Thank you Susan for your comments and good wishes.\\

Thank you Patricia for all of your very thoughtful comments.

We enjoyed our one day stay at the Four Seasons in Miami.  The reason we stayed over is the only direct flight to our home airport was too early as it wouldn't have provided as much time as we prefer to check in and get through security.  As it turned out the flight was cancelled yesterday as it was the prior two days.  This was not Southwest Airlines.

Thankfully today's flight was not cancelled and we took off and arrived on-schedule.  We are home and have made wonderful memories from these three back-to-back cruises to last a lifetime.

Please check back in a little less than four-weeks for our next adventure.  

Thank you to those who followed along and for the very nice comments and questions.

Cheers,

​Anne Marie & Keith

​

Dinner Menus From last night at Waterside.

We spent another night in our room.

It began in the afternoon with Canapés with outstanding champagne followed by dinner. 

We only took one photo at dinner.  Maybe it was the champagne.  LOL.  

Today's Daily Reflections for those continuing with the cruise or joining today.  If you join today your Reflections will also include the embarkation version.

We had our final meal of the cruise with breakfast in our room this morning.

Last evening, Butler Aleksandar said he would be happy to help us out with our luggage when we debarked the ship which was very kind of him.  He returned to our room about 15 minutes  before we were to meet the Chief Concierge near their desk front desk.    It was very nice of him and he assisted with our carry-on luggage.  When we arrived downstairs the ship was just a few minutes from getting cleared.

We chatted with Head Waiter Carmelo, Restaurant Manager Paolo, Senior Sommelier Jiri and Chief Concierge Ariella.  We also chatted quite a bit with Aleksandar.  Everyone is so kind and we will miss each of them.  

When it was time to debark the ship Ariella escorted us to the security area along with Aleksandar.  We said our goodbyes to others including Chief of Security Bhaskar and Front Office Manger Ervin.  Due to USA port regulations Ariella could not escort us further.  Aleksandar took our luggage to the gangway and handed it to two Crystal Representatives who walked with us to the area to claim our checked pieces of luggage where we went through Immigration (easy peasy) and technically customs and we proceeded to the area outside where another Crystal representative was there and a few minutes later were in a private SUV arranged by Crystal Cruises which took us to the Four Seasons Hotel where we will stay until tomorrow.

Once the concierge confirmed our SUV had arrived we were escorted off the ship where we went through passport control, claimed luggage and went through customs and returned back to the real world as we left the terminal area.

A few hours later we had lunch in the room.

After lunch we took a nice walk over to Brickell Key Island and guess who we ran into?  We saw the lovely Crystal Serenity where we have made many memories which will last a lifetime.

​

We will post again tomorrow as we are staying over in Miami today.

We did want to say check back in a few weeks as we go on another adventure.  

We must seize the moment.

Cheers,

​Anne Marie & Keith

Maggie…Thank you for your comments from October 8.  We hope you give Crystal Cruises a try.
 
Doris…Thank you for your birthday wishes and for your very thoughtful comments.
 
Betty…Many thanks for your birthday wishes and very happy to hear about your November Caribbean Plans


After posting yesterday, Keith walked the Promenade Deck as Celebrity Equinox was departing.  With the three ships in view, Keith said to himself cruising has truly returned.

Since the first restart cruise, each time we leave Nassau there is a band which plays for everyone on Serenity.  

The Waterside menus from last evening follow.

We enjoyed an amazing dinner organized in our room last evening by Butler Aleksandar with some very special creations from Chef Thomas and Butler .

This included a Vegetable Salad with Creme Cheese Dip & a Creamy Citrus Dressing.

The entree was what some call Surf n' Turf or is it Surf and Turf.  Whatever.  LOL.

This includes Wagu Beef Filet Steak with Braised Saffron- Endive and Shallot - Morel Jus & Pan Fried Black Chick Pea, Artichoke, Fennel and Lemon Juice.

Dessert was Creamy Lemon Cheesecake, Shortbread Crumble and Creme Chantilly.  

