YOUR ITINERARY

Day 1 Fly to Verona Airport and transfer by coach to Venice where you board Norwegian Gem. Sail at 17.00. Watch Venice slip below the horizon and then prepare for dinner.

Day 2 Arrive Dubrovnik 1pm. Walk the city walls of Croatia's major tourist attraction, the "Pearl of the Adriatic". A late 9pm sailing means you can explore the cobbled streets of the Old Town as evening sets in, and have your aperitifs ashore before dining on board ship.

Day 3 Full day cruising the Ionian Sea. Be as active or lazy as you please. You can have a late room-service breakfast before going to the ocean-view gym, or the health spa, or a lecture, or a Port Talk to learn about your next destination. In the evening there will be a show in the theatre. The casino will be busy too.

Day 4 Arrive Piraeus (Athens) at 7pm. The port of Piraeus is just six miles from the heart of Athens and the iconic 2,500 year old Parthenon, high atop the Acropolis. Take in the view, visit the old Roman marketplace - the Agora, and stop for an ouzo in one of the traditional tavernas in the Plaka district, where you might be tempted to a little shopping, too. Sail at 5pm.

Day 5 8am arrive Izmir, the third largest city in Turkey. From here you can visit the magnificent ruins of Ephesus, the best preserved ancient city of Asia Minor. Sail at 5pm.

Day 6 Arrive Nafplion 7 am. This is a lovely Greek seaside town on the Peloponnese Peninsula. Take the tender ashore and explore the picturesque harbour dominated by three citadels, or use the port as a base to visit the nearby World Heritage sites of Epidaurus and Mycenae. Sail 1pm.

Day 7 A leisurely day of Mediterranean cruising. By now you're really getting to know your ship but you probably still haven't tried quite all 13 restaurants. (Don't forget the free ice-cream bar). And have you had a go on the rock climbing wall? Probably not!

Day 8 Sail into Venice at 8am. Transfer by coach to Sirmione for a 4 or 7 night stay on Lake Garda.