Sailing into Retirement
Patty Jefferis closes her epic chapter with an epic Mediterranean journey.
Why did you choose this Mediterranean sailing? “It was really the destinations I chose—places I hadn’t been before. I wanted to explore the eastern Mediterranean, particularly off the coast of Italy. The itinerary included Elba, Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily, and Malta.”
What were your top three highlights? “Wow, that’s hard to answer! I really liked Corsica—we explored the hill town of Bonifacio there and it was just beautiful. Sardinia was also beautiful, and in Sicily, the highlight was visiting the village where The Godfather was filmed. We even met the local baron! But I must say, Malta probably was my favorite. I would have loved to stay longer and visit Gozo and the other little islands in the chain.”
What stood out about traveling with Tauck? “They do a phenomenal job of taking care of everything. The guides were exceptional, the ship was immaculate, the staff was great—everybody remembered your name. The food was good and I liked the all-inclusiveness, even all the gratuities were included. I loved not having to think about logistics—you don’t have to worry about a thing.”
How was the ship, Le Bougainville, unique? “It was a small ship, only 184 guests, which I liked. I'd rather do a river cruise or this small-ship cruising instead of being with 5,000 people on a big ship. A highlight on our ship was a bar and nightclub called the Blue Eye—it was down on deck one so you're basically below water. Since we were in the Mediterranean, you really couldn’t see but if you were in the Caribbean, you’d actually see the bright fish. It was a neat and different place to go have a drink. I'd never seen anything like that on a cruise ship before.”
What dining experiences stood out? “There was a lot of Italian food that was excellent, and even some French food, too. We went to one place on an island that was like a Michelin star restaurant. We had this eggplant that was phenomenal. And then in Marseille, we went to a restaurant called Miramar. The fish stew was exceptional—it was the real, traditional thing. It was pricey, but it was well worth it.”
What advice would you give Tauck newcomers? “Try to arrive a day early. Flight delays can happen, and you don’t want to miss the welcome cocktail party. And stay longer afterward—many guests extended their time in Malta and visited Gozo. Also, there was a lot of walking so you need to be cognizant of that and know your pace. One day we walked 12,000 steps!”