The food was incredible.  Special thanks to Specialty Restaurant Chef Thomas for this amazing dinner.  Butler Aleksandar served the meal course by course and as usual set a beautiful table.  

This is todays' daily Reflections Program.

Today is our last full day on-board Crystal Serenity with a stop at Bimini.  This evening we set sail for Miami where we debark.

The day included workouts for Keith, walks by each of us inside the ship and on the outdoor wrap-around Promenade Deck, conversations with fellow guests and many members of team Serenity, final games of Paddle Tennis for Keith, more of the dreaded packing, enjoyable meals and beautiful views of our surroundings on and off the ship.
 
Since it was embarkation day for a few people it was Cobb Salad day.

While we were eating lunch, we saw the Ferry which takes passengers between Fort Lauderdale and Bimini and some on the Ferry are likely boarding today.

After the rain cleared, we both walked the Promenade Deck and an event took us back to several years ago.  This is the third time Keith heard someone calling from the verandah of either Deck 8 or 9.  This time it was Deck 8.  A man said I need help.  Keith asked what could he help him with.  He said I'm locked out on my balcony.  Keith said no worries and asked for his stateroom number and this ended with a good story as someone was sent to his room to open the slider.  The first time this happened many years ago the wife of a couple who we met on the World Cruise and got to know well called out Keith...Keith....Keith.  At first Keith didn't know if he was hearing things.  He looked up and there she was and said her husband must have locked her out as he didn't realize she was out there and he had gone to play Bridge.  With the bridge room being on the same deck as the Promenade Deck Keith walked in and whispered in the man's ear and said "you are in big trouble".  LOL.  The other time a woman was out on the Verandah and called out and Keith looked up.  She was in her bathrobe and had a similar problem.  Husband locked her out.  Not sure if on purpose or by accident and it was rather early in the morning so it might have taken her awhile to call out to someone else.  The good news is all three situations were resolved promptly within minutes of notification.  We wonder if there was ever payback time.  LOL. 

Enjoying the rest of the afternoon and this included final couple of hours of Paddle Tennis.


Cheers,

Anne Marie & Keith

These are the dinner menus from last night at Waterside where we dined.

We enjoyed another wonderful meal at Waterside last evening.  

We both had pretty much the same items.  Boring.  LOL.  Warm Seafood & Asparagus Salad Appetizer, Salad, and are you waiting Broiled Fresh Swordfish.  We did have something different though.  Well two things different.  Well three if you are being technical.  LOL.  

Different dressing on the side for salad.  Yippee.
 
Different salads.  Amazing.

Butterfly Swordfish for me & One solid piece for Anne Marie.  Wow.

A side Baked Potato (no condiments) for Keith.  Can you believe these differences?

​Then there was the wine.  How can you forget this. For some nights Keith is having Head Sommelier Jiri select the wine and on other nights I am selecting it.  The emphasis is on trying new vintages and not the same ones.  This approach has been great as we have been introduced to wine we would not have tried with the same old approach.  
 
Keith selected Metaphora wine from Napa Valley for last evening.  The Metaphora wine is one of the heaviest ones on the ship and the alcohol content is a whopping 15.5%.
 
In the old days you would not select this wine to have with Swordfish but rather with something like Beef. However, these days anything goes and if your palate enjoy this that is what is important.
 
They decanted the wine over an hour before we arrived and as the evening progressed it opened up more including while in the glass.  It also went well with the cheese I selected for the final course.
 
We plan to dine in our room the final two nights. Dinner at Waterside has been a real treat.  The entire team who has taken great care of us is amazing.  This includes:  Restaurant Manger Paolo, Head Waiter Carmelo, Senior Waiter Nenad, Waiter Grant, and Sommelier Ales.  In addition, Head Waiter Vlada who we have had several times on Symphony before he came to Serenity in March of 2020 checked on us once or twice each evening, Sommelier John who we had on the first two of these three voyages visited each evening to see us, and Head Sommelier Jiri came by on each evening so we could discuss the wine and for him to get our feedback on the wine.  We have known Jiri since he was a Sommelier in the former Crystal Dining room shortly after he went from the bar lounges to being a Sommelier.  We can’t say enough how enjoyable the team made us feel each evening.  While some prefer to go from Specialty Restaurant to the next one and we fully understand this, we had a great time by having a larger number of meals in Waterside and on occasion going to one of the other restaurants.  This makes the ones called specialty truly seem special by visiting them infrequently.
 

