Sail Away From Civitavecchia

Star Princess Prepares to 

Sail from Civitavechia, Italy

Having completed our two-night pre-cruise stay in Rome, Italy, and our train ride to the pier, we were anxious to get on board the Star Princess for the actual cruise portion of our vacation.   These next posts will describe our Mediterranean adventure in detail.  We hope you enjoy your virtual cruise of the Mediterranean and Greek Isles.

Monday, May 30th was a beautiful day in Civitavecchi, Italy, as the Star Princess prepared to depart on its 12-Night journey to the Mediterranean ports with a special emphasis on the Greek Isles.

Passengers were up on the outside decks, soaking in the sun's rays and watching as last minute activities took place getting ready for our departure.   


As it turned out, we were not on deck when the actual sail-away took place, because we had early seating dinner (6 PM).  The ship departed shortly after that.

There were still some people in the pool as Star Princess was concluding final preparations for our departure.  The sun would be out for several more hours yet, so if you didn't have to be at dinner, there was certainly no rush to leave.

We had already completed the mandatory safety drill, where we learned about a situation that occurred on the previous sailing, which would have an impact on us for the first few days.   There had been an increased report of gastrointestinal illness on the last cruise, attributed to people eating meals on shore.   Consequently, the ship had undergone an extensive sanitation process when it docked in Civitavecchia.   

In addition to the sanitation, special food handling procedures had been put in place.   We hadn't paid much attention to it when we first got onboard, but after we heard the announcement during the safety drill, things made sense.

In the buffet, as well as other food venues, the wait staff was serving food.   Passengers were not allowed to handle food on the serving line - this included even such things as rolls and condiments.   After two full days, the ban was lifted and life onboard returned to normal with no outbreaks during our cruise.   While it was inconvenient for the first days, taking longer to get through the food line for example, we commend Princess Cruises for proactively handling the situation to prevent any further problems on our cruise.

Welcome aboard ... the Mediterranean adventure begins in earnest now.  Be sure to visit both our blog and Facebook Fan page often for more stories and photos of our journey.

Additional Reading:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (advice about any health advisories here and abroad)
Traveler's Health (CDC Travel specific topics)
Facts About Noroviruses on Cruise Ships  -  gastrointestinal (GI) illnesses can be prevented

Wash hands often. Wash hands after using the bathroom or changing diapers and before eating or preparing food.  Use alcohol-based hand sanitizer along with hand washing.

Norovirus outbreaks, when they occur on a cruise ship, always make the news.  The truth is these outbreaks can occur anywhere there are groups of people in a small area such as nursing homes, restaurants, catered events, hotels, and cruise ships.

 Vessel Sanitation Program - prevention and control of spread of gastrointestinal (GI) illnesses on cruise ships

 

Additional photos can be found on our Facebook Albums.




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First Atlantic Named Tropical Storm Arlene

NHC issuing advisories on TS ARLENE

Arlene - First Named Atlantic TS 2011

Update - Remnants of ARLENE Public Advisory  - Last Public Advisory

< View larger image

GOES-13 captured an image of the

clouds associated with the low called

System 95L on June 28 at 1345 UTC

(9:35 a.m. EDT) over the Yucatan

Peninsula. Cuba is seen to the right, and

the U.S. Gulf coast is north (top)

Credit: NASA/NOAA GOES Project

NASA Satellites captured this image of a forming storm, 95L, in the Gulf of Mexico on the morning of June 28th.   This storm later became the first Tropical Storm of the 2011 Atlantic Hurricane Season.

The storm is expected to head inland to Northeastern Mexico early on Thursday, prompting tropical storm warnings.    The storm should quickly lose strength over land, and it is expected to dissipate on Friday, but not after dropping some heavy rainfall in the area.

The current forecast calls for rain accumulation of 4 to 8 inches with some isolated areas receiving as much as 15 inches.  The Mexican states of Tamaulipas, Veracruz, and Eastern San Luis Potosi are in the sites of TS Arlene at this time.

700 AM CDT WED JUN 29 2011 

...ARLENE EXPECTED TO MAKE LANDFALL IN NORTHEASTERN

MEXICO EARLY TOMORROW...
 

We don't expect this tropical storm to impact cruise schedules as it will be short lived.   It does remind all of us that we are in the early months of Hurricane Season and need to be vigilant and be ready to react to changing weather conditions if traveling in the area.

