Here's What the 9-Month Cruise Taking Over TikTok Is Really Like
We talked to TikTokers aboard the cruise and, yes, they answered all of our burning questions.
If you've been scrolling through TikTok in the last week, you've likely been served up video content around the nine-month-long Royal Caribbean voyage that departed on December 10. About 15 people onboard the ship have become documentarians of the experience, which has quickly captured public imagination. Case in point, the hashtag #9monthcruise has already racked up over 14 million views on the social platform.
In addition to ongoing vlogs from the cruisers themselves, there are already endless videos dedicated to "fan theories" hypothesizing what could go wrong, what drama is happening below decks, and the overall logistical maze that comes with embarking on a nine-month cruise. From all of this speculation, some of these TikTokers have even been fan-casted in a White Lotus: Nine Month Cruise fantasy show by other overly invested, non-cruising TikTokers.
Putting all the collective conjecture aside, we had to wonder what was actually happening aboard Royal Caribbean's Serenade of the Seas. To get to the bottom of this, Thrillist spoke with two of the TikTok stars aboard the cruise line's Ultimate World Cruise, Angie Linderman (@angielinderman) and the woman only known as Little Rat Brain (@little_rat_brain). Truthfully, that's how she is known to the world outside of the cruise, as her family has requested that she does not share her name for privacy reasons. For brevity, she'll be referred to as LRB throughout this story.
By the time we spoke, Linderman and LRB had already been to six stops in nine days, including a visit to the Chichen Itza ruins. So, we asked them some of our most burning questions about life at sea.
The first question: Why?
Some of the preparations for the nine-month cruise—which costs between $59,999 and $117,599 per person, depending on accommodations, plus taxes and fees—were very routine and similar, especially for two people who are accustomed to traveling. "Prior to this cruise, I'd already been to all seven continents," Linderman says. "I've been lucky enough to be able to travel. I've lived abroad a few times. Travel is how I like to spend my time and money."
For LRB, her family made a goal in her early childhood to visit all seven continents and all 50 states. They've been working toward that goal ever since—this cruise is going to get them to the finish line. Both Linderman and LRB set up autopay for their bills and found trusted people to live in their homes while they were on the cruise. Linderman has a dog, and she has friends and family helping out with his care while he lives with the person staying in her home while she’s away.
Linderman also had to make sure to set up a slew of doctor appointments so that she could stay on top of a medical condition. While there are doctors and dentists onboard the ship, she created a plan with her medical providers that accommodated the cruise itinerary. LRB's family arranged to pick up nine-month prescriptions they could pack onboard—there is a ship pharmacy too, but the prescriptions wouldn't have been insured if they went that route. They also picked up large sizes of Tylenol and vitamins before their departure.
For the lighter but still important logistics of packing, LRB says that her family took a very precise approach. "Our trip route follows the sun. We left the Northern Hemisphere just before the start of winter and are sailing south to the start of summer, so theoretically, we should have fairly similar temperature ranges at all of the ports," LRB explains. This approach allowed her family to avoid packing cold-weather clothing "which allowed for more space to pack for theme nights, sea days, and still be able to squeeze in gym wear."
One situation that has raised questions among the armchair cruisers on TikTok is the visa process for cruise guests. There are more than 60 countries on the itinerary, and each will require different visas for entry. Passengers are also of many nationalities, so Royal Caribbean wasn't able to dispatch a one-size-fits-all guide for guests. "Could they have done more? Probably, but could they have done less? Also yes," Linderman summarizes.
Instead it's been a lot of learning as you go. LRB notes that Royal Caribbean suggested a company that could file visas for guests, but that her family opted to file the paperwork themselves.
"There was definitely a learning curve with the first visa, but we eventually created a document with all the required information to have when filling the rest of them out," LRB explains. "It was quite exciting to receive each email stating that our visa was granted to visit another country."
What's it like aboard the ship?
LRB describes the first 24 hours on the Royal Caribbean ship as a "whirlwind experience."
"When we got onboard, our luggage was already in our rooms, so arriving at our cabin had the same feeling and excitement of moving into a dorm room," LRB says. "I would say the first 24 hours, for us personally, were really spent finding a space for every packing cube, bottle of sunscreen and my art supplies. However, less than 16 hours after sailing, we were standing on the beach of our first country."
After the excitement of the first day, reality set in. They were aboard a ship for nine months, in a new routine, with a constantly changing yet also stagnant environment, with a bunch of new people to meet. Some of their fellow passengers would be there for the entire nine months, but others would only be traveling in segments. The trip itself is made of 17 existing Royal Caribbean routes, each a couple of weeks long. So every few weeks, there will be a cohort of new passengers to get to know.
For Linderman and LRB, they've already met and sought out other people in their age group. Given the nature of the cruise, a lot of people aboard are in older demographic groups. But it was easy to find and befriend each, especially with how quickly TikTok amplified their content. The day we spoke, Linderman and LRB joined the other TikTokers on board to make a few very videos of themselves together.
Being aboard the ship so far has felt much like any other cruise. Like they say in Love Island, it's early days. But Linderman is going in knowing that this can’t simply be a nine-month vacation.
"I've been telling myself it's not vacation for nine months because if I was on vacation, I'd have a glass of wine at lunch and I'd have a cocktail at dinner," Linderman says. "I can't do that for nine months every day. So I don't really view it as nine months of vacation. I view this as nine months of life, but getting to do life in very cool places with new people."
Instead, Linderman has figured out a system to maintain a balance. Ship days are like home days: Go to the gym, eat healthy ("salads for lunch and dinner"), go to bed early, and tend to general life administration. Shore days will have more of a vacation vibe. "I want to enjoy the ninth month as much as I did the first month," Linderman says. "And so I know that I need to be pacing myself, just keeping it in perspective."
What do they think of TikTok's predictions?
On TikTok, users are predicting that a nine-month cruise will be a breeding ground for drama: unplanned pregnancies, cheating, betrayals, Real Housewives-style confrontations. Both LRB and Linderman have seen some of the TikToks, but LRB and Linderman aren't so convinced that real life will mirror the dramatic social media takes.
"There is always a possibility for drama, since drama is a part of every community and we are a very, very small community, in a unique situation," LRB says.
Mostly, all the speculation has been a form of entertainment, though Linderman found the White Lotus casting, in particular, a bit troubling.
"I hope there's no murder," Linderman says. "It's incredibly fascinating to watch from this side. But no, I don't see the drama popping off like people do. I don't know. I hope I'm not wrong. I hope it's not full of drama."
What's the best part of ship life?
TikTok drama aside, both LRB and Linderman had plenty to say when asked about the upside of life at sea so far.
For Linderman, the highlight has been spending quality time with her family members—her nieces, nephews, brother, and sister-in-law—who don't live near each other. LRB has enjoyed making connections with people on the ship, an experience that has been seamless.
"If you notice and compliment someone's necklace [in the hallway], it easily leads to a conversation because we all have the time to stop and chat," LRB says. "We are not dashing to the store or late for a meeting. We are all experiencing the same things, so it doesn't matter if you're eight or 80, you have a foundation to start a connection."