Tag 118: Hamburg - Conclusion

Today our big journey around the world ends. In our minds, we have thousands of beautiful pictures. We have seen many great cities, were amazed by snow-covered volcanoes and giant glaciers. We sailed around Cape Horn and stood at Cape of Good Hope. We were able to observe penguins, kangaroos, koalas, flamingos, elephants, whales, and flying fish. We sweated in the desert and were glad for a hat and scarf in southern Patagonia. We bathed in the South Pacific, the Pacific, the Atlantic, and the Indian Ocean. We celebrated Christmas in Fiji and welcomed the New Year in Sydney. We tried steak in Uruguay and lobster in Australia. We were able to immerse ourselves in Zulu culture and explored German colonial history. We crossed the Equator and the International Date Line and discovered the southern night sky. We met many lovely people with whom we could spend wonderful hours and share experiences. What a great journey! The AIDA crew made these four months an unforgettable experience for us. From the cultural highlights in the Theatrium or on the pool deck to fantastic edutainment with amazing lecturers and the culinary indulgence program. It's incredible what our crew has accomplished! Personally, I had my moment of joy when the screw of my glasses loosened in a bar and Kiran, the waiter, successfully looked for it after work. When he handed me the screw the next day, he said he had spent half an hour crawling on the floor. I can only take my hat off to him. He was then awarded as one of three crew members for exceptional dedication. We are very grateful and happy that we could experience all this. Of course, there were also things that we didn't like during the 117 days. Then we addressed them in the right place or simply ignored them if they couldn't be changed. We have wonderful memories and now we are looking forward to going home.

117 days, including 70 days at sea, before the trip, we wondered if we would get bored or homesick. Today I can say that none of this has happened. The journey flew by and the days at sea were necessary to process at least some of the impressions. They will continue to have an impact for a long time. A world trip cannot be compared to a vacation. With such a long time, you grow together with guests as well as with crew members. This became evident at the grand farewell gala on the last evening. Very emotional. Marion shook her head and said she had never seen so many men cry.

There were surprises that usually came from outside and had to be dealt with somehow. We had to let the storm in the Delta of Rio de la Plata pass, the provisions containers for San Antonio were stuck in Lima due to a strike, and those for Tahiti did not arrive on time. The journey was on the verge of being canceled, but AIDA decided to charter an airplane and send 80 tons of cargo to Papeete. In the Easter Islands, we learned while anchoring that the authorities did not allow us to go ashore. In the Indian Ocean, we had to turn around due to a medical emergency and flee directly from Mauritius to South Africa because a cyclone was brewing. But in general, we were lucky with the weather and the sea conditions. Captain Felix Rothe tried to make the best of every situation, always under the motto 'Safety First'. Great. We approached the Amalia Glacier in Patagonia to the maximum and turned the ship 360 degrees so that everyone could see optimally. We got to know the majority of the inhabitants of Pitcairn, the around 40 descendants of the mutineers of the Bounty. And we were in the loneliest places in the world. However, there were also grumblers who had to do without Black Forest ham, minced meat, and liver sausage for days and didn't find it funny at all. There were also 31 complaint discussions with the excursion responsible because there were supposedly too few colorful fish to see on Bora Bora due to poor timing. And there was the most dangerous place of the whole trip, the Chamber of Horrors, the laundry room. Unbelievable but true. There were physical altercations that resulted in two guests being sent home prematurely.

Conclusion:

1. A world trip is still an adventure with many surprises.

2. Keep cool, there is always a solution.

3. Stay curious.