Richard Turen
A few years back I wrote a column after sailing aboard a cruise ship in perpetual motion around the world. The World is still sailing, with apartments selling in the millions. The ship is, in fact, owned by its residents, and they have a committee that carefully chooses itineraries the ship will sail.
I spoke with several owners as I was preparing that column. Most spent a few weeks at a time aboard the ship, often with their families. I remember the legacy part of it all, as proud parents justified their investment by saying it is the "ultimate gift to my kids."
You have not read much about the World lately, unless it was a tip of the hat in an article about its emerging competitors. There are no celebrities aboard with the exception of some well-known names from the pages of Inc. or Forbes. Celebrities are not accepted as purchasers, as a decision was made many years ago to sail the World without undue publicity.
Now we have Royal Caribbean's nine-month Ultimate World Cruise. I predict the world's longest cruises will soon become the world's largest fishbowl cruises: I can't imagine that there won't be a network filming the next one of these super-size sailings for a reality TV series.
I also suspect that the marketing team at Royal Caribbean underestimated the impact of this itinerary as the Serenade of the Seas left Miami with just under 700 guests on Dec. 10. The cruise is a bargain, objectively speaking. Those putting up with an inside cabin are being charged $53,999, a price that includes business class airfare. The price also includes an Internet package, which it turns out is of critical importance to the theme of this column.
When the Serenade of the Seas returns to Miami on Sept. 10, guests will have visited all seven continents, made 150 ports of call in 65 countries, had 18 overnights and seen multiple Wonders of the World.
The sailing is also on its way to becoming the most productive social media factory in history, and I believe it will end up being the most shared travel experience in history. Bet on it.
As I write this, its TikTok channel, #CruiseTok, already has passed 2.7 billion views. There are, apparently, dozens and dozens of amateur social media enthusiasts onboard along with gaggles of more serious travel "influencers." And every one of them is streaming every moment of this cruise. I spent an hour watching one influencer who hadn't yet even boarded the ship in Miami.
So far, the publicity is all good. Posts indicate that "everyone is getting along really well." The crew has joined in on some of the streaming efforts with a fair amount of awful singing.
Much of the crew will rotate off the ship well before the cruise ends. But the influencers now churning toward 10 billion views before the first Ultimate America itinerary segment ends on Feb. 11 will be staying onboard for the full nine months.
We've noticed that TikTok content is far more concerned with the passengers onboard than with the sites being visited. The age range is 2 to 81, and it would appear that many in this army of smartphone videographers are working hard to outflank competitors.
Already we know that this will be the picture of cruising viewed by the largest number of Americans to date. I must, however, admit to a level of personal concern as this historical non-media media event unfolds. How long will it take for the stars of TikTok to decide that everything is not "fine" and "everyone is not getting along so well?"
As we already know about social media: If there is no story, make one up.