Our Fall Norwegian Greek Isles Cruise

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After first traveling to the Greek Isles on Celebrity Cruises in August last year, in the heat of the summer, we were excited for our fall Norwegian Greek Isles cruise this year in order to enjoy it when temperatures are cooler.

On Norwegian Breakaway, we took a 10-day cruise round-trip from Rome that was scheduled to stop at:

• Corfu, Greece
• Athens, Greece
• Mykonos, Greece
• Santorini, Greece
• Valetta, Malta
• Messina, Sicily
• Naples, Italy
• Florence, Italy

But things didn’t go as planned.

Corfu was deleted from the itinerary not long after our booking, and Athens was canceled due to weather while we were onboard. All excursions to Santorini were canceled, and Florence was missed too, also due to weather. Half the itinerary that we’d booked to see was no longer available, which was incredibly disappointing.

However, we made the most of it.

Pre-Cruise

As usual, in case of travel snafus, we arrived two days early in Rome. Because we love to cook—and eat—we had a cooking class scheduled to teach us how to make fettuccine, ravioli, and tiramisu.

The class turned out to be a lot of fun. We learned a lot about making pasta from scratch by hand, and ended up with a delicious meal served with wine.

Interested in taking the class too? They fill up fast, so be sure to book early. I booked ours through Viator (see link below).

Afterward, we walked back to Le Meridien, where we were staying, and I took some lovely photos of Rome at night.

Our Cabin

Onboard the Breakaway, we were booked in the Haven again. This cruise, we tried a spa penthouse suite for the first time, which had a soaking tub in the corner of the room. We didn’t use it, but it was pretty nice to have regardless.

In 2024, the spa penthouse suites will be converted to regular penthouse suites, I understand, removing the thermal suite privileges that now come with them.

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What We Ate

In addition to the mouthwatering food we enjoyed during our excursions on this cruise, we also ate some delicious food on the ship. The Haven Restaurant kept us well fed and happy while onboard.

Mykonos

Mykonos was our first stop. We had never been to this Greek island before, and it exceeded our expectations. Whitewashed houses and shops lined narrow stone streets, some adorned with bright pink bougainvillea.

The iconic Greek windmills were a little disappointing because the area was full of tourists like us, all trying to get the perfect photo. It’s to be expected, though, in an area as popular as the Greek Isles.

Mykonos has a large population of cats roaming the island, and of course Myron had to make friends with one. The island has an active spay-and-neuter program, which crops the tip of one of the cat’s ears once it has been altered.

Wanting to try an authentic Greek gyro, we roamed the streets until we found the perfect restaurant, Souvlaki Story Mykonos. It was bright and new-looking with plentiful seating and generous-size gyros for a reasonable price. And were they ever delicious!

Santorini

Our next stop was Santorini, but the excursions were unfortunately canceled. We could have gotten off the ship, but due to the long line of people waiting to ascend the cliff into Fira, we decided to stay aboard. Turns out, the wait was a whopping two hours both ways.

But we made the most of it and had a fantastic day onboard. Later that evening, we treated ourselves to a delicious dinner at Ocean Blue, where I enjoyed the most tender filet mignon I’ve ever had. Afterward, we took a leisurely stroll along the promenade and snapped this nighttime photo of Santorini.

Valletta

Next on our itinerary was Malta, an awe-inspiring destination where we toured ancient temples and a cave teeming with fascinating prehistoric animal skeletons. Valletta, Malta’s cruise port, is a stunning pale-yellow town filled with homes and buildings made entirely of indigenous sandstone.

At Ghar Dalam, we explored the cavern that had filled with skeletons over the millennia. The best part was the site’s museum, which included the skeletons of dwarf hippos and elephants. With no predators on Malta, the animals had eventually shrunk in size until they were smaller than cows. Amazing!

From there, we traveled to the temple sites at Hagar Qim and wandered through, taking in the prehistoric stonework.

Messina

Next up was Messina. From there, we took excursions into the countrysidee to tour the fabulous town of Taormina and visit a Sicilian vineyard.

Taormina is a breathtaking old town high upon a hill, its narrow streets lined with a myriad of shops and restaurants.

On the far side of town, we were given a tour of the ruins of an ancient amphitheater.

During our free time, we enjoyed a slice of pizza and cannoli, then returned to the bus and were driven to the Gambino winery. After a cellar tour, we enjoyed a typical Italian lunch with wine. Lots of wine. The bus was quite lively on the drive back to the port.

Naples

Unfortunately, our stop in Florence was canceled due to weather, so Naples turned out to be our last port. After the last winery visit, we were very much looking forward to our tour and lunch at the Petrillo Winery.

At the winery, we started with breakfast, delicious baked goods that were made with wine. Afterward, the owner took us outside to see the vines, and through an interpreter, taught us about how the vines are tended throughout the year.

Our wine tasting was held in the cellar, which was interesting, and was followed by an incredible lunch featuring handmade pasta infused with wine. When the lunch was winding down, the owner’s grandmother demonstrated for us how to make rigatoni with wine. We were entranced.

Cruise Recap Video

Our cruise recap is on YouTube if you’d like to watch it:

Final Thoughts on Our Fall Norwegian Greek Isles Cruise

Although this cruise was abbreviated, with only half the ports that had been planned, it was still a lot of fun. We learned a lot, saw some beautiful places, and finally marked seeing Mykonos off our bucket list.

If you’re planning a spring or fall trip to the Greek Isles, when the weather is cooler, you might want to check out my post on how to create your own Greek Isles capsule wardrobe for fall.

Happy cruising!

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