World’s longest cruise to visit Cape Town during three-year voyage

The world’s first liveaboard cruise ship Gemini, operated by Life at Sea Cruises, a new cruise company that is launching a three-year, around-the-world cruise, will feature Cape Town and a dozen other ports in Africa on its intensive itinerary.

The cruise line is offering the three-year World Cruise, a first for the industry, at just $83 per day, per passenger sharing an inside cabin (although the porthole features virtual views of the outside).

The ship will depart Istanbul, Turkey in November this year and sail to almost every region of the world, unfortunately except for Dubai and the other cruise ports in the Arabian Gulf. Egypt’s Port Said and Alexandria, as well as Tel Aviv in Israel are on the itinerary though.

The full voyage covers 130,000 miles and takes passengers to 135 countries, with multiple port calls in each, offering a far more destination intensive voyage than anything ever offered before by the cruise industry.

The African leg alone, for example, features 38 port calls in addition to Cape Town, with the South African cruise ports of Durban and Port Elizabeth also on offer.

Gemini is a mid-size cruise ship, built in 1992 for Crown Cruise Line. She originally sailed as Crown Jewel, before transferring to Cunard Line, for whom she sailed under the same name. From 1995 to 2008 the ship operated as SuperStar Gemini for Star Cruises.

The ship features 400 cabins for up to 1,074 passengers, and although prices start at $29,999 per year, there are payment options starting at $2,499 per month, including food, amenities and entertainment.

Cabins range in size from 130 square feet for an interior with virtual views to an ocean-view 260-square-feet suite with a balcony (starting at $6,699 per month). For single travelers, there’s a 15% discount on the double occupancy rate.

According to the cruise line, the ship is already half-full, after bookings opened on March 1st, and while passengers for the full cruise must be at least 16, passengers can invite guests of any age.

“Friends and family can come for up to a month at a time free of charge,” Mikael Petterson, managing director of Life at Sea Cruises told Forbes. “We also have friends and family cabins available on a limited basis.”

Passengers will get the usual cruise benefits such as all-inclusive dining and cocktails at dinner, as well as entertainment and enrichment classes. Included in the rate are high-speed WiFi, laundry, port fees and housekeeping.

Onboard the ship, guests will find a wellness center, a swimming pool and on-call medical care, as well as a business center with multiple meeting rooms, 14 offices, a lounge and a library for those who want to keep working while at sea.