Cruise · Europe
The Mediterranean, Three Ways
Rome, the Greek isles, and Ephesus. The same trip built at three price points.
- Duration
- 12 to 19 nights
- Price
- $7,030 to $38,850 total for two
- Destinations
- Rome, Naples or the Amalfi Coast, Crete, Ephesus, the Cyclades, Athens
- Best months
- May, June, September, October
- Ideal for
- Couples and pairs of friends who want the Mediterranean done properly once, and want to see what each level of spending actually buys before they commit.
- Priced
- 26 August 2026, for 2027 sailings
The short version
We built the same Mediterranean vacation three times. Three nights in Rome first, a cruise through the Greek isles and Turkey, two nights in Athens at the end, at three different levels of spending. Here is what each one costs for two people, all in, including flights, hotels, transfers, excursions and gratuities.
Value
Princess
$7,030
$3,515 per person · 12 nights
Balance
Azamara
$15,600
$7,800 per person · 14 nights
Luxury
Seabourn
$38,850
$19,425 per person · 19 nights
Prices quoted 26 August 2026 for 2027 departures. Cruise fares move weekly, and 2027 airfare is a planning estimate because the flights are not yet on sale.
Why we build the Mediterranean as a cruise and a land trip
Most people book a Mediterranean cruise and fly in the day before. We almost never recommend it.
A one-way Rome to Athens sailing puts you in two of the great cities of the world and gives you a few hours in each. Rome you see from a bus on the way to the port. Athens you see from a taxi on the way to the airport. You will have been to both and seen neither.
So every version of this trip is built the same way: three nights in Rome before you board, and two nights in Athens after you get off. It costs more. It is the part of the trip people talk about afterward.
It also removes the single worst risk in cruise travel. If your transatlantic flight is delayed and you were supposed to board that afternoon, the ship leaves without you. Arrive three days early and a delayed flight is an inconvenience instead of a catastrophe. You are also over the jet lag by the time the good part starts.
The three tiers side by side
| Attribute | Value: Princess | Balance: Azamara | Luxury: Seabourn |
|---|---|---|---|
| Experience | Mainstream | Premium | Luxury |
| Ship | Sun Princess | Azamara Onward | Seabourn Ovation |
| Guests aboard | ~4,300 | ~700 | ~600 |
| Cabin | Interior | Veranda | Veranda suite |
| Cruise nights | 7 | 9 | 14 |
| Land nights | 5 (3 Rome, 2 Athens) | 5 (3 Rome, 2 Athens) | 5 (3 Rome, 2 Athens) |
| Total trip | 12 nights | 14 nights | 19 nights |
| Ports of call | 4 | 8 | 11 |
| Sea days | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Excursion style | Two paid, two DIY | Five small-group, three DIY | Six or seven private |
| Gratuities | Extra, about $252 for two | Included | Not expected |
| Standard drinks | Extra | Included | Included |
| Premium spirits | Extra | Extra | Included |
| Wi-Fi | Extra | Extra | Included |
| Specialty dining | Extra | Extra | Included |
| Cruise fare, per person | $1,099 | $4,299 | $12,399 |
| Total for two | $7,030 | $15,600 | $38,850 |
| Cost per day ashore, two | $781 | $1,200 | $2,428 |
| Best for | A first Mediterranean, done well, on a real budget | Most people. Ports and pace over polish. | Length, remoteness and never thinking about money |
Three things worth noticing in that table.
The cruise fare roughly doubles at each step, but the trip total does not, because at the value end you are paying for flights, hotels and excursions on top of a cheap fare, and at the luxury end a great deal of what you would otherwise pay for separately is already in the fare.
Ports go up faster than price. Princess visits four ports of call in seven nights with two sea days. Azamara visits eight in nine nights with none. Seabourn visits eleven in fourteen. You are not only buying a nicer room. You are buying more days standing in Greece.
