The good news is although it drizzled late yesterday morning and was windy by 12:30 PM courts were dry and even with the wind Keith enjoyed two hours of Pickle Ball with Elizabeth and Cindy and some other players who we enjoy playing with.


Before dinner, we attended the Captain's Reception and Crystal Society Reception. Captain Vincent welcomed everyone and also spoke about our arrival to Amsterdam. The Captain noted that we will go through the Locks at 5:00 AM and while he will do his best to keep noise to a minimum, we might hear some of it. We are so happy to be docking downtown and Captain Vincent noted we will be the only Ocean Vessel in port.

After entering the Palm Court and speaking with Andrew Tripoli, Captain Vincent we also spoke with Food & Beverage Manager Svein, Bar Manager Kate, Dr. Soto, Chief Engineer Nenad and Shore Excursion Manager Alex and some of the guests. We prefer to walk around and not sit. At the same time, guests were enjoying the live music and some were dancing and others we enjoying drinks and canapés.

Crystal Society Future Cruise & Loyalty Manager Andrew Triplow recognized a couple celebrating their 50th Milestone who started sailing Crystal in the 1990's and recognized those Society Members who have several milestones. Andrew all noted that around 64 guests are on their first Crystal Cruise.

Following is last nights Waterside Dinner Menu

Since this evening was a formal night they also had a Supper Club for eighty guests who signed up for the event. The Supper Club is reminiscent of the Supper Club of years past on land with a nice dinner and dancing and live music by the Crystal on-board entertainers. ​Last night they one hundred guests attended the Supper Club.

Then we were off to Waterside for an amazing dinner. The menu featured lots of wonderful items including appetizers such as caviar and oysters and the entrees included lobster and steak so you could make it into Surf & Turf. The lobster was one of the highlights and it featured a new look and we enjoyed it very much.


Between the delicious cuisine, the outstanding service and the beautiful dining venue dining at Waterside is always a t

Today's Daily Reflection Program.

After an early morning workout in the Fitness Center, I made my way down to the Promenade Deck at 4:50 AM. It was windy for sure. After making my way to the bow (front) of the ship and eventually seeing the pilot boat I realized there would be a little delay. I spoke with another guest and said I think it will be better on Deck 11. He looked at me puzzled. I walked up to Deck 11 and it was less windy and about ten minutes later I saw the guest on Deck 11 and he said I was right. I took some photos and video as we approached and went into the lock and then went down to Deck 7 to get a couple of photos and another perspective. It started raining around 5:10 AM. There were four other guests outside at this time. Two gave up due to the rain but one of them returned at 5:30.
​

Isn't it funny how life sometimes plays out? Our inaugural trip to Amsterdam was last September on the Crystal Symphony. We strolled around portions of this amazing city, but there was so much to see that we were thrilled to make a comeback today. We absolutely adored our tour guide, so we booked another tour a few days later, specifically asking for her again. Last year, thanks to a little oopsie, we missed the Anne Frank Museum, so today we finally made it happen! It wasn't the tour company's fault, mind you. Nope, the blame squarely lands on the third party we booked through, so this time we went straight to the touring company.

We're not sure if this has happened to you but it's funny how things work out. For example, we never were to Amsterdam before last year and now we are here the following year. Never to Liverpool until 2015 and in addition to visiting last year we will return on this voyage. Never had a pre-cruise stay in Reykjavik until 2021 and then back again last year and now this year. Didn't transit the Panama Canal until 2007 and we could count on all fingers and next with some of our toes how many times we have visited.  No matter how many times we have visited these places and others like them, we count our blessing, pinch ourselves and enjoy each visit as if it is the first one. 

We met tour guide Kaleigh at the pier at 9:30 AM. The change from last year is last we didn't dock downtown but rather at a port about 50 minutes away in ljmuden.  We did end up near the pier when we were transferred back to the port at the end of the tour so were familiar with its location.

​Amsterdam is the capital and the second largest city of The Netherlands after Rotterdam. The city has close to one million residents within the city proper. For several decades Amsterdam was a small fishing village before eventually becoming a major world port.

