✨ Barcelona → Mediterranean Cruise → Rome
This summer’s big adventure was one of my favorite points‑and‑miles wins yet: a Mediterranean cruise on the Sun Princess during the solar eclipse, perfectly sandwiched between a day in Barcelona and two dreamy slow‑travel days in Rome.
It was the kind of trip that feels almost too good to be real — easy flights booked on points, a cruise itinerary full of great ports and even better food, and a Rome finale that reminded me (again) why it’s one of my comfort cities. Simple, flexible, food‑forward, and exactly the kind of Lazy Girl itinerary I love.
This guide pulls everything together in one place: our Barcelona warm‑up, the full Mediterranean cruise experience, our slow‑travel Rome days, and the points‑and‑miles strategy that made the whole thing possible. Whether you’re planning a similar itinerary or just gathering ideas for later, this hub keeps every post, resource, and recommendation in one easy spot.
Princess Cruises is my happy place — and I have the guides to prove it. If you’re planning your own Mediterranean sailing (or just starting to explore Princess), don’t miss my Princess Cruises Guide. It’s where I keep everything organized: ship reviews, port tips, casino offers, dining guides, packing lists, and all my real‑life Princess strategies from 4–5 sailings a year.
Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you book or purchase through them — at no extra cost to you. I only share things I truly use, love, and recommend as part of my real‑life Lazy Girl travel system.
🗺️ Trip Snapshot
Trip Style: City → Cruise → Slow Travel
Travelers: My and my husband (couples trip)
Cruise Line: Princess Cruises (Mediterranean itinerary)
Home Base: Rome
Points Wins: Flights + hotels booked on points
Vibe: Easy, flexible, food‑forward, minimal stress
🌆 Barcelona: Pre‑Cruise Warm‑Up
Barcelona was our warm‑up city — the perfect place to shake off jet lag and ease into vacation mode. We stayed close to the action, wandered through Gothic Quarter alleyways, ate tapas like it was a competitive sport, and soaked up the Mediterranean energy before boarding the ship.
Where We Stayed
We stayed at the Hilton Barcelona, booked entirely on points — and it did not disappoint. We hadn’t been to Barcelona in 11 years, so coming back felt a little nostalgic and a lot magical. Thanks to our Hilton Diamond status, we fully took advantage of the Executive Lounge: heavy appetizers we treated as dinner, free drinks, and a quiet space to unwind after long travel days. It was the perfect Lazy Girl pre‑cruise hotel — easy, comfortable, predictable, and such a good use of points.
👉 If you want to see all my real pre‑cruise hotel stays, they’re inside my Pre‑Cruise Hotel Hub.
Lazy Girl Barcelona Tips
If you want the full story of our return to Barcelona 11 years later — including the boys’ Camp Nou jerseys and Brandon’s Sagrada Família request — you can read my Lazy Girl Barcelona Guide. It’s the post where I share how Barcelona became our family’s first European love story and why it still feels like a comfort city all these years later.
Barcelona Packing, Outfits & Essentials
Everything I used for this pre‑cruise warm‑up — outfits, bags, tech, and travel essentials — is inside my Benable list for this trip: 👉 Barcelona → Rome Lazy Girl Cruise Essentials
🚢 Mediterranean Cruise: Sun Princess
Sun Princess in Cartagena Spain
Rome is one of my comfort cities — easy, familiar, and the perfect place to slow down after a cruise. We didn’t book our hotel on points this time because we added an extra day to the trip just a week out, so we used a Capital One travel credit to offset the cost. It ended up being the perfect Lazy Girl move for a last‑minute change.
For our first full day, we explored Rome completely on foot. No schedule, no pressure — just wandering through our favorite neighborhoods, grabbing coffee, stopping for pasta, and revisiting the places that make Rome feel like home.
On our second day, we did a Tuscany day trip (full review coming — it’s in drafts!). It was the perfect mix of scenery, wine, slow travel, and those dreamy hilltop towns that feel straight out of a movie. Tuscany is always magic, but doing it as a bonus day at the end of a cruise? Even better.
Rome is one of those cities that rewards you for taking it slow — and this trip reminded me why it’s one of my favorite hubs in Europe.
And because Rome is officially our new cruise “home base,” we’ve already booked another cruise next summer that begins and ends in Rome. You can see exactly how I booked it using points, miles, and a casino deal inside my Rome Cruise Booking Breakdown — it’s one of my favorite redemptions yet.
We visited three ports on this itinerary — each one totally different and totally Lazy Girl‑friendly:
Cartagena, Spain — one of the easiest DIY ports in Europe, walkable, colorful, and full of Roman history. You can read my full Cartagena Port Guide.
La Spezia (Cinque Terre) — the gateway to one of the most beautiful coastlines in Italy. We did a Cinque Terre day, and it was amazing. You can read about our day here: La Spezia / Cinque Terre Guide.
Gibraltar — we swapped our original war tunnels plan for wine tasting with a view of Africa, and it ended up being one of our favorite days. Full guide coming soon. Here’s the link: Gibraltar Port Guide.
And of course, the highlight of the entire cruise: the solar eclipse at sea — a once‑in‑a‑lifetime moment that deserves its own section. I’ll be adding that recap soon.
✈️ Points & Miles Breakdown
This trip was a great example of how strategic points use can make a big itinerary feel totally doable. We booked flights and hotels on points, used lounge access to make travel days smoother, and saved a chunk of money along the way.
Flights Booked on Points
If you’re new to award flights, start with my Beginner’s Guide to Booking Your First Free Flight.
Hotels Booked on Points
Every hotel we booked on this trip is inside my Hotels on Points Hub — real stays, real redemptions.
Credit Card Strategy
This itinerary used my exact Lazy Girl Credit Card Strategy — simple, beginner‑friendly, and easy to copy.
What We Saved
If you want to earn points without thinking about it, here’s my Lazy Girl Everyday Earning Guide.
More Real Redemptions
Want to see more real redemptions? Here are all our Trips Booked on Points.
💬 Join the NPLB Community
If you love cruising, Europe trips, points & miles, or just traveling smarter without overthinking it, come hang out with me on Facebook — it’s where I share real‑time tips, deals, and behind‑the‑scenes updates.
👉 Join my Travel Hacking Moms Group
Planning a similar itinerary? Start with the Cruise Hub — it’s where I keep all my Princess guides, port tips, casino strategies, and packing lists in one place.
