Last month, I embarked on my second-ever European cruise. The 7-night voyage departed from Athens (Piraeus), Greece, and sailed to Santorini, Mykonos, Kuşadası, and Naples.
Though I've cruised throughout Europe, this was my first time sailing to the Greek Isles, and I fell in love with the islands' whitewashed walls, blue domes, and narrow streets. The food was delicious, too!
Aside from the ports, I couldn't have loved the ship more. Celebrity Ascent's sleek design, modern accommodations, high-quality entertainment, and dining did not leave much to be desired.
Even so, the trip wasn't without its challenges. From battling a heat wave to booking prearranged transfers for the first time, here are 12 things that surprised me the most on my European cruise.
Jet lag was hard to overcome
When I went on my first European cruise, I spent a full week in London beforehand, so I had more time to adjust to the time difference. By the time embarkation day rolled around, I was well-rested and looking forward to exploring Italy, Spain, and France, despite having a busy schedule in England for my cousin's wedding.
Though my fiancée and I arrived in Greece two days before our cruise, we struggled with jet lag. In fact, we were so exhausted when we landed that we skipped a pre-booked wine tasting, opting for room service at the hotel instead. The next day, we slept in a little later than planned and nearly missed our guided tour of the Acropolis!
Next year, we're cruising to Norway, and instead of having one full day in Europe before our cruise, we're planning to give ourselves an extra day to adjust to the time zone and recover from the long flight. Jet lag had never been an issue for me, so I didn’t anticipate how disruptive it could be to our travel plans.
I was glad we had a Premium Drink Package
Knowing we had a port-intensive cruise, I wasn't too sure whether we'd benefit from an unlimited drink package. After 7 days onboard, though, upgrading from Celebrity's Classic to the Premium Drink Package was well worth the cost.
Having had the Classic Package on Celebrity Reflection a few months prior, I didn't love feeling limited in my drink choices. Sticking to bottom-shelf liquors and basic wines wasn't interesting compared to Royal Caribbean's Deluxe Beverage Package, either.
We loved returning onboard after warm days ashore and relaxing with a refreshing Lychee Martini in the Grand Plaza, and we couldn't watch the nightly game shows in The Club without our drink of choice.
Read more: Is a Celebrity drink package worth it? I tried it to see whether it was worth the money
Though drink packages aren't a wise investment for everyone, we enjoyed the more inclusive nature of our cruise, rather than feeling as though we had to pay an upcharge for a premium cocktail.
There wasn't much of a language barrier
From taxi drivers in Athens to pushy street vendors in Turkey, nearly everyone we interacted with spoke English, often using it more fluently than anticipated. Having a fiancée who speaks Greek meant I wasn't too worried about communicating; she could help translate if needed.
Although she occasionally chose to speak Greek to practice her skills, many tourist-friendly spots were accustomed to English speakers. In fact, we ate lunch at a quaint restaurant in Athens and were shocked to hear our waiter speak not one, but three languages to different customers!
Still, I was thankful I had learned a few key phrases in Greek before our trip.
I'm thankful we didn't extend our trip and spend a day or two in Rome
When I began planning my Greek Isles cruise, a post-cruise stay in Rome was on the table. However, extending our vacation turned out to be impossible because of my fiancée's work schedule. She had to return home to start teacher workdays to prepare for the school year.
Truthfully, that was a blessing in disguise! By the end of our 10-day trip, we were so exhausted that sightseeing in Rome would not have been enjoyable. It wasn't a huge priority, either. My fiancée spent a week in Rome a few years ago, and I visited last year on a cruise onboard MSC Seashore.
Though there's always more to see and appreciate, especially when abroad, we concluded ending our vacation and heading straight to the airport from Civitavecchia was the wisest thing to do, rather than have her take PTO at the start of the year.
The ship was livelier at night than anticipated
After long days ashore, we assumed the atmosphere would be low-key; however, we could not have been more wrong!
From ABBA sing-a-longs in The Club to production shows, silent discos in the Grand Plaza, and deck parties underneath the stars, there was no shortage of activities to keep the fun going into the late hours of the evening.
At times, we found it difficult to keep up with the high-energy pace of the ship at night. While we're both younger, we appreciate being well-rested, especially when exploring bucket list-worthy ports of call. Being hungover or groggy while on a 9-hour tour did not sound appealing.
Read more: 101 best things to do on a cruise
Euros came in handy
Before departing from Charlotte, I stopped by a currency exchange kiosk for euros. I knew we'd need cash for taxis, and I wasn't sure if all souvenir shops and local cafés would take credit cards. In total, we brought around €280 (or $300) and ran out on the last day after we tipped our tour guide in Naples.
While we definitely paid with a card more than expected, we also defaulted to paying in euros a lot, mostly because we didn't want to return home with a lot of unused cash. Even so, there were moments when we were glad we had plenty of euros on hand, and we would have needed more if I hadn't discovered how to use Uber to pay for taxis in Athens.
Typically, I don't stress about cash too much on a Caribbean cruise. After visiting the region over ten times, I'm less likely to buy souvenirs, and if I do an excursion, it's usually paid for in advance on a card. Though I'll keep a few bills on me for tips, that's about the extent it's needed.
Speaking of excursions, tours in Greece and Italy weren't cheap
While it's easy to find excursions for around $50-$80 per person in the Caribbean, especially if you book with a third party, tours in Europe were more costly. We booked our excursions during Celebrity Cruises' Black Friday sale last year, and I'm so glad we did!