And the smaller the ship, the stranger the ports. Monemvasia, Gythion, Çeşme, Volos are not places a 4,300-passenger ship can call. Volos is a genuine maiden port for Seabourn in 2027, confirmed in the line's own announcement.
Tier 1 · Value
Princess, seven nights, about $7,030 for two
Sun Princess · 12 to 19 September 2027 · Civitavecchia to Athens · 7 nights
The value build. Interior cabin, three nights in Rome, two nights in Athens, two paid excursions and two do-it-yourself port days. It is not a compromise trip. It is a well-chosen trip with the money spent where it shows.
The sailing
Four ports of call, Naples, Chania, Kuşadası and Mykonos, plus embarkation in Rome and disembarkation in Athens, with two sea days.
Interior cabins were $1,099 per person and balconies $1,914 per person including taxes and port fees when we checked on 26 August 2026.
Day by day
Days 1 to 3 · Rome
Arrive and keep the first evening deliberately light. The Spanish Steps, Trevi, the Pantheon, Piazza Navona, dinner in the historic center. It is all walkable and needs no guide. Day two is the one paid tour, a small-group Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill morning. Day three is the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel on timed-entry tickets rather than a premium guided tour, then an unstructured afternoon around Castel Sant'Angelo and Trastevere.
Day 4 · Rome to Civitavecchia
A shared cruise transfer rather than hauling luggage onto a train. Board in the afternoon. The ship sails at 6pm.
★Day 5 · Naples
Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast. A coach to Salerno, a boat along the coastline, an hour in Amalfi, lunch, then a guided walk through the ruins. It is a long day and it is the best day of the cruise.
Day 6 · At sea
Around the toe of Italy toward Greece.
Day 7 · Chania, Crete
A do-it-yourself day and none the worse for it. The Venetian harbour, the lighthouse, the labyrinth of the old town, a long Greek lunch, and Nea Hora beach if you want a swim before sailing.
Day 8 · At sea
★Day 9 · Kuşadası, Turkey
Ephesus, the Terrace Houses and a proper Turkish lunch, in a small group. Of everything on this itinerary, this is the one people come home talking about.
Day 10 · Mykonos
Get intentionally lost in Chora. Little Venice, the windmills, Matoyianni Street, then find somewhere over the water for a long lunch. The ship does not leave until 9pm, so there is no rush.
Days 11 to 12 · Athens
Disembark at Piraeus, transfer into the city, leave the bags at the hotel. The Acropolis and the Acropolis Museum, then Plaka and Monastiraki on foot and dinner with the Parthenon lit up above you. The second day is yours: markets, Anafiotika, the National Garden, a long lunch.
Day 13 · Fly home
What we would pay for
- ★Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast from Naples, about $300 for two
- ★Ephesus, Terrace Houses and lunch from Kuşadası, about $300 for two
- ·Chania, do it yourself, about $50
- ·Mykonos, do it yourself, about $75
- ·Rome, one guided tour, timed-entry tickets for the rest
- ·Athens, the Acropolis, then explore on your own
The principle at this tier: pay a guide where the guide is the difference between rubble and a story. Pompeii and Ephesus qualify. Wandering Chania does not.
What it costs
| Line item | Cost for two | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Open-jaw economy airfare, Detroit to Rome, Athens to Detroit | $2,000 | Planning estimate, 2027 flights not yet on sale |
| Rome hotel, 3 nights | $600 | Well-reviewed central boutique, breakfast included |
| Rome tours and admissions | $250 | One guided Colosseum morning, Vatican timed entry |
| Rome airport and Civitavecchia transfers | $175 | Shared transfers |
| Princess interior cabin, 7 nights | $2,198 | $1,099 per person, taxes and port fees included |
| Princess Crew Appreciation | $252 | $18 per person per day, 7 nights, 2026 rate |
| Pompeii and Amalfi Coast excursion | $300 | |
| Chania, on our own | $50 | |
| Ephesus, Terrace Houses and lunch | $300 | |
| Mykonos, on our own | $75 | |
| Piraeus to Athens | $40 | Metro or shared transfer |
| Athens hotel, 2 nights | $300 | |
| Athens tours and admissions | $150 | Acropolis and Acropolis Museum |
| Athens to airport | $40 | Metro |
| Price cushion | $300 | |
| Total for two | $7,030 |
Excludes onboard drinks and wi-fi, land meals, travel insurance and shopping.
