NAPLES, Italy — The oft-delayed Navy Exchange and commissary opened Saturday at the Naval Support Activity Naples Gricignano housing area with speeches, balloons and a little longer wait for patrons.

The day’s guest speaker, Adm. Michael Mullen, aware of how long residents had been waiting for the new facilities and for the morning’s speeches to end, said of his remarks: “I have a great sense that this needs to be quick.”

The complex is more than four years late in opening, held up by union problems and Roman ruins found in the site.

So as Mullen, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Europe, and a host of other officials spoke, hundreds of patrons lined up with shopping carts and children for the ceremonial ribbon-cutting and an unceremonious rush inside.

Petty Officer 3rd Class James Vanzella, Master Chief Petty Officer Cheryl Cloud and Senior Chief Petty Officer Yevette James arrived more than two hours earlier to secure a spot up front.

“We came to beat the rush,” Vanzella said.

Inside, dozens of store employees clapped as the first patrons entered, slowing them only to check their ID cards.

“I’m happy,” said Misty White, who walked out of the exchange with a load of items, some for daughter Jessica, who turned 3 on Saturday and celebrated by dozing in the arms of her father, Damien.

“This is nicer than any other Navy Exchange I’ve been in, including the huge one in Norfolk,” Damien White said.

The new store has 75,000 square feet of floor space, compared to about 57,500 at the store it is replacing, and will sell about 20 percent more items, according to Navy Exchange officials.

Darrell and Cecilla Watson were some of the first people out of the commissary, carrying bags of food. “It’s great,” Cecilla said.

They didn’t necessarily want to fight the crowds opening morning, but with the old Agnano commissary closing for good nearly a week earlier, they had to go.

“The stuff we needed we couldn’t get a the small commissary [on Gricignano],” said Darrell, walking with sons Dominique and DJ. “We had no other choice.”

Still, the new commissary was impressive, they both agreed. Its more than 33,000 square feet of shopping space is five times the space of the Agnano store. And, according to Defense Commissary Agency officials, it carries about 1½ times the items available at the old store.

Also impressive was the amount of prizes officials were giving away. Commissary officials called out over the public address system for patrons wearing Nike shoes or holding Washington, D.C., driver’s licenses for some prizes.

Other prizes will be given away during the coming week, including two cars, a motorcycle, three trips and gifts ranging from shopping sprees to small appliances.