Amsterdam is known for its canals, a state museum, the Van Gogh Museum along with several other museums, the Dam Square, 

Last year we visited several areas of Amsterdam with our tour guide including the Jewish Synagogue. As mentioned we didn't get to the Anne Frank House last year. In grade school we read the Diary Of Anne Frank and we watched the Movie. As children, we learned about World War II in school and outside of school we learned from parents and grandparents, other relatives and their friends about World War II. To put this all into perspective, Anne Frank died in February of 1945 and World War II in Europe in May of 1945 ten years before we were born. When visiting relatives on weekends unlike today we would sit with the adults and listen to the stories about items such as The Great Depression and World War II and how life was back then. Often today, while the adults are speaking the younger ones might be in another room watching TV, playing a game or on some type of electronic or smart device.

The conversations we heard coupled with what we learned in school put many things into perspective for us. Foremost is that our parents generation put their children first and wanted them to have more than they did including education. It also taught us to see things as the glass is half-full and not complain about the little things that do not go our way. When it comes to cruising 

Let's begin with the Vintage Room.

The Vintage Rooms are on Symphony and Serenity. The only difference is that Serenity has a larger room and can seat two more people.

The vintage room offers dinners on selected nights as well as some luncheons.

Dinner’s pair a range of wines with a specific course selection.

Luncheons may include a range of offerings (more below) including wine, champagne or even saki pairings. 

The difference between lunch and dinner is that there are less courses at lunch. Therefore, the prices are less for lunch than dinner.

For dinner Crystal offers a group dinner which guests sign up for. They also offer a private vintage room just for you and those people you designate attending. On occasion they offer a celebrity chef vintage room. We have done all of these.

We have also attended one luncheon.
 
The variety of luncheon themes have expanded and how many luncheons offered will depend on interest and the itinerary. More sea days allow for a greater number of luncheons to be offered.  Luncheons on last voyage were Champagne Lunch, On The Banks of the Rhone, Land of the Rising Sun: Sake, Exclusive: Angelo Gaja, South American Wine Tour, Taste of Bordeaux. When we say offered, they were available for sign-up and if a minimum number of people signed up, they took place.

On occasion there is a Crystal Society milestone Vintage Room which was held in our honor in 2019 when we reached our 100th Crystal Cruise at the time. Al of them have been very memorable including the one we hosted for our two adult children and their spouses when we had three grandchildren on board as our other two grandchildren were not yet born.  We arranged for Crystal to have two crew members babysit the grandchildren.

Our introduction to the Vintage Room was on a 2010 Crystal Society cruise. We were sailing Crystal Symphony and on one of the Symphony cruises and one of the Serenity cruises they offered a special team trivia involving mainly Crystal trivia.  Our team won and we could each select someone to attend. Keith selected Anne Marie which was a smart move on my part. LOL.That cruise also featured Roger McGuinn formally of The Byrds along with his lovely wife and they were invited to attend as well by two other guests.

As they say the rest was history. We loved the entire experience including expanding our knowledge of wine. In the years that would follow we have hosted several of these dinners.

We are not aware of any other cruise line that offers something as special as Crystal when it comes to wine pairings like a Vintage Room. A few have pairings but the Vintage Room is quite unique. And when the evening includes it is great not to have to drive a car home but rather go one or a few flights of steps or floors via elevator to your room.  
 

We attended a cocktail party before dinner last evening in Pulse which is a nice setting for events such as that one. It is also used late at night when the DJ’s play music and on nights that Karaoke is offered.
​

Dinner menus from Waterslide from last evening.

​For dinner last evening we were back in Waterside for the first of a couple of consecutive nights.
 
Dining is a wonderful experience in each of the dining venues. Although not considered one of the specialty restaurants for us dining at Waterside is still very special. It’s the combination of the cuisine with a variety of items to select from two menus featuring traditional and modern cuisine, superb service and the beauty of the dining venue. 
 
The waitstaff team is the same as the first voyage except for the Sommelier. The Sommeliers rotate on each successive voyage. Think of it that they move clockwise from one station to the next one. Our Sommelier for this voyage is Rudolpho. The rest of the Waitstaff team is Senior Waiter Enver assisted by Waiters Sami and Craig. The Headwaiter continues to be Jacques and Paolo is the Restaurant Manager. As Restaurant Manager, Paolo oversees all of the dining venues.

