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14 FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | AUGUST 2023 By Elizabeth Westbrook Phillip and I just returned from a 121-day world cruise with Viking in July. I'm happy that some of you kept track of our travels through "Oh, the Places We Go!" Breeze articles. The question of "Would you do it again?" seems to be a favorite from our friends. The answer is easy. Yes, we loved it! We would prefer, "Would you recommend this itinerary?" Better yet, "What was it like 'living' on a ship full of strangers?" Viking has a reputation of attracting the more mature travelers who share the same kindred spirit of enriching their travels with lectures and visiting historic sites. It's no wonder that we felt that our Four Seasons neighbors were with us all along. Except our fellow travelers had an average age of 72. It was wonderful to find ourselves with others who had the same expectations and goals. This cruise took previous barriers down for me by witnessing my two most memorable moments. A solo traveler gentleman did not let the effects of a previous stroke that made his speech unintelligible slow him down. He used a walker and wore his favorite athletic shorts. He had myriad Band-Aids on his legs but he was always eager to go. We would see him pushing his walker with a purpose on numerous locations. He always greeted us with a smile and was invited by a group to celebrate their 100th day of sailing. Cairns, Australia was our port for accessing the Great Barrier Reef. I could never have been prepared for the one and a half hour of rough waters. I was sick five times. But Phillip beckoned me so I struggled to get my wetsuit on. When I finally looked at the back of the boat, I was surprised to see dozens of bobbing heads. This gave me courage to jump in. I didn't last very long; I was eager to get back on the boat. Another lady who just got back on said, "I'm 82 years old and I can't believe I just did that!" We chose to stay on the ship and pass on excursions at two ports. Both times it felt like a ghost ship. We had a little over 800 passengers. Most were eager for adventures awaiting each port. I found out how flexible the excursions can be. Two ladies chose to stay in Thailand for two weeks and rejoined the cruise in Mumbai. Yes, their stateroom was empty and paid for. However, it's more convenient to use this itinerary as a jumping point for the desired location. I took this flexibility to give Phillip a birthday surprise by staying downtown in Singapore. Using apps made it easy to book a room or activities. Others found cheaper or private bookings for activities throughout the cruise. The reservations for excursions could be changed or canceled within a 24-48 hours' notice. This was an important feature that allowed some to adjust due to health conditions such as injuries or inability to deal with extreme temperatures. There were varieties of excursions which allowed spouses/partners to make choices. It was nice to hear they had the freedom to pursue their interests. There were about 20 couples who chose to depart early (visited Delhi), or took the same day fly in and out to Agra to visit the Taj Mahal from Mumbai. The goal is to be back on the ship for any of the port departures. If we were in port during Saturdays/Sundays, the churches were available on land as well as on the ship for Sabbath. During Easter, a nondenominational service was provided. Nothing was missed. During Super Bowl, the ship televised it on a big screen and had the best party foods and drinks. The fans of March Madness basketball tournament kept up with their teams. The distance from family and friends were never farther than a phone or an iPad. The comfort of "home" was always there. The published Viking Daily announced the weekly clubs and groups. Bridge, arts and crafts, and cornhole were the favorites. You can hear the rousing yells and applause from the Main Lounge. They used the grand staircase to throw the bags from into the cornhole. We had 65 days at ports and 56 sea days. The sea days were great for doing laundry, resting (excursions on buses and sightseeing can be demanding), keeping up at work (volunteer or a lady we met was still a professor at a satellite university), spa massages, working out at the Fitness Room (always busy in the mornings), watching the latest movies, and reading. Deck 2's running/walking track was a great place to watch for sea life. Excursions were not the only game in town. There was shopping. The ports were shopping heaven for shopping mavens. These included expanding wine collections, investing in gold bullion, cooking classes that inspired buying spices, and anything that caught the eye. At the end of 121 days, two passengers used Luggage Forward for 15 suitcases! The ship also felt like a community. A Veteran created a ceremony for the Vietnam War Veterans as we approached Ho Chi Minh City. A woman solicited donations of clothes for the earthquake relief in Turkey. Most of the passengers were from the United States. They became ambassadors in the countries we visited. For example, they genuinely felt that traveling helped the local economies and were generous with tipping the guides to help make up for the lost wages during travel restrictions. These countries were grateful to have the travelers back. For me, it was an all-encompassing itinerary and at the end, the strangers became friends. We had the same passion for experiencing different cultures and couldn't get enough of it. Phillip and I extended our trip by adding a river cruise to Normandy. There were many passengers who stayed on and extended their cruise to Scotland, Iceland, and even all the way to New York. We were grateful for traveling among adventurous seniors seeing firsthand the wonders of ancient and modern civilizations. ~ Elizabeth Westbrook Adventurous Seniors Passionate for Travel "For me, it was an all-encompassing itinerary and at the end, the strangers became friends."

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