Earlier this month we enjoyed our first Mediterranean cruise. We flew to Bari, Italy and boarded the MSC Poesia. Our itinerary took us to Italy, Greece, Croatia, and Albania. Much like the first time we cruised with MSC Cruises, we received an upgrade to a balcony stateroom–which is just an insane benefit! This time we even got so lucky to experience private dining because our assigned table only sat four and no other couple made an appearance the entire week.

Mediterranean Cruise vs. Caribbean Cruise

There are definitely stark differences between a Mediterranean cruise and a Caribbean cruise.

For one, Europeans operate on an entirely different schedules than North Americans.

• They notoriously eat dinner later in the evening.
• On Caribbean cruises we always request second seating which typically occurs around 7:00 PM and the first seating takes places at something ridiculously early like 5:00 PM (for the old people). When we discovered our dinner assignment was for first seating we were initially upset, but then quickly realized first seating was at 7:00 PM and second seating was scheduled for 9:00 PM.
• This meant the disco and the night life started later. Which also meant that people woke up much later in the mornings.
• This meant better availability in the relaxation room and gym. Plus no lines disembarking the ship in the morning.

Smoother Sailing

• The Mediterranean, Adriatic, and Aegean seas were also much smoother than cruising the Caribbean.
• We barely felt the ship move at all the entire week. We even joked that the ship just floated between each port.

Better Mobile Coverage

• Since the destinations are located so closely together we also found that we had great cell phone reception long after we departed ports and were cruising at sea.
• Read more about how we use our T-Mobile service while traveling abroad here.

Katakolon, Greece

The first stop of our Mediterranean cruise after departing Bari was Katakolon, Greece. The reason why cruise ships stop here is due to its close proximity to Olympia. We chose to forego a 45 minute one way bus ride to see the ancient Olympic stadium in order to explore the small port city. Instead we rented an ATV (€30 for the day) and drove to Agios Andreas beach.

Then we continued to the Mercouri Estate and Winery for a quick wine tasting. A cheaper option to visit these places is to buy a €6 ticket on the Katakolon Fun Tourist Train. We decided on the ATVs because we wanted to visit each place on our own time instead of being constrained by the train schedule.

Mykonos

The next morning we arrived in Mykonos which is an incredibly popular tourist destination amongst the Greek Isles. This stop really felt like the true Mediterranean cruise experience. We originally pre-booked a motorbike online a few weeks in advance. We wanted to drive it around the island like we previously did in Koh Phangan and Cozumel. However, we learned that since we did not have a motorcycle license annotated on our US driver licenses that we could not rent a motorbike in Greece. Therefore we opted for another ATV. Only this one was much more powerful (450 cc) than the ones in Katakolon and cost €80.

We drove to Kalo Livadi Beach.

Followed by Kalafati Beach and ate lunch at Petrino Aquarius.

Our last stop was Super Paradise Beach. It was apparent that Mykonos definitely boasts a solid nightlife. We were bummed that our stop did not include an overnight visit and definitely want to return for a longer visit in the future.

Athens

We rarely book cruise excursions. In fact, the only time we booked one was in order to swim with wild stingrays in Grand Cayman during our first MSC cruise. Other than that we either rent motorbikes, ATVs, or use public transportation to explore the ports ourselves. In this case we arrived in Pireaus port and took the X80 city bus to Athens in order to visit Acropolis. This only cost us €6 each for a round trip ticket to see the ancient city. Plan for about a 45 minute journey each way.

Sarandë, Albania

I really did not expect a whole lot from Albania when we booked this Mediterranean cruise. I anticipated a developing and recovering communist country with a small port city and not much else. Honestly, I set the bar quite low and Sarandë absolutely blew my expectations out of the water. This time we decided to explore with the two other couples we befriended on this ship. We found the closest ATV rental and haggled a bit to rent three for a total of €120. Here we drove 45 minutes to the Blue Eye. Followed by another 45 minutes to Mirror Beach (aka Pulëbardha Beach).

The Blue Eye

Mirror Beach

Dubrovnik, Croatia

This next day we stopped in Dubrovnik. My first time visiting the city, but second time to Croatia. Here we simply wandered around the Old Town Walls and ate at a delicious, picturesque cafe. Despite not using the Euro, Dubrovnik is definitely more expensive than what I experienced in Split two years ago. Game of Thrones fans are sure to love visiting King’s Landing, too.