We wanted to begin by sharing several photos Keith took at the Palm Court in the early morning hours before guests were out and about.


The Palm Court is a room found on the original Crystal Harmony, Crystal Symphony and Crystal Serenity along with other Crystal vessels including Endeavor and the River Cruise Vessels.

On Harmony it was a key venue for evening activities and selected daytime events.  When Symphony was designed the room took on a little less interest as several activities which were held in Harmony were held in Starlite Lounge on Symphony.  Based on guest feedback when Serenity was designed its own Palm Court was designed to be a central point for several daytime and evening activities.

Over the years we spent a lot of time in the Palm Court.  This included:

Attending Team Trivia

Reading books and/or enjoying the Panoramic Views of the sea, coast line and/or port.

Attending special events such as crossings of the Equator. 

Attending cocktail parties.

Listening to music.

Dancing to the live quartet/trio performers

Attending Captains Welcome, Farewell and Crystal Society events including being recognized at a few of the Society Receptions

Attending some of the afternoon teas.

Spending time with fellow guests and enjoying conversations with members of Team Serenity.
​

Today's daily Reflections.

Today is another turn-around day and we are back in Nassau.  We began our cruise in July in Nassau, returned on turn-around day and debarked Serenity at the end of the second cruise in Nassau to fly home.

This is our third visit to Nassau on these three back-to-back cruises marking our sixth visit this year and our seventh visit ever and the first one was 30 years ago.

Before getting cleared to go ashore the two of us walked the Promenade Deck.  Celebrity Equinox had already arrived and by the time we arrived a different RCI ship arrived, this time Mariner Of The Seas.

Keith walked around the nearby area to where Serenity is docked as he's done on prior visits.  

We also managed to get in lots of exercise and chat with fellow guests and members of Team Serenity.

Anne Marie worked on the "dreaded" packing as we debark this Monday in Miami.  The key is to have future cruises planned which we do.  More on that soon.

Some guests debarked today while others arrived.

​

All in all another wonderful day on-board Serenity and as they say the night is young.

Cheers,

​Anne Marie & Keith 

Kitty....Crystal normally offerer art classes but due to the length of these sailings and the itinerary and with the COVID-19 Protocols these classes are not being taught right now but we expect they will be offered in the future as they have for so many years.  If you click on the World Cruise tab you could look at some of the recent World Cruises we have been on and look at Reflections to get an idea of the programs which are offered.

Patricia....Thank you very much.  Yesterday was lots of fun and the crew made it an amazing day.  Oh that breakfast.   It was quite good but definitely a lot different than our very simple breakfasts on the ship and at home.  

Yesterday was an amazing day and this continued into the evening.  

We enjoyed a wonderful evening celebrating Keith's Birthday.  It started with Champagne and Canapés and continued with an amazing dinner.

Many thanks to Anne Marie and to Butler Aleksander for organizing this and to the wonderful chefs and pastry chefs and to others who made the evening so special. Also many thanks to our Penthouse and Attendant Kristin, Stateroom Attendant Ivana and to many people behind the scenes including the runner who supports this area of the deck we are on.  One of the photos below includes the runner who does a multitude of other things each day.


Most of the cuisine we enjoyed came from the Waterside along with rolls and grilled vegetables from Prego.  We forgot to get a photo of the entree.  Everything was delicious.

​Keith did learn you cannot blow out candles with a mask on after giving it a try.  

We will let the photos do the talking.

Over the years we have celebrated so many wonderful occasions while sailing with Crystal Cruises including multiple Birthday's for each of us, Mother's Day, Wedding Anniversaries and Renewal Of Our Wedding Vows and other major events including the engagement of our son and daughter in-law.  

We have enjoyed cruises by ourselves, with our family including three of five grandchildren as the other two had not yet been born.

