This entry is part 82 of 82 in the series 2023 World Cruise

Our bags are packed, and we’re ready to go. Homecoming and Christmas all rolled into one. We begin our 4th World Cruise for the first time – tomorrow.

Itinerary, Menus, When & Where and Entertainers

Any cruise is an amazing experience, but a cruise around the world is special, not only for its length, but because of the special and lasting relationships you will enjoy with other passengers, the cruise, and the various ports.

FRESH EYES

One valuable perspective of any new hire into a company is they will bring their “fresh eyes” and see things that others have overlooked for years. I have noticed something similar with first-time cruisers. They will notice many of the amazing features of cruising that many with more cruises will not experience in the same way. It’s difficult to avoid seeing the cruise through your past experiences, but we will work hard to try and recapture the joy and excitement of our first World Cruise and share that with you.

For the last two years, a small group of fellow cruisers has been meeting over ZOOM about every two weeks to discuss the various ports of our World Cruise. On my website, you will see a link to the ZOOM replays where we have archived these discussions, and others may find them useful in future cruise planning.

Packing light has never been something in our vocabulary, and we weren’t going to change our habits for this cruise. The picture at the top of this post is what we sent early with Luggage Forward, and below is what we arrived with at Fort Lauderdale yesterday.

On the curb outside arrivals in Fort Lauderdale

Our pre-cruise hotel is the Residence Inn in Plantation. It’s an easy walk to the large Broward Mall and Target, and they have a shuttle bus to the Cruise Terminals. This time we rented a car and will be dropping it off at the cruise port location. This will be a first for us, and we’ll see how it goes.

Here are a few highlights of our cruise.

1500 guests (approx)
128 Days – Jan 3rd to May 12th 2023
30 Countries (61 Ports – 7 Overnights)
60 Sea Days
34,353 NM traveled

Take some time to explore my website and you will discover a lot of information about this cruise and copies of all the information we have received from Holland America in preparation for this cruise.

Here is a 30-minute highlight video along with my First YouTube Short. I am experimenting with YouTube shorts and may make more depending on the availability of the internet.

Interactive Cruise Map

Itinerary, Menus, When & Where and Entertainers

Cruise Reference Items

24 Comments

Wendy Tippett on January 2, 2023 at 8:56 am

THRILLED to get this from you two..It will make our winter here on Vancouver Island much brighter.
Hooray and off you go!!!
Best wishes from Wendy & Al
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- The Inside Cabin on January 2, 2023 at 1:39 pm
  
  Thanks for following! Stay warm!
  Reply
  - Judy Borrowdale on January 14, 2023 at 4:50 pm
    
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    - The Inside Cabin on January 14, 2023 at 5:50 pm
      
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Dot on January 2, 2023 at 10:14 am

Love your you tube post. Hope you can continue to do those. Also like the link to other bloggers. Looking forward to following along.
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- The Inside Cabin on January 2, 2023 at 1:39 pm
  
  Thanks Dot. I appreciate the comment.
  Reply
- The Inside Cabin on January 2, 2023 at 6:27 pm
  
  Thanks Dot, glad you liked the videos!
  
  Pete
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- Nick on January 5, 2023 at 1:14 pm
  
  Thank you for doing this! I followed a world cruise blog some time ago and got so much out of it… until the shutdown shut it all down. From the day cruise ships started sailing again, I have searched on and off for another world cruise blog to follow. Yours was first I came across (on YouTube). I am so eager to learn from y’all’s experience. Have great fun!
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  - The Inside Cabin on January 6, 2023 at 5:06 am
    
    Thanks – On the front page of this website you will see a link to 13 other bloggers on this cruise
    Reply
Barbara on January 2, 2023 at 1:36 pm

Will be following along on your WC! Thank you for all of the wonderful information!
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- The Inside Cabin on January 2, 2023 at 1:40 pm
  
  Thanks Barbara. Appreciate the comment.
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- The Inside Cabin on January 2, 2023 at 6:27 pm
  
  Thanks for following! I appreciate your comments!
  
  Pete
  Reply
Karen on January 2, 2023 at 2:12 pm

Bon voyage!! We are looking forward to following you on your trip.
We are taking our first World Cruise in January 2024, and I find your newsletter with cruise reference links, etc. very helpful.
We tend to pack light, and I’m wondering where you store all your bags during the cruise. We will also have luggage forward so will probably be packing more items than usual for this cruise. I didn’t consider using the cardboard storage boxes but that seems like a good idea!
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- The Inside Cabin on January 2, 2023 at 6:26 pm
  
  Thanks, Karen, We have bought bags that nest very well and can fit under the bed. Here is a pdf that shows the precise dimensions of the typical HAL bed to help your planning. Usually, but never a guarantee, your room steward may be able to find a place to store it outside your cabin. We’ll let you know how well the Home Depot boxes held up…
  
  Cheers
  Pete
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Lynn on January 3, 2023 at 10:10 am

Yay! How fun, I absolutely love following your blog!! I usually read while on my lunch break in my office! Living vicariously through your adventures! And working to plan world cruises as part of my life in retirement. Just wanted to let you know how appreciated these post are! Enjoy! Bon voyage!!!!!
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- The Inside Cabin on January 5, 2023 at 6:30 am
  
  Thanks for following! I am happy that you enjoy reading the reports!
  
  Pete
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Gretchen Pirkey on January 3, 2023 at 1:01 pm

So very excited to follow along with you! Bon voyage…have a fabulous trip!
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- The Inside Cabin on January 5, 2023 at 6:29 am
  
  Thanks for following!
  Reply
Melinda Jones on January 3, 2023 at 1:35 pm

I showed my husband the picture of the suitcases and boxes and said mine would be full of yarn and other crafty supplies. Then I saw the picture of you buying yarn! I knew you were a knitter!! Enjoy, enjoy the trip! We have a 28 day Viking San Juan to Venice and the 35 day HA Voyage of the Vikings booked this year. We are doing our world cruise in chunks but your itinerary looks fabulous!!
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- The Inside Cabin on January 5, 2023 at 6:28 am
  
  Thanks – It’s impossible to have too much yarn (or so I have been told) Stay tuned for more yarn crawls
  
  Pete (aka Yarn Mule)
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Kathy Gastreich on January 5, 2023 at 7:17 am

Thank you for sharing your cruise experience. We are on the 2024 Holland World Cruise and this information will be very useful. Have a great trip!
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- The Inside Cabin on January 6, 2023 at 5:04 am
  
  Thanks for following!
  
  Pete
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Kathy Gastreich on January 5, 2023 at 9:25 pm

Thank you for all this information. Love your blog posts. Happy Days are Here Again indeed.
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- The Inside Cabin on January 6, 2023 at 5:17 am
  
  Thanks! Livin the dream! Here we are – can’t believe it – enjoying every second. (Except maybe the COVID test this morning)smile
  
  Pete
  Reply