A Fifty-Night Cruise Is Already Halfway to Greece

Island Princess is in the middle of one of the longest itineraries on the market. The 88,000-ton ship, built in 2003, sailed from Fort Lauderdale earlier this month on the 50-night Grand Mediterranean Odyssey, which covers 24 ports across 10 countries and territories and returns to Port Everglades in late November, according to Cruise Industry News.

The route crosses the Atlantic via Bermuda and the Azores before entering the Mediterranean through the Strait of Gibraltar. The western leg includes Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Ajaccio, Portoferraio and Naples. From late October into early November the ship works through the eastern Mediterranean, with calls in Greece, Turkey, Croatia and Montenegro, including Santorini, Mykonos, Rhodes, Kusadasi, Dubrovnik and Kotor.

Guests who could not spare the whole stretch had another option: the voyage was also sold as 25-night segments between Fort Lauderdale and Piraeus, the port for Athens. The return trip stops in Gibraltar, Casablanca and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria before crossing back to Florida.

What the ship does next is also set. After returning, Island Princess will run Caribbean and Bahamas cruises, then from December a series of 16-night Panama Canal voyages between Los Angeles and Fort Lauderdale, including a full canal transit. After operating through late April, it moves to a summer in Alaska and British Columbia with seven-night Vancouver to Whittier sailings.

Sources: Cruise Industry News, Cruise Industry News (cruise news)