Waterside dinner menus follow.

Speaking of Waterside where we have enjoyed so many memorable meals on this cruise and over the past years since the former Crystal Dining Room was makeover into Waterside we are posting several photos of this beautiful dining venue.

We had a wonderful night and ate too much food.  LOL. So Keith spent much of today exercising to attempt to burn some of the calories off.  LOL.

Following is today's Daily Reflections Program.

​

Today is an official sea day as we sail towards Nassau which is one of the three embarkation/debark ports.  For those who are getting off in the Bahamas and flying home within three days from today Crystal administered a COVID antigen test for them along with those who are continuing as we did the first two cruises to their next cruise.  Since we get off in Miami, no antigen test was required for us. 

Today is an official sea day as we sail towards Nassau which is one of the three embarkation/debark ports.  For those who are getting off in the Bahamas and flying home within three days from today Crystal administered a COVID antigen test for them along with those who are continuing as we did the first two cruises to their next cruise.  Since we get off in Miami, no antigen test was required for us. 
 
It’s been a great day.  Great weather in the morning and calm seas allowing for walks outside.  Close to forty-five activities on the program including three lectures on a range of subjects; biology/geology, the decline of traditional newspapers, and artists and their paintings. Lots of classes and other enrichment along with team trivia, bingo and a casino blackjack tournament.  Also an afternoon movie matinee.
 
Of course, we made time for Paddle Tennis (for me) and more walks for both of us on the Promenade Deck.
 

​Cheers,

Anne Marie & Keith

Thank you Patricia.  Yes, you can never have too much wine.  LOL

We wanted to take a moment to share thoughts and photos about another venue on-board Serenity.  This venue is also on Symphony and can also be found on the River Cruise Vessels and on the Endeavor Expedition vessel.

On our first Crystal Cruise on Crystal Harmony one of the venues which we had never experienced anything like it on prior cruises with other Cruise Lines was The Bistro.  It reminded us of a small café on land in one’s hometown.    In addition to service, a wide range of coffee to enjoyed at a table you can also get a cup to go as well as water.  There is also a nice selection of tea.  On top of this they serve a light breakfast in the morning, items to make a lunch or a late in the afternoon snack and a few items for dessert should you still be hunger in the evening.  
 
It is also a place where the two of us came to sit or we sat with other guests who we met for the first time or knew from prior cruises.
 
It is very special to us.  The Sommeliers rotate and make up a good deal of the staffing and make coffee and service the tables and set up the buffet for breakfast and lunch.   At the same time with less Sommelier’s on board right now the staff is supplemented by members of the waitstaff of Waterside.  As we often say, its’ all about teamwork.  
​

Let's continue with last evening.

Where do we begin?

Well, let's start with food.  These are the Waterside Dinner Menus from last evening.

Dinner for us was back in Waterside.  We are so enjoying dining in Waterside.

Wonderful meal.  Cajun Spiced Thinly Sliced Swordfish Appetizer for Keith , and Chicken Broth Soup with Matzah Ball for Anne Marie, Salads for both of us and an absolutely delicious Ahi Tuna for the two of us.

There was a commercial on USA TV many moons ago and it went like this.  "Try it.  You'll like it."  

Well that was our reaction to last evening's wine.  It is called The Art Bus and is a Red Wine 2008.  Sommelier Ales introduced the wine to us with a very nice explanation as he has done with the other wines we have enjoyed this voyage.

The catch is while it is from Napa Valley it is not often a Napa Valley wine with a mixed blend has 80% Syrah and only 20% Cabernet.  Guess what, this one did.  Guess what, it was fabulous. Anne Marie who prefers white wine loved this one as well.

On some nights Keith selects the wine and on other nights Alexsandar  gets with Head Sommelier Jiri to pick the wine.  The latter was the case for last evening and it was perfect.

​When we got back to our room there was a surprise waiting for someone.  LOL.

Keith says:

Many thanks to my darling wife Anne Marie and to Butler Aleksandar for adding decorations and getting them all hung. Aleks also got help from some other members of Team Serenity.  It's all about the team.

