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Royal caribbean introduces ultimate world tour, the farthest-reaching cruise to all seven continents.

MIAMI, Oct. 20, 2021* – Adventurers seeking to travel far and wide can now set off on a world tour of their own. Royal Caribbean International is raising the bar for world cruises with the debut of the inaugural Ultimate World Cruise , an epic 274-night adventure that visits all seven continents , more than 150 destinations in 65 countries and 11 great wonders of the world . This rich, immersive experience on Serenade of the Seas is the longest and most comprehensive world cruise out there, sailing roundtrip from Miami on Dec. 10, 2023 and through Sept. 10, 2024. Bookings for the full Ultimate World Cruise can be made by phone starting today , with an exclusive one-week window through Oct. 26 for Royal Caribbean’s Crown & Anchor Society Diamond status members and above.

Travelers will sail to 57 destinations new to the cruise line and exclusive to the cruise itself. Highlights include Casablanca, Morocco; Qaqortoq, Greenland; and Shimizu, Japan – the gateway to Mount Fuji. Guests can delve deep into many of the world’s breathtaking wonders, from Peru’s Machu Picchu to the Taj Mahal in India, and experience distinct cultures and picturesque shores at every corner of the world all in one spectacular adventure – only on Royal Caribbean.

“This is the world cruise of world cruises,” said Michael Bayley, president and CEO, Royal Caribbean International “Now more than ever, people have resolved to travel the world and make up for lost time. Royal Caribbean is making that a reality with the ultimate vacation that welcomes those seeking adventure and exploration to taste, dance and dream with us around the world. To travelers asking themselves where they should go next, we say everywhere.”

Guests ready to traverse the world can book the full Ultimate World Cruise today or choose from any of the four expeditions that will offer a wide range of destinations as soon as December 2021 – the Americas, Asia-Pacific, the Mediterranean and Northern Europe:

• Ultimate Americas Dec. 10, 2023 - Feb. 11, 2024 – Three continents, 36 destinations, four wonders The once-in-a-lifetime journey begins in Miami, the cruise capital of the world, and sets course for postcard-perfect Caribbean destinations – like the ABC islands (Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao) – before heading to glacier-studded Antarctica and around Cape Horn. Travelers can take in four of the world’s stunning wonders along the way in Central and South America, including Chichen Itza in Cozumel, Mexico; the largest art deco sculpture in the world, Christ the Redeemer , in Rio de Janeiro – where they’ll celebrate New Year’s Eve – and the largest waterfall system on the planet, Iguazu Falls near Buenos Aires, Argentina. One of the most iconic symbols of ancient Inca civilization and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Machu Picchu , awaits in Peru, while sunshine and glamour will welcome guests in Los Angeles.
• Ultimate Asia-Pacific Feb. 11 - May 9, 2024 – Three continents, 40 destinations, three wonders Guests will venture miles from the ordinary in Oceania, Asia and beyond on the cruise’s next showstopping leg. They can discover the beauty and adventure throughout the Hawaiian Islands’ world-renowned mountainous landscapes and black sand beaches before sailing south to Moorea and Tahiti, French Polynesia, for sapphire blue skies and crystal-clear waters. The thrills continue with an exploration of New Zealand, before a deep-dive into Australia’s Great Barrier Reef – the only living thing on the planet that’s visible from space. Pristine natural beauty in Bali, Indonesia, is soon followed by two of the most iconic manmade world wonders, the Great Wall of China and India’s Taj Mahal , and gems of the South Pacific – from Vietnam to Malaysia. Rounding out the expedition are endless possibilities in Japan, with unparalleled culture in Tokyo, street food in Osaka and the tropical beaches of Okinawa.
• Ultimate Middle East and Med May 9 - July 10, 2024 – Three continents, 44 destinations, four wonders This expedition begins in glamorous Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and brings many of history’s greatest mysteries, myths and legends to life. Adventurers can uncover ancient sites and more world wonders from the times of emperors and pharaohs, like Jordan’s lost city of Petra , the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, Temple of Artemis in Ephesus, Turkey, and the Colosseum in Rome. There are also less-traveled places to explore, such as Greece’s Olympia, once a sanctuary site to honor Zeus and the location of the first Olympic games. The journey only continues to even more destinations known for their storied history — like Split, Croatia, and Cannes and Provence in France.
• Ultimate Europe and Beyond July 10 - Sept. 10, 2024 – Three continents, 40 destinations The final leg of the Ultimate World Cruise is an immersive, cultural experience that begins in the Mediterranean and heads north. At travelers’ fingertips is the opportunity to discover Barcelona’s brilliant architecture, including Antoni Gaudi’s famed Sagrada Familia and whimsical Park Guell , and savor new flavors across continents — such as an indulgent lunch in a Parisian bistro and a dinner of tagine and mint tea in Morocco. Museums, theaters and galleries line the streets of St. Petersburg, Russia, while larger-than-life fjords await in Norway. Guests can reflect on their epic voyage in the geothermal waters of the Blue Lagoon in Iceland before visiting New York on their way back to Miami.

Globetrotters will explore the world in style on board Serenade , thanks to Royal Caribbean’s award-winning experiences and amenities. And adventurers can stay close to the action with the ship’s acres of glass, which offer panoramic views, as they cruise from one destination, continent and world wonder to the next. From start to finish, guests who book the full Ultimate World Cruise can expect a seamless, world-class travel experience that includes business class airfare, premium transportation as well as an evening of festivities and accommodations at a five-star hotel before setting sail. Plus, Crown & Anchor Society Platinum status members and above will receive a bonus Seven New World Wonders shore excursion package in addition to other perks, including a Deluxe Beverage package, VOOM Wi-Fi, laundry service and more.

Bookings for the entire Ultimate World Cruise open today for Diamond and above Crown & Anchor Society members. Guests interested in booking can call Royal Caribbean’s dedicated line for the Ultimate World Cruise at 800-423-2100 (US toll free) or their travel advisor.

About Royal Caribbean International Royal Caribbean International has been delivering innovation at sea for more than 50 years. Each successive class of ships is an architectural marvel featuring the latest technology and guest experiences for today’s adventurous traveller. The cruise line continues to revolutionize vacations with itineraries to more than 270 destinations in 72 countries on six continents, including Royal Caribbean’s private island destination in The Bahamas,  Perfect Day at CocoCay,  the first in the Perfect Day Island Collection. Royal Caribbean has also been voted “Best Cruise Line Overall” for 18 consecutive years in the  Travel Weekly  Readers’ Choice Awards.

Media can stay up to date by following  @RoyalCaribPR on Twitter and visiting RoyalCaribbeanPressCenter.com. For additional information or to make reservations, vacationers can call their travel advisor; visit RoyalCaribbean.com; or call (800) ROYAL-CARIBBEAN.

Royal Caribbean International is applying the recommendations of its  Healthy Sail Panel  of public health and scientific experts to provide a safer and healthier cruise vacation on all of its sailings. Health and safety protocols, regional travel restrictions and clearance to visit ports of call, are subject to change based on ongoing evaluation, public health standards, and government requirements. U.S. cruises and guests: For more information on the latest health and travel alerts, U.S. government travel advisories, please visit  www.royalcaribbean.com/cruise-ships/itinerary-updates  or consult travel advisories, warnings or recommendations relating to cruise travel on applicable government websites.

*February 2022 update

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Royal Caribbean is launching what it says is the world's longest cruise. It lasts 274 days, and prices start at $61,000.

• Royal Caribbean is launching a 274-night Ultimate World Cruise, with prices starting at $61,000.
• The cruise would visit 65 countries, including Brazil, China, and Morocco.
• The inaugural cruise is scheduled to depart from Miami on December 10, 2023.

Royal Caribbean is launching a 274-night cruise around the world to set sail in 2023.

Prices start at $61,000 per person.

In a press release on Wednesday, the cruise line said it was "the longest and most comprehensive world cruise out there."

The company said the Ultimate World Cruise, set to depart from Miami, would visit more than 150 destinations in 65 countries on all seven continents.

Royal Caribbean said stops would include Casablanca in Morocco; the Great Barrier Reef in Australia; Antarctica; Brazil, where passengers can see the Christ the Redeemer statue on New Year's Eve; and Beijing.

The cruise starts at $61,000 per person

The inaugural cruise is scheduled to depart from Miami on December 10, 2023, and return on September 10, 2024.