​We had a great time at dinner as we always do. For those interested last evening the special butter was a seaweed butter.  

Today's Daily Reflections Program.

Waterside is open for lunch on sea days.  This is the luncheon menu.

Today is the first  and the only sea day of this cruise.  We do have a couple of overnights which we didn't have on the last cruise. 

Sea days are always special and this one is as well.

Lots on the program and we love to highlight the speakers.

Dr Michael Lee spoke about Amsterdam which is our next port of call. He was followed by Tom DeFrank who spoke about stories that never made it to print from 1968 to the present year.  The third and final speaker was Dr. Kevin Soden who spoke about Laughing your way to a happier life. Sound good.

And for those who enjoy football (we do) at 3:00 PM we will see a NCAA Football Live Game and it can be seen in the Hollywood theatre or in our rooms. Also, earlier in the morning at 1:30 you could watch the live the pre-game show for the  Auburn versus Baylor College Football Game and at 2:00 AM the game. 

Over the years we watched many a game such as Super Bowls at normal and odd times from early morning to late morning to afternoon to evening. 

For those who live in the USA we wish you a very Happy Labor Day weekend.

Cheers,

​Anne Marie & Keith

Patti, we just made a change that will allow you to click on the photos. Some will look larger and others will look the same. In either case though you can now click on them.

First things first a continuation of yesterday's tour of Oslo.
 
Our tour guide was exceptional. We didn’t include a photo of her as she didn’t want to be on social media. We respect her.
 
Takeaways include:
 
The area near the terminal is relatively new. There is the opera house that looks like an iceberg. You can walk all around it.
 
There is a museum in the background and a piece of artwork in the water.
 
This takes us to the city. Much of the city of Oslo is considered the new City. Some buildings date back to the 1700’s and 1800’s but many are from the mid to late 1900’s and the current decade. The opera house was built in 2008.
 
They are conscious of the environment.  Oslo is considered the capital of electric vehicles. Eighty percent are electric, and they will get to one hundred percent. Ferries are electric to cut down on the noise to reduce noise under the sea. 
 
Crime is very low in Oslo. Most crime is drug related.
 
King Christian may have been responsible for the fires that destroyed the city wanting to move the city to a different location.
 
The poor had the homes build of wood since wood was much cheaper than stone and brick.
 
Major drivers of the economy include tourism, produce and the farming of salmon. The plan is to produce five times the number of salmon as they produce today. Agriculture is big too.
 
There are ten political parties in the Parliament. Elections are every four years, so they have one coming up.
 
Norway has its ties to Denmark and Sweden as they are part of each country at one time and today, they share many common bonds.
 
Oslo like the rest of Norway tries to teach their students about the downside of the Atomic Bomb and the downsides of war. And of course, this is where the Nobel Peace Prize is given out.

During World War II, Oslo was occupied by the Nazis starting on April 9, 1940 until May 8, 1945. Germany launched a surprise attack on Norway with 100,000 troops landing in Oslo and other coastal areas. They easily took control of Norway. They executed several people and in the fall of 1942 took many people  to concentration camps. There was a resistance in Oslo.

In terms of religion the largest religion is Evangelical Lutheran Church of Norway. Jews and Catholics represent a very small portion of the population and only 1,500 Jews live in Norway with most living in Norway.

As part of their effort to protect the Oslo inner fjord and to reduce traffic in the city they removed an eight-lane highway going into the city by putting in a tunnel. They are very conscious about the environment, and it shows.
 
The last few years the weather has changed with the summers being warmer than ever before. 
 
 
We have other takeaways, but these are ones we wanted to share with ​you.

The tour guide we had was exceptional. She was born in Florida and the family moved to California and then to Germany and then she decided to move to Norway where her mother was born. She knew her history very well but much of her career was in interior design before she decided to get certified as a tour guide as she loves history. 