Today's Daily Reflections Follow.

This morning began with a workout which Keith says he will need with all this food.  Ugh!!

Speaking of food.  Breakfast today was an exception.  Normally, it is some cereal, banana and some prunes.  

​Well today was the Birthday Breakfast.  This breakfast is amazing between champagne, bagel with Cream Cheese and Smoked Salmon, Eggs, Milet Mignon, Monte Christo Sandwich, Caviar, Spinach Soufflé and three different desserts.  If one is not careful it could be the final and  last breakfast.  LOL. It was delicious.  Yummy is the best word to describe it.
 

BREAKING NEWS....

Due to high winds, it was not possible to run tender service safely to/from Long Island so today became a sea day.  A revised daily program was added to the schedule including an additional lecture, a movie showing and other activities.  This will give us today and tomorrow as sea days.  Yes.

Having another amazing day on-board Crystal Serenity.

Cheers,

​Keith

The question for today is where are we?

So you need a little hint.

This Little Piggy went to market.  

This Little Piggy went home.

This Little Piggy had roast beef.

This Little Piggy had none.

And this Little Piggy cried wee wee wee all the way home.

You're right.  We are at Great Exuma, Bahamas where some get to swim with pigs.  You can't make this stuff up.

=============================================

Bob...You asked some questions.  Benjamin is indeed on-board Serenity.  Chef Jon Ashton and his wife are not on-board any of the vessels right now but I am sure this will happen in the future.  We have sailed with both of them a couple of times.

These are the dinner menus from Waterside from last evening.

We returned to Waterside for dinner last evening.    The night before after looking over the menus we asked Head Waiter Carmelo to order us Wienerschnitzel as our entree.  When we mentioned this to Butler Alexandar he suggested a Hotsteiner Schnitzel which is something we haven't had.  It has Fried Eggs on top along with Warm Fingering Potato Salad, and Lingonberry Preserves on the side.  Keith said yes and Alexandar got with Carmelo about this.  There is another variation with Sunny Side Eggs and have seen a difference in the name.  
 
The irony for us is we had never had Wienerschnitzel on the Crystal Ocean vessels until 2020.  We first tasted it in Vienna during our stay prior to boarding Crystal Mozart in 2019.  We also had it one evening on Mozart.  In 2020 we had it on Serenity.  Growing up we each had Veal Cutlet but the preparation is different. 
 
This entrée was not only tasty but it arrived to the table hot which is how we like it.   Originally, Anne Marie was going to have the entree naked (LOL) but with a little encouragement she decided to order it clothed (LOL) with the fried eggs on top.
 

​Did we say wine?  Well, maybe we forgot but it was terrific as well.  

We really had a great time at dinner last night.  Everything is so nice and we so appreciate the wonderful waitstaff team.  We've been very happy to dine more often at Waterside on these cruises.

​
Although I wore my lucky New York Yankees socks to dinner last evening, it was of no-good luck as the Yankees lost to the Red Sox last evening.  The game was broadcast on one of the sports stations which is part of the television broadcast package 

We've been posting photos of various locations around the ship and today's ship photos focus on one of the venues found on Deck 6; Tiffany Deck which is home to the Hollywood Movie Theatre.  
 
Each evening a new movie for the cruise is shown two times.  On some voyages movies are shown in the afternoon as well.  In our earlier years of sailing with Crystal we enjoyed several movies in the evening.
 
The room has several other functions.
 
Often, afternoon lecturers are given at the Theatre rather than in the larger Galaxy Lounge since less people attend afternoon lectures given other activities, they participate in.  We have also attended many lectures at the theatre.
 
While a Catholic Clergy is not on-board right now, they normally are on every voyage and Catholic Mass is held daily.  In addition, on Jewish Holidays including Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Passover, and Chanukah a Rabbi is on-board to conduct Jewish Services including Friday night Sabbath Services.  In addition, in the past a Jewish Rabbi is on for the World Cruise and for the Holiday Cruise even if Channukah has already been celebrated.  During the World Cruise other holidays are celebrated including Purim.  On the World Cruise, Holiday Cruise and Easter typically a Protestant Minister is on-board as well.  All of this enhances the feeling of community and family on-board the ship.  Since Keith is Jewish and Anne Marie is Catholic over the years we have attended both Jewish and Catholic Services.

