Ancient Pillars – Athens, Ephesus & Barcelona

About this cruise

14 nights starts to feel like a proper adventure. You leave Civitavecchia (Rome) on August 27, 2028 and the route takes you through Naples, Palermo and Souda (Chania), with additional stops along the Eastern Mediterranean at a pace where there's never any need to rush. Last stop: Barcelona. A few ports come in quick succession, which is great for sightseeing but means you'll appreciate the sea days when they arrive. It's a proper Eastern Mediterranean tour: 5 countries, from Italy to Spain. Of the stops, Souda (Chania) tends to be the one people talk about: Venetian harbour, Cretan soul. Around 11 hours per port on average, which is generous enough to go beyond the obvious. Sun Princess launched in 2024, so everything on board is still new. You can tell. There are enough performances, events, and social mixers on a cruise this length that you couldn't do them all if you tried. And that's a good problem. The timing works well too: warm evenings on deck, late sunsets, and a lively atmosphere. Sometimes the best trips are the ones you just go ahead and book.