When Jenna DeLaurentis booked a Greek Isles cruise aboard Royal Caribbean's Explorer of the Seas to celebrate her mom's retirement after 30 years in nursing, the trip delivered sunsets over Santorini's caldera, walking tours of the Acropolis, and the kind of gyros that get talked about for the rest of the voyage. But looking back, she identified six things she'd handle differently — and several are easy fixes any cruiser can make before leaving home.
Packing a few cabin extras would have helped considerably. The three family members sharing a small inside cabin found themselves short on outlets and storage. A long charging cable, magnetic hooks for accessories, and a collapsible laundry hamper were the items she wished she'd tossed in the bag. She also recommends packing both a small portable fan and a compact travel umbrella — the Athens port day ran warm, and Split brought surprise rain that sent them hunting for umbrellas at a local shop.
On the port side, Mykonos's famous Chora neighborhood proved far more crowded than expected, even with an early start off the ship. Her takeaway: book a tour to a less-trafficked part of the island rather than spending the full day in the Old Town. She also wishes she'd chosen an itinerary that included Kotor, Montenegro — a medieval walled city set inside a fjord-like bay that she calls one of her favorite ports in all of Europe. And in every Greek port, she'd now prioritize sit-down local meals rather than grab-and-go snacks; her parents' first-ever authentic chicken gyros in Athens became the culinary highlight of the cruise.
The most stressful lesson came on embarkation morning in Ravenna, Italy, where the family struggled for over an hour to secure a taxi. Uber and Lyft don't operate there, local taxi apps weren't cooperating, and a public bus with full luggage wasn't an appealing option. They ultimately got a ride through a contact of their Airbnb host. Royal Caribbean does offer bookable shuttle services from the Venice and Bologna airports directly to the Ravenna port, which she says would have saved the whole headache.
Despite the missteps, the trip was exactly the retirement celebration her mom deserved. For the full account of lessons learned, visit Royal Caribbean Blog.
