We’re excited to announce that we’re (cautiously) looking forward to our longest trip yet. Starting in November (acknowledging world events may change our plans) we’re traveling from Dubai to Australia and New Zealand aboard the Celebrity Edge cruise ship. We’ll be visiting some of the most incredible places on Earth, and will spend 45 days circumnavigating the globe. 

A trip years in the making

For decades, our travel bucket list has included places like Thailand, Bali, India, Australia and New Zealand. So, more than two years ago, we decided to meet with Future Cruises while onboard a Celebrity Cruises ship and see what itineraries might be available in the next few years. (Do you have a bucket list? You can download our FREE travel bucket list form and 100+ travel experience and destination ideas HERE.)

It just so happened that a unique repositioning itinerary on the Celebrity Edge had just opened for bookings that day. The Edge, which had been sailing in Europe and the Caribbean, was going to reposition in 2023 to begin itineraries in Australia and Alaska. 

Photo courtesy of Celebrity Cruises

Because they were moving the ship from Europe to Australia, Celebrity Cruises was offering a one-time itinerary that would begin in Rome, pass through the Suez Canal in Egypt, and then sail all the way to Australia and New Zealand. We’d cruised on the Celebrity Edge before and loved the ship. The itinerary was super intriguing, so we asked for more information. 

Booking the cruise vacation

The repositioning was broken up into four multiple-week cruises. To secure our spot, we placed a $200 refundable deposit. We’re glad we did, as the prices went up quickly and the ship sold out in no time at all. The four cruises included:

• Rome to Dubai
• Dubai to Singapore
• Singapore to Sydney, Australia
• Sydney to New Zealand and back to Sydney

After considering the amount of time and cost, we decided to join the ship in Dubai for a back-to-back-to-back cruise, ending in Sydney, Australia, and flying home from there. Our three cruises will have 15 port stops and 18 days at sea. Don’t worry about us getting bored. We’ve been on 23 cruises and always find plenty of things to do on sea days! 

Where we’ll be going

Barring any changes, we’ll start our trip in cosmopolitan Dubai, where we’ll spend a few of days acclimating to a new time zone while exploring all that modern megalopolis has to offer. We’re especially looking forward to seeing the view from the top of the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building.

Then, we’ll board the Celebrity Edge and will sail all the way from Dubai to New Zealand with stops in India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, and Australia.

Photo courtesy of Celebrity Cruises

Along the way, we’ll be experiencing different cultures, trying new foods, and making memories that will last a lifetime. We can’t wait to share our adventures with you as we sail across the Indian Ocean.

Almost all new places for us

For Steve, these are all new countries to which he has never been. Of the eight countries we’ll visit, Ann has only been to Sri Lanka. She and our daughter, Meghan, spent several weeks volunteering in Sri Lanka in 2005 after the devastating tsunami there a year earlier.

So, it will all be new to us and we hope there will be new places for you to see, as well. 

What type of cabin will we be in?

For this multi-week cruise, we book originally booked an S1 suite in The Retreat. To read more about The Retreat experience on Celebrity Cruises, check out this blog post. However, since our original booking, we had an opportunity to get a complimentary upgrade to an Aqua Sky Suite for the second leg of our cruise and decided accept that offer. Yes, we’ll have to pack everything up and move to another area of the ship. But we’ll have help from the crew and being in an Aqua Sky Suite also gives us access to the SEA Thermal Suite.

To see what an S1 Suite is like on the Celebrity Edge, check out the video below that we shot several years ago on another Edge cruise (before we lost weight).

What we’re planning to show you while on our trip

Here are just a few of the things we’re looking forward to showing you:

• The incredible metropolis of Dubai
• Exploring Mumbai and Cochin, India
• An overnight in Colombo, Sri Lanka, and a visit with friends there
• Immersing ourselves in the culinary scene in Phuket, Thailand
• Meandering through the gorgeous gardens of Singapore
• An overnight to experience Bali, Indonesia
• Cruising along the Australian coast and Great Barrier Reef with stops in Darwin, Cairns, Airlie Beach, and Sydney
• An overnight in Auckland, New Zealand
• Visits to Tauranga, Napier, and Christchurch, New Zealand
• Cruising through Dusky and Milford Sounds in New Zealand
• A couple of days to explore in Sydney, Australia

How to follow along on our journey

We’re hopeful this will be a safe and memorable trip, and we look forward to sharing it with you. We’ll be sending out regular updates with photos, stories, and tips from our travels. We’ll also be sharing lots about the Celebrity Edge as she’s the same ship we’ll be on for our Postcard Jar Friends Cruise to Alaska in May 2024. We still have some cabins available for our group cruise to Alaska and you can find more information about joining us on that trip HERE. 

If you’re interested in following our journey, be sure to subscribe to our e-newsletter (below) and follow us on social media @postcardjar. We’d love to have you come along!