DAY 6 - LONG ISLAND

Last evening we dined at Waterside for the first time of this cruise.  As many of you know Anne Marie has a compromised immune system so we are trying to dine at the venues when there are fewer people around.  With low guest counts on Serenity in September and October we dined at Waterside many times and on Endeavor all but one evening.  On this voyage knowing the guest count is around 600 and the first couple of nights would be busy in Waterside we waited for last evening and it turned out to be the perfect night to have dinner there.

These are the dinner menus.

We had a wonderful time at dinner.  We were seated in an area we enjoyed on the July restart cruises and on the three back-to-back cruises we were on recently.  It was great to see Restaurant Manager Leo who recently returned from Holiday, Head Waiter Carmelo, Senior Waiter Ayhan who took care of us on many cruises, his wonderful waiter who assisted him and Sommelier John. Several members from the Waterside team stopped by to say hello and it was great to catch up with them.  Sommelier Ricardo came by as did some of the Senior Waiters and Waiters.  Morne came by.  We saw Morne in July and he is normally the Head Waiter in Prego.  However with Head Waiter Augusto's retirement from Crystal Cruises Morne was called back earlier to work in Waterside as a Head Waiter and when other Head Waiters are back he will move back to Prego.

Food was wonderful.  We very much enjoyed the Wiener Schnitzel and it arrived to the table at a terrific temperature as it went from galley to plate to table.  Everything was terrific.  Keith selected a very special wine and really enjoyed it.

As to Wiener Schnitzel.  For years we never had it on any of the Ocean Voyages Cruises.  Maybe, there were other items we preferred.  Or maybe some other reason.  For Keith it was childhood memories of Veal Cutlet, Chicken Cutlet and Salmon Croquets his Nana who lived with them would make.  She used a lot of oil when frying them in the frying pan something which we would avoid today.  

In 2019, we stayed in Vienna, Austria for the first time and as part of a pre-cruise stay to take our first ever River Cruise on Crystal Mozart.  We decided we are in Vienna and as in the case when in Japan you need to have sushi and/or sashimi, and in Italy Pasta the moment had arrived to try Wiener Schnitzel and that is what we did at two different restaurants.  We loved it and when on Mozart had it again and felt the same way.  Fast forward to 2020 on-board Crystal Serenity and we had it one night and enjoyed it and have had it a few times on the Bahama Voyages.

As Little Mikey's brothers would say in the commercial about Quaker Oats Life Cereal "You'll Like It" as they prodded him to try the cereal and as it turned out Mike "Liked It".  Similarly we liked the Wiener Schnitzel in the same manner.  When Executive Chef from Austria Franz is on-board it is referred to as Franz Wiener Schnitzel and it was last evening since Franz is on board.
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One of the things we find when cruising is how easy it is to get to sleep.  We find that the gentle rocking of the ship is a factor.  Surely the wine can't help either.  LOL.  You could feel the seas swells last evening so you knew you were on a cruise but overall it was fine.  
 
We began the day as we always do with a workout for me, followed by Breakfast.  The only difference is today Anne Marie’s had her hair done by stylist Benjamin.

Keith was out at the Promenade Deck to run at a similar time as yesterday.  It was nice on the starboard side with a little more wind than yesterday which gave me more strength to run.
 
 

As Keith was walking inside the ship after his run on the Promenade Deck he passed by the Casino and the High Rollers Room was open so he took a few photos which we are including below.

Following is today's daily Reflections Program.

Just like yesterday the sea swells were fairly strong pushing the tenders side to side.  Because of this some guests decided to make today a sea day.

For us another terrific sea day.  Spoke with three guests who are part of our Crystal Society Face Book group. Enjoyed walks on the promenade deck.  And let’s not forget the food.

Before lunch it started to rain so Keith thought no Paddle Tennis but 90 minutes later we could play.  Keith played with a guest he played with in September who has his family on this time and we played with his Son In Law and Son.  Eventually Keith played with the man he knew and the Son said it’s the kids against the old men.  That is all we needed to hear and we beat them in all three games.  At the end of game one Keith asked do you two need a break or maybe need a nap.  LOL.  It was lots of fun and that is what's important.
 

As we close we want to thank our Veterans for their service and keeping us safe.

Today, we observe Veteran's Day on land and Crystal does the same as there is a thank you on-board for all veterans for their service to our country.

Cheers,

​Anne Marie & Keith