If you only have 7 days to take a Mediterranean cruise, pick one just like this. And if you have the option to take a luxury cruise pick Regent. I can't say it is a good value because it isn't cheap but Regent pampers its passengers and treats them like valued clients.

We booked this Monte Carlo to Athens cruise on the Navigator despite having a 'not so good' trip on the Navigator several years ago. The ship is a little small to offer a wide range of activities but was more than adequate for a port intensive cruise. We opted for a butler suite with business class air and that was the good value selling point. Round trip air arrangements from Atlanta were great with good connections and much cheaper booking through Regent than booking through the airlines. KLM and Lufthansa were efficient but not as service oriented as Singapore or Air New Zealand. The Frankfurt airport is huge and is undergoing major construction so if you have a tight connection you might request transport assistance. The ship has been maintained very well and this time we completely enjoyed our trip on the Navigator.

The new all-inclusive policy on Regent was even better than we expected. Our excursions, booked on-line prior to the cruise were very good. The trip to Rome was the only one that was disappointing because we missed seeing the Pope by a few minutes and the tour operator could have changed the itinerary slightly to allow us that opportunity. We choose a paid excursion on Santorini and had a wonderful time at an out of the way restaurant attending a cooking class/demonstration and having a great lunch. We spoke with several other passengers taking an assortment of the excursions and they all had positive reports. Naturally Regent's liberal liquor policy and 'no gratuities expected' was welcome once again. Read more