Passengers would travel on the Serenade of the Seas , which has 13 decks and a mini-golf course, an arcade, a rock-climbing wall, a pool, a theater, and a spa. The ship can accommodate almost 2,500 passengers and more than 800 crew members, Royal Caribbean said.

Prices start at $61,000 for a person in an interior stateroom, rising to $65,000 for an oceanview stateroom and $79,000 for a balcony stateroom. A stay in a junior suite starts at $112,000 per person.

Royal Caribbean said passengers would get a 10% discount if they pay in full by January 6, 2023.

The pandemic ground world travel to a halt last year, and cruise lines' revenue plummeted . Carnival Cruises said in June 2020 that it would sell six cruise ships after posting a $4.4 billion loss.

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With the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, the industry has rebounded .

"Now more than ever, people have resolved to travel the world and make up for lost time," Michael Bayley, the president and CEO of Royal Caribbean, said in the press release.

The Ultimate World Cruise is split into four legs: the Americas and Antarctica, Asia and the Pacific, the Middle East and the Mediterranean, and northern Europe. Passengers can book them individually rather than opting for the full nine-month trip.

Bookings opened on Wednesday for Royal Caribbean's loyalty-program members at the diamond level or above and will open on October 27 for all other passengers, the company said.

Royal Caribbean said it would announce prices for the four individual legs of the trip when bookings for them open in December.

Watch: The world's largest cruise ship just landed in Miami — here's what it's like on board

• Main content

Royal Caribbean's New Cruise Will Visit 65 Countries in 9 Months

Guests will be able to tour iconic destinations on all seven continents

Caitlin Morton is a freelance writer based in Kansas City. Her work has appeared in Condé Nast Traveler, Vogue, and many other publications.

Courtesy of Royal Caribbean

After the past couple of years stuck at home, most people are more than ready to jump back into travel—ideally visiting as many places as possible, as soon as possible. Enter Royal Caribbean International. The company just unveiled its Ultimate World Cruise , an epic 274-night sailing that visits all seven continents, including over 150 destinations in 65 countries. It sounds like the perfect way to cross off half your bucket list in one fell swoop.

The cruise will depart from Miami on Dec. 10, 2023, and last until Sept. 10, 2024. That should give you plenty of time to start pinching those pennies—tickets start at $61,000 for an interior stateroom and go up to $112,000 for a junior suite. The price covers business class airfare and accommodations at a five-star hotel before setting sail.

You also have the option to tag along for just one of the journey's four legs, each of which explores a different part of the world: Antarctica and the Americas, Asia and the Pacific, the Middle East and the Mediterranean, and Europe's Capitals of Culture. As for the ports of call, you can plan on visiting pretty much every famous tourist attraction on the planet. We're talking the Great Barrier Reef, Pyramids of Giza, Great Wall of China, Taj Mahal, Machu Picchu, and Iceland's Blue Lagoon—and that's just the tip of the iceberg.

Oh yeah, you'll visit some icebergs, too.

"This is the world cruise of world cruises," said Michael Bayley, president and CEO of Royal Caribbean International. "To travelers asking themselves where they should go next, we say everywhere."

The all-encompassing itinerary is the main draw here, but guests should expect to have a pretty great time on the actual ship itself, Serenade of the Seas. According to the ship's website , onboard amenities include a mini-golf course, rock climbing wall, full-service spa, pool with a retractable glass roof, and a theater hosting everything from Broadway shows to stand-up comics. Guests can choose from nearly 20 restaurants and bars, then enjoy the scenery from the ship's panoramic, multi-story windows.

Bookings for the full Ultimate World Cruise can be made by phone now. The only thing left to do is pray you win the lottery in the next 26 months.

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The 9-Month World Cruise Is Almost Over, Leaving One of Its Famous Passengers Feeling Conflicted

Royal Caribbean’s Ultimate World Cruise set sail on Dec. 10, 2023 and officially comes to an end in less than a month, on Sept. 10

Natalia Senanayake is an Editorial Assistant, Lifestyle at PEOPLE. She covers all things travel and home, from celebrities' luxury mansions to breaking travel news.

Jeff Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty

The Ultimate World Cruise is officially coming to an end after nearly nine months at sea — and one of its famous passengers has mixed feelings about it. 

The cruiser, who goes by drjennytravels , has gained a loyal following sharing content from her remarkable (and lengthy) voyage. She went viral for sharing dispatches from the rocky voyage through the tempestuous Drake Passage to Antarctica in January and when the ship encountered a “scary” fog that led to a canceled port in May.

In a TikTok shared on August 10, Dr .Jenny started a countdown of the last month of cruising aboard the Serenade of the Seas and expressed her sadness over the months-long journey almost being over.

“Today marks one month to go on the nine-month world cruise and I am feeling mixed emotions about it,” she says in the clip. “In the long term I’m feeling sad, anxious, and kind of dreading the end of this adventure — but on the other hand, we still have one month of cruising to go.”

She adds that she’s excited for friends to join her for a segment of the trip from Copenhagen to Amsterdam in the last month. 

In February, the TikToker kept her followers updated when the cruise, operated by Royal Caribbean, was faced with making a significant itinerary change due to unrest in the Middle East. 

At the time, the cruise line confirmed to PEOPLE that it was going to cancel the nine-month voyage’s original itinerary through the Red Sea and Suez Canal in May to keep its passengers and crew members safe. Cruisers were then presented with two alternative itineraries that Dr. Jenny explained in another TikTok .

"We are going to Dubai. We also are going to Africa. We are gonna go all the way around the tip of South Africa,” she said. “The itinerary is not finalized; we actually have two options. One, they're calling the 'Scenic Route' — it does more of Africa. And the other is what they call the 'Highway,' which is a lot of sea days and does less stops in Africa."

She also shared footage from the cruise's town hall meeting and explained that cruisers have the option to vote on what type of route they want to go on. In the end, the “scenic route” was chosen and cruisers were able to visit more parts of Africa. 

JEAN-FRANCOIS MONIER/AFP via Getty

The Ultimate World Cruise departed from Miami on Dec. 10 and will return to the same port when it comes to an end on Sept. 10. It cruises for 274 nights and hits 160 total destinations, including eight world wonders, according to the official website .

Consisting of four segments — the Ultimate Americas Cruise, the Ultimate Asia Pacific Cruise, the Ultimate Africa and Southern Europe Cruise, and the Ultimate Europe and Beyond Cruise — the voyage is currently on its last leg and making its way through Norway.

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It's not a 'shoot-from-the-hip decision': What to know about world cruises

Brandee Lake’s home address changes nearly every day.

The 46-year-old boarded Royal Caribbean International’s Ultimate World Cruise in December and will live on the line’s Serenade of the Seas for the nine-month journey .

Lake, who previously lived in Los Angeles, gave up her apartment and left a job in advertising and marketing to travel full time, embarking on a 274-night sailing to more than 60 countries alongside her sister and parents.

“I always tease that I only worked to travel anyway, that I worked to support my travel habit,” she told USA TODAY. “So, to me, it was a no-brainer.”

Lake, who had already visited 77 countries and lived abroad, decided to set sail and see even more of the world, and her parents gifted the cruise to her and her sister.

Videos about the Ultimate World Cruise proliferated on TikTok following its departure from Miami, but it’s not the first cruise of its kind. World cruises offer passengers an easy way to travel the globe, delivering them to a range of far-flung destinations.

But there’s more to booking those trips than other kinds of cruises. Here’s what to know:

What are world cruises?

World cruises visit multiple continents, usually no less than three. The itineraries last between three and five months on average but can be longer, according to Joanna Kuther, a travel agent and owner of Port Side Travel Consultants.

“You're in your room, and that's where you're going to be the whole time, and you're not flying around and packing and unpacking,” she said. While at a resort, guests might meet one another in passing, world cruise passengers are on the same itinerary for an extended period, which Kuther said can be “such a bonding experience.”

“I mean, I guess it could go sideways if it was horrible people,” she said. “But I think people usually find their people.”

For travelers who can’t – or would rather not – spend so much time at sea, many cruise lines also sell segments of those itineraries separately. That allows guests to embark for days, weeks, or months at a time and adds new faces to the mix.

World cruises also often take place on older ships, particularly on mainstream lines. "I don't think they'd want one of their newest ships out of commission for months," Kuther added.