Over the years when we have done walking tours if you have the right guide you learn a lot more in our opinion than just walking around on your own.  We still do the latter sometimes because in prior years we have done the tours and sometimes because it is an area that we feel we can do on our own base on the size of the city/town/village.


​

​After posting yesterday, In the afternoon we spoke with Captain Birger shortly before he debarked Serenity for a well-deserved holiday. About thirty minutes later we saw Captain Vincent who came back from his well deserved holiday.
 
 
 

Following is the Waterside Dinner Menu from last evening.  

Last evening we dined at the Osteria Specialty Restaurant.  Since the inaugural cruise of New Crystal onboard  Crystal Serenity on July 31, 2023 we have dined at Osteria the first night of the cruise. Realizing that Waterside is busy on the first night of the cruise we enjoy dining at Osteria and we love the new Osteria menu which rolled out in August. 

This is the Osteria Dinner Menu.

For us Osteria gets better and better. Why you ask? Because you continue to try items you didn't try the first time. Maybe the veal appetizer with tuna or the Tuna Capaccio, or maybe a different dessert or maybe the cheese. Guess what. We did all of this and more.

This was our third time dining at Osteria. Each time it gets better and each time we are attempting to try new items coupled with some items we have not had before.

For example, we began with smoked tuna capaccio for Keith (first time) and sliced veal in tuna sauce for Anne Marie (first time) which Keith tasted as well.  Each one very unique and very tasty.

Next course we did share the lasagna first and had one scampi each which we had the first night. Both are delicious and when you have the pasta you can tell it is hand made.

For our entrees Keith had the lamb rack for the first time and Anne Marie had the eggplant which she had before. Both were a hit.

We weren't going to have dessert but Hislaine twisted our arms. LOL. Keith had the Italian cheese (first time) and Anne Marie had the sorbet for the first time. Both were great.

Wine terrific.

Food preparation fantastic and hats off to Alfred and his team for transitioning to the Alajmo Brother's recipes and making this look so easy.

Likewise congratulations to the Food & Beverage team for all of the attention to detail and the amazing service and learning about the menu so quickly.  And a big thank you to Hislaine for making each evening so very special.

When you are seated you will see what we mean about attention to detail. Each place setting is set the same way with the glasses and the dishes in the precise place. And by precise we mean precise. 

The differences you will see is that your water glasses are different colors.

Also, there are about 28 tables in Osteria and for the centerpiece about twenty different vegetables are used so most tables have a different vegetable in the centerpiece. These are fresh vegetables and are changed out each and every single day.

Another thing we find special about the cuisine is that it is clearly several steps up from Prego and the original Osteria and clearly involves a lot of prep ahead of time and items cooked to order. On top of this it is food that should appeal to the majority of the people. While the Alajmo Brother's have achieved Michelin status we have found that the few times that we have eaten at Michelin restaurants the food was way too unique for us and we think of it as foo foo food.

This doesn't mean each person will like every item on the menu. How could they as we have different tastes and preferences. What we can say is that after three visits and after trying out quite a few items we have thoroughly enjoyed each one except that we thought was to dry. Whether this is an exam, a sport or many other things this is a very high percentage rate for items we enjoyed. 

Like Umi Uma for us this is truly a special restaurant.

A photo showing the centerpiece, the place settings and one of the large glasses of one capable of holding 2 liters of wine.  That's a lotta wine. LOL.

Todays Daily Reflections Program.

We arrived at our next port of call, Kristiansand, Norway this morning. This city is the sixth largest city of Norway. Close to 120,000 residents live here. It is located on the southern tip of Norway about four hours from Oslo. Kristiansand attracts 900,000+ tourists during the summer months and is thought of as a vacation destination.

It offers visitors restaurants, parks, shopping, museums to enjoy along with a wonderful town to walk around and other areas to enjoy including beaches, and water activities.


Crystal offered six different tours today which included a hiking tour, a walking tour, a tour focused on World War II, a couple of tours by boat  and a scenic tour of the area.

We didn't take a tour as we have another tour in two days when we arrive to Amsterdam and a tour in Dover.  ​

​Anne Marie took along walk on the Promenade Deck while Keith walked into town. It is deceiving because you mainly see an industrial port from the ship but once he got about five minutes from the ship he walked through a small park and then over a bridge and then over another bridge and that was all pretty and eventually made his way into town.
 
