Bon Voyage x 100+
Alumna Sets Sail on Centennial Cruise
By: Noelle Bartl While enjoying a vacation on the high seas may not be on everyone’s radar, Sandra Matteucci (BA 60) is closing in on her 100th cruise. Even as a student at Radford School for Girls in El Paso, Texas Sandra had dreams of seeing the world and wanted to study abroad but her father would not allow it. Instead, she and her friend took a summer bus tour and traveled all of the southern and eastern United States… but little did she know that the urge to travel had just begun. Sandra’s very first cruise was on her honeymoon, where she and her husband, Ralph, traveled from San Francisco to Honolulu on the Lurline… and so began their love for cruising. Some of her favorite destinations include the fjords of Norway, all of Italy, and the Panama Canal. Sandra commented on her least favorite destination that “one only needs to visit the Antarctic once.” After nearly 100 cruises with a variety of cruise line companies, Sandra discovered Crystal Cruises. The ships hold approximately 1,000 guests and are her favorite. According to Sandra, “midsize cruises have quality entertainment and fascinating guest speakers from around the world compared to what the smaller lines offer.”
Photo courtesy of Crystal Cruises
The first Crystal Cruise she and her family went on provided some incredible opportunities including a free upgrade to a penthouse room, a butler, and meeting the first officer “Otto”, who later became a captain and a close friend of the Matteucci family. Captain “Otto” has traveled
to Phoenix to visit Sandra, and her family has traveled to Sweden to stay with his. This unique friendship comes with benefits, including going to Turku, Finland to tour the construction site of the Crystal Symphony cruise ship, on which Sandra has enjoyed many trips. Sandra’s children and their families love cruising too. Her daughter, Anna Maria Matteucci, has enjoyed more than 50 cruises, and her son, James Matteucci (BBA 89), has set sail 25 times. Her granddaughter Chelsi and husband Conrad are well on their way with more than five, and their two-year-old son Corbin has already set sail twice. Since being “crystalized”, as they call the passengers that have fallen in love with Crystal Cruises, Sandra is planning her 100th cruise. She is inviting all her friends and family to join her on July 31, 2018 from San Francisco to Monterey, Catalina Island, Cabo San Lucas, San Diego and back. Not only is this her 100th Crystal cruise but also a celebration of her 80th birthday. Bon voyage and happy birthday, Sandra, from all of us at ENMU!
Sandra and her husband Ralph (pictured above) joined Captain Otto to tour the Crystal Symphony when it was being built in 1994. The completed ship (left) holds 922 guests and is the one on which Sandra will be celebrating her 80th birthday.
Green & Silver | May 2017
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