The Pilgrimage was not what I expected. Perhaps it was inherently the logistical problems of going to too many places: Athens, Greek Islands, and Turkey. It was disjointed. We really needed one guide to see us through the whole tour. We had NO guide while on the ship to the Greek Islands. And the day guides had no idea of who we were or what we had seen or done beforehand. So they were constantly rushing us to get the most out of their tour. We had a saying during the trip, “Hurry up and Wait.” The embarking and disembarking of the Cruise Ship was just exhausting. We didn’t even know we’d be on a commercial Cruise Ship when we signed up for the Pilgrimage. And the Cruise Ship was not an appropriate place for a Pilgrimage. We felt like we were in Vegas. And what religious significance was our evening disembarking to Santorini and Mykonos? The only good part of the Pilgrimage was in Turkey, where we had one consistent Tour Guide for four days. And we were able to change some planned activities to match our interests: we had daily Mass in a beautiful Catholic Church every day. That was a highlight! I would really recommend not to do the Cruise Ship and to spend more time in Turkey.

Had a great time. Great people. Loved the sites we visited. I would have liked a little more time in the sites. I feel that we rushed through many of the places we visited. It would have been nice to visit the islands and not have to get back to the shop so fast. I really enjoyed the daily mass, house of Mary and John’s cave.

The Greek and Turkish people were fantastic. They were friendly, helpful and overall fantastic. As for the hotels the service was superb. The dinner meals at the first hotel could have been better. The main course was either rubber chicken or overcooked lamb. The salads & desserts were great. The cruise was great all around. The hotel in Istanbul had great service and great meals. Our guides were very knowledgeable. If I had to rate the guides, the one in Turkey was the best with the guide in Corinth coming in near the bottom. Since this was a trip based on religion the guide in Ephesus could have focused less on bathroom etiquette and more on locations and stories of St Paul. He was very personable but also had a sharp edge. Overall, all guides were very knowledgeable. Overall we had an enjoyable, pleasant and memorable trip.