A Mediterranean cruise sounded pretty good. The Princess cruise catalog had just arrived and brightened a gloomy January day.  We started dreaming about  the blue waters and warm sunshine that would come on the 12 day cruise. We had doubts, but decided to check it out.  We were concerned about accessibility on the small Pacific Princess and at the ports of call.  We were directed to Alison, a cruise access coordinator for Princess and she did an excellent job researching accessibility and excursions .  We reserved an accessible room on the ship and began planning for our adventure.

     Our flight went well and we somehow made it through the Rome airport to find a taxi.  We immediately experienced the passion of the Italian people as we witnessed a loud argument about a parking space.  We sat in the taxi in a traffic jam for over 30 minutes  as colorful bicyclists streamed by during a race. The 55 Euro tab was painful, but we were glad to make it to the Best  Western Triangoli Inn, which was located in a quiet neighborhood.  We strolled across the street to an open air market, where we. bought a colorful necklace and some souvenirs.  We discovered a small family style Italian restaurant named Zucchero and Limone and had a wonderful dinner.  We told the owner it was our first trip to Italy and he took it upon himself to make our dinner a memorable experience. "A little gift for you" was his saying as he presented us with complimentary wine, bread and desert.

    Allison had arranged a tour so we could see the attractions in Rome.  A driver in an accessible van met us at the hotel and we headed into Rome.  Traffic was crazy and he did a good job  describing the sights as he navigated through the busy streets.  He suddenly pulled off to the side and opened the door for a woman who was waiting by the road.  It turned out that she was a guide who would take us to the main attractions in Rome.  Andrea was very knowledgeable and knew the accessible routes and special locations that made for a great tour.  We visited St. Peters Basilica, the Colosseum and several of the famous fountains around Rome.  Our whirlwind tour gave us a real taste of Rome and we were pretty tired as our driver drove us to meet the ship in Citivechea.

     We arrived at the port and were confronted with a narrow, steep gangway that led to the deck of the ship.  We felt compassion for the two young porters who struggled to carry Debi up the ramp.  We made it and checked into our comfortable room.  We explored the ship and then went to the top deck to watch our departure.  We listen to a wonderful Italian tenor singing opera  songs as the boat headed out to sea.  It was a great start to our voyage and we looked forward to our first stop,  the small coastal town of Portofino.