The first round-the-world passenger cruise occurred 100 years ago
The 29th of March 2023 marked the centenary of the return to New York by Cunard’s ship Laconia after it completed the first ever continuous circumnavigation of the globe by a passenger liner; a journey that began from New York on 21st November 1922 lasting 130 days. This four plus -month trip was the first of its kind, paving the way for the world cruises of today.
The 20,000 ton ship was the pride of the Cunard Line, a grand ocean liner with six steam engines, one majestic funnel, and a deck that spanned almost 600 feet. Chartered by the American Express Company, the ship headed south – westward through the Caribbean, the Panama Canal, across the Pacific and returned to America by way of the Far East, the Suez Canal, the Mediterranean and the Atlantic.
On the way around the world, the Laconia called at twenty two ports. At each port American Express offered the Laconia passengers guided excursions and tours, on site hotel stays and the chance to soak up local culture.
While the Laconia was built to accommodate some 2,200 passengers, American Express restricted passenger numbers on the 1922-23 world cruise to just 450. No traveler would be sleeping below deck in third class. There’d be no overcrowding. The aim was a luxurious experience, setting a new bar for travel for those with means.
During the voyage, guests had the choice of two outdoor swimming pools to splash in or participate in a wide range of activities including archery, clay pigeon shooting, fencing classes and work outs in the on-board gym. Other leisure activities included lectures on the history and language of the Laconia’s destinations, a “camera club” for those interested in photography, as well as bridge parties, dancing, costume balls and classical concerts to liven the evenings on board..
The ship had modern conveniences like in-room running water and two elevators, fore and aft, as well as a glass-enclosed café, writing rooms, smoking rooms, a specially curated library and a very pretty dining room with beautifully sparkling chandeliers, glass and silver. Much in the manner of cruises today, there was plenty o spaces where passengers might ‘rest undisturbed.’
The Laconia didn’t visit everywhere on Earth – it didn’t reach Australian waters, for example – but it was a voyage unlike any that came before it. In November 1922, the Laconia was the first ocean liner to traverse the Panama Canal, then just a decade old.
The cruise came just a few years after the world and its borders were disrupted by the First World War. The Laconia ushered in a new era. but this was also a fleeting moment in time. Less than 20 years later, the Second World War ground passenger cruise travel to a halt. The SS Laconia was requisitioned for the British war effort and was sunk off the coast of western Africa in 1942.
While cruise travel recommenced post-war, the Laconia’s 1922-1923 voyages holds a specific moment in history.
Source: External
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