Disembarkation!

Trip Start Jun 18, 2006
1
14
18
Trip End Jul 02, 2006


Loading Map
Map your own trip!
Map Options
Show trip route
Hide lines
shadow
Where I stayed
Noordam, last morning
(Civitavecchia hotels)

Flag of Italy  , Lazio,
Friday, June 30, 2006

Day 12:  LONDON BOUND, or at least we hope.  I was up early, 6 a.m. and we are already docked in Italy.  I have my coffee, wander around deck, meet up with Michael for breakfast and then back at the cabin to make sure we are ready to leave.  We tried calling the Almony's cabin, but they were disembark at 6:30 so we are sure we have missed them totally.   So, we wait.  You disembark by color and number codes.  We are Green 3.  They start with RED 1.... and go through a rainbow of colors and numbers before they even get close to us.  Or so it seems.
 
What is amazing about the ship is that they serve breakfast for 1912  passengers, disembark everyone between 6:30 (or so) and 10:30, clean all the cabins, clean the public areas and so on to welcome aboard the next 1912 passengers beginning at 11:00.  It is amazing.  The total turn around time is only about 4 or 5 hours (you may not be able to get into your cabin immediately when you board).  It's like clockwork. 
 
Michael and I checked things in London on the internet, how we were going to get from Heathrow to the city etc., then grabbed our totes (him 1, me 2.... we've gone up a bag!) and wait in the Ocean Bar for them to call us.  There are buses lined up and waiting to take the masses to Rome or to the airport, and some people have actually not gotten off when they were s'pose to.  This holds things up a few times, and the Cruise director, who is a bit dry and cynical and who wouldn't be after dealing with this many people day in and out for months on end, reminds people it is a LONG walk to Rome and the airport if they miss their bus. 
 
Finally, at last, around 8, they call us and we make our way down to A deck, have our key card scanned one last time and down the gangway to pick up our bags.  Easy to do, then onto the bus and we are on our way to Aeroporti Fuimicino de Roma.
 
I try to nap, but can't, so Michael and I look at the cruise planner for next year and decide on which trip we want to take then.  I watch the country side and begin to stress about getting on our flight to London.  We are going to get to the airport early, by 930... and the flight that looks the best isn't until 5:15 tonight!  But we are going to try to get on the 11:55.
Print this entry