This morning was all about getting organised to board the ship for our cruise from Rome to Athens. So, we opted to skip breakfast, and head straight to the Civitavecchia cruise port.

We caught a taxi from the hotel for the one-hour drive to the port. Despite trying to communicate to our driver (who didn’t speak English) that we wanted to go to wharf 25, he pulled up in front of the terminal that serviced the biggest ships that were in port, perhaps operating on the theory that this was where most people would get on their ship. However, we managed to convince him that we were not getting out there and, after some consultation with local port staff(which included a lot of the obligatory hand waiving), we headed to the other side of the port and found our ship.

After checking in, we boarded the Regent Seven Seas Splendor at around 11:45 am. We made our way up to the pool deck and settled in for a nice lunch.

Keith and Andrea, on the pool deck.
Keith and Andrea, on the pool deck.
Lunch.
Lunch.
Lunch.
Lunch.
Lunch.
Lunch.

After lunch, we had a walk around the ship. Around 2:30 pm, we headed to our suite. Along the way, we passed a nice selection of champagnes on display, which bodes well for the next week-and-a-half on board!

Champagne selection.
Champagne selection.

Our suite for this cruise is 940, on the port side of the ninth deck.

Our suite on the Regent Splendor.
Our suite on the Regent Splendor.
Our suite on the Regent Splendor.
Our suite on the Regent Splendor.
Our suite on the Regent Splendor.
Our suite on the Regent Splendor.
Our suite on the Regent Splendor.
Our suite on the Regent Splendor.
Our suite on the Regent Splendor.
Our suite on the Regent Splendor.
Our suite veranda on the Regent Splendor.
Our suite veranda on the Regent Splendor.

When we got to our suite, we were delighted to find a lovely card and gift on the table, from our friends Penny and Jeff (whom we met on a cruise in the Caribbean a couple of years ago). They had just gotten off the same ship this morning, and we were all disappointed to have not managed to meet up again. However, we’re already working out on which cruise we might next reconnect.

A lovely gift in our suite, from our friends Penny and Jeff.
A lovely gift in our suite, from our friends Penny and Jeff.

After unpacking, we relaxed for a little while in our suite.

Andrea, relaxing in our suite.
Andrea, relaxing in our suite.
Keith and Andrea, on the suite veranda.
Keith and Andrea, on the suite veranda.

At 6:30 pm we headed upstairs to the pool deck, and relaxed with a cocktail before the scheduled departure at 7:00 pm.

Andrea, relaxing on the pool deck.
Andrea, relaxing on the pool deck.
The harbour pilot boat.
The harbour pilot boat.

We had made a reservation for dinner at 7:30 pm at Prime 7, a lovely restaurant at the rear of deck 10. We had a beautiful meal, watching the sun set over the Tyrrhenian Sea.

Dinner.
Dinner.
Dinner.
Dinner.
Dinner.
Dinner.
Dinner.
Dinner.
Dinner.
Dinner.
Dinner.
Dinner.
Dinner.
Dinner.
Dinner.
Dinner.
Dinner.
Dinner.
Dinner.
Dinner.
Sunset over the Tyrrhenian Sea.
Sunset over the Tyrrhenian Sea.

After dinner, we headed to the theatre for the first evening show of the cruise, after which we retired for the night.

We’re cruising overnight to the Italian town of Amalfi, where we’ll get getting off and spending the day looking around.