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Quantum Ultra Odyssey of the Seas to sail Eastern Med in 2021Quantum Ultra Odyssey of the Seas to sail Eastern Med in 2021

Odyssey of the Seas will become the first Quantum Ultra-class ship to homeport in Civitavecchia (Rome) and spend a summer in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Anne Kalosh, Editor, Seatrade Cruise News & Senior Associate Editor, Seatrade Cruise Review

December 19, 2019

1 Min Read
Credit: Seatrade Cruise News

Longer stays in every port

The Royal Caribbean ship will combine longer stays in every destination and overnights at some.

Odyssey of the Seas will debut in November 2020, sailing from Fort Lauderdale to the Caribbean for its first season, before continuing its inaugural year in Europe.

Greek Isles, Italy, Turkey and Holy Land

Beginning May 2021, Odyssey will operate seven-, nine- and 12-night itineraries to destinations including Santorini, Mykonos, Piraeus (Athens) and Heraklion, Greece; Kusadasi (for Ephesus) and Rhodes, Turkey; Naples, Italy; and Haifa and Ashdod (Jerusalem), Israel.

Overnights in Athens and Naples

Travelers will get more time on shore, from longer days — up to 15 hours at every port — to spend at the beaches of Mykonos and waterfront tavernas of Santorini on sevem-night getaways to the Greek Isles. Overnight stays and two full days in Athens and Naples are scheduled on both nine-night Greek Isles and 12-night Holy Land sailings.

Cooking, wineries, history

Shoreside experiences include excursions to Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast from Naples and a culinary tour of Athens starting with a shopping trip to the Central Food Market led by a local chef before heading to a restaurant to prepare traditional dishes.

From Heraklion, travelers can visit Boutari on the Fantaxometocho Estate, one of Crete's most modern and impressive wineries, and sample a selection of homegrown wines. The neighboring, recently restored village of Archanes is a ‘must see’ with its colorful backstreets, flowers and fruit trees. 

On Holy Land cruises, passengers can ezplore the biblical sites of Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Nazareth.

Read more about:

MediterraneanItaly

About the Author

Anne Kalosh

Editor, Seatrade Cruise News & Senior Associate Editor, Seatrade Cruise Review

Anne Kalosh covers global stories, reporting both breaking and in-depth news on cruising's significant people, places, ships and trends. A sought-after expert on cruising, she has moderated conferences around the world, including the high-profile State of the Industry panel at Seatrade Cruise Global. She created and led the acclaimed itinerary-planning case study for Seatrade's cruise master classes held at Cambridge and Oxford universities. She has been the cruise columnist for AFAR.com, and her freelance stories have appeared in a wide range of publications, from The New York Times to The Miami Herald.

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