There was a greater number of activities on the program for the afternoon including a lecture given by Dr. Jay Christofferson on the behavior of fish on the reef during the day and night.  

This morning Keith took a break from cardio exercise having tweaked a muscle.  There is a saying listen to your body.  The two of us walked until it was time for Keith to go for another haircut at the salon.   It is so much easier than getting in the car and driving back and forth.  All he has to do is go up one flight of steps.  LOL. 

We've added today's Waterside Lunch Menus

After a nice lunch in our room, we both walked on the Promenade Deck.  Keith played Paddle Tennis but did so very carefully.  

We are enjoying the rest of the day on-board Serenity.

Oink....Oink....

Well.

Cheers....Cheers...

​Anne Marie & Keith

We wanted to begin with a shout to the wonderful members of Team Serenity while mentioning one of the members who many might not know.
 
There are so many wonderful members of the Crew including those who are seen around the ship by all and others who might spend most of their time on one or more guest decks or many who work behind the scenes from those in sanitation, to engineering, to the galley and in the laundry areas just to name a few of them.
 
We've known the night-time room service attendant Dennis for many years.  Dennis supports deck 10 and 11 guests. I first met Dennis not because we are up late (because that is infrequent) nor because we order a late night room service order (NOT….LOL) but because Keith is often up early in the morning and on his way to/from either the fitness center or guest laundry room every few days he sees Dennis.  He always has a kind word and is professional and personable and a very nice person.  Over the years Dennis has indeed provided room service to us a few times when we needed to have a very early breakfast for an early morning tour before the butlers arrived on service.  Also, one time when unexpectedly we had to leave the ship at night for several hours due to an issue Keith had and we had a late night meal since we hadn't eaten dinner earlier.
​
Many thanks to Dennis and to all the members of Team Serenity for making each day truly special and memorable for us and fellow guests.
 

Following are the Dinner menus including the Vegetarian Dinner menu from dinner last evening in Waterside which is where we ate.

You might notice Franz has returned as Executive Chef while Werner returns home for a well deserved holiday.

What can we say.  Dinner was terrific.

We have the same waitstaff team plus our Sommelier is now Ales who was superb.  We made this not one but a two bottle red and white night.  The red wine is unique as it has five different blends.  The label is unique as well.  As you turn the bottle the label changes.  Their philosophy is to put on the label events for the last year.  Their recent 2019 vintage has a woman with a mask on and as you turn the bottle the mask lowers.  We also had a visit from Head Sommelier Jiri.

Food was wonderful.  Although they don't call it a french night anymore the menu reflected several items which used to be part of the french night themed dinners.


We each had different appetizers; Scallop & Kingsfish Ceviche for Keith and Onion Soup for Anne Marie.  Our salads were the same other than Keith changing it up a little bit and we both had the seafood Paella Entree which was delicious  We ended with ice cream for one of us and cheese for the other.  You guess who had what.  LOL.

The following is the daily Reflections Program.

We enjoyed a great morning on the ship and once again the ship was our destination.  We didn't arrive to San Salvador Island until the scheduled time of 1:00 PM so the morning activities reflected a sea day with 24 different activities on the schedule.

We enjoyed a great morning on the ship and once again the ship was our destination.  They had open Tennis so Keith joined in first playing with the Fitness Instructor and then coming in when one member of the two couples traveling together sat out.  Very nice people and this is what Keith enjoys about playing as you meet some very nice people. 

While we walked together on the Promenade Deck we took a moment to look at where we had been at the aft (back) of the deck.

Before dinner we enjoyed some Champagne.  After all, Bimini is considered one of the embarkation ports for this cruise and since early on it was Cobb Salad Day and we didn't have the champagne over lunch, we needed to keep close to tradition and have it sometime before the day ended.  Traditions are one of the keys to life.

