Heading to Citivecchia and getting on board our cruise ship . . .

On Sunday morning we departed Rome and headed for the port of Civitavecchia, where our Oceania Cruise ship was in port waiting for us. This was the first time that any of us had been on a cruise ship, so we really didn't know what to expect. We had been told that this particular ship, The Riviera, could handle 1,200 passengers and 800 crew. We checked out our two State Rooms (one for us and one for the 3 boys) and we were impressed. Though the rooms are small, they make incredibly efficient use of space.

Here's a shot of our room . . .

Though we got on board the ship at around 1 pm, the ship didn't leave port until around 7 pm. Prior to departing we had to take part in a safety drill -- which is quite a feat with 800 passengers!

The first thing that surprised me about the cruise as we got underway was the fact that we could barely feel the ship moving! We were on our way to our first port, Amalfi. We had a reservation at the French restaurant on board, so we headed to Jacques' around 7. This was just the two of us as the boys took advantage of the Terrace grill where there was a great buffet. They sat us with two other couples, which was great. This restaurant is named for Jacques Pepin . . .

. . . the famous French chef who had a hit TV show in the States. The food was great. We headed off to bed (and the ship was just cruising along) and when we woke up the next morning, we were in Amalfi!