Cruising Day 1 - Abu Dhabi to Civitavecchia, Rome

I’m back after my short absence holidaying.  Thanks to all of you who sent me emails or facebook messages while I’ve been away.  It’s encouraging that so many of you actually read what I have written!  So here goes with the next few installments.  I’ll do a day per blog so expect a few over the next week. 

I’ve changed the layout of the blog to better incorporate the many photos, or so I hope.  Let me know what you think as I can change back easily enough.

After arriving home to heat and humidity we had no internet for a week and have had a problem getting it connected.  It took a 3^rd visit to the Branch with me refusing to leave until it was sorted.  An email to the director while I waited and hello, hello, the man is here the same day!  Amazing!!!  I even got a follow up call from the man who served me to check it had been connected. J

Pity I can’t say the same about my salary and my son’s airfare which still hasn’t been paid!

Onto fun entries now…

What can I say?  Now I know what Dean was talking about after their cruise.  I can see why he was so keen for us all to go on one and take the whanau!

We began by flying out from Abu Dhabi at 11pm bound for Rome via Bahrain.  An hour later we landed in Bahrain which was one of the busiest airports I’ve been to.  As we queued in the long lines I wondered where all this mass of humanity was coming from and where they were going.  This, coupled with its tiny size, meant it was a veritable melting pot of cultures and people.  We watched as Tibetian Monks strolled past and Nuns slept in a large group on the floor.  What amazed me were the large groups of people that were traveling.  By that I don’t mean just the amount but rather the size of each distinctive group.  This was obvious by their dress which immediately identified their origins and often their religion.  All crammed into one waiting room and in various states of sleep.  Westerners were a small minority and immediately obvious by their dress.

The smoking room at the airport was a must-see in itself.  Two small glass cubicles with a leaning bench around the inside.  Inside were crammed so many people who obviously couldn’t wait for a fag, like sardines inside a tin. They looked so funny that we kept commenting on them.  I wanted to take a picture but thought better of it.

After 2 ½ hours we boarded our next plane bound for Rome.  Although it was still with the same airline, Gulf Air, you would have thought we’d changed.  The staff went from Middle Eastern to Western including an Australian.  The plane was much bigger also.  I must say that the service we received on Gulf Air is amongst the best I’ve experienced yet.  One the short flight from Abu Dhabi we were given water, juice and a filled roll.  On the second flight we were given the same after takeoff then a meal an hour before landing.  The seats had enough leg room for the teenager although the width of the seats was narrow.  The plane was nearly empty so we were able to change seats and get a row each.  As it was now 2am I slept for most of the five hour flight, waking in time for breakfast before landing in Rome at 6.45am, ready for our big adventure.

As the Port, Civitavecchia, was a long way from the airport and Rome I had toyed with the idea of taking a tour into the city before heading out.  I am pleased that we didn’t choose this option!  From 6.45am to 5pm sailing seemed too long to spend doing nothing but I know differently now.  We bought a train ticket to the Port for 11 euros.  We had one change to make and armed with a map we jumped on board almost immediately.  The train was relatively empty at this time and the staff helpful although they didn’t speak much English, a trait we were to find throughout Italy.

After 7 stops (I’ve learned it pays to know how many stops before you get off) we lugged our bags (no bag boys here) onto the platform while the conductor told us it was our train just pulling out on the other platform.  We made our way down steps and up again onto the next platform (remind me to pack lighter bags) and waited for our train.  And waited, and waited and waited.  As we were unsure what time it was due we didn’t want to go over to the station to find out in case it arrived and we missed it.  Eventually the teenager wandered away and came back to say there was no train showing so it meant it wouldn’t be coming in the next hour!   We waited and we waited and we waited.  The temperature rose steadily.  Still no train!  However, a few other travelers arrived with bags heading to the port so we felt more confident about being at the right stop.  After two hours the train finally arrived.  By this time there was a big group all with many suitcases waiting to board.  As the train pulled in I saw it was crowded.  But we pushed our way onto it with our bags.  I was lucky enough to get a seat and had my bag in the aisle beside me.  I had to hold it the whole way as it kept rolling away every time the train jolted.  The trip was over an hour long.

This was my first introduction to the European obsession with body, beach and sun.  As it was Sunday the train was packed, not only with holiday makers but Italians heading to the beach for the day.  Coming from Abu Dhabi and still being dressed in my long dress and coverups I couldn’t take my eyes off these scantily clad Italians.  Talk about beautiful bodies!  Talk about being overdressed!  It’s amazing how my ‘norm’ has altered in the six months I’ve been here.

We arrived at the Port around 11.30am to searing heat.  Being the ‘cheap’ traveler from way back we roll our cases down the cobbled beachfront towards the port.  By this time I’m dripping with sweat and wishing I was scantily clad.  I must have looked a sight dressed as I was.  Luckily as we reach the port we spy some buses so hop on these.  Many others dragged their heavy cases all the way along the road to the ship as the buses were off to the side and not particularly noticeable.   We relax in the cool interior of the bus and head off towards the ship.

WOW!  It’s big!  And busy!  There is an enormous marquee erected alongside the ship which overshadows everything else in the port.  

We find our cabin without any trouble and enter.  Oops!  They haven’t yet converted our bed into twins.  The teenager asks where my room is and I laugh.  This is it boyo...

One very, very tiny cabin and once the beds were converted later that evening, very, very tiny beds.  Once the teenager was actually in bed there was no room between his feet and the wall so I had to climb over his feet often.  The shower was so small that if you dropped the soap it required all your dexterity to pick it up again.  However, the room had a window that overlooked the 'Royal Promenade' so there was always something to look out at if you happened to be in your cabin with nothing to do.  

We unpacked what we could and headed off to check out the ship.  The aspect I enjoyed most of all was the vast array of activities which catered to everyone’s needs.  It is one holiday where your teenagers can do what they want in a controlled environment with semi-organised activities and their own hangout place.  The pool deck was the most popular place on board.

We were scheduled for early dinners so at 6.30pm we found our dining room, The Nutcracker, one of the three named after ballets, and found our table.  We were seated at a table of 12 but 4 never showed for dinner the whole cruise.  We were joined by two couples, both of whom had cruised extensively, and a mother whose adult daughter was shouting her on the cruise.  All were from the States, as were most of the travelers except the Italians.

Dinner was a delight each night and the attentive staff made it worthwhile dressing up.  The dress standard wasn’t what we’d expected, much more casual and except for the formal nights didn’t seem to be enforced.

The other option was to dine at the café which had an amazing selection of food for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  This was casual dining but I enjoyed the ambience of the dining room and not having to fight for a table or to get my food.

Did I mention the food?????  Not a good holiday option if you are watching your weight.  Having said that, there were always healthy options and our nightly menu included a 3 course dinner with low calories.

After eating, we headed back to our cabin and promptly fell asleep by 9pm.