Should I Take A Mediterranean Cruise?

Cruise your way around the Eastern ports of the Mediterranean Sea! I flew into Rome a few days early to explore the city, which I recommend if you are going on an international cruise. 1) You will be jetlagged and need time to acclimate 2) Why fly all that way not to explore your port of call, 3) You might be tired from excursions and exploring before is the best in my opinion.

Messina, Sicily

Our first stop was in Messina. Here we took a city tour which was beautiful, there is an old church that has a musical clock tower display, and the seaside views are wonderful and picturesque. Let me tell you if you go in the summer IT IS HOT!!! Oh my gosh was it hot! On our city tour, we were scaling the buildings to stay in the shade haha.

Athens, Greece

Let me preface by saying that I love history and I think that is part of the reason I love to travel so much. You get to see and explore parts of history that are still alive. I was so excited to go to Athens, I had done plenty of school projects on Greek gods and their mythology.

When we got there I kept waiting for it to blow me away. The historical landmarks are spread out across the city, housing was stacked on top of one another, it was very crowded and cramped anywhere we went, and it was also dirty. I have friends that have gone more recently and it’s still the same. On our tour, the guide told us that the Parthenon will always be under construction to keep it preserved.

Ephesus, Turkey

This was my favorite place we visited aside from Rome. Old Ephesus which was beautiful and well preserved, Mass in the hill country at the home where it was said The Virgin Mary spent the last few years of her life, and a Biblical lunch on a hilltop. I loved every part of this excursion and it was so well rounded. The Biblical meal was good apart from the wine and unleavened bread haha.

The tour also included visiting a Turkish rug shop where they take the silk and weave the rugs themselves. They show the process and then at least on my excursion the shop gave us Rocket which is VERY strong and similar to Vodka (not allowed in the US). I’m guessing this is to get people relaxed and have them buy highly priced rugs haha.

Crete, Greece

Crete was our last stop and is a Greek Island. We went on an excursion to Knossos Palace (ruins) and a city tour. The most popular tours are the one I went on and a beach tour.

After Crete, we had a sailing day back to Rome and departed the ship. Royal Caribbean has cruises to other ports including Santorini! Check out my other blog posts in my Destinations under the Cruise tab!

I hope this has helped you in planning your travels and if you have any comments/questions feel free to reach out! Don’t forget to follow my blog to receive updates and tips on all things travel! Thanks!