This is the halfway mark.  The cruise was now into Italy and the first stop was Naples, which is famous for its pizza.  We decided to tackle Naples on our own as well, and I think we did a great job of seeing the sights that interested us.  The tours that were offered took visitors to the Amalfi Coast, Pompeii, Capri and Sorrento.  Although Hubby and I have never visited those towns before, we decided that we would like to come back to see those places in more detail instead of all in the 10.5 hours the ship was docked in port.

Again, I must stress how great it was to have our own balcony.  Hubby was out there taking photos as the ship was docking.  Our initial glimpse of the beautiful city.

The photo below was also taken from our balcony.  It is a great view of how we started at the ship terminal (the white building in the foreground) and traveled all the way up to Castel Sant’Elmo (the grey castle on the top of the mountain).

After a nice breakfast, we disembarked the ship and made our way into the city.  The ship provided us with a small overview map, so we used that to get to the Tourist Information Office.  The ladies at the tourist office were extremely helpful.  They gave us a large, colorful city map with the public transportation information, directions to some of the sights, and a couple of pizzeria recommendations.   The tourist office was located near Galleria Umberto I, a covered passage lined with shops.

Leaving the Tourist Information Office, we headed towards Castel Nuovo.  There was a charge to go into the castle, so we passed in hopes that the next castle would be free.

We walked from Castel Nuovo to Castel Dell’Ovo.  Luckily, this castle was free of charge, so we were able to walk around and see the city sights from the high castle towers.

After we got our fill of Castel Dell’Ovo, we headed towards a third castle, which was located at the top of the mountain.  In order to get there, we had to take the funicolare centrale.  The funicular is like a cable car that takes you up and down.

From the top of the mountain, we found our way to Castel Sant’Elmo.  There was a 3 euro per person entrance fee.  We paid and made our way inside to avoid the rain.  Unfortunately, most of the castle was open, so we made use of our umbrellas.  I think on a clear day, the view would be absolutely amazing from the top of the castle.

After taking in all the sights we wanted to see, we took the subway to Via Dei Tribunali for some PIZZA.  The tourist office recommended Sorbillo or Di Matteo (both are on the same street).  We tried Sorbillo.  We each ordered our own pizza, which were tasty.  Hubby ordered a pepper something pizza which we thought had pepperonis, but turned out it was actually bell peppers.  I absolutely hate bell peppers.  I went with the safe choice and ordered a Margherita pizza.  The pizza had thin crust, was not very oily, and a good portion size.  This meal cost us 17 euros for our pizzas, two cokes and tip.

Three castles, two pizzas, seven hours, and hundreds of steps later, we were exhausted.  Back on the boat, we took a nap before dinner.  I am not sure why we do not have any photos from dinner that night.  I had a Caprese Salad and Warm Coconut Souffle.  Hubby had Baby Shrimp Cocktail and Warm Coconut Souffle.  The shrimp cocktail was gross, but the souffles were delicious.  The show that night was Get Down Tonight and it was performed by the NCL production cast and show band.  By the end of the night, we were pooped but excited for the sixth day of our honeymoon in Rome.