Day 5 - Civitavecchia, Italy (for Rome)
We were originally wait-listed for a sold out excursion in Rome that sounded like fun: a "Rome by Ape Calessino" tour. The Ape (ah-pay) is a tiny three-wheeled vehicle that you often see buzzing all over Italy. It is basically a scooter with three wheels. In any case, since that tour was sold out, we really did not see any other excursion that interested us in Rome. And, we have seen just about everything there is to see in Rome, multiple times. So, we decided to remain on board Silver Muse, relax, and take the opportunity to get some more photos for our blog and review.
Silver Muse docked in Civitavecchia (MSC Splendida is in front of us)
For lunch today, our choices were pizza at Spaccanapoli (done that), the buffet at La Terrazza (done that), full menu service at Atlantide (done that), Sushi at Kaisecki (too nice outside to do that), or the Pool Grill (perfecto!). We arrive at the Pool Grill on Deck 10 a little before noon and pick a table in the sun. It is still a little cool outside in the shade, so the warm sun feels really nice.
Rickee peruses the menu at Pool Grill
Some new items have been added to the Pool Grill menu since our last Silversea sailing and the menu itself is much more elegant than before. We decide to start off with a Meze Plate (babaganoush, yoghurt dip, cucumber, hummus, pita, olives, sun-dried tomatoes and feta) which the menu says is for sharing. All of the ingredients on the Meze Plate were good, but the portions were too small to share.
Meze Plate
I ordered a cheeseburger with onion rings instead of French fries and Rickee ordered the hot dog. I received the Silversea Beef Burger which comes with bacon, cheese, BBQ sauce, red onion, tomato, and pickle.
I also ordered my burger medium rare and was pleased to find a pink center when I cut into my patty. The burger has been much improved over what we were served at the Pool Grill on previous Silversea cruises. I still would like to see crispier onion rings, but they are on the right track with the burger! It was very good!
Rickee's Silversea Hot Dog was festooned with bacon and carmelized onions. She immediately removed everything and promptly added a dollop of mustard and relish, as would any self-respecting Texan. The only reliable way to tell if Rickee likes something or not is to look at the plate when she is finished. The hot dog was almost gone, as were the fries and onions rings. She liked it.
After filling up at the Pool Grill for lunch, the sunshine offers the perfect opportunity to relax on our beautiful balcony with a view of the ocean. We spent most of the day doing absolutely nothing but enjoying our Deluxe Veranda Suite. We even asked Hayley, our butler, to ice down a bottle of Prosecco for us to enjoy, which she was happy to do.
Prosecco on ice
One of the great things about cruising is the option of going on an excursion, exploring a destination on your own, getting involved in all of the onboard activities, or just doing nothing at all. One of the great things about Silversea is that you can do nothing at all with style!
Tonight, we have dinner reservations at Silver Note on Deck 7.
Silver Note menu cover
Silver Note defies description. It is sort of a restaurant/jazz club, like an old-school dinner club you see in movies from the 1940s. The menu and the dishes served here are even more difficult to describe. Let's just say that dining at Silver Note is a very unique experience that you won't find on any other cruise ship. Or, on land for that matter.
Silver Note dining room
I won't even attempt to describe our meal here. I am going to save that for a more in-depth review in our Cruise Ship Dining Review blog. However, I will say that the entertainment was excellent. Helene was singing popular jazz songs while being backed up by Andre on the piano. It would be worth having dinner here just for the music!
Helene and Andre entertain during dinner at Silver Note
After dinner, I was ready to call it a day, but Rickee wanted to go to the evening show. So, we parted ways. When she came back to the suite after the show, she went on and on about how great Marissa Nelson, one of the Silver Sea Singers, performed. Now I wish I had gone with her!
Tomorrow, Silver Muse will be docked in Livorno, Italy, where it is Labor Day so lots of venues are closed. Most guests will go to Florence, but we are going to do something a little different this time.
