Nov 4, 2012 - Civitavecchia - the cruise begins

Today we boarded the Celebrity Equinox for our cruise of the Western Mediteranean. We love cruising. First, we get to unpack and that's it, no dragging suitcases around. We especially appreciated it on this trip as we had 3 suitacases apiece as we were going to be gone 6 weeks and in a wide range of weather. It was an ineresting balancing act hauling them up and down stairs! I ended up sending one of our suitcases down the up escalator. (Fortunately, noone was behind me!) We are also a target for people who wanted exorbitant amounts of...

Sep 16, 2012 - entry 1

9-16-12 Civitavecchia Got in to port yesterday, Italy is beautiful. There is so much to learn aboard the Argo, however I feel better knowing I’m not the only person who is on a sailboat for the first time. I swam in the Mediterranean yesterday. It was much colder than anticipated, but refreshing nonetheless. It is very salty, which made floating easy. Tomorrow our crew is taking a day trip to Rome, the next day we are taking the Argo out of port for the first time and heading to our next destination. Internet is scarce, so I anticipate...

Jul 7, 2012 - Mediterranean Cruise on the MSC Sinfonia

Keep an open mind, have unlimited time, and some extra money, and the skies the limit on unexpected adventures. I found out Friday Nikki and her daughter were going on this cruise. She called and got me a great last minutes rate, so early the next morning I left with them for the 2 1/2 hour trip to Civitavecchia, near Roam, to board for my FIRST cruise on my birthday!

Apr 21, 2012 - Ostia Antica (Roman ruins)

April 21 - Civitavecchia (“the old city”) , the port for Rome Today was Rome's birthday (founded 753 B.C.) so we decided it would be too busy and crowded! We elected to take a tour to Ostia Antica, the remarkable remains of a Roman city an hour south of this port. While Pompeii was said to have been a more upscale community, Ostia was a city will all classes of people. It had been a very important seaport but it no longer sits on the ocean. Founded in the 4th century it was a prosperous city with temples, baths, a theater and many homes. It...

Nov 1, 2011 - Day at Sea

Tomorrow we'll hit Santorini, a very famous Greek Island. Apparently we'll be riding a donkey from the sea where the boat docks up to the mountaintop where most of the tours start. . . or at least we'll get a picture of it! Taking plenty of pics so will have a slideshow when home. Taking several Smithsonian seminars today -- learning and relaxing. Anika, this is the exact same ship we were one over Thanksgiving, now it has just been moved to Rome. So at least I know where everything is. Hope you had a great Halloween. Miss you all! Cindy

Sep 9, 2011 - Civitavecchia

Friday September 9 - Civitavecchia Today we are back at the Port of Rome. You wouldn't’t believe the ships in port today - there are 8 large ships that look like floating hotels and the traffic is really bad in the city of Civitavecchia. This city is a working mans town. Nothing glamorous about it. We took a quick stroll through the city, found a market that was rather interesting and headed back to the ship for lunch and to wait for the new passengers to board. Of the new passengers, there is a small elite group joining us with a last name...

Sep 2, 2011 - Port of Civitavecchia - boarding the Seabourn Legend

Friday, September 2 -Embark on the Seabourn Legend Today we packed up our suitcases and left Rome for Civitavecchia (Port). Our driver was there at noon to take us on the hour ride to the port. Upon arrival, we were greeted with Champagne and then escorted to our suite where the unpacking began. Along with the welcome champagne, there was also another bottle of it waiting on ice for us along with a gift of Courvoisier and Pouilly Fume. Rick immediately fell in love with the Sky Bar and they just so happened to be serving dinner there our...

Jul 17, 2011 - Rome to Civitavechia

After a relaxing brunch at what is suppose to be the oldest Osterria in Rome, we headed for the train station. Travel itself went well on the one hour trip to the docks but I appreciate Dan’s desire for us all to carry just a roll on. Wow! These bags up and down stairs and in and out of the train stairs are building muscles. Jacquelyn’s great, she just grabs hold and goes, no complaints, just anxious to get to the next stop. The cruise line is wonderful and they immediately met us with their desire to assist with our gluten situation. They...

Apr 10, 2010 - Our Final Port Of Call Before Our Homeward Trip

Saturday 10th April – Day 91 We arrived in Civitavecchia, Italy in brilliant sunshine, but very chilly. We were soon of the ship and walking to the coaches, you could take an airport type bus, but we enjoyed the brisk walk, it seemed very spring like. Our guide was a very pleasant lady, who spoke English very well, and she tried to teach us Italian. After twenty minutes, we had a facility stop, and we were able to have our fix for the day – a cappuccino, it seemed such a normal morning. On our way then to Bracciano, through the beautiful...

Apr 9, 2010 - Sea Day After Athens

Friday 9th April – Day 90 At Sea again to-day, but from the look of the Horizon newspaper, there will not be much spare time for sitting and staring. I was off to make fridge magnets from Japanese Washi paper, I cannot believe I have done every project so far. Bill went off to the Behind the Scenes workings of Arcadia, we then met for coffee. Time then to go and see a hilarious talk by Bill Tidy on a Cruisers Diary, he sketched about the laundry, eating in the self-service restaurant etc. I nipped back to the Arcadia display, which I had...

Nov 30, 2009 - board Celebrity Solstice

Although we knew that our first cruise ship the Grand Princess would be in Civitavecchia the same day as the next cruise ship the Celebrity Solstice, that did not mean that moving ourselves and the suitcases between the two ships would be easy. Ports are busy, commercial places, sometimes with high security, and you can't just go wandering around with 200 pounds of luggage. The day dawned cloudy and windy, dramatically marking the end of one cruise and the beginning of another. We could see our next home away from home; it was close as the...

Nov 18, 2009 - board the Grand Princess

Civitavecchia, the port where ships dock when the itinerary says they are in Rome, is one and a half hours away by car. The cruise company only brings people here if they have booked the pricey pre-trip which stays at hotels too rich for our blood. So how to get to the ship? We were on our own and looked for the best solution on line. Thrifty travelers suggested that we take the train, but the thought of schlepping all our stuff through the throngs at the central station in Rome was not appealing. And at the other end, we weren't sure how...