Published: July 02, 2007 02:13 pm         

Trip of a Lifetime

In the December issue of the Scene, we profiled a list of items that you could make a part of a Million Dollar Christmas, including a trip around the world on the original luxury cruise ship, the Queen Elizabeth II.

After the magazine came out, Pete Portz of Quitman called to say he and his traveling companion, Ann Wagener, were preparing to leave on the QE2’s 2007 Silver Jubilee World Cruise, and he promised to stay in touch — and he kept that promise.

I received post cards almost weekly throughout the duration of their 16 week cruise, along with two ship-to-shore phone calls and two letters. As promised, on their return, they agreed to let me profile their trip of a lifetime and share their incredible journey around the world with our readers.

Tahiti, Madeira, Hawaii, Sydney, Tokyo, Cape Town, Canary Islands,Vietnam, Acapulco, Tasmania and New Zealand.

Exotic ports, exciting places and the dream of a lifetime for world travelers – all in one exciting world cruise.

Nearly four months at sea with more than 2,000 strangers in relatively close quarters, and the first thing Pete Portz and Ann Wagener said about the experience? “I’d do it again tomorrow.”

Logging 46,000 miles aboard the world’s most famous luxury cruiseliner, the pair were as excited about the trip at its end as they were at its beginning. They left Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. in February to embark on the Queen Elizabeth 2, their excitement contagious as they prepared to visit 25 countries, 41 ports of call, and six continents in 16 weeks.

The trip around the world, literally, took them to ports in Mexico, across the Panama Canal, up the pacific coast of America, across to the Pacific Islands, New Zealand, Australia, then on to Japan, India, Southern Africa, up the coast of Africa to Europe, and back across the Atlanta Ocean to New York before disembarking for the last time at their original port of call.



Along the way, they met fascinating people, ate luxurious meals, crossed the equator and the International Date Line,

Their children kept in contact via international cell phones and online. Anyone can view the ship at any time by going to www.cunard.com. A link via webcam to the QE2 can be viewed by going through “cruise ships,” “QE2” and then “webcam.”

“Often when we’d call, my daughter would say she had just found us online and knew what port we were pulling into,” said Ann.

The trip was all inclusive, other than alcohol and the day trips to visit various cities, which ranged from $75 and up per person depending on the trip (the couple opted out of the chance to spend around $3,000 per person to take a helicopter excursion in India to the Taj Mahal and other points of interest), but took advantage nearly daily to go into the various cities and take the tours offered to learn about other cultures and see the world firsthand.

Among their favorites? New Zealand, “with the friendliest people on earth,” and French Polynesia, “with the most beautiful islands and clearest water,” although they were hard pressed to say anything negative about anywhere they visited.

Greeted at every port by bands, musicians, hula dancers or bagpipes, throngs at the docks were the norm in the large cities. The most incredible greeting was in Sydney, Australia, where hundreds of boats of all sizes came into the harbor to escort the ship in as for the first time in the city’s history, both the QE2 and the Queen Mary were in port at the same time. Thousands upon thousands lined the docks and area streets, with helicopters circling overhead and a large spread in the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper to mark the historic event.

Every day at 4 p.m. aboard ship, a traditional English High Tea was served by waiters in formal wear and white gloves. Ice and fruit sculptures always adorned the tables, and an incredible array of cakes, cookies, pies, and more were served daily. They had the choice of dining formally every evening or going to a more informal restaurant, which they frequented during their tour.

Pete and Ann described the average age of the ship’s passengers at “70-something” and enjoyed the experience of making lifelong friends from around the world.

Retired after a lifetime of working and saving money, Pete summed up this experience and the many other adventures he is planning by saying, “When the Lord is ready for me, he’s going to have to catch me. He won’t find me sitting still in Quitman, Ga.”