Travel Blog

On the fourth port of call on our Mediterranean Cruise, we stopped at the island of Sicily. Sicily is located below Italy in the Mediterranean Sea. Our shipped docked at Messina, Sicily. Messina is a quiet down that closes its doors during the afternoon, this is not good for tourists who are making quick stops and want to maximize their time. So coming to Sicily there are other alternatives; visit the town of Taormina and or go to the top of an active volcano; Mt Etna. We choose to do the latter.

Mt Etna is located about a 2 hour drive from Messina. We took a bus to the base of the volcano, twisting through roads and in and out of villages on the volcano slope. It seems these people live here without fear of a major eruption happening, there have been lava flows in recent times that have wiped out areas of these villages, but the people continue to stay. The bus stopped at about 2000 meters on the slope of the mountain. From there we took a cable car to the next highest point on the volcano, about 2500 meters. The cable car lets you off at a visitor’s center that has little nick-knacks to buy souvenirs and also a restaurant.

From the cable car drop off point, we took a 4X4 Mercedes to the very top of the volcano. The drive was a bit bumpy and took about 20 minutes to reach the top. Taking this ride makes you think you are driving up a mountain on the moon. The landscape is barren and covered with volcanic ash. There seems to be no appearance of life. The jeep finally stops at the top of the mountain, 2900 meters above sea level. From there we took a 25 minute guided tour around one of the craters. The cater has vents that steam rises from out of the center. We also saw smaller steam plumes coming out of rocks along the path. There are some great views looking out from the volcano.

Mt Etna is the largest active volcano in the Europe and one of the most active volcano in the word with eruptions occurring constantly. Despite all of this, there is really very little danger in being at the top of the volcano

If you are really adventurous, you can walk to the top of the volcano from the 2000 meter point, clear up to 2900 meters. This is an intense walk, with no shade and in the heat. Despite those conditions, we saw alot of people walking up. People ranging from around 10 years old, up to 50 or 60.

The experience of climbing an active volcano is not one to be missed. I would recommend this to anyone, and if you have walking problems, just taking the cable cars and Mercedes is a great way to get there.

We made a port of call in Dubrovnik, Croatia. Not knowing much about Croatia, we were excited to see what they had to offer. The water in the Adriatic Sea was like nothing, the color was absolutely magnificent. Our ship was not able to dock at the port, so we had to take tender ships back and forth. This takes time and is a little inconvenient, but it makes it all worth while once you get to the shore. The landscape is beautiful. We had a 45 minutes drive up the coast, which allowed us to admire all of the surroundings that Croatia had to offer.

After our bus trip along the coast, we were dropped off at a place that had kayaks available for us to go on the sea. Kayaking on the Adriatic Sea was quite fun. We were able to kayak around for about 45 minutes, they also offered us coffee and apple pie. The apple pie was different then pie I have had before, it seems they put the whole apple in to make the pie. I found this out because there were seeds and stems in the pie. Just be warned, watch what you are eating.

After kayaking, we went to Dubrovnik Old City. The old city is a huge tourist area, there are many shops within the city walls. You can buy all sorts of things, ice cream, pizza, clothes, etc. The old city is quaint and has many interesting buildings. Definitely do not to miss going by the harbour and walking around the outside of the walls near the water. It is a gorgeous site looking out into the sea, while the water crashes at your feet. The currency in Croatia is the Kuna, but most shops in the Old City took Euros, and some even took US dollars.

If you get the chance, take a trip to Dubrovnik and Croatia. They are gearing their economy towards tourism, which means they are offering many attractions for visitors to their country. Dubrovnik as a tourist destination is a hidden gem.

During our Mediterranean Cruise, we stop at Naples as a port of call. The cruise line offered a tour that allowed you to go to the top of Mt Vesuvius (webcam). The mouth of the crater is at about 3000 feet. A bus takes you up the side of the mountain to a trail. From there you need to walk up about 1000 feet to reach the top. This is a strenuous walk and it was pretty hot the day we went up. The trail is dusty and it took us about 45 minutes to walk up, but once we got to the top it was well worth it. There are panoramic views of Naples and the bay. You can also view Pompeii from one side of the crater. From the top, you can peer down into the crater of the volcano, it is quite a view.

Our tour also included a trip to Pompeii. Pompeii was buried in rock and ash in 79 AD from an eruption of Mt Vesuvius. The city was discovered in 1748 and has since been excavated. Pompeii appears as a city frozen in time. You can see the layout of the city, from the baker’s ovens to the shops and forum. Pompeii is a big tourist attraction, there were quite a few people visiting the site when we were there. Pompii is definitely a stop to visit on a trip to the Naples area. Looking at all of the buildings and streets gives a good sense of history. You can see how the cobblestone streets were designed, allowing carts to pass through as well as used to draining water during rain storms. Inside of the buildings, you can see how the living quarters were and even writings and depictions could be seen on the walls. From the forum in the city, you can see a view of the volcano, and only image what it would have been like seeing it erupt and having no place to run to.

Overall, I would recommend visiting this historic city and the volcano that destroyed it. It is an experience not to miss.

Michael

We planned on going on a cruise of the Mediterranean. Our cruise was for 12 days and left out of Civitavecchia, which is near Rome. We were planning on staying in Rome a few days before the cruise and a few days after, so we needed to find transportation to and from the port which is about 1 1/2 to 2 hours away. There are a number of options, some better then others.

Taxi
A Taxi is one of the more expensive options, it will cost around 150 euros for two people and luggage. They will take you right up to the pier and drop you off. On returning to Rome, there are no taxi’s waiting around to shuttle people, you need to call and have one come for you to get a ride. I would suggest taking a taxi as the least viable option as a transfer method.

Ranked: Worst Method of Transfer

Train
There is a train that runs from the Termini station in the center of Rome to the port at Civitavecchia. The train costs about 9 euros one way. This is a very affordable way to get to the port. The problem with taking a train is that you have to haul all your luggage on and off the train and haul it from the train station to the port. There are shuttles that are offered from the train station to the port. As it could be a fairly lengthy walk with your luggage. This is a good option to choose if you are not planning on bringing much luggage on your cruise.

Ranked: Most Affordable Method of Travel

Private Shuttle
There are an abundance of private shuttles that are available to transfer you from your hotel in Rome to the pier. Searching on google, will bring up a number of options. We used one called RomeCabs. We choose them after much research on the Internet and reading alot of people’s comments on their services. Everyone had good things to say about them. They arrived on time to pick us up at our hotel and drove us to the port in a luxury Mercedes car with an English speaking driver. The trip was very comfortable and made the process simple. It cost 125 euros each way. Which I think was well worth the expense. We confirmed our reservation before we left home via email with the owner, who was very helpful in answering all of our questions.

Ranked: Most Comfortable Method of Travel

Cruise Supplied Shuttle
Another option is to use a shuttle supplied by the cruise ship. This is a good option if they provide a convenient pick up location for you in Rome. We went on a Carnival Cruise and they only offered pickup in two places in the city and not time could be reserved for pickup. This is an good, safe option, knowing that the shuttle will be there to get you. You also get the convenience of the making the reservation through the cruise line and they handle all of the arrangements.

Ranked: Most Convenient Method of Travel.

In conclusion, if you are looking for affordable transportation and have little luggage, the train may be the way to go. But my suggestion is to make it easy on yourself and rent a private shuttle and let them do all the work.

Safe Travels
Michael