Celestyal Journey Review: Greek Islands Cruise and Ports

Celestyal Journey Quick Facts

Weather	18°C
Local time	10:01
Visa	Schengen Area Greece, Turkey visa guide
Language	English on board
Internet	eSIM guide
Currency	Euro (€) in port

Celestyal Journey Itinerary and What's on Board

14 stops

Ports

Celestyal Journey itinerary: the ports

in video order

We boarded in Kusadasi and got off in Kusadasi. In between: Heraklion, Santorini, Mykonos, Milos, Athens and Thessaloniki, with no full sea day. These cards aren’t a full list of things to do in Crete or Santorini; they’re what we saw, in the order we filmed it. We didn’t film Thessaloniki.

Statue hall in the Heraklion Archaeological Museum, Crete

Heraklion, Crete: the Archaeological Museum and the Lion Fountain

Crete, day 2

15 min walk to the centreCrete tour included

The ship docked in Heraklion, the capital of Crete. Our first stop was the Heraklion Archaeological Museum, where the frescoes, pottery and bronze figures from the Palace of Knossos are kept.

From the museum we walked down Dedalou, the shopping street, to the Lion Fountain. It was built in the Venetian period for the city’s water and it’s surrounded by cafes.

The church of St Mark next to it was turned into a mosque in the Ottoman period, and you can still see what’s left of the minaret. A little further down, the old Venetian council building is today’s town hall.

A ship bus left from in front of the museum at 13.45; we walked back from the centre in 15 minutes. While the ship is in port you can get on and off as often as you like.

To stay nearby:

Watch the video · 11:26See Heraklion tours Ad See Heraklion hotels Ad

Agios Titos (the former Vezir Pasha Mosque) and its square in Heraklion

Heraklion’s Ottoman traces: Vezir Pasha Mosque, 1866 Street and the Venetian fortress

same day, afternoon

Fortress closed on TuesdaysSouvenirs and spices

The Vezir Pasha Mosque was built in the Ottoman period and is used as a church today. The minaret is gone, but on the right-hand side you can still spot crescent marks.

1866 Street takes its name from the uprising against the Ottomans that year. It’s a market of souvenirs, olive oil and spices; we bought the island’s mountain thyme.

The last stop of the day was the Venetian fortress at the harbour. The Ottomans took the island from Venice after a 21-year siege, by agreement in the end. We couldn’t get in: it’s closed on Tuesdays, and we went on a Tuesday. The ship left Heraklion at 6 pm.

Watch the video 14:49

Going ashore by tender in Santorini, the caldera behind

Santorini: the ship anchors, a tender takes you ashore

day 3, 8 am to midnight

5 min by tenderMegalochori and Oia

In Santorini the ship couldn’t dock; it stayed out in the bay and small boats took us ashore in about 5 minutes. The ship was at the island from 8 in the morning until midnight, so we had the whole day.

The island is big and getting around is hard, so we took the ship’s tour. The first stop was Megalochori, a calm, quiet village. Oia was very hot and very crowded; there was a queue for photos in front of the famous three blue domes.

A tip to get away from the crowd: walk through the Alexandros jewellery shop in Oia and you can take the view photo from there too.

Watch the video 30:06

Santorini caldera cliffs and sea from the boat tour

Santorini boat tour: Red Beach, White Beach and the volcano

a tour we found at the port

Price varies by tour13.30 to 21.00Sunset on the boat

At the last minute we couldn’t find a tour at the right time on GetYourGuide, so we asked an agency at the port and found a boat tour running from 13.30 to 21.00. Prices change with the season and the agency; check current prices on the tour pages below. Our ship left at midnight, so the timing worked; on ships that leave earlier it may not.

The tour sails past White Beach and Red Beach with a swim stop, then lands on the island with the active volcano. We expected to see lava; there was only a little smoke coming out of one spot. On the way back we watched the sunset from the boat.

If you go to the beaches on your own it’s half an hour, 40 minutes by bus; by boat we saw the beaches and the volcano in one go. Book ahead and you’ll have more options.