How do cruise lines plan world cruises?

Mapping out so many months at sea can take years. Luxury line Silversea Cruises , for example, plans its world cruises three to four years in advance, according to spokesperson Brad Ball.

“Silversea has a team of destination experts that select destinations that are unique and culturally diverse,” he said in an email. The line, also part of Royal Caribbean Group, sailed its first world cruise in 2007 and works to create destination themes and make segments distinct.

Silversea’s 140-day The Curious and the Sea voyage aboard Silver Dawn in 2026, for example, features a 28-day exploration of French Polynesia and the South Pacific, a semi-circumnavigation of Australia over 21 days and more.

“We try to provision food items locally and source goods from the different regions we travel to as much as possible,” Ball added.

Michael Bayley, president and CEO of Royal Caribbean International, said the cruise line took great pains to anticipate guests’ needs on the Ultimate World Cruise, even putting a dentist on board.

The line also threw a gala dinner for guests before they departed. “I said, ‘The only one thing that we've failed to do, and I apologize now, is we failed to put a marriage counselor on board,’ ” he said during a press briefing last month on the line’s newest ship, Icon of the Seas .

When should I book a world cruise?

Many cruise lines offer only one world cruise a year, and staterooms go fast. Michael Bray, owner of Braycation Travel, likened it to “a really cool house coming on the market.”

“The suites or larger cabins could go the fastest because folks want space,” he added. Bray said his clients have booked between 1 ½ to 2 ½ years out.

“People know they have to plan to be with their homes for six months,” Bray said. “They've got to shut down their homes. You've got to figure out medications, mail, family, so this is not a shoot-from-the-hip decision.”

Lake, the Ultimate World Cruise passenger, said she stored some of her belongings with a friend and packed the rest of what she needed.

Tips for taking a long cruise: What to know about sailing for 6 months or more

World cruises from lines like Cunard Line have long been popular, Kuther noted, but in recent years, more brands have leaned.

Royal Caribbean’s nine-month sailing is its first foray into the category, and Azamara is currently sailing its first world voyage since becoming an independent cruise line in 2021. Princess Cruises, which operated its first world cruise in 2008, also plans to sail its longest voyage ever (116 days) in 2025.

Kuther attributed that to a rise in remote-friendly jobs like content creation , particularly among younger people. “This ability to travel and work from wherever you are has opened up such a younger demographic and also more demand,” she said.

Ball at Silversea echoed that. “Over the past 15 years, we have seen increased demand for World Cruises, both from retired travelers as well as from working professionals and digital nomads,” he said. “Due to the advance of improved cellphone connectivity technology and onboard internet, more travelers are able to work remotely and better able to take longer voyages.”

How much do world cruises cost?

Starting prices for world cruises on mainstream lines can range from around $25,000 per person to $60,000 depending on the length, Kuther said. Luxury world cruises are likely to cost upward of $70,000.

Those prices will also likely include more than a typical cruise fare.

The fare for the entire Ultimate World Cruise – which started at around $54,000 for the full nine months – included gratuities, business class flights, Wi-Fi, wash-and-fold laundry service and more, according to Royal Caribbean’s website .

Luxury lines, which already bundle more costs with their base fares , may throw in extras too. Ball said travelers who book Silversea’s 2026 world cruise get $1,000 in onboard credit per person (up to $2,000 per suite), a spa treatment and other amenities.

For Lake, the trip is a chance to see new places – like Antarctica , which she “always wanted to do” but never thought she would – while spending quality time with family. No matter where they are in the world, she has a family dinner with her parents and sister every night.

“I think it's something that I'll look back on and never forget,” she said.

As for work after the cruise, she has no definitive plans, but has been posting about the trip on TikTok and is "enjoying the creator space."

"I am seeing where this adventure and the world takes me," Lake said.

Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville. You can reach him at [email protected].

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10 Around-the-world Cruises for the Trip of a Lifetime

These world cruises offer the ultimate itineraries.

Elizabeth Rhodes is a special projects editor at Travel + Leisure , covering everything from luxury hotels to theme parks to must-pack travel products. Originally from South Carolina, Elizabeth moved to New York City from London, where she started her career as a travel blogger and writer.

Want to island hop around French Polynesia, visit Africa's incredible cities, and cruise through Asia without ever switching hotels or repacking your bags? An around-the-world cruise provides the ultimate itinerary, packed with exciting international destinations (some even visit hard-to-reach destinations like Easter Island and Antarctica), and luxury cruise lines provide comfortable accommodations, specialty restaurants, and plenty to do on and off the ship.

There are two main things you need before booking a world cruise: plenty of time and some spare cash. Prices range from around $20,000 to upwards of $100,000 per person, and all our top picks are more than 100 days (one is even a whopping 275 days), so they're ideal for retired travelers looking for their next big adventure. Pack wisely for a range of destinations and climates, and get ready for the journey of a lifetime, filled with postcard-perfect destinations and new friends (because you're bound to meet a travel buddy or two after 100-plus days on a ship). If an around-the-world cruise is at the top of your travel list, you'll want to book sooner rather than later — these journeys frequently sell out because many cruise lines only offer a limited number of sailings.

Here are ten of the best around-the-world cruises you can take in 2023 and 2024.

Viking Ocean Cruises

Viking world cruise.

See 28 countries on the 138-day Viking World Cruise from Fort Lauderdale to London. After departing from Florida, the Viking Sky will sail the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, stopping in sunny destinations before crossing the Panama Canal to reach the Pacific. From there, the ship will visit destinations in Mexico and the continental United States, continuing on to Hawaii, French Polynesia, New Zealand, and Australia. Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar, and India are among the ports in Asia, then it's on to the Middle East before traveling to Europe, where final destinations include Italy, Spain, and Portugal en route to London. Fares start at $59,995.

Regent Seven Seas Cruises

Moments in time: world cruise 2024.

Sail around the world in 132 nights aboard the Seven Seas Mariner on a round-trip journey from Miami. You'll spend the days at sea enjoying the luxury ship's amenities, including the spa and several restaurants and lounges, between stops in destinations like Costa Rica, Mexico, Hawaii, Tahiti, Bora Bora, Fiji, New Zealand, Australia, Indonesia, Singapore, India, UAE, Israel, and Italy, among others. This 2024 world cruise , with fares starting at $73,499, is officially sold out , but you can join a waitlist to be notified of cancellations.

Royal Caribbean

The ultimate world cruise.

Royal Caribbean pulls out all the stops — and there are more than 150 of them — on this 274-night cruise to all seven continents. The itinerary aboard the Serenade of the Seas begins in Miami on December 10, 2023, and visits more than 60 countries, including Brazil, Ecuador, Nicaragua, French Polynesia, the Philippines, South Korea, India, Romania, and Greenland, before ending in Miami on September 10, 2024. Travelers who don't want to commit to the entire cruise can book shorter segments. Fares start at $59,999 for this cruise that gives travelers the opportunity to visit 11 of the great wonders of the world, including the Taj Mahal, the Great Wall of China, and Chichen Itza.

World Cruise 2024

Enjoy 133 days on Silversea's Silver Shadow with this round-trip sailing from San Francisco. During that time, the ship will visit 65 ports in 14 countries, including Fiji, New Zealand, Australia, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, China, Japan, and Canada. Fares start at $66,000 for this 2024 sailing, which currently has waitlist availability.

2024 World Cruise: Extraordinary Horizons

Climb aboard the Seabourn Sojourn for a 145-day world cruise from Los Angeles to Athens, visiting 72 ports in 28 countries. The cruise departs Los Angeles and goes to Hawaii, French Polynesia, New Zealand, Australia, Vietnam, Japan, and China — just to name a few places — before ending in Greece. Visit the website for booking details and shorter segments.

Oceania Cruises

Around the world in 180 days.

Travelers on Oceania's 180-day round-trip cruise from Los Angeles to New York aboard the Insignia will see some of the world's most impressive sights. Highlights include stops in stunning French Polynesia, Indonesia, Thailand, Egypt, Spain, France, and Iceland. Fares start at $48,499 for the 2024 sailing .

MSC Cruises

Msc world cruise 2024.

