Following in the Footsteps of Columbus, Except with Room Service

 

With images of the Titanic haunting our dreams, we boarded Celebrity Cruises, boat, whoops, ship, the Equinox, for a 15 day crossing of the Atlantic, with stops in Nassau, Tenerife, Lanzarote, Lisbon, Gibraltar and debarking in Barcelona. 700 years later, we were about to follow in the footsteps of Columbus all be it, in reverse. 

It took Columbus 69 days to cross the Atlantic.  He departed from Castilian, Andalucía soon to become the country known as Spain, visited the Canary Islands and made landfall in the Bahamas.  He never actually touched North America. 

 

Our crossing took 15 days. We departed Ft. Lauderdale, landing in Nassau, Bahamas, the Canary Islands and finally settling in Fuengirola, Andalucía, Spain. 





 

Columbus was looking for a new route to China. We were looking to escape China’s winter.

Columbus departed August 2, 1492. We departed May 15, 2013. (700 years, 9 months, 13 days apart for  you math geeks)

Columbus’s ship, the Santa Maria, was 58 ft. (17.7 m) long and weighed approximately 100 tons.

Our ship is 1,033 feet (360 m) long and weighed 122,000 tons.

 

Columbus’s Menu
 

Main courses included salt beef, salt pork, dried peas, lentils and garbanzo beans, pickled cabbage and cheese. They also ate, each, a pound a day of 'bread', which was actually an unleavened product, called 'ship's biscuit', the same product the world's armies called 'hardtack'

 

Our Menu (Day 1 of 15)

A p p e t i z e r s
Chilled Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail with Horseradish Cocktail Sauce
Escargots à la Bourguignonne with Shallots, Garlic, Parsley and Pernod Butter
Celebrity Antipasti Platter Selection of Cured Meats and Artisan Cheese with Marinated Olives and Roasted Red Peppers

 

 

S o u p s & Sa l a d s

Baked French Onion Soup with Herb Croutons and Melted Gruyère Cheese
Creamy Lobster Bisque with Cognac Cream and Finely Chopped Tarragon
Caprese Salad Vine Ripe Tomatoes, Layered with Buffalo Mozzarella, Peppers Classic Caesar Salad Crispy Hearts of Romaine Lettuce with Garlic Croutons Parmesan Cheese also available as entrée-size with Grilled Chicken Breast
A selection of Imported Cheeses. Served with Crackers and Biscuits.
 

E n t r é e s

Broiled Atlantic Salmon with Boiled Potatoes and Grilled Asparagus, Served Plain or with Classic Hollandaise Sauce
Herb Marinated Grilled Chicken Breast with Red Bliss Mashed Potatoes, Steamed Broccoli, Honey Glazed Carrots and Thyme Jus
Grilled New York Sirloin Steak with Loaded Baked Potato, Caramelized Shallots, Tender Green Beans and Beurre Maître d’Hôtel
Choice of" Side Dishes: Baby Peas, Steamed Green Beans, Broccoli, Rice Pilaf, Mashed Potatoes or Loaded Baked Potato with Traditional Toppings

D e s s e r t s

New York Cheese cake with Fresh Homemade Berry Compote
Apple Pie à la Mode Our One of a Kind Blend of Golden Delicious Apples in Seasoned Brown Sugar, Baked in a Crispy Dough
Crème Brûlée Delightfully Balanced Vanilla Infused Custard with Caramelized Sugar Topping
 

 

Crossing the Atlantic is not for the faint of heart. It takes courage and fortitude to face the dangerous and arduous trip.  Imagine going days without seeing land, with nothing but water for thousands of kilometres around.








Just you, the buffet, spa treatments, 24 hour room service, two for one cocktails, chocolates on your pillow and four thousand strangers. 

But fear not, because no one is a stranger for long. 

We will we cruise again. Bet your damn bippy we will.