Watch the video · 34:53See Santorini boat and volcano tours Ad

Cliffs below Fira and the old port side of Santorini

Fira and the cable car: back to the ship

night, old port

Cable car €6Queue for the tenders

The boat tour was meant to drop us at the old port by the cable car; it was so crowded that we went back to where we started and took a transfer into town. We walked around Fira a little and took the cable car down to the old port. The cable car is €6; the ship had given us a ticket for the way down.

On the way back we waited an hour at the port for the tenders and sweated a lot in the heat. Head back early rather than leaving it to the last hours.

To stay nearby:

Watch the video · 41:13See Santorini hotels Ad

Seafront path and cafes by Little Venice, Mykonos

Mykonos: Little Venice and the windmills

day 4

Transfer into townAshore at 10.30

In Mykonos the ship couldn’t dock either; we took a transfer into the centre and only set foot on land around 10.30. First Little Venice with its colourful houses, then the windmills, then the narrow streets.

The boat trips to Naxos and Paros leave early in the morning, so we couldn’t join them.

To stay nearby:

Watch the video · 45:07See Mykonos tours and tickets Ad See Mykonos hotels Ad

Umbrellas and sand at Super Paradise beach, Mykonos

How to get to Super Paradise: the Fabrika stop and sunbeds

beach day

Free public beachFront-row sunbed €130

There are two separate stops for the beaches: buses to the Elia side leave from next to the port, and buses to Super Paradise and Paradise leave from the area called Fabrika. We took the minibus marked Super Paradise from Fabrika.

Part of Super Paradise is a free public beach; there are no umbrellas, so bring your own. Sunbed prices drop from front to back: €130 in the front row, €80 and €50 behind. We sat on the Thalas restaurant side, which felt better value to us. The sea is small pebbles.

Watch the video 46:57

White volcanic rocks and turquoise water at Sarakiniko, Milos

Sarakiniko, Milos: white rocks meeting the sea

day 5, morning

Looks like CappadociaNo sandy beach

The ship docked in Milos early in the morning, and our first stop was the island’s best-known spot, Sarakiniko. Bright white volcanic rocks run straight into the sea; it reminded us of Cappadocia back home.

It’s beautiful for the view but not great for swimming, there’s no sand. The island is only just opening up to tourism, so it still feels untouched.

Watch the video 53:30

Paleochori beach: the swim stop on the ship’s tour

20 min by bus from Sarakiniko

2 to 2.5 hoursHigh prices

About 20 minutes later by bus we reached Paleochori beach; it was part of the tour we bought on the ship. The beach is big and the sea is lovely.

There aren’t many businesses on the island, so prices are high; we saw €20 to €70 for two sunbeds. We spent two, two and a half hours here.

Watch the video 54:42

Adamas: in Milos, hire a boat instead of the ship’s tour

afternoon, port

Half or full day by boatResearch first

The tour ended in Adamas, where the ship docks; it’s the island’s centre, with places to eat along the waterfront.

If we’d known, we wouldn’t have bought the ship’s tour: in Milos it makes more sense to hire a boat for half a day or a full day and reach the coves from the sea. Look into it before you arrive.

To stay nearby:

Watch the video · 56:32See Milos boat trips from Adamas Ad See Milos hotels Ad

A street in central Athens after coming in from Piraeus

Athens (Piraeus): the city centre without a tour

day 6

Acropolis tour optionalMeeting point 07.30

If we’d taken the Athens tour with the Acropolis, we’d have had to be at the meeting point at 07.30. We’ve been around Athens many times before, so we skipped the tour, went into the centre and did our food stops.

To stay nearby:

Watch the video · 1:01:04See Athens tours and tickets Ad See Athens hotels Ad

Thessaloniki: the last Greek port

day 7

Not in the video

The last Greek port on the route was Thessaloniki. We explored Athens and Thessaloniki on our own without the ship’s tours, so we didn’t put them in the video.

To stay nearby:

See Thessaloniki hotels Ad

Ship

What’s on board Celestyal Journey

two areas

What we used in the evenings and after port days. Food has its own section below.

Basketball and tennis court on the Celestyal Journey deck

Sports courts, two pools and a gym

upper decks

Basketball and tennisTwo pools

There’s a basketball court, a tennis court and two pools on board; one pool can be covered, the other is fully open.

