Put thrilling adventure on your radar onboard the wow-worthy Explorer of the Seas®. Discover endless ways to max out memories with fleet favorites like the FlowRider®* surf simulator, Rock Climbing Wall and The Perfect Storm℠ — the boldest waterslide duo at sea. And sit down to jaw-dropping ice-skating spectaculars and dazzling world-class entertainment night after night. Sail on your most legendary journey with the cruise line voted Best Overall by Travel Weekly readers.
Day 1 Athens (Piraeus)
Piraeus is the seaport for Athens, the capital of western civilization, which boasts a fantastic mix of classical ruins and vivacious modern life. Climb the hill of Acropolis to wonder at the Parthenon, join the lively Athenians in Constitution Square, and find a welcoming taverna for spirited bizouki music, plenty of ouzo to drink, and energetic Greek dancing. Piraeus is the largest harbor in the country. The white chapel of St. George at its summit has a theater bearing the same name. The hill of Nymphs is the site of a planetarium, which is located above magnificent Thesseio temple. Among all of these hills, Acropolis is the one that glorified Athens and the whole Greek world and became the symbol of the western civilization. Bays and small rocky or sandy coves dot the area and during the summer are filled with Athenians and foreigners enjoying their beauty.
Day 2 Rhodes
Rhodes is one of Greece’s favored vacation centers and was an important cultural center with a well-known School of Rhetoric attended by such greats as Cicero and Caesar. Rhodes' most famous attractions originated with the Knights of St. John, who occupied parts of the island from 1310 to 1522 and left a medieval town, dominated by the Palace of the Grand Masters and Knights' Hospital, which houses an Archaeological Museum with interesting exhibits of national archaeological finds. Rhodes has inspired many artists. The Old Town offers shopping opportunities and lively nightlife. At Mount Filerimos a church has been built on the site of an ancient temple. A popular excursion is to the charming village of Lindos. Its premier attraction, the ancient acropolis, stands atop sheer cliffs. Walls of a 13th-century Crusader castle enclose the site. Today, the winding path up to the acropolis is lined by stalls, where locals sell lace tablecloths and souvenirs. Mandraki Harbor's entrance is flanked by stone columns topped by figures of a stag and a hind, the town's heraldic animals.
Day 3 Mykonos
Mykonos's many captivating attributes make it one of the most celebrated Greek holiday islands. Its main village is a colorful maze of narrow streets lined with white-washed houses, many with bright blue doors and shutters. As an attractive backdrop, famous windmills are lined up like toy soldiers on the hillside, vestiges of a time when wind power was used to grind grain. Mykonos has churches and chapels scattered about the island; quite a number of them are located right in town. Radiant flowers spill over white-washed walls and shady courtyards. In addition to swimming, sunning, water-skiing and surfing, visitors find endless shopping opportunities. Artists have relied on Mykonos' beautiful setting to inspire them. The most photographed site is the Paraportiani, a cluster of white-washed churches resting below windmills. Mykonos's museums include an Archaeological Museum, which houses relics from the Trojan War, a Folk Art Museum and a Maritime Museum. The best beaches are Aghios Stephanos, Psarou, Kalafatis, Onros, Panormos and Elia.
Day 4 Santorini
Santorini is everything that has made the Greek islands legendary. The world famous island of Santorini is the southern most island of the Cycladic group in the Aegean Sea, and is located north of Crete. Its population is distributed among thirteen villages and just exceeds nine thousand. The marvelous dry climate and unbroken sunshine create year around conditions which are perfect for observation, photographs and videos under an extraordinary variety of natural lights and colors.
Day 5 At Sea
Day 6 Split
Split, the largest Croatian city on the Adriatic coast, is the heart of Dalmatia. The old town is built around the harbor on the south side of a high peninsula sheltered from the open sea by many islands. Split achieved fame when the Roman emperor Diocletian (245-313), noted for his persecution of early Christians, had his retirement palace built here from 295 to 305. Since 1945 Split has grown into a major industrial city with large apartment-block housing areas. Much of old Split remains, however, and this combined with its exuberant nature makes it one of the most fascinating cities in Europe.
Day 7 Zadar
Zadar's many promenadors on the shore have a feeling they are on board the starboards of which are being laved by the waves carried by the warm zephyrus. Zadar is a town on the seaside. It is floating on the reef and closing from times a gap between itself and land, a harbor which was a pulse of its history. All the maritime and land ways led to this harbour and on their crossings the ancient marketplace was made, which became the origin of the Town, the very springwell of its life.
Day 8 Ravenna
Ravenna is located in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy and is connected to the the Adriatic Sea by the Corsini Canal. The city is famed for its buildings that date from the 5th, 6th, and 7th centuries and for the mosaics that decorate many of the interiors. Most notable are the tomb of Galla Placidia; the octagonal baptistery of Archbishop Neon (flourished 5th century), which may have been transformed from a Roman bath; the octagonal Arian Baptistery (5th-6th century); and the Church of San Vitale (consecrated in 547). Ravenna also contains the tombs of the Ostrogothic emperor Theodoric, and of Dante.