The Actual 1961 Great World Cruise Itinerary
This page shows the Actual Itinerary followed by Caronia after the original was replaced in October 1960 to take account of security issues in Southern Africa. This link will take you to the Originally Planned Itinerary for February 1961.
Having obtained a log abstract for this cruise, a great deal of information comes to light. Probably the most striking thing is the ability to add the frequent changes to the ship's clocks. On all but one of these changes, the movement was forward by either 30 minutes or an hour. Another thing that stands out are the sea conditions. On the majority of days the sea was quite rough.
There are a couple of features that made this cruise very unusual. It looks like this was probably the only Great World Cruise where Caronia sailed entirely in the Northern Hemisphere. It was also one of only 3 where transit of both the Suez and Panama canals would happen in the same cruise.
Port Descriptions
Thos. Cook produced a Supplementary Shore Tours brochure for the 1961 Great World Cruise. This was quite specifically for the Mediterranean ports. The descriptions in the port arrivals below, with the Airmail top border, are texts copied in from this brochure.
Special Visas Required
Each U.S.A. Member of Tour 31 will require visas for the United Arab Republic, the Sudan, Ethiopia and Aden. Visa application forms, which will be provided, must be completed and sent in with seven passport-size photographs by 23 Dec. 1960.
Also, a Bank Reference and a Good Conduct (Police) Certificate will be required of each Tour Member when applying for the Ethiopian Visa. These must be sent in with the completed visa forms. Visas will be applied for by Thos. Cook & Son; costs are included in the Tour Fare.
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