Trip Details
Sail the Aegean
"Travels of Paul"
with St. Andrew Methodist Church
July 19 - 28, 2027
From Istanbul to Athens
Aboard the Legendary
SEA CLOUD II
Our Trip Hosts
Arthur & Becky Jones
Arthur Jones is the Senior Pastor at St. Andrew United Methodist Church in Plano, Texas. His passions involve preaching a real and practical faith, engaging people with the Bible and current issues that affect day-to-day life,and providing leadership and vision for the next phases of church life. Arthur is a fifth-generation Methodist preacher who grew up in churches across North Texas. He is a graduate of the University of Kansas and Duke Divinity School, and the co-author of Ask: Faith Questions in a Skeptical Age and Soild Souls. Arthur is married to Becky, and they have two children, Ella Reece and Sam.
Sea Cloud II Deck
Swim Time in the Aegean
Sea Cloud II's Restaurant
INCLUDED:
ACCOMMODATIONS & MEALS:
The night of July 20 at the Çırağan Palace Kempinski • Breakfast in Istanbul on July 21 • Seven nights SEA CLOUD II accommodation in stateroom assigned • All meals aboard ship—American buffet breakfast; lunch and dinner with complimentary wines and beer; daily afternoon tea with fresh pastries and tea sandwiches; and late-night snacks • Lunch ashore on July 25 in Ephesus •
TRANSPORTATION, SIGHTSEEING & EXCURSIONS:
Comprehensive program of sightseeing tours and shore excursions with expert national guides as described in this brochure • Local transportation in deluxe air conditioned motor coaches and all entrance fees • Transfers between the Çırağan Palace Kempinski and the ship on July 21 and from the ship to the airport in Athens on the morning of July 28 •
TIPS:
All tips to porters, baggage handlers, hotel staff, guides, and tour bus drivers. An all-inclusive gratuity for SEA CLOUD II’s sixty-member crew is included. •
RECREATION & AMENITIES:
Free use of the SEA CLOUD II library, onboard games, shared ship laptop for brief emails, and sports equipment—snorkeling gear, floats, banana boat, water skis, etc. •
STAFF:
Our Trip Hosts, Arthur & Becky Jones • FCV Tour Manager handling daily touring arrangements • SEA CLOUD II's Cruise Director and Musician • Ship’s Physician providing medical services at no charge •
OTHER ITEMS INCLUDED:
Currency Advice • Packing Tips • Suggested Reading List • Printed Daily Programs • Abridged newspapers received on ship daily via satellite.
NOT INCLUDED:
Roundtrip air transportation to Istanbul and from Athens • Taxi transfer from your arrival airport to your first hotel location • Port charges & taxes • Excess baggage charges • Passport expenses • Accident/ baggage/trip cancellation insurance • Items of a personal nature such as telephone, internet and fax tolls, bar tabs, personal laundry • Passengers making requests for special services that cause FCV or our local ground operators to incur additional expenses in time and money may be asked to bear the corresponding costs associated with any such individual out-of-the ordinary requests.
Map of Our Journey
Terms and Conditions
RESERVATIONS:
To confirm your space, please send a signed Reservation Form and a deposit of $2000 per person payable to:
FIRST CENTURY VOYAGES
Post Office Box 4042
Chattanooga, TN 37405
FINAL PAYMENT:
Due in full 185 days prior to departure
CANCELLATION & REFUND:
If written or emailed notice of cancellation is received from passenger 185 days or more prior to departure, all advance deposits will be refunded, less a per person administrative fee of $600. If cancellation is 184-155 days before departure, the cancellation charge, as liquidated damages, is 35% of the tour cost; 154-90 days before departure, 50%; 89-40 days before departure, 75%. The forfeiture for cancellations 39 or fewer days before our departure is the full cost of the tour. If the sailing is sold out and the cancelled space can be resold by FCV prior to departure, the sum received for resale, less $750 per person, will be refunded. In fairness to all, no exceptions can be made to these terms. There are no refunds for early withdrawal once the tour has commenced.
INSURANCE:
Insurance programs are recommended and available to insure: (a) baggage valued up to $1,000; (b) accidental injury, illness or death from any cause; and (c) trip cancellation. Upon confirmation of your reservation, you will be sent information regarding such policies. We strongly recommend this protection for all of our passengers. Consider "cancel for any reason" coverage offered by some trip insurance providers. Many options for trip insurance are available at this partner site.
RESPONSIBILITY & LIABILITY:
A detailed statement of limitations and exclusions of liability of Sea Cloud Cruises, FIRST CENTURY VOYAGES, and all trip hosts for loss of property, injury, illness, or death is available to all trip registrants and prospective travelers upon request.
In the unlikely event that a dispute arises between the traveler and FCV, the traveler agrees that any dispute arising from or related to this agreement shall be settled by mediation and, if necessary, legally binding arbitration in accordance with the Rules of Procedure for Christian Conciliation of the Institute for Christian Conciliation (complete text is available at www.iccpeace.com or info@iccpeace.com). Judgment upon an arbitration decision may be entered in any court otherwise having jurisdiction. The parties understand that these methods shall be the sole remedy for any controversy or claim arising out of this agreement and expressly waive their right to jury and their right to file a lawsuit in any civil court against one another for such disputes, except to enforce an arbitration decision. Given the ever-changing health protocols surrounding Covid-19 concerns, the traveler agrees to abide by all health policies required by trip providers and domestic and international governments for safe participation in this trip.
CURRENCY EXCHANGE RATES:
Trip prices are based on exchange rates, fuel costs, and tax rates in effect as of February 2025, and are subject to change without notice to reflect fluctuations impacting FCV’s program component costs (currency and maritime fuel prices in particular). However, as a protective cap for FCV's passengers, in no case shall additional collections caused by such fluctuations exceed 3% of the advertised tour cost.
BOOKING QUESTIONS?
Please call Karl or Julie Johnson at (919) 381-5722 or email julie@firstcenturyvoyages.com.