9-Month Cruise Passengers Officially Pick New Route After Middle East Unrest Canceled Plans: See the Winner

Passengers on Serenade of the sea have chosen their new route after a tumultuous few weeks of uncertainty.

After Royal Caribbean announced earlier this month that its viral 9-month cruise would be forced to reroute due to ongoing unrest in the Red Sea and Suez Canal, its passengers voted on what to do instead.

“Let’s go to Africa!” cruise passenger and podcaster Brandee Lake confirmed in a TikTok post on Thursday. “I was excited… the word I had when I heard Captain Kjell come over the loudspeaker and say that ‘Itinerary 1: Immersive Africa’ is exactly what will happen for Serenade of the sea.”

To celebrate the revelation that The Ultimate World Cruise will indeed make several stops around the continent and surrounding islands, Lake showed off her “African outfit”, with flared trousers and a white and blue print. She also gave Serenade of the sea’ Members of the African team get their chance to shine, showing off their dance moves and including flag emojis for each of their home countries — including Zimbabwe, Kenya, Mauritius and South Africa.

“Less than 5 minutes after the announcement, I changed into my African clothes and danced on the boat ALL DAY with my African brothers and sisters who work on the boat,” she said. “I also had a dance lesson with my fellow passenger, my aunt, and I learned a few moves from the Jamaican on the plane.”

“What an AMAZING way to close #blackhistorymonth!” she finished her caption.

Passenger on 9-month cruise reveals details on 2 options cruisers will vote on after forced diversion (Exclusive)

“This trip and experience is truly a blessing, and now it’s even better because we’re really going to see the whole world, including the places in sub-Saharan Africa where our ancestors came from,” she told PEOPLE.

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Lake previously broke down the two options between which passengers would vote for PEOPLE.

The first was “Immersive Africa,” which includes stops in Senegal and Ghana, plus nearby islands including Seychelles, Madagascar and Mauritius. However, this choice excludes some previously planned stops in Turkey and a long stay in Greece.

Another route that guests could vote on included more time in Egypt, Turkey and Greece — closer to the ship’s original itinerary — but included many more consecutive days at sea to get around Africa as quickly as possible, Lake said earlier.

The 160-destination voyage left Miami nearly three months ago and has already traveled through several parts of the Americas, including Brazil, Argentina and Peru, and is scheduled to end on September 10, 2024. The next leg of the cruise in Asia will continue as planned.

Royal Caribbean confirms ‘reviewing alternative’ routes for 9-month cruise amid Middle East unrest

A small village on the Suez Canal. Suez Canal (c) Linda Garrison

News of the major change to the itinerary first broke on February 9, when The Ultimate World Cruise responded to rumors of rerouting its third leg – which was due to head to the Middle East and Mediterranean in May – due to the conflict in Israel and Palestine, questions in Suez Canal and US military activities in Yemen.

“The safety of our guests and crew is our top priority and we are monitoring what is happening in and around the Red Sea,” Royal Caribbean told PEOPLE at the time.

The Ultimate World Cruise — which went viral on TikTok when it embarked on its long journey in December 2023 — has had its fair share of ups and downs since the beginning of the month. Rough seas canceled several scheduled ports around South America, and unrest in certain areas of South America forced Royal Caribbean to skip others. On February 12, reports began circulating online that the cruiser had its first death. World cruiser and content creator Adita, who goes by the name @aditaml2759 on TikTok, confirmed the news.

Royal Caribbean confirmed the death of a passenger on a 9-month round-the-world cruise

“Sad news,” she said on TikTok as the ship docked in Los Angeles. “We had our first death on the Ultimate World Cruise. A woman passed away last night. She was an elderly lady, and the reason I know is because I was coming to my room when they were taking the body out.”

“I think it was probably a heart attack. But I don’t have much news other than an elderly patient or guest passed away,” she continued, adding that it was “very, very sad” to witness.

Royal Caribbean confirmed her report to PEOPLE shortly thereafter, writing in a statement that “a guest sailing aboard Serenade of the Seas has unfortunately passed away.”

“At this moment, we are actively providing support and help to the guest’s relatives. For the privacy of the guest and their family, we have nothing more to share at this time,” the statement said.

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education