“Sea-lebrating” Special Occasions

By Georgina Cruz

This year marks the 40th anniversary that my husband Humberto and I met and soon came to the conclusion that for us life would be, as Robert Frost put it, “forevermore together, wing to wing and oar to oar.”

So as we have often done in the past (most recently for our 35th anniversary), to mark this new happy occasion we selected what we like to call another “sea-lebration”—a cruise instead of a big party or other way of celebrating. There is nothing like it! Life at sea during a cruise is already festive as it is—you are pampered right and left by stateroom stewards, dining room staff and other personnel; every dinner is an occasion, and each evening there are musical revues and other entertainment throughout the ship—and everything is already arranged so you are free to mark an anniversary, birthday or other special occasion easily, without any stress or hassles.

It is a notion that is gaining in popularity. Travel agents I talked to, including Linda Kimes, a consultant with Indian River Travel of Vero Beach, FL agree. Rimes reports that her agency books about 30 of these “sea-lebrations” a year, a 30 percent increase from a decade ago. One reason could be that a “sea-lebration” costs about the same as having a big reception and dinner party at an upscale hotel attended by lots of people, but lasts longer and tends to be remembered longer too—that is the case at least when it comes to us!

This time, for the 40th anniversary of our meeting “sea-lebration,” we selected two of our all-time favorite things in the world: Silversea’s Silver Spirit and a Mediterranean cruise itinerary. Sailing from Athens to Barcelona we enjoyed overnights at each city, on land in Athens pre-cruise, and onboard the ship in Barcelona. Ports of call in this—an area of the world we both cherish because of its beauty and memories from various voyages throughout our married life—included Taormina, Sicily, Italy; Sorrento, Italy; Civitavecchia (the port of Rome), Italy; and Monte Carlo, Monaco.

Adventures ashore included a climb hand-in-hand to the Acropolis where we reveled in the sight of the Parthenon and other Greek antiquities; and a trip to St. Peter’s in Rome, to give thanks to God for our 40 years together and to admire its Renaissance treasures including Michelangelo’s Pieta. In Sorrento, we signed up for an excursion via hydrofoil to the “Isle of Dreams,” Capri, where Roman emperors Augustus and Tiberius—among many other of the world’s rich and famous—found an oasis of beauty, and where we delighted in the sight of the island’s cliffs, villas and Faraglioni Rocks in an emerald sea. In Taormina, this largely Medieval city perched on a terrace overlooking the sea, we headed for its Greek Theater dating back to the 2nd century, marveling at its views of the ocean and Mount Etna.

In Monte Carlo and Barcelona, we enjoyed independent walks. In Barcelona we strolled down Las Ramblas –arguably Spain’s most famous and colorful promenade, with street entertainers and markets and vendors selling everything from fruits and vegetables to flowers. In Monte Carlo we visited Prince Albert II’s palace—he is the head of the Grimaldi family, son of Prince Rainier and Princess Grace (actress Grace Kelly of Hollywood royalty).

“If someone were to tell me that I can only take one more cruise, I’d choose the Mediterranean in a heartbeat!” one of our fellow Silver Spirit passengers exclaimed while we were touring Monte Carlo. And we agreed wholeheartedly—particularly for a “sea-lebration.”

Onboard the 36,000-ton, 540-guest Silver Spirit our “sea-lebration” continued non-stop, reaching ever higher peaks, and making us feel like royalty, particularly with our butler Julian pampering and spoiling us with a perfectly chilled bottle of French champagne, flowers, and box of chocolates on arrival.

There was no shortage of places to celebrate on the ship including feasting on the gourmet fare with Relais & Chateaux dishes served in The Restaurant—the filet mignon with foie gras-poached potatoes was delectable; the Asian-inspired sushi, sashimi and other specialties in the Seishin Restaurant (seishin means “spirit” in Japanese); and the Stars Supper Club for 58 diners featuring a relaxed ambience, trend setting tasting menus, music for dancing and nightclub-style entertainment including a jazz duo and piano player/vocalist. Another spot, and one of our favorites, is the Hot Rock Grill with alfresco dining and where guests select salmon, steak, and other delights and cook them on their own heated volcanic rock plate. Yet another is La Terrazza with a la carte Italian fare with fresh ingredients in the Slow Food tradition for dinner. Wines are poured on a complimentary basis, so we ordered champagne every night to toast, each evening, our 40 years together.

Ideal for such a special occasion as our big anniversary, Le Champagne Wine Restaurant by Relais & Chateaux, is an intimate enclave serving only 24 diners. It features a six-course degustation dinner menu highlighting regional specialties paired with premium wines—during our dinner, one of the wines was a divine Brunello di Montalcino from Tuscany that complemented the filet of veal topped with capers and lemon crust confit. Fee for dining at Le Champagne is $200 per guest and worth every penny.

Daytime pastimes we enjoyed on the Silver Spirit included catching rays by the resort-style pool, spa treatments, and social pursuits like team trivia, golf-putting contests, culinary demonstrations, wine tastings, and enrichment lectures including talks on the ports of call and culture of the region. A special pleasure was the high tea each afternoon in the Terrazza Restaurant with scones, clotted cream, jams, finger sandwiches, pastries, a variety of teas and a side of piano music (I love the tea –Humberto loves the music!).

Evenings we enjoyed an after-dinner drink in The Bar, the musical revues in the Show Lounge and stargazing during walks out on deck.

Back in our suite, we were still in luck –our accommodations with a separate seating area and balcony were comfortable and lavish with attractive décor and such touches as plush robes and slippers, fresh fruit, dinner service course-by-course ensuite, pizza or other snacks with the occasional glass of wine, and shoe-shine service provided by Julian.

Next year, we vowed as we disembarked the Silver Spirit in Barcelona, for our 40th wedding anniversary for us it would definitely be another “sea-lebration.”

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