This tour program is currently unavailable.
This program has been suspended due to the bankrupcy of the company that owns this ship. Unfortunately, the owners were unable to negotiate financing to keep this beautiful program sailing.
Mediterranean Splendor Cruise
Portofino, Italy
The Mediterranean's rich history, culture, tradition, art and science unfold before you on this magnificent 7-day cruise aboard the Olympia Voyager, one of two new state-of-the-art cruise ships in the Royal Olympia line. You'll visit the great centers of civilizations - Italy, Greece and Turkey - while enjoying the luxury and fun aboard ship. All of this is yours at a wonderfully affordable price that represents exceptional value for money.
Our Touring Program
Day 1: Depart USA. Your exciting cruise tour begins this evening as you check-in for your Lufthansa jet flight bound for Athens (via Frankfurt, Germany).
Day 2: Arrive Athens, Greece. Early afternoon arrival in Athens, vibrant capital of Greece You'll be escorted to your hotel located in the shadow of the Acropolis and just a short walk from the Plaka. Enjoy the afternoon at leisure. Welcome dinner this evening. Divani Palace Hotel. (D)
Day 3: Athens. Athens. This morning enjoy a tour of Athens, birthplace of Western Civilization. Visit the Parthenon, the Royal Palace, Pan Athenian Stadium, Temple of Olympian Zeus, the Acropolis and other sites. Continue to Piraeus and board the Olympia Voyager, a fast, elegant, state-of-the-art cruise ship. Settle in to your stateroom and set sail this evening at 5:00 pm for the Mediterranean. (B,D)
Day 4: Cruising the Mediterranean. Cruising the Mediterranean. Spend the day at sea, enjoying the facilities aboard your cruise ship. Swim at the pool, enjoy the warm, inviting Mediterranean breezes on deck, or participate in some of the on-board activities offered during your day of sailing. (B,L,D)
Day 5: Genoa, Italy & Nice, France. Birthplace of Christopher Columbus, Genoa has a long and proud history as one of the most important ports on the Mediterranean. The rejuvenated waterfront is home to an outstanding maritime museum and aquarium. The city has the second largest medieval quarter in Europe with superb examples of gothic architecture, perfect for an afternoon stroll. Tours to the nearby villages of Portofino and Santa Margherita are also available.
Board the cruise ship and sail along the glittering Cote d'Azur to the charming village of Villefranche, just a short ride from picturesque Monte Carlo. Try your luck in the casino or stroll through the tidy streets lined with glamorous boutiques. On the fabled French Riviera, the vibrant city of Nice is also nearby. (B,L,D)
Day 6: Civitavecchia, Rome, Italy. The ship docks this morning at Civitavecchia, the port of the Eternal City of Rome. Take a tour and see the Colosseum and Forum, visit the Vatican or shop for Italian leather goods. Be sure to toss a coin into Trevi Fountain, which, according to legend, will guarantee you will return to Rome one day. (B,L,D)
Day 7: Messina & Taormino, Italy. From Messina, Sicily's most important city, you can take a tour to Taormina, a beautiful city overlooking Mount Etna. Visit the Palazzo Corvaia, which dates from the 15th Century, and the acoustically perfect Greek Theatre, which offers outstanding views of the Sicilian countryside. (B,L,D)
Day 8: Santorini & Mykonos, Greece. Santorini is one of the most breathtaking of all the Greek Islands. In the town of Fira, the whitewashed houses, narrow streets, open-air cafes and glittering boutiques cling to steep cliffs and are accessible by cable car or mule. To the south is Akrotiri, where recent Minoan excavations support theories that Santorini might be the fabled lost continent of Atlantis. After a visit, sail to Mykonos, another gorgeous island filled with sparkling beaches, chic boutiques, tiny chapels and beautiful windmills. Find a table on the waterfront and enjoy the view. Or, take an optional shore excursion to the Delos Apollo Sanctuary. (B.L,D)
Day 9: Kusadasi & Ephessos, Turkey & Patmos, Greece. This morning you'll dock at the Turkish port of Kusadasi. A tour to nearby Ephessos should not be missed, for here history truly comes to life. Walking towards the ancient harbor, down a marble road rutted by the wheels of countless chariots, you pass architectural masterpieces like the Library of Celsus before arriving at the Great Amphitheater where St. Paul was arrested and cast out of the city. Continue sailing to Patmos, the island known as the site of the apocalyptic Revelations of St. John the Divine, written here during his exile from the Roman Empire. The cave where he lived is near the site of the Monastery of the Apocalypse. The Monastery of St. John, built on one of the island's highest points, houses priceless icons and manuscripts in its Treasury.
