A Saints Camp Voyage
The Thousand Years
October 31 – November 8, 2027
Athens · Ephesus · Istanbul · Corfu · Bari · Athens
This voyage begins and ends in Athens, where an imperial decree of 529 ended the teaching of pagan philosophy. In between: Ephesus, where Paul preached and where Justinian raised a basilica over the traditional tomb of the apostle John. Smyrna, the church of Revelation 2 that received no rebuke. Hagia Sophia, consecrated in 537 under the same emperor and taken on the day the city fell in 1453. Corfu, where a saint’s relics were carried west from that fallen city. Bari, and the shrine of Nicholas. And two days at sea with people who want to understand what happened in the middle.
Six teaching sessions. An optional morning prayer gathering every day. Real conversation over real meals. This is a retreat, not a tour.
Request detailsHosted by Covenant Retreats
Nine days, from Athens and back
One night in Athens, then seven nights aboard MSC Orchestra: Izmir for Ephesus, Istanbul, a day at sea, Corfu, Bari, a second day at sea, and back to Athens, with the group transfer to Athens airport.
Sunday & MondayOctober 31 – November 1
Athens
Embarkation November 1 · Sail 5:00 PM
A night at our hotel in the Plaka, the old quarter beneath the Acropolis, and the welcome dinner. The next morning: an optional prayer gathering on the Areopagus, the rock where Paul spoke to the philosophers (Acts 17), then the Acropolis with the group. The Parthenon served as a church of the Theotokos for about nine centuries. Midday, the group transfer to the ship at Piraeus.
SessionBound for a Thousand Years
October 31, evening. Revelation 20, and the case that the thousand years ran from about 530 to 1530.
TuesdayNovember 2
Izmir, for Ephesus
In port 7:00 AM – 4:00 PM
We leave the pier early by coach for Ephesus, about an hour south. Ephesus is where Paul taught for two years and where the riot filled the theater (Acts 19), and it was the first of the seven churches of Revelation. We walk down through the ancient city to the theater, then go to the Basilica of St. John in Selçuk, built under Justinian over the apostle's traditional tomb. Izmir itself is ancient Smyrna, the second of the seven churches, and the city of its bishop Polycarp.
SessionThe Lampstand and the Crown
November 2, evening, aboard. Ephesus and Smyrna in Revelation 2: the church told to return to its first love, and the church told to be faithful unto death.
Optional, additional cost: the Terrace Houses inside Ephesus, or the House of the Virgin Mary on the mountain above it, as time allows.
WednesdayNovember 3
Istanbul
In port 9:00 AM – 8:00 PM
Constantinople. Hagia Sophia, consecrated in 537 under Justinian, eight years after the decree in Athens, and made a mosque on the day the city fell in 1453. It is a working mosque again, and visitors see it from the upper gallery, where the Byzantine mosaics are. Then Hagia Irene, the church of Holy Peace, which was never converted, and the Basilica Cistern Justinian built beneath the city.
ThursdayNovember 4
At Sea
A full day aboard, and the heart of the teaching.
SessionThe Holy Wisdom, 537–1453
Morning. Hagia Sophia from its consecration to the fall of the city.
SessionHow the Nations Were Undeceived
Afternoon. Cyril and Methodius. Patrick and Columba. Boniface at the oak. Anskar among the Norse. The scriptorium and the Rule — how a continent was actually changed.
FridayNovember 5
Corfu
In port 12:00 PM – 7:00 PM
The afternoon is yours in the Venetian old town. The relics of St. Spyridon were carried out of Constantinople after it fell and reached Corfu in 1456; they lie in the church that bears his name, a short walk from the Liston.
SaturdayNovember 6
Bari
In port 7:00 AM – 7:00 PM
We walk into Bari Vecchia to the Basilica of San Nicola, built from 1087 to receive the relics of Nicholas of Myra, and the Cathedral of San Sabino. The rest of the day is yours.
Optional, additional cost: Otranto, a long day south by coach. Its cathedral holds the remains of the townspeople killed after the Ottomans took the city in 1480, and one of the great mosaic floors of Italy.
