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"We just kind of started running numbers and processing and thinking about it," Andrew Kenney adds. "We were like, 'Well, we can do it. We don't have a mortgage right now. We don't have kids yet.' We're just in a season of life where we could actually take nine months off and see the world." Some of these users, many deeming themselves as The Ultimate Real World Cruise cast, have started to hang out with each other on the ship and post content together. As user @megseestheworld notes, the entire experience reminds her of an episode of "Suite Life on Deck" when the sea days repeat themselves, a similar vibe to the movie "Groundhog Day." The viral nine-month Royal Caribbean cruise has experienced a death on the high seas. However, others aboard the vessel seem to be enjoying their home away from home — with some making faux MTV Cribs content and others bonding with the ship’s staff.
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To share it all with the folks at home, Martucci started recording updates for his four adult children, who encouraged him to post the videos online. As of this writing, TikTokers not on the ship are eagerly waiting for the other shoe to really drop. After all, nine months is a long time for anyone, especially if you're spending it on a cruise. Over a thousand guests have boarded the same cruise and will be stuck with each other 24/7 for more than the length of an average US school year. Barely a month into its voyage, the nine-month tour has already seen some bouts of drama. Brandee later told TODAY that after she posted her TikTok the cruise’s hotel manager made it a point to greet her during dinner.
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Any cruise you pick is going to have a myriad of personalities and backgrounds. That's what makes travel so compelling, because you're exposed to different cultures and get to meet new people. Another person created a bingo card for things that could happen on the world cruise.
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Of course a lack of anything big happening hasn’t stopped an entire ecosystem of gossip, commentary and criticism from TikTok users marooned on the land. The people on board have become characters in a soap opera, and those watching are writing the storylines. We have had a lot of gossip however, which could turn into real drama – one account claimed that a passenger has Covid and is in fact hiding it, which could lead to another Ruby Princess style plague vessel. The main point of tension, however, has been an apparent class system that has emerged. The cruise is divided into four segments — Americas, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Med, and Europe & Beyond — and each is available to book individually, so not everyone on board is going the full distance.
Soon after the post began to circulate, she says the cruise’s hotel director made a point to greet her at dinner. She echoed these statements in separate interview that aired on TODAY Dec. 27, saying that the passengers are "one growing family" and that "everything has been great." Brandee Lake worked in marketing and advertisement and lived in Los Angeles, California, before the trip. Shannon Lake runs her own consulting business and plans to work remotely from the ship while making up her own hours. The couple declined to share what they do for work and whether they will work during the trip.
The influencer
After a mix-up with Brazilian cruise regulations, he had to fend for himself on land for a week until he was allowed to return. Matt started Royal Caribbean Blog in 2010 as a place to share his passion for all things Royal Caribbean with readers. He oversees all the writers at Royal Caribbean Blog, and writes a great deal of content on a daily basis. He has become one of the foremost expert on a Royal Caribbean cruise.
That could mean, for example, an influencer showing their journey on a walk to advertise a pair of sneakers, rather than talking into the camera about them. She said the TikTokers on board have gotten together several times — including once at a private dining experience at Royal Caribbean's invitation — to make videos, bond about their love of travel and sometimes vent about the negative comments. She says she spends two to three hours a day editing her footage into videos, and has already been approached by brands for potential partnerships. Most of these companies are offering excursions at upcoming ports, since she can't receive packages on the ship. "I really did think at the very beginning that I was going to find a lot of interpersonal drama within the people," he said. "But unfortunately, they're all so nice — crazy! — and they are all really kind. There's a really amazing sense of community."
In 2021, the University of Alabama’s sorority rush became an internet fixation known as #BamaRush (and eventually, a Max documentary). But much as on reality TV, the truth behind the content can seem beside the point. Like Maddox, many likened the cruise to the viral BamaRushTok — the time of year when sororities recruit new members at The University of Alabama, which is often shared by potential recruits on TikTok. Maddox, who has taught some of the women who became stars of the Bama Rush phenomenon, said she’s seen first-hand how real people being treated like figures on reality TV can be damaging and stressful. If you've been scrolling through TikTok in the last week, you've likely been served up video content around the nine-month-long Royal Caribbean voyage that departed on December 10. About 15 people onboard the ship have become documentarians of the experience, which has quickly captured public imagination.
Whereas TV producers typically hold the keys to casting and plot points, it's the viewers who are shaping the #CruiseTok narrative, by reacting to and interacting with the passengers' posts in real time. They include the accounts of more than two dozen fast-emerging "cruise influencers" on board, as well as a growing handful of content creators across the U.S. and U.K. Who are cross-referencing, synthesizing and analyzing their videos in posts of their own. On December 20th, @brooklynschwetje[6] posted a clip introducing all the "cast" members of the cruise ship, gathering over 400,000 plays and 60,000 likes in two days (seen below, right). On December 12th, 2023, TikToker[3] @amike_oosthuizen posted a clip titled, "Spend a day cruising with me," gathering over 800,000 plays and 60,000 likes in 10 days (seen below, left). On December 16th, TikToker[4] @brooklynschwetje posted a clip about being onboard the ship as well, gathering over 700,000 plays and 60,000 likes in a week (seen below, right).
Read up on the Drama on the Royal Caribbean 9-Month Cruise Voyage - Distractify
Read up on the Drama on the Royal Caribbean 9-Month Cruise Voyage.
Posted: Fri, 29 Dec 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]
The Kenneys told TODAY Dec. 27 that when they first came on board, they had 200 followers, and that today, they now have 90K followers. Ticket rates are based on a range of 1,073 staterooms and the full 274-night trip ran from $53,999 per person to $117,599 per person. “We are actively providing support and assistance to the guest’s loved ones at this time. Out of the privacy of the guest and their family, we have nothing further to share at this time,” the statement concluded.
There have been round-the-world cruises before, the first almost exactly 100 years ago. For the most part, though, those who started posting about their journeys on the cruise watched their TikTok follower counts jump from basically zero to more than 100,000 in the span of a few weeks. On #cruisetok, the passengers are characters, the updates are “plot,” and the actual destinations are simply backgrounds on which to project the maximum amount of drama. As of January 22, videos hashtagged with #ultimateworldcruise have garnered a combined more than 340 million views. Several TikTokers also speculated how on-board class divides would play into cruise drama, given that some participants in the cruise are "pinnacle" members who enjoy additional perks.
Here, for instance, is a primer on some of the people taking the nine-month trip posted by @noelmulk0 on TikTok. With the cruise now underway, folks have begun following the lives of those onboard — and awaiting the inevitable drama at sea. TikTok's latest obsession has turned some folks' months-long vacation into a digital reality show.
TikToker[5] @iambrandeelake posted a clip on December 18th expressing exasperation over repeatedly being mistaken for a worker on the cruise ship rather than a passenger. The TikToker is supposedly the only non-white cruise member to have gained notable viewership on TikTok in December 2023. Her video gathered over 1.8 million plays and 270,000 likes in four days (seen below, left).
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