7 nights - Eastern Mediterranean with Istanbul - from/to Heraklion

About this cruise

You sail from Heraklion on July 3, 2026 and spend 7 nights visiting Istanbul, Mykonos, Piraeus (Athens) and Souda (Chania). It's a well-tested route and there's a reason people keep booking it. There's a stretch of back-to-back port days, so those days are busy, but the sea days around them give you time to recharge. Archaeological sites, ouzo by the water, and island-hopping through the Aegean. Most ports give you about 13 hours, so you can do more than just tick off the main sights. As for the ship itself, There are 11 restaurants on Mein Schiff 5, so you'd need to double up a few evenings to try them all in 7 nights. It's peak season, so the weather is at its best and the ship will be full. That's part of the fun. Whether you've cruised before or not, this 7-night itinerary is a genuinely good one.