cruising the mediterranean sea with royal caribbean

9 nights on the mediterranean sea

A truly once-in-a-lifetime experience! We cruised for 9 days, to 6 ports, in 3 countries, aboard 1 fabulous ship – Royal Caribbean’s Jewel of the Seas! We planned this Mediterranean cruise nearly a year ago and it truly was the trip of a lifetime. It was tony’s first trip to Europe and the start of my obsession with Greece. I know this is a trip neither of us will ever forget. Together we got to experience so many new things and so many new places. we took thousands of photos on our almost 2 week cruise in the Mediterranean Sea. It’s taken me nearly a month to narrow down the photos and information to one post. This one is a bit long, so bear with me! I hope this gives you all of the information you need to know for your own Mediterranean cruise!

MESSINA, SICILY

Sicily was our very first stop (of 6!) Messina is in the northeast corner of Sicily, just opposite mainland Italy. Tony was most excited for this port because of his Sicilian ancestry. He kept referring to Sicily as his “homeland” and “where he is from.” I joke, but both of us were pretty excited to eat a cannoli and embrace our Sicilian sides a bit.

We strolled through the main city center, stopping at a few churches and landmarks. Because our stop was on a Sunday, a lot of the businesses were closed. But we were not leaving without a cannoli from Sicily! We found a bakery that was open and they made us a cannoli on the spot. We both agreed it was the most delicious cannoli we have ever had. Unlike the cannolis in Boston (where we have been recently), these are very traditional and actually quite simple.

After some time in the city center, we had our sights set on the beach. Although it was a struggle, we figured out the city bus system and hopped on a bus to the beach. The Torre Farro beach is one of the most beautiful in Sicily (or so we heard!) Although the weather wasn’t quite warm enough, we still had a great time. The views from the beach over toward mainland Italy were just magnificent. we kept saying it looked like a fake backdrop in the photos.

After a few hours at the beach, we decided it was time to bus back to the ship. The Sicilian bus system must not be very reliable, because the bus was super late! We both started to sweat a bit as we worried if we could make it back in time. Don’t worry, we made it! Time for another fabulous evening on the Jewel of the Seas.

VALLETTA, MALTA

And we woke up in… Malta! We knew the least about Malta going into the cruise. We were actually supposed to cruise to Turkey that day. The cruise line discontinued travel to Turkey due to safety. Therefore, our itinerary was revised to include Malta instead of Turkey. 

Malta is a small island just south of Italy and just north of Libya. Due to its geography, Malta is a little bit European and a little bit Middle Eastern. Because of its location, it has been a hugely important naval base in several wars. We were shocked at the huge amount of history on this tiny island. Valletta has a saluting battery, which was used for firing ceremonial gun salutes and signals, but was also used in the military in World War 2. It is now open to the public and we actually saw a wedding that was going to take place there that night.

We were also were surprised at how much we loved the food. Malta is famous for their pastizzi, which is a traditional savory pastry. we tried two different flavors – one filled with cheese and the other peas. Delicious!

SEA DAY – SAILING THE JEWEL OF THE SEAS

The weather was absolutely beautiful the entire time we were gone. This was especially nice for our sea day. We were able to lay by the pool all day and just soak up the sun. Sea days are sometimes even more fun than port days. You can relax, go to the spa, do activities, or just explore the boat!

The best part about the ship is probably the food. There is food available almost all of the time, and it is delicious. On sea days you get to take full advantage of the food on the ship – like breakfast, lunch, and dinner. One of our favorite foods was the pizza that they served by the pool. It was open for afternoon snacks and late at night

One really fun thing we did on our sea day was watch a movie out by the pool. Royal Caribbean plays movies on the big screen out by the pool. They also provide blankets! We cuddled up in the lawn chairs with a blanket and watched wonder woman. That was one of our favorite things we did because it was so unique for a vacation.

I answered a lot of questions about cruising in this post, including food and drink questions. Head there to learn more!

MYKONOS, GREECE

Mykonos town is one of the cutest places I think I have ever been. The blue and white architecture is stunning. It looks exactly like you think it would. white buildings with blue doors, but with a little extra Mykonos magic in there. I worried we wouldn’t find the cute photo spots I have seen online. But just a tip, everywhere looks like that! We walked the streets and down as many tiny little alleys as we had time for. 

Mykonos has the cutest little shops and restaurants. We may have stopped and shopped in one too many stores. What else would you expect? The ‘evil eye’ is famous in Greece. I bought a gorgeous evil eye necklace in one of the shops that I now like to think is protecting me everywhere.

Mykonos is super casual, a swimsuit with a skirt over is perfect attire for anywhere in Mykonos. I wore my swimsuit in hopes of a hot beach day, but it was super windy and not as warm as I anticipated! But nonetheless, after our time in town we walked over to the closest beach. Renting a scooter or ATV is probably the quickest way to get around the island, but there was a beach so close that we opted not to. We sat and relaxed by the beach for a while but it was much too cold to get in!

