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Travelers aboard Royal Caribbean’s Ultimate World Cruise have taken to TikTok to document the flooding that occurred on their ship, a mere three weeks into their planned nine-month voyage.
The videos were recorded within a month of the ship setting sail from Miami, Florida. The journey, spanning 274 nights, will take travelers to 11 “world wonders” and over 60 countries. The cruise will end in the United States on September 10, 2024, when it returns to Miami after a stop in the Bahamas.
One passenger, Adita, shared a video where a deck on the Serenade of the Seas ship was flooded with water on the carpeted floors. The footage also revealed the significant amount of water flowing in from the outside deck.
The voyager proceeded to stroll through the levels of the vessel amidst the deluge, before descending a set of carpeted steps. The footage was shared while the cruise was en route to South America.
Adita stated in her caption that the first storm of the Ultimate World Cruise had brought 60mph winds, flooding, and the closure of the forward elevators until further notice. She also mentioned that the ship was experiencing significant movement.
As of 4 January, the Ultimate World Cruise video has gained over one million views and has quickly become viral. In the comment section, numerous viewers made light of the flood and also raised concerns about potential worsening conditions as the journey progresses.
“Is this experience exclusive to Premium players, or is it available to everyone?” one person asked.
One person commented that the Drake Passage, the body of water between South America and the South Shetland Islands of Antarctica, will be very rough.
“Did anyone have ‘ship flooding’ on their bingo card?!” a third commenter quipped, alluding to the popular TikTok video that lists all the possible occurrences during the nine-month voyage.
In a subsequent video, Adita visited deck 12 and shared that the water on the boat had receded. She also mentioned that the carpet was completely dry and there was no lingering mildew scent on the deck.
In the caption, she stated that things have returned to their usual state, the elevators are working again, most areas are dry, and there are no unpleasant odors. She also praised Royal Caribbean for their preparedness and prompt action.
Nadine, another passenger, posted a TikTok video from the cruise stating that she had to be temporarily relocated to a different room due to flooding in her original room.
She explained that the area where my balcony used to be had a roof covering, and the rain was pouring down heavily towards the window. This caused some flooding in my room, but it wasn’t too severe. However, there are currently blowers in my room to help with the aftermath.
Nadine revisited her original room in a second video and observed that it was nearly dried out from the flood. She also mentioned in the caption that her steward Baby and the team did an excellent job with the drying process. She expressed hope that the smell would be gone by the time she returned later in the day.
According to a spokesperson from Royal Caribbean, the Serenade of the Seas encountered strong wind and rain while traveling to Montevideo on January 2nd. As a result, one set of elevators and six rooms were affected by the rain. The onboard team is currently handling the minor clean up and repairs for the elevators. Despite this incident, the ship continued with its scheduled itinerary and arrived in Montevideo on Thursday.
The Ultimate World Cruise gained widespread attention on social media last month, as travelers shared their experiences aboard the ship. Royal Caribbean’s schedule for the trip spans 274 nights and includes stops in Aruba, Barbados, Japan, Italy, Greece, Spain, Denmark, Germany, and France. According to the company’s website, passengers will have the chance to connect with fellow adventurers and discover new places on all seven continents.
When sharing videos on TikTok, the hashtag #UltimateWorldCruise is commonly used and has accumulated over 170.8 million views as of January 4th. In the past month, many have made humorous comments about potential events on the cruise. One TikToker named Kara, who goes by @whimsysoul, even created “The Ultimate Bingo Card” for the upcoming year as a way to prepare for this nine-month TikTok reality show.
There were various items on her Bingo Card such as “an early departure for someone”, “a staff member going on a date with a passenger”, “getting a sunburn in the shape of a lobster”, “passengers being sponsored by brands”, and “a small mystery to be solved”.
The cost for The Ultimate World Cruise is quite steep. According to Royal Caribbean’s website, the least expensive room option is $59,999 per person for an interior stateroom. Other room options are priced higher, with the junior suite beginning at $117,599 per person.
This information is from the website independent.co.uk.