Venice, Italy

We stopped in Venice as our final destination before returning to Bari. Unlike our peaceful day trip to Venice during our last trip to Italy, this visit was unbearably hot and chaotic. So much so that we decided to sell our water bus tickets to Saint Mark’s Square at a €10 loss to a random family in order to seek refuge back on the cruise ship. We much preferred to keep our wonderful memories of Venice from the winter intact than sully our experience battling the huge crowds in the sweltering heat. In the end I snapped some fabulous photos from the deck when we departed. To be honest, ending our Mediterranean cruise relaxing by the quiet pool just made the most sense.

View of Venice from the MSC Poesia pool

The post Mediterranean Cruise with MSC Trip Report appeared first on Seize the Globe.

Liebster Award Rules

1. Acknowledge the blog who nominated you and display the award
2. Answer eleven questions that the blogger gives you
3. Give eleven random facts about yourself
4. Nominate eleven blogs that you think deserve the award (with less than 200 followers)
5. Let the bloggers know you have nominated them
6. Give them eleven questions to answer

Where in the world are you right now?
Currently I am in the ever-so-exotic location of Indianapolis. I have about 12 different flights booked and scheduled for future trips at the moment. However, those are purely based around my long distance relationship–which makes them even more exciting!

Can you pinpoint the exact moment you knew this was what you wanted to do?
I can not really pinpoint the exact moment I knew I wanted to be a travel blogger. It was more of a process for me. I simply found myself saying, “Hey, Kristina. You love to write. You love to travel even more…and you habitually read dozens of travel blogs. Why don’t you try it?!” I told my close friends about it and they each agreed that it would be a really rewarding thing for  me to do it. So one day I simply began brainstorming blog names and in no time I was up and running with my very own travel blog!

When traveling what is your biggest challenge?
Okay, so I am definitely one of those weird people that truly loves the actual experience of travel. I love airports. I love flying. I love everything about it the actual transit process–from researching and booking to the final descent to navigating to your hotel. Yet, my biggest challenge exists even before all of that begins. You see, I am an American and the United States is not typically very generous when it comes to vacation/holiday time. We are notorious for only allowing the most minimal amounts of paid time off and even then–those who choose to take advantage of all 12 vacation days are usually frowned upon. Not kidding–it’s not uncommon for the average American to underutilize their vacation benefits and even using some paid time off for medical issues, taking their dog to the veterinarian, or even waiting at home for the plumber. So my biggest challenge is strategically planning my travel in a manner that maximizes value with the heavy time constraints of limited holiday time.

Do you take tours when you travel or explore on your own?
I much prefer to explore on my own. Whenever I go somewhere, I want to try my best to view that area and experience it through the lens of a local. This does not mean that tours are worthless. Tours can be an excellent source of knowledge–especially when visiting a historical site. If given the choice, I will ask a local for a recommendation and then explore on my own first.

Clearly taking advantage of a group tour in China

Name something, other than your passport, that if you lost in your baggage you couldn’t live without?
Some of you are going to be nodding your head in agreement and others will want to throat punch me for this answer: my iPhone. Seriously, there are so many tools and apps you can use on a smartphone to help successfully navigate you through an unfamiliar place. I previously wrote about my top five travel apps and how they can revolutionize your travel experience. So I shamelessly stick to my answer and can honestly tell you that I would be absolutely lost without a smartphone in my baggage.

What is your favorite airport and airport experience worldwide?
Dallas Fort Worth–without a doubt. I seriously go out of my way to make connections at DFW, if I am traveling domestically and there are no direct flights. Dallas is home to my favorite airline, American Airlines. It has plenty of food options, easily transferrable terminals, and not to mention THE BEST lounge ever. The American Express Centurion Lounges are absolutely epic. They offer free, locally-inspired, premium meals crafted by award-winning chefs, signature cocktails and all other types of alcohol, massages, manicures, Wi-Fi, a separate kids’ lounge equipped with Xbox, and more–did I mention that absolutely everything in there is free?