Balcony variant: swap the interior line for $3,828 and the total becomes $8,660. That is $1,630 more for the two of you, the honest number for a balcony versus an interior, taxes in. Whether it is worth it on this particular itinerary is a real question, and we do the math further down.
Honest caveat
Don't book this tier if you want the ship itself to be the vacation. Sun Princess is a large, comfortable, well-run resort at sea, but with two sea days on a port-heavy week you will spend most of your daylight hours off it. If your idea of a good cruise is unhurried days aboard with the occasional port, you want more sea days, not this itinerary. And if crowds bother you, understand that a 4,300-passenger ship arrives in Mykonos alongside other big ships.
Tier 2 · Balance
Azamara, nine nights, about $15,600 for two
Azamara Onward · 6 to 15 August 2027 · Rome to Athens · 9 nights
The balance build, and the one we recommend most often. A small ship, a veranda, eight ports in nine nights, no sea days at all, and gratuities and standard drinks already in the fare.
The sailing
Rome, Amalfi, Syracuse, Kefalonia, Gythion, Agios Nikolaos on Crete, Rhodes, Marmaris, Santorini, Athens.
Veranda staterooms were $4,299 per person including taxes and fees on 26 August 2026. Azamara was also advertising up to $1,000 onboard credit per stateroom at that time. Promotions like that come and go, and we tell you what is live when you ask.
The important difference is not the ship. It is that Azamara calls at Amalfi itself rather than docking in Naples and driving you 90 minutes to get there, and that it stops in places like Gythion and Kefalonia that most Mediterranean itineraries skip entirely.
Day by day
Days 1 to 3 · Rome
The same three nights, upgraded. A well-located four-star, a private airport transfer, and two small-group tours instead of one: Ancient Rome on day two, the Vatican on day three.
Day 4 · Board in Civitavecchia
Private transfer from the hotel. Sails at 6pm.
★Day 5 · Amalfi
A small-group Amalfi and Ravello day. Villa Rufolo, the coastal drive, a long Italian lunch. This is the port where a small ship earns its premium.
Day 6 · Syracuse, Sicily
Ortigia on foot: Piazza Duomo, the Temple of Apollo, the waterfront, street food, granita. An optional food and wine walk if you want structure.
★Day 7 · Kefalonia
Melissani Cave, Myrtos Beach and Assos, in a small group rather than a coach.
★Day 8 · Gythion
Mystras, the UNESCO-listed Byzantine city, is about an hour inland and worth the drive. Or make this the easy day: a waterfront lunch and nowhere to be.
★Day 9 · Agios Nikolaos, Crete
Boat across to Spinalonga, then lunch around Elounda.
Day 10 · Rhodes
The Medieval City of Rhodes is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the great walking towns in the Mediterranean. No tour needed. The ship stays until 10pm.
★Day 11 · Marmaris, Turkey
The Dalyan river, the rock-cut Lycian tombs, and Iztuzu Beach if there is time.
★Day 12 · Santorini
Oia, the caldera viewpoints, a winery, Fira. Book something organized here. Santorini gets congested when several ships are in port and an unstructured day can turn into a day spent queuing for the cable car.
Days 13 to 14 · Athens
The Acropolis and Acropolis Museum in a small group, then Plaka. Day two is the Athens food tour, which we cut from the value build and put back in here: markets, cheeses, pastries, souvlaki, wine.