SundayNovember 7
At Sea
SessionThe Little Season and the Counter-Move
Morning. Florence, 1486, and the recovery of the old gods. The Greek manuscripts coming west. The press, Erasmus, and the Word in the language of the people — and why we believe we are living in the little season now.
SessionClosing worship: Hold Fast Till I Come
Evening, aboard.
MondayNovember 8
Athens
Ship arrives 7:00 AM
We debark at Piraeus and the group transfer takes us to Athens International Airport. The voyage concludes.
An optional morning prayer gathering is held each day.
What’s included
Included
- One hotel night in Athens (October 31) and the welcome dinner
- Two scheduled group pickups at Athens International Airport on October 31
- Group transfer from the Athens hotel to the cruise terminal at Piraeus
- The cruise fare: seven nights aboard MSC Orchestra, with meals in the ship's included dining venues
- Group activities in Athens, Ephesus, Istanbul and Bari
- All six teaching sessions and an optional morning prayer gathering each day
- Group transfer from Piraeus to Athens International Airport on November 8
Not included
- Airfare
- Airport transportation other than the two Athens pickups and the November 8 airport transfer
- Meals ashore. We dine together on most port days, and each traveler pays their own
- Optional shore excursions and private activities
- Beverages, specialty dining and gratuities aboard
- Travel insurance, which is required
Program notes
Flights
Arrival. Fly into Athens International Airport (ATH) on October 31, in time for one of the two group pickups. Pickup times are sent with your booking. Arriving a day early is wise, at your own cost.
Departure. The ship returns to Piraeus on the morning of November 8, and the group transfer takes you to Athens International Airport. We’ll give you the earliest safe flight time when you book. If you’d rather not fly the same day, plan a night in Athens at your own cost.
Pace and mobility
Cathedral floors, cobblestones and stairs daily in port. Ephesus is a long walk on uneven ancient paving with little shade, and the Ephesus day starts early with an hour by coach each way. Hagia Sophia’s upper gallery is reached by a long stone ramp. This journey asks for a reasonable level of mobility, and we can’t guarantee access, transport or seating at every site. If walking, stairs or long days are a concern, talk with us before you book.
Dress for churches and mosques
Hagia Sophia is a working mosque. Shoulders and knees must be covered, women cover their hair, and shoes come off on the carpets. The churches on this voyage ask for covered shoulders and knees too. Pack a scarf and something with sleeves for port days.
Being aboard on time
Returning to the ship in each port is each traveler’s own responsibility. All-aboard times are set by MSC Cruises, not by us; the ship sails without anyone who is not on it, and the cost of rejoining at a later port falls to the traveler.
Be clear-eyed about the flights. Transatlantic routings are the most fragile part of any journey like this. Because the voyage begins with a night in Athens, a late flight costs you an evening, not the ship. Travel insurance is required for this reason above all others, and yours should cover trip delay, missed connection and missed departure.
Passports and entry
You’ll need a passport for Greece, Türkiye and Italy. We’ll send the current entry requirements for each country with your booking.
The itinerary may change
What you have read here is confirmed as of today, and it may still change. Port schedules and berthing times move. Ships alter their calls for weather and sea conditions. Churches, libraries and museums close for feast days, restorations, funerals and civic events, sometimes at little notice. Ground arrangements are occasionally reworked by the operator. When any of that happens we will tell you as soon as we know, and we will protect the substance of the teaching and the sites wherever it is in our power to do so.
We also hold this plan loosely on purpose. If God makes plain that some part of this journey should go otherwise, we intend to follow that, and we will tell you why as openly as we would tell you about a closed cathedral or a re-timed sailing.
Your host
The Thousand Years is hosted and operated by Covenant Retreats, the travel company behind Saints Camp. Booking, payment, documentation and every arrangement on the ground are handled by Covenant Retreats — reach them at covenantretreats.com.
Request details & hold your place
Group space is limited and places go in the order inquiries arrive. Tell us which option you have in mind and we’ll send pricing, deposit details, and what rooms and cabins are still open.
Creators & channels
If you make videos, reels or a podcast about the little season or end-times eschatology, we hold back places on this journey for people who will cover it.
Are you interested in promoting and traveling free or discounted?