Photo:Peter Bischoff/Getty
Peter Bischoff/Getty
The passengers on theSerenade of the Seashave selected their new route after a tumultuous few weeks of uncertainty.
After Royal Caribbean announced earlier this month that its viral9-month cruisewould be forced toreroute due to the ongoing unrestin the Red Sea and Suez Canal, its passengers had a vote on what to do instead.
“We’re going to Africa!” cruise passenger and podcaster Brandee Lake confirmed in a TikTok post Thursday. “Excited was … the word that I had when I heard Captain Kjell come across the speaker system and say that ‘Itinerary 1: Immersive Africa’ was exactly what was gonna happen for theSerenade of the Seas.”
In celebration of the reveal that The Ultimate World Cruise was indeed going to make several stops around the continent and surrounding islands, Lake showed off her “African outfit,” featuring flowing pants and a white and blue print. She also gave theSerenade of the Seas’African crew members a chance to shine, showing off their dance moves and including flag emojis for each of their home countries — including those of Zimbabwe, Kenya, Mauritius and South Africa.
“Less than 5 minutes after the announcement, I changed into my African outfit and danced my way through the ship ALL DAY LONG with my African brothers and sisters who work on the ship,” she said. “I also had a dance lesson with a fellow passenger, Auntie, and learned a few moves from Jamaicans on board as well.”
“What an AMAZING way to close out #blackhistorymonth!” she finished her caption.
“This trip and experience is truly a blessing and now it’s even better as we will truly see the entire world including places on sub Saharan Africa where our ancestors came from," she told PEOPLE.
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Lake previously broke down the two options passengers would vote between for PEOPLE.
The second route that guests could vote for included more time in Egypt, Turkey, and Greece — closer to the ship’s original itinerary — but involved many more consecutive days at sea in order to navigate around Africa as quickly as possible, Lake said previously.
The 160-destination voyage left from Miami nearly three months ago and has already traveled through multiple parts of the Americas, including Brazil, Argentina and Peru, and is set to end on Sept. 10, 2024. Thenext legof the cruise in Asia will go on as planned.
Small Village on the Suez Canal.Suez Canal (c) Linda Garrison
The news of amajor itinerary changefirst came on Feb. 9, when The Ultimate World Cruise responded to rumors about rerouting its third leg — which was set to head for the Middle East and Mediterranean in May — due to theconflict in Israel and Palestine, issues in theSuez Canaland U.S. military activity in Yemen.
“The safety of our guests and crew is our top priority, and we are monitoring what is taking place in and around the Red Sea,” Royal Caribbean told PEOPLE at the time.
“Some sad news,” she said on TikTok while the ship was docked in Los Angeles. “We had our first death on the Ultimate World Cruise. A lady passed away last night. She was an elderly lady, and the reason why I know is because I was coming to my room when they were taking the body out.”
“I’m thinking it was probably a heart attack. But I don’t have much news other than it was a female elderly patient, or guest, that passed away,” she continued, adding that it was “very, very sad” to have witnessed.
Royal Caribbean confirmed her report to PEOPLE shortly afterwards, writing in a statement that “A guest sailing onboard Serenade of the Seas has sadly passed away.”
“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 read.
source: people.com
