We slept in this morning and woke up at 8:08 am, slowly moving into position at the dock; the ship was late docking but Zman surmised that it was due to a Tirrenia ferry having to move out of the slip so that we could take its place. During the morning, we saw two or three "Moby" ships (not sure if they were also cruise or some other type of ships) with Warners Bros. cartoon characters painted on the side.
We had no excursions planned; all the excursions seemed to going to beaches or seeing natural things, all outside of Olbia. I just wanted to walk through town. Lil Z slept in, so Zman and I had breakfast just the two of us and then we took a shuttle from the dock to the port entrance. We spent about two hours walking and window shopping. We returned to the port about 12 noon before the shuttle drivers took their lunch break; we were told the shops would close from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm for their siesta, or the Italian version of it.
We visited the spa to see if Zman and I could do a couples massage; they took our stateroom number to call if one this afternoon were possible and we booked one for next Tuesday, just to be sure we got one while on the cruise. I tried to do a load of laundry because lil Z dropped most of a cup of coffee on her lap during Tuesday's breakfast and a bird left its calling card on Zman's shoulder after lunch in Amalfi. But the laundry room was busy; evidently, I'll have to do laundry at an off time.
We received a call that the spa could do a couples massage at 2:30. It was one of the most wonderful things I've done. Add it to my list of firsts. We got our feet rubbed with an exfoliating scrub, then we had twenty minutes in the jacuzzi. When I got up after the massage, it was 4:40 pm and I was amazed that I had lost two hours! We were given tea (Zman had lemonade since he's not a tea drinker) and fruit for refreshment. I feel all loose and relaxed.
We left port about 6:10 pm (it's now 7:40 pm, 10:40 am Pacific time). Tonight we are back in Lumiere's with a French menu and casual dress. Tomorrow, we port in Civitaveccia (pronounced "chi - vet - uh - veck - ee - uh") and we'll visit Rome. It will be a long day; our excursion leaves at 7:15 am (that's 10:15 pm tonight for those of you on the West Coast) and is scheduled to be 11 to 11 1/2 hours (I understand it's a two hour trip into Rome from Civitaveccia). The temperature is supposed to be about 85 degrees, but the Cruise Director said there is no sea breeze in Rome (not that we felt one in Palermo or Napoli) so it will feel hotter.
I'm overdue at sharing my impressions as a first time cruiser being aboard a ship. When underway, I can feel the gentle sway of the ship. Sometimes, it's noticeable, sometimes it's not. It's a real trip to be in one of the theaters during a show or like last night, during Pirates of the Caribbean, and feel the side to side sway. I'll have to admit, it added to the ambiance of Pirates. None of us have gotten seasick. At night when we go to bed and when we wake up in the morning, I can hear gentle creaking. I really like it. The picture of the stateroom that I posted earlier is what our stateroom looks like; I can't imagine not having the verandah to step outside.
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