Italy, Greece and Montenegro Cruise Review

This is part of a series of interviews with inspiring travelers. Today’s interview comes from Christine about her Italy, Greece and Montenegro cruise. All photos provided by Christine.

Tell us about yourself and your travel experience.

I would have to say that I have been traveling in one way or another my whole life. My parents always took us places every summer growing up. We may not have ventured far from home, but we were always experiencing new places and things.

Once I got married, I really started seeing lots of new places. Due to my husband’s job, we move every few years and have lived and experienced so many different cultures.

We have been lucky enough to travel through most of the United States and England. We have also visited Canada, Mexico, Scotland, Spain, Brussels, France, and Portugal.

Where did you go on your cruise and how long was it?

We left from Venice, Italy and docked in Bari, Italy; Katakolon (Olympia), Greece; Santorini, Greece; Piraeus (Athens), Greece; Corfu, Greece; Kotor, Montenegro; and back to Venice, Italy. It was a 7 night cruise.

What company did you use and why?

We used MSC cruise lines mostly because they were the cheapest and my son went free. But we also considered taking one of the Royal Caribbean ships.

Why did you choose a cruise instead of traveling independently?

My parents, brother, husband, and 2 year old son were all included in this trip so a cruise seemed the easiest and best way to see a lot of Italy and Greece without the stress of figuring out all the logistics of traveling on our own.

>>Read: Advantages of Taking a Tour

What did you like about the cruise? What was your favorite part?

I liked being able to see 7 different places in 3 different countries over a 7 day period and still be able to come back to the same room every night.

My favorite part was taking a tour in Olympia and seeing all the ruins. I remember thinking about when we studied Greek mythology in high school, I never would have imagined I would be standing where all that originated! It was an amazing feeling.

What was the most memorable or eventful part of your trip?

Climbing the city walls in Kotor, Montenegro with my son on my back. I got lots of comments from others hiking to the top about how brave and strong I was to carry him the whole way. It was well worth it for the views from the top!

>>Before you get on that boat, check out what to pack for a cruise.

Was there anything you didn’t like about the cruise?

Most of the ship was too crowded for my taste and there could have been more to help keep my 2 year old entertained, but overall it was a great deal. Although we were a bit surprised at how many extra things we had to pay for once we got on the ship, but I guess that’s why MSC cruises are so cheap.

Did you eat anything amazing on your trip?

Lots of Italian food, and we had some pretty good gyros in Athens. I actually tried eggplant for the first time and really liked it.

What inspired you to take this cruise or travel to this destination?

I have always wanted to visit Italy and my Mom said that when they came to visit us, she wanted to either go to Italy or Greece. I figured by doing a cruise we could visit both and get the most out of the short time we had.

Would you recommend this cruise? Would you change anything about it?

This was a great cruise destination, but I would recommend that people splurge a bit and go on a cruise line with more things included in the price.

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Do you think this cruise would be good for a new traveler? Why or why not?

This cruise would be good for a new traveler who is okay with crowds and having to wait in long lines to get anywhere.

My one negative about taking a cruise is that there are often other cruise ships also docking at the same time as you ship. This results in a massive amount of people all trying to get to and see the exact same things in a very short amount of time.

I would not recommend this for people who like to see things at a leisurely pace.

Bio: Christine is originally from the southern US and currently lives in England with her husband and son.

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