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This article originally appeared on Business Insider.
What would happen if you took hundreds of strangers, gave each one a camera, and forced them to live in an isolated, closed space for the longest part of the year?
This very same scenario has been playing out for a month now, and this is no social experiment or ethically questionable reality show. This is the most talked about vacation of all time, the Royal Caribbean Ultimate World Cruise.
The 274-night voyage, with a starting price of about $60,000, started in Miami on December 10th. The cruise’s planned itinerary includes 65 countries and more than 150 ports of call. The exact number of passengers is unknown, but operator Royal Caribbean says Serenade of the Seas, which is hosting the trip, has a capacity of 2,476 people.
This voyage seemed almost destined to go viral.But avid passengers, avid viewers, and Algorithmic boostthe cruise, now being dubbed the “TikTok reality show,” failed to deliver on the drama.
However, this past month may have been just a warm-up. Those watching noticed a sharp increase in the intrigue unfolding on board as the ship entered its second month.
Here’s a recap of what’s happened so far, just in time to grab your popcorn when things could really get better.
Reply to @nchimad @user0986584638 #greenscreenvideo #greenscreen Here are some details about Royal Caribbean’s Ultimate World Cruise. This price isn’t bad since you can get everything…but is it still not possible?? #Royal Caribbean #Ultimate World Cruise #Cruise Talk #fyp #foryou ♬Original song – ✨SeaTea Director, ND✨
Viewers were expecting explosive drama in the days after the cruise departed.
As early as Dec. 11, the first full day on board the ship, passengers began sharing their experiences.
It started with a room tour – there was a lot. Some take inspiration from MTV’s “Cribs” and use classic His TikTok transition edits to highlight their transformations, while others take a thorough look at every detail of the cabin.
Creators immediately began sharing their predictions about what would happen in the game.
On December 15th, a creator named Kara Harms posted a bingo card for this trip. Comparing it to living in a dorm room, she says that over the course of nine months, there are “mass sexually transmitted diseases,” impromptu weddings, “cruise ship babies” from pregnancies, and even people going missing or falling. I predicted it would be deafening. Boats, high-stakes mysteries, and the emergence of new travel influencers and brand sponsorships. (Spoiler: Only one of these predictions came true for her. Keep reading to find out which one.)
Others took their predictions further, speculating that there would be “some kind of civil war,” a “Titanic”-style tragic love story, and a feud arising from a rivalry between the most talked about people. .
CruiseTok was at a loss.
“I guarantee you there will be love, fun, excitement and drama,” cruise fan Bad Yahya wrote in the first of at least 24 videos he created for the Ultimate World Cruise playlist. He spoke at “It’s going to be like a murder mystery novel, hopefully without the murders, but it’s going to be a lot of fun.”
@bad_yaya01 Royal Caribbean Ultimate World Cruise? 9 months is a long time! This is my dream novella! So get comfortable, grab a drink and a snack, and enjoy the show. #Royal Caribbean #Cruise Talk #Cruise Ship #World Cruise #Royal Caribbean Cruise #fyp #Cruise #Ultimate World Cruise #Dream of Dreams #9 Month Cruise #Novel ♬ Original Song – Bad YaYa xoxo ?
Stories aboard the cruise ship begin to surface.
More and more passengers, or “cast members” as some call them, started posting on TikTok.
Angie Linderman said she decided to take a cruise at age 37 after losing her parents to cancer and finding out she had a BRCA2 gene mutation that increases the likelihood of certain cancers.
“For me, there is no thought of retiring at all,” she said in her viral video explaining the choice. She said, “I can’t wait to do shit until I retire.”
Joe Martucci, a cruiser known on TikTok as @spendingyourkidsmoney, said he initially created an account to post videos he made for his children, but that his kids liked them and encouraged him to share them online. The New York Times reported that it became a huge hit.
“Hey kids,” he began the video, which has since become his TikTok tagline. “Remember when you thought you had an inheritance?” the 67-year-old says, laughing from the balcony of his cruise with the ocean and picturesque blue skies behind him.
@spendingourkidsmoney #RoyalCaribbean #Cruising #Exploration #WorldCruise #UltimateWorldCruise #UWC #SerenadeOfTheseSeas #Cruise #Travel ♬ Original song – Joe
As the “performers” grow and interest increases, accounts dedicated to gathering all available information about what happens onboard cruise ships gain traction, as well as crew members sharing their experiences. ‘s account also attracted attention.