Day 15 · Fly home
What we would pay for
- ★Amalfi and Ravello, small group
- ★Kefalonia: Melissani, Myrtos, Assos, small group
- ★Spinalonga and Elounda from Agios Nikolaos, small group
- ★Santorini, organized, for logistics as much as sightseeing
- ·Syracuse, Rhodes, Gythion, on your own
Not an excursion in every port. Five good small-group days, three do-it-yourself days, and about $1,800 for two across the cruise. The days we would protect: Amalfi, Kefalonia, Crete and Santorini.
What it costs
| Line item | Cost for two | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Open-jaw economy airfare | $2,400 | Planning estimate |
| Rome hotel, 3 nights | $875 | Upscale four-star, historic center |
| Rome tours | $550 | Two small-group half-days |
| Rome private transfers | $300 | Airport and Civitavecchia |
| Azamara Onward veranda, 9 nights | $8,598 | $4,299 per person, taxes and fees included |
| Shore excursions across 8 ports | $1,800 | Five small-group days, three on our own |
| Piraeus to Athens | $65 | |
| Athens hotel, 2 nights | $525 | |
| Athens tours | $400 | Small-group Acropolis and a food tour |
| Athens to airport | $65 | |
| Total for two | $15,600 |
Gratuities and standard beer, wine and spirits are already in the Azamara fare. Wi-Fi, premium spirits and the specialty restaurants sit in Experience More packages, $799 to $1,699 per stateroom, optional and not in the total above. Most couples do not need the top one.
Azamara was advertising up to $1,000 onboard credit per stateroom on 26 August 2026. Promotional, and not counted in the total.
Honest caveat
Don't book this tier if you need a lot to do on board. Azamara Onward is a small ship: no water slides, no production shows on the scale of a Princess, limited options if the weather turns. It is also nine nights with no sea days, which is exactly right for people who came for the destinations and exhausting for people who wanted to lie down. And if the cruise fare is the number you are optimizing, Princess does the same region for less than half. This tier is worth it for the ports and the pace, not the bedding.
Tier 3 · Luxury
Seabourn, fourteen nights, about $38,850 for two
Seabourn Ovation · 14 to 28 August 2027 · roundtrip Athens · 14 nights
The luxury build, and a genuinely different kind of trip rather than a nicer version of the first two. Around 600 guests, every accommodation an ocean-front suite with a veranda, eleven ports including Istanbul, and effectively nothing to sign for once you are aboard.
The sailing
Monemvasia, Agios Nikolaos, Mykonos, Kuşadası, Çeşme, Istanbul, Kepez for Troy, Volos, Patmos, Rhodes and Santorini, with two sea days.
Entry-level veranda suites were advertised from $12,399 per person including taxes and fees on 26 August 2026.
Two details matter more than the suite. The ship stays in Kuşadası until 11pm and Patmos until 10pm, so you get evenings ashore rather than only mornings. And Volos is a maiden call for Seabourn in 2027, one of two new ports the line announced for that season.
This sailing is roundtrip Athens rather than Rome to Athens, so Rome becomes a separate pre-trip: three nights in Rome, a short flight to Athens, one night there, then fourteen nights aboard, then a final night in Athens before flying home. Five land nights, and no international arrival on an embarkation day.
Day by day
Days 1 to 3 · Rome
A five-star in the historic center. Private guides for Ancient Rome and the Vatican. At this tier you are buying a person who can read the crowds and change the plan, not just a ticket.
Day 4 · Rome to Athens
Private transfers either end, short flight, an easy evening in Plaka.
Day 5 · Board Seabourn Ovation
At Piraeus. Sails at 10pm.
Day 6 · Monemvasia
A fortified medieval town built into a rock. The place is the experience. A private walking guide and a long lunch is enough.
★Day 7 · Agios Nikolaos, Crete
Private Spinalonga and Elounda.
Day 8 · Mykonos
Deliberately do not spend here. Chora, Little Venice, the windmills, a waterfront lunch.
★Day 9 · Kuşadası
Private Ephesus, the Terrace Houses, the Temple of Artemis, a Turkish lunch, and an 11pm departure that leaves the evening open.
