Your pilgrimage begins as you depart the USA on your international
overnight flight.

You will arrive in Athens, Greece, where you will be met by our
representative and transferred to the port to board the Celebrity Infinity
cruise ship.

Arrive in the morning in Chania port. Your tour begins at the British
Commonwealth War Cemetery in Souda Bay. Afterward, continue on to the Agia Triada Monastery of Jagarolon. It is one of the most significant monastic complexes from the end of the Venetian Occupation of Crete. It contains a rich offering of the history and education of Crete. Discover, in the east suburbs of Chania, the hill of Profiti Ilias (Prophet Elijah). After a photo stop, continue on to Chania town, where neoclassical mansions and massive Venetian fortifications testify to the city’s turbulent and diverse past. There, you will have the chance to explore the Venetian port on your own before you return to the port and embark on your cruise ship.

Dock in Santorini today, one of the most beautiful of the Greek islands,
where picturesque, whitewashed villages topped with brilliant blue
domes stand in stark contrast to the sheer-drop cliffs overlooking the
Aegean Sea. The island itself perches on the edges of a volcano whose eruption 3,500 years ago is thought to have led to the collapse of the Minoan civilization. Explore the island on your own or join one of the optional excursions available for purchase on board. Shore excursions today will be booked directly through Celebrity and are not included.

Ephesus was one of the Seven Churches of Revelation and was once a bustling port town with wide, colonnade-bordered streets and a population of 250,000. Spectacular excavations in the last 110 years have revealed much of the glory of ancient Ephesus, including the huge agora and the library, but much has been lost. Explore the ancient site virtually at the Ephesus Experience Museum where you will see life in Paul’s time. We will view the terrace houses, also known as “the houses of the rich,” which give a true impression of the ancient lifestyle. The ancient world once declared the Temple of Artemis to be one of the Seven Wonders of the World but today, only a single column remains to mark its site. After enjoying Ephesus, you will embark on another Turkish experience at the carpet factory for a local lunch and a presentation.

Arrive today at the world-famous Greek island of Mykonos, where
gleaming whitewashed buildings seem to climb atop each other to
reach the azure sky. Admire its many hills dotted with iconic windmills.
Explore the island on your own or join one of the optional excursions
available for purchase on board.
Shore excursions today will be booked directly through Celebrity and
are not included.

Enjoy your day at sea.

Visit Philippi, where Paul, intending to find a place to pray by the
riverside, spoke to women who had gathered there, among whom was
Lydia, the seller of purple, and whose heart the Lord opened to hear
the words that he spoke. Lydia was the first Christian to be baptized on
European soil. Visit the place where this event is remembered and see a crypt dating from the Roman period, which is thought to have
served as a prison for the Apostle Paul. See the famous agora, the
basilica, and the theater.

Discover Thessaloniki, the “Queen of the North,” where Paul was
accused of turning the world upside down with his preaching of
Christ (Acts 17: 3-6). Built by King Cassandros and named after the
sister of Alexander the Great, the city flourished under the Byzantine
Empire. Stroll through the beautiful basilica of St. Demetrios,
dedicated to a distinguished Roman proconsul martyred for his
Christian faith. Look upon the Roman agora, center of political and
public life, constructed in the 1st century AD. Along the Via Egnatia
stands the Galerius Arch, where you can look out over the second-
largest city in Greece from the Old City Ramparts, some dating
back to Roman times. The tour continues to the Archaeological
Museum of Thessaloniki. The museum houses exhibits of Archaic,
Classical, Hellenistic, and Roman sculptures.

Enjoy your day at sea.

Discover the rich architectural splendor of the ancient city of Athens
as your guide introduces you to the world-renowned Acropolis,
the Propylaea, the Parthenon and the Erechtheum. Stand on Mars
Hill as the Apostle Paul did when he proclaimed, “I found an altar
with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore
ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you.” As you look upon
the agora (ancient marketplace and center of Athenian public life),
recall that this was where the Apostle Paul preached “Jesus and
the resurrection” to the skeptical Athenians. Also, see the House of
Parliament, the Presidential Palace, and the Tomb of the Unknown
Soldier. This afternoon, tour the city of Corinth, where the Apostle
Paul met fellow tentmakers Aquila and Priscilla and received a
vision from the Lord saying, “I am with thee, and no man shall set
on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people in this city.” As Paul
spoke, Crispus (chief ruler of the synagogue) and many others
believed and were baptized, establishing the church at Corinth to
whom Paul later wrote his two epistles. Discover the archaeological
museum, marketplace, and temples. As you walk among the ruins,
stand on the Bema, where the Apostle Paul stood before Gallio to
face charges brought against him by the Jews.

Return to the USA or enjoy the Rome extension.