemini will be able to dock at 375 exotic locations, including Bali, Zanzibar, Hawaii and India.
They will have the opportunity to spend Christmas in Brazil and celebrate New Year in Argentina, even taking in a rare trip to Antarctica.
Of those 375 ports, 208 will be overnight stops, giving people extra time in certain destinations.
The MV Gemini can accommodate 1,074 passengers, with 56% of reservations for solo tourists who get a discount of 15% on the double occupancy rate.
Bookings are now open - but unsurprisingly it’s not cheap. A minimum down payment of $45,000 (£36,510) is required to secure your place onboard.
At present, passengers can only book the whole three-year cruise, although Life at Sea have said they will be flexible, allowing those on-board to lend or rent their cabin to family and friends with two weeks’ notice.
The package starts from £24,419 a year for a small inside cabin, is all-inclusive with wine and beer served at dinner, and unlike many other cruises passengers are also allowed to bring their own booze onboard the ship.
Meanwhile, those wanting to splash out can go for one of the ‘balcony suites’. The size of a small apartment, these are the most expensive, going up to $109,999 (£89,244.39) per person.
But it’s not all relaxing on deck with a glass of white wine or getting your photo taken outside some of the world’s most iconic tourist spots - for those prices it’s expected many of the people onboard will be working during their trip.
Life at Sea Cruises is renovating the ship with people remote working in mind.
They’ve removed the casino, replacing it with a large business centre complete with 14 offices, meeting rooms and a library, and have kitted the ship out with free high-speed wifi.
Managing Director of Life at Sea Cruises Mikael Petterson says so-called ‘digital nomads’ - people who work from different locations around the world - are marginally outnumbering the usual cruise demographic of retirees.
He revealed: “We expected people booking to be between 55 and 75 years old. What’s actually happening is the average age is 56, but 25% cent of passengers are under 47.”
As well as the business centre, there’s been other changes to the MV Gemini. The children’s club has been converted into a large panoramic lounge, while the duty free shop is set to be an indoor golf centre.
Passengers will also have access to wellness facilities including dance and exercise classes, a salon and a round-the-clock hospital with medical visits included in the price.
The medical centre is kitted out with X-ray machines, surgery facilities and a morgue should anyone unfortunately die on board.
Mr Petterson says demand for the trip has been ‘unprecendented’, adding: “This is more of a lifestyle. It’s a way of living as opposed to travel.”