Day 10 · Çeşme
A light day. Alaçatı village, a winery, the coast.
Day 11 · At sea
Don't schedule anything. This is what you are paying for.
★Day 12 · Istanbul
A private guide for Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, the Hippodrome, the Basilica Cistern and the Grand Bazaar.
★Day 13 · Kepez, for Troy
Or a quiet day, if ancient history is not the draw.
★Day 14 · Volos
Meteora, monasteries on top of rock pillars. A long day and one of the most extraordinary places in Greece.
Day 15 · At sea
Day 16 · Patmos
The Monastery of St John and the Cave of the Apocalypse, then back down for dinner ashore before a 10pm sailing.
Day 17 · Rhodes
The medieval old town on foot. No tour.
★Day 18 · Santorini
A private driver, Oia, the viewpoints, a winery, Fira.
★Day 19 · Athens
A private Acropolis morning, then dinner looking at it lit up.
Day 20 · Fly home
What we would pay for
- ★Istanbul with a private guide, one of six or seven days we would spend on
- ★Meteora from Volos, long day, book through the ship
- ★Private Ephesus with an evening in port, 11pm departure
- ★Spinalonga and Elounda, private
- ·Mykonos, Rhodes, Çeşme, spend nothing, the place is the point
All dining venues, premium spirits and wines, caviar service, an in-suite bar stocked to your preference, unlimited wi-fi, and no tipping. Seabourn states that gratuities are neither required nor expected. On the Princess build we had to add lines for gratuities, drinks and wi-fi. Here there are none to add. Seabourn also runs complimentary Signature Events on Mediterranean voyages, Marina Day and Shopping with the Chef among them. Which events appear is set per sailing and confirmed closer to departure, so we do not build a trip around a specific one.
What it costs
| Line item | Cost for two | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Open-jaw and intra-Europe airfare | $3,000 | Planning estimate |
| Rome hotel, 3 nights | $2,250 | Five-star, historic center |
| Rome private tours | $1,350 | Private guide, Ancient Rome and the Vatican |
| Rome private transfers | $375 | |
| Rome to Athens flight and transfers | $500 | |
| Athens hotel, 2 nights total | $1,150 | One night pre-cruise, one post |
| Seabourn Ovation veranda suite, 14 nights | $24,798 | $12,399 per person advertised, taxes and fees included |
| Private and small-group shore excursions | $4,750 | Six or seven private days across 11 ports |
| Athens private touring | $400 | |
| Remaining private transfers | $275 | |
| Total for two | $38,850 |
All dining, premium spirits and wines, wi-fi and gratuities are in the Seabourn fare. There is no drinks package, wi-fi package or gratuity line to add.
Shore excursions are the one significant extra, and at this tier we would spend on six or seven very good private days rather than booking something in all eleven ports.
Honest caveat
Don't book this tier if the justification you are looking for is a better cabin. It is not there. The gap between an Azamara veranda and a Seabourn veranda suite is real, but it is nowhere near $23,000 of real. What you are buying is nineteen nights instead of fourteen, eleven ports including Istanbul and Meteora, roughly 600 people instead of 700 or 4,300, private guides ashore, and never thinking about money once you are on the ship. If that description does not move you, Tier 2 is the better trip and it is not close.
What "included" actually means
The advertised fare is the least useful number in cruising, because the three lines draw the line in completely different places.
| Princess | Azamara | Seabourn | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main dining and buffet | Included | Included | Included |
| Specialty restaurants | Extra | Extra (Prime C, Aqualina) | Included |
| Casual dining venues | $14.99 per meal | Included | Included |
| Standard beer, wine, spirits | Extra | Included | Included |
| Premium spirits and fine wines | Extra | Extra | Included |
| Bottled water, specialty coffee | Extra | Included | Included |
| Wi-Fi | Extra | Extra | Included, unlimited |
| Gratuities | $18 to $20 per person per day | Included in fare | Not required or expected |
| Self-service laundry | Extra | Included, unlimited | Included |
| 24-hour room service | Limited | Included | Included |
| Shore excursions | Extra | Extra | Extra |
| Bundle option | Plus $65 to $70 pp/day · Premier $100 to $105 pp/day | Experience More $799 to $1,699 per stateroom | None needed |
On a seven-night Princess sailing, gratuities alone add about $252 for two at 2026 rates, $18 per person per day for an interior, balcony or oceanview cabin. Add drinks and wi-fi and the Princess Plus package at $65 to $70 per person per day starts to look less like an upsell and more like the real price.
