By the time you read this, the HG Travel Club will have just returned from our up-and-back day trip to St. Petersburg to the beautiful art glass work in the Dale Chihuly Museum and the James Museum of Western and Wildlife Art. Both museums have amazing artwork; you’ve probably seen the Chihuly art glass in expositions, etc., over the years.
Looking forward, on September 27, club members will be flying from RSW in Ft. Myers, FL to Boston, MA. The next morning, we will board a motorcoach and embark on the Celebrity Silhouette cruise ship for our twelve-day, eleven-night Fall Foliage cruise. We will be on a beautiful ship carrying 2,886 guests. Our first destination after departing Boston is Rockland, Maine. This seaport town is known for its art museum and working lobster boats. Can anyone say, “delicious fresh caught lobsters??” Then our next cruise destination is Halifax, Nova Scotia, followed by Sydney, Nova Scotia. Sydney is known for its strong Scottish/Celtic heritage, with bagpipes, Celtic social gatherings, and fiddle music. And of course, delicious seafood!
We have a day at sea and then arrive in Quebec City for two days!! I’ve been to this city, and it’s absolutely the closest thing to an old European city in all North America, complete with a high stone wall surrounding the old part of the city. And this was the site of the pivotal British/French battle in 1759, which led to the British control of Canada; prior to this, the French controlled Canada after exploring Eastern Canada and claiming this land for France.
We have a day at sea and then we will be exploring Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, famous for its PEI mussels. Another day at sea, and then we are back on U.S. territory in Portland, Maine. The next morning, we cruise back to Boston and then fly back to RSW and home.
But what about our annual Caribbean cruise? We have almost 100 members registered for our eight-day, seven-night Celebrity cruise out of Tampa, FL. We board our luxurious motor coach at the Clubhouse here at the Glen and travel to the Tampa Cruise Port, departing on the Celebrity Summit. This is a slightly smaller ship, holding 2,158 passengers. We spend a day at sea, and then cruise into Cozumel, Mexico for lots of wonderful Mexican food and margaritas. Plus, world class diving/snorkeling, exploring nearby Mayan ruins, beach clubs and downtown shops are available.
The next day we land at Belize City, Belize (a separate country), which has some of the best reef and jungle excursions in the Caribbean. You can tube through underground rivers, explore Mayan ruins, or watch manatees. We then cruise north to Puerto Costa Maya, Mexico, which is famous for nearby Mayan ruins, beach clubs, a nearby barrier reef for diving and snorkeling, and wonderful food. And margaritas….
We spend a leisurely two days at sea and then return to Tampa, where we board our motor coach to return to the Glen.
So, we have two cruise opportunities coming up, and there are cabins still available for you. I’d love to email you with information on how you can join us!! Just call/text me (Duane Parkinson, cell 636-541-4561) or email me at [email protected] and I will email you more information.
