June 12 - This morning, Crystal Symphony is docked at the port of Civitavecchia, Italy, the port city for Rome. This is an extremely busy cruise port, and from our veranda we can see many other large cruise ships and ferries already docked here.

When you see Rome on a cruise itinerary, your cruise ship will actually be docking in Civitavecchi (pronounced “chee-vee-tah-veck-ē-ah”). So, to visit Rome on a cruise, you will either have to book a ship’s excursion, or, arrange another transfer. There are trains from Civitavecchia to Rome (and back) that run throughout the day and it possible to walk to the train station from the port, but it could be a long walk. A private car or taxi is another option, but that will cost about $200 one-way.

We chose to book the Rome On Your Own for $70 per person through Crystal Shore Excursions. This option provided a motor coach transfer to Rome and back to the ship. The drive to Rome takes about 90 minutes. We have been to Rome several times on previous cruises, so we are vaguely familiar with the layout of the city and all of the most popular sights.

The motor coach ride to Rome was uneventful and we were dropped off about a block from Piazza de Poppolo, a popular tourist spot in Rome. Before departing the motor coach, our local guide informed us to be back at the same location no later than 3:15pm for the transfer back to the ship.

After walking to Piazza de Poppolo, we took time to admire the amazing fountains here. The water in these fountains is very cold, and refreshing.

Even though it is only 11 am, it is already shaping up to be a very hot day in Rome. It seems like every time we visit Rome, it is very hot. We begin our walk down Via del Corso towards Piazza Navona. Via del Corso is a major roadway in Rome and is lined with shops, restaurants, and cafés.

After just a few blocks of walking on the cobblestones we decide it was time to take a break from the heat and enjoy a glass of Prosecco. And, Rickee was needing a bathroom stop anyway. Most restaurants, bars and cafés have restrooms, but they expect you to buy something, which is only fair. We find a quaint little bar next to a small hotel on a side street and decided to check it out.

We would have loved to sit outdoors, but that is where the smokers sit, so we found a table for two inside. The little restaurant was just getting set up for lunch. We ordered two glasses of Prosecco, which was quite good, by the way.

Since it was nearing lunchtime anyway, we thought “what the heck”, let’s just eat here and try their pizza! We ordered a Margherita pizza (tomato sauce, mozzarella and basil) to share. When they brought the pizza, they had already cut it in half for us.

Honestly, the pizza may not have been anything that special, but everything tastes better in Italy. The crust was perfectly crisp and still chewy. There was just the right amount of sauce and cheese and basil topped it off. Certainly, it was better than any pizza we get back home.

After our delicious lunch, we return to the heat of Rome and continue our journey down Via del Corso. Now, we are in the hunt for a souvenir shop and another Rome refrigerator magnet. Even though we already have one, can you really have too many?

With magnet in hand, we continued down Via del Corso to find Piazza Navonna. Somehow, we ended up following some signs that sent us down a series of side streets. We finally resorted to using Google Maps, which was not simple, but finally did get us to Piazza Navonna.

By the time we got to Piazza Navonna, the temperature was north of 90˚ (F) and humid. We decided to take a break, sit down at a restaurant and enjoy a gelato.

After cooling down with gelato, we decided to head over to see the Pantheon. It is only a 5-minute walk from Piazza Navona to the Pantheon. When we arrived, the crowds were getting insane and it was getting even hotter.

While walking around the Pantheon, trying to enjoy the architecture, I was accosted by one of the many scammers walking around Rome (and other popular tourist destinations) trying to put a “free” bracelet on me. Your best defense against this scam is to aggressive and loudly say NO, turn and walk away.

After visiting the Pantheon, we were hot and exhausted. We decided to walk back toward Piazza Poppolo and wait for the bus ride back to the ship. We each got over 11,000 steps in today and it was NOT the way to see Rome. A better system is what we have done on previous cruises. After disembarking the cruise, book a three or four-night stay at a hotel in Rome so you have time to explore in the mornings and evenings when it is cooler.

We met up with the rest of the group, boarded the coach and took a little nap on the way back to the ship.

Even though we still had to pack for the trip home, we decided to have one more dinner at Umi Uma. We love the sushi there.

We are very excited to be joined by Alexa, Crystal’sw Communication and Event Manager, who is hosting a group of media onboard this sailing. We have become quick friends with Alexa and with Cruise Director, Vicki Van Tassel. We invited Vicki to join us, and soon we had a foursome at dinner.

Vicki Van Tassel, Alexa Lazerow, Rickee and me

We had an excellent dinner with great food and great conversation. There’s nothing better than making new friends on a cruise.

Tomorrow, we will sadly disembark Crystal Symphony in Civitavecchia and be spending one night post-cruise before flying back to DFW. It has been a great cruise and we, again, remember why Crystal is one of our all-time favorite cruise lines.

Day Nine - Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy

Day Eight - Porto Santo Stefano, Italy