Oceania unveils another epic, 180-day cruise

Got six months to spare to travel the world? Upscale line Oceania Cruises just announced another epic, 180-day voyage that includes stops in South America, Africa, Asia and Australia.

The unusual around-the-world sailing on the 684-passenger Insignia will kick off Jan. 3, 2018 in Miami and include calls at 87 ports in 40 countries.

The 14-year-old line is rolling out the new itinerary in the wake of heavy demand for four other recently announced 180-day world cruises that began taking place last year.

The new trips are notable for their length. At nearly six months, they are about two months longer than the typical around-the-world cruise offered by competing lines.

New Oceania ship to offer South Pacific, Australia cruises

The itinerary for the new sailing will start with a trip south to the Caribbean and South America before a passage across the Atlantic to Africa, where a wide range of stops will include Togo, Benin, Namibia, South Africa, Mozambique and Madagascar. From there, Insignia will head across the Indian Ocean to the Seychelles, Maldives and India before continuing on to such Asian destinations as Myanmar, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Stops in China, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines and Indonesia also are on the schedule.

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Next up will be visits to Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific as Insignia works its way east to Hawaii and then Los Angeles. The trip will close with visits along the west coast of Mexico, Guatemala and Nicaragua before a passage through the Panama Canal to Colombia and the Cayman Islands. The voyage ends back in Miami on July 1, 2018.

The sailing will include 16 overnight stays in such destinations as Cape Town, South Africa; Yangon, Myanmar; and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

What's it like on an Oceania ship? See for yourself with a look at our video tour below of the line's 1,250-passenger Riviera.