We woke up at around 07:30 and got ready. Then we headed out to get the port photos done. I was surprised that the gangway was on our deck. Every time we had been to Civitavecchia, the gangway has always been on deck 5. It looked like half the ship was heading for the gangway. We decided to get some coffee first and then get off for the photos. When we got to deck 5, the gangway was indeed open there. It turned out that they were using the gangway on deck 3 for shore excursions and everybody else used the gangway on deck 5. Things were quiet there and we decided that we may as well get the photos done first and have coffee afterwards.
We ended up spending more time off the ship than we had anticipated. Once the photos were done, we were walking back towards the ship. We got sidetracked watching the ship being reprovisioned. This was fascinating. There was a crazy number of containers as well as some lorries. Some of the pallets that were delivered were too big to fit through the doors. They had to take them apart. Eventually we headed back inside. We stopped at Cafe Promenade for some coffee and a snack. Graham had a pear and a Danish pastry with fruits. I had some watermelon and a chocolate donut. Once we had finished our food, we headed up to the Schooner Bar for morning trivia. We scored 11 out 17. The winning score was 14.
After morning trivia, we went up to the sun deck to get some fresh air. Ever since we stayed in Civitavecchia for a couple of days in 2022, I have had a soft spot for the place. It was nice to be back. I wanted a photo of the fort, but this was proving easier set than done. I did get a couple of photos in the end. We also finally managed to check out the upper level of the solarium. There were sofas and loungers up there that were in the shade, but unfortunately there was no view.
The port day in Civitavecchia is a bit strange on the Oasis class ships. The ships interport which means you can start and end the cruise in either Barcelona or Rome. The bulk of people are cruising from Barcelona to Barcelona and for those people, it was a port day like any other. However, about one quarter of the passengers cruise from Civitavecchia to Civitavecchia. This means that after about 10:30 new people started to board. This meant that the pool deck got pretty busy. We gave up on the idea of having a swim. We did however find some loungers near the infinity hot tubs that were in the shade and had a view. We settled down. I alternated reading and enjoying the view. At some stage, there was a turtle swimming right in front of us. This was pretty cool.
At some stage, I started to feel hungry. Graham was not in the mood for food, but said he would come with me. We headed down to the Boardwalk to Playmakers. I had set my heart on the Buffalo Chicken Crunch Roll. Unfortunately, they did not have any. Graham had decided to order some cornflake-breaded crispy chicken tenders and fries. He encouraged me to have some Pile On Nachos as I really like them. I did not think I could eat them all by myself. He said he would help me. In the end, we just shared both dishes. The nachos come with cheese, chopped tomatoes, onions, sliced jalapeños, guacamole, salsa and sour cream. We added some chilli con carne. Graham had some Terrapin Luau Krunkles Passion Orange Guava IPA that he really liked. I just had some Coke.
As we were already on the Boardwalk, I figured I may as well have a turn on the carousel. Graham took some photos and a video. Then we headed back up to the pool deck. I have some soft serve ice cream. We found some chairs by a window. At one stage, we got a drink from Lime and Coconut. We both had a Watermelon ‘Rita’, which consists of Patron Silver tequila, triple sec, watermelon syrup and margarita mix. Suddenly I spotted something out there. Initially they were too far out to figure out what they were. However, they were coming closer to us. It was a giant pod of striped dolphins. This was a new sighting for us although they did remind me of the spinner dolphins that we had met on our first trip to Hawaii.
Once we had left the dolphins behind, we headed back inside. We went down to deck 5 and headed to Boleros where the afternoon trivia was taking place that day. We found some seats and ordered a drink. I went out of my comfort zone. We both had a Fiestas Patrias, which consisted of legal Joven mezcal, fresh watermelon, coconut syrup, lime and watermelon juice. This was my first time trying mezcal. I did enjoy this cocktail, but I was not entirely sure what to make of the smoky flavour of the mezcal. I think I would have enjoyed this more if it had been made with tequila. We scored 9 out 16 at afternoon trivia. The winning score was 11.
After afternoon trivia, we headed back to the cabin to relax for a bit. Then we got changed and did the rounds of the photo opportunities before heading up to Central Park for dinner.
Dinner that evening was at Giovanni’s Table. We were seated at the same table, but had a different server. He was also very good. He brought us some bread with olive oil and Balsamic vinegar. He also took our drinks order. Graham had a glass of Moscato. Even though I should know better by now, I had an Aperol Spritz. For some reason this is the one cocktail that Royal Caribbean cannot get right. This one was not the exception to break the rule either and was truly disappointing.
Graham had the caprese salad for his starter. This normally consists of heirloom tomatoes, truffled burrata, pesto, basil oil, balsamic glaze, and fresh basil. They did not have any burrata that day and substituted mozzarella. I did not fancy any of the appetizers that day. Our server advised that we could substitute a half portion of pasta for an appetizer. This sounded good to me. I ordered a half portion of spaghetti Bolognese. I expected for this to come out with my Graham’s starter, but it came out at the same time as the main courses, which was a little strange. Still, it was tasty. Graham then had the garlicky herb prawns with garlic, herbs, and lemon juice. This was supposed to come with mashed potatoes but actually came with pasta of some description. I had the ossobuco, which is a slow cooked veal shank. This came with polenta and a balsamic glaze. Neither of us had really left room for dessert, but we figured it would be a shame not to sample the tiramisu. We decided to share one portion,and this was very nice. The food and the service were amazing.
After dinner, we decided to have a nightcap. We headed next door to Vintages. Vintages is normally a wine bar, and they do have indeed got an extensive wine menu. Graham made use of this and had a glass of Sauvignon Blanc. The Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc that we enjoy on the ships was in short supply on Allure, but they did have this at Vintages. That settled this. On Allure they also have a wide range of craft gins. They have a list of the craft gins they offer and next to this is a suggested tonic and suggested garnish. I followed one of the suggestions and had Whitley Neill Blood Orange Gin with Fentiman’s Valencian Orange Tonic Water and a slice of orange. This was very refreshing and a perfect after dinner drink.
Once we had finished our drink, we headed back to the cabin. We got ready for bed, and I read for a while before I settled down for the night.
Dolphingirl’s Travels 
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