At one point he was stopped by students and one girl said something to me in Norwegian and I said English, and she said as part of a school project they needed a selfie so he obliged and then he said could we also do a selfie on my iPhone which we did. Yes, at first he was suspicious for a second but that cleared up quickly.  
 
The downtown part of the city is more of a city but still Keith found side streets that were charming.
 
The good news is that a few hours before arrival when I went out on the pool deck it was pouring, and it was still raining as we were making our way towards the port but it stopped. Although a 55% chance of rain when I went off it never rained. I was prepared though.
 
As I’ve mentioned whenever we sail Crystal we always know fellow guests. We met some who boarded yesterday who we know. As I was about five minutes from the ship I looked up and coming towards me is cruise friend Cindi. She just booked the cruise a week ago and it was so nice to catch up with her. We remarked that Anne Marie and I have known her since over 18 years ago.  

We’re posting early as we have plans this afternoon.
 
Cheers
 
 
 

We’re posting early as we have plans this afternoon.
 
Cheers
 
 
 ​

Following is the Waterside Dinner menu from last evening.

​

We decided to dine in our suite last evening. We began doing this on the last night of the cruise before we debark but when we are on a long voyage we will also do this on last nights of some of the other cruises. While we can order from Osteria and Umi Uma we selected each course from the Waterside Dinner Menu.

Senior Head Butler Rao organized everything and dinner was amazing.

Today concludes our first cruise and is the start of the next cruise. According to the daily program we traveled 3,240 miles or the equivalent of 3,726 land miles.


When you continue on to the next cruise you are considered an in-transit guest. In many places you can stay on board for the day or come and go as you please as was the case today.  However, in some places there are local rules with restrictions. For example, in the USA there is a point on debark day where all guests must be off the ship to register a zero count meaning no guest is on board. Shortly after this is accomplished the local authorities will give the go-ahead that in-transit guest can make their way back on-board. We were given yellow cards for each of us to show we were in-transit guests.

While we know a number of people leaving today, several people we know are continuing on this cruise and some of them will be on board for one or more of the cruises which follow this one. 

Shortly before arriving to Oslo, Norway.

​

Today's Daily Reflections.

Cheers,

Anne Marie & Keith

Thank you Patricia for your lovely comments. You made our day.
​
Additional things we learned on yesterday’s tour with tour guide Emma.
 
Drivers of the economy include Oil, Tourism, Fishing, Produce, Technology and Manufacturing.
 
15% of the overall tourism is driven by the cruise industry.
 
The Government owns the oil rather than individual companies. They are taking the profits and investing it so that when Oil runs out, they will have this money. Think of this saving money for a rainy day and we know there are a lot of rainy days in Bergen.
 
85% of Norwegians ancestry is Norwegian.
 
Hundreds of years ago the trees were removed from the mountains as part of fire prevention. All the trees we now see were planted 100 years ago and when we say trees they are plentiful.
 
Like any city housing is costly. She said often when she and her husband have made an offer on a house in the downtown area the winner is an Airbnb.  In the meantime, they live across the way, and she can walk over the bridge and be to work in thirty minutes or take a bus and be there in ten minutes.
 
 
In school you learn to speak in the language of Norway and you must take two additional languages.

The only buildings that typically survived the fires were those that were deemed important, so they were built with stone. The houses were built with wood to keep cost down but when the fires came, they burnt down. 
 
On one Christmas Eve someone robbed the 7 Eleven which the tour guide showed us. Took all sorts of food. The person felt guilty and returned everything. This is trivia you probably have no use for. LOL

Drugs use is illegal including cannibas.

Paul McCarney performed a live concert in Bergen in 2016. NOE: We did not learn this on the tour but we decided to see if The Beatles played here and this is what I learned.  
 
Additional photos from yesterday’s tour of Bergen, one photo from later that afternoon when we were on-board Serenity and one video from August 25 dinner at Waterside when Sommelier Dusan was pouring wine for Anne Marie.

