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Stops we made on our cruise:
- Athens, Greece
- Split, Croatia
- Dubrovnik, Croatia
- Kotor, Montenegro
- Corfu, Greece
In October 2023, my husband and I went on a Virgin Voyages cruise in the Adriatic Sea for our tenth wedding anniversary. We have played with the idea of going on a cruise before, but hubby is prone to motion sickness and we have always opted to put together our own agenda. We decided to try a cruise because we wanted to see many places with limited time, we wanted something that felt luxurious without having to do much research, and we were looking to be pampered. Pampered to me means pool, sun, champagne, delicious food anytime I want, room service, no screaming children (this is an adults only cruise line), jaw dropping views, ocean I can swim in, and bonus points for a massage and pedicure. As you may have guessed, the Virgin Voyages cruise was exactly what we were looking for and more!
Arriving in Athens
We took an overnight flight from NYC to Athens, and arrived in Athens in the afternoon the day before our cruise. We stayed the night at the Electra Metropolis for it’s convenient location, and enjoyed the rooftop pool in the morning. Our hotel recommended a yummy dinner at Old Ithaki. We have been to Athens before, so we skipped the Parthanon. It was a Sunday, so I wanted to explore the neighborhood Plaka for some souvenir shopping. We also enjoyed wandering around the National Gardens and Temple of Zeus in Athens before boarding our cruise around 5pm.
When the boat is taking off, the sail-away party is tons of fun! Think 1,000 of your new best friends dancing on couches holding champagne with nothing but anticipation ahead of us. For our first dinner, I booked reservations at the Korean BBQ restaurant, Gunbae. We joined a table with two other couples who quickly became our new best friends for the rest of the trip. After some drinking games and delicious food, we went to see a show called Persephone. The acrobatics and talent in the show was very impressive!
For our first full day at sea, we booked a couples massage. I enjoyed relaxing in the spa and using the sauna and steam room while looking at the ocean with hubby. So romantic! We spent the afternoon at the pool, and had dinner at the Test Kitchen which is almost a science themed restaurant. Then we went to see a show called The Miss Behave Show that was like a comedy audience game show. After that we went to a 80s themed dance party in The Manor.
Stop One: Split, Croatia
Our first stop was in Split, Croatia. We booked an excursion through the cruise to go to Krka National Park. They are known for beautiful waterfalls, so we thought that was worth seeing while we were there. It took about an hour to drive there, and then we did a small loop walking tour of the park. I would recommend this with your time in Split if you enjoy seeing the country and national parks. After the excursion, we had time to explore Old Town Split. The main thing to do in Split is to walk through Diocletian’s Palace, so we wandered through the free portions. For dinner, we went to a dinner show on the ship called Another Rose. They hold it in The Manor and make it interactive moving the audience around. We paid extra for it, but it included drinks and was a fun experience!
Stop Two: Dubrovnik, Croatia
Our second stop was Dubrovnik, Croatia. This was my favorite stop. Very King of Thrones vibes (because they filmed most of it there). We played with the idea to buy a ticket to walk on top of the city walls, and gave in at the end of the day. I am very glad we did! It took about 1.5 hours to walk the perimeter on the walls, and I loved the different view of the city and the surrounding mountains and ocean. We stopped at a restaurant on the wall with a pretty ocean view and had a drink. I wish we would have done something in the ocean here, like brought my swim suit (next time!) or kayaked. We didn’t book an excursion in Dubrovnik because we wanted to explore Old Town all day on our own. For dinner we went to Razzle Dazzle, a healthy American restaurant.
Stop Three: Kotor, Montenegro
Our third stop was Kotor, Montenegro. This was our actual wedding anniversary day. When the ship pulls into the port in the morning, it weaves through tall jagged mountains (hence it’s name) that are worth waking up early to see. Because the bay is so shallow, small boats need to take you from the ship to land, but it was not a challenge to coordinate how to get off the boat at all. We went on an excursion this day that took us on a boat on the water to a few stops further away, mainly a church on an island called Our Lady of the Rocks and then a medieval town called Perast where we had cake and coffee before exploring on our own. Our tour guide was knowledgable and personable. This was the night of the famous scarlet party. We had so much fun dressing up and had dinner at the steakhouse, The Wake. Then we went to the party in The Manor where we danced. I think the party is usually by the pool, but ours was moved indoors due to weather.
Stop Four: Corfu, Greece
For our last stop, we went to Corfu, Greece. The excursion we booked this day was cancelled so we took a different one that drove us all around the island. I enjoyed Paleokastritsa Beach, which is apparently where Odysseus got shipwrecked in the Odyssey. After the excursion, we explored Old Town, and swam in the ocean! In hindsight, I would have preferred to explore some of the beaches on our own instead of spend all day in a bus. For dinner, we went to Extra Virgin, the Italian restaurant. I was pleasantly surprised by the yummy food and cocktails.
When we woke up in the morning, our ship was docked at Athens. We were so sad the cruise was over and we were back to reality. Our flight was leaving late that night, so we decided to hop on a Double Decker Bus Tour that was in the parking lot when we got off the ship and drive around Athens for a few hours. It was fun seeing the water and coast, as well as listening to the audio tour of everything we were driving past. It was a great way to spend a few hours instead of sitting in an airport. We grabbed lunch at The Greco’s Project and enjoyed our last bits of gyros and wine before hopping on the metro to the airport.
A Beautiful Ship and Fun Itinerary
The ship, The Resilient Lady, was new and nice. Virgin Voyages cruises is also a new cruise line, so everything about the experience feels fresh and luxurious. Our room was an XL Sea Terrace room, and I was glad to have a little extra space for a seven night cruise. I didn’t use the balcony as much as I thought I would because it was October so it was a little cold and windy out there. Also I wasn’t in my room much during the day and then the sun set early, but it was still a nice option when I was able to enjoy it. I couldn’t figure out how to comfortably hang out in the hammock out there. I think it’s a chair but then I didn’t really fit under the metal of the boat when I sat in it. I liked all of the food options and I appreciated that there were so many choices of where to go at all hours. I loved hanging at The Dock on the back of the boat and buying bottles of sparkling rose. We also had fun playing board games at night in The Social Club.
I booked all of the dinner reservations and excursions through the Virgin Voyages app as soon as they opened up months before our trip. The boat wasn’t super full, but I wanted to make sure we were able to eat where and when we wanted because I’m a proud control freak. When we needed reservations last minute, there were limited options so you should probably book what you want before your trip.
One thing I was pleasantly surprised by regarding the itinerary for the trip was that all of our stops were close to Old Towns that we could explore. They were all so medival feeling and surrounded by tall city walls for protection back in the day. It reminded me of being in Aladdin. I didn’t realize there would be these Old Towns at each stop right by the port for us to wander through, and getting to explore four different ones in a row was a spectacular addition.
By the end of the week, everyone on the ship was familiar with each other on a “smile as you walk by” basis. I’d say over half of them were from the UK, and a little under half were American. Everyone was very nice, and like I’ve mentioned twice already, we all became besties by the end of the week. We had a great time on our Virgin Voyages cruise for our romantic couples getaway, and it was the perfect way to spend our anniversary. If you have a cruise or trip planned to any of these places, I hope you have an amazing time!
Places Megan Goes 