I paid $3,000 for 2 people to spend a week cruising Europe, and I couldn't be happier with the value I got

Our experts choose the best products and services to help make smart decisions with your money (here's how). In some cases, we receive a commission from our partners; however, our opinions are our own. Terms apply to offers listed on this page.

• I love cruises as a vacation option with an affordable fixed price, and my Virgin Voyages cruise was great.
• Each of the stops was an exciting chance to explore a new location, including many historic sites.
• There wasn't any markup for specialty dining or vegan options, and the entertainment was fun and inclusive.

In August of this year, I completed my first cruise with Richard Branson's adults-only cruise line, called Virgin Voyages, out of Athens, Greece. The cost of this particular cruise was around $3,000 for two. We stayed in the Sea Terrace room, which is similar to a balcony cabin on a normal cruise.

My husband and I had an endless week of fun in the sun on the line's Resilient Lady, and that's despite the scorching hot temperatures that tried (but failed) to ruin our trip. We ate too much, drank too much, and stayed out enjoying the ship's amenities and over-the-top shows way too late most of the time.

Just as importantly, we got to visit four incredible port towns on what basically amounted to a floating resort. Vacations often come with surprise expenses — cruises are a great value and make it easy to know exactly how much you'll spend in advance, and my Virgin Voyages cruise was a great value.

See Insider's picks for the best cruise travel insurance companies »

Visiting four incredible destinations in a single trip

The journey I embarked on with my partner was one Virgin Voyages has dubbed "Adriatic Sea and Greek Gems," and I thought the itinerary looked exciting and interesting at first glance. Over the course of a seven-night cruise vacation, the Resilient Lady would leave Athens, Greece for stops in Dubrovnik and Split in Croatia, as well as Kotor, Montenegro and Corfu, Greece.

While the cruise ship itself offered plenty to see and do, I thought the four included stops were some of the best I have ever visited on a cruise. I also love the fact that cruising lets you visit all these different destinations without having to pack and unpack and move hotels, and that transportation is included in your cruise fare along with food, some drinks, and entertainment.

Dubrovnik, Croatia

During our first cruise stop in Dubrovnik, Croatia, my husband and I got out to walk around the ancient city streets of Old Town. This part of the world is well known as the place where many scenes in "King's Landing" were filmed for the HBO show "Game of Thrones," but the rustic town made of stone has a long and storied history of its own.

While in Dubrovnik, we had a delicious seafood lunch and walked the city walls while enjoying spectacular views of the sea and the town below. We also found out later that day that Jeff Bezos had been in Dubrovnik while we were there, alongside Katy Perry, Orlando Bloom, and Usher. That's not something that you expect on a cruise for sure!

Split, Croatia

I was especially excited for our second stop in Split, Croatia since I had never visited before. This entire port town is built around the Diocletian's Palace, which is made up of some of the best-preserved ruins from around the world and dates back to the 3rd and 4th centuries AD. While in town, my partner and I took more than 20,000 steps walking within the winding pathways and roads that meander in and around the palace.

We also had a delicious lunch and shopped for souvenirs, all while enjoying the incredible beauty and history of this magical place.

Kotor, Montenegro

Kotor, Montenegro was probably my favorite stop on our cruise. This small and barely known country has some of the most dramatic mountain fjords I have ever seen, and the water is crystal clear. We took a Virgin Voyages boat excursion that day to a blue cave, where dozens of boats and swimmers were marveling at the practically glowing turquoise waters found inside.

From there, our boat took us to a private beach club for some rest and relaxation. This was probably my favorite day on the cruise.

Corfu, Greece

Finally, the Resilient Lady stopped in Corfu, Greece, where we were able to explore the Corfu Old Town, walk through an ancient fortress that dates back to the 6th century AD, and relax on a stunning beach.

My husband and I had a nine-hour stop in Corfu, and that made for a perfect, albeit hot, summer day.

Our cruise was fun and inclusive

While getting to visit four unique destinations was a major plus of this specific trip, and most cruises in general, our Virgin Voyages cruise was a lot more than a mode of transportation to get from place to place. In fact, I was very happy to find out some of the financial benefits of cruising with Virgin, including the fact cruise ship gratuities are included and not "extra" like they are with other lines.

The ship included more than 20 eateries for free, with no mark-ups for specialty dining like you find with other cruise lines. On top of that, the food was incredible, and they had a ton of options for non-meat eaters like me.

They had an Impossible Burger you could order almost any hour of the day and night, fried cauliflower in a few of the restaurants, and vegan hot dogs in the cruise ship game area. Because of the food quality and vegan options available, I felt like I was in a foodie paradise.

Finally, we loved the inclusiveness the Virgin Voyages brand builds into their cruise product, which helped make the cruise more carefree and fun. For example, we attended trivia and karaoke hosted by a drag queen known as "The Diva," and all the shows we attended had an adult-oriented, yet not-overly-serious theme with all kinds of people and body types taking part in the show.

Overall, I left the cruise feeling like everyone belonged and had a good time, and that's something you don't always get out of a vacation and especially not a standard, run-of-the-mill cruise.

I'm already getting ready for my next cruise

At the end of the day, I can't wait to cruise with Virgin Voyages again, and I won't have to wait long, because I booked one for February 2024 while I was still on the Resilient Lady. For the next one, we'll depart on the Valiant Lady for a Caribbean cruise to San Juan, Puerto Rico, St. Croix, Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic, and the cruise line's Bimini Beach Club in the Bahamas.

Overall, this adults-only getaway really underscored for me something I already felt about cruises — that this type of vacation is an excellent way to explore several new destinations for a single price. Now all I have to do is start planning how we'll spend days in port on our next Virgin Voyages cruise in February.