ROCS Guided Holidays Grand East Mediterranean Cruise to the Holy Land 2023

EAST MEDITERRANEAN CRUISE ON THE ODYSSEY OF THE SEAS

02 ND OCTOBER - 15 TH OCTOBER 2023

HOLIDAY PACKAGES STARTING FROM €2649 14DAY

VISITING: ROME (CIVITAVECCHIA) ITALY, CHANIA (CRETE), SANTORINI GREECE, EUPHESUS (KUSADESI) TURKEY, HAIFA ISRAEL, JERUSALEM (ASHDOD) ISRAEL, MYKONOS GREECE, ATHENS (PIRAEUS), NAPLES (CAPRI) ITALY, ROME

DAY 1 – MALTA – ROME Meet the tour manager at Malta International Airport for your flight to Rome. Upon arrival transfer to the Civitavecchia Cruise Terminal for embarkation of your cruise on board the Odyssey of The Seas by Royal Caribbean Cruises. ODYSSEY THE NEWEST ROYAL CARIBBEAN GAME CHANGER Spring into action on Sky Pad or soak up the sun at a newly designed resort-style pool deck that brings island vibes poolside. Take playtime to the next level at SeaPlex, with bumper cars, glow-in-the-dark laser tag, and VR games, or kick back and watch all the action from above at Playmakers Sports Bar & Arcade. Onboard you will find all new culinary experiences like Giovanni’s Kitchen and Wine Bar, and ahh-inspiring entertainment using cutting edge technology. From celebrations to meetings, Odyssey of the Seas offers unique venues and meeting spaces that suit any type of occasion and group. Whether you’re rewarding your best with the ultimate incentive trip or getting down to business, Odyssey of the Seas is the ultimate combination of work hard, play hard. This is an event like you’ve never seen before. Ports of call NAPLES is raw, high-octane energy, a place of soul-stirring art and panoramas, spontaneous conversations and unexpected, inimitable elegance. Welcome to Italy’s most unlikely masterpiece. Blessed with rich volcanic soils, a bountiful sea, and countless generations of culinary know-how, the Naples region is one of Italy’s epicurean heavyweights. It’s here that you’ll find the country’s best pizza, pasta and espresso, its most appetising street markets, not to mention some of its most celebrated dishes. From garlicky spaghetti alle vongole (spaghetti with clams) to sultry ragù (meat and tomato sauce) and silky parmigiana di melanzane (eggplant parmigiana), the food on these streets is all about intensity and pleasure. CAPRI is beautiful – seriously beautiful. There’s barely a grubby building or untended garden to blemish the splendour. Steep cliffs rise majestically from an impossibly blue sea; elegant villas drip with wisteria and bougainvillea; even the trees seem to be carefully manicured. Long a preserve of celebrities and the super-rich, this small, precipitous island off the west end of the Sorrento Peninsula has a tangible deluxe feel. Glide silently up craggy Monte Solaro on a chairlift. Relive erstwhile poetic glories in Villa Lysis. Find a quiet space in the sinuous lanes of Anacapri. In the process, you’ll enjoy some sublime moments. DAY 2 / 13 CRUISE

