Today we had one of the highlights of our cruise, a full day in Civitavecchia which is the entrance port for Rome, the eternal city. We were blessed with great weather, sunny but not too warm, so a perfect day for sightseeing. The Veendam arrived at the pilot station at 06.30 and the pilot was right on time. He stepped on board 30 seconds before 06.30.

During the past winter the port has been working on an extension, and make the breakwater that protects the port from swell, half a mile longer, so it was a bit of a surprise to find the entrance not at the same location. Any changes to port lay-outs are normally forwarded by the designer to the local hydrographic office, who then issues a Notice to Mariners and this notice is eventually incorporated in the chart. Somehow the notice of the completion of the breakwater had not made it yet to the outside world. We knew that the pier was under construction but we did not know that it had been finished. It did not matter for the safe navigation, as they had moved the lighthouse as well, still standing at the end of the pier, and that is where you aim for, when lining up for the entrance.

With the new harbor layout also came a new cruise pier. Still very much under construction, but nice and spacious. The old cruise dock was more convenient to walk into the town, but the port authorities had alleviated that concern by putting on a free shuttle bus to the port gate. This port gate is located under the local Fort Michelangelo (designed by THE Michelangelo and later named after him) and from there it is a little walk to the boulevard of the town with little restaurants and shops; very good for our crew. However our dining room crew had other plans and had chartered their own bus to get to Rome. As most of our guests were going to be out for the whole day the dining room was closed for lunch, giving about 50 stewards the chance to go ashore between 09.30 and 16.30.

Departing from Civitavecchia, on time, is always a gamble. We never know if the busses from Rome will be back on schedule. Traffic around Rome can be horrendous and the buses can be delayed by a good amount of time. That also makes it dangerous if you venture out on yourself and do not keep a close eye on the time and do not allow ample time for coming back. The ship will wait for the company tours to return, at whatever time they might return, but I do not wait for individuals who do not adhere to the official departure time. So for complicated port calls such as Rome it is best to book a company tour, as you know that the ship will wait for you.

Traffic was however good, and the last bus pulled up at the ship at exactly 1700 hrs, so ten minutes later the Veendam was on it’s way, heading from Dubrovnik, with a sail by the volcano Stromboli and scenic cruising through the Strait of Messina.