Greece, Turkey, Holy Land, Egpyt & Arabia Cruise

Day 1 - Istanbul

Arrive: Sun 26 October 2025 / Depart: Sun 26 October 2025 at 17:00

Spanning Europe and Asia, exotic Istanbul is one of the world's most fascinating cities. Domes and minarets enhance the skyline. In the old Stamboul area, traces remain of every city built since the community was established over 600 years before Christ. Once Rome's eastern capital, Istanbul was also the center of the huge Ottoman Empire. Landmarks include Hagia Sophia, once Christendom's greatest church; the Blue Mosque with its striking Iznik tiles; Topkapi Palace, containing a sultan's ransom of treasures; Chora Church with its Byzantine mosaics; and the Grand Bazaar, the ultimate shopping experience.

Day 2 - Cannakkale

Arrive: Mon 27 October 2025 at 08:00 / Depart: Mon 27 October 2025 at 18:00

Between 1865 and 1866, English explorer Frank Calvert and German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann began digging trenches through a hillock outside Canakkale and discovered layer upon layer of ancient cities. Ultimately nine cities that had thrived and fallen atop each other were identified with the legendary Greek city of Troy. The site is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Day 3 - Izmir

Arrive: Tue 28 October 2025 at 08:00 / Depart: Tue 28 October 2025 at 18:00

The magnificent Aegean coast features no shortage of appealing ports of call, and Izmir is a fine example thereof. The birthplace of Homer has grown into a thriving metropolis, filled with fine hotels along its sweeping bay. A fine Archaeology Museum and Ethnography Museum house a multitude of treasures and exhibits, while nearby resorts provide distractions of another sort. Earthquakes and fires over the centuries have obliterated most of ancient Smyrna, as it was once known, but remnants of the 4th-century fort atop Mt. Pagos still provide excellent views of the city and Gulf of Izmir.

Day 4 - Patmos

Arrive: Wed 29 October 2025 at 08:00 / Depart: Wed 29 October 2025 at 17:00

Deserted for centuries because of constant raids by pirates and the Turks, this tiny arid island was first settled in 1088 when the Emperor of Constantinople made it a gift to the monk Christodoulos Latrnos so that he could establish a monastery in honor of St. John the Divine on the site. Patmos has been a place of scholarship and religious enlightenment ever since. Today this modern pilgrimage site is a quiet respite from the tourist havens many other Greek isles have become.

Day 5 - Rhodes

Arrive: Thu 30 October 2025 at 08:00 / Depart: Thu 30 October 2025 at 23:00

Best known of the Dodecanese Islands, Rhodes is a fascinating architectural patchwork of her past. Here the legacy of the ancient Greeks mingles with that of besieging Turks, crusading knights, and occupying Italians. Twin bronze deer, the symbol of Rhodes, guard the Mandraki Harbor where the 100-foot Colossus is said to have stood, a wonder of the ancient world. The medieval Crusader City is dominated by the Palace of the Grand Masters, while cobbled streets lead to the bustling bazaar and a lively harbor that is a center of the international yachting scene.

Day 6 - At Sea

Day 7 - Spetses

Arrive: Sat 01 November 2025 at 08:00 / Depart: Sat 01 November 2025 at 17:00

Nicknamed “The Isle of the Aromas”, Spetsai is a delight to all of the senses. The island’s historic old town is a yachtsman’s paradise, boasting a stunning harbor, quaint shops and some of the finest restaurants in the Saronic Gulf. The rest of the island is relatively unpopulated and is ringed by a single road, along which you can travel in a horse-drawn carriage. As you pass by quiet, rolling hills, be sure to pause at one of the many quiet coves along the way to refresh yourself with a dip into the cerulean waters.

Day 8 - Athens

Arrive: Sun 02 November 2025 at 06:00 / Depart: Sun 02 November 2025 at 16:00

Piraeus has been the port for Athens since 482 BC. The busy harbor is filled with ferries and cruise ships making their way to the Greek Islands and other Mediterranean cities. The busy metropolis of Athens and its treasure trove of antiquities lie just a few miles from the port. Even as the reality of the modern city took hold, with its high-rise apartments, crowded sidewalks and bustling traffic, the beauty of the Acropolis, the outstanding museums, charming cafés, sidewalk markets and startling views come together in a cultural mosaic for all to enjoy.

Day 9 - Santorini

Arrive: Mon 03 November 2025 at 08:00 / Depart: Mon 03 November 2025 at 18:00

"Thira, the Wild Island" and "Kalliste, the Fairest One" - all terms of endearment for this seductive, volcanic Greek island in the Sea of Crete. Extraordinary for its black sand beaches and sheer limestone cliffs, Santorini also showcases remnants of the Phoenician, Spartan and Minoan cultures, which fell under the island's spell - an unvarying, irresistible lure that continues to this day. Fira, the picturesque, pedestrian-only capital, is reached from the seaport via a short cable car ride that offers thrilling views as you ascend.

