The Intentional Travelers

Todays Image • Ireland’s Annie Moore

On the waterfront in the Irish city of Cobh stands a statue of a young seventeen-year-old girl and her two brothers.

This statue celebrates Anna “Annie” Moore an Irish émigré who was the first immigrant to the United States to pass through federal immigrant inspection at the Ellis Island station in New York Harbor when it opened in 1892. Bronze statues of Annie, created by Irish sculptor Jeanne Rynhart, are located in Cobh, Ireland and at Ellis Island, New York.

After arriving in America, Annie married a German named Joseph Augustus Schayer, a salesman at the Fulton Street Fish Market, with whom she had eleven children. She died on December 6, 1924, at age 50 and is buried in Calvary Cemetery, in Queens, New York.

Take a moment and explore more of The Intentional Travelers. Find cruise ports of call, amazing destinations, helpful travel tips, interesting stories and much more. Search for what interests you by adding search terms below

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Before you leave you might also find some of our more recent postings, listed below, of interest.

Are Bloggers Victims of Social Media Algorithms?

Blogging & Are We Being Played? There’s a lot in the news lately about the social media companies manipulating our children online to keep them engaged and how much harm it may be doing. It is obvious that these entities know a great deal about human psychology and how to take advantage of people online.…

by The Intentional Traveler April 2026April 2026

Standing Watch Above The Rhine

People, places and captured moments selected from The Intentional Travelers photo collection. Marksburg Castle on the Rhine River Marksburg Castle, a majestic fortress located above the town of Braubach in Rhineland, Germany. This castle holds the unique distinction of being the only hilltop fortress on the Rhine that has never been captured or destroyed. Originally…

by The Intentional Traveler April 2026

The Church of the Holy Sepulcher

The History Behind The Celebration Of Easter Without question the holiest site in all of Christendom is located in the Christian Quarter of Jerusalem. It represents the location where Jesus was crucified and where his body was laid to rest. Today there is a high level of certainty that the location has been actually identified.…

by The Intentional Traveler April 2026

Port Of Civitavecchia, Italy • A Guide To Visiting Rome

Cruise ships in the port of Civitavecchia

Visiting & Touring Rome From Civitavecchia

While Civitavecchia is a major Mediterranean departure cruise port it is also a port of call for many cruise ships with itineraries that include Rome. While the most convenient way to tour Rome is booking ships excursions, going off on your own can not only save you a lot of money. but can also leave you with more time to explore. The trains and metro will get you into Rome in a little over half the time of taking a cruise ship tour bus.

The best option after a cruise tour is the Civitavecchia Express train service. In 2024 booking has been included on the Italian train service Trenitalia (Web Link HERE) and service has been expanded to even more train times with reservations including a bus from the port to the Civitavecchia train station.

How To Book A Reservation With Trenitalia

Start by accessing the Trenitalia web site (above for English). Select the departure as Civitavecchia Porto and the destination as a Roma station. For express service you should select either Roma Ostiense, Roma S. Peitro or Roma Termini with Ostiense being the best central location. Next select the date you’re in Civitavecchia and choose a departure time. Tickets can be round trip or one way and have several classes. Currently there is a Family and Friends special at a discount for groups up to six people. Select a payment type and after you are issued a reservation you will need to check in (a formality you can do right away). Print and save on your phone and that’s it!

This train costs around €15 for a roundtrip ticket. The first train departs from Civitavecchia before 09.00 am with express service to Roma San Pietro, Roma Ostiense and Roma Termini arriving from 10.00 am on. The last return express train departs from Roma Ostiense at 4.30 pm and arrives in Civitavecchia around 5.20 pm and includes the return bus to the port.

There is also additional excellent train service connecting Civitavecchia to Rome. Trains run about twice an hour throughout the day. Trains from Civitavecchia travel into the Termini in Rome (the main train station) with stops at Tuscolana, Ostiense, Trastevere, and San Pietro. Many are double-deck regional commuters with room to set luggage if you’re going to spend some time in Rome. Fares are about €7 to €9 per person one way. There are a few faster InterCity trains between Civitavecchia and Roma Termini costing under €12 each but usually they do not stop at Tuscolana, Trastevere, or San Pietro.

If you feel like walking from the port shuttle bus stop the station in Civitavecchia is a pleasant walk of a dozen or so blocks (allow fifteen to twenty minutes). Exit the port and turn right at the first intersection. Follow the street to where it ends, turn right, walk down to the McDonalds and go left, cross the street and walk along the main waterfront street to the train station.

Train schedules that are easy to understand are posted in the station and tickets can be purchased at automated vending machines in the station. There is also a maned ticket window but it’s unlikely they will speak English. After purchasing tickets remember the ticket MUST be validated for use before boarding the train, punch the ticket in one of the little green and white machines around the platform area. There can be serious fines for being on a train and not having validating a ticket.

Civitavecchia To Rome Tours

Most tour buses into Rome, both “Rome On Your Own” or a guided tour will make the first stop at Saint Peters. If you are taking a train the recommendation is to get off at the San Pietro station (Saint Peters). From there you can visit Saint Peters, the Vatican Museum, switch onto the Rome Metro or head off to explore the city on your own. Check out our “Seeing Rome In Eight Hours” guide HERE.

On returning to Civitavecchia the entrance to the port is only a dozen or so block walk. (Exit the train station and go right.) When you get to the McDonalds turn right and go uphill following the street around to the left. A few blocks further along is the ports free shuttle bus area on your left. The free shuttle buses to each ship are clearly marked for your ship.

Taxis in Civitavecchia should be used with caution as they are notorious for being expensive. Make sure you understand the fare before heading out.

