Holland America Line Nieuw Amsterdam Cruise: Day 10 Rome, Italy
Viv & Jill’s Holland America Line Nieuw Amsterdam Cruise: Day 10 Rome, Italy
12-Night Mediterranean Romance Cruise June 3-15, 2011
Visit Rome from Civitavecchia, Italy
Day 10 – June 12: Rome, Italy
Docking in the port of Civitavecchia before 7 am, we made a quick exit from the ship and took one of the first free shuttle buses to the port entrance. As soon as we got off the bus there was a woman handing out brochures for sightseeing options in the area and asking if anyone wanted to purchase train passes to go to Rome. As we did and she spoke perfect English (not typically the case with people at the train station) we bought our B.I.R.G tickets (9 euro for unlimited train travel for 24 hours) from her colleague at the Tourist Information kiosk a few steps away. With all our questions answered, timetable for the train schedule to/from Rome and our round-trip tickets in hand, we made the 8-minute walk along the promenade to the local train station.
Along with several hundred other cruise ship passengers (there were few ships in port at the same time) we caught the 8:41 am train into Rome and arrived there about 45 minutes later. We decided our first stop of the day was the Colosseum so we took a short metro ride to a stop across the street from the entrance. Already at 10 am there were thousands of tourists lined up to get into the largest amphitheater (dating from 70-80 AD) ever built in the Roman empire. The wait for tickets and price of admission was worth the effort and we spent over two hours inside the ancient walls going step by step with the audio guide.
St. Peter’s Cathedral in Rome
Rome is a great city for walking and once we were finished at the Colosseum we wandered through the Forum and in the direction of the Monument to Vittorio Emanuelle II. From there we strolled through the city until we came to the the most famous of its many fountains, the Trevi Fountain, and then continued on to the Spanish Steps. By this time we were getting tired and decided to jump on the metro and take the ride near Vatican City so that we could visit St. Peter’s Basilica. Being a Sunday the Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel were closed, but even so, by the time we arrived at St. Peter’s Square there were also thousands of people waiting in line to get inside. Luckily the security lines were moving quickly and we were able to go through and spend about 30 minutes in the vast structure that is an important pilgrimage site for so many people around the world.
By the time we had finished our tour of St. Peter’s we were pooped and ready to make our way back to the ship. Luckily for us, we jumped on a train seconds before it left the Rome train station in the direction of Civitavecchia and were able to relax for the next 50 minutes. Walking along the promenade, as all of the shops and cafes were open, it was a perfect time to enjoy a gelato. We had been running around Rome so much that we hadn’t had time to stop and eat, so the gelato tasted even better than normal.
We arrived back on board by 6 pm, a good 2 hours ahead of sailing towards Livorno. Worn out by the day’s activities we were happy to dine on the Lido Deck around the pool where a lavish Mediterranean BBQ was being served from 5:30 to 9:30 pm. The selection was extensive with dishes representative of all the Mediterranean countries. We particularly loved the foie gras pate, steaks grilled to order, paella, fresh shucked oysters and other fresh seafood.
As there was no live entertainment in The Showroom at Sea (the movie Shutter Island was featured on the large screen), Jill made her way to the casino for a poker tournament while I watched a movie on the TV in the cabin. Even though Jill’s first visit to Rome was at whirlwind speed she loved every minute of it and has it on her list to revisit soon for a more extended period and at a leisurely pace.
Trevi Fountain in Rome
Explore More of WJ’s Holland America Line Mediterranean Romance Cruise
Overview | Itinerary | Photos | Day 1: Venice, Italy | Day 2: Venice, Italy | Day 3: Dubrovnik, Croatia | Day 4: Corfu, Greece | Day 5: Argostoli, Greece | Day 6: Santorini, Greece | Day 7: Sea Day | Day 8: Catania, Italy | Day 9: Naples, Italy | Day 10: Rome, Italy | Day 11: Livorno, Italy | Day 12: Barcelona | Day 13: Barcelona Disembarkation |
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