At first glance this Itinerary couldn't be passed up; Athens, Kusadasi (Turkey), Patmos (Greece), Ashdod (Jerusalem), Haifa (Tel Aviv), Limassol (Cyprus), Santorini, Athens. The price was excellent: Oceanview $799 The opportunity to visit the Holy Land doesn't come by too often. You can always find a cruise stopping in Santorini.

The ship was Norwegian Jade. A medium size ship which operates in the Mediterranean where some of the bigger ships cant dock. This is my third time on this ship, and ever since my first time I have loved this ship. It feels cozy to me. I find that you cant get lost on this ship, and everything is near. The ship is a 2006 modeled most recently refurbished on 2017.

The requirements to embark were to present a 72-hours COVID test before sailing. This was checked at the port, and we had to submit to a further antigen test at the port. Besides the fact that there was no tent at this port and people had to wait in line under the scorching sun and heat, this process was seamless, especially for those registered online with Eurofins Lab, who were conducting the antigen test (and later on the 24hrs test before returning to the US). However for some reason these requirements caused confusion to many of those who were going to be embarking in the days prior to it. Furthermore, on board the ship another PCR test was going to be conducted, required by the Israeli authorities 48 hours before docking there, That process was also smooth. Read more