My sister and I paid over $25,000 for a 10-day cruise. Here's what it was like and why it was worth the splurge.

In the summer of 2022, my sister and I booked a long-awaited cruising adventure on the Regent Seven Seas Explorer. 

The 10-day cruise departed from Athens and stopped at nine ports around Greece, Italy, and Turkey. It disembarked in Rome.

Regent Seven Seas markets itself as the world's most luxurious cruise line, so its hefty price tag makes sense. It cost $12,600 a person to stay in a double-occupancy concierge suite, which included taxes, port fees, food, drinks, flights, a hotel before the ship's departure, gratuities, and everything else on the ship.

The price was quite steep, but we both worked hard and decided to splurge — especially since we planned on this trip being one we'd remember forever. 

Since I was already in London, I took a quick flight from London to Oslo, Norway, and another short one to Athens. There aren't many direct flights to Athens, so most include a short layover. 

At the airport, I met up with the Regent team after I claimed my baggage. The cruise ticket includes transportation to and from the ship, so I was directed to a private car to head straight to the port for boarding. 

When I reached the port, I went through a health screening, documentation check, and ship check-in before I was sent aboard. The entire process took about 20 minutes and ran relatively smoothly. 

My sister and I stayed in a concierge suite on the seventh floor. Each room on a Regent ship is a suite, so I expected it to be grand, but this surpassed my expectations. 

Our 332-square-foot cabin had more than enough space for both of us. It was equipped with two twin beds, a big walk-in closet, a shower and bathtub, a 135-square-foot balcony, and more.

It was the biggest room I've ever been in on a cruise. And believe it or not, this was actually considered one of the smaller suites on the ship.

On other cruises I've taken, the itinerary typically included a few days at sea in between port stops. The Explorer, however, had zero full sea days and was a much more land-based experience.

The ship stopped at ports every single day, and my sister and I both loved the jam-packed voyage. Our stops were Mykonos, Kusadasi, Kos, Crete, Santorini, Gytheio, Corfu, Sicily, Naples, and Rome.

Each port stop allowed us to maximize our trip and experience new destinations, which was another reason we felt it was worth the splurge. 

Plus, we both aren't sure when we'll get the chance to take a trip like this again, so we wanted to see as much as we could in the short amount of time.

The ship included port excursions for every stop, so we took advantage and went on different tours and experiences. For instance, we went on a guided tour of Santorini and on a winery tour in Sicily. 

The ship also included free shuttles to and from the port in cities, which allowed us to maximize our time in each place after the tours. 

Our first port of call was Mykonos, one of the most famous and popular Greek islands. Its white limestone buildings, windy cobblestone streets, and picturesque coastline made it the perfect introduction to the country. 

Stop two landed us in Kusadasi, Turkey, a small port city known for its proximity to historic sites like Ephesus, Miletus, Didyma, and Priene. 

After that was Kos, a small island that draws tourists since it's the birthplace of Hippocrates. 

We spent most of our time in Crete in Chania, its second-largest city, which is known for its Venetian coast. 

Then came Santorini, part of the Cyclades islands. It has two famous towns, Fira and Oia, and each offers breathtaking sea views from every angle alongside white limestone buildings and signature blue-domed churches. 

Our final stops in Greece were Gytheio, a small port city known for its proximity to the ancient town of Sparta, and Corfu, a Greek island in the Ionian Sea with beautiful beaches.

Our second-to-last port day was in Sicily, Italy. Then Naples, a city in the Southern part of the country, rounded out the trip as our last port before we disembarked in Rome.  

We ended our trip in the Italian capital, where we both flew home with layovers in London and Amsterdam. 

We enjoyed the late-night port stops the most, but we appreciated getting the opportunity to watch the breathtaking sunsets from the boat on days when we boarded on the earlier side.

The ship had so many lovely spots to view the sunset. Some of our favorites were the observation deck and the balcony in our room.

Our ship was equipped with a beautiful pool, outdoor walking track, spa, and observation deck, which kept us busy when we had early departure times from the ports.

The pool deck had plenty of lounge chairs available in and out of the sun, so it was great to sit there with a good book in hand or take a dip.

There was also a cute coffee spot, casino, and indoor theater with great shows. Plus, the ship offered a whole slew of activities like karaoke, cooking classes, and trivia games.

The ship itself had six restaurants that were all included in the cost of the cruise.

It had two dinner dining experiences that don't require a reservation: an Italian restaurant called Sette Marie at La Veranda and a fine-dining sport called Compass Rose.

There were also three special-experience dining spots that require reservations: an Asian-fusion restaurant called Pacific Rim, a steakhouse called Prime 7, and a French restaurant called Chartreuse. 

The staff was very accommodating with food allergies and dining restrictions. If you planned ahead, they'd even be willing to create special meals or menus to accommodate your needs. 

Unlike other cruise ships I've been on, there were no buffets. Every meal was ordered off of a menu that changed daily.

Room service and drinks were also all included at no additional charge.

The 10-day trip brought us to Greek islands that have been on our bucket lists forever — along with smaller stops I never would've thought to visit.

It was on the pricier side, but the accommodations, port excursions, food, drinks, lovely staff, and transportation, more than made up for it.

In retrospect, booking business-class flights, luxury hotels, and activities in every destination would've cost us way more on our own.

Overall, it was worth every penny. After spending such great quality time together, my sister and I are already planning our next trip.