Seven Seas Mariner: Hundreds of passengers have forked out well over $100,000 for the future sailing. Photo / Supplied
A luxury round-the-world cruise costing over $100000 per passenger has sold out in under three hours.
All 750 places on the Seven Seas Mariner sold out in record time, costing up to $276,530 per guest in a Grand Master Suite.
Passengers are willing to wait three years to take up their place on the highly converted World sailing, which is not due to depart until 2024.
Owners Regent Silver Seas have taken heart from this new record after the choppy period the industry has just navigated.
"With a waitlist longer than we have ever experienced, we knew that the 2024 World Cruise was going to be popular," said president Jason Montague. "But this outstanding response has surpassed all expectations and is without a doubt our strongest world cruise launch day ever."
The five month itinerary covering 34,500 nautical miles encompasses once-in-a-lifetime destinations including New Zealand, Central America and the South Pacific Society Islands.
The itinerary reads like an exhaustive list of the most coveted travel experiences.
442 shore excursions are included in the ticket, visiting sites such as Milford Sound, Angkor Wat, Machu Picchu and four nights exploring Kruger National Park and Zululand.
All of which guests will navigate in luxury, with butler serviced cabins.
The cruise line returns to operation in just two months, with the departure of the Seven Seas Splendor in September. The restart after a 17-month pause has been referred to by Montague as a "return to a normality."
However it may not all be smooth sailing. Prominent destinations - including New Zealand and Australian - have not yet lifted their embargoes on international cruise ships.
Further headaches were provided for the Florida-based cruise company on Saturday, when a court overturned a ruling to lift CDC restrictions on Saturday.
The one-paragraph decision by a three-judge panel of the 11th US Circuit Court of Appeals was filed at 11:50 p.m. Saturday, just minutes before a Tampa judge's previous ruling on the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention restrictions was set to take effect.
While the state of Florida - where the world's largest cruise companies are headquartered - was yet to respond, the new ruling came at the very last minute.
"The equities overwhelmingly favor allowing the cruise industry to enjoy its first summer season in two years while this Court sorts out the CDC's contentions on appeal," Florida's lawyers told Associated Press.
The cruising restart has been held up a number of times, however holders of Regent's $100000 round the world tickets will be hoping this will be old news by the time they depart in January 2024.
- With Associated Press
Telegraph: “A bingo card of disappointments.”