October 2013 Cruise with James & Annie

Venice, the Dalmatian Coast, Malta, Sicily, Sorrento, and Rome

With San Marco in the background, the beauty and romance of Venice awaits as the Silver Spirit glides into port. We're certain that the next 9 days will be magical ones for the folks joining us on a wonderful cruise this fall. We know Venice well — and love it. The Venezia fish market, with the treasures of the Adriatic, is one of the most exciting we've been to. We love Rome, where the cruise comes to a graceful finish after 9 days of luxurious cruising. And frankly, we're excited at the thought of visiting everything in between — Koper on the tiny Slovenian coastline, the ancient Roman city and bay of Split, Croatia, the World Heritage Site city of Dubrovnik, the islands of the tiny Republic of Malta at a diverse cultural crossroads for many centuries, Sorrento, on the Amalfi coast in southern Italy (with the nearby archaeological wonders Pompeii and Herculaneum), and the ancient port of Messina in Sicily — can’t wait to try the desserts Sicily is famous for.

The best part? You unpack only once, and hang up your clothes in the walk-in closet in your cabin. Your butler brings you a perfect cappuccino and warm croissants freshly baked on board, (or anything else you like) and you step out into a different port each day. Sleep in your own luxurious bed, and the world’s treasures come to you. The service is impeccable, the food is wonderful, the bar’s charming — and included. You're sharing the ship with just 550 lucky souls. This is grand touring at its best.

The Sly’s group will begin with a cocktail reception on the rear deck overlooking Venice harbor and dinner in the ship’s Italian restaurant if you like. During the cruise, we’ll have a table reserved for those traveling with us in the main dining room — always available, never required. We’ll plan on tours of the local markets, and we’ll have one private cooking lesson for our group, and a larger lesson with the whole ship invited in the on-board theater. You're free to do as much or as little as you might like. Best of all? Most everything is included in the cost — no tipping required, no extras for most bar and wine selections. As I like to say, it’s pretty seamless.

To participate in our events, you have to book your cruise with Millenium Travel. For more information, please contact Millenium Travel

In 2011, James and Annie took part in a wonderful Silversea cruise around Spain on the Silver Spirt, down through the Straits of Gibraltor (with a side trip to Morocco), finishing up in Portugal. Like our previous trips on Silversea — it was an absolutely stellar cruise. In 2010, our travels took us from Rome, up the Italian coast, to Monte Carlo, Corsica, and on to Barcelona. Each time, a number of our restaurant clients joined us on the trip, and everyone had a stellar time. We're sure that this year’s trip will be just as exciting. Join us for a great voyage in a beautiful part of the world.

This is one of the sherry bodegas at Tio Pepe in Jerez de la Frontiera, Spain. The tour of the bodegas was great and I can assure you, so was the tasting that followed.

James’ and Annie’s friend Kurt Grasing, of Carmel’s wonderful Grasing’s Restaurant, took a trip down the Rhône river last year — exciting — from Lyon down to Arles, then Kurt and his group headed for Barcelona.

For more information the cruise with James & Annie this year, or with Kurt’s cruise in June this year from Budabest to Prague, contact Michael Mastrocola at Millenium Travel. (831) 659-0151, (800) 304-6838, or via email, msmastrocola@sbcglobal.net