ATHENS is a heady mix of ancient history and contemporary cool.The magnificent Acropolis, visible from almost every part of the city, is the hub around which Athens still revolves. This temple city, built in the 5th century BC, serves as a daily reminder to Greeks of their heritage and the city’s many transformations. All over the urban basin, rooftops and balconies angle toward the landmark, a block of milky marble atop a steep-sided hill. Pull up your own chair, settle in and allow time to appreciate the Acropolis’ many moods, as the light shifts and the clouds cast their shifting shadows. EPHESUS is located on the western part of Turkey at the Aegean sea coast. Due to it`s location it was once a trading centre and a religious place with a number of temples and churches. It is one of the important ancient, commercial cities of the Mediterranean part of the world. After more than a century and a half of excavation, the city’s recovered and renovated structures have made Ephesus Europe’s most complete classical metropolis. As capital of Roman Asia Minor, Ephesus was a vibrant city of over 250,000 inhabitants, the fourth largest in the empire after Rome, Alexandria and Antioch. Adding in traders, sailors and pilgrims to the Temple of Artemis, these numbers were even higher, meaning that in Ephesus one could encounter the full diversity of the Mediterranean world and its peoples. So important and wealthy was Ephesus that its Temple of Artemis, on the western edge of present-day Selçuk, was the biggest on earth, and one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. MYKONOS is the great glamour island of Greece and happily flaunts its sizzling St-Tropez meets Ibiza style and party hard reputation. The high-season mix of hedonistic holidaymakers, cruise-ship crowds and posturing fashionistas throngs Mykonos Town (aka Hora), a traditional whitewashed Cycladic maze, delighting in its authentic cubist charms and its chichi café bar boutique scene. The island’s hilly interior is dotted with small traditional villages quite a contrast to the merry bustle of the coast. Swing by the only other settlement of any size in Mykonos, Ano Mera, and have a look at its pretty, whitewashed Tourliani Monastery, just off the taverna-lined main square. SANTORINI is definitely one of the most popular destinations in Greece. It is also considered one of the most spectacular and stunning landscapes in the entire world. The everlasting beauty of Santorini island attracts thousands of visitors every year and it is no wonder that the island is one of the top tourist destinations in the world. Its wild volcanic landscape, the rugged cliffs, the wild nature and beautiful beaches combined with its rich history and traditions make Santorini the gem of Greece. The main towns of

Fira and Oia, a snow-drift of white Cycladic houses that line the cliff tops and spill like icy cornices down the terraced rock will take your breath away. And then there’s the sunsets, the glorious sunsets. And the island’s fascinating history, best revealed at the Minoan site of Akrotiri. HAIFA is an unusual city to navigate. From the top of Mount Carmel, take in the view from the Louis Promenade across the Port of Haifa. It heads north right across into the Western Galilee. Hop on the Carmelit, Israel’s only subway system. The city’s crown jewel when it comes to tourism is undoubtedly the Bah’ai Gardens. They form part of the Bah’ai World Center, a UNESCOWorld Heritage Site. These beautiful gardens are a place of pilgrimage for members of the Bah’ai faith. They sit on terraces sloping down Mount Carmel towards the Mediterranean Sea. At the bottom of the gardens is Haifa’s German Colony. The area is famous for its pretty streets of restored templar-era buildings. The main street of the German Colony runs directly from the bottom of the gardens towards the coast and is lined with restaurants and cafes. JERUSALEM - is a city that needs no introduction. Home to three of the world’s major faiths, it brims with charm, excitement and spirituality. Admire this beautiful city from the Mount of Olives, with a stunning view over the Temple Mount. Sfter visiting the Garden of Gethsemane and the Church of All Nations, enter the Old City. Pass through the Via Dolorosa, the path Jesus walked while carrying the cross and arrive at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Visit the Jewish quarter with the iconic Western Wall, learning about the importance of this site for the Jewish people. CHANIA is Crete’s most evocative city, with its pretty Venetian quarter, criss-crossed by narrow lanes, culminating at a magnificent harbour. Remnants of Venetian and Turkish architecture abound, with old townhouses now transformed into atmospheric restaurants and boutique hotels. Although all this beauty means the old town is deluged with tourists in summer, it’s still a great place to unwind. The Venetian Harbour is super for a stroll and a coffee or cocktail. Thanks to an active modern centre, it retains its charm in winter. Indie boutiques and an entire lane (Skridlof) dedicated to leather products provide good shopping and, with a multitude of creative restaurants, you’ll eat very well here. DAY 14 – ROME - MALTA Breakfast and transfer from the Cruise Terminal to the centre of Rome for a short visit of the most important landmarks. Transfer to the Airport for your flight to Malta.

EAST MED CRUISE ON THE ODYSSEY OF THE SEAS 2023

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