The MSC Poesia will take guests to 56 destinations on this 120-day cruise starting in Rome. Countries visited during this journey include Argentina, Chile, Peru, New Zealand, Australia, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, India, and Jordan. When you're not exploring each port, you can relax in the swimming pools and hot tubs, visit the many restaurants, bars, and lounges, or go to the spa. Fares start at $17,199 per person; find booking details on the MSC website.

Princess Cruises

111-day world cruise.

This round-trip cruise from Los Angeles on the Island Princess will visit 47 ports in beautiful places like New Zealand, Australia, Bali, Sri Lanka, UAE, Egypt, Greece, Italy, Spain, Morocco, Bermuda, Mexico, and more. Fares for this 2024 sailing start at $19,497.

Holland America Line

128-day grand world voyage.

Explore the world on this 128-day round-trip journey from Fort Lauderdale on the Zuiderdam . This cruise's itinerary includes a trip down the Amazon River, stops in the Caribbean, a Panama Canal crossing, and stops in cities like Honolulu, Tokyo, Shanghai, Singapore, Abu Dhabi, Istanbul, and more. Fares start at $23,599 for this 2024 cruise .

Azamara World Cruise

This 155-night itinerary to more than 40 countries kicks off in Fort Lauderdale and finishes in Barcelona. The itinerary features ports for experiencing some of the great wonders of the world, including the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, as well as Petra in Jordan and the Colosseum in Rome. Travelers can also choose to join segments of the cruise aboard the Azamara Onward for as few as 10 nights. Fares for this 2024 sailing start at $36,379.

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The 5 best destinations you can visit on a Royal Caribbean cruise

Is a Royal Caribbean cruise on your bucket list? You'll find no shortage of options when it comes time to pick an itinerary.

The world's biggest cruise line by passenger capacity offers voyages in almost every corner of the world, from its home base in North America to the far-off waters of Australia and New Zealand.

Royal Caribbean operates more cruise ships than any other major line — 28 in all . This allows it to deploy vessels on all the classic cruise itineraries in places like the Caribbean, Europe and Alaska while still having ships left over for more off-the-beaten-path routes.

For more cruise guides, tips and news, sign up for TPG's cruise newsletter .

That said, Royal Caribbean has a distinct focus on the Caribbean and Europe — the most popular destinations for its regular customers. In a typical summer, the line will deploy about half its ships on sailings to the Caribbean, Bahamas and Bermuda while sending another seven or eight vessels to Europe. The line typically sends four ships to Alaska every summer.

During the winter, the line will move even more of its ships to the Caribbean, and send a few to Asia and Australia.

In all, Royal Caribbean's ships visit more than 300 different ports around the world. Here are five of the top destinations you can reach on a Royal Caribbean ship.

The Caribbean and the Bahamas

There's a reason the word "Caribbean" is in Royal Caribbean's name. The line got its start operating cruises to the Caribbean way back in 1968, and the region still accounts for a big part of its business.

In fact, the line typically deploys well more than half its fleet to the Caribbean and the Bahamas for at least part of the year. During the winter, the line will have most of its ships in the region. For the coming winter of 2024-2025, for instance, 23 of its 28 vessels are sailing in the Caribbean and Bahamas, including all of the line's biggest ships. These include the line's much-ballyhooed new vessel Icon of the Seas — the biggest cruise ship in the world — and its just unveiled Utopia of the Seas .

Utopia of the Seas, notably, has debuted on short sailings to the Bahamas — an unusual deployment for a brand-new ship .

Related: The best Caribbean cruise for every type of traveler

Royal Caribbean offers a broad range of Caribbean and Bahamas itineraries from over half a dozen home ports. If you're looking for something short, the line has you covered in the form of lots of quick, three- and four-night trips from Florida ports to the Bahamas (including those Utopia of the Seas sailings). It also offers an abundance of seven-night sailings to Caribbean and Bahamas ports and a handful of longer trips in the region that range from nine to 14 nights.

At the core of the line's Caribbean and Bahamas program are its seven-night sailings, which break down into three broad categories:

• Eastern Caribbean voyages
• Western Caribbean voyages
• Southern Caribbean voyages

A typical seven-night Royal Caribbean sailing in the Eastern Caribbean will include stops at St. Martin, St. Thomas and Perfect Day at CocoCay , the line's private island in the Bahamas. But the line sometimes swaps in stops at other islands such as Puerto Rico or St. Kitts. There are typically three and sometimes four calls on an Eastern Caribbean cruise.

Related: The ultimate guide to Royal Caribbean

Royal Caribbean's seven-night Western Caribbean voyages typically include three or four stops at some mix of the following destinations: Mexico (Cozumel or Costa Maya), Honduras, Jamaica, Grand Cayman and Belize. Some include a stop at Perfect Day at CocoCay and Labadee, Royal Caribbean's private beach destination in Haiti.

The line's seven-night Southern Caribbean itineraries are more destination-heavy, with five or even six separate calls. They sometimes include a couple of stops at relatively northward islands such as St. Thomas and St. Martin but focus heavily on southerly islands such as Tobago, Trinidad, Grenada, St. Vincent, Dominica, St. Lucia, Bonaire, Aruba and Curacao.

Related: The 7 classes of Royal Caribbean ships, explained

When sailing to the Caribbean, Royal Caribbean ships generally sail out of PortMiami , Port Canaveral , Fort Lauderdale's Port Everglades and Tampa in Florida; San Juan, Puerto Rico; New Orleans; Galveston, Texas; Bayonne, New Jersey (one of the ports for New York City); and Baltimore.

The line also recently offered its first-ever Caribbean sailings out of Barbados , though no other voyages from the island are currently on the line's schedule.

Australia and New Zealand

Royal Caribbean has been sending at least one ship — and sometimes several — to Australia every winter for many years. It offers a wide range of itineraries out of Sydney and Brisbane that make calls not just around Australia but also in New Zealand.

While the itineraries the line offers in the region vary in length — from just two nights to 15 nights — the shorter voyages are primarily aimed at a local Australian crowd looking for a quick getaway. Among North Americans, the most popular itineraries are the longer ones, which are often heavily skewed to stops in New Zealand.

Related: Everything you need to know about Royal Caribbean's loyalty program

Among several New Zealand itineraries are 12-night voyages from Sydney that feature an all-New Zealand lineup of calls: Bay of Islands, Auckland, Tauranga, Wellington, Christchurch and Picton.

A 15-night New Zealand itinerary out of Sydney features cruising in New Zealand's famed Milford Sound as well as Doubtful Sound and Dusky Sound. The ship also stops in Dunedin, Wellington, Christchurch, Tauranga, Auckland and the Bay of Islands.

Royal Caribbean isn't the biggest player in Alaska cruises . The giants of cruising to Alaska are Princess Cruises and Holland America , which are sister lines to each other that control a large percentage of the market. Still, Royal Caribbean has a significant presence in Alaska, and its big, activity-filled ships are popular with families looking to visit the destination.

The Alaska cruise season is a short one, lasting roughly from May to September. This year, Royal Caribbean has four ships in the region — all operating seven-night sailings.

• Ovation of the Seas and Quantum of the Seas: These 4,180-passenger sister vessels are Royal Caribbean's newest and largest ships scheduled to visit Alaska. They're sailing to Alaska round-trip from Seattle with calls at Alaskan ports such as Sitka, Juneau and Skagway; and Victoria, British Columbia. On many departures, they're also visiting Endicott Arm for glacier viewing.
• Brilliance of the Seas: The 2,142-passenger ship sails to Alaska round-trip from Vancouver with a visit to Tracy Arm Fjord and calls at three or four of the following Alaska destinations: Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Haines, Icy Strait Point and Sitka.
• Radiance of the Seas: The 2,143-passenger Radiance of the Seas mostly sails one-way Alaska voyages between Vancouver and Seward, Alaska. Calls include Hubbard Glacier and four of the following Alaska destinations: Ketchikan, Icy Strait Point, Juneau, Skagway and Sitka.

For the 2025 season, Royal Caribbean will replace Ovation of the Seas with Anthem of the Seas (the two ships are similar) and substitute Serenade of the Seas for Radiance of the Seas (also similar ships).

The appeal of the one-way sailings on Radiance of the Seas in 2024 and Serenade of the Seas in 2025 is that you can combine them with Royal Caribbean-organized land tours of Alaska. Land tours can last from two to five days in addition to the seven nights on the ship. So, all in all, you will have created a nine- to 12-night "cruise tour" as such trips are called in the cruise world.