Cost per day ashore
Here is a way of comparing these three trips that we have not seen anyone else use, and that we think is more honest than comparing nightly rates. Take the full trip cost for two and divide it by the number of days you are actually standing in a destination: land nights plus port days, excluding sea days and travel days.
| Princess | Azamara | Seabourn | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trip length | 12 nights | 14 nights | 19 nights |
| Days ashore | 9 | 13 | 16 |
| Days ashore as % of trip | 75% | 93% | 84% |
| Total for two | $7,030 | $15,600 | $38,850 |
| Cost per day ashore, two | $781 | $1,200 | $2,428 |
| Cost per day ashore, each | $391 | $600 | $1,214 |
What this shows is that the jump from Princess to Azamara costs about 54% more per day ashore and buys you four more days ashore out of a trip only two nights longer. That is a defensible upgrade for most people.
The jump from Azamara to Seabourn doubles the cost per day ashore again. It is still a real difference, Istanbul, Meteora, Monemvasia, and evenings ashore instead of afternoons, but it is a preference, not an efficiency. Anyone telling you the luxury tier is better value per day is selling something.
Our own metric, our own math. Days ashore counts land nights and port days. Embarkation and disembarkation days count as half.
How many nights in Rome before the cruise?
The real question is not how much Rome you want. It is how much risk you are willing to carry. If your transatlantic flight is delayed and you were due to board that afternoon, the ship sails without you, and neither the cruise line nor a standard airline ticket owes you the trip. Here is what each additional night costs and what it buys.
| Nights before | Added hotel cost, two | Missed-ship risk | Jet lag on embarkation day | Rome actually seen |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0, fly in and board | $0 | High. One delay ends the trip. | Severe | None |
| 1 | ~$200 | Moderate. Survives a same-day delay, not a cancellation. | Significant | An evening |
| 2 | ~$400 | Low. Survives a cancellation and a rebook. | Mild | One full day |
| 3, our default | ~$600 | Very low | Gone | The city, properly |
Our verdictThree nights. Two is the minimum we would let a client fly on. One is a gamble with a five-figure trip on the table, and a $200 hotel night is the cheapest insurance in travel. Stay in Rome, not in Civitavecchia, and take a shared or private transfer to the ship on embarkation morning rather than dragging luggage onto a regional train.
Is two nights in Athens after the cruise enough?
Two nights is enough for Athens the way three nights is enough for Rome: you will see the thing you came for and one more thing, and you will leave wanting to come back. Ships dock at Piraeus early, usually around 6 or 7am, and you will be off by 9. That gives you a full first day, a second full day, and a morning flight out, effectively two and a half days.
Day one is the Acropolis and the Acropolis Museum, ideally early before the heat and the tour groups, then Plaka and Monastiraki on foot and dinner with a view of the lit Parthenon. Day two is either a food tour through the markets or a slow wander through Anafiotika and the National Garden.
The logistics are easy and cheap. The metro runs from Piraeus into the center for a couple of euros, and from the center to the airport for around €9. No transfer needed unless you want one.
Our verdictTwo nights. Add a third only if you are going to use it for a day trip to Cape Sounion or Delphi. And do the land stay after the cruise here, not before. Athens is a better decompression than a warm-up, and Rome is the better place to be over the jet lag.
Ship excursions or independent tours?
The honest answer is port by port, and the deciding factor is almost never price. It is how far you are going from the ship.
