Bucket-List Cruise Adventure

19-Night Southampton to Istanbul Cruise Adventure

Cunard · Queen Elizabeth · from Southampton

$2,499 per person · next sails May 2, 2027 Book this cruise@ Cruisebound · same fare
Get there

Fly into Southampton (LHR)

Your gateway to the voyage. Arrive a day or two early — the best of the trip starts before you board.

Open-jaw · fly into LHR, home from IST · $3,262 for two est.
Before you sail

Bucket-list days near Southampton

Fly in at least a day early — every seasoned cruiser does, so a delay never costs you the ship. Here’s what’s worth that day, within reach of your port — not just the city you fly into.

87 mi from Southampton

Sissinghurst Castle Garden: Room-by-Room Garden Design Masterclass

Literary gardens (1.5 hours) designed by Vita Sackville-West, arranged as 'rooms' of color and plant combinations; the white garden, rose garden, and…

67 mi from Southampton

Natural History Museum

Your voyage · 19 nights, day by day

Day by day — the unforgettable thing at every port

Your whole sailing in order: the day you board, every port it calls — each with the single bucket-list experience there and the operator who runs it — any days at sea, and the day you step off.

Day 1
Southampton Embark
Board in the afternoon — fly in at least a day early (your day ashore here is just above).
Day 2
A day at sea
⛰ A day to savor the ship — the voyage itself is the experience, and it’s all included.
Day 3
Santiago de Compostela · $749 for two with ToursByLocals – La Coruña Local Guideshow to make it yours → ·
Day 4
A day at sea
⛰ A day to savor the ship — the voyage itself is the experience, and it’s all included.
Day 5
Porto (Oporto)port guide →
Private Douro Valley Wine Tour · $324 for two with Go Ask A Local – Private Porto & Douro Tours with Maríahow to make it yours → ·
Day 6
A day at sea
⛰ A day to savor the ship — the voyage itself is the experience, and it’s all included.
Day 7
Upper Rock Nature Reserve · $140 for two with Tours of Gibraltar (official licensed operators)how to make it yours → ·
Day 8
Tangier Kasbah, Medina & American Legation Private… · $240 for two with Tangier Private Tours (tangier-private-tours.com)how to make it yours → ·
Day 9
A day at sea
⛰ A day to savor the ship — the voyage itself is the experience, and it’s all included.
Day 10
Modernista old-town walk and a luxury tapas circui… · $97 for two with Local licensed gastronomy operator (e.g. the Cartagena guided tapas & modernista walk) - book the official tour directhow to make it yours →
Day 11
Alicante Secrets · $97 for two with Alicante Tasting Clubhow to make it yours →
Day 12
Palma de Mallorcaport guide →
Palma Bay Catamaran Sail with Swim & Snorkel Stops · $70 for two with SailPalma by Omare Yachtinghow to make it yours →
Day 13
Park Guell · $39 for two with Park Guell (official, Barcelona City Council)how to make it yours → ·
Day 14
A day at sea
⛰ A day to savor the ship — the voyage itself is the experience, and it’s all included.
Day 15
★ Taormina's Ancient Greek Theatre, framed by Mount… — how to make it yours →
Day 16
A day at sea
⛰ A day to savor the ship — the voyage itself is the experience, and it’s all included.
Day 17
Piraeus (Athens)port guide →
★ The Acropolis & Parthenon, Guided Skip-the-Line — how to make it yours →
Day 18
Dardanellesport guide →
Private Gallipoli Battlefield Immersion with Exper… · $640 for two with ToursByLocals – Private Gallipoli Historian Guidehow to make it yours → ·
Days 19–20
Istanbul Disembark
Disembark in the morning — or stay on for the days just below.
After you disembark

Bucket-list days near Istanbul

You end in a different port — stay on, and add what’s within reach before you fly home.

2 mi from Istanbul

Topkapi Palace Secret Rooms + Palace Historian Guide

Private or small-group tour accessing restricted palace rooms and harem quarters with a specialist guide who reveals the political intrigue, architect…

6 mi from Istanbul

Sumahan on the Water - Architectural Residency & Dinner

Ottoman-era indigo factory converted into a luxury hotel on the Asian side of the Bosphorus; the restaurant serves chef-designed multi-course dinners…

Before you sail

Make it longer — by land from Southampton

The ship is the spine, not the whole trip. These are full land adventures within reach of your port.

57 mi from Southampton · fly LHR

Churchill's Kent, Glyndebourne at Dusk & London's Secret Side

English Country Culture & City Grit

See the whole plan →
57 mi from Southampton · fly LHR

Cornwall's Wild Coast: Tin Mines, Tidal Castles & Beach Bars

Rugged Coastal Heritage Adventure

See the whole plan →
66 mi from Southampton · fly BRS

Georgian Bath, Wild Somerset: Limestone, Lions and Lock Flights

Georgian Bath Country Escape

See the whole plan →
After you disembark

Make it longer — by land from Istanbul

The ship is the spine, not the whole trip. These are full land adventures within reach of your port.

21 mi from Istanbul · fly IST

Bosphorus Currents: Fortresses, Kebab Masters and Island Ferries

Bosphorus Culture Escape

See the whole plan →
Home

Fly home from Istanbul (IST)

What this adventure runs estimated · for two
Your hotel
Flights open-jaw · fly into LHR, home from IST · 2 travelers $3,262 est.
Hotel before you sail1 night · London · Premium~$203
Cruise fare19 nights · Cunard · 2 guests$4,998
Shore excursions9 bucket-list things, booked direct · for 2 · swap any at its port above ↑~$2,396
Transfersairport ↔ ship, private car~$180
Trip total$11,039
Flights are estimated from our best gateways (refine from your own airport above) — an open-jaw trip: out to the embark port, home from where you disembark; the cruise fare is this sailing’s lead-in price for two; the hotel scales with the style you pick above; shore excursions are real book-direct operator prices, added as each port is curated; transfers are an estimate. We always build in at least one night ashore before you sail.
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“Do your homework” on every portA free port-by-port plan, in your inbox
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