SUMMARY OF 700 AM CDT...1200 UTC...INFORMATION
----------------------------------------------
LOCATION...21.8N 95.2W
ABOUT 175 MI...280 KM E OF TAMPICO MEXICO
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...40 MPH...65 KM/H
PRESENT MOVEMENT...WNW OR 300 DEGREES AT 8 MPH...13 KM/H
MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...1002 MB...29.59 INCHES

SUMMARY OF WATCHES AND WARNINGS IN EFFECT...

A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR...
* THE COAST OF NORTHEASTERN MEXICO FROM BARRA DE NAUTLA NORTHWARD TO
BAHIA ALGODONES

A TROPICAL STORM WARNING MEANS THAT TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE
EXPECTED SOMEWHERE WITHIN THE WARNING AREA...IN THIS CASE WITHIN 24
HOURS.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 40 MPH...65 KM/H...WITH HIGHER
GUSTS.  SOME STRENGTHENING IS FORECAST UNTIL LANDFALL ON THURSDAY.

TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 115 MILES...185 KM
FROM THE CENTER.

ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS 1002 MB...29.59 INCHES. 

HAZARDS AFFECTING LAND
----------------------
RAINFALL...ARLENE IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE TOTAL RAINFALL
ACCUMULATIONS OF 4 TO 8 INCHES OVER THE MEXICAN STATES OF
TAMAULIPAS...VERACRUZ...AND EASTERN SAN LUIS POTOSI...WITH POSSIBLE
ISOLATED MAXIMUM AMOUNTS OF 15 INCHES OVER MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN.
THESE RAINS COULD CAUSE LIFE-THREATENING FLASH FLOODS AND
MUDSLIDES.

WIND...TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO REACH THE COAST
WITHIN THE WARNING AREA BY THIS EVENING...WHICH COULD MAKE OUTSIDE
PREPARATIONS DIFFICULT OR DANGEROUS.

STORM SURGE...A STORM SURGE WILL RAISE WATER LEVELS BY AS MUCH AS 1
TO 2 FEET ABOVE NORMAL TIDE LEVELS ALONG THE IMMEDIATE COAST NEAR
AND TO THE NORTH OF WHERE THE CENTER MAKES LANDFALL.  NEAR THE
COAST...THE SURGE COULD BE ACCOMPANIED BY LARGE AND DESTRUCTIVE
WAVES.

Tropical Storm Resources (click links below)
TS ARLENE	National Hurricane Center
Atlantic Tropical Weather Outlook	National Weather Service
Atlantic Tropical Weather Discussion	Hurricane Preparedness
Graphical Tropical Weather Outlook (ATL)	Real-Time Hurricane Information
Active Storms	NOAA Satellites & Information
NASA: Latest Storm Images	WMO Severe Weather Information Centre
Real-time Monitoring (Atlantic)	The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale
Real-time Weather Sites	Real-Time Cruise Ship Tracking

Cunard 2013 World Voyages

Two Queens Explore the World

Cunard announced the 2013 World Voyage program. Two queens, QUEEN MARY 2 and QUEEN VICTORIA, will depart from Southampton on 10 January 2013 and begin their epic world sailings with two distinct itineraries. These historic voyages will be available for reservations starting 14 July 2011 at 5:00 a.m. PDT (8:00 a.m. EDT).

Special Early Booking incentives for reservations made by 29 February 2012: Up to 10% off Early Booking Fares* Reduced deposit of 15%# On Board Credit of up to $3,000^ per stateroom for Full World and Liner Voyages!†

Full World Voyage† Benefits: Complimentary hotel and dining charges Gala World Voyage Dinner Special commemorative gifts Welcome Aboard Reception & Senior Officer Dinner World Voyage cocktail parties Services of a World Voyage Concierge

Queen Mary 2 World Cruise 2013

On 10 January 2013, the grandest ocean liner at sea will sail the world roundtrip from Southampton to exciting destinations that inspire the imagination. Highlights: • Overnight stays in Dubai, Hong Kong, Shanghai and a two-night stay in Cape Town • 6 Maiden calls including Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Langkawi, Malaysia, and Port Elizabeth, South Africa • Combine with Transatlantic Crossings to create voyage options out of and into New York

Queen Victoria World Cruise 2013

QUEEN VICTORIA makes a triumphant return to the World Voyage in 2013. Convenient departures from New York, Fort Lauderdale, and San Francisco bring this remarkable journey closer to home. Highlights: • 105-day circumnavigation of the globe • Overnight stays in Sydney, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Dubai • 9 Maiden calls including Falmouth, Jamaica, Brisbane, Australia, Bali, Indonesia and Manila, Philippines

QUEEN ELIZABETH Travels to Exotic Destinations in 2013

In addition to these epic World Voyages, in 2013 QUEEN ELIZABETH will embark on a 36-day Pearls of the Pacific Voyage roundtrip from Los Angeles through the Hawaiian Islands and South Pacific. Guests may choose to extend their voyage with a 15-day Panama Canal experience at the beginning, end, or both!

