Some cruisers prefer a cabin high above the sea. I prefer being in the center of the ship, which tends to be less rocky and provides a unique perspective. Lucky me, my suite on Windstar Cruises’ 312-passenger Star Legend is on Deck 4, just high enough on the ship for the glass to present a feeling of being on the sea rather than above it. On the final morning of an eight-night cruise in early May from Istanbul to Athens, I wake up, pull open the blackout curtains, and stare at the ocean, which is practically at my eye level.
This will be a particularly exciting day.
I am perhaps even a little nervous for our voyage through the narrow Corinth Canal, which allows ships to pass between the Ionian and the Aegean Seas. Our yacht is about 63 feet wide and will squeeze through the world’s narrowest man-made canal. The Corinth Canal is about 69 feet wide at the sea floor and closer to 79 feet at sea level—tight, but doable for small ships.
The idea for a canal cutting through the narrow Isthmus of Corinth originated with the ancient Greeks and was later contemplated by the Romans. But it wasn’t until the 19th century when French engineers finally sliced through the limestone rock, after trial and error, completing the project in 1893. The canal shaves hundreds of miles off the route between the Aegean and the Ionian Seas, in our case making for a much quicker trip to Athens; the canal saves passengers 20 to 28 hours at sea.
Crossing the Corinth Canal is a rarified experience. Only a few small-ship cruise lines, including Windstar, Emerald Cruises, and French line Ponant operate a handful of cruises through the canal each year, mostly for repositioning purposes, such as when moving ships from the Mediterranean to the Greek Isles. What many travelers might not realize is that sailing the Corinth Canal offers the opportunity to experience an engineering marvel and a waterway that is narrower and arguably more thrilling than the more well-known Panama Canal or Suez Canal. It also allows for itineraries that include the less-visited port of Itea in Greece, with access to ancient Delphi, a UNESCO World Heritage site that dates back to the second millennium B.C.
The canal was closed for two years for repairs after a landslide in 2021. It reopened last year, then closed again for more repairs. I was on the first passenger cruise ship to go through in 2024.
Windstar hosts a private dinner in the ancient city of Ephesus in Türkiye.
Courtesy of Windstar
On our way here, our itinerary took us to Türkiye’s ancient Roman ruins at Ephesus, including for a complimentary Windstar-hosted, white-tablecloth dinner party among the ruins. We visited Mykonos and Santorini in Greece, Bodrum in Türkiye, and lovely, quiet Myrina on the Greek island of Lemnos, the kind of quaint place you dream about finding in Greece (when I posted a photo on social media, a Greek friend chastised me for spreading the word about his “secret” island).
In Greece’s ancient Delphi, I paused at the sanctuary of Apollo, hoping I’d be one of those people who feel a mysterious aura in a place where ancient Greeks sought guidance from oracles. I didn’t, so I instead enjoyed the gorgeous views of olive trees and countryside from Mount Parnassus.
The all-suite Star Legend helps to provide a sense of place on board by serving local dishes, such as moussaka and spicy baked feta, and by bringing on a belly dancer who wiggled through the audience in the ship’s theater one evening. The Star Legend is the kind of small ship where you make friends easily; the majority of passengers are couples in their forties and older. There’s a casual yachtlike atmosphere on board, with little dressing up for dinner. It’s easy to feel at home here and just be yourself.
On canal day, I follow my daily routine, grabbing a nautical-blue couch in the Yacht Club at the bow and enjoying an excellent latte and perfectly crunchy almond croissant while looking through huge windows, with the same views as the officers on the bridge a deck below. My husband, David, heads to the aft of the ship to enjoy his eggs, which he eats outdoors, with views to the back of the ship, at the café. Then we meet up with new friends.
With no port stops today, David and I have agreed to teach our favorite card game, Up and Down the River. A competitive tournament ensues. One of the men we’ve tutored, a government contractor from Virginia, proves himself a champion.
Cutting through the Corinth Canal allows for easier access to the ancient Greek site of Delphi.
trabantos/Shutterstock
Windstar is the official cruise line of the James Beard Foundation, with cuisine to match. So far, I’ve guiltily managed to get through seven days without hitting the gym (I did, however, indulge in an excellent massage at the spa). Since I can’t walk on shore during this sea day, I hit the deck, walking around and around past some guests in the small pool and others reading in lounge chairs.
When we near the canal, there is a flurry of activity, with everyone trying to figure out the best place to watch the experience. We’re met by the tugboat that will tow us through the canal. Local pilots come aboard our ship (as required by local authorities due to the challenges of navigating the difficult passage), along with a local guide hired by Windstar, who provides historical commentary and context.
David and I head outside in front of the Yacht Club. Another prime viewing spot is one deck below, by the ship’s hot tub.
Our first view is such a narrow cut through land that our waterway looks like a small river, though barriers marking the entrance give a clue that this is not a trip into nature. The crew serves us snacks as we wait for clearance to proceed.
As we enter, the nearly four-mile-long canal seems quite manageable. But then it narrows and narrows until there are sheer sand-colored limestone walls mere feet from the sides of the ship. It narrows still, as the captain and the pilot position on the bridge wings (outdoor step-out areas used when docking) so they can get a better view and make sure we don’t scrape the solid rock on either side. I have a moment of trepidation when I realize that if they wanted, they could reach out and grab the branches of bushes growing on the limestone cliffs.
We pass under rail and road bridges. Tourists line the overpasses, some who have come by bus from Athens to watch ships pass through the canal. At the last bridge, which we reach in less than an hour after we entered the canal, bungee jumpers seek an adrenaline rush by bouncing right above us. I had a rush, too, and now breathe deeply after witnessing firsthand that we have successfully slipped through a true engineering feat.