"Best Mediterranean Cruise ever!!"

How to get to the port.

Pictures and Instructions

We had decided that our mode of transportation to Civitavecchia was going to be the train. It was the most economical and I felt that it was no big deal as I had ridden over a hundred trains in Italy. [I have to admit that I had never done it with the amount of luggage that seemed to be required for a 12 night cruise. Nor had I done it since I went over 60.] Getting on the train with all the luggage requires a certain amount of teamwork. We established that coming from the airport on the Leonardo Express. Basically, one person gets on the train. The remaining person tosses the bags while the one on the train catches. Unfortunately there is a time constraint, so you have to be fast. Once onboard, one watches the stack of luggage in the isle, the other scouts out a place to settle for the trip. Then you get to move all the luggage again.

The train we were on was an IC (intercity) and had compartments that had 6 seats - three on each side. We had chosen first class to avoid crowds. Forgot about Italians on trains (really do love them.) They tend to stake out a territory. The compartment we selected had to ladies in it (mother and daughter, I believe.) They really disliked the intrusion of these two Americans and all of their luggage into 'their' compartment. Sorry ladies! Being an IC class train meant that it was going to be going way beyond Civitavecchia, which meant a short stop there (2-3 minutes maximum.) About 5-6 minutes prior to arrival time, you must start moving and staging your luggage near the entry/exit door of the train car. Coming from Rome, the platform will be on your right as you face the front of the train. When you arrive, its teamwork again. One off the train to catch, the other on the train to toss. You have to be quick. 2-3 minutes is not a long time. Phew, train ride over!

Since we were on a 'through train' we had the priveledge of being on a middle platform. This means you get to haul your luggage down two flights of stairs, through a 50-60 foot tunnel, and then back up 2 flights of stairs to get to the main station platform. From there it is but a ten minute walk (slightly downhill) to the entrance of the port. Most of the walk is over cobblestone walkways - the kind that don't really add to the life of your rolling luggage. At the entrance to the port you board air conditioned shuttle buses that take you to the ship. We were checked in and on the ship in about 15 minutes.

Here is my DW's entry for this journey:
Tuesday morning, June 12, we had about an hour to "kill" before boarding our train, so we walked around another part of the city and discovered the Embassy area. Again, polizia with machine guns were very visibly on guard. We went into a lovely area near a university, walked along part of the ancient "city wall" that had surrounded ancient Rome, and browsed an open market where fresh vegetables, shoes, clothing, linens, and house wares were all on sale. This is where the locals did their marketing. Prices aren't cheap, however. Then back to the hotel, carrying our luggage down the stairs from where the elevator ended, and dragged them back to Termini to catch the train to Civitavecchia, about an hour from Rome, to board our ship.

The Legend of the Seas is beautiful, and we are enjoying the many amenities that ship life has to offer. The ship left port about 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 12, and has been sailing ever since. [Still going, I believe! LOL]