EUROPEAN CRUISE x
Hello friends! I cannot wait to share this whole journey with you guys! I had the most questions about this cruise than I have EVER had. Probably because it was pretty incredible, BUT I am here to share all the details on the cruise line, where we went, which places we SHOCKINGLY liked best, how much we spent, etc.
We booked our trip through a travel agent which was honestly such a great experience and saved us some money (“some” is the key word here HAHA). We flew to Toronto from Seattle then straight to Venice, Italy. Definitely would recommend giving yourself an extra day as our flight to Venice got delayed 4 hours and we almost missed our flight (still get goosebumps thinking about it!!!).
We went straight to our cruise once we landed in Venice. We decided to go with Norwegian Cruise Line for our trip. They had all the spots we were looking for at a great price so it just panned out! This was my first cruise, but it was such a good experience it is definitely not my last!!
Our trip took us from Venice to Kotor Montenegro, then to Corfu, Greece. To Santorini & Mykonos, Dubrovnik, Croatia & then back to Venice. So a TON of spots - not to mention almost all on our bucket list.
Our cruise was 7 days and was all inclusive food & drinks! After our cruise we spent 2 extra days in Venice and paid for our own hotel/food/drinks/etc. So all together spent $10k. Yes a lot.. but also do not regret it one bit! The most amazing experience, and I hope to do it again one day soon! Our trip home we had a layover in Switzerland, then flew from there to Vancouver, BC & then home to Seattle.
Now that all of the itty gritty details are in line - imma tell you all about my favorite spots / which places surprised us - ALL the things below.
KOTOR, MONTENEGRO x
I was absolutely shocked by this random little place that honestly I was not too excited about HAHA. I was like okay cool, but when are we getting to Santorini?? Then I pulled into this Montenegro place and was shook.
SO BEYOND BEAUTIFUL.
I would never STAY here, but I think everyone just needs to see it’s beauty!!! It’s almost like a hidden town inside these mountains surrounded by water!
Just no words honestly except I took a video so you can see it in full so make sure to watch it so you can get a taste!!!
CORFU, GREECE x
Corfu is another unpopular destination, but I was shocked AGAIN by how beautiful it was!
All the buildings were white, the cutest little shops and coffee spots all around! This is where we got the “fish” pedicure - where the little fish eat off your dead skin HAHA. I was so scared but I’ve always wanted to try it!
I took a video showing off some of the beauty, I’ve attached it below! Also shows Mykonos & Santorini.
SANTORINI, GREECE x
Ok. LOTS of thoughts on the famous Santorini. Ya know, it was 1 billion x different than I thought. This was me & Brandon’s #1 bucket list spot and honestly maybe it was because we played it up in our heads too much or I watched Mamma Mia too many times (lol). I honestly was A LITTLE disappointed.
Our cruise boat pulled up and I couldn’t even see it. I was confused lol. Just looked like a straight up rock in the water. All I remember thinking was “uh.. where’s the blue and white buildings like I pictured” HAHA. I had some realizations that maybe will help you guys before you visit Greece. You have to take a CRAZY high up cable car to get to Santorini since it’s LITERALLY on a cliff. Not a fan for me cause I hate heights haha. Or you can take a donkey up but it’s very steep and the donkeys have been known for tripping too (one lady cracked her head open so I’ll pass on that one).
Once you get to the top it looks nothing like the pictures. Still beautiful seeing the water! But waaayyy different. To get to the spot where everyone takes pictures you have to take a 1-2 hr. bus ride to get to the spot “Oia, Santorini”. No idea how we figured out public transportation and all with the language barrier / walking around. HAHA it was rough at first. The bus ride is TERRIFYING. Not even being dramatic I thought I was gonna die lol. The bus driver whips around on this cliff - SWEAR he almost went over the edge a few times hahaha. A girl even started hyperventilating crying - I don’t blame her I almost did too.
It was a LONG ways to Oia - 2 hours or more at LEAST. Then you’re there and get to see the white and blue buildings which are so beautiful and was in love when I saw them, but it was still not as great as I was expecting sadly!!!! I am super sad cause I felt like we were a little disappointed. It was beautiful no doubt, but nothing like we saw in the photos or what we expected. I think if we go next time we might like it better since we’ll know what to expect & we’d definitely stay there more than one day. Totally want to give it another shot, and I think everyone should visit one day - BUT it was different than I expected so try to not have unrealistic expectations like me basically HAHA.
MYKONOS, GREECE x
Okay ya’ll I think Mykonos takes the cake for me. FAV SPOT. It was so beyond beautiful. You pull up and the water is connected to this cute little town with coffee shops and all of the streets looked like this in the photo to my left. SO PRETTY!
We then took a cab to one of the most popular beaches in the world. It was amazing seriously the beverly hills of Greece. Louis Vuitton, Gucci, every designer store in this shopping center next to the beach with crystal clear water and beautiful mansions on hills - I’M OBSESSED.
So all in all crazy since I thought Santorini would take the cake, but HELLO MYKONOS. When Brandon gets free flights this is for sure one of the first places to go to!!!
DUBROVNIK, CROATIA x
This spot was Brandon’s favorite out of all the spots! He fell in love with the crystal clear water!
So beautiful here no doubt! It wasn’t my favorite spot, but it was super beautiful! I more like the cute coffee shops & shopping - this was a little more historic, which was gorgeous too! Just not my favorite. :) We explored the gorgeous city and then took a private boat out for Brandon to go snorkeling. So incredible!
VENICE, ITALY x
Our last but very not least spot! My second favorite on the trip (almost took first!). VENICE IS A DREAAAM. I am SO HAPPY we had more than one day in this beautiful city!!! Everything was just so extra and boujee I loved it. It was so fun experiencing the gondola and in some parts you have to take one or a water taxi to get to your hotel - SO COOL. It was really just so unique like nothing else you’ve seen.
The only downside I have to Venice is that I feel like we ran out of things to do/see. It was so beautiful to see, but not sure if we’ll be back since I feel like we’ve seen everything it has to offer!
ZURICH, SWITZERLAND & HOME x
And off we go! We spent the night/morning in Switzerland which was beautiful as well! I don’t think we’ll be visiting again. It was gorgeous, but probably the lowest on my list. Maybe I have hard feelings because they lost our suitcases so we had very little on our day there and we felt gross HAHA. Jk, I won’t blame that on Switzerland. But compared to the other places we visited it was probably my least favorite.
Our trip home was so easy! I’m usually not a fan of flying but our 10 hr flight was super smooth and no complaints!!! Lots of movies were watched haha!
This trip was such an incredible experience for us and I am so thankful we had this opportunity! I definitely would suggest cruising in Europe or in general to anyone! It was so fun not having to worry about transportation and just being pulled up to every beautiful destination. Especially to those we would’ve never visited that we ended up falling in love with!
Please feel free to reach out with any questions! I would love to tell you more about our experience! :) xx