The land tour portion of such trips brings visits to such well-known interior Alaska locations as Denali National Park and the town of Fairbanks.

Related: Everything you want to know about Royal Caribbean cabins and suites

Royal Caribbean is a major player in Europe, with a wide range of itineraries in the Mediterranean and across Northern Europe.

Some of the line's signature Mediterranean routings offer the chance to see iconic destinations such as Barcelona, Spain, and the Italian cities of Florence, Rome and Naples in a single cruise. Or, you can sign up for a Mediterranean cruise focusing on the Greek Islands.

In Northern Europe, Royal Caribbean will take you to such famed Baltic cities as Stockholm; Tallinn, Estonia; Helsinki; and St. Petersburg, Russia, in a single sailing (although, for now, St. Petersburg has been removed from Royal Caribbean itineraries due to the war between Russia and Ukraine). Itineraries that zero in on the Norwegian fjords also are available.

Until recently, the line has deployed as many as 10 vessels to the region each year on a seasonal basis, with the ships staying from spring until fall. But Royal Caribbean has been cutting back on Europe sailings a bit in the wake of the wars in Ukraine and Israel, and it only plans to send six ships to Europe for the 2025 season.

Royal Caribbean's Europe voyages range in length from three to 16 nights.

Among the longest sailings that Royal Caribbean offers in Europe is a 16-night voyage from Barcelona to Southampton, England, that brings stops in Valencia, Cartagena and Malaga, Spain; Casablanca and Agadir, Morocco; Lisbon and Porto, Portugal; Cork, Ireland; and Cherbourg and Le Havre, France.

In Northern Europe, Royal Caribbean ships mostly sail out of Southampton, England; Amsterdam; and Copenhagen, Denmark.

In the Mediterranean, the line's hubs are Piraeus, Greece (the port for Athens); Istanbul, Turkey; Barcelona; and Civitavecchia (the port for Rome) and Ravenna in Italy. The latter port recently replaced Venice as a home port.

In recent years, Royal Caribbean has built up a big business selling cruises out of China ports such as Shanghai and Tianjin (the port for Beijing) that are aimed squarely at the Chinese market. They offer Chinese-language programming, and Chinese-centric food and activities. However, Royal Caribbean also markets some Asia voyages to North Americans.

Among the itineraries meant for a Western crowd are nine-night Thailand and Vietnam cruises out of Singapore that include stops at Bintan Island, Indonesia; Nha Trang and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; and Bangkok.

There are also 10-night Japan Explorer sailings that take in Aomori, Hakodate, Akita, Kanazawa, Sakaiminato and Kagoshima, Japan; and Busan, South Korea.

For 2025, Royal Caribean will have three of its 28 ships visiting Asia for at least part of the year: Anthem of the Seas, Ovation of the Seas and Spectrum of the Seas.

The line's main home ports in Asia for cruises aimed at North American travelers are Singapore; Yokohama, Japan (the port for Tokyo); and Hong Kong.

Bottom line

Royal Caribbean has one of the biggest fleets of oceangoing cruise ships worldwide, allowing it to offer a wide range of itineraries. If you're thinking of a Royal Caribbean cruise, you'll be spoiled for choice. The line is perhaps best known for its Caribbean sailings — at certain times of the year, it deploys almost all its ships to the region. You'll also find wonderful Royal Caribbean itineraries everywhere, from Alaska and Australia to Europe and Asia.

Planning a cruise? Start with these stories:

• A beginners guide to picking a cruise line
• The 5 most desirable cabin locations on any cruise ship
• The 8 worst cabin locations on any cruise ship
• A quick guide to the most popular cruise lines
• 21 tips and tricks that will make your cruise go smoothly
• 15 ways cruisers waste money
• What to pack for your first cruise

In-flight essentials! What Prince William, Princess Kate and other royals carry on their flights

 the british royal family are seasoned travellers, but what are their sky-high must-haves.

The British royal family has been praised of late for their down-to-earth approach to air travel, with the Prince and Princess of Wales often spotted flying with British Airways alongside their children.

Like many of us, members of the royal family have certain items they simply cannot fly without. While recent years have seen the Firm opting for more humble travel choices, the same cannot be said for days gone by and the same goes for their royal travel essentials.

Keep scrolling to see the list of interesting items the royals cannot fly without…

The Prince and Princess of Wales

Despite their more grounded approach to air travel, the Waleses do have one major royal must-have when they take to the skies, one of them being ultra-chic matching monogrammed luggage.

William was previously seen sporting a travel bag with the initial "W" on it, but just in case it isn't obvious whose luggage belongs to whom, the royal clan also uses large signs in different colours to help them differentiate.

Queen Elizabeth II

The late Queen Elizabeth II had exceptionally glamorous requirements when she flew. According to  The Telegraph , an uncovered "treasure trove of memorabilia" from former flight attendant Elizabeth Evans revealed that the former monarch "liked a Martini before her guests arrived," according to notes dating back to the 1970s. Canapés were also served when the Queen flew with guests.

Meanwhile, the late Queen also liked to have a bowl of sugar-free Velamints beside her during takeoff, reportedly enjoyed by President Ronald Reagan as well.

• Meghan Markle

The Duchess of Sussex previously revealed a plethora of interesting items she always travels with in her now-discontinued blog, The Tig.

One tip she shared with readers was allegedly passed down from Leonardo DiCaprio through a friend. "A dear friend of mine once told me that Leonardo DiCaprio gave her an excellent travel tip," she wrote.

Adding: "He said that to avoid getting sick on planes, he puts a little Neosporin on the inside of his nostrils. Not only does it create a barrier for germs, it also lubricates the skin on the nose."

LISTEN: A Right Royal Podcast

Another must-have shared by the former Suits actress was to always travel with something cosy that smells like home.

"I never travel without a scarf or thin cashmere blanket that feels like a hug," she wrote. "Throw it in your purse or backpack, and no matter how far you travel, you will always feel comforted both on and off the plane with something that feels and smells like home."

Meghan also loves to have cleansing wipes and hand sanitiser to "wipe it all down," specifying, "That includes the little TV, the service tray, and all the buttons around your seat."

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Search suspended after young brit falls off royal caribbean cruise ship near croatia.

Rescue crews suspended their search efforts Sunday for a young British man who fell off a Royal Caribbean cruise ship in the waters near Croatia early Friday morning.

The passenger, who has not been publicly identified, fell overboard into the Adriatic Sea while traveling on the cruise line’s Explorer of the Seas in the early morning hours, according to local Croatian news outlets.

The man plunged nearly 100 feet off the ship into waters near the uninhabited island of Jabuka, the local news station 24 SATA reported .

Royal Caribbean crew members who witnessed the man’s fall immediately tossed over a life ring but could not see him in the water, according to the station.

A massive multi-agency search — spearheaded by the National Center for Coordination of Search and Rescue at Sea — was launched from both sea and air and continued over the weekend.

The rescuers were hopeful that if the Brit survived the fall, he would be able to survive in the warmer waters of the Adriatic Sea during this time of year.

“Survival in these conditions is more than 12 hours, and the search lasts twice as long, at least 24 hours,” Radovan Linić, the coordinator of the search and rescue agency, told 24 SATA in Croatian.

But after three days of searching, the rescue teams were unable to locate the missing man and officially called off the search at around 2 p.m. Sunday, Croatian outlet HRT reported.

The seven-day Royal Caribbean cruise from Greece was headed to Zadar when the man tumbled into the sea.

Another passenger aboard the cruise ship said she was awakened by an emergency message blasting “Oscar Oscar Oscar off the port side. Man overboard” at around 3:40 a.m., she shared on X .

The ship canceled its docking in Zadar but continued on its path after hours of searching when the Croatian coast guard took over the immediate search, Nicole Bullock wrote.

The Post has reached out to Royal Caribbean for comment.

In May, a man reportedly jumped from Royal Caribbran’s Icon of the Seas, the world’s largest cruise ship, on the first night of his week-long voyage soon after it left Florida. His body was recovered, and he was pronounced dead.

A month before, a 20-year-old man believed to be drunk allegedly jumped off Royal Caribbean’s Liberty of the Seas as it sailed between Cuba and the Bahamas while on a vacation with his family.