As viewers learned more about the amenities and daily life on board the cruise ship, and as the TikTokers on board began meeting each other and collaborating with some of the creators who will be overseeing the drama from ashore, the sense that this was truly a reality TV moment grew. . Many of the passengers seemed to be joking.
If this drama is to become a reality, it seems like now is the time.
@little_rat_brain The colors were so bright?? It was such a gorgeous place and everyone was so nice. #Ultimate World Cruise 2023 #September Cruise #September Cruise #Brazil #Moro Blanco ♬ Original song – Little Rat Brain
By the second week of the cruise, small kernels of controversy began hitting TikTok
Soon, rumors of a minor drama began to spread.
One creator who ostensibly posts from a cruise ship has been accused of fabricating the whole thing after detectives dug deep into his videos, and Martucci (of “Hey Kids” fame) has been accused of making up the whole thing after detectives dug deep into his videos, and Martucci (of “Hey Kids” fame) He said he believed the person was impersonating him. Followers of Ultimate World Cruises also discovered a Facebook group where people who have already signed up for a cruise communicate (hosted by Royal Caribbean, the group boasts 438 members).
There were some light developments, but I wouldn’t call it a “drama.” Anthony McWilliams, one of the passengers famous on TikTok, said he disembarked in Brazil but was told that, under Brazilian port laws, he could not reboard the ship until it arrived in Uruguay the following week. His story was a bit controversial at the time, but 12 days later, on January 5th, he announced on TikTok that he had boarded a ship and was “coming home.”
@anthonyantoine1021 Guess who came back?! My room and belongings were well taken care of during my absence. So happy to be back on board after 12 days! #UltimateWorldCruise #AnthonyAntoine #WorldCruise #RoyalCaribbeanUltimateWorldCruise #WorldCruise2024 ♬ Original Music – Anthony Antoine
The same week, another passenger posted on TikTok about “flooding” on the ship, and a Royal Caribbean spokesperson told USA Today that “heavy winds and rain” were to blame. Again, this news spread throughout CruiseTok and caused concern, but within a day everything seemed to be back to near normal.
The best drama ever
Of all the stories that have come to light so far on Cruise, only two can be classified as “drama” in the true sense of the internet world. And perhaps even that is a bit of a stretch.
The drama first began when Ultimate World Cruise TikTok recapper @uksecrettravel revealed that some guests were dissatisfied with so-called Pinnacle Guests (loyal members, the highest tier of loyalty membership). That’s when I posted a viral video saying I heard it was because of it. The Caribbean offer was treated “very differently” to standard passengers, especially “dividers” who are only on board for part of the nine-month journey.
However, as soon as this rumor started spreading, it became clear that giving perks to loyalty members was literally the whole point of loyalty programs, and that passengers getting what they paid for was not the social injustice it implied. Others pointed out that it does not exactly constitute justice.
The second big moment was “Pineapple Gate.” What does it ask? A TikToker on the flight recorded a passenger named Adita pasting an illustrated pineapple on the cabin door. Viewers were convinced it was a secret code indicating that she and her partner were swingers. Apparently the pineapple is a symbol specific to swingers?
After many Cruise Drama TikTokers held their breath and reported this development, Adita chimed in and sadly told viewers, “No, they weren’t swingers, they actually really liked pineapples. ” he said. The incident has been resolved.
@aditaml2759 We are not swingers but we love pineapples? #ultimateworldcruise2023 #ultimateworldcruise #royalcaribbeanultimateworldcruise #pineapples ♬ Original song – Adita
Then a pot stirrer came into the group chat
As with all good reality shows, the key to keeping viewers interested is shaking things up. That happened on January 6th when he appeared on the timeline of TikToker and miniature collector Mark His Sebastian.
Sebastian followed the viral account and begged sponsors to let him ride on the cruise so he could record from the inside. And publisher Atria Books has made it happen. On his first day on board, Sebastian went on a TikTok live where he said people were “very rude” and gave him dirty looks, and only one passenger spoke to him.
In his first video from the ship, Sebastian spilled more tea than the TikTokers’ first healthy cruise in almost a month. He fanned the flames of anti-Pinnacle sentiment by naming passengers with whom he had already formed an alliance, and when asked by a fellow passenger who filmed the moment to refrain from swearing, he said: “Don’t tell me what to say.” Please. Thank you,” he replied.
now this It’s a reality TV thing. If the second month continues like this, the predicted drama could come true after all.
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