3 Days Easter Cruise, cruising from Greece
Cruise from Athens (Piraeus) to Mykonos, Kusadasi, Patmos, Santorini
In Greece we say “Kalo Pascha!” Spend your holiday sailing the Aegean onboard the cozy Celestyal Olympia, with stops in Mykonos, Kusadasi (Ephesus), the holy island of Patmos and incredible Santorini! Spend a carefree weekend with us, and see up-close how the people of the Aegean celebrate the most important holiday on the Greek Orthodox calendar!
We depart from Piraeus and return to Piraeus, the Port of Athens. Welcome to the Cradle of Western Civilization and the birthplace of democracy. One of the world’s oldest cities, with a recorded history of more than 3,400 years, cosmopolitan Athens is dense with ancient monuments, chic cafes, charming tavernas and unique shops. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state and a center for the arts, education and philosophy in the 5th and 4th centuries BC, when it was home to Plato’s Academy and Aristotle’s Lyceum. The city’s Classical heritage is still part of the fabric of Athenian life, thanks to well-preserved monuments and works of art, particularly the Parthenon, a key landmark of early Western civilization; it gazes down upon this sprawling international capital from high upon the Acropolis, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Make your way through the lively, picturesque Plaka neighborhood to the Acropolis and the New Acropolis Museum, one of the best museums in the world, and its singular collection of ancient art and artifacts. Don’t miss what everyone’s been talking about for centuries!
The regal Celestyal Olympia, your floating hotel, calls first at Mykonos, the heart of the Cyclades and its most chic cosmopolitan island. Picture-perfect Mykonos is renowned for its magnificent beaches, the lovely rolling hills of its countryside, and its windmills! A jet set vacation destination since the 1950s, Mykonos is a dream from which few wish to be roused. It’s a symphony of disparate but harmonious notes. The cobblestone streets of labyrinthine Mykonos town, designed like a maze to discourage pirate raids in the 18th and early 19th centuries, are crammed with bars, cafes, charming boutiques and gourmet restaurants. You’ll be delighted by its white-washed buildings as you amble down its narrow streets: this is the quintessential Cyclades. Mykonos Town hosts the Archaeological Museum of Mykonos and the Aegean Maritime Museum, in addition to a plethora of art galleries. Have the opportunity to participate in the impressive Epitaphios procession in Mykonos Town, which begins at 9:00 PM on Good Friday. Local priests and townspeople, all holding candles will carry a flower decorated icon and carry a a wooden cross through the streets of Mykonos Town and back to the church in a symbolic funeral procession. The procession is accompanied by the Town brass band, it is a somber but moving service and a key part of Easter celebrations throughout mainland Greece and the islands of the Aegean.
From Mykonos we sail overnight to arrive for breakfast on Holy Saturday in Kusadasi. The white sand beaches of quiet Kusadasi, a former fishing village, are a short, scenic drive from Ancient Ephesus and the Terrace Houses, the House of the Virgin Mary, beautiful Sirince Village and the thrilling metropolis of Izmir, about 60 miles to the north. Kusadasi is also home to one of the best covered bazaars on the Turkish coast. You’ll find everything here: antique furniture, carpets, jewelry, natural cosmetics, spices…just be sure you’re willing to engage in some good-natured bargaining! Follow the throng of excited shoppers past the 18th century caravanserai, “Okuz Mehmet Pasa Keravansarayi”, which is now hotel “Club Caravanserai.” It’s a feast for the senses ,and with enough unique shopping to make you giddy. Kusadasi is also home to cafes, restaurants and unique shops, and to the Fortress Mosque, a monumental structure built in the 17th century by the vizier Okuz Mehmet Pasa, all within the city walls. Cross the short bridge to Pigeon Island, where you’ll find the Fortress of Kusadasi, a Byzantine castle from the 13th century, and its museum, as well as an incredible panoramic view of the city.
