Ocean Discovery – Messina, Iraklion & Piraeus (Athens)

About this cruise

This one leaves Messina on April 4, 2028 and spends 10 nights visiting Heraklion, Piraeus (Athens) and Istanbul, with additional stops along the Eastern Mediterranean at a pace where every day has something going on but there's always time to just sit and watch the water too. Disembarkation is in Piraeus (Athens). 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 10 hours, so you can do more than just tick off the main sights. As for the ship itself, Costa Pacifica: 3,014 guests, 13 decks. Entertainment, dining, and enough space that it never feels cramped. 10 nights is long enough to build a routine on board: favourite restaurant, favourite deck chair, favourite people. It starts to feel like a floating village. If you like having options (restaurants, bars, activities, entertainment), a big ship delivers that. A spring departure helps too: decent weather and a calmer feel at each port. You start in Messina and come back with stories from Greece and Türkiye.