Day 7 - Civitavecchia

Our ship arrived early into Civitavecchia and upon opening the curtains, I was face to face with our nemesis, the NCL Escape.  I could not wait to hear what Joe would say.  If you have read previously blogs, you know the history of our cancelled NCL Escape cruise and our replacement trip on Carnival Mardi Gras.  The Escape was fresh out of dry dock after having to do more significant repairs from the incident in the Dominican Republic.  

We met outside on the Yacht Club sundeck for breakfast.  It is really nice having this outdoor option in addition to the restaurant.  Ammie ordered a Bloody Mary and everyone else had a mimosa to start the day.  Ammie had another great idea to go for a walk around the ship after breakfast.  We explored the Aurea sundeck as no one was out there but the attendant.  He let us look around.  It seems like a very nice option as well.  

Next on the agenda was the ropes course.  Ammie and I decided to give it a shot since it was not crowded and the course is not as intense as the ones on NCL.  It was the perfect level for me.  I felt nervous on a few parts but Chris was an excellent coach and cheerleader.  We both did really well and I was proud of all of us for completing the course.  Afterwards, we walked around the arcade area.  Chris and Joe played a game of air hockey and a couple little games.  

After all the fun, we decided to get a drink at the inside pool bar.  We walked outside and Name that Tune was happening so we played.  The host had us play against each other and I ended up winning first place and Chris was second!  It was time for lunch after and we decided to try out the buffet today to sample the different pizzas.  I had a charcoal pizza with mushrooms as well as a regular.  They had a great antipasto station and nice salad bar.  I really enjoyed lunch today.  

Joe had the idea to teach us the board game they had brought with them, UDog.   We met him outside on the sundeck to learn the game.  Ammie decided to hit the spa for some relaxation in the salt room.  It was a really fun game and Ammie showed up after our practice game.  We played a real game and she was a great partner.  It was time to head back to the cabins to get ready for the evening.  We both watched the Escape leave from our balcony before meeting up in the lounge for a pre-dinner drink.  

Since we had such a disappointing meal last night, we made reservations at Butcher’s Cut for dinner.  With the dining package you can pick one appetizer, an entree, and a dessert from a select part of the menu.  I wanted the filet but noticed that the 8 ounce filet did not say it was dry aged like the others that require an additional cost.  I asked the waiter if the quality was different, as I would have preferred the smaller size, and I wanted a good steak .  He said the larger was a better quality and was amongst the steaks that are imported from America.  I was afraid to try the lesser quality one after last night so I ordered the upcharge one and a shrimp cocktail.  Joe had the bone marrow and shared the tomahawk steak with Ammie.  This was his first time trying bone marrow and he enjoyed it.  Chris ordered the Kobe sliders.  The sliders were quite large.  He thought they were ok and I tasted one and was not a fan.  The shrimp cocktail was not great but edible.  The shrimp were slightly mushy.  The steak, however, was excellent.  It was served with four different sauces and I really liked the mushroom one.  The quality of the steaks were so much better than the Yacht Club.  For dessert, Joe ordered cheesecake, Ammie had ice cream, and Chris and I had the banana date cake.  I ordered a Chimay to have with dessert.  We all enjoyed the Butcher’s Cut much more than last night’s meal for sure!

After dinner, we went to Masters of the Sea, the British style pub.  We listened to some music and played a game I invented.  Joe’s phone on IMDB was in German for some reason.  It was on a list of the best movies so I had the idea to read the description and everyone guesses the name.  None of us speak German, so if anyone heard us reading this I apologize for butchering the language.  We worked our way through the list and had a few laughs.  When we ran out of movies to guess, we played some Heads Up using my phone.  We decided to back to the Yacht Club but stopped to watch the Flower Glory Party in the Galleria.  It was a 60s and 70s dance party.  We enjoyed a few songs from the upper level before deciding to return to our cabins and retire for the evening.