A ship excursion costs more because part of what you are buying is a guarantee: if the tour runs late, the ship waits. Book independently and go two hours inland, and if the traffic is bad you are buying a flight to the next port at your own expense. That guarantee is worth real money on a long inland day and worth nothing at all on a port where you never leave the town.
| Port | The draw | Distance from ship | What we would do |
|---|---|---|---|
| Civitavecchia | Rome | 80 km, 60 to 90 min | Don't. Do Rome as a land stay instead. |
| Naples | Pompeii, Amalfi | 25 to 60 km | Book it. Long day, far inland, worth the guarantee. |
| Kuşadası | Ephesus | 20 km, 30 min | Small-group independent is fine and much better value. |
| Chania | The old town | Walk off the ship | Independent |
| Mykonos | Chora | Walk or short bus | Independent |
| Rhodes | Medieval city | Walk off the ship | Independent |
| Santorini | Oia, wineries | 20 km plus a cable car queue | Organized, ship or independent. This is a logistics port. |
| Volos | Meteora | 150 km, 2.5 hrs each way | Book through the ship. This is exactly what the guarantee is for. |
Our verdictBook through the ship for anything more than about 90 minutes inland, and independently for everything else. Small-group independent operators in Kuşadası and Santorini are consistently better than the coach alternative, and we know which ones.
Is a balcony worth it on a Mediterranean cruise?
Less than on a Caribbean sailing, and the reason is arithmetic rather than taste.
A balcony earns its money in the hours you are on the ship in daylight. A port-heavy Mediterranean itinerary gives you very few of those. On the seven-night Princess sailing there are two sea days, four full days ashore and an embarkation evening. Call it 46 usable balcony hours across the week, being generous. The balcony premium is $1,630 for two, so you are paying roughly $18 per person per usable balcony hour. The same premium on a Caribbean week with three or four sea days works out to about half that.
| Cabin | Price per person, taxes in | For two | Premium over interior |
|---|---|---|---|
| Interior | $1,099 | $2,198 | — |
| Oceanview | $1,559 | $3,118 | +$920 |
| Balcony | $1,914 | $3,828 | +$1,630 |
| Suite | $2,239 | $4,478 | +$2,280 |
Our verdictOn this itinerary, skip the balcony and put the $1,630 into the Rome hotel and a better excursion. The exception is the scenic-arrival ports, since sailing into Santorini or up the Bosphorus from a private veranda is a genuinely different experience. And the question disappears entirely at Tier 3, where every Seabourn suite has a veranda whether you wanted one or not.
Common questions
How much does a Mediterranean cruise cost for two people, all in?
Between about $7,000 and $39,000 for two, depending entirely on the line and how long you go. A seven-night mainstream cruise with three nights in Rome and two in Athens, including flights, transfers, excursions and gratuities, comes to about $7,030 for two at August 2026 prices. The same trip on a premium small-ship line runs about $15,600, and a fourteen-night luxury sailing with the same land stays about $38,850. The cruise fare itself is usually only 30 to 60% of the total.
What does the cruise fare not include?
On a mainstream line: gratuities of about $18 per person per day, drinks, wi-fi, specialty restaurants, and every shore excursion. On a premium line like Azamara: wi-fi, specialty restaurants and premium spirits, since gratuities and standard drinks are in the fare. On a luxury line like Seabourn: essentially nothing except shore excursions. And on all three, flights, hotels, transfers and travel insurance are yours.
Is a seven-night Mediterranean cruise long enough?
For the cruise itself, yes. For the trip, only if you add land nights on at least one end. Seven nights gives you four ports of call, which is a good week, but a one-way Rome to Athens sailing that does not include time in Rome or Athens wastes the two best cities on the route.
Should I book a round-trip or a one-way itinerary?
One-way, if you can. Rome to Athens covers more ground than a round-trip out of either, and it makes the land stays natural, Rome at the front and Athens at the back. The cost is a slightly more expensive open-jaw plane ticket, which is usually less than the value of what you see.
