After flying from Phoenix to Cincinnati (a little more than three hours) to New York (two hours, with a very sick child just a few rows ahead of us) to Venice (two hours on the runway, plus nine in the air), I was thrilled to be finished with cramped planes for the eight days.

After the drama and chaos of JFK, the transfer from Marco Polo airport in Venice to the pier where the Splendour of the Seas was docked was pleasantly problem-free. A breeze, even! We loaded out luggage onto the motorcoach provided from the cruise line and it magically appeared in our stateroom that evening. It doesn't get much easier.

Because it was rainy and chilly in Venice, my mom and I decided to stay on board the Splendour and explore a bit. The Coloccia clan braved the cold (even got gelato) to wander around the island a bit in search of the Cute Purse Store (more on that another time).

The ship was awesome. It's not Royal Caribbean's biggest, but it is one of the line's fastest. With about 1,800 passengers (900 of Americans on this trip) and 700 or so crew members, the Splendour fits comfortably into Royal's mid-size category. And while it's not huge, there's no shortage of stuff to do on board -- an indoor pool, an outdoor pool, a casino, a theatre for live shows, lots of shopping, a spa and gym, a club, a couple of bars, a jogging track, ping-pong, a mini-golf course, a game room and library and, of course, the rock wall on the stern.

Our stateroom, an outside room with an ocean view, was small but comfortable. We've actually stayed in smaller rooms on land. (Remind me to show you the pictures from one of our London hotels.)

There was a mandatory mustering drill before we weighed anchor. Everybody was looking tr´s stylish in their bright orange life belts. When I say the drill was mandatory, I mean mandatory. They took attendance and crew members checked staterooms to make sure nobody ditched.

We set sail at 5 p.m., trailing a tugboat through the Grand Canal toward the open Adriatic Sea.

It amazes me that something the size of the Vanna C. can tow the 70,000 or so tons of the Splendour.

After sailing through a storm that produced some wicked lightning and thunder -- the lightning on the pitch black water is incredible and the thunder sounds bigger -- our first day at sea was rainy and overcast. Again, no shortage of things to do.

I was up for a bit in the middle of that second night, watching the water pass by -- did I mention how freakishly dark it is at sea? -- and inhaling the scent of baking croissants that would be part of breakfast.

The first stop was Mykonos. We anchor offshore and tendered to the island. The means we boarded smaller boats -- in this case the ship's lifeboats -- to ferry us between ship and land.

As I was walking outside toward the bow to meet up with my tour group, I noticed they were lowering the lifeboats. I had moment of panic, thinking, "How can we be sinking? We're anchored! Where's the emergency horn?"

It then occurred to me that nobody was rushing anywhere. That's when I figured out that the lifeboats would be our tenders, as well.

So after a short ride to the island, we boarded another boat for ancient Delos.

Ruin junkies that my mom and I are, this place -- the ancient birthplace of twin gods Apollo and Artemis -- was one of our favorites. There were several tours on the island, but there was plenty of freedom to wander around and listen to the whispers of more than 2,500 years ago.

Delos is located in the center of the Cyclades islands, and as the Greeks will tell you, it's a holy place and its history goes back almost further than the mind can imagine. It's been inhabited since the 3rd millennium B.C. That's millennium. And B.C. (We're in the 3rd millennium. How's that for perspective?)

Around 480 B.C., the rocky islsnd became the center of the Delian League. Think ancient NATO. More than a wealthy commerce center, Delos, which is Greek for "revealed," was also strategically located, making it important in every possible way.

At one point, to maintain the island's sacred holiness, it was decreed that nobody be allowed die or give birth on Delos. That meant nobody could claim ownership through inheritance.

Fast forward to now and it's amazing to see what's been unearthed on the island. It's one of the most extensive ruins sites in the world. Homes with mosaic floors that are amazing in their details. Statues that acted as addresses do for us today. Marble columns. Aqueducts. The Temple of Isis. And, of course, the famousTerrace of the Lions. (Guard duty has been relinquished to replicas now that the remains of the real marble lions live in the museum, which was closed when we were there.)

We had about four hours on Delos, and could have easily stayed at least a couple more. But after a pleasant afternoon tramping through the ruins, we headed back to Mykonos, where all the buildings are a beautiful, fresh-looking white.

We did our part to contribute to the island's economy of, stumbling (almost literally) onto a great little shop that specializes in unique leather jewelry. We also visited The Loom, where the owner offered us a taste of his grandmother's wine. The Greeks consider it rude to refuse an offer of refreshment, plus I wanted to give it a try. I can be a bit of a klutz, though, so all the while, though, I was thinking, "Please don't let me spill red wine on the 300 Euro white, handmade carpet." I didn't. Thank goodness.

The Greeks are a friendly bunch, and they seem to love it when you try to attempt to speak Greek. (Unlike the French, who just get annoyed.) A simple tentative "efharisto" (thank you), brings a big smile and a cheerful "parakalo" (you're welcome).

Pleasantly tired and sated on mythology, history and the first of what would be many minor shopping binges, we headed back to the Splendour.

Next stop, Pireaus, the port city adjacent to Athens.