Day 10 - Agios Nikolaos, Greece

Arrive: Tue 04 November 2025 at 08:00 / Depart: Tue 04 November 2025 at 18:00

This charming village of white houses climbing up the slopes is beautifully situated on the sparkling Gulf of Mirabello. The attractive Venetian harbor is surrounded by restaurants, outdoor cafes and clusters of shops selling everything from necessities to souvenirs. The ship docks in the center of town, and you are able to wander at will and enjoy the atmosphere of Crete's foremost resort.

Day 11 - At Sea

Day 12 - Enter Suez Canal at Port Said

Day 12 - Transit Suez Canal

Day 12 - Exit Suez Canal

Day 13 - At Sea

Day 14 - Aqaba

Arrive: Sat 08 November 2025 at 07:00 / Depart: Sat 08 November 2025 at 19:00

Aqaba is a sleepy fishing village with a long and historic past. At various times, the port was a stopover on ancient caravan routes, a garrison for Roman troops and meeting place for pilgrims en route to Mecca. Recent excavations have revealed a third-century church, one of the worlds oldest. In medieval times, Aqaba was an important part of Palestine before being absorbed into the Ottoman Empire, a time when Lawrence of Arabia figured in local history. Today Aqaba is important as Jordan's only deep water port and the jumping-off point for excursions to Petra, the country's premier historical attraction.

Day 15 - Sharm El Sheikh

Arrive: Sun 09 November 2025 at 07:00 / Depart: Sun 09 November 2025 at 18:00

Some of the best snorkeling and diving in the world is found at the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula. Here, on a slender promontory where the Gulf of Aqaba meets the Straits of Tiran, Sharm el Sheikh offers access to serene sand beaches, wind-carved cliffs and a wonderland of colorful fish and coral reefs. The area is revered as a place of prophets and miracles, including St. Catherine's Monastery, the most important religious site in Sinai, situated at the base of the mountain where Moses received the Ten Commandments.

Day 16 - Safaga

Arrive: Mon 10 November 2025 at 06:00 / Depart: Mon 10 November 2025 at 23:59

Located on the Egyptian side of the Red Sea, the port of Safaga is the gateway to some of Egypt's most memorable destinations: Luxor, Karnak and Thebes. Luxor has often been called the world's greatest open-air museum, and the number and preservation of the monuments in the area are unparalleled anywhere else in the world. The ancient Egyptians called Luxor "The City" and Homer called it the "City of a Thousand Gates." The troops of Napoleon, coming upon its grandeur, broke into spontaneous applause. The pharaoh's tombs in the Valley of the Kings, and the colossal temples of Luxor and Karnak capture the imagination with splendors that have survived the centuries.

Day 17 - At Sea

Day 18 - At Sea

Day 19 - At Sea

Day 20 - At Sea

Day 21 - At Sea

Day 22 - At Sea

Day 23 - Muscat

Arrive: Mon 17 November 2025 at 08:00 / Depart: Mon 17 November 2025 at 18:00

Oman, "The Pearl of Mystic Arabia," is one of the oldest civilizations on the Arabian Peninsula. Wedged between the Arabian Gulf and the Western Al Hajar Mountains, Muscat boasts an ancient history and rich Islamic heritage, evident in its prominent landmarks such as forts, castles, towers and mosques. Since the ascension of Qaboos bin Said as Sultan of Oman in 1970, Muscat has experienced rapid infrastructural development, leading to the growth of a vibrant economy and a multi-ethnic society.

Day 24 - At Sea

Day 25 - Abu Dhabi

Arrive: Wed 19 November 2025 at 08:00 / Depart: Wed 19 November 2025 at 18:00

Wide expanses of desert sands stretching up to the ‘Rub Al Khali' – the Empty Quarter, blue waters of the Gulf, ideal for swimming, snorkeling, sailing and fishing, archeological sites and ultra-modern malls and shops. Abu Dhabi is a fine example of how well a community survived adverse environments for thousands of years by observing strict tribal codes. Today, the values, heritage and culture which were refined by the adoption of Islam over the past millennium continue to thrive notwithstanding the ultra modern infrastructure and facilities of a cosmopolitan, moderately liberal lifestyle. Despite the limitations of a mainly desert environment and a semi-nomadic lifestyle that prevailed up to the 20th century, Abu Dhabi has a rich past evidenced by scores of restored mud fortresses and remains of underground irrigation systems in Al Ain, which has been continuously inhabited for more than 4,000 years and is considered as the cultural centre of the emirate.

Day 26 - Dubai

Arrive: Thu 20 November 2025 at 07:00 / Depart: Thu 20 November 2025

The United Arab Emirates is strategically located at the crossroads of East and West, and the traditional trading routes from Asia and the Far East to Europe and further afield are even more significant today than they were hundreds of years ago. Nestled at the very heart of the Islamic world, the country is unique in its embrace of the Western world. Here you can see the contrasts of the nomadic Bedouin people, and the opulence and splendor of the Sheiks, set against a backdrop of Western lifestyles.