We finished up our World Cruise in fine Seabourn fashion. Seabourn threw a goodbye party for the World Cruisers two nights before our last day that was an incredible event with special decorations, pictures and videos of the whole journey, and special music including a hilarious medley created and performed by the Cruise Director's staff that was a parody of all the stops we made along the way. The goodbye party was followed by a special dinner for the World Cruisers and we were fortunate to be seated at the Captain's table that night. It was a very special night for us and was pretty emotional because we were getting ready to say goodbye to crew and friends.
On Thursday morning, May 1st, we sailed into Venice. We had a bathrobe and mimosa party at 6:00 a.m. on the front deck of the ship to watch the arrival. It was a spectacular arrival into Venice as we sailed by the Grand Canal and St. Mark's Square. On deck we said our goodbyes, shed some tears, then returned to our suite to grab our bags to leave. While we were sad to leave the ship, we were also excited to meet our friends John and Barbara Duffy from Safety Harbor to spend a couple of days in Venice. We took a water bus to the Santa Marina Hotel where we met up with the Duffys around 11:00 a.m. We spent the day exploring Venice with the Duffys as our tour guides. We went to the Rialto Bridge and St. Marks Square and other piazzas, canals and bridges around Venice. There are 177 canals and 450 bridges and 0 roads in Venice -- so charming. The next day was rainy so we spent a few hours enjoying the Palazzo Grassi art museum and walking around the shops. We drank wine and enjoyed Italian meals in several trattorias around town. It was a perfect transition from ship life.
The Duffys left Venice to continue their Italy vacation on to Sorrento. We took a 4 hour train ride to Rome where we spent two nights before flying home. Our hotel was conveniently located in the Spanish Steps area which we explored in the afternoon. The next day we took a "Hop On, Hop Off" bus tour so we could see the highlights of Rome in a day. It was a whirlwind tour, but we got to see St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City, The Colosseum, Circus Maximus, Trevi Fountain and countless other extraordinary sites. Rome is so over the top exciting! We must plan an Italy vacation in the future.
On Monday, May 5th, we flew out of Rome en route to Florida via Chicago. Our flights were right on time. We enjoyed the comforts of business class all the way as we got more and more excited about getting home. The lights of Tampa Bay were a beautiful sight to see. We touched down right on time at 10:30 p.m. local time. We were met by our friends the Swonguers who updated us on local news and events as we drove home. We arrived at 24 Summit Lane at 11:15. It was great to be home!
Traveling the world for 4 months deeply effected us. Our view of the world has been changed. Also, our appreciation of our own wonderful country has been deepened. We were truly blessed to be able to take this amazing World Cruise, a trip of a lifetime. We traveled in luxury, were treated like royalty, made lifelong new friends, saw so many fabulous places in the world and had countless unforgettable experiences. Now we will enjoy reuniting with our family and friends. HOME SWEET HOME!
Cruise Directors perform at goodbye party
Dining room crew performs as "The Breadsticks"
Goodbye waves from entire crew
Cruise Directors at the early morning
bathrobe party approaching Venice
Arriving in Venice
On Thursday morning, May 1st, we sailed into Venice. We had a bathrobe and mimosa party at 6:00 a.m. on the front deck of the ship to watch the arrival. It was a spectacular arrival into Venice as we sailed by the Grand Canal and St. Mark's Square. On deck we said our goodbyes, shed some tears, then returned to our suite to grab our bags to leave. While we were sad to leave the ship, we were also excited to meet our friends John and Barbara Duffy from Safety Harbor to spend a couple of days in Venice. We took a water bus to the Santa Marina Hotel where we met up with the Duffys around 11:00 a.m. We spent the day exploring Venice with the Duffys as our tour guides. We went to the Rialto Bridge and St. Marks Square and other piazzas, canals and bridges around Venice. There are 177 canals and 450 bridges and 0 roads in Venice -- so charming. The next day was rainy so we spent a few hours enjoying the Palazzo Grassi art museum and walking around the shops. We drank wine and enjoyed Italian meals in several trattorias around town. It was a perfect transition from ship life.
St. Mark's Square
St. Mark's Square
Canals of Venice
The Duffys and the Ladells in Venice
Gondolas in Venice
Alleyways in Venice
St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican
St. Peter's Basilica on a Sunday morning
View of St. Peter's Basilica
Castel Sant'Angelo
The Colosseum
Inside The Colossuem
Inside The Colosseum
Roma Piazza Venezia Vittoriano
Trevi Fountain
Trevi Fountain
On Monday, May 5th, we flew out of Rome en route to Florida via Chicago. Our flights were right on time. We enjoyed the comforts of business class all the way as we got more and more excited about getting home. The lights of Tampa Bay were a beautiful sight to see. We touched down right on time at 10:30 p.m. local time. We were met by our friends the Swonguers who updated us on local news and events as we drove home. We arrived at 24 Summit Lane at 11:15. It was great to be home!
Traveling the world for 4 months deeply effected us. Our view of the world has been changed. Also, our appreciation of our own wonderful country has been deepened. We were truly blessed to be able to take this amazing World Cruise, a trip of a lifetime. We traveled in luxury, were treated like royalty, made lifelong new friends, saw so many fabulous places in the world and had countless unforgettable experiences. Now we will enjoy reuniting with our family and friends. HOME SWEET HOME!
Thanks for sharing your adventure.....looking forward to hearing more when we see you.
ReplyDeleteRead every post and feel like I was right there with you. Welcome home, hope to see you soon.
ReplyDelete