What are the essentials you take on a plane, or long haul bus ride?
I’ll answer this from a female perspective just because. I am in an international long distance relationship–so you better believe I want to step out of the terminal looking bright-eyed and fresh for my man (and more so for myself)! Anyway, I do everything within my power to get an aisle seat. This way I can drink tons of water in order to stay hydrated and flush the system while not bothering my fellow travelers when I go to the restroom frequently. I pack very, very small sample size pots of face wash and moisturizer, package of gentle face wipes, and of course my small make up bag in my back pack. The key is to step onto the flight with minimal make up on and hair done. This way you can feel free to sleep with an eyemask or whatever before you wake up, wash your face, apply make up, etc. Then I, personally, bring a cute head band and put my hair into a pony tail. It may seem counter intuitive have your hair nice for the flight and end up putting it up in a pony tail, but my theory is that the nicer your hair looks beforehand–the better you’re gonna feel throughout the long trip.

What was the most confronting travel experience you’ve had, and why didn’t it stop you?

My most confronting travel experience took place in the Dominican Republic when my group of friends and I decided to venture outside the resort during our Spring Break. What harm could that be? We were all well-traveled, educated, young 20-somethings and we felt cooped up in the all-inclusive resort. It felt like mini-America and we wanted to go exploring. Poor mistake on our parts! Wandered into a bad area of town in broad daylight and managed to find trouble. That story is worth a whole post!

Was there a destination that surprised you and you fell in love with automatically?
Yes, absolutely. China. I always had a bit of curiosity toward the country, but never an overwhelming desire to go like many other places. Yet, when I got there and traveled across China–not just stick to Beijing. I truly felt the magic of the deep-rooted Chinese history, the different dynasties, and the vast culture that exists there.

What does your first day consist of in a new city?
The goal is to get acclimated as quickly as possible. Make sure you have proper lodging/accommodations, set your baggage in a safe place, get hydrated after that long plane flight, and get your bearings. I always make sure that I do not rush too much because if I rush, then chances are something really interesting will get overlooked.

You’re at your favorite travel destination, and you have $10 left what do you do with it?
That’s a tough one for several reasons: 1. I have never quite been able to lock down my favorite travel destination. 2. $10 doesn’t go very far in most places nowadays.
So I will have to say that I would either use it to purchase street food or I would just shove it in my pocket and hit the beach until it was time to head to the next location.

Give 11 Random Facts About Yourself:

1. I was born in Germany
2. I have lived in four different US states
3. A rhino once charged the tree I climbed while I was on safari in South Africa
4. I’m in a long distance relationship with a guy in New Zealand–LONG STORY
5. I graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point
6. It is always a pleasure when I have the right seat mate on an airplane to talk to–especially interesting strangers
7. I know that two of my best friends in the entire world (Ali and Gina) would drop everything, book a flight, and meet me anywhere in the world–at any time
8. This year was the first year I achieved American Airlines Gold status
9. My blog’s name is obviously inspired by the Latin phrase “Carpe Diem” but more so because of the movie Dead Poet Society
10. I had substantially traveled across five different continents by the time I was 22
11. I got PADI certified at the Grand Wailea in Maui

My Liebster Award nominations:

Here are the 11 travel blogs I choose for the Liebster Award nomination. A few may be over the 200 follower guideline (or FB page likes). I also tried my best to find those who had not already received an award nomination. Oh well, more travel blog love to go around! Enjoy exploring these blogs!

1. Nerd Nomads
2. Five Free Things
3. The Whole World is a Playground
4. Mapkini
5. Travelholic Nomad
6. NomadGirl.co
7. Bewitched by Italy
8. The World on my Necklace
9. Venga, Vale, Vamos
10. Words of a Wanderer
11. The World In Between

11 Questions To Answer:

1. Do you prefer to pack well in advance (weeks) or the night before?
2. What is your current location and what is your next destination?
3. What is the goal for your travel blog?
4. I won’t ask you to name your favorite country. Instead–what is your favorite continent? Why is it special to you?
5. What is the most bizarre food you have ever eaten during your travels?
6. Do you prefer to solo travel, with a group, or just a single partner?
7. Do you take advantage of travel rewards (points, miles, travel rewards, etc.) to fund your trips?
8. What is your best overall flight experience? Airline? Departure? Destination? Duration?
9. What is the best part about having friends all over the world?
10. What is your dream RTW itinerary?
11. Which flight search engine/tool do you prefer the most?

The post Liebster Award Nomination for Seize the Globe! appeared first on Seize the Globe.