We arrive at 16:00 on Holy Saturday at the mountainous island of Patmos after a short voyage from Kusadasi. Although its infrastructure rivals that of its Dodecanese neighbors, Patmos still feels off the beaten path, esoteric, thanks to its unstudied natural beauty, its picture-perfect villages, its postcard-quality vistas and its sacred sites. In 2009, Forbesnamed the island one of the world’s most idyllic places to live: words such as “dreamlike,” “homey” and “virginal” are often used when describing this Aegean haven. Patmos is sometimes referred to as “the Jerusalem of the Aegean.” First settled by Dorian and then Ionian Greeks, it came under the dominion of Rome and, like other Aegean islands, was used as a place of exile for political prisoners. Among the prisoners exiled to Patmos was St John the Divine, who was brought to the island in AD 95 during the reign of Domitian. During his long internment on this mountainous island, St. John wrote both the Apocalypse and his Gospel in the Grotto (cave) of St. Anna. In 1088 Ioannis “The Blessed” Christodoulos, a Bithynian abbot and soldier, received permission to found a monastery on the island dedicated to St John, and on approaching the port of Skala from the seayour first sight is the massive medieval walls of the monastery, which stand guard over white-washed Chora, the island’s hilltop capital. Chora itself, the Grotto, and the monastery are all UNESCO World Heritage sites. We’ll celebrate the Resurrection in Patmos! Select a church and join the congregation for midnight mass. Take a candle as you enter the church (there is box for donations). Minutes prior midnight the church will be in darkness , the priest will enter the sanctuary light his candle , re enter the church & soon every candle in and outside of the church will be lit, followed by the resonant peal of church bells across the island. We say to each other, “Christos Anesti (Christ has risen),” the response is , “Alithos Anesti (Truly He has risen).” There will also be celebratory fireworks *, after this wonderful, unique liturgy has concluded! Kalo Pascha! /Happy Easter. This celebration the Resurrection/ Anastassi in Greece is the most important celebration of the Greek Orthodox Church. The liturgy continues until well after midnight for those who wish to remain ashore. Don’t forget the ship sails at 2:00.
We sail overnight from Patmos to spend Easter Sunday on incredible Santorini. It is as you imagined, as you’ve dreamt, bright white buildings with blue shutters and doors lined up along the edge of the cliff, staring back at the blazing sun as it descends into the Aegean. It will leave you breathless. Take a jeep safari into the interior, or cruise to Santorini’s smaller islands and volcanoes. If archeology and history are your passions, visit the Akrotiri Village excavations, or just sit in a café in spectacular Oia Village and watch the sunset.There is nowhere else on earth like Santorini, the Queen of the Cyclades. She will leave you breathless. Everything about this sculptural island is unique – its red earth, its white and red beaches…there are even white eggplants here, thanks to its volcanic subsoil. You’ll find cave settlements, classic whitewashed Cycladic houses that seem as if they’ve been scrubbed clean and bleached by the sun, traditional windmills and some of the warmest, most cheerful people in the Greek Islands. This is a mystical, primal, seductive place. An excursion anywhere in Santorini is like a visit to the sky. Its light and colors will dazzle you. We’ll have a full day in Santorini, departing at 2:00 AM Easter Monday.
There will be no religious services or ceremonies on the Olympia, but on Easter we will serve the traditional Greek celebratory meal, red eggs and tsoureki, a traditional sweetened bread. There will also be Greek music and dancing throughout the ship.
Make Easter 2015 a Celestyal experience. Join us for three days of holiday delights in the Aegean. Please join us for a true celebration.
* We suggest that you take care of the fireworks
Συμπεριλαμβανομένης της τιμής κρουαζιέρας
- Διαμονή σε καμπίνα που έγινε η κράτηση
- Πλήρης διατροφή
- Βραδινά γκαλά και ψυχαγωγικές παραστάσεις επί του πλοίου
- Πισίνα & Γυμναστήριο
Μη συμπεριλαμβανομένης της τιμής κρουαζιέρας
- Eκδρομές, προσωπικά έξοδα και ό,τι δεν αναφέρεται ρητά στο «Οι τιμές περιλαμβάνουν»
Σημαντική Διευκρίνιση
- Η επί του σκάφους πίστωση δεν είναι έγκυρη για το καζίνο και τα καταστήματα αφορολόγητων ειδών
Map data ©2015 Basarsoft, GeoBasis-DE/BKG (©2009), Google, Mapa GISrael, ORION-ME, basado en BCN IGN España
Map
Satellite
| Ημέρα | Ώρα άφιξης | Αναχωρ. Ώρα | Προορισμός |
|---|---|---|---|
| (-) | 11:00 | Αθήνα & Πειραιάς | |
| 1 | 18:00 | 23:00 | Μύκονος |
| 2 | 07:00 | 13:00 | Κουσάντασι |
| 2 | 16:00 | Πάτμος | |
| 3 | 02:00 | Πάτμος | |
| 3 | 10:00 | 21:00 | Σαντορίνη |
| (-) | 06:00 | Αθήνα & Πειραιάς |
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