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• 52.920514 87.995369 1 Sheregesh — the all-Russia ski resort in Gornaya Shoriya.

By Siberian standards, Kemerovo Oblast is populous, urban, and industrialized. It lies in the heart of the "Kuzbass" (Kuznets Basin) region, home to the world's largest deposits of coal. Accordingly, most of Kemerovo Oblast's cities developed because of economic opportunities related to the coal industry. As a result, the region's cities are often quite polluted, although the situation has improved since the fall of the USSR. Visitors to the region's cities will find them busy, but not significant tourist attractions in and of themselves. But this is all the more reason to get out into the beautiful and unspoilt (and uninhabited) Siberian countryside!

Russian is the only dish on the menu.

Most visitors will pass through Kemerovo Oblast on the Trans-Siberian Railway , which makes stops at (from west to east) Yurga, Taiga, Anzhero-Sudzhensk , Yaya , and Mariinsk.

There is an airport at Kemerovo ( KEJ   IATA ), with flights to/from Moscow , Krasnoyarsk , and in the summer: Anapa , Sochi and Khabarovsk .

Novokuznetsk also has an airport serving flights from Moscow (Domodedovo and Vnukovo Airports), Saint Petersburg , Tomsk and in the summer: Sochi , Krasnodar , and Anapa .

Rail is the most important means of transport in this industrialized region on the Trans-Siberian Railway . The most important junction town is Yurga, junction for the branch going south to Kemerovo .

• Horseback Riding
• Alpine Sports
• Looking for Yeti .  

The next major stops on the Trans-Siberian Railway are Novosibirsk to the west and Achinsk and Krasnoyarsk to the east.

Travelers heading to Tomsk should take the branch from the Trans-Siberian Railway junction at Taiga.

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Money blog: 'Should I top up my national insurance and could it really get me £6,000 extra?'

Welcome to the Money blog, your place for personal finance and consumer news and tips. Today's posts include a Money Problem on the benefits or otherwise of topping up your national insurance. Leave your problem or consumer dispute below - remember to include contact details.

Monday 19 August 2024 07:49, UK

• Energy bills to rise 9% this winter - forecast
• Kellogg's shrinks size of Corn Flakes

Essential reads

• Money Problem : 'Should I top up my national insurance and could it really get me £6,000 extra?'
• Couples on how they split finances when one earns more than other
• Best of the Money blog - an archive of features

Tips and advice

• All discounts you get as student or young person
• Save up to half price on top attractions with this trick
• Fines for parents taking kids out of school increasing

Ask a question or make a comment

By Jimmy Rice, Money blog editor

Every Monday the Money team answers your Money Problems or consumer disputes. Find out how to submit yours at the bottom of this post. Today's question is...

I'm 62 and have 10 years of gaps in my national insurance record as I worked for my parents' import business without a fixed wage during most of my twenties and thirties, and had periods of unemployment in my fifties. What are the benefits of topping up before I retire in a few years and can I really get £6,000 added to my pension for every £900 I put in? Tony, Palmers Green

This is a question many people approaching retirement will be asking themselves, Tony.

First, it's worth us outlining why your national insurance record matters and who can top up.

If you reached pension age after 6 April 2016 you need 10 years of NI contributions to get a state pension - and 35 years to get the full £221.20 a week. Before that 2016 date, it's 30 years.

People may have gaps in their record for numerous reasons including: being unemployed, on a low income, self-employed, having worked abroad, or having taken a break from work to raise a family.

Ordinarily, you can pay voluntary contributions for the past six years - but currently there's an extended period meaning a man born after 5 April 1951 or a woman born after 5 April 1953 can pay voluntary contributions to make up for gaps between April 2006 and April 2016.

The deadline for this is 5 April 2025.

How much could topping up earn you?

It would cost £907.40 to cover all NI contributions from the 2023-24 tax year - each year is different but this is a good guide. Going back to your question, if you went on to enjoy 20 years of retirement, you would get back £6,000. It would take just three years to get your £907.40 back.

Who might want to think twice?

Just to stress, as always, that this post is not intended as financial advice. Instead, we're outlining things you should think about.

The first thing anyone should consider is if they'll fill gaps naturally through working - in which case there'd be no point topping up. Given your age, Tony, it could be an option for you - but check your state pension forecast  here .

There are lots of other things to factor in and you should seek independent financial advice.

Wealth management firm  Charles Stanley  says a key consideration is whether a higher pension would either:

• Drag you into paying tax when you retire;
• Mean you no longer qualify for certain benefits.

"You might not benefit from the full amount of extra money as some will be taken in income tax," they say.

"In addition, boosting state pension income can affect entitlements to means-tested benefits. Notably, if you claim pension credit, which tops up the income of very low earners over state pension age, any increase in the state pension would normally reduce an award. This often means that you would be no better off paying voluntary contributions."

Another consideration - and this isn't something most people want to contemplate - is that if you don't think you'll live long enough into retirement (you might be in ill-health or have a terminal illness) to benefit from topping up, then it's probably not worth it.

People should also look into whether they could transfer contributions from their spouse or civil partner .

One more way to top up

Which? advises: "Ensure that you are getting any NI credits you are entitled to before contemplating paying voluntary NI contributions for a particular year. 

"These are free and will apply, say, if you are caring for a child in the family as a parent or grandparent, claiming statutory sick pay or looking after a sick/disabled person."

If you're below state pension age, you can contact the Future Pension Centre to see if you'll benefit from topping up - they're on 0800 731 0175. If you already claim the state pension, call the Pension Service on 0800 731 0469.

Again, before taking any action you should seek independent financial advice.

If you do decide to top up, you'll need a Government Gateway account.

On there, you can see gaps, the cost of filling them and how much you could benefit - you can then pay online.

This feature is not intended as financial advice - the aim is to give an overview of the things you should think about. Submit your dilemma or consumer dispute via:

• The form above - you need to leave a phone number or email address so we can contact you for further details;
• Email [email protected] with the subject line "Money blog";
• WhatsApp us here.

Winter energy bills are projected to rise by 9%, according to a closely watched forecast.

The price cap from October to December will go up to £1,714 a year for the average user, Cornwall Insight says.

It would be a £146 rise from the current cap, which is controlled by energy regulator Ofgem and aims to prevent households on variable tariffs being ripped off.

The cap doesn't represent a maximum bill. Instead it creates an average bill by limiting how much you pay per unit of gas and electricity, as well as setting a maximum daily standing charge (which all households must pay to stay connected to the grid).

Ofgem will announce the October cap this Friday.

"This is not the news households want to hear when moving into the colder months," said the principal consultant at Cornwall, Dr Craig Lowrey.

"Following two consecutive falls in the cap, I'm sure many hoped we were on a steady path back to pre-crisis prices. 

"However, the lingering impact of the energy crisis has left us with a market that's still highly volatile and quick to react to any bad news on the supply front.

"Despite this, while we don't expect a return to the extreme prices of recent years, it's unlikely that bills will return to what was once considered normal. Without significant intervention, this may well be the new normal."

Cornwall Insight warned that the highly volatile energy market and unexpected global events, such as the recent escalating tensions in the Russia-Ukraine war, could see prices rise further at the start of the new year.

To avoid this vulnerability, Cornwall Insight said domestic renewable energy production should increase and Britain should wean itself off energy imports.

Kellogg's appears to have shrunk its packets of Corn Flakes. 

Two of its four different pack sizes have reduced in weight by 50g, according to The Sun. 

What used to be 720g boxes are now 670g, while 500g boxes have become 450g. 

The newspaper says the 670g boxes are being sold for £3.20 in Tesco - the same price customers were paying for the larger box back in May. 

The 450g boxes are being sold for £2.19, only slightly less than the previous price of £2.25.

Other supermarkets have similar pricing, although in Morrisons the price has gone down in proportion to the size reduction.

The 250g and 1kg pack sizes remain unchanged. 

Kellogg's has said it is up to shops to choose what they charge, but Tesco said the manufacturer should comment on pricing. 

Sky News has contacted Kellogg's for comment.

A spokesperson is quoted by The Sun: "Kellogg's Corn Flakes are available in four different box sizes to suit different shopper preferences and needs. 

"As the cost of ingredients and production processes increase, it costs us more to make our products than it used to.

"This can impact the recommended retail price. It's the grocer's absolute discretion and decision what price to charge shoppers."

