From 2019 to 2022, the fifth centenary of the first circumnavigation of the Earth is commemorated.
Article from CruisesNews magazine, issue 48 – March 2019
We proudly celebrate what, in the words of Felipe VI, King of Spain, “was the first global event in the history of humankind.” In the age of discoverers, Christopher Columbus, Ferdinand Magellan, and Vasco da Gama traversed seas and oceans that no one had ever explored before and transformed our understanding of the world.
During the Modern Age, the need to carry cargo and make longer journeys to consolidate the trade routes that had been established led to an increase in the size of ships.
In the 18th century, ships began to be classified more by their sails than by their shape: frigates, corvettes, and brigs. Finally, in the 19th century, the steam engine and the construction of ships with new materials, such as iron, gave a strong boost to maritime trade, leading to the abandonment of sail as a means of propulsion.
This year, 2019, has seen record numbers of Spanish passengers on round-the-world itineraries.
The first half of the 19th century saw the so-called Golden Age of Ocean Liners, enormous passenger and cargo ships that regularly sailed trade routes, primarily between the New World (the Americas) and Europe. This was the era of the birth of the legendary Cunard and White Star Lines. These liners can be considered the first pleasure cruises, where a select circle of high society began to use them not only as a means of transport but also for leisure travel.
Exactly 400 years after Juan Sebastián Elcano completed the first circumnavigation of the globe, in November 1922, Cunard Line embarked on the first round-the-world cruise. The voyage was undertaken aboard the famous ship Laconia, chartered specifically for this project. This vessel was to navigate the waters explored 400 years earlier by Magellan. Passenger capacity for this voyage was restricted to first-class passengers to ensure that only the best cabins were used. The journey departed from New York, returned on March 30, 1923, and lasted 130 days. It visited the western Caribbean, the Panama Canal, sailed through the magical islands of the Pacific Ocean, and explored the Far East, before returning via the Suez Canal and visiting the great and historic cities of the Mediterranean.
Today, the idea of traveling the world is an adventure created for the leisurely traveler, the traveler who takes their time. A traveler who seeks tranquility and the opportunity to explore new places. These grand voyages average 150 days on board (although some companies also offer the option of traveling in segments from 15 to 45 days). These trips combine the ocean journey with carefully curated land programs. Often, they include overnight stops where the ship remains for two or more nights in the most important destinations on the itinerary, offering cruise passengers a much more comprehensive travel experience and transforming them into the explorers of the 21st century.
Spanish Cruise Passengers on Round-the-World Cruises:
Initially, Spanish cruise passengers were almost nonexistent on round-the-world cruises (nor were they very present on shorter itineraries). Therefore, in the first stage, Spanish ports played a key role as receiving ports for these ships. Thus, in the 1950s, the ship Caronia (Cunard Line) was already calling at Málaga and Barcelona on its round-the-world voyages.
MSC Cruises started in 2019 with its first round-the-world cruise and was a great success, as the 2020 cruise is already sold out.
The situation is different now. Spain is no longer just a cruise destination; it is becoming a significant source market for cruise passengers. So much so that 2019 saw record numbers of Spanish passengers on round-the-world cruises.
Costa Cruises has announced that 535 Spanish passengers embarked on the 2019 edition of its round-the-world cruise aboard the Costa Luminosa (2,300 passengers). This itinerary departed from the port of Barcelona on January 10th, lasts just over three months, and will allow passengers to visit wonders on all five continents, cross three oceans, and explore 42 destinations before concluding in Venice on April 27th, 2019. They also indicate that since the round-the-world cruise first set sail in 2011, approximately 5,000 Spanish passengers have participated in at least one of the three legs of the complete itinerary.
MSC Cruises kicked off 2019 with its MSC World Cruise, a round-the-world voyage. This 119-day cruise aboard the MSC Magnifica visits 32 different countries and offers a grand adventure for passengers, whether they are thrill-seekers, adventurers, or passionate about culture. Around 130 Spanish passengers embarked on this inaugural world cruise. The itinerary has been a resounding success; in fact, places for the 2020 departure, again aboard the MSC Magnifica, are already sold out, and those for 2021, aboard the MSC Poesia, are nearly full.
Premium and luxury cruises: the unfinished business for Spanish cruisers.
The presence of Spanish passengers on premium and luxury cruise lines is still small, mainly due to price and/or language barriers. However, if someone wants to treat themselves, here are some of the itineraries available in 2019 or 2020.