Todays Image • Old Wine

Tenerife is the largest and most populated island of the Canary Islands, an archipelago off the coast of northwestern Africa. It is known for its volcanic landscapes, including Mount Teide, the highest peak in Spain. This island is enjoying a growing reputation for producing some excellent and unique wines. Any visit should take advantage of sampling some local wines.

Alvaro Wine is one renowned Tenerife wine producer, known for its high-quality wines made from indigenous grape varieties. The volcanic soils and unique climate of the islands contribute to the distinctive character of Alvaro wines.

Alvaro utilizes a variety of indigenous grape varieties, including Listán Blanco, Listán Negro, and Malvasía, which are well-suited to the Canary Islands’ climate. These grapes produce wines with unique flavors and aromas that reflect the region’s volcanic origins.

Take a moment and explore more of The Intentional Travelers web site. Cruise ports of call, amazing destinations, helpful travel tips, interesting stories and much more. Search for what interests you by adding search terms here…

Join Us • We understand that the last thing you want is more emails cluttering up your inbox, but we promise we’ll work hard to make this worth while. Give us a try and if we don’t live up to our promise all you need do is click the unsubscribe link in our emails.

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75 Places That Should Be On Your Travel Bucket-List

A collection of travel bucket lists for 2024. Cities, natural wonders, cruise itineraries and more collected from a number of sources…

by The Intentional Traveler March 2026

Exploring South America

with From Cartagena, Columbia to Ushuaia, Argentina the South American continent is an amazing land of natural wonders and human accomplishments. Explore the islands of the Galapagos or hike around Iguazu Falls, climb up to Machu Picchu or cruise through the Panama Canal. You can even cast off for a trip to Antarctica or walk…

by The Intentional Traveler March 2026

Where In The World #5?

It seems so other worldly, like Mars or the Moon but it’s right here on Earth. It’s so alien that the NASA space program uses it to test rovers and other equipment. Find the answer HERE. Here Are A Few Of Our More Recent Postings You might Find Interesting…

by The Intentional Traveler March 2026March 2026

A Sunny Spring Day In Budapest

Young people catching the Sun on a bridge in Budapest.

by The Intentional Traveler March 2026

Going To San Pedro de Atacama…

Photographed in Chile by The Intentional Travelers

by The Intentional Traveler March 2026March 2026

A Twisted Tale Of Buying Salmon In Alaska

Please Note: For Our Guide To Buying Alaska Salmon Click HERE

A Short Story

Recently (pre Covid) we were on an end of season cruise in Alaska that was to be followed by a cruise down the California coast. Near the end of the Alaska itinerary the cruise ship was liquidating all the smoked and canned salmon in their gift shop. Generally the cruise ports in Alaska sell the packaged salmon at pretty good prices and near the seasons end there are even some good sales, but the prices in the ship’s gift shop were incredible. The last Alaska port on the cruise was Skagway. We thought that because it was a town in America with a U.S. Post Office we could mail our salmon home.

Early in the day in Skagway we walked into town to the post office and picked up a number of USPS cartons. At the hardware store we also bought some packing tape and returned to our stateroom on the ship to box up our salmon for mailing. After boxing up five cartons worth we went to leave the ship to take the packages to the post office.

Only Government Could Think This Way

At the gangway with the ships security was a person stationed there by U.S. Customs (not an agent) with orders that nobody could leave the ship with large packages without them being inspected by a customs agent. Of course the customs office was closed for the day (about 11 am). The young man guarding the ship seemed a bit confused as to what his instructions meant. It seemed that when we sailed out of Skagway our next stop was going to be Vancouver, Canada which might have been the issue? Probably not though. Maybe people were smuggling forbidden items into America by cruising? Probably not though.

After some questioning it seemed that the postal packages were the problem so he allowed us to tear down all the cartons and leave just with the individual Alaskan caught and packaged salmon. Soon we were at the post office again with our salmon and the remaining packing tape, filling new USPS mailing cartons that we mailed home.

But Wait, There’s More.

As our ship sailed out of Skagway we realized that the gift shop had lowered the prices again on the last remaining salmon. We couldn’t resist, We bought more. Upon docking in Vancouver there were no customs forms and since we were cruising next down the west coast of the United States, we just kept the salmon in our stateroom.

The next day we docked in Seattle and there was a casual customs check but no forms or declarations to file. When asked about anything to declare we explained that we had some salmon we bought in Alaska and since it came from the U.S. there didn’t seem to be any concern. Three days later the ship stopped in San Francisco and again we left the ship with the salmon. Several blocks away from the pier we again mailed more salmon home at a post office.

Wouldn’t you think that U.S. Customs and Immigration would have more important things to do than protect a U.S. port from salmon caught and processed in a U.S. state having U.S. citizens go to a U.S. Post Office to mail it to their home in the United States? Maybe the original problem had to do with our ship being flagged in a foreign country? Could the U.S. salmon have been technically exported to the ship? That raises the question if you need to pay duty on U.S. products bought overseas and brought back into the U>S.? If we tried to mail the salmon home from Vancouver would we have been required to fill out postal customs forms? After more consideration we decided this was just government being government and trying to be official without much thinking..

Todays Image • A Window With A View

The Acropolis Museum

The view of the Acropolis from inside the Acropolis Museum. The museum is one of the most important museums in the world, houses the findings of only one archaeological site, the Athenian Acropolis and its surrounds. The masterpieces that form its collection offer a comprehensive overview of the one of the worlds most historical sites.

The Acropolis was built in the 5th century BC during the Golden Age of Athens. It is home to some of the most famous ancient Greek buildings, including the Parthenon, the Erechtheion, and the Temple of Athena Nike.

Todays Image • Another Sunset At Sea

I love being at sea, with the best time of day being sunset. While I should also say sunrise, I won’t, because you have to get out of bed to see a sunrise and oddly, sunsets often coincide with happy hour. Coincidence? I think not!