Educational Opportunities Tours

Tours

Journeys of Paul Cruise with Guest Speaker Mark Ziese | August 17, 2024

10 days
Egypt & Greece
Starting from $4349* Taxes & Fees Apply

Join Guest Speaker Mark Ziese for Journeys of Paul aboard the RCI Voyager of the Seas for a 7-night Israel & Egypt Cruise, starting at $4349 from Athens on August 17, 2024. You will see Athens, Corinth, Istanbul, Mykonos, Santorini, Ephesus, and much more.


 

What’s Included

  • All Inclusive Pricing
  • Breakfast and Dinner Daily
  • Cruise
  • Deluxe A/C Motor Coaches
  • Entrance and Program Fees
  • First Class Hotels
  • Fuel Surcharges and Gov't Taxes
  • Guided Tours
  • Hotel Gratuities
  • International Airfare from NY
  • Meals on Ship
  • Overseas Airport Transfers
  • Administrative Fee
  • Cruise Taxes $103
  • Port charges $200

^ Additional Baggage & Optional fees may apply.

† If air purchased through EO.

Daily Itinerary

Day 1 AUGUST 17 - DEPART THE USA

Depart the USA

Day 2 AUGUST 18 - ARRIVE IN ATHENS

Arrive in Athens and enjoy a driving tour, view the House of Parliament, the Presidential Palace, and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Check in to your hotel this afternoon.

Day 3 AUGUST 19 - CORINTH & EMBARK VOYAGER OF THE SEAS

After checking out of your hotel then travel to 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, Market Place 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. Next you will journey to Pireaus to embark on the Voyager of the Seas.

Day 4 AUGUST 20 - ISTANBUL, TURKEY

ISTANBUL, TURKEY

Day 5 AUGUST 21 - ISTANBUL, TURKEY

The bejeweled capital of Istanbul sits between two continents and is home to 450 mosques. You will visit the famous Blue Mosque with its six minarets and sparkling interior. Walk through St. Sophia (Hagia Sophia), which was the largest church in Christendom for 1,000 years, was built by Justinian (532-537 AD). The church has 107 columns, fossil-embedded, white marble floors, and beautiful glass mosaics. Today, it is the Museum of Byzantine Art. Enjoy the aroma of cinnamon, cloves, thyme, and other exotic spices as you explore the Spice Market. Shops sell everything from herbs to gold. Overnight in Istanbul.

Day 6 AUGUST 22 - AT SEA

AT SEA

Day 7 AUGUST 23 - MYKONOS

Nestled in the heart of Greece’s Cyclades archipelago, Mykonos pulses with irrepressible energy. With its powder white houses and sparkling blue waters, the Island of the Winds is as colorful as the people who call the island home. You can walk narrow marble pathways laced with purple bougainvillea blooms or cycle on two wheels past off-the-path Ano Mera village. Explore Greece’s maritime history at Armenistis Lighthouse and check out the Folklore Museum’s Mykonian ship models. At the end of the day, watch the sun burn out beyond an Aegean horizon from an open-air seaside taverna. Shore excursions today will be booked directly through the cruise line.

Day 8 AUGUST 24 - SANTORINI

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 onboard. Shore excursions today will be booked directly through the cruise line.

Day 9 AUGUST 25 - EPHESUS

Ephesus is 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 have revealed much of the glory of ancient Ephesus, including the huge Agora and Library, but much has been lost. 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. View the terrace houses, also known as "the house of the rich," which give a true impression of the ancient lifestyle. Explore the Museum of Ephesus for an up-close look at ancient artifacts. You will have time to explore on your own and recreate some of Paul's footsteps.

Day 10 AUGUST 26 - DISEMBARK & RETURN TO THE USA

Disembark the Voyager of the Sea and transfer to Athen's airport to return home.

Enhance Your Journey

Greece Pre-Tour Starting from $1098

August 14 -19, 2024

August 14 - Depart USA

August 15 - Arrive in Thessaloniki
Discover Thessaloniki, where Paul was accused of turning the world upside down with his preaching of Christ (Acts 17: 3-6). As you explore St. George's Basilica, believed to be built over the synagogue where Paul preached, reflect on the two epistles the apostle Paul wrote to the Thessalonian church here. Stroll through the Archaeological Museum and the beautiful basilicas of St. Sophia and St. Demetrios, dedicated to a distinguished Roman proconsul martyred for his Christian faith. Along the Via Egnatia stands the Galerus Arch, and you can look out over the second largest city in Greece from the Old City Ramparts, some dating back to Roman times. Overnight in Thessaloniki

August 16 - Amphipolis, Philippi & Neapoli
Follow in the footsteps of Paul and Silas to Amphipolis and explore the ruins of the many Christian basilicas there. In Philippi is a baptismal site commemorating where God opened the heart of Lydia (a seller of purple from Thyatira) to hear the words of Paul (Acts 16:13-15). Lydia and her household were the first Christian converts baptized on European soil. View the Roman-era crypt thought to have served as a prison for the apostle Paul, and explore Philippi’s famous Acropolis, Market Place, the Basilica of Paul, and Theater. Today’s last stop is Neapolis (Kavala), one of Greece's most picturesque mainland ports where Paul landed with his disciples, Timothy and Silas. See the Roman Aqueduct and Acropolis before returning to Thessaloniki for dinner and overnight. Overnight in Thessaloniki.

August 17 - Verea & Meteora
Follow the path of Paul when he fled Thessaloniki for the safety of Veria (Berea), where Jews and some honorable Greeks accepted the new faith (Act 17: 10-12). As you visit the rock forest of Meteora (“in the heavens above”) in western Thessaly, imagine the apostle Paul walking that treacherous terrain on his missionary journey. Gaze up at the breathtaking Byzantine monasteries spectacularly perched on soaring, sheer-sided grey sandstone pillars. In the 13th century, monks sought refuge in cliff-side caves before fleeing higher to build the original wooden shelters that later became these monasteries.  Overnight in Kalambaka.

August 18 - Delphi
Travel to scenic Delphi, the religious center of the ancient Greek world and marked by the conical stone called the omphalos (“navel”).  Walk the Sacra Via to the Athenian Treasury, Theatre, and the Temple of Apollo, where the oracle performed her prophetic rituals. As you consider the incredible amount of pagan influence just in Delphi alone, you will gain a new appreciation for the tremendous spiritual opposition the apostle Paul faced in preaching the Gospel of Christ here. In the Museum are many ancient treasures, including the 5th century bronzed Charioteer, so detailed you can see his eyelashes. Overnight in Athens.

August 19 - Join the Cruise Group in touring Athens

Departure Dates

*A 3.5% surcharge will be added to all credit card transactions.