We paid $495 for two tours, one of which increased to $300 per person shortly after the sale ended. While I'm not upset at what we paid, I would not have spent $600 for the small group excursion in Naples.
Of course, there are plenty of ways to plan affordable days ashore. For example, we did not need to book a sailing tour in Mykonos; however, we wanted to see a few of the island's infamous beaches.
We could have saved money by walking around the Old Port and taking the complimentary shuttle from the cruise pier. Looking back, though, that tour was one of the trip's highlights and was well worth the money.
Pricey tours aren't exclusive to the Greek Isles, either. Looking ahead, we've started planning our cruise to Norway next year.
Most excursions in Olden cost at least $200 per person. Though there are a few that are slightly more affordable, they aren't the most interesting. I'd rather splurge on a tour that visits Stryn Lake and the Loen Skylift Cable Car than $100 for a 45-minute boat ride!
Read more: 10 tips for getting the best cruise shore excursion values
The embarkation terminal wasn't updated, but it was efficient
After sailing from Royal Caribbean and Celebrity's newest terminals in Miami and Fort Lauderdale, I'm always weary about sailing from other ports.
I sailed from Jacksonville, Florida earlier this year and had a less-than-pleasant experience in the stuffy terminal. Similarly, Cruise.Blog writer Allie cruised from Charleston, South Carolina recently and was disappointed by the 2-hour-long embarkation process in coastal Carolina humidity.
However, while the terminal in Athens wasn't updated, the check-in process was quick. We arrived around 11:40am to find short lines. After dropping off our suitcases, having our documents checked, and going through security, it was about 11:55am, and we were set to be on the ship before noon!
Read more: 31 cruise ship embarkation tips and tricks
Spending money in port is inevitable
From local cuisine to souvenirs, we spent more money ashore than on past cruises. We had two delicious, albeit expensive, meals ashore in Greece, totaling around $215. We didn't hold back on trying local treats either, including spanakopita in Santorini and refreshing gelato in Mykonos, and plenty of souvenirs were purchased.
It's easy to essentially "save" money when in a port like Nassau. I have no desire to get off the ship to roam the same stores and buy a Bahamas t-shirt or knick-knack. Moreover, when on an excursion in the Caribbean, I'm typically ready to return to the ship afterward, rather than walk around the port's duty-free area.
Whether it was local olive oil, Greek liquor, or handmade jewelry, we found ourselves drawn to unique items that allowed us to bring home meaningful souvenirs.
The heat was unbearable at times
If I learned anything from my Greek Isles cruise it's that I won't be visiting the area in July again, ever. The day we departed for Greece, the Acropolis was closed from 12:00pm to 5:00pm due to high temperatures. I was hoping that the heatwave would subside at least a little bit; however, we dealt with temperatures in the high 90s every day of our vacation.
In fact, we skipped our excursion to Ephesus, Turkey because the high was 105°F. Instead, we opted to visit a Turkish bath and have lunch ashore before returning to the air-conditioned ship. Though disappointing to miss out on a planned activity, this was a good lesson in prioritizing comfort and well-being.
Before our cruise, we stocked up on items from Amazon to help keep us cool on excursions, including a portable fan and cooling patches. Regardless of whether you're traveling to The Caribbean or the Mediterranean, I'd recommend bringing along some heat-combating devices to help make your time ashore more bearable.
Read more: How to deal with summer heat on a cruise
Disembarkation was easy
After seven wonderful nights onboard, our time on Celebrity Ascent had ended, and we dreaded our long travel day from Rome to Charlotte. Thankfully, Celebrity made the disembarkation process a breeze. Since we had prearranged transfers, we were one of the first groups called, after self-assisted disembarkation.
There were plenty of crew members helping to direct passengers, which resulted in an orderly experience, and we were off the ship before we knew it. The luggage area was neatly organized, and we didn't struggle to locate our three suitcases.
Afterward, we made our way to the terminal's exit. Perhaps the most surprising aspect was that nobody checked our passports. I figured there would be some sort of passport control since the cruise began in a different country than we were disembarking in.
Read more: Why you should think twice before carrying your own luggage off your cruise ship
I'm glad we arranged transfers to the airport through Celebrity
My 7-night cruise on Celebrity Ascent was the first time I prearranged airport transfers through the cruise line. Typically, I'll rely on rideshares when disembarking in Florida—or elsewhere in the United States—as it's easy to arrange after getting off the ship and waiting in the ground transfers area. Plus, it's often cheaper than cruise line transfers.
This time, however, the airport wasn't 30 minutes or so away. After evaluating our options and trying to be mindful of cost, we decided to go with a shared shuttle through Celebrity, rather than private transfers. If we had a later flight, I would have been more inclined to book a private transfer, so we could have had a few hours in Rome, but it didn't seem worth the cost for an hour-long ride to the airport.
Once we disembarked the ship, we immediately spotted the two buses allotted for our group. After handing our suitcases off, we boarded the bus and had a short wait before we departed for the airport. Knowing we had prearranged transfers made the morning of disembarking hassle-free, as I wouldn't have wanted to seek out transportation on our own with our heavy bags in tow.
Read more: 10 Biggest Mistakes to Avoid at Cruise Ship Embarkation And Disembarkation
Elizabeth Wright
Elizabeth graduated from New York University's Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute with her M.A. in Journalism in May 2023. Growing up, she had the privilege of traveling frequently with her family and fell in love with cruising after sailing on the Oasis of the Seas her freshman year of high school. She wanted to pursue a career that highlighted her passion for travel and strengths as a writer.
