Reflections

The single biggest thing I'm glad we did -- and would not have changed for anything -- was discover Cargo Ship Voyages and Colin Hetherington.  Colin was priceless.  I knew that by the time we boarded in Baltimore, but after everyone got on board in Halifax and we heard some of the booking stories from our fellow passengers, I was absolutely convinced we had used the best possible booking agent.

What would we have changed?

Aside from the things on the list below, if we were to do it over again I think the biggest thing we’d do differently would be to book the Owner’s Cabin.  It seemed exorbitantly costly when we were planning this trip last spring, but in the grand scheme of things we think it might be worth it to have a double bed, two rooms, couches, a private DVD player, and a larger working desk.  

And if I had it to do all over again, here are some things I’d bring:  

• Inexpensive outdoor chairs for sitting out on the deck
• Smart phone apps designed for sea travel (or at least travel)
• Binoculars
• Thermos (to take coffee outside)
• A small sewing kit

Also, although not critical, it would have been nice to have had workout gloves for the free weights in the exercise room, and a SIM card that had international coverage for my iPad.

Last but not least, here are the things I am glad we did bring:

• Citrucel (it was not a high-fiber diet)
• Pitted prunes (see: Citrucel)  
• Standard European electrical outlet adapters  
• Podcasts, books (electronic and otherwise), and videos
• Rain jacket/wind breaker and a light polar fleece top
• Duct tape and a Leatherman all-in-one tool  
• Large coffee cups (the ship's coffee cups were tiny)

So there it is.  If you are thinking about doing a cargo ship voyage and have any questions, feel free to contact me via e-mail or LinkedIn, both of which can be found in the "About Me" section.