REYKJAVIK, ICELAND - DISEMBARK - DAY 17

Last night we enjoyed our final dinner of Crystal Endeavorin our suite. These are the menus from Waterside.

As mentioned we had dinner in our suite.  This has become a tradition over our last several cruises.  In the days when we sat with others and we had assigned tables we would have dinner in what was the Crystal Dining Room back in the day.  It was a time to say our goodbye to those we had dined with during the cruise and in most cases met for the first time and an opportunity to give thanks to the waitstaff team for taking good care of us.  As they say times have changed.  LOL.  

​We ordered from a range of menus; Waterside, Umi Uma and from the 24 hour in-suite room dining menu.

Many thanks to Butler Danijel (this is the real way his name is spelled although in the USA we would spell it Daniel which is what his name badge shows for simplicity) for organizing this for us.   

We finished our final packing and placed our checked luggage outside our room for collection.

After a good night's rest we got ready to debark the ship. We were in no rush since we are spending one additional night in the city before we fly home on Tuesday.  We arranged for a private vehicle with Crystal to take us the very short drive to the Borg Hotel.  This is the hotel Crystal is using for its pre and post cruise hotel program, which we booked on our own.  If not for the suitcases we could have walked this on our own as it would have represented one of our shortest walks of this adventure.

We had our final breakfast on Endeavor and spoke with Butler Daniel for awhile and later our suite attendant came by to check on us.  

When we made our way to the reception area to wait for the chief concierge we spoke with several members of the crew including one from reception, the front and back office manager, head waiter Jarred, the executive housekeeper, Eva manager of Shore Excursions and finally the chief concierge.  Everyone wanted to know how we enjoyed Endeavor and we both were not standing next to one another but gave the same answer.  We loved it.  We plan to return.  

We left Endeavor at 9:45 AM for the drive to the Hotel. This is the most organized debark ever.  The chief concierge took our two rolling bags while we held our back packs.  When we got to the steps to disembark two people took our roller board bags and the chief concierge took our backpacks.  Once on the ground we looked up and the tent was there with luggage and our two checked bags were right there and two people took those bags and we all walked to the van where they were loaded and the driver took us to the hotel.  A few people from Crystal wave to us including Eva-Linn.  The driver was very polite and spoke great english and in no time we were to the hotel.

The hotel offers an early checkin for an additional $50.00 in Euoros and had reached out to us the other day.  Keith said yes but they said they could not guarantee it.  Well why did you ask????  LOL.  Keith called in the morning and the person at reception said the hotel was sold out last night.  However, Keith had tried a booking as if we were checking in last night and at that time the suite was available.  Anyway after one minute the gentlemen said you are in luck.  We have one suite of this type and it was not in use and it is ready for you.  At first he said don't tell anyone because none of the standard rooms were available nor for that matter and other room.  Keith said mums the word.  The good news we were in the room by 10:00 AM.  

The suite has two levels with the upper level more having large TV and table and offering views  If only some of the construction cranes were not there.  LOL.  You don't want to drink and go up or down those steps.

After checking in we walked to one of the grocery stores we went to during the pre-cruise stay and bought items for lunch and dinner.  After lunch in the room Keith went out to one nearby convenience store which we also went to during the pre-cruise stay in the city.  

As he was leaving the hotel two people called out his name and they are on the Endeavor voyage boarding today and they have been following the trip and a few minutes later two other couples following the trip came to the area where Keith was.  They were all getting ready to leave to go to the other hotel for the Covid-19 test.  Keith told them how wonderful the cruise was.

Well it's a small world.  Our dear friends Ashley and Kelly are taking a Round/Trip Iceland trip on the Silversea Shadow.  We sailed with them for one of the two Serenity voyages we were on and have known them for years and also have sailed with them several times.  They arrived to Iceland early this morning and we had made plans to get together with them which we did.  We took them over to see Crystal Endeavor and then to see some of the places we had visited during our pre-cruise stay.

We will post more after we arrive home but wanted to share some thoughts.  Also, for those of you who follow us please come by a month for now for our next adventure.

We have used the word amazing many times but this is how we feel about the adventure between the places we have seen and how we have seen some of them, having the opportunity to sail on our first expedition vessel and all of the memories we have created.

There were stressful times as the cruise neared with the increased incidence of COVID-19 and some changes such as Iceland new requirements for a COVID-19 test.  Add to this the extra precautions we took for COVID-19 such as in Reykjavik eating our meals at the apartment all those days, wearing masks outside and on all of the excursions and anytime we left our room on Endeavor.  Normally, we would have dined with some fellow guests and some of the Senior Staff/Officers of Endeavor and with some of the members of the Expedition Team.  Other than one dinner with an officer we only dined with each other.  The major unfinished area of Endeavor was the Solarium which will house Market Place.  While it would have been nice if it was open, we didn't plan to have lunches at Market Place as we usually do pre-COVID-19 and even if we did in the scheme of things this is minor.  Given the choice of no Solarium or no cruising we say no Solarium.  In addition Endeavor far exceeded our expectations in so many ways including the design and layout and space of the new vessel, the amazing crew, the food, service and overall ambience of the ship and how well everything was organized including the excursions/expedition experiences.  We look forward to sailing Endeavor again and again.    

And once again, please be sure to come by in a month for our next adventure.

Cheers,

​Anne Marie & Keith