Trip Details
Sail the Aegean
"Travels of Paul"
with Alliance Defending Freedom
August 7 - 16, 2025
From Istanbul to Athens
Aboard the Legendary
SEA CLOUD II
Our Trip Hosts: Kristen & Ben Waggoner
As the CEO, president, and general counsel of Alliance Defending Freedom, Kristen Waggoner leads the faith-based legal organization in advancing fundamental freedoms around the world. She oversees more than 400 ADF team members in seven global offices. Since 2011, ADF has won 15 cases at the U.S. Supreme Court. Waggoner successfully argued three of those cases. Internationally, ADF has a strong track record of success at the European Court of Human Rights and other leading tribunals and has secured the release of hundreds of imprisoned Christians. After clerking with the Washington Supreme Court, Waggoner practiced law in Seattle for over 16 years before joining ADF in 2013.
Ben Waggoner is an attorney with nearly 30 years of real estate, development, construction, insurance, and litigation experience. He has spent the majority of his career representing developers, contractors and homebuilders both as inside and outside counsel. Ben currently heads the risk management team of a Fortune 100 company. He earned his law degree from Regent University School of Law with Kristen.
Special Guest For the Journey: Os Guinness
First Century Voyages is once again delighted to welcome Os Guinness, prolific author and social critic, as a special guest on a "Travels of Paul" adventure. With a lifetime of service dedicated to human liberties and faithful Christian presence in the global public square, Os is the perfect teacher and traveling companion to connect the dots for us between contemporary culture and the very similar challenges faced by the early church.
Os was the chief drafter of the Williamsburg Charter in 1988, which brought together leading faith communities in the United States to reaffirm and celebrate the Religious Liberty clauses of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Currently living in Washington, D.C., with his wife Jenny, Os has been an attentive student of the U.S. political system and her distinctive ideals for decades, unafraid to call American citizens to recognize the risk and responsibility that freedom presents. He explores this theme in his 2022 book, Zero Hour America: History's Ultimatum over Freedom and the Answer We Must Give. Os has published over 30 books in the spheres of calling, faith, culture and politics, with Signals of Transcendence: Listening to the Promptings of Life and Rising to the Call: Discovering the Ultimate Purpose of Your Life debuting as his most recent works in 2022 and 2023. We invite you to explore more of Os's work and life of faith on his website here.
Sea Cloud II Deck
Swim Time in the Aegean
Sea Cloud II's Restaurant
INCLUDED:
ACCOMMODATIONS & MEALS:
The night of August 8 at the Çırağan Palace Kempinski • Breakfast in Istanbul on August 9 • 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 August 13 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 August 9 and from the ship to the airport in Athens on the morning of August 16 •
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 Host, Kristen and Ben Waggoner, cohosts, and special guest • 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:
Travel Document Holder • 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 the Istanbul airport to the Çırağan Palace Kempinski on the day of arrival • 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 less $600 per person. 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 [email protected]). 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 2024, 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 [email protected].