SD 2 Voyage 2824 - Dubrovnik to Civitavecchia

[frequent traveler]

It was rather tasty. Thanks! Will be home Sunday and back to work on Monday morning. Will be tough to be back in the mode of reading others' reports but it does indeed keep us going until the next one.

 

 

glad to know you are getting back to work. Haven't received a bill in a couple of months and know we owe you ... . so . ... I'm jealous about your trip. November can't come too soon.

 

FT

[alita]

You've given us some great reports and I for one am putting this cruise on my wish list. Does it seem that the 7 days sped by quickly? I think I'd hate getting off the ship as you are probably doing now, it seems like only yesterday that you and mrs ctb began your adventure!

 

Wishing you a safe journey homeward with no airport snafus!

 

alita

[zqvol]

Wonderful reports. While FT is doing the crossing in the fall, I have to wait until March to enjoy SD. Oh well, better late than later.

[ctbjr1309]

Now that my suitcase has arrived home safely (2 days after I did, btw), I guess our trip is officially at an end.

 

Friday afternoon after returning from Capri (that's CAP ree, not KA pree, mind you), was spent packing, resting and preparing for the Sail Away party at 5 PM. In case you're wondering how one prepares for a Sail Away party, I'll tell you my secret: drink a couple of cold beers at the Top of the Yacht Bar!

 

Promptly on schedule at 5 PM, Capt. Tysse fired up the engines and we were on our way. We took a very scenic route along the island of Capri (reminded me a bit of the cruise through the Sir Francis Drake Channel in the Caribbean), past the entrance to the Blue Grotto and then back toward Civitavecchia. The limoncello was flowing (I think I finally found something that tastes worse than grappa, btw) on Deck 6 at the Top of the Yacht Bar and all those present seemed to be enjoying themselves.

 

Dinner featured Chef Josselin's Degustation Menu and it was truly exceptional. It featured 7 or 8 (I stopped counting) "elegantly sized" portions of absolutely incredible dishes. I'd tell you what they were but I neglected to pick up copies of the menu as we were leaving on Saturday morning.

 

The evening ended with flashbulbs flashing, the exchange of contact information and warm good byes among friends, new and old.

 

Saturday morning we woke at the port of Civitavecchia where SD2 had a docking position strategically and appropriately in front of ships bearing the colors of Seabourn, Silversea and Crystal. We stayed on board until the last possible minute, said our goodbyes to the Capt. and crew, located our luggage and car and driver and headed for the Airport Hilton. Incidentally, we used Rome Cabs who charged 6 of us 180 Euros for the 45 minute trip from Civitavecchia to the Airport Hilton. Believe it or not, that is quite the bargain price and I highly recommend the company to those needing transportation in or around Rome.

 

We spent the afternoon at the hotel, took a taxi into the town of Fiumicino for dinner (another story in and of itself) and then hit the sack, not so eagerly awaiting our 4:45 AM wake up call. Our flights home were uneventful and we arrived home right on schedule (with 2 out of 3 checked bags).

 

In closing, I'll just say that this was a wonderful cruise. The ports were outstanding and the service on the ship was exceptional. Captain Tysse, Executive Hotel Manager Christophe Cornu and Club and Activities Director James Cabello set the bar extraordinarily high and have a great team that delivers an exceptional product!

 

Until next time: Ciao.

[Cammiem]

Welcome home! Glad to hear you made it home safely, including all of your luggage. :) It's very strange getting off that yacht after a week of feeling and being treated like royalty, isn't it?

 

Which of your SD voyages is your favorite?

[ctbjr1309]

Which of your SD voyages is your favorite?

 

Funny you should ask that question. We were just discussing that very same thing late last week.

 

The easy answer is: our next SD voyage (wherever that may take us) is our favorite!

 

Seriously, though, if forced to pick one and only one I think we'd say that you can't do any better than a cruise starting in Monte Carlo and visiting ports on the French and Italian Rivieras (such as Nice, Cannes, St. Tropez, Portifino, Positano, Amalfi, Capri, etc.) and ending at Civitavecchia.

 

With that said, I have to tell you that for us it's not so much about the ports but about being on the ship, interacting with the officers and crew and enjoying the outstanding food and service and general ambience on board SD. As DJ knows from experience a cruise on SD starting in West Palm Beach, calling at Ft. Lauderdale, Miami and Nassau, among other ports, can be an absolutely wonderful experience also.

[Cammiem]

Funny you should ask that question. We were just discussing that very same thing late last week.

 

The easy answer is: our next SD voyage (wherever that may take us) is our favorite!

 

Seriously, though, if forced to pick one and only one I think we'd say that you can't do any better than a cruise starting in Monte Carlo and visiting ports on the French and Italian Rivieras (such as Nice, Cannes, St. Tropez, Portifino, Positano, Amalfi, Capri, etc.) and ending at Civitavecchia.

 

With that said, I have to tell you that for us it's not so much about the ports but about being on the ship, interacting with the officers and crew and enjoying the outstanding food and service and general ambience on board SD. As DJ knows from experience a cruise on SD starting in West Palm Beach, calling at Ft. Lauderdale, Miami and Nassau, among other ports, can be an absolutely wonderful experience also.

 

Our very first SD cruise began in Civitavecchia (pronounced "Chiv-i-ta-VECK-ee-a" as I was instructed by the handsome Italian gentleman at the front desk of our Rome hotel), visited the Italian & French Rivieras and ended in Barcelona. It was by far an amazing, incredible experience! Actually, it was our first ever cruise and has set the bar very high.

 

Our second SD cruise, which was five months later (because we couldn't wait to get back onboard :D ), was in the Caribbean. We cruised with a couple we met on our Med. cruise, which is a testament to how wonderful your fellow SD passengers are. Like you, we primarily enjoy SD for her crew, ambiance and fellow passengers. At the risk of sounding sappy, we still miss the crew we grew to love aboard SD1 in the Med. (we miss the Caribbean crew as well). Imagine our excitement when we saw on our Caribbean cruise Maxi (concierge) and Rose (boutique), whom we met in the Med. five months earlier.

 

My personal favorite was our Med. cruise. Thanks for your opinion. :)

[ctbjr1309]

Imagine our excitement when we saw on our Caribbean cruise Maxi (concierge) and Rose (boutique), whom we met in the Med. five months earlier.

 

Rose is currently on SD2 and thanks to Mrs. CTBjr, she had a successful week in the boutique last week.

 

I understand that Maxi will be on SD2 to greet those of us who join the ship in Tenerife on Nov. 13 for the Crossing.

[Cammiem]

Rose is currently on SD2 and thanks to Mrs. CTBjr, she had a successful week in the boutique last week.

 

Mrs. CTBjr sounds like my kind of person! My DH just rolls his eyes everytime we go into the boutique. Of course, he wears his SD polo frequently, so he can't dread the boutique too much. ;) I think I need a polo, so I'll add it to my wish list for the next time we're aboard.