WHSmith has launched a café brand as it seeks to expand into the food-to-go market.

The first café is in Princess Anne Hospital in Southampton and offers teas and coffees, hot breakfasts and pastries

Its branding is the same as the Smith Family Kitchen food-to-go range launched three months ago.

WHSmith UK travel managing director Andrew Harrison said: "Whether it's in a hospital or on their journeys, customers tell us that quality food and drink options are what they prioritise most in the different locations we serve.

"That's why we have been doubling down on our food ranges and formats to ensure our customers don't need to compromise on quality or value, as demonstrated today with the launch of Smith's Kitchen."

Thanks for popping into Money, our live blog for consumer and personal finance news and tips, as we kick off a new week. Here are five reasons to pop back over the coming days...

Topping up your national insurance

Coming up this morning is this week's Money Problem , focusing on a question from reader Tony, in Palmers Green, who wants to know if he could really add £6,000 to his retirement pot with a £900 top-up to his national insurance.

Bring back Spangles

Thousands of you have got involved in our Bring It Back series in the last few weeks, suggesting the old-school sweets or treats that you'd love to see revived. This week, published first thing tomorrow, we're looking at a classic that's been mentioned time and again in our comments section - Spangles. We'll be hearing what Mars had to say about a potential return.

Why should you pay with credit card?

We'll also take a deeper dive into one of the most common pieces of consumer advice: that you should try to pay on credit card for big purchases. Why do you get extra protection, how does it work and what is and isn't covered - we'll have all the answers in Tuesday's Basically .

Yorkshire pudding secrets from top Yorkshire chef in Cheap Eats

Anyone who makes their own Yorkshire puddings - or wants to - should check back on Wednesday morning as one of Yorkshire's top chefs, James Mackenzie from the Michelin-starred Pipe and Glass in South Dalton, picks his Cheap Eats in East Yorkshire and at home - revealing his secrets for perfect/huge Yorkies, including a common mistake many people make.

Everything to know about savings and mortgages

Every Thursday we hear from Savings Champion founder Anna Bowes, who offers some advice for making the most of your spare cash and reveals the best rates on the market right now. Then on Fridays we do similarly with mortgages, hearing from industry experts on what anyone seeking to borrow needs to know at the minute before rounding up the best rates with the help of the guys from Moneyfacts.

We've got lots of others tips and features planned for this week, so bookmark  news.sky.com/money  and check back from 7am each weekday - or 8am on Saturday for our weekend feature.

The Money blog is produced by the Sky News live team, with contributions from  Bhvishya Patel, Jess Sharp, Katie Williams, Brad Young, Ollie Cooper and Mark Wyatt, with sub-editing by Isobel Souster. It is edited by Jimmy Rice.

By Emily Mee , news reporter

Openly discussing how you split your finances with your partner feels pretty taboo - even among friends.

As a consequence, it can be difficult to know how to approach these conversations with our partner or what is largely considered fair - especially if there's a big imbalance salary-wise. 

Research by Hargreaves Lansdown suggests in an average household with a couple, three-quarters of the income is earned by one person. 

Even when there is a large disparity, some couples will want to pay the same amount on bills as they want to contribute equally. 

But for others, one partner can feel resentful if they are spending all of their money on bills while the other has much more to spend and is living a different lifestyle as a result. 

At what stage of the relationship can you talk about money?

"We've kind of formally agreed there is some point in a relationship you start talking about kids - there is no generally agreed time that we start talking about money," says Sarah Coles, head of personal finance at Hargreaves Lansdown. 

Some couples may never get around to mentioning it, leading to "lopsided finances". 

Ms Coles says if you want to keep on top of finances with your partner, you could set a specific date in the year that you go through it all. 

"If it's in the diary and it's not emotional and it's not personal then you can properly go through it," she says.

"It's not a question of 'you need to pull more weight'.  It's purely just this is what we've agreed, this is the maths and this is how we need to do that."

While many people start talking about finances around Christmas, Ms Coles suggests this can be a "trying time" for couples so February might be a "less emotional time to sit down". 

How do you have the conversation if you feel the current arrangement is unfair?

Relationship counsellor at Relate , Peter Saddington, says that setting out the balance as "unfair" shouldn't be your starting point. 

You need to be honest about your position, he says, but your conversation should be negotiating as a couple what works for both of you. 

Before you have to jump into the conversation, think about: 

• Letting your partner know in advance rather than springing it on them;
• Making sure you and your partner haven't drunk alcohol before having the conversation, as this can make it easy for it to spiral;
• Having all the facts to hand, so you know exactly how much you are spending;
• Using 'I' statements rather than 'you'. For example, you could say to your partner: "I'm really worried about my finances and I would like to sit down and talk about how we manage it. Can we plan a time when we can sit down and do it?"

Mr Saddington says if your partner is not willing to help, you should look at the reasons or question if there are other things in the relationship that need sorting out. 

If you're having repeated arguments about money, he says you might have opposite communication styles causing you to "keep headbutting". 

Another reason could be there is a "big resentment" lurking in the background - and it may be that you need a third party such as a counsellor, therapist or mediator to help resolve it. 

Mr Saddington says there needs to be a "safe space" to have these conversations, and that a third party can help untangle resentments from what is happening now. 

He also suggests considering both of your attitudes to money, which he says can be formed by your early life and your family. 

"If you grew up in a family where there wasn't any money, or it wasn't talked about, or it was pushed that you save instead of spend, and the other person had the opposite, you can see where those conversations go horribly wrong. 

"Understanding what influences each of you when it comes to money is important to do before you have significant conversations about it."

What are the different ways you can split your finances?

There's no one-size-fits-all approach, but there are several ways you can do it - with Money blog readers getting in touch to let us know their approach...

1. Separate personal accounts - both pay the same amount into a joint account regardless of income

Paul Fuller, 40, earns approximately £40,000 a year while his wife earns about £70,000. 

They each have separate accounts, including savings accounts, but they pay the same amount (£900) each a month into a joint account to pay for their bills. 

Paul says this pays for the things they both benefit from or have a responsibility for, but when it comes to other spending his wife should be able to spend as she likes. 

"It's not for me to turn around to my wife and expect her to justify why she thinks it's appropriate to spend £150 in a hairdresser. She works her backside off and she has a very stressful job," he says. 

However, their arrangement is still flexible. Their mortgage is going up by £350 a month soon, so his wife has agreed to pay £200 of that. 

And if his wife wants a takeaway but he can't afford to pay for it, she'll say it's on her.

"Where a lot of people go wrong is being unable to have those conversations," says Paul.

2. Separate personal accounts - whoever earns the most puts more into a joint account

This is a more formal arrangement than the hybrid approach Paul and his wife use, and many Money blog readers seem to do this in one form or another judging by our inbox.

There's no right or wrong way to do the maths - you could both put in the same percentage of your individual salaries, or come up with a figure you think is fair, or ensure you're both left with the same amount of spending money after each payday.

3. Everything is shared

Gordon Hurd and his wife Brenda live by their spreadsheet. 

Brenda earns about £800 more a month as she is working full-time while Gordon is freelance. Previously Gordon had been the breadwinner - so it's a big turnaround.

They each have separate accounts with different banks, but they can both access the two accounts. 

How much is left in each account - and their incomings and outgoings - is all detailed in the spreadsheet, which is managed weekly. 

Whenever they need to buy something, they can see how much is left in each account and pay from either one. 

Gordon says this means "everyone knows how much is available" and "each person's money belongs to the other". 

"We have never in the last decade had a single disagreement about money and that is because of this strategy," he says.

Money blog reader Shredder79 got in touch to say he takes a similar approach. 

"I earn £50k and my wife earns just under £150k. We have one joint bank account that our wages go into and all our outgoings come out of. Some friends can't get their head around that but it's normal for us."

Another reader, Curtis, also puts his wages into a joint account with his wife. 

"After all, when you have a family (three kids) it shouldn't matter who earns more or less!" he says. 

Reader Alec goes further and says he questions "the authenticity of any long-term relationship or the certainly of a marriage if a couple does not completely share a bank account for all earnings and all outgoings". 

"As for earning significantly more than the other, so what? If you are one couple or long-term partnership you are one team and you simply communicate and share everything," he says. 

