Patrick, I don't pretend to understand the esoteric machinations behind the TikTok algorithm, but these days you keep giving me video after video of people sailing around the world on nine-month cruises. . They're all on the same cruise, and behind each blank stare is the same quiet desperation. what's happening?
Michael, what's happening now is essentially a social experiment being broadcast in real time, and some of us just can't get enough of it.
Royal Caribbean Ultimate World Cruise is a nine-month cruise on a ship called Serenade of the Seas that aims to visit more than 60 countries on all seven continents and is touted as the world's longest cruise . I don't know the official number of passengers, but 1 TikToker It is reported that there are approximately 1,000 people. Most of them are regular cruise types, but some of them he started documenting on TikTok. It basically just describes the day's action and shows viewers the cabins, meals, and other passengers. Even though it sounds like the worst reality show premise, you've heard it before, it became all the rage.
Two months have passed and we now have a boat full of influencers stuck on the high seas. This place is famous for the fact that people love to go crazy and get hooked on hunting huge and sexy whales. Nothing has actually happened yet, but It's a perfect recipe for disaster. Terrible maritime affairs guaranteed.
How did this start? And who are the main characters?
Like most things on TikTok (bama rush, sea shack) We will never know the exact science behind how it became such a large-scale phenomenon. However, one of the first passengers to be talked about was @.angel linderman, posted a video explaining that he decided to take the cruise after his parents died of cancer. She spent her inheritance on cruise tickets because she discovered she was also at high risk for cancer, she said. She currently has around 180,000 followers.
“,”alt”:”Angie Linderman on TikTok. “,”index”:7,”isTracking”:true,”isMainMedia”:false,”source”:”TikTok”,”sourceDomain”:”tiktok.com”} ” config=”{“renderingTarget”:”Web” ,”darkModeAvailable”:false}”>
Do you allow TikTok content?
This article contains content provided by TikTok. We may use cookies and other technologies, so we ask for your permission before loading anything. To view this content, Click “Allow and continue”.
Most of the content is daily style videos and confessionals, similar to the TikToks created by @sisters.swan color mode and @ian brandy lake (They have nearly 300,000 followers between them) and South African creators @amike_oosthuizen (275,000 followers), was already an influencer before the cruise. There's also @little rat brain (139,000 followers), anonymous passengers who create short comedy skits on flights, as well as smaller accounts such as @.Sing.Sailora crew member who works as a performer and posts to his 7,000 followers.
Being on a ship for nine months sounds like an old-fashioned punishment. But people are actually paying for this, right?
Yes, it's not cheap. You can join part of the tour or stay for the entire tour. The cheapest option for 9 months starts at $59,999 per person and the highest costs him $117,999. A couple who call themselves “Cruise Mom and Dad” I started an account @ while on board.spend our children's money. They gained nearly 90,000 followers.
“,”alt”:”@SpendingOurKidsMoney on TikTok. “,”index”:11,”isTracking”:true,”isMainMedia”:false,”source”:”TikTok”,”sourceDomain”:”tiktok.com”} ” config=”{“renderingTarget”:”Web” ,”darkModeAvailable”:false}”>
Do you allow TikTok content?
This article contains content provided by TikTok. We may use cookies and other technologies, so we ask for your permission before loading anything. To view this content, Click “Allow and continue”.
But what's interesting is how… junky it looks. Many university dormitories have common rooms. In fact, after the cruise started blowing up, TikTok influencer Marc Sebastian begged to be put on the ship and ended up getting sponsored by a publisher to go on an 18-night cruise. What's his review? “I don't like it here.”
he captioned video I went around my room writing the following: Are you okay. But for 9 months? You can't do that, baby. ”
He also claimed that the showers were small and unreliable, that trips to see penguins were often canceled and that music was constantly blaring everywhere. nightmare.
“,”alt”:”Mark Sebastian's TikTok. “,”index”:15,”isTracking”:true,”isMainMedia”:false,”source”:”TikTok”,”sourceDomain”:”tiktok.com”} ” config=”{“renderingTarget”:”Web” ,”darkModeAvailable”:false}”>
Do you allow TikTok content?
This article contains content provided by TikTok. We may use cookies and other technologies, so we ask for your permission before loading anything. To view this content, Click “Allow and continue”.
Once again, what's on board now is a shady combination of old, wealthy cruisers, digital nomads, and influencers, almost exactly like the plot of Triangle of Sorrow. Has there been any real drama so far?
No, but everyone is preparing for it. It's like we're in the opening scene of a disaster movie right now. There, everyone is still cheerful and happy, we meet all the characters, and scientists continue to discover strange things that no one has noticed.
But we have a lot of gossip and it can lead to real drama – 1 account They claimed the passengers were infected with the coronavirus and were actually hiding it, which could lead to a new Ruby Princess-type plague ship.
Another recent video Despite sharing rumors that the cruise may end much earlier than expected due to conflicts in the Middle East, a Royal Caribbean representative confirmed that they plan to continue the trip as scheduled.
Of course, even if nothing major happens, that doesn't mean the entire ecosystem of gossip, comments, and criticism from stranded TikTok users has stopped. The passengers become characters in a soap opera, and the viewers write the story.
“,”alt”:”@SipTeaWithMelissa on TikTok. “,”index”:22,”isTracking”:true,”isMainMedia”:false,”source”:”TikTok”,”sourceDomain”:”tiktok.com”} ” config=”{“renderingTarget”:”Web” ,”darkModeAvailable”:false}”>
Do you allow TikTok content?
This article contains content provided by TikTok. We may use cookies and other technologies, so we ask for your permission before loading anything. To view this content, Click “Allow and continue”.
It feels like being in the middle of a season of Real Housewives when nothing is happening and everyone is talking in sharp whispers as if something is happening. Why are we still investing so much?
I think it's a combination of factors. There's something truly intoxicating about watching rich people eat it while being trapped on a big ship – think “Below Deck” and “The Triangle of Sorrow” – and the big ship itself… Virus cruises and stranded ships took center stage.
On top of that, people are fed up with the way reality shows are planned and produced these days, and there could be some real real chaos on this trip. It's like putting a box full of bats, spiders, eggs, and fireworks and shaking it up. Something will happen. And we will watch.
