You’ll begin your tour with an overnight flight to Rome, Italy, where you’ll arrive on Day 2. Upon clearing immigrations and customs you'll be met by a Vantage Representative and transferred to the Moderate First Class Albani Hotel.

Today marks the beginning of your ocean cruise. After a buffet breakfast at the hotel and a Rome panoramic sightseeing tour, you will transfer to the pier to board the ms Noordam. Settle into your cabin and set sail. Dinner is included on board tonight.

Relax with a day of cruising — or take advantage of this time to enjoy the ship’s amenities.

Dubrovnik is a stunningly beautiful city facing the blue Adriatic. Inside its medieval walls is a beautiful 14th-century Franciscan monastery, the Sponza Palace and graceful stone palazzi.

From Croatia you’ll visit a trio of Grecian ports, first visiting Kérkira on the luscious island of Corfu in the Ionian Sea. Corfu is known as the “Emerald Isle,” and boasts wonderful beaches, pretty fishing villages, and striking rock formations. In Kerkira, the island’s capital, elegant architecture and fortifications dating back to the Venetian occupation add to the area’s natural beauty.

Next comes Katákolon, a medieval town and part of the Peloponnese Islands. It is most often used as a jumping-off point for Olympia, the site of the original Olympic stadium and Temple of Zeus, one of the last remaining Wonders of the Ancient World.

Your harbor on this island was created by a volcano in 1500 BC, and the effect is still explosive: steep cliffs rise from sea level, cubist white houses glow in the Aegean sun. Named after its patron saint, Saint Irene, Santorini’s views are undoubtedly the most breathtaking in the Aegean.

Next, you’ll pull into Kusadasi, one of Turkey’s most stunning resort towns. Gateway to Ephesus, Kusadasi is one of the best-preserved archeological sites in the classical world.

You can choose to take an optional excursion to Ephesus, where you can walk marble streets lined by temples and fountains, houses of nobility, a library, and a theater.

The port of Piraeus is your gateway to the wonders of Athens. There are many sites worth visiting in Athens at your leisure, including The National Archaeological Museum, Hadrian’s Arch, the Temple of Olympian Zeus, and the Agora (marketplace). You may also want to explore the city's famous Plaka district, the oldest section of Athens, which has been inhabited for over 3,000 years.

Relax aboard the ms Noordam. In the evening, you're invited to attend the Memorable JourneysTM Reception.

Messina — on the lower slopes of the Peloritani Mountains of Sicily’s far northern side — graces your return to Il Belpaese, the Beautiful Country. The reconstructed Norman Cathedral — where Richard the Lionheart worshipped in 1190 en route to a Crusade — is Messina’s most famous sight. The small museum here shows works by Caravaggio.

Civitavecchia soon appears on the horizon. Take advantage of your day at leisure by joining a shore excursion.

Livorno, the gateway to Pisa with its leaning tower and Florence with its red-roofed Duomo. Once a medieval fortified castle, Livorno is now a major commercial seaport and fishing center.

Move on from there to glitzy Monte Carlo, the see-and-be-seen place in tiny Monaco. Glittering casinos, fashionable hotels, expensive boutiques, and million dollar yachts all make up the atmosphere of this wealthy city. Monte Carlo also boasts one of the best aquariums in Europe: the Musée Océanographique et Aquarium. Also of interest are the Japanese Gardens, the Exotic Garden, and the Condamine Market, a covered market located next to one of Monaco’s best shopping districts, the Rue Princesse.

Next you’ll enjoy a day of scenic cruising of Corsican fjords and the Strait of Bonifacio on your way to Barcelona.

Here you can take in a bit of local color — like Spanish tortilla and Gaudí architecture. There are many points of interest throughout Barcelona, including the Gothic Quarter, which includes the beautiful Catedral de la Seu. The city is also the home of architect Antonio Gaudi, whose buildings helped define Modernisme, Spain’s version of Art Nouveau. There is also a Picasso Museum, dedicated to the works of Spain’s most famous artist. The painter Salvatore Dalí also called Barcelona home.

The next port is Palma de Mallorca, a community of the autonomous Belearic Islands. The capital clearly demonstrates its long association with maritime commerce as a major Mediterranean port. Palma is overlooked by the 14th-century Castle of Belver. Other notable buildings include the golden sandstone cathedral (La Seo), the Archbishop’s Palace, the Monastery and Church of San Francisco, and the Montesion Church.

Leave Spanish shores behind for an exciting call in La Goulette, near Tunisia’s capital, the bustling medina of Tunis. Tunis also offers the Bardo Museum, famed for its collection of mosaics and major finds from nearby Carthage, once the glorious rival of Rome.

Next, sail to the shipbuilding center of Palermo, Sicily's capital. The Palatine Chapel is one of Palermo’s treasures, with lavish Arab-Norman decoration dating back to 1132. Some of the city’s other major attractions include the Orto Batanico gardens and the Museo of Archeologico Regionale.

Beautifully positioned on the bay, Naples encompasses a little of everything — ancient churches, a medieval university, countless cafés, and bustling street markets.

Transfer to the airport and fly home. (B)

All meals during your cruise are included on board the ship.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: The above day-by-day itinerary ispreliminary and therefore subject to change. If any major changes occur in advance of your departure, you’ll be notified in writing by Vantage Deluxe World Travel. If changes occur while on board ship or on tour, you’ll be notified by your Vantage Program Manager.