Day 10: Piraeus & Athens, Greece. Piraeus/Athens. Disembark at Piraeus then board your touring coach back to Athens and your hotel. Enjoy the day at leisure to shop for treasures, stroll, and enjoy the sites and sounds of this exciting and cosmopolitan city. This evening, enjoy an opportunity to join an optional traditional Greek dinner with entertainment at the Plaka. Divani Palace Hotel (B)
Day 11: Greece/USA. Morning transfer to the airport for your flight to the USA. Your memorable journey ends as you arrive in the USA later today.
Classical Greece 4 Day Extension
Nafplion, Olympia & Delphi
Why not take advantage of your already included international airfare and add four days in Greece to visit the classical cities of Nafplion, Olympia, and Delphi? Your extension includes four nights in first class hotels, full buffet breakfast and dinner daily, guided touring and all entrance fees to places visited.
Day 11: Athens & Nafplion. Today we'll drive across the Corinth Canal, which connects the Ionian Sea with the Aegean, to the Peloponnesian Peninsula, where 4,000 years of history are more fully and comprehensibly illustrated than anywhere else in Europe. Here we'll visit Mycenae and the famous theater of Epidaurus, the best preserved in Greece, which reached the height of its fame in the 5th & 4th centuries B.C. The acoustics are so perfect that even from the last of the 55 tiers, every word can be heard. Continue to Nafplion for dinner and overnight. Hotel Amalia Nauplia. (B,D)
Day 12: Nafplion & Olympia. Following breakfast we'll drive inland to Arcadia via Tripoli and Megalopolis, where Epaminondas' most ambitious creation, a 21,000-seat theatre reputed to be the largest in all of Greece, was built. Continue to Olympia, where the Olympic games were conceived as a tribute to Hercules, son of Zeus. These games were the most important international event in the Hellenic world from 776 B.C. to 393 A.D. and continue until today, with the lighting of the Olympic flame that is carried by runners throughout the world. Visit the Sanctuary of the Olympian Zeus and the Museum. Hotel Amalia Olympia. (B,D)
Day 13: Delphi. After breakfast we'll depart for Delphi, passing Rion, Antirion and picturesque Nafpaktos, where according to mythology, Hercules slew the Erymanthine boar and where we'll view the lovely circular Venetian harbor. En route we'll stop at the seaside of Eratini or Itea, then continue our drive to Delphi where we'll visit the Castalia Spring and the Sanctuary of Athena Promaia. Hotel Amalia Delphi. (B,D)
Day 14: Delphi/Athens. This morning we'll visit the Sanctuary of Apollo Pythios and the Museum. Later, we'll drive through the village of Arachova, renowned for its colorful rugs and carpets, to the Byzantine monastery of Ossios Loukas where we'll view it's beautiful mosaics. Continue to Athens via Levadia, which, under Turkish rule, became the second most important town in Greece after Athens, then on to Thebes, which out of jealousy, allied itself with the Persians against Athens in 479 BC and then suffered defeat at the hands of the Athenians. Divani Palace Hotel. (B)
Day 15: Athens/USA. Early this morning board your homebound flight via Frankfurt, Germany. Your magical journey to Greece ends as you arrive the USA later today.
Add $425 per person (plus $170 for single occupancy rooms) for the Classic Greece Extension.
