Final Thoughts...

It only seems fitting that at the conclusion of a "Magical" cruise that I should post a list of the highlights throughout our Mediterranean Odyssey.

Travel: We are both grateful that our flights went off without any hitches, albeit close connections, what with getting thru massive lines at the Barcelona airport, and multiple levels of security at the Madrid airport. Most important though was that all of our luggage mananged to get on the same planes as we did. Having heard horror stories of lost and delayed luggage for folks on our sailing, we feel very fortunate.

Pre-cruise: Highlights in Barcelona would have to be walking thru Las Ramblas and seeing all the characters that "make a living" entertaining the tourist. Definitely our Segway Tour was something special and being able to see the works of Antonio Gaudi throughout this beautiful city brough a new appreciation for his works of art and architecture.

Disney Magic: Pirates Night, where my hubby proudly walked around all evening in his Pirate costume. We took advantage of the opportunity to have our picture taken with Pirate Mickey. The Pirates in the Caribbean Party on the upper deck was not to be missed, and was capped off with a fireworks display right from the ship, and a late night Pirate Buffet. The nightly productions that Disney puts on are equal to any land based theatrical production that one might see in New York or Las Vegas. What made these show even more special and entertaining was the fact that they were being "interpreted or signed" for a non-hearing family on board. We always sat mid-way back in the theater just above where Brian and Jen were standing, and we would find ourselves watching them instead of focusing on what was going on onstage. The expressions and creativity that they brought to the shows was extraordinary.

Food: The Chocolate Lava cake served in Palo Dining room was to die for. We also tried many local dishes while we were in Barcelona, a paella dish as well as tapas. In Erice, the almond cookies from Grammatico Maria's Pasticceria were wonderful, as was the Italian gelato we had in Porto Cervo.

And of course, you can't be in France without trying an original French Crepe or a cup of Cappacino in Monaco. I could go on and on about the food, but then thinking about it just makes me want to be there again enjoying it all.

New Friends: It was really great to meet all the fun people that we had been chatting with on the Dis-Boards. Our pre-sail away gathering was lots of fun, putting names to faces, exchanging token gifts from our hometown. Most of all, getting to know Lilian and Alex and their family as we shared some long, hot, days together on private excursions. We had a good time walking thru the ruins of Pompeii and then off to the beautiful isle of Capri and our bright red taxi tour. Scrunched together in the backseat of our tour guides Lancia as he showed us Rome in a day. Then exploring Nice, Monaco and Eze with the whole Preston Clan in a roomy mini-van with our delightful guide Isolina.

So many wonderful new sights we experienced, so many new things we tried, a lot of memories brought home to share with friends and family and even more pictures. Yes, it was definitely a trip of a lifetime and we are so grateful to have been able to celebrate 30 years of marriage in such a romantic way.

Sandy