Butler Aleks surprised us by also bringing an appetizer for us to enjoy with the Champagne.  This was very thoughtful of him.  It was a perfect match with the champagne.  Keith said 10 hours in the Fitness Center tomorrow.  LOL. Well, maybe it was a good thing he played singles Paddle Tennis yesterday afternoon as it involved lots of running.

We decided to have a relaxing dinner in our room. Decisions...Decisions....Where do we eat?  Umm.  Well it didn't take long to decide on making last night an Umi Uma night.  

​From our first time on Crystal Serenity in 2005 when we dined at Umi Uma (back then called Silk Road) we loved the cuisine created by renowned Chef Nobu served at this restaurant.  We have had so many memorable meals by ourselves and with others over the years.

We will once again let the photos do the talking other than say we enjoyed some amazing sushi, sashimi, appetizers and our entrees.  
 

Sunrise in another 20 minutes and a view of the moon overhead.  

This morning we returned to Miami once again.  Today is turn-around day when several guests debarked while others boarded Serenity.  This is the start of the next cruise and we will debark Serenity a week from today.  

Like last Monday, guests were assigned to one of three groups.  The first two groups are those who are leaving the ship and the final group is mainly in-transit guest whose term refers to those guests continuing on for the next voyage.  

Every guest must be off the ship before the ship can be cleared and in-transit guests can return and later in the day newly arriving guests can board.

Just minutes before Serenity was cleared we stopped by the Reception area and spoke briefly with Reception member Claire, Chief Concierge Ariella a Hotel Director Hubert came by to chat with us as he is leaving the ship at 1:00 PM to fly home for a well deserved holiday. 

This time instead of waiting in the terminal with other in-transit guests for the ship to be cleared as she did last week Anne Marie walked with Keith from the port, over the bridge, and over past the arena where the Miami Heat Play and across the street from Bayside to a store where we picked up some items including some snacks our Penthouse Attendant, Stateroom Attendant and Butler knowing they can't go into the ports other than on occasion to the beach near the pier at Bimini but there are no items to purchase.  

With cloud cover instead of a full sun as it was last Monday it made it more comfortable to walk and on the way back as we got close to the arena there was a slight drizzle until we were a couple of minutes from Terminal J.

As they say mission accomplished.

With cloud cover instead of a full sun as it was last Monday it made it more comfortable to walk and, on the way, back as we got close to the arena there was a slight drizzle until we were a couple of minutes from Terminal J.  As luck had it about 30 minutes after we arrived back to the ship, there was a rain downpour.

While walking across the bridge towards downtown Miami, Keith noticed a great deal of progress has been made from last week and the week before with respect to the new stand along Cruise Ship Terminal under construction.  On the way back we noticed the signage for Virgin Atlantic Cruise Lines.  We wonder if this is a dedicated terminal for them.

As was the case with last Monday in addition to Crystal Serenity at Terminal J, across the way were two Carnival ships plus one NCL ship.  The only difference was a Celebrity Cruise ship in port instead of the Virgin Atlantic cruise ship.  

We timed things to arrive to the Port Of Miami shortly before the ship was cleared last time.  This time it was cleared about five minutes later than last week (excellent) due to the final couple of people coming off a little later according to a couple we know.

Last week Anne Marie had noticed most guests in the terminal not wearing face masks until someone made an announcement.  Today, about eight people were not wearing them and Keith went up to one of the people who work shoreside for Crystal (third party company) and mentioned it to them.  They had someone walk around to remind those guests and they had face masks should someone needed it.  It is the law to wear them in the terminals as it is at airports and other facilities under federal jurisdiction.  

Speaking of Face Masks, we only wore them on our walk if someone was close to us when outdoors and while we were in the store shopping thus you see us wearing masks outside.

This is todays daily Reflections Program.

We are enjoying the rest of the day on-board Serenity and continue to have an amazing time.

Life is good.  Better yet, life is great.

Cheers,

​Keith

Ricki...Thanks for the good wishes.  You had if we could post the Waterside Breakfast menu and we did on the 9/29 post.
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One of the things we both enjoy about cruising is meeting and getting to know people who live in other places in our country and/or around the world so it was fun for Keith to meet up with someone we met the other day yesterday afternoon to continue our conversation.  This drew us to cruising many years ago.  ​

Last evening's dinner menus from Waterside.

