Viral Swingers, Daily Dramas And 150m Views: Is This The End Of The Ultimate World Cruise?

When Brandee Lake, 47, stepped on board the Serenade of the Seas for Royal Caribbean’s now-legendary nine-month Ultimate World Cruise, the regular cruiser didn’t know what to expect.

She is one of around 650 other cruisers who dedicated themselves to a staggering 247-night itinerary with Royal Caribbean visiting more than 60 ports around the world. The cruise, a swift viral sensation on social media, wrapped up earlier this week and both first-time and veteran cruisers have been reflecting on the once-in-a-lifetime journey.

“I mean, obviously, it’s just like any other community,” said Lake.

“You have the people that you are really close to, some of them are acquaintances, maybe some that are not your people, but nothing wrong. It’s just, you have your group that naturally gel with.”

Building up a sense of community on the Ultimate World Cruise would have been essential to endure such a mammoth itinerary, where mostly strangers came together in relatively close quarters to explore the world in a way few people ever will.

The melting pot of personalities, and a wide age range, was a source of fascination for those watching the ambitious cruise unfold via TikTok.

It’s not hard to understand the viral appeal. The cruise sounded more like a reality show than a real-life itinerary, playing on the popularity of programs like Below Deck and The Love Boat. Would there be romance? Conflict? Drama? Maybe even a few twists, turns, and betrayals?

As it turns out, viewers expected more drama than what actually unfolded across the nine months. While there were certainly stories to be told, conflict to speculate on, and even an onboard death (due to natural occurrences), the cinematic appeal of The Ultimate World Cruise peaked early and dissipated fast.

ultimate world cruise tiktoker — Many of the Ultimate World Cruise passengers started sharing behind-the-scenes videos of their journey (credit: Jenny Hunnicutt/@drjennytravels)

We’re All Documentarians Now

Several of the Ultimate World Cruise passengers used TikTok to document many different aspects of life at sea to a captivated audience. If anything, it echoed the unique way social media can be used to deliver multiple perspectives on one singular event.

Passengers turned TikTok stars included fiftysomething windows solo traveller Anthony McWilliams, 26-year-old South African influencer Amike Oosthuizen, and “boomer couple” Joe and Audrey Martucci.

Many had their own approach and “niche” to put out into the world. For example, Brandee Lake cruised with her sister, Shannon, and used her TikTok videos to demonstrate how to live with an adult sibling and not go stir-crazy.

Former NASA employee Bobbi Waterman and her partner, Tam, attracted a large following for documenting the journey as an LGBTQI+ couple, while American cruiser Angie Linderman gained a loyal following from making videos about the tragedy that led her to the Ultimate World Cruise.

While social media users hoping for some White Lotus-style intrigue were left wanting, there was still plenty of value for both the passengers and the followers that stuck with them for all nine months.

brandee lake ultimate world cruise — Brandee Lake was one of the main “characters” of this confected reality show (credit: Brandee Lake/@iambrandeelake)

A Bonding Experience

Speaking to the media after disembarking for one final time, several passengers noted the newfound friendships, both onboard and through TikTok, that were integral to the experience.

McWilliams, for example, now calls passengers Brandee and Shannon Lake his “sisters” and tells of bonding with social media users, some of whom went from following the cruise to actually spending time onboard.

The driving force behind so much unity on and off board was, according to Lake, “the underlying thread of this awesome experience.”

“These kinds of experiences, I think, sometimes prunes your friendships at home… some will stay strong and maintain after, some might fall away.”

ultimate world cruise ship — The #ultimateworldcruise hashtag racked up more than 150 million views in its first week (credit: Royal Caribbean)

Viral Moments

Within the first three weeks of the Serenade of the Seas sailing away from the port of Miami, the #ultimateworldcruise hashtag become a regular trending topic on TikTok, clocking up more than 150 million views.

This easily makes it one of the most talked about cruises of all time, playing on a fascinating generational divide by bringing TikTok into a domain predominantly known for older generations.

And that hashtag was filled with some memorable moments, like:

Everyone finding out about “that” pineapple gesture

@aditaml2759 #royalcaribbeanultimateworldcruise #ultimateworldcruise ♬ original sound – Adita

While it used to be esoteric knowledge for adventurous cruisers, it’s now common knowledge that a pineapple is a significant symbol onboard cruises.

An upside down pineapple is used by swinging couples to indicate their availability to other potential couples. A world cruise passenger’s tour of her room hence sparked some controversy once eagle-eyed viewers spotted a pineapple on her door.

