World record bid cruise ship docks in Edinburgh carrying 10,000 bottles of bubbly

The 930-passenger Viking Sun is embarking on the ultimate round-the-world trip taking in breathtaking settings over eight months.

Its oceanic odyssey will span six continents, 51 countries and 111 ports - with tickets starting at £66,900.

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“I am pleased to offer such a unique experience for our guests,” said Torstein Hagen, chairman of ship owners Viking Cruises.

“Our Ultimate World Cruise is the most extensive itinerary available in the industry, nearly double the length of our previous world cruise itineraries.”

The behemoth boat set sail from London at the beginning of the month and is currently anchored in the Forth.

From here, the voyage will continue to Scandinavia and then head across the Atlantic via the Faroe Islands, Iceland and Greenland, to the Caribbean.

Two months will be set aside for exploring South America before calling on the remote tropical islands of the South Pacific.

The Viking Sun will then continue its journey to America's west coast before crossing the Pacific to the coast of Australia, New Zealand and Asia.

Passengers will finally return to the Mediterranean and Europe and arrive back in London in May next year.

Guests will stay overnight in 23 cities including Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam and Luxor in Egypt.

Most guests will be on board for half the itinerary, with a changeover of passengers in Los Angeles.

But 54 passengers, including four from the UK, have reportedly signed up for the full 245 days - with the best suites costing an eye-watering £194,000.

Guests staying for the full cruise experience can expect to eat an estimated 680,000 meals, 5000lb of ice cream, 10,000 bottles of champagne, 20,000lb of coffee, 35,000lb of cheese and 900,000 eggs.

Neil Foster, at Guinness World Records said: “Our adjudicators look forward to seeing the Viking Sun return and hope that they will be crowning the voyage as the longest ever continuous cruise.”