In 2019, we could choose an 84-day round-the-world itinerary aboard the Crystal Serenity, from Crystal Cruises. This itinerary left even the most discerning cruisers speechless. The Serenity visited the Southern Hemisphere with a route that combined days at sea with spectacular shore excursions, such as snorkeling on the coral reef of Reunion Island, exploring the rainforest of Mauritius, and discovering the secrets hidden within the world's tallest dunes in the Namib Desert. The Crystal Serenity set sail from Los Angeles on January 14th, traveling to Hawaii, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and the Mediterranean, before concluding its voyage in Monte Carlo on April 7th. In 2020, it will begin its round-the-world trip on January 6th in Miami and finish 105 days later, on April 21st, in Civitavecchia (Rome).
Oceania Cruises presents a unique and varied World Cruise, a 180-day voyage aboard the flagship, departing on January 8, 2020. This journey will cross the equator up to four times, visit 95 different ports across four continents and 27 different time zones, and, for the first time in Oceania Cruises history, the World Cruise will reach South America. The 2020 World Cruise represents the company's biggest commitment to destinations such as Japan, where it will call at nine ports, as well as exploring the secrets of less-traveled Africa, reaching both the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Horn, and showcasing the magnificence of Alaska from the Aleutian Islands to the Inside Passage. In short, a fantastic cruise option for the discerning traveler.
Silversea Cruises, the epitome of luxury cruising, has scheduled a round-the-world trip in 2020 that touches all 7 continents.
Silversea Cruises, the ultra-luxury expedition cruise line, has scheduled a 140-day world cruise in 2020, departing on January 6 from Fort Lauderdale aboard the Silver Whisper. The itinerary will visit all seven continents, with stops at 62 ports in 32 countries, including the North and South Fjords, Antarctica, Australia, Southeast Asia, and much more. In an atmosphere of ultimate luxury, guests will witness unforgettable shows, experience unexpected events, and enjoy a collection of tailor-made land programs
The historic Cunard shipping company is also offering a spectacular voyage aboard the Queen Mary 2, scheduled to depart in early 2020. It will begin by sailing through the Mediterranean and the Suez Canal to the Arabian Gulf and the Indian Ocean, reaching Asia via the Strait of Malacca. From there, the Queen Mary 2 will head north from Vietnam to Hong Kong before setting sail for Australia. The final leg of the journey is the return to Southampton from Australia, connecting via South Africa. The itinerary includes a selection of overnight stays in iconic cities around the world, offering more nights on this voyage than on any of the Queen Mary 2's world cruises in the last ten years.
The first circumnavigation of the world
In 1519, the expedition commanded by Ferdinand Magellan aimed to reach the Moluccas archipelago in Indonesia by sailing around the American continent.
These islands were also known as the Spice Islands, as they were very rich in spices. The voyage was financed by the Kingdom of Spain to open a new trade route to the East. With everything ready, they set sail from Seville on August 10, 1519. There is an academic debate as to whether Magellan had prior knowledge of the passage from one ocean to another. Be that as it may, and after a harsh winter on land in what is now southern Argentina, some desertion, and even a suppressed mutiny, the expedition reached the mouth of the passage, the entrance to what would later be known as the Strait of Magellan. Once inside the ocean they would name the Pacific, Magellan thought it was a small sea, when in reality it is the largest of the oceans, and the nearest land was several thousand kilometers away.
Magellan's expedition sailed for three months across the Pacific without ever seeing land and with almost no food. Due to the lack of fresh provisions, many sailors contracted scurvy, and most of them eventually died. The expedition, now in a desperate state, reached the island of Guam in January 1521 and then resumed its voyage to Asia.
Magellan would meet his death in the Philippine Islands during a skirmish with some natives. He would not, therefore, complete the circumnavigation of the world, but he had already explored the most unknown part and demonstrated that his plan (and Columbus's) was viable: "to reach the East by sailing West.".
Round-the-world trips begin at the start of the year and end between 3 and 4 months later.
The expedition continued under the command of Juan Sebastián Elcano, a Spanish navigator who, after reaching the Moluccas Islands and loading spices, began the return voyage along the well-known "Portuguese" route across the Indian Ocean, then circumnavigating Africa to finally arrive back in Spain in September 1522. Of the five ships that set sail, only one, the Victoria, completed the circumnavigation, and of the more than 250 men who embarked three years earlier, only 18 returned. These were the first human beings to circumnavigate the globe, and although this was not the expedition's objective, it is what secured their place in history. King Charles I granted them a coat of arms crowned with a globe and illustrated with the motto "Primus circumdedisti me," meaning "you were the first to circumnavigate me.".
As a curious historical detail, it should be added that after unloading the cargo of the only ship that completed the voyage, it was calculated that the value of the spices transported was enough to cover the expedition's expenses and even generate a profit. This illustrates the enormous business that the trade in these products represented and explains the tremendous efforts and dangers that sailors of the time dared to endure. The difficulty of Magellan's planned expedition is evident because no one dared to repeat such a journey for fifty years afterward.
