After being presented with a major change to the itinerary, passengers on the 9-month cruise will vote on what to do — and the Brandee Lake cruiser shares an analysis of both options.
The The Brannon Files podcaster and Royal Caribbean Ultimate World Cruise guest spoke with PEOPLE amid news that the voyage, which began in December 2023, will change its itinerary to avoid the Red Sea and Suez Canal amid continued unrest in the Middle East.
Lake, 46, said in a phone call from Honolulu Monday that there are two route options that must be decided by a vote.
The first is “Immersive Africa,” which “includes most of mainland Africa” like Senegal and Ghana, plus islands including Seychelles, Madagascar and Mauritius.
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However, it would sacrifice planned stops at the pyramids in Egypt, as well as in Turkey and a more extensive stop in Greece.
Another option is a route that will bring passengers closer to the original itinerary faster. It includes the aforementioned stops in Egypt, Turkey and Greece, but sacrifices “more sub-Saharan Africa,” Lake explains.
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Royal Caribbean confirms ‘reviewing alternative’ routes for 9-month cruise amid Middle East unrest
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Royal Caribbean shared in a statement with PEOPLE earlier this month that the round-the-world cruise is by ship Serenade of the seawho has gained a large following on TikTok, may face road adjustments to be announced later in February.
“The safety of our guests and crew is our top priority and we are monitoring what is happening in and around the Red Sea,” a company spokesperson said in a statement on February 9.
They added: “Looking ahead to potential adjustments to the itinerary, we are currently considering alternatives to Serenade of the sea, which is currently due to pass through the Suez Canal in May. Our guests and tourism partners will receive news from us in mid-February.”
The cruise line confirmed to PEOPLE on Friday that it decided to cancel the original itinerary of the nine-month trip through the Red Sea and Suez Canal to protect its passengers and crew members, though they did not disclose details of the two potential new routes in time.
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Courtesy of Brandee Lake
9-month cruise included stops in Russia, Israel but rerouted to avoid clashes, passenger says (exclusive)
Lake and her companions, who are currently en route to the Oceania and Asian leg of their journey, had until February 20 to submit any questions about diversion options. Voting will begin on Monday and the decision will be announced on Tuesday.
And while passengers lobby for what they feel would be the best choice, for Lake, there is “only one choice – which I think should have been [included] first to really see the whole world, which will include more of mainland Africa.”
She also tells PEOPLE that adding to her vote is the fact that the pyramids are not included in the Wonder of the World experience — meaning travelers would have to pay an extra fee for that excursion — and that a lot could change in terms of political strife in the region in the next few months.
“[Egypt is] more [part of] the Middle East region. And between now and May is a very long time, given the unrest there,” says Lake. “Option two is not really guaranteed.”
And while she allows that “nothing is guaranteed in the world we live in,” Lake adds, “You could choose option two and then we could be in the middle of the fast track, skipping all those ports in Africa that we could have gone to and then still in the end I can’t go [to Egypt].”
The journey should end on September 10, 2024 after the Mediterranean and European segments. In total, the original sailing itinerary was to cover 11 wonders of the world and travel to more than 60 countries in 274 days. Prices for the full experience ranged from $53,999 per person to $117,599 per person.
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