Last evening, we decided to dine at Prego after three nights in a row at Waterside.

We will let the photos do the talking.

What we will say is the food was delicious.  The Prego team took excellent care of us between Waiter Peter and Waiter Mark who helped out Peter from time-to-time and Sommelier Maurizio.   Prego Chef Alfred came by our table as he will be going on a well deserved holiday in a couple of day and Specialty Restaurant Maitre d' Mario checked on us as well.

It is always a wonderful dining experience at Prego and we love it.

This is the daily Reflections Program for today.

We kept to our regular morning routine and you all know the drill.  Yes early morning workout for Keith at the Fitness Center with no one there.  This is the way Keith likes it.  Breakfast in our room and a walk on the Promenade Deck.

​Speaking of the Fitness Center, we wanted to provide additional information and photos of the center beyond what we have already posted.

The Fitness Center is located on Deck 13.  It is open 24 hours, seven days a week.  Normally, it has 2 Fitness Directors except at the present time with less guests sailing with one Fitness Director.  We do want to note Fitness is augmented right now with an additional Yoga/Pilates Instructor.

The Fitness Director teaches a wide range of group classes which are complimentary and for a fee teaches personal training.  

Keith estimates he has spent 5,000+ hours at the Fitness Center on Serenity between exercising on his own, taking group classes, taking personal training and leading some fellow friends when classes were not in session in indoor cycling.

For many years Anne Marie would make use of the treadmill and over a couple of years including in 2019 took personal training.  The last few years she has walked on the Promenade Deck and inside the ship in lieu of the Treadmill.

The size of the Fitness Center is spacious and it has numerous machines and weight lifting equipment and other "toys" as Keith calls them to provide lots of opportunities for fitness.  There is an area for group classes and where guests on their own can stretch using mats on the floor.  

Keith appreciates the 7x24 as for several years his first workout was in the early morning hours where no one was utilizing the center.  In this manner he could stay on various machines such as the Elliptical Machine without having to get off to allow another guest to use it.  If Paddle Tennis was not possible later in the day due to rainy weather or no one to play with, Keith would return to the Center.  In the world of COVID-19, Keith finishes his workout long before others arrive and supplements the workout with walks and runs on the Promenade Deck.

With the Fitness Center being very long he can also run back and forth in the center as he did this morning for one hour.  

With all the delicious food on the ship, this 7x24 Fitness Center and the other ones we have found on Crystal Symphony, the Crystal Endeavor Expedition Ship and the Mozart River Cruise Vessel have been a great way to burn up calories.  

After breakfast we went on walks.  When we opened the door to leave our room there was a card on the door for an upcoming birthday.  

There is a saying never to put off until tomorrow those things you can do today.  We subscribe to this and this was reenforced during the Pandemic.

More recently this was true with Bimini.  With three stops to Bimini over our three back-to-back cruises Keith could have said last week, "I'll wait to go to Bimini (our first visit) until today".  Guess what.  At 8:15 AM Captain Giske spoke from the bridge and said due to high winds Serenity could not dock in port.  Instead they would offer tender service but the distance would be about 45 minutes each way.  As Captain Giske noted, the safety of all was the number one reason not to attempt to dock in Bimini.  

Given the length of the tender, Keith decided to stay on ship and to walk on the Promenade Deck with Anne Marie.

While walking the Promenade Deck, several members of the crew were preparing a section along the wall for work including painting.  Crystal excels at maintaining their ships to the highest levels and it shows day-in-and-day-out.

Since today was technically an embarkation day.....It was time for Cobb Salad.  Champagne is coming later today for us.  

Keith made a stop to check out the Scoops Ice Cream Bar.  He just took photos and spoke with some of the wonderful members of Team Serenity.

We enjoyed the rest of the day on-board the ship.  We've said all along the ship is our destination and these words hold true.

Cheers,

​Anne Marie & Keith