On the way to Civitavecchia and the Equinox

On Thursday morning, we got up early, finished last minute packing, and the guys carried our many large and heavy suitcases down uneven stairways to the reception area to await the driver and van.  Marian provided Panetone and coffee for our continental breakfast, our driver arrived early, the luggage was loaded and we were off on a 3 hour trip to the port city of Civitavecchia (port closest to Rome).  The driver took the scenic route for much of the trip though the lovely Italian countryside.  With one stop in route, we arrived at the port around mid-day; check-in was easy and we were onboard and in our cabin in short order.

Equinox is a lovely ship, very different from others on which we have cruised. We loved the decor and the layout and the large balcony of our cabin.  We unpacked our carryon bags and headed to the buffet for lunch.  The buffet area was nicely laid out with multiple food stations each with different types of food.  The seating areas were conveniently located, but we took our food outside to the Aft deck to enjoy the lovely weather.  Then we headed to the top deck and made our way  down, exploring every nook and cranny, until our legs gave out.  At 5:15, we had Muster Drill – very short and painless with no life vests to put on and a short video to watch in our muster stations.  We had a large Sailaway gathering of Cruise Critic members wearing the name tags printed by Garry and Bob. Lots of fun seeing those we had cruised with before  (we were excited to see Brenda and Jim and meet Brenda’s parents) and meet new friends. 

This was our first try at non-traditional Select Dining, meaning that we did not have a dedicated table (early or late) but rather could eat close to the time we wished in a different area but with the same menu choices.  We had reserved some specific times to eat with our friends from Tuscany but realized that we really preferred to eat earlier and sat at a table to two.  It was a very nice dinner but we’re still not sure how we want to handle our dining times….

We went to the Welcome Show after dinner and were surprised at the fine quality of the entertainment.  It was a ‘taste’ of the talent for the rest of the cruise and we loved each act. Since most of the singers and musicians will be  playing in a variety of clubs on the ship, we’ll have an opportunity to see them even if we don’t go to the shows.  Off to bed we went – tomorrow we dock in Marseilles.