"Personally I couldn't imagine doing it any other way and I do instinctively wonder what issues or insecurities, whether it be in trust or something else, sit beneath the need to feel like you need to keep your finances separate from one another, especially if you are a married couple." 

A reader going by the name lljdc agrees, saying: "I earn half of what my husband does because I work part-time. Neither of us has a solo account. We have one joint account and everything goes into this and we just spend it however we like. All bills come out of this too. Sometimes I spend more, sometimes he spends more."

4. Separate accounts - but the higher earner pays their partner an 'allowance'

If one partner is earning much more than the other, or one partner isn't earning for whatever reason, they could keep separate accounts and have the higher earner pay their partner an allowance. 

This would see them transfer an agreed amount each week or month to their partner's account.

Let us know how you and your partner talk about and split finances in the comments box - we'll feature some of the best next week

The centre-point of a significant week in the economy was inflation data, released first thing on Wednesday, that showed price rises accelerated in July to 2.2%.

Economists attributed part of the rise to energy prices - which have fallen this year, but at a much slower rate than they did last year. 

As our business correspondent Paul Kelso pointed out, it felt like the kind of mild fluctuation we can probably expect month to month now that sky high price hikes are behind us, though analysts do expect inflation to tick up further through the remainder of the year...

Underneath the bonnet, service inflation, taking in restaurants and hotels, dropped from 5.7% to 5.2%.

This is important because a large part of this is wages - and they've been a concern for the Bank of England as they plot a route for interest rates.

On Tuesday we learned average weekly earnings had also fallen - from 5.7% to 5.4% in the latest statistics.

High wages can be inflationary (1/ people have more to spend, 2/ employers might raise prices to cover staff costs), so any easing will only aid the case for a less restrictive monetary policy. Or, to put it in words most people use, the case for interest rate cuts.

Markets think there'll be two more cuts this year - nothing has changed there.

Away from the economy, official data also illustrated the pain being felt by renters across the UK.

The ONS said:

• Average UK private rents increased by 8.6% in the 12 months to July 2024, unchanged from in the 12 months to June 2024;
• Average rents increased to £1,319 (8.6%) in England, £748 (7.9%) in Wales, and £965 (8.2%) in Scotland;
• In Northern Ireland, average rents increased by 10% in the 12 months to May 2024;
• In England, rents inflation was highest in London (9.7%) and lowest in the North East (6.1%).

Yesterday, we found the UK economy grew 0.6% over three months to the end of June. 

That growth rate was the second highest among the G7 group of industrialised nations - only the United States performed better with 0.7%, though Japan and Germany have yet to released their latest data.

Interestingly, there was no growth at all in June, the Office for National Statistics said, as businesses delayed purchases until after the general election.

"In a range of industries across the economy, businesses stated that customers were delaying placing orders until the outcome of the election was known," the ONS said.

Finally, a shout for this analysis from business presenter Ian King examining what's gone wrong at Asda. It's been one of our most read articles this week and is well worth five minutes of your Friday commute or weekend...

We're signing out of regular updates now until Monday - but do check out our weekend read from 8am on Saturday. This week we're examining how couples who earn different amounts split their finances.

Each week we feature comments from Money blog readers on the story or stories that elicited most correspondence.

Our weekend probe into the myriad reasons for pub closures in the UK prompted hundreds of comments.

Landlords and campaigners, researchers and residents revealed to Sky News the "thousand cuts" killing Britain's boozers - and what it takes to survive the assault.

Here was your take on the subject...

I've been a publican for 19 years. This article is bang on! It's like you've overheard my conversations with my customers - COVID, cost of living, wages - the traditional British boozer going out of fashion. (My place: no food, no small children). Hey Jood

I own a small craft ale bar or micropub as some say. The current climate is sickening for the whole hospitality sector. This summer has been ridiculously quiet compared to previous ones. Micropubs were on the rise pre-COVID, but not now even we're struggling to survive… Lauren

I am an ex-landlord. It's ridiculous you can buy 10 cans for £10 or one pint for £5 now. It's not rocket science, it's a no-brainer: reverse the situation. Make supermarket beer more expensive than pub beer, then people will start to go out and mix again rather than getting drunk at home. Ivanlordpeers

Bought four pints of my regular drink at a supermarket for less than one pint in our local pub. It's becoming a luxury to go to a pub these days. Torquay David

Traditional pubs are being taken over by conglomerates who don't sell traditional beer, only very expensive lager, usually foreign, and other similar gassy drinks. How can they be called traditional pubs? Bronzestraw

The main reason for pubs closing is twofold! 1: The out-of-reach rents that the big groups charge landlords. 2: Landlords are told what stock they can hold and restrict where they can purchase it from. Strange, but most pubs belonged to the same groups! A pub-goer

Less pubs are managed now, pub companies are changing them to managed partnerships, putting the pressure onto inexperienced young ex-managers. Locals complain that their local pub has gone. but they don't use them enough. Can government regulate rents and beer prices for business owners? John Darkins

I was a brewery tenant in Scotland for many years and sequestrated because of the constant grabbing at my money by greedy brewers who wanted more and more. I made my pub very successful and was penalised by the brewery. James MacQuarrie 

The only reason pubs are closing is locals only use them on Boxing Day, New Year's Eve, and one Sunday a year. Plus breweries don't need pubs, they sell enough through supermarkets! Use them or lose them. Peter Smith

The closing of pubs is a terrible shame. I still go to my local and have great memories of getting drunk in many in my hometown. They are important places in society. As someone once said: "No good story ever started with a salad." Kev K

It's the taxman killing pubs. £1 of every £3 sold. Utter disgrace. Stef

I go with my girlfriend, Prue, every day to my local. It's a shame what's happening to prices. It used to be full of people and joy but now it's a ghost town in the pub since prices are too high now. I wish we could turn back time and find out what went wrong. Niall Benson

Minimum wage is around £11 and the tax threshold is £12,600 per year. How can you possibly afford a night in a pub out when a pint costs between £3 and £8 a pint on those wages? Allan7777blue

Unfortunately, the very people who have kept these establishments going over the years (the working man) have been priced out, and they're paying the price. Dandexter

The pubs are too expensive for people to go out regularly as we once did a decade or so ago. People's priorities are on survival, not recreation. Until the living wage increases beyond an inflation that wages haven't risen above in years, then we will see shops, pubs, etc. close JD

Who wants to spend hard-earned money going into a pub that's nearly always empty. It takes away one of the main attractions - socialising. Michael

Monzo has been named the best bank in the UK for customer satisfaction, according to a major survey. 

More than 17,000 personal current account customers rated their bank on the quality of its services and how likely they would be to recommend to friends or family. 

Digital banks made up the top three, with Monzo coming out on top, followed by Starling Bank and then Chase. 

Some 80% of Monzo customers said they would recommend the bank. 

The digital banking app said topping the tables "time and time again" was not something it would "ever take for granted". 

Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) was bottom of the ranking for another year. 

The banks with the best services in branches were Nationwide, Lloyds Bank and Metro Bank. 

Gail's bakery chain has come under fire for repurposing unsold pastries into croissants and selling them for almost £4 the next day.

The retailer lists the "twice baked" chocolate almond croissants as part of its "Waste Not" range, which means it is made using leftover croissants that are then "topped with almond frangipane and flaked almonds".

The scheme has been hit with criticism online, with many pointing out the £3.90 price tag is 95p more than the original croissant.

One X user said: "The audacity of bragging about it being part of their 'Waste Not' range like we should be grateful to them and proud of ourselves for contributing to reducing food waste when they could just sell it for less money – not one pound more than yesterday.

"Unsure whether to be impressed or horrified that someone has come up with a concept to capitalise on yellow sticker goods to make more profit."

It should be added, however, that the practice was not invented by Gail's - and almond croissants were originally created by French boulangeries to reuse day-old croissants and stop them going stale.

When factoring in the extra ingredients (almond frangipane and flaked almonds) and baking time, the bakery chain would likely defend the increased price by pointing to the additional costs incurred.

It comes as locals in a trendy London neighbourhood signed a petition against a Gail's bakery setting up shop in their area.

After (unconfirmed) rumours began circulating that the chain was looking to open a site in Walthamstow village, more than 600 have signed a petition opposing the plans.

The petition says the village "faces a threat to its uniqueness" should Gail's move into the area (see yesterday's 11.54am post for more).

Gail's has been contacted for comment.

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