Seven Seas Mariner: 11-Night Mediterranean - Western

Lisbon cruise port is one of the most atmospheric arrivals in Europe. Ships sail up the Tagus River past the 25 de Abril Bridge (a near-twin of San Francisco's Golden Gate) and the Christ the King statue, with the city rising up on seven hills to the north.

Cadiz is the actual cruise port marketed as "Seville (Cadiz)" by cruise lines because Seville, Spain's fourth-largest city, is the primary day-trip draw from this port. Cadiz itself is one of Europe's oldest continuously inhabited cities, perched on a narrow peninsula jutting into the Atlantic on Spain's southwestern coast.

Ibiza is one of Spain's Balearic Islands in the western Mediterranean, about 150 km off the coast of Valencia. The cruise port is in Ibiza Town (Eivissa), on the southeast coast of the island.

Rome's cruise port is in Civitavecchia, a working port town about 80 kilometers northwest of the city. That distance is the single most important thing to understand about this stop.

Rome's cruise port is in Civitavecchia, a working port town about 80 kilometers northwest of the city. That distance is the single most important thing to understand about this stop.

Florence (Livorno) cruise port is the main Tuscan stop on Mediterranean itineraries, but it's worth being clear about what you're actually docking at. The port is Livorno, a working industrial city on the Ligurian coast, about 85 kilometers west of Florence.

Nice is the capital of the French Riviera, a Mediterranean city of about 340,000 people wedged between the Maritime Alps and the Cote d'Azur coastline. Cruise ships anchor in the bay at Villefranche-sur-Mer, a small harbor town about 6 km east of Nice, or occasionally dock at Nice's own port.