The 180-day cruise aimed at baby boomers – would you do it?

For those among us who simply love a cruise, around 10 days is usually our average time spent on board. But can you imagine being on a cruise ship for 180 days?

It might sound like a dream come true for some, whilst others could not think of anything worse but regardless: this trip is aimed at the baby boomer.

According to Market Watch, more and more cruise companies are creating cruise packages that span three to six months and are aware that retired over 60s are their prime market.

Oceania Cruises, part of the Norwegian Cruise Line, just announced a 2017 cruise, dubbed “Around the World in 180 Days”.

The cruise starts in Miami, Florida and will cover six continents, 36 countries and 98 ports of call between January and July.

Prices starts from $45,420 for an inside state room, to $79,530 for a concierge level verandah, to $145,420 for the owner’s suite, complete with six bottles of complementary alcohol.

Rival cruise company Regent Seven Seas Cruises, announced earlier this month it was retuning to the around-the-world market with its 128-night “World Cruise” that will also set sail in 2017. And regent officials say the sailing is already 75 per cent booked.

But these are just the tip of the iceberg, with many other cruise lines offering similar sail-the-world packages.

Since 2009, the global cruise market has grown from 17.8 million to 22.1 million passengers, according to the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA). It also shows just how eager baby boomers are to spend their retirement in luxury, with more and more over 60s preferring the cruise lifestyle to other types of holidays.

According to Oceania Cruises President Jason Montague, a round-the-world cruise is “cost efficient” because the typical holidayer might spend far more putting together the same extended itinerary if they travelled by air and staying in hotels.

Oceania has added free medical care and Wi-Fi to its six-month cruise to address the common worry about being away from home for so long.

See what warrants this huge expense and tell us, is this the cruise of your dreams or nightmares?