This morning we arrived to the Port of Civitavecchia, Italy, which is the gateway port for Rome. We have visited this port many times over the years most recently on last years World Cruise. It is located about ninety minutes from Rome via motor vehicle. Trains are also available from this port city into downtown Rome.
While most people who begin or end a trip at this port think of Rome and area to see near this port of call is where the Etruscan people lived. A few years ago when we stayed in Rome as part of a pre-cruise hotel program with Crystal on the way to the ship we took a tour which included a visit to an Etruscan underground grave site. As we understand, the Etruscan’s believed in life after death and it is through this grave site that historians learned about the Etruscan’s and of their way of life.
Today marks the end of the seventh segment of the World Cruise so a number of passengers disembarked the ship this morning. During the course of this segment we have sailed from Mumbai, India to Rome/Civitavecchia, Italy and have traveled a total distance of 4,640 nautical miles or the equivalent of 5,336 land miles.
At the same time, today also begins the eighth and final leg of the 2008 World Cruise. During this final segment of the World Cruise the ship will begin in Civitavecchia, Italy and will stop in Monte Carlo, Monaco (overnight); Valencia, Spain; Gibraltar, United Kingdom; Lisbon, Portugal; La Coruna, Spain, and end in Southampton, United Kingdom. The stops in Valencia and La Coruna, Spain are maiden calls for Crystal Cruises.
Our daughter and son-in-law join us for this final segment of the World Cruise. They arrived in Rome two days ago and stayed in the Crystal Cruise pre-cruise hotel in Rome.
Our son is still attending college, otherwise we would have had him join us on this cruise as well. We look forward to seeing our son in just a few weeks as we miss him a great deal and we look forward to having him join us on a future cruise. Each of our children has been on fourteen cruises and the last time we all sailed together was in 2003.
We awoke early this morning as we normally do. We enjoyed another very nice sleep on board the ship and we believe we arrived in port by around 3:00 AM. Keith was the first to arrive to the Fitness Center and enjoyed a wonderful workout on the Elliptical Machine, Anne Marie did our laundry and then Keith assisted her after he finished his workout. Keith spoke with fellow passenger John and talked about this evenings World Cruise Event and then spoke with Mary for a portion of the workout.
For the first time this cruise, we decided to enjoy a nice breakfast in the Main Dining Room. Anne Marie enjoyed eggs benedict while Keith enjoyed matzah brie which is a nice breakfast dish which can be enjoyed anytime during the year but is one that many people have during Passover. We sat at the same area that we sit in during the evening (one table from our table in the evening) so that we could have our same Senior Waiter Pablo and Waiter Layla. We spoke with them for awhile and also spoke with our Head Waiter, Peter.
After breakfast we took a nice long walk on the Promenade Deck. The weather was gorgeous. It was sunny and we wore light jackets so it was a delight to walk. From the ship we could see buses and cars arriving for those passengers disembarking the ship this morning. There are several other passenger cruise ships in port today so the port was certainly busy.
Since our daughter and son-in-law were joining us today and because this evening is a World Cruise Shore Side event, we stayed on the ship to wait for them. Our daughter Jennifer and son-in-law Gui arrived to the ship a little after 12:00 Noon. Jennifer has sailed once each on the Crystal Harmony and the Crystal Symphony and Gui has sailed once on the Crystal Harmony. This is their first time on the Crystal Serenity. We had lunch with them in the Main Dining Room and spent time with them walking around the ship until their room was ready.
This evening we are all going to the World Cruise Shore Side Event. We will post details about this event tomorrow. The event is being held at the Complesso Monumentale di Santo Spirto in Saxia which is a monumental complex of the Holy Spirit in Saxia. It is located within walking distance of St. Peter’s Square and the Vatican. Santo Spirito in Saxia is indeed one of Rome’s oldest historical monuments. It dates back to AD 747. The complex was destroyed by fire and was rebuilt in 1198. It was expanded between 1471 and 1478.
Crystal Cruises is the first cruise line to host an event at this highly acclaimed historical site. We are looking forward to this wonderful event and look forward to sharing what we experience with all of you.
This is the second time in as many years that we have sailed in the Mediterranean in April and just want to note that it is a perfect time to visit this area of the world. We have also sailed here in late September/early October, which is another great time to sail. We prefer both of these time frames relative to the summer when we have also visited the Mediterranean. We find the weather to me much nicer as you don’t encounter the humidity and the high temperatures of the summer, while at the same time there are less tourists visiting this port of call in April. For many we realize that sometimes the summer is the only option for getting away, but for those whose schedule is flexible we prefer Fall or Spring over the Summer.
Keith & Anne Marie
