Read the World: Athens to Rome

read together, sail together, remember forever

8 Days · Athens, Mykonos, Ephesus, Santorini, Chania, Katakolon, Rome · June 7–14, 2027

A Note From Erica

Hi Heidi,

I'm so excited you found Read the World! Getting to watch a family sail the same waters Percy Jackson and Homer's heroes did — right after reading about it together — is exactly why I built this trip. I pulled together two stateroom options for your family below.

Since you've got eight of you traveling, I'd split you into two staterooms: one adult and three children in each room. I've laid out both category options below, along with what I'd recommend for travel protection, and what's due to hold your spot.

Take a look and let me know which direction feels right — I'm happy to walk through either option with you.

with so much love, Erica

Travel Dates

June 7–14, 2027

Duration

8 Days / 7 Nights

Travelers

8 Guests · 2 Staterooms

Route

Athens → Rome

Your Stateroom Options

Explorer of the Seas — Royal Caribbean

Two rooms for your family of eight, each with one adult and three children. Here are the two categories I'd recommend, with pricing for both staterooms.

Option 1

Ocean View — Guarantee (GTY)

A guarantee-category stateroom means Royal Caribbean assigns your exact room closer to sailing — you're guaranteed an Ocean View Quad stateroom, but not a specific location on the ship. Because of that, your two rooms may not end up anywhere near one another — they could land on different decks or in different sections of the ship.

Stateroom	Occupancy	Category	Price
Room 1	1 Adult, 3 Children	YQ — Ocean View Quad, GTY	$3,888.80
Room 2	1 Adult, 3 Children	YQ — Ocean View Quad, GTY	$3,888.80
Total, Both Staterooms			$7,777.60

Option 2

Ocean View — Category 3N, Connecting

This category costs a bit more, but I currently have availability to hold two connecting staterooms in 3N — meaning your two rooms would share an interior connecting door, so you can move between them without stepping into the hallway. With three kids in each room, that's a nice option to have. I'll confirm the exact second stateroom number once we're ready to book, alongside Room 1 (Stateroom 3564).

Stateroom	Occupancy	Category	Price
Room 1 — #3564	1 Adult, 3 Children	3N — Ocean View	$4,609.80
Room 2 — Connecting	1 Adult, 3 Children	3N — Ocean View	$4,609.80
Total, Both Staterooms			$9,219.60

Deposit to hold these rooms: $100 per person ($800 total for your family of 8) — due by Tuesday, August 18 at 12:00 PM to hold either option.

Final payment due: Not until the beginning of March 2027 — no rush on the rest.

Flights: This is a one-way sailing (fly into Athens, home from Rome), so airfare isn't included above.

Protecting Your Trip

Travel Protection

Royal Caribbean's own Travel Protection plan runs $426.00 (USD) per booking at the Ocean View GTY fare level (pricing scales with fare, so Category 3N would run a bit higher — I'll get you the exact number once we choose a stateroom). You can read the full details on Royal Caribbean's official Travel Protection page.

My honest recommendation: rather than Royal Caribbean's plan, I'd strongly encourage a bundled plan through Travel Insured, a third-party provider we work with. Their plans typically cover more comprehensively than the cruise line's, because we can wrap in your flights, excursions, and the cruise fare itself under one policy — so if anything derails the trip end-to-end, you're covered, not just the cruise portion.
New York residents: Royal Caribbean's plan isn't available to NY residents — that coverage runs through Aon Affinity instead. Not a factor for Travel Insured's plans either way.
I'm happy to pull exact quotes from Travel Insured for your family once we know which stateroom option and flights we're working with — just say the word.

Where You're Headed

Your Route

Athens (Embark) Mykonos Ephesus (Kusadasi) Santorini Chania, Crete Katakolon (Olympia) Rome (Disembark)

Full day-by-day details, the reading list for each stop, and what's included in the cruise fare are all on the Read the World page — this quote is just focused on your stateroom options and next steps.

Before You Book

Good to Know

Deposit: $100 per person ($800 total) is due by Tuesday, August 18 at 12:00 PM to hold these staterooms for your family.
Final Payment: Not due until the beginning of March 2027.
Passports: Because this is a one-way Greece-to-Italy sailing, every guest needs a valid passport (a birth certificate won't work), valid through at least December 14, 2027.
Pricing & Availability: Both options above are subject to change until a deposit is placed — especially the 3N connecting rooms, since connecting availability can go quickly.

Let's Hold Your Staterooms

I cannot wait for your family to join us!

Let me know which option feels right for your family — Ocean View GTY or the connecting Category 3N rooms — and I'll get your deposit squared away before Tuesday at noon.

Let's Get Started

$100 per person deposit · Due Tuesday, August 18 at 12:00 PM · Final payment due beginning of March 2027