The video, which shot past four million views, was full of speculation on this woman’s intentions for her 9-month voyage. Yet she hilariously claimed she had no idea of the association pineapples had with “the lifestyle.” But that didn’t stop her embracing the joke, with almost all subsequent videos featuring either a pineapple or her on a swing.

Non-TikTokers take issue

@marcsebastianf and remember, if someone talks smack about you on FB—it doesn’t count. cause who in chers name still uses FB #ultimateworldcruise #worldcruise #serenadeoftheseas #royalcaribbean #cruisetok #cruise #9monthcruise #antarctica ♬ original sound – Marc Sebastian

We’re assuming no aggression was involved but apparently those onboard The Ultimate World Cruise who were not one of the several TikTok stars began to get annoyed about the amount of filming on board.

Martucci recounted tensions on board between TikTokers and holidaymakers.

“I saw an incident the other day where some guy went off on someone and said, ‘Are you one of those TikTokers? Don’t you point that camera toward me! I’ll be mad if you point that camera toward me!’”

Public Enemy #1

@marcsebastianf Replying to @Hannah showed this on live last so might as well post it here but they had me scared girl!!! #ultimateworldcruise #worldcruise #serenadeoftheseas #cruisetok #cruise #9monthcruise ♬ original sound – Marc Sebastian

After seeing the potential for viral fame, New York-based model and influencer Marc Sebastian made a video challenging (AKA begging) a brand to pay him to go on the cruise, promising to stir the pot like a Big Brother intruder.

“I’ll go cause chaos, I’ll wreck havoc and I’ll record everything.”

Interestingly enough, Atria Books took him up on the offer and paid for the influencer to join the cruise for 18 nights in January. On the proviso that he’d read at least one of the eight books they sent him on board with, and post about it.

According to numerous cruisers, Sebastian didn’t cause much chaos but certainly became the “most hated” on board with videos of passengers yelling at him for being rude. At one point he was escorted out of a private member’s area for secretly live streaming.

Yet viewers seemed to love him based on his videos, many of which featured candid commentary about the living conditions aboard the ship. And yes, Atria benefitted as well, with the company quadrupling its TikTok following based on all the publicity.

We’re out of wine

@livingphase2 Real Ultimate World Cruise Drama! #ultimateworldcruise #royalcaribbean #serenadeoftheseas #royalcaribbeancruise #royalcaribbeaninternationalcruise #worldcruise2023 #worldcruise2024 #cruisetok #worldcruise #royalcaribbeanworldcruise #uwc #livingphase2 #drama ♬ original sound – MikeandNancyLP2

It appears Royal Caribbean underestimated their passengers’ love of grapes. With all drinks included in a package, many guests had access to alcohol whenever they wanted and evidently gravitated towards the wine.

“They’ve told us here, we’ve gone through more wine than they ever anticipated,” said TikTok couple Mike and Nancy.

“That includes three palettes of just the Oberon Red. No cases… three palettes.”

All wines were restocked eventually, with Royal Caribbean even adding local wines as the journey went on, welcoming drops from Uruguay and Argentina.

If anything, it’s a fascinating insight into the dynamism of such an extraordinary cruise itinerary. The menu changing as a function of port visits reiterates the uniqueness of around-the-world cruises and how onboard amenities can reflect the changing port cities to give passengers a better overall experience.

There was even a flood

What’s the last thing you want on any cruise? A flood. Of course. Yet that’s exactly what the Ultimate World Cruise passengers got within the first month of this epic journey.

A combination of wind speeds as high as 60km/h and large swells caused significant flooding as Serenade of the Seas made its way to Uruguay. Occurring just off the coast of Brazil, the flooding reached as high as Deck 12 which was enough to reach some guests’ balconies and disrupt elevators.

Fortunately, only minimal repairs were required to reverse the damage.

ultimate world cruise sunset — The Ultimate World Cruise stopped in more than 150 ports (credit: Royal Caribbean)

Where did the Ultimate World Cruise Go?

Perhaps the Ultimate World Cruise was always destined for viral fame. The prospect of a 9-month cruise visiting 65 countries, more than 150 destinations and 11 Great Wonders of the World is fascinating in and of itself.

While it can be annoying when people are “bragging” about their adventures on social media, truth is that most people love living vicariously through others while they’re travelling.

So the cruise’s instant fame really isn’t much of a surprise. Especially when you see the itinerary, which we’e included below.

The Royal Caribbean’s 9-month cruise started sail on December 10, 2023 from Miami, and ended on September 10, 2024 in Miami.