Rome to Civitavecchia by Train

Roma Termini to Civitavecchia

After spending two nights in Rome, Italy before our 12-Night Mediterranean and Greek Isles Cruise, it was time to head to Civitavecchia.

Hotel Sonya is within walking distance, about two or three blocks,  to Rome's Termini Train Station.   Local trains between the two cities depart every 30-40 minutes and the travel time is just over an hour.  See schedule on Trenitalia's website.

We decided to have breakfast and then leave for the train station without actually reserving train tickets.   Our goal was to arrive in Civitavecchia between noon and 1 PM.   When we arrived at the train station in Rome, an agent assisted us with the purchase from one of the self-service kiosks.   The machines will take credit cards or cash - we used our American Express card.   The cost per person was 4,50 € .   The agent told us the train would leave from track 25, so we started the long walk to the platform.    He had wanted us to select an earlier train - we are glad we didn't attempt that - we would not have made it on time.

One of the key things you MUST do is validate your train ticket on the platform.   The yellow validation machine shown in the picture above is what you are looking for.   Failure to validate your ticket could be costly - up to  25 € per ticket, so you don't want to miss this important step. 

The agent gave us the wrong platform number, and when it was getting close to our departure time, we began to wonder why there wasn't a train yet.   One of us walked to some nearby tracks and saw that we were indeed in the wrong place.   A local man helped us with the bags and got us settled on the train car.    He piled our luggage in an open seat and waited for a tip.   It was worth it because without his help, we would have missed  the train completely.

We had second class accommodations which were just fine for the hour plus ride to Civitavecchia.  The train made several stops between the two cities, which is why the fare was so cheap.   We could have opted for a more expensive ride with fewer stops, but that really wasn't necessary.

The train ends in Civitavecchia, so there wasn't a need to watch for our stop.  When the train came to a complete stop, it was time to get off.

If you decide to transfer from Rome by train, be sure your luggage can endure the cobblestones which you'll need to navigate both in Rome, on the way to the train station, and also when you arrive at your final destination.

Walk to the end of the platform and into the station.  Once outside the station you have a decision to make - either walk to the pier or hire a taxi.  

We decided to walk.   It is several blocks from the train station to the shuttle bus near the pier which will take you the rest of the way to your ship.  You'll need to navigate some stairs, cobblestones, and curbs, but if you walked from your hotel to the Roma Termini, you can most likely make it to the pier without much difficulty.   It was quite warm, however, and we were certainly glad to see the shuttle bus at the end of the street.

We got our first glance at Star Princess from the shuttle bus.  Did I mention that we never would have made the walk from where the bus picked us up to the actual pier?

There were porters there to take our checked baggage and direct us to the check-in lines.   It didn't take long to embark and before we knew it we were onboard the ship and in our cabins.   From there is was off to the buffet for some lunch - let the feeding begin.   

Additional photos can be found on our Facebook Albums.




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As Night Falls in Rome

Also see Rome at Night Photo Album

Light Transforms Buildings and Fountains

We stayed at Trevi Fountain  until the sun started to set and the fountain's lights began to glow softly, casting shadows into the flowing waters.  It was a very peaceful way to end a long day of exploring the ancient city of Rome.

A short walk away, we climbed the dimly lit stairs up to Quirinal Palace, the residence of the President of the Republic of Italy.  On the piazza stands the imposing Monte Cavallo Fountain with the two giants, Castor and Pollux, the Dioscuri.  The fountain seemed to glow as the light was cast onto its form.

In the distance, the dimly-lit dome of St. Peter's Basilica could be seen, with the background painted by nature as the sun continued to set.  St. Peter's dome had formed the bookends of our day.

Leaving Quirinal Hill, we walked past Hotel Giardino which would be our post-cruise hotel, and continued for about 15 minutes along  a wide main street of Rome lined with shops.   Doing some window shopping along the way, we finally concluded our day, by checking train schedules for our morning trip to the pier in Civitavecchia, in the lobby of Hotel Sonya.

 

Several photo albums from our pre-cruise stay in Rome are posted on our Facebook Fan Page.  Become a fan to be notified about updates.

Additional photos can be found on our Facebook Albums.




Click on the image to the left for more Blog posts about this trip.

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