Trip Details
Sailing From Florence to Malta
May 13 - 23, 2026
with Trip Hosts
Steve & Catherine Eason and Matthew & Sarah Ruffner
Aboard the Legendary
SEA CLOUD II
Our Trip Hosts
Steve & Catherine Eason
Steve and Catherine Eason have worked with FIRST CENTURY VOYAGES and enjoyed three previous trips aboard the SEA CLOUD. Their passion for these adventures comes from the beauty, history, spiritual inspiration and enjoyment of being with friends and new acquaintances. These are trips of a lifetime! The Easons retired in 2019 after serving over forty years in ministry. Steve pastored churches in North and South Carolina, Virginia, and Tennessee. Catherine was a professor of Accounting at the Citadel and Queens University in Charlotte, NC. They now reside in Brevard, NC. The true joy of their lives are their three grown children and their spouses, with seven grandchildren! Steve now asks, “When did I have time to work?”
Matthew & Sarah Ruffner
Rev. Matthew Ruffner has served as the Senior Pastor of Preston Hollow Presbyterian Church, a vibrant faith community of nearly three thousand members in North Dallas, since July 2015. Matthew is passionate about creating spaces of belonging, finding fresh ways to communicate ancient wisdom, and developing individuals and communities to reach their full potential.
Matthew is married to Sarah Ruffner, a physician assistant in cardiac surgery at Medical City Heart Hospital since 2015. Sarah is dedicated to providing high-quality, comprehensive care to cardiac surgery patients, enabling them to continue living the lives they love. She serves as the Athletics Director for the PTA at their son’s school, believing in the transformative power of sports in children's lives. Sarah practices yoga and is pursuing yoga teacher training in the fall of 2025. Together they have two children and share a love of sports.
Sea Cloud II Deck
Sea Cloud II Library
Sea Cloud II Restaurant
INCLUDED:
ACCOMMODATIONS & MEALS:
The night of May 14 at IL Tornabuoni Hotel • Welcome Reception in Florence on May 14 • Breakfast in Florence on May 15 • 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 • Accommodations the night of May 22 at Hyatt Regency in Malta • Breakfast on May 23 in Malta
TRANSPORTATION, SIGHTSEEING & EXCURSIONS:
Comprehensive program of sightseeing tours and shore excursions with expert national guides as described in this brochure • Local transportation in deluxe airconditioned motor coaches and all entrance fees • Transfers between our hotel in Florence and the ship on May 15
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 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, Steve & Catherine Eason and Matthew & Sarah Ruffner and special guests • 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 • Luggage Tags • Printed Daily Programs • Abridged newspapers received on ship daily via satellite.
NOT INCLUDED:
Roundtrip air transportation to Florence and from Malta • Taxi transfer from the Florence airport to hotel on the day of arrival and to the Malta airport on day of departure • 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.
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.
RESPONSIBILITY & LIABILITY:
A detailed statement of limitations and exclusions of liability of Sea Cloud Cruises, FIRST CENTURY VOYAGES, and all trip hosts will be provided to all trip registrants and is available to 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 March 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 [email protected].