There’s a gym too, so you can train with a sea view while the ship sails.

Watch the video 07:56

The evening programme: theatre, music and karaoke

every evening

Theatre showsDuty-free shop

At set times there are theatre shows, music talks and karaoke. There are shops and a duty-free point on board, and from what we saw, five or six restaurants.

Watch the video 08:28

Celestyal Journey Cabins: Our Inside Cabin

No hotel to worry about on a Greek islands cruise: the cabin is home for the week. Below is what's in an inside cabin, and Kusadasi hotels for the night before boarding.

Cabin

Home for a week

inside cabin

The ship sails at night while you sleep in your cabin. Unless you arrive in Kusadasi a day early, you don’t need a hotel.

What’s in an inside cabin?

layout

Double bedSeating cornerBathroom and wardrobe

Ours was an inside cabin: a double bed, a small seating corner and a desk you can use for work or make-up. The wardrobes are big but the space is a bit tight; the bathroom and toilet are fine.

Sea-view cabins were much more expensive, so we went for the inside cabin.

Watch the video 01:04

Aegean and island view from the Celestyal Journey deck

One suitcase, a different island every morning

the easy part of a cruise

Unpack onceLast night: outside the door

When we got on we put everything in the wardrobes and didn’t pack a bag for a week. The ship sails at night and you wake up somewhere new every morning.

On the last night you leave your suitcases outside the cabin door and pick them up at the port when you get off.

Watch the video · 1:00:11See Kusadasi hotels for the night before boarding Ad

Celestyal Journey Food: Buffet and À La Carte

5 food stops

Main meals are included: there’s a buffet and an à la carte restaurant with a new menu every day. The best-known Greek island food is gyros, souvlaki, dakos salad, bougatsa and fresh seafood. What we tried: the buffet and an à la carte dinner on board; bougatsa, Greek coffees, dakos and lamb with rice in Heraklion; a mixed seafood platter in Mykonos.

Table

What we ate on board and ashore

five stops

Main meals on the ship are included. The last three cards are from the ports.

Pastries at the Celestyal Journey buffet

The buffet: drinks with your meal are included

first dinner

IncludedExtra outside meal times

As the ship left Kusadasi at 7 pm we had our first meal at the buffet. Drinks you take with your meal at the buffet are free; if you want a drink after meal times you pay extra. You see this when you buy the cruise too.

Watch the video 05:57

Bougatsa and Greek coffee stop at Kirkor, Heraklion

Kirkor: bougatsa and Greek coffee in Heraklion

opposite the Lion Fountain

Served warmFreddo and frappe

Right opposite the Lion Fountain we had bougatsa at Kirkor. It’s a custard pie with crisp pastry above and below, cinnamon and icing sugar on top; the cream is vanilla and not too sweet. It reminded us of a custard pastry we grew up with in Turkey.

Then we tried the three coffees you find in every cafe in Greece: freddo espresso, freddo cappuccino and frappe.

Watch the video 17:42

Peskesi: Cretan food, dakos and lamb with rice

Heraklion, lunch

Dakos saladSemolina halva on the house

To try Cretan food we went to Peskesi. They brought the island’s mushrooms with yoghurt and a grape sauce somewhere between vinegar and molasses; not bad, but it didn’t wow us. The dakos salad is barley rusk at the bottom, grated tomato on top, local cheese, olive oil, oregano, capers and olives.

The best dish was the local lamb: slow-cooked lamb on a juicy rice made with stock, served with Cretan cheese; it tasted like the slow-roasted lamb we have back home in Turkey. Before the bill they brought semolina halva on the house.

Watch the video 20:07

Evening at a taverna by Paraportiani church, Mykonos

Paraportiani: mixed seafood in Mykonos

Mykonos town, evening

Platter for two

In the evening there were two tavernas side by side in town; we read the reviews and picked Paraportiani. We ordered the mixed seafood platter for two: squid, prawns, octopus and a few more.

Watch the video 52:11

Food Tip

The bill: Paraportiani (Mykonos), mixed seafood platter for two, €60 (summer 2024).

