One way cruise from Barcelona to Athens

See VacationstoGo.com as they have the best computer system to research cruises. We most often purchase the cruises directly from the cruise line.

We recently got home from the Eastern Med--our 3rd trip there. We also have taken 2 repositioning cruises from the U.S. to Rome/Civitavecchia.

I just returned form a cruise from Rome to Athens on the Enchanted Princess with my two adult sons and it was fantastic. We did two nights in Rome pre-cruise and two nights in Athens post-cruise. We love history and can’t believe all the incredible things we saw. We loved Ephesus and Istanbul was such a nice surprise. We did ship tours in Naples (sons went to Pompeii and I went to Sorrento and the Amalfi coast as I had already been to Pompeii), for Knossos in Crete, Ephesus in Kusadasi but we hired a local guide for the day in Istanbul as there is so much to see there. In Mykonos my sons did a ships tour to Delos and I opted for a beach day. Nicest water I have ever swam in. We hired a driver to pick us up at 8am on disembarkment day in Athens and saw the sights there then take us to Delphi the next day. Great trip. It was like having two vacations because we also enjoyed being on the ship. Easy to get breakfast before heading out for the day, nice to come back to the ship and cool off in the pool before dinner. The Mediterranean is beautiful, sailing in it was a delight.

Princess Cruises has the itinerary that you are talking about. I've linked it below
https://www.princess.com/cruise-search/details/?voyageCode=N334A

We have taken 21 ocean cruises in the past 13 years and several in the Med.

Cruise Critic is a great forum for research on cruises. You can research by country, cruise line and more.

Our favorite cruise lines in this order are Celebrity, Royal Caribbean and NCL.

Princess has a great reputation. HAL does as well, but appeals more to the elderly.

Carnival appeals to young people. I have never done a cruise with them, but I have friends and family that have with mixed results.
Carnival is for the party crowd and if you like water slides, etc.

Royal Caribbean is probably the best for overall prices and appeals to young and old. Celebrity for a more sedate crowd, but it is excellent with the best food.

Warning, if you are considering Costa and MSC, I do not recommend them. I know several people that have had terrible cruises with Costa and MSC was very inconsistent.

We have not done a cruise from Barcelona to Athens, but we have done one from Venice to Athens and many other ports. Also, we have done a cruise from Istanbul to Athens and Greek Islands as well as the Black Sea.

A one way cruise is fine, just plan your flights with an open jaw by flying into Barcelona and out of Athens. Suggest arriving a couple of days early and departing a couple of days late to take in more of those two great cities.

As for excursions from the ship, consider booking private tours instead of the Ship's excursions. The ship will charge you more and you will be with many more people on the tour. Do your research and book the excursions so you pay in cash when taking the tour, not in advance.
If you need more specific guidance, feel free to send me a message with your questions.

Thanks everyone...all these comments are very helpful. Keep them coming!!