We decided to head to ‘Little Venice’ for a few glasses of wine. The restaurants in Little Venice were so charming! We wish we had more time to spend there. A fisherman offered me his fishing pole and i thought why not? The people here are just so warm and friendly. Mykonos definitely has a place in my heart.

SANTORINI, GREECE

I was thinking after Mykonos how that was going to be so hard to top, but somehow Santorini did it. I never thought after our amazing day in Mykonos that I would say that, but wow. The ship pulled into port and we see all of the clusters of white buildings all on top of this cliff. It was breathtaking. I have seen photos of Santorini and spoke to our friends who had been there, but nothing compares to seeing this place in real life.

There are three ways to get from port up to the town of Fira: walk, take a donkey, or take a cable car. We did the cable car because walking up looked extremely difficult (and also time consuming) and the donkeys looked so sad. I personally recommend the cable car for the way up because it is so fast. With only 1 day in Santorini, we needed to take the fastest route!

We heard to get out of Fira as quickly as possible and go to Oia. You know those postcards with all the blue domes? That is Oia. We stopped at the first ATV rental place we saw and rented an ATV to take over to Oia. Riding an ATV on the side of a cliff in Greece was scary but awesome. We are still talking about cruising down that Greek highway.

Now let’s talk about Oia. Oia is unforgettable: the views, the domes, the water, just everything. After our cruise we decided that we would come back and stay in a hotel in Oia. The hotels had these private pools with gorgeous views of the water. If you are looking for a honeymoon destination, this is your spot. We did quite a bit of shopping here. My purchases include: Greek leather sandals, a gorgeous purse, and more jewelry. I couldn’t get enough of the blue and white colors., I even wore this dress to coordinate! Overall this was my very favorite stop and I think it would be yours too!

ATHENS, GREECE

Next stop: Athens! This stop was the most difficult for us energy wise. We forgot how tired we were right when we got off the boat. The ship docked in Piraeus, which is on the coast of Greece (Athens is not). I had to look at a map to study up on my geography! Athens was about a 45 minutes drive from Piraeus. We decided to book one of those sightseeing buses (you know those giant red ones?) The bus would provide with both transportation to Athens and then also around the city once we get there. This was the first sightseeing bus tour we have taken. We would love to do more in other cities. It was fabulous!

The bus dropped us off at the acropolis. On the ship tony and I both downloaded Rick Steve’s audio tour of the acropolis. This is a great way to save money when traveling in Europe. Rick Steve’s app and podcasts are free and you don’t have to rent those headsets or hire a guide. Pro tip! The acropolis is just chaos. Get there as early as you can because the tours start arriving by the hundred.

The acropolis is on a giant hill in the center of Athens. It has several ancient buildings, the most famous of which is the Parthenon. I’m not sure if this is the oldest building I have ever seen (it dates back to 500 BC) but man it’s old. And boy did they know how to construct buildings back then. The Parthenon has been in earthquakes and wars and it is still standing. Truly truly amazing.

Besides the acropolis, the only other must-see stop for us was the Olympic stadium, which held the first modern Olympics. I am a total Olympics nerd (thanks to my mom!) and so I really loved it here. 

After touring, we did a little shopping and also ate some delicious gyros. Athens has this cool shopping area called the Plaka, which has just streets and streets of stores and flea markets. I wish we had more time to do some damage in there! But it was back to our big red bus to get back on the beautiful ship!

SEA DAY – SAILING THE JEWEL OF THE SEAS

Relaxation at last! Never have we needed a day off more than this sea day. We slept in, laid by the pool, played some mini golf, and just hung out. It was a great relaxing day where we could talk about all of our favorite memories over the past few days.

NAPLES, ITALY

I am not going to lie to you. Naples is not my favorite place to visit. It’s kind of dirty and a little bit scary too. Sorry Naples fans, but that’s the truth. I knew that Tony and I needed to either book an excursion or figure out a plan on our own. We were deciding between going to the Isle of Capri, Pompeii, or the Amalfi Coast.

7 years ago when I went abroad I went to Capri, the Blue Grotto (one of their main attractions) wasn’t open because the water was too high. I thought this was the trip for redemption. We took a ferry over to Capri and then did a Blue Grotto tour right when we arrived. I wanted to do this so bad that I was afraid to wait longer into the day in case it closed or something! Now that I’ve been I can say that it’s a little touristy, but so so fun. It’s kind of comparable to doing a gondola ride in Venice. You know that I mean?

After the Blue Grotto we hiked up from the Capri port up to the town. I think taking the bus up there might have been better because this was a steep hike! But we didn’t know. Once we arrived at the top of the town we had lunch at a cute restaurant (great pizza!) and admired the beautiful views. Capri you definitely redeemed yourself.

Our ship then docked on the coast of Rome. Sadly, it was time to head home. The end of an amazing trip! Thank you Royal Caribbean! Royal Caribbean provided on-board credit in exchange for coverage of our trip on the Jewel of the Seas. As always, all opinions are my own.

SHOP WHAT I PACKED