Year 5, Day 165 “Living the Dream”. Sunday, 10/12/2025 – Day 6 of 30 day trip to Rome, Italy with a Mediterranean cruise and a transatlantic cruise back to Bayonne, NJ. Day 1 of 10 night Greece, Turkey, and Italy cruise on Odyssey of the Seas. Checked out of Hilton Garden Inn Rome Airport and boarded Odyssey of the Seas in Civitavecchia. We ate breakfast at the hotel and we were on our way by 10:05 am. The hotel arranged for a taxi to pick us up. The cost was $140.00 euros. It was 45.7 miles from our hotel to the port. Our check in time was noon. Well our driver was definitely a speed demon. We did mostly 85 mph all the way to the Port. I was hanging on as he zipped around corners. He told us that the heavy traffic starts at 10am . He wanted to beat that heavy traffic.
The mountains along the way were beautiful. Oh and those trees with vegetation only on the top are Italian Stone pine trees. They are sometimes called Umbrella pines. These trees are native to the Mediterranean region.
As we approach Civitavecchia we can see the Tyrrhenian Sea.
Civitavecchia is a small seaside town and has a public beach area called Il Pirgo. The town even has a McDonalds.
Then our cruise ship is suddenly there docked way out on a causeway. Your heart starts to pump a little bit more with excitement. No matter how many times you board a cruise ship the excitement still hits you. Let’s get going!!
Taxis are not allowed out by the ship. We were dropped off at the entrance to the Largo della Pace terminal. The taxi driver told us to walk into the port’s fenced area. There we showed our passports and boarding passes. We then boarded a free Port shuttle bus to get out to the ship. The Civitavecchia port offers this free circular shuttle service to the various cruise ships docked within the port. On the way to the ship on the shuttle we pass the Michelangelo Fortress. This is an historic fortress from the 15th century. It was built to defend the port from pirates. Now it serves as the headquarters for the maritime authority. It is located at the port’s entrance.
It was a quick and easy boarding. I could actually take an open bottle of water on that I was drinking through security. Usually you have to dump it.
Before you know it we are on board and ready for the next ten days.
Had lunch in the Windjammer buffet. The variety of food was a little less than other ships/cruises for the departure day lunch buffet. What I had was very good though.
After that we checked in at our Assembly Station and went to the Crown. People are sharing information they have gathered on the different ports.
Most people we are meeting are also doing the back to back. They will be with us the whole 24 days back to Bayonne, NJ. While eating lunch I booked the North Star Basic Experience on the Royal app. It is only offered the first day of a cruise and is free. Other days there is a charge of $44.00 for the Extended Experience which takes you out over the ocean.
Here is a video of our time up in the North Star.
From the deck we can see the MSC Grandiosa is in the port also. Spring of 2026, we will be taking her from Miami, Florida to this port. She looks really nice.
We were allowed in our rooms promptly at 1pm. The stateroom attendant is usually around at that time to see if you need anything special. He will give you his card. He will also ask if there is a special time of day you would like your room cleaned. We booked a guaranteed balcony room. We were given room 6190. This is a nice life boat view. Yup, I knew better than to book a guaranteed balcony on this style ship. This is the first ever lifeboat view we have ever stayed in. Here’s a detailed video.
In our stateroom there is a lot of paper laying around. I would suggest you take the time and review all of the paper information. In our case an extra drink of specialty coffee has been added to our SeaPass card. I would have not known about that extra perk this trip if I hadn’t taken the time to read everything.
We also did the bumper cars which was a lot of fun. The line was long, but went very fast. Of course I talked with a family from Ireland the whole time. They educated me about P&O cruises. P&O cruises booked for 2027 to Ireland, Iceland, Scotland, and Norway.
Dinner in the main dining room was good, but we were seated alone. I prefer to be seated with other people. The menu is the Welcome Aboard Menu. The Rolls were very warm, soft, and delicious. I am going to have to stay away from them. BUT, I love the bread!!!! The Mashed potatoes and carrots were very tasty also. Fish was excellent. The waiters are very attentive on this cruise. Actually, they are overbearingly attentive. Believe me you are not ignored.
Here is a view from Deck 5. You can see down into the Main dining rooms on decks 3 and 4.
Before we returned to our room for the evening, we had a cup of tea. We also checked out Sorrento’s Pizza on the main Promenade, Deck 5. Sorrento’s Pizza is a complimentary, casual pizza parlor on the Odyssey of the Seas. The fourth picture is exactly how I feel. Just dragging and ready for bed.
More ship pics:
While we are away life goes on at home with sports and school.
Okay we still are doing a lot of dream building.
Cruise Compass Day 1 of 10 – Boarding Odyssey of the Seas in Civitavecchia, Italy
Things to ponder today! Have to leave you thinking.
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