Greek Islands Cruise Budget: Port Days

On a Budget

€0-10

A day where you walk from the port into town and have lunch on the ship; in Heraklion it's a 15-minute walk from the ship to the centre.

Mid-Range

€30 and up

Our Mykonos evening: the seafood platter for two at the taverna came to €30 each. Sunbeds on the beach are extra.

Luxury

€150 and up

The boat tour we found at the Santorini port was in this range: beaches, volcano and sunset included. Check current prices on the tour pages. The cable car is another €6.

Figures are per person for one port day. Main meals on board are included; the cruise fare, flights and shore excursions are not.

These are amounts we paid on this sailing (cable car, Mykonos taverna), summer 2024. Tour prices change with the season and date.

On a cruise most of your spending happens on port days. These are the figures we saw on our summer 2024 sailing.

Tours and tickets: the ship’s shore excursions cost extra; on our sailing the Crete tour was included. Tour prices are behind the links on the port cards.

Food: main meals on board are included; ashore you only pay for snacks or a taverna.

Getting to Kusadasi for Boarding

By Air

Our cruise left from Kusadasi port and finished in Kusadasi. The nearest airport is Izmir Adnan Menderes (ADB); from the airport you go on to Kusadasi by road.

By Ferry

When you board they take your passport and give you a cruise card; for 7 days you use that card for everything. On boarding day the safety briefing on deck 7 at 6 pm, with your life jacket, is compulsory for everyone.

If you have time before boarding, see Ephesus; we toured Ephesus in the morning and boarded in the afternoon. See Ephesus tours and tickets Ad

By Car

If you want to see Izmir and the area after the cruise, a hire car makes it easier. Compare car hire at Izmir Airport Ad

Before You Book a Greek Islands Cruise

Before

Before you book a Greek islands cruise

five points

The two things that change the plan most: the route and the shore excursions.

Ship, route and price change by sailing

check before you buy

Source: Celestyal

Our Greek islands cruise from Kusadasi called at Heraklion, Santorini, Mykonos, Milos, Athens (Piraeus) and Thessaloniki in summer 2024. This 7-night “Idyllic Aegean” programme started with these ports in September 2023 (Cyprus Shipping News, maiden sailing report, 7 September 2023).

Ships and names can change: the same kind of programme is sometimes sailed by Celestyal Journey, sometimes by another ship such as Celestyal Discovery. In later seasons the departure port, stops and prices change too. Before you buy, check the ship, port list and current price for your own dates on celestyal.com.

You don’t need every shore excursion

sold on the first evening

Can be bought as a bundle

On Greek islands cruises the shore excursions are sold on the first evening. On our sailing the briefing covered tours for Santorini, Mykonos, Milos, Athens and Thessaloniki, also as a bundle. The Crete tour was included; we bought Santorini, Mykonos and Milos, and did Athens and Thessaloniki on our own.

In Mykonos and Santorini, book ahead

especially for evenings

Reserve in advance

We decided everything at the last minute and hadn’t booked anything; in Mykonos every famous beach club was full. On these islands, book everywhere you want to go in advance, dinner included.

Is there internet on the ship?

for those who need to work

We worked by the pool

After Crete we went up to the pool area and worked on our laptops; the internet on board was working.

Be ready for the summer heat

hat and water

Little shade

Ports are very hot in summer. We got burnt at Ephesus before boarding, and there’s little shade in Santorini and Milos too. Take a hat and water.

Celestyal Journey FAQ

How long is a Celestyal Journey Greek islands cruise?

Ours was 7 nights. Celestyal also runs shorter 3 and 4-night Iconic Aegean cruises, sailed by Celestyal Discovery (celestyal.com, checked 3 October 2026).

Which ships does Celestyal Cruises have?

Celestyal's site lists two ships: Celestyal Discovery and Celestyal Journey (celestyal.com, checked 3 October 2026). We did our 7-night cruise on Celestyal Journey.

How big is the Celestyal Journey ship?

Celestyal Journey is 55,877 gross tons, 220 metres long, with 630 cabins. She was built in 1994 for Holland America as MS Ryndam (CruiseMapper, checked 3 October 2026).