What is the best month for a Mediterranean cruise?
May, June, September and early October. July and August are hotter, more crowded and more expensive, and the archaeological sites in particular are punishing at midday in August. September is our first choice: warm sea, thinner crowds, and the light is better.
Is Azamara worth double the price of Princess?
For most people who ask us, yes, but not for the reason they expect. It is not the cabin. It is eight ports in nine nights with no sea days, calls at Amalfi and Gythion that a big ship cannot make, and gratuities and drinks already in the fare. If you compare the two on how the ship looks, you will conclude it is not worth it. Compare them on days ashore and it is a different answer.
Is Seabourn worth it?
Only if you want what it actually is: about 600 guests, eleven ports including Istanbul and Meteora, evenings ashore rather than afternoons, and nothing to sign for. It is not a better version of the Azamara trip at twice the price. It is a longer, quieter, more remote trip. If your reason for considering it is the suite, spend the money on Tier 2 and better excursions instead.
How many nights should I spend in Rome before the cruise?
Three, and never fewer than two. An extra hotel night costs around $200 for two and removes the risk that a delayed flight ends the trip before it starts.
How do I get from Rome to the cruise port?
Civitavecchia is about 80 km from central Rome, 60 to 90 minutes by car. A shared cruise transfer or a private car is worth the money on embarkation day. The train involves a connection and a port shuttle with your luggage.
How do I get from Piraeus to Athens and to the airport?
The metro. Piraeus into the center is a couple of euros and about 20 minutes, and the center to the airport is around €9 and about 40 minutes. A taxi or private transfer is fine if you would rather, but it is one of the few European port cities where you genuinely do not need one.
Are cruise ship excursions worth it?
For anything more than about 90 minutes inland, yes. You are buying the guarantee that the ship waits if the tour runs late. For anything you can walk to, no. See the port-by-port table above.
Is a balcony worth it?
On a port-heavy Mediterranean itinerary, less than you would think. The premium on the Princess sailing is $1,630 for two, against roughly 46 usable balcony hours. Our math is above.
When should I book?
Twelve to eighteen months out for a specific 2027 sailing, especially for a small ship. Azamara and Seabourn sail with a few hundred guests and the good categories go early. Flights for August and September 2027 are not on sale yet, because airlines load schedules about eleven months ahead, so those numbers on this page are planning estimates rather than quotes.
Can Floreo book all of this, or just the cruise?
All of it. The flights, the Rome and Athens hotels, the transfers, the excursions and the cruise, on one itinerary with one person to call. That is the point of the whole exercise.
How we priced this
Every cruise fare on this page was checked on 26 August 2026 for 2027 departures, per person based on two sharing, with taxes and port fees included where stated.
Princess fares come from live inventory for the Sun Princess voyage departing 12 September 2027. Azamara fares come from azamara.com for Azamara Onward departing 6 August 2027. Seabourn's figure is the advertised entry-level veranda-suite fare for Seabourn Ovation departing 14 August 2027.
Hotel, transfer and excursion figures are planning ranges based on current comparable rates rather than confirmed bookings. Shore-excursion pricing in particular moves constantly and varies enormously between private and small-group formats.
Airfare is an estimate, not a quote. Airlines load schedules roughly eleven months ahead, so flights for these 2027 dates are not yet on sale. We have used current comparable open-jaw economy pricing from Detroit and flagged it as an estimate wherever it appears.
Cruise fares move weekly and promotional inclusions expire. Ask us for a live quote before you plan around any number on this page.
Priced and written by Karyn, travel advisor at Floreo Travel, on 26 August 2026. Meet the team.
Keep reading
- Princess vs Azamara for the Mediterranean — which line fits the trip
- How many nights in Rome before your cruise? — the cost and risk math
- Mediterranean shore excursions, port by port — ship or independent, 16 ports priced
- Cruise planning with an advisor
- How we work
- All curated journeys
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