The Galaxy Lounge

The Galaxy Lounge always brings back special memories to us ever since our first Crystal Cruise on Crystal Harmony in 2002.

During the morning hours we enjoyed many lectures over the years including those on destination, politics, geo-politics, geography, music and theatre, world events, books, movies, photography, wildlife, science and numerous other topics. We've also enjoyed Ocean Views which involved a panel discussion and the opportunity for the guest to participate in answering questions.

When we've seen some of the destination lectures since returning to Serenity, some of the talks takes us  back to some of the destination lecturers we would have on the World Cruises such as Dr. Jay Wolff and Ken Rees. Sadly, they each have passed and are no longer with us as each passed but their memories do carry on and Anne Marie and I can hear their voices and remember some memorable moments from their talks. A favorite from each was Dr. Wolff speaking about the events of that tragic night on The Titanic and there was so much detail you thought he had to be on-board when it struck the iceberg. Ken Rees spoke about that back in the day as a news reporter that when you covered an event you had close to a day to record what would be shown on the news. This time allowed the reporters to reflect on what they saw rather than to jump the gun with little to no time to think through what they had just witnessed.
 


In the evening we enjoyed the entertainment including production shows performed by the talented on-board team and the music of the Crystal show band and we enjoyed the land based entertainers whether it was a solo singer, or a group of singers singing a variety of songs as well as magicians and comedians. In certain ports we would enjoy the local talent that was brought in to perform a special show.

Sometimes a Super Bowl was shown in the Galaxy or maybe some other event such as the Oscars.

And sometimes you would go to the Galaxy for something that has nothing to do with entertainment such as going through local immigration.  

Last evening we returned to Waterside for dinner for the second consecutive night. Below is the Waterside Dinner Menu.

We had a lovely time at dinner. We always do.  How can you not?  Outstanding cuisine, and service and a beautiful dining venue. 

Waiter Craig performed surgery on the Dover Sole as you can see in the video.

Didn’t take a photo of the special butter but it was Miso butter.
​

Today's Daily Reflections follows.

Today is the final sea day of this cruise and like all sea days it is chock full of activities including three lectures. The talks are on Oslo which is the next port of call, a talk about forms of government including those that fail, and in the after =noon there is a talk about the origins and evolution of virtual worlds.

We are posting earlier today and will provide some additional comments when posting tomorrow.

Cheers,

Anne Marie & Keith

The weather cooperated yesterday so for the first time of this cruise Keith played Paddle Tennis.  While we had several cruises last year the weather on Serenity in Alaska and on Symphony in Europe last September was cool and rainy allowing only a couple of games and on the Holiday Cruise, weather was good but Keith had a prior injury so didn’t play. It was nice to play again.
 
Keith just started to play Pickle Ball on land a few months ago so yesterday was the first time I played the game on the ship, and it is very nice that Crystal has courts that are multi-use.
 
The good news is that with some wind it a good excuse to use if you mess up.  LOL.

With just four players, Keith and the others played non-stop games of Paddle Tennis and Pickleball without taking a rest. It was lots of fun and if the weather cooperates hope to play again tomorrow on the next sea day.

Before dinner last evening we attended the Captain's Reception and Crystal Society Party. This is a combined event. Captain Birger spoke first, and this was followed by Crystal Society Recognition.

If you arrive to the Reception early if you don't care to wait for the doors to open where you are welcomed by Senior Officers and Senior Staff you can enter on the other side. Years ago this was not the case but we learned the trick on our first World Cruise where some of the World Cruisers would enter on the other side. Since they were on for a long time for many there was no point in being greeted as if this was their welcome aboard cruise. We arrived a couple of minutes early and waited for the door to open After chatting with the two Crystal Future Cruise & Loyalty Managers (Daniele and Andrew) and Senior Officers  Captain Birger, Hotel Director Hubert and Cruise Director Russ and walking a few steps further we realized most guests utilized the other entrance which is perfect as they could find seats and start enjoying the party. We stood as we always do and spoke with some guests and then several officers including the Doctor, Chief Engineer, Bar Manager and a couple of other officers from the Bridge before speaking with one of the Crystal Society guest who would be honored about fifteen minutes later.

