Travelers are paying upwards of $267,000 for months-long cruises as extended itineraries continue to see 'record' success

The Serenade of the Seas in Seattle.Royal Caribbean

• Extended and around-the-world cruises have seen "record-breaking" booking success.
• Cruise lines like Oceania Cruises and Carnival Cruise Line have been capitalizing on this trend.

Travelers have been craving longer cruises now more than ever before.

Royal Caribbean's Serenade of the Seas cruise ship.      Royal Caribbean

And in response, cruise lines — from smaller luxury companies to cruising giants — have been unveiling more extended itineraries to "record breaking" success.

Carnival Cruise Line

Source: Insider

From a one-month transoceanic cruise to a nine-month circumnavigation of the globe, travelers now have plenty of options for these longer sailings.

The MSC Magnifica in Auckland in 2019.      MSC Cruises

Booking a similar around-the-world or extended vacation using planes, trains, cars, and hotels instead of a cruise ship could be a complicated logistical nightmare.

The Insignia.      Oceania Cruises

But on a cruise vessel, all of the destinations, planning, food, and accommodations are already included.

Regent Seven Seas Cruises

There's no need to transfer airports or unpack and repack between hotels.

Regent Seven Seas Cruises

All the traveler has to do is sit back, take a nap on the pool deck, and wait for the ship to sail from destination to destination.

Carnival Cruise Line

And this more relaxing form of extended travel has been catching the eyes of cruise fans.

The Insignia in Sydney, Australia.      Oceania Cruises

Regent Seven Seas Cruises unveils its around the world cruises and extended "grand voyages" annually.

Courtesy of Regent Seven Seas

And for five years in a row, the cruise line has seen "unprecedented demand" for its global cruises, which consistently sell out in "record time."

Regent Seven Seas Cruises

Source: Insider

Regent has also been breaking its own records for the length of its itineraries.

Regent Seven Seas Cruises

Its most recently announced $95,000 to $266,500 per person global cruise — 154-night itinerary roundtrip from Miami in 2026— will be its longest sailing yet.

Regent Seven Seas Cruises

Source: Insider

This shatters the previous record set only one year prior when Regent unveiled its 150-night 2025 world cruise, which was fully reserved before it even opened for bookings.

The Seven Seas Mariner.      Regent Seven Seas

Source: Insider, Regent Seven Seas Cruises

New-to-brand travelers made up over one-third of bookings for this 2025 cruise, a spokesperson told Insider in an email.

The Seven Seas Mariner in Santorini, Greece.      Regent Seven Seas

This ratio of returning to new travelers is the same for Oceania Cruises' currently underway 2023 world sailing, a spokesperson for the Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings' brand told Insider.

Courtesy of Conde Nast Traveler

The Oceania cruise departed for its circumnavigation of the world in mid-January and will complete its journey in July.

The Insignia.      Oceania Cruises

Those travelers were lucky to have snagged a spot. The 180-day cruise sold out in under a day, a spokesperson told Insider …

The pool deck on the Insignia.      Oceania Cruises

… noting that Oceania has "significantly" increased its number of other extended voyages.

The Insignia in China.      Oceania Cruises

It's "as if [travelers are] making up for time spent at home [during COVID-19]," a Silversea spokesperson told Insider in an email.

Silversea Cruises

Like Regent Seven Seas and Oceania, Silversea Cruises has seen "strong demand" for its extended cruises.

Silversea Cruises

This year the Royal Caribbean Group brand will operate five-times more 21 days and over itineraries compared to 2019, a testament to the demand it's been seeing.

Silversea Cruises

And it's not just the little guys — some of the world's biggest cruise brands are capitalizing on this boom as well.

The Serenade of the Seas.      Royal Caribbean

In February, budget friendly Carnival Cruise Line unveiled one of its longest cruises yet, a 31-day transpacific journey in 2024 starting at $3,450.

The Carnival Luminosa in Brisbane, Australia.      Carnival Cruise Line

Source: Insider, Insider

It's one of Carnival's 150 "long cruises" now available for booking, a spokesperson told Insider.

Carnival Cruise Line

But a month at sea is nothing compared to MSC's recently announced 116-day 2025 world cruise.

Manuel Silvestri/Reuters

Source: Insider

Almost one-third of the bookings for this 2025 cruise have come from Americans, the most of any nationality, a spokesperson told Insider.

MSC Cruises

And there's a good chance the cruise could be fully booked come 2025: MSC's global itineraries have consistently sold out since its first one in 2019.

MSC Cruises

But so far, no around the world itinerary will top the length of Royal Caribbean's upcoming 274-night Ultimate World Cruise setting sail in December starting at $61,000.

The Serenade of the Seas in Seattle.      Royal Caribbean

In the first week bookings opened in 2021, 70% of suites and staterooms were claimed.

The Serenade of the Seas.      Royal Caribbean

At the time, Michael Bayley — the cruise line's president and CEO — believed the Ultimate World Cruise would sell out.

The Serenade of the Seas at the Navantia Ship Yard in Cadiz, Spain in 2012.      Royal Caribbean

Now nine months out, there's still some interior and ocean view staterooms left while all of the balcony staterooms and suites have already been reserved.

The Serenade of the Seas at the Navantia Ship Yard in Cadiz, Spain in 2012.      Royal Caribbean

The nine-month cruise will be segmented into four shorter portions that can individually be booked.

The Serenade of the Seas at the Navantia Ship Yard in Cadiz, Spain in 2012.      Royal Caribbean

But half of the booked customers have committed to the nine months at sea. Let's just hope they — along with the rest of these extended cruise fans — have sea legs.

The Insignia.      Oceania Cruises