Carolyn Always Earley

11 days in Italy, Greece & Turkey – September/October 2023

My husband and I wanted to go on a cruise to Italy and Greece for our honeymoon (back in 2018). However, cruises were incredibly expensive at that time and became significantly less so after 2020, so we were finally able to go on our dream cruise in 2023 for our five-year wedding anniversary!

After much research into our options, we booked the “Greek Isles” cruise with Royal Caribbean through Costco Travel. They had great pricing with trip protection and we received a Shop Card after the cruise. It was round-trip from Rome to Naples, Athens, Kuşadası, Santorini, Crete, then back to Rome.

Day 1-2 (Travel Days):

The trip started off with a bit of disappointment as our first flight ended up being cancelled and we were rebooked on a flight the following day. We initially booked our flight for 2 days prior to the cruise start so, thankfully, this did not derail our plans at all – it just left us with less time to enjoy Rome when we arrived.

Tip: Cruises are very strict with their departure times. Cruise lines typically recommend arriving at least the day before the cruise departs, but I would suggest allowing even more flexibility in case travel plans change (like they did for us). Plus, you’ll have extra time to hang out in the city from which your cruise departs without feeling rushed.

We flew from Phoenix, Arizona (PHX), to Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport (FCO) via London Heathrow (LHR). It was my first time flying across the Atlantic Ocean, which was exciting and a little scary. Once we landed in London, we had a couple of hours during our layover to do some shopping and eat some food. By the time we landed in Rome, it was early evening and we were exhausted! We decided to take a quick nap and then head out to grab dinner.

I had made us a reservation at Alfredo alla Scrofa, known for being the origin of Fettuccine Alfredo. The food was delicious and we had a great bottle of wine to wash it down. Afterwards, we walked over to see the Trevi Fountain. Even at night, it was packed with people!

Day 3:

This was the start of our cruise! We booked a car to drive us the 1.5 hours from our hotel outside of Rome to Civitavecchia Port. We boarded the Odyssey of the Seas, found our room, and began to explore the ship while we waited for our bags to be delivered. Having never been on a cruise ship before, I was amazed by the number of shops, restaurants, bars, and other activities available – including several pools and hot tubs.

Day 4:

By morning, we had arrived in Naples and we set off early for our tour of Pompeii. We booked a half-day self-guided tour, which was both fascinating and exhausting. It was hot and sunny that day and the roads there are very uneven, which makes them difficult and tiring to walk on.

Tip: Be sure to bring your own Kleenex and hand sanitizer if you visit. The “restrooms” were poorly maintained Porta Potties and I learned that most European women come prepared for that possibility with tissues or wipes in their bags.

After several hours, we had only covered a small portion of Pompeii and it was already time to return on the bus to Naples. We did, however, stay in the city of Naples for a bit to grab lunch before heading back to the ship. Naples (or Napoli, in Italian) is where pizza originated, so of course we had to try some. (Spoiler alert: it was amazing!) We shared a margherita pizza and I somehow managed to eat my whole piece.

Day 5:

This day was a cruising day, between Naples and Athens. We spent the day checking out the pool and relaxing, which was a great break after all of the walking in Pompeii. It was also formal night – one of the two nights where you were required to dress up for dinner. (Some people hate that tradition, but I thought it was fun!)

Day 6:

Next, we arrived in Athens. I was surprised to find that this city was my favorite of the whole trip! We had booked a tour of the Acropolis hill, which has an incredible view of the whole city of Athens. Our tour guide explained the history of the Acropolis and then we had free time to walk around to see the Parthenon and the Erechtheion (temple of Athena).

Afterwards, we had the option to either see more of the city or go back to the ship. We decided to do some exploring on our own, so we checked out a cool cigar shop and asked the staff where we should grab lunch. They pointed us to a nearby restaurant where we had the most delicious meal ever!

Day 7:

We arrived in Kuşadası, Turkey, and decided to check out the market that is right there at the port. (We didn’t book a tour for this stop.) We tried a few different foods/drinks from the vendors: Turkish delight, Turkish ice cream, and Turkish coffee. (Turkish coffee was interesting because it was very bitter and they serve it with a square of dark chocolate. You’re meant to sip, bite, sip, bite.)

I was surprised to see that they had McDonald’s, Burger King and KFC there also. We wandered through a number of shops. There were leather shops, clothing, souvenirs, and so many rugs. (We actually bought a small one to hang on our wall!) Although the sights and smells were amazing, I found the overall liveliness of the market to be a bit overwhelming – the shop owners are incredibly friendly, to the point that it feels almost pushy, and the walkways are packed with tourists!

Day 8:

Oh, Santorini. How I miss you! This island was just incredible. First, we had to take a smaller boat from our cruise ship to the port and then we rode a bus into the city. (This was the first time I took my motion sickness medication, just in case, as the water seemed a little choppy.) If you weren’t part of a tour like we were, you could take the boat to the port and then ride the cable car to the top of the cliff or you could walk or ride a donkey (pictured below).

The tour guide shared that there are no formal addresses in Santorini, and the cities are so remote that they go to their local grocery store at a certain day and time to meet the mailperson and pick up their mail. Mail can sometimes take weeks or even months to arrive!

Our first stop was the city of Fira. We walked up a long staircase towards the cathedral, Three Bells of Fira, to what seemed like the top of the island where you could see for miles around you. We stopped in some cute stores also, and grabbed a magnet to bring home (it’s our little tradition).

Next, we went to Oia, which is just as beautiful as every postcard you’ve seen with the white houses and blue roofs. I really enjoyed having a chance to see this city – however, I will say it was PACKED with tourists. Just about every cruise ship had their passengers touring at the same time through the narrow streets, so there were lines to get good pictures. If I go back (and I’d love to), I would prefer to stay on Santorini for several days and just explore the city early in the morning and later in the afternoon.

Days 9-10:

We docked at Crete and hadn’t booked any tour, so we actually didn’t go on the island since there was a tight window to do so – if you went into the city (30 minutes away), you’d have to be back on board by noon. We decided to spend the day on the ship participating in some of the activities we hadn’t tried yet, like trivia. Day 10 was the same as we were cruising back to Rome, where we had booked an extra day to see the city before flying home.

Day 11:

Back in Rome! We bought tickets (separate from the cruise) to see the Colosseum and Palatine Hill and, of course, the Arch of Constantine. You really get a great view of the arch from upstairs in the Colosseum!

Tip: I definitely recommend getting skip-the-line tickets for the Colosseum. The individual and group lines were insanely long, but we were able to get in at our scheduled time right away.

I could certainly see why the Colosseum is considered one of the wonders of the world. We got VIP tickets so that we could go down into the arena, and it was totally worth it! We had an awesome view of the whole Colosseum from there and it wasn’t as busy with tourists in that area. We took our time walking through the whole thing and checking out the museum before heading over to Palatine Hill.

We spent about an hour wandering Palatine Hill, but we really wanted to spend the rest of our day in Vatican City, so we grabbed a taxi and headed over there. Unfortunately, we missed the window to enter the museum and see the Sistine Chapel, but we were able to see St. Peter’s Square and tour the basilica.

That line of people (above) is actually the line to get into St. Peter’s Basilica. I almost didn’t want to wait since it wrapped around the whole square, but the line moved surprisingly quickly and it was completely worth it. No picture could truly capture the vastness of the basilica – it’s 150 feet tall in the center! Every inch was covered with intricate decoration. It was so beautiful and such a great way to end our trip!