May 29 was embarkation day at Civitavecchia. This was a rough day for many guests as there was a rough storm the prior evening, strong enough to temporarily halt ship traffic into the port. This delayed the Prinsendam getting into port, and knocked out the communication connections which significantly hamper the embarkation of new passengers.
We were oblivious to all of this as where the 42 other guests staying onboard from the prior cruise. We slept in; did laundry, and wandered into the port of Civitavecchia to shop and use the internet. Civitavecchia is still small, but growing in its shops and services over the past year.
On our first day at sea on May 30, the Prinsendam sailed through the Strait of Messina and between 7:30 and 8 am we were treated to close-up views of the Stromboli volcano with commentary by port lecturer Barbara. It is quite a site to view up close with spewing smoke at the top and lush green around to the side with whitewashed villages. Not your normal walk-a-mile morning.
Trevor Millar is the new cruise director for this cruise – the 3rd we’ve had in 26 days. Trevor is very friendly and good at his job.
The guest mix has shifted slightly for this 14 day cruise. There are more families onboard, the average guest age has decreased and there are more international guests on board. Most enjoyable addition to the mix: port and country collectors and a significant amount of Kiwis and Aussies onboard who bring their sense of fun to everything.