After a good night’s sleep, we arrived in Kusadasi at 7:00 a.m. the next day. As soon as we arrived, we took the bus to ancient Ephesus and the famous beautifully decorated Roman villas! It was an incredible experience to see the most important Greek city and the most important trading center in the Mediterranean in antiquity. We were also astounded to learn that the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus was once one of the Seven Wonders of the World!

We returned to Kusadasi’s main city at 11:15 a.m. We took long walks through the city’s bazaar and tried some delicious local dishes, such as kebab and lahmajoun! At 12:30 in the afternoon, we boarded our lovely ship and proceeded to the Galileo Restaurant for lunch!

At 16:30 on the same day we arrived to the magnificent Patmos island! We straight away fell in love with this island! We visited the Monastery of Agios Ioannis and of course the Cave of the Apocalypse. We learned so many things about this island!  Make sure to sign in for this tour! As soon as we finished the tour, we returned back to the “Chora” of Patmos were we walked through the cutest streets.  We also, tried the famous and delicious local dessert “pouggia” as well as the local cheese pie! Both were super yummy!

We returned to the ship at 21:00 o’clock the same day and went straight to the restaurant for dinner! At 22:00, we were able to watch the special show “Greek Trip” at the Muses Lounge while also enjoying some tasty cocktails!

On the next day, at 06:00 in the morning, we had our breakfast at Aegean Restaurant and enjoyed our freshly brewed coffee overlooking the endless blue of the Mediterranean sea. By 07:00 o clock, we were already at the Historical Palace of Knossos were we learnt about the great history and mythology of the place! Of course, we had some time to take some beautiful photos and videos of the Palace!

The trip to Heraklion, Crete, concluded with a short tour of the city center, including a stop at a local patisserie to sample the delicious local bougatza with creme and bougatza with cheese and honey! They were both super delicious! We returned to our ship at 11:30 and headed straight to our cabin to rest for a while before having our  lunch at Galileo Restaurant!

At 16:30 on the same day we arrived in wonderful Santorini! Few islands can seduce you as much as Santorini. Beautiful and cosmopolitan, it is well-known for its classical appearance, with whitewashed houses set against a backdrop of endless blue! We were able to go for wine tasting at the well-known Venetsanos Winery! Furthermore, by 18:45, we had the opportunity to walk through the beautiful streets of Oia and capture some of the most breathtaking views we have ever seen! By 21:00 o clock, we had already returned to our ship and were on our way back to Lavrio, Athens!

Finally, here are our concluding thoughts about ” Iconic Aegean Summer – Celestyal ” :

Just like the ‘7 days Idyllic Aegean’ cruise, this is a once in lifetime experience. It’s mostly focused on the educational part rather than the “relaxing at the beach” part. Since the trip has 5 destinations within 3 days, it’s only possible to relax on the ship. But, that’s absolutely fine. As the ship has so many things to offer you will never get bored of it! It has 2 pools, a gym, an area with video games, a casino, a basketball area, ping pong and more. And the best part? You get to enjoy all the meals, snacks and classic drinks for free.

If you are a person that enjoys to learn about the history of each destination, and you want to visit as many places as possible, then the Iconic Aegean Summer is definitely for you! You will be amazed by how optimised the route is, as well as how many things you will see and learn within just 3 days!