The Longest Cruise in the World Takes Seafarers to 59 Countries Over 245 Days

The longest continuous cruise on the planet won’t take you around the world in 80 days, but it promises to get the job done in about eight months.

The brand new Ultimate World Cruise from Viking Ocean Cruises is a dream come true for travelers with some time—and cash—to spare. Starting at about $93,000 per person, the luxury cruise will hit 59 countries spread across six continents. It leaves from London on August 31, 2019, circumnavigates Earth, and returns to the same city on May 2, 2020. If you’re doing the math, that’s 245 days.

Viking has hosted two world cruises before, but the new offering is nearly double the length of its previous trips. In general, the world cruises offered by most commercial cruise lines tend to last between 90 and 120 days, according to Forbes.

Who would want to spend the better part of a year aboard a ship? A lot of people, it turns out. As Richard Marnell, the senior vice president of marketing at Viking Cruises, tells Forbes, “We received resounding feedback from guests on our first sold-out World Cruise who wanted to experience the cultures of the world in-depth, over an extended period of time, while sailing onboard a ship that was designed for discovery with all the comforts of home.”

The ship, called Viking Sun, will be stopping in 113 ports, where guests will get the chance to take guided tours of each destination. Of those, 22 will be overnight stays on land.

The Viking Sun can carry 930 passengers, and a variety of cruise packages are available. At nearly $270,000, the most expensive room type—the owner’s suite—is already booked.

If eight months on a ship sounds like too much to bear, travelers can instead opt for one of two shorter trips: a 127-day leg from London to Los Angeles that visits 33 countries, or a 119-day journey from Los Angeles to London that covers 29 countries.

[h/t Forbes]