Do I need a visa for this Greek islands cruise?

Greece is in the Schengen Area and Turkey isn't, and this route starts and ends in Kusadasi, so check the entry rules for your passport for both countries before you book.

Where is Heraklion?

Heraklion is on the north coast of Crete; it's the island's capital and largest city.

Where is Milos island?

Milos is in the southwest of the Cyclades in the Aegean. Our ship called there after Mykonos, and the next morning we were in Athens.

Best Time for a Greek Islands Cruise

Apr-MayBest

15-22°C

Jun-AugVery hot

27-32°C

Sep-OctBest

18-26°C

Nov-MarQuiet

10-15°C

Best Moments in the Video

00:00Boarding in Kusadasi · Passport, cruise card, inside cabin 05:57The buffet · Drinks with meals included 07:56What's on board · Pools, sports courts, evening shows 10:21Heraklion, Crete · Museum, Lion Fountain, Venetian fortress 20:07Peskesi · Cretan food: dakos and lamb 30:06Santorini · Tender ashore, Megalochori, Oia 34:53Santorini boat tour · Red Beach, White Beach, volcano 45:07Mykonos · Little Venice, windmills, Super Paradise 53:30Milos · Sarakiniko and Paleochori 61:04Athens · The centre without a tour Watch the full Celestyal Journey vlog

Greece videos

Things to do in Athens

Hydra, Poros and Aegina cruise

Athens Riviera

Syntagma, the National Garden and the Athens markets

Athens food tour: gyros, souvlaki, loukoumades and the market

Breakfast and food spots in Athens

Piraeus: Mikrolimano and Pasalimani

Athens vlog, part 2: the Acropolis, Plaka, Monastiraki and Mikrolimano

How Long Is the Greek Islands Cruise?

7 nights round trip from Kusadasi, with six ports and no full sea day.

1One day1 day: a port day: breakfast…

3Three days3 days: boarding in Kusadasi, Heraklion…

7Seven days7 days: Kusadasi, Heraklion, Santorini, Mykonos,…

Plan your trip to Celestyal Journey

Our Other Cruise

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Celestyal Journey Review: Greek Islands Cruise

Celestyal Journey Itinerary and What's on Board

Celestyal Journey itinerary: the ports

Heraklion, Crete: the Archaeological Museum and the Lion Fountain

Heraklion’s Ottoman traces: Vezir Pasha Mosque, 1866 Street and the Venetian fortress

Santorini: the ship anchors, a tender takes you ashore

Santorini boat tour: Red Beach, White Beach and the volcano

Fira and the cable car: back to the ship

Mykonos: Little Venice and the windmills

How to get to Super Paradise: the Fabrika stop and sunbeds

Sarakiniko, Milos: white rocks meeting the sea

Paleochori beach: the swim stop on the ship’s tour

Adamas: in Milos, hire a boat instead of the ship’s tour

Athens (Piraeus): the city centre without a tour

Thessaloniki: the last Greek port

What’s on board Celestyal Journey

Sports courts, two pools and a gym

The evening programme: theatre, music and karaoke

Celestyal Journey Cabins: Our Inside Cabin

Home for a week

What’s in an inside cabin?

One suitcase, a different island every morning

Celestyal Journey Food: Buffet and À La Carte

What we ate on board and ashore

The buffet: drinks with your meal are included

The à la carte restaurant: long trousers and a new menu every day

Kirkor: bougatsa and Greek coffee in Heraklion

Peskesi: Cretan food, dakos and lamb with rice

Paraportiani: mixed seafood in Mykonos

Greek Islands Cruise Budget: Port Days

Getting to Kusadasi for Boarding

By Air

By Ferry

By Car

Before You Book a Greek Islands Cruise

Before you book a Greek islands cruise

Ship, route and price change by sailing

You don’t need every shore excursion

In Mykonos and Santorini, book ahead

Is there internet on the ship?

Be ready for the summer heat

Celestyal Journey FAQ

How Long Is the Greek Islands Cruise?

Our Other Cruise

Cunard Queen Victoria Review

Let's plan your trip together: ask us anything