Iconic Mediterranean Cruise with Silversea

According to Therese Pouilly, “Everyone should take at least one Mediterranean cruise, especially on a smaller cruise ship.”

A good example would be the 10-night Mediterranean cruise she took from Venice, Italy to Istanbul, Turkey on the Silversea Silver Spirit, with stops including Kotor, Montenegro; Santorini, Greece and Kusadasi, Turkey.

“The itinerary is the epitome of the Mediterranean,” she said.

Therese advises watching your arrival at Kotor at least an hour beforehand from your balcony.

“The ship sails very slowly and it’s just beautiful to the end of the strait, which is Kotor,” she said. “It’s something not to be missed.”

Smaller ships can do a 360-degree loop around Our Lady of the Rocks, a small island with a chapel on it, in the Bay of Kator.

Therese and her husband hiked to St. John’s fortress for a spectacular view of Kotor.

“It’s an amazing place but I hurt from hiking for about three days afterwards,” she said. The picture she got at the top was worth it though.

In Kusadasi, Turkey, Therese recommends taking one of the Ephesus shore excursions with Silversea to explore the ancient city. She also advises taking advantage of Silversea’s shore excursions to see the Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque and the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul.

Typically, she’s found that the demographic on a Silversea cruise tends to skew a bit older, but by sailing in July they found a wide variety of ages on the ship, including families and younger couples.

While onboard the all-inclusive cruise, Therese said one of the most memorable services was a white tablecloth dinner they had on their balcony, served one course at a time.

“That was just amazing,” she said. “Plus we had a sunset that was just gorgeous.”