Mary Gotts, GTO of the Year winner in 2023 and group organiser for Gott 2 Travel, runs through the highlights of a packed cruise itinerary that she booked using her prize money.
I left London on a dark, cold and wet morning at silly o’clock to then be sitting only a few hours later, up on a rooftop terrace bar in one of the world’s oldest, fascinating cities – Athens. Looking up at the magical sight of the illuminated Parthenon Temple and Acropolis above gave me a real goose pimple moment that I will never forget.
This was the start of my Mediterranean Cruise trip with Norwegian Cruise Line, that I booked using the £2,000 prize money I was given after winning the GTO of the Year Award at the 2023 Group Leisure & Travel Awards. The cruise started with two days in Athens which flew by – the city is steeped in history and culture with so much to see, but too much to take in all in one go. The hop-on-hop-off bus is the ideal way to see all the main sites and comes with an audio guide which explains everything to look out for.
There was just enough time to sample and enjoy some local delicacies, keftedes (Greek meatballs), souvlaki (grilled meat on a skewer), moussaka, Greek lamb (this tastes like no other), dolomades (stuffed vine leaves), kleftiko (meat cooked in parchment paper, horiatiki (Greek salad) and much more - forget the waistline, you are on holiday after all!
Our cruise ship then set sail for Mykonos, the queen of the Cyclades and Greece’s most popular party destination with stunning beaches and the famous windmills, built by local families in the 16th century.
This was followed by the famous Santorini, with its attractive whitewashed houses and blue rooftops clinging to the cliffs above. There are three choices on reaching the top of its iconic viewpoint, on foot, by donkey, or the cable car.
This picturesque place is like stepping back in time. It isn’t particularly accommodating for larger cruise ships with long waits at either end to use the cable car, however the views are beautiful and much to be desired.
We then set sail for Italy, or Messina in particular, which was once Sicily’s capital city. There is a lovely mixture of Norman, Byzantine and Arab architecture within its historical centre. We made time to take in the bell tower and the biggest, most complex Astronomical Clock in the world, at the the Cathedral of Messina. There is a hypnotising 12-minute performance, with Schubert’s Ave Maria playing, while various carousels and statues move within the tower, which has to be seen to be believed.
Moving on to Naples, I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to Pompei, destroyed in 79 CE when the nearby Mount Vesuvius erupted. Unless you’ve been, it’s hard to picture the city preserved for centuries under the ash before being discovered in the late 16th century.
I have been here many times and it’s always a moving experience. There is so much more which is still being excavated so every time I go back, there’s always something new to discover.
Our next stop on this packed itinerary was Civitavecchia, the old city of Rome. I know the centre of Rome well, but this place is an hour’s drive from the centre and offers a calmer coastal town with a large Roman dock.
After a leisurely stroll along the seafront, we made time to enjoy some good Italian cuisine – nothing beats lunch by the sea in the sunshine. No trip is ever complete without an Italian street market, too. A lovely soft handbag called my name and before I knew it, I had bought it!
Livorno, not far from Florence and Pisa, was next and is renowned for its seafood. I headed straight for a typical Livorno family run restaurant which came highly recommended - absolutely delicious.
Then it was on to Cannes, famous for its International Film Festival, a seafront bulging with super yachts and up market boutiques. Our last port of call was Barcelona - a real treat. It is a magical city with the iconic Sagrada Familia. It’s hard to believe that work started 144-years ago and still isn’t quite finished yet.
There was time to explore La Rambla, one of the city’s most famous streets and I also enjoyed a little paella before setting off to the airport to catch my flight back to cold reality.
This was a fantastic itinerary, giving me the chance to do a recce of the various ports and find out more about the suitability for my group, taking mobility issues into consideration with tenders on and off the ship.
The Group Travel Organiser of the Year award recognises group travel organisers for the positive impact they have on the lives of friends, family, colleagues or the local community.
Entries and nominations for the 2025 GTO of the Year award are now open.
For more information about the award and to enter or nominate visit the GTO of the Year page.
