Today, we slept in a bit, packed up and caught the train at Termini Station in Rome to Civitavecchia. I had purchased tickets in advance, but we were having difficulty finding which platform our train would be on. We kept seeing the times show up right around our time, but none with the destination of Civitavecchia.
I found a security guard to ask for help, but he did not speak English. I tried my Italian and he rattled off a TON of Italian back at me. However, from the exchange I was able to gather that our train's final destination was NOT Civitavecchia. That was only it's first stop. So, we were able to find our platform and the train was already waiting.
We had nice, comfortable seats for the 40 minute ride. We arrived to port, and decided to hoof it with our suitcases. It was a beautiful day!! We had to haul them downstairs, under the train track, and back upstairs to the other side. Then we walked a short ways to catch the Royal Caribbean bus!!
This is always my favorite part of any cruise! I love the anticipation of seeing the ship for the first time - our new home away from home for the week. We checked in and walked a short ways to the ship. We entered into the Centrum area.
The other thing I love to do right after boarding the ship is run around, take photos, and explore while the ship is still quiet, waiting for everyone to board. Here is the Casino Royale, where we spent quite a bit of time... and money!
The adults-only Solarium pool and hot tub. The pool was heated and the whole area was kept warm by the roof.
The pool deck - didn't get much use on this trip. This was probably our warmest day, and even still, on the water there was a cool breeze blowing in.
We took a break for lunch in the Windjammer, where we spent many breakfasts and lunches. LOVE the breakfast buffet. The lunch on the first day was DELICIOUS!! Maybe it was because I was stuck eating bland Italian food all week, but the french fries, noodles, and chicken were the best I'd ever tasted!
Adam's favorite part of any cruise is the ice cream. We had to have our first taste after lunch.
Adam spent many days in the gym. I... did not.
We did do many activities on the Sports Deck. We played volleyball and basketball.
The Fairways of Brilliance - Adam and I competed in several putt-putt tournaments.
The Pacifica Theater - we saw several shows here, but they were not nearly up to par with the shows on Freedom or Oasis of the Seas.
The Schooner Bar - we spent many evenings here playing trivia, and nights playing Euchre and drinking.
The Minstrel Dining Room - it's the little things that excite me.
Adam in the entrance to our dining room... couldn't wait for dinner that night! That's my favorite part of a cruise.
Our dining room - our table was just off to the right.
Arrivederci, Italy!! Time to head out to sea! Next stop... Gibraltar.
As we set out to sea, we hopped in our suits and swam in the Solarium pool and unpacked. We went through the mandatory muster drill (my least favorite part). However, this time, we sat next to a newlywed couple and it was their first cruise. We filled them in on all the details, and found out they were just a few doors down from us. We'd end up seeing them quite a few times throughout the cruise.
Dinner tonight lived up to all of my expectations. For my appetizer, I had the Vidalia Onion Tart. My mouth is watering now thinking about it.
For my main course, I had the Grilled Mediterranean Quesadilla. It was sooooo delicious and full of veggies. The cilantro salsa was life-changing. Oh, how I miss the food!
After dinner, we stopped by the casino, spent some money on slots, then played "What's that Motown Song?" trivia. Turns out that Motown in the Mediterranean means obscure songs no one has ever heard of!!
We spent the evening in the Schooner Bar playing Euchre and listening to our girl Manda sing and play piano. She even did the "devil voice."
That evening, I couldn't help but notice how bright the moon was over the sea from our balcony. This was literally how bright it was at midnight. So beautiful, but glad we had dark curtains.
1 comment:
Lovely captures..and some very interesting shots. :)
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