It was a very well attended event.  Three people (one couple and solo woman who we spoke with for a while ) were recognized for their 50th Crystal Society Milestone. She is a lovely woman.

The Captain handed over the program to Daniele one of the two Future Cruise & Loyalty Managers. Daniele was a wonderful speaker, and he did not need any note cards to read from when recognizing the three members. Daniele spoke from the heart. 
​

When the Captain spoke he said including himself and the Vice Captain there would be ten captains on board and this includes two of Captains Birger's brothers. The Captain noted it was likely not many guests would be on-board Serenity when they arrived as the guests would likely be on tours or enjoying their time ashore on their own.
​


​

The following is the Waterside Dinner menu from last evening.

Photos of food and wine.

We enjoyed another wonderful dinner with terrific food and drink and terrific service while sitting in a beautiful dining venue.

The menu included some great items such as the caviar and even an entree pasta that Anne Marie could have an appetizer size portion as her appetizer. A very tasty salad and a nice fresh seafood entree for Keith and a very tasty veal for Anne Marie.

This time the special butter was smoked paprika.  

Senior Waiter Enver took good care of us as did Waiter Sami. Since there was a Supper Club Waiter Craig was assisting there as he did last time and this gave us the opportunity to visit with Junior Waiter Rosary who usually is bringing the food from the galley to the waiter station.

Sommelier Dusan stopped by often and we continued our discussion with him about wine.

Head Waiter Jacques checked on us a couple of times as did Restaurant Manager Paolo.

​Teamwork at its finest.

​

Some photos before our arrival to the Bergen.

We arrived at Bergen at 8:00 AM this morning
 
We had an unforgettable first visit to Bergen back in 2006 aboard the former 200-guest Seabourn Pride!

Crystal offered six different tours in the morning and three of them were released in the afternoon.  This included a panoramic drive around Bergen, the opportunity to view Norway's fjord and glaciers from the sky, a journey though Hardangerfjord, a visit to a famous church and a few other locations, a hike on Mount Floyd and an Over-Elde Farm Visit and the opportunity to learn about Bryggen and The Hanseatic Legacy. 

We decided a private walking tour of Bergen would fit the bill. The Bergen walking tour is like the city's way of saying, "Welcome, let's get you to go on a walk of our beautiful city”. It was for sure. We were met at the pier by our tour guide Emma a name so easy to remember is that it is the same name of one of our grandchildren. Emma was born in Australia where she lived for many years. In Norway while at university the students do one year abroad, and this is where she met her future husband. She moved to Norway twelve years ago and two years later started a travel company.
 
Bergen is a city and is located on the southwestern coast of Norway. It is located near fjords, mountains, and waterways. These mountains provide beautiful views. It has a beautiful wharf area with colorful wooden houses. There is a funicular that goes up Floyen Mountain providing magnificent views and a gateway to the hiking trails. Its city population is 300,000 residents.
 
It rains here about 260 days a year, so we were fortunate to be here where it was not raining, the sun came out, and the weather was delightful.

The Bergen walking tour was a great opportunity to learn about the city and to see some of the sites. We saw the legendary old Bryggen Harbor, with the many gabled pack-houses. The Bryggen Wharf is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and its history includes several centuries of maritime trade. Finally, we strolled through the Hanseatic Quarter, which is a very popular place to visit. Then we made our way to places that tourists do not get to, yet rich in history and we also made our way to a vantage point with beautiful views.
 
The King of Norway is here today and we had the opportunity to stand by his Yacht. 
 
We learned so much from Emma as we always due on tours. We learned how Norway was under the control of various countries over the year, how it won its independence, about the citizens voting to have a Monarchy, about the influence the Germans had on a portion of Bergen and how this is analogous to Vatican City in terms of how for many years that section was not part of Bergen/Norway. We learned about the many fires that occurred and with each major first how all those wooden buildings were destroyed and how often floors were built on top of former wooden floors. We learned about the German Occupation and the resistance and stood outside the small building where the resistance stayed. We learned something we didn’t realize which was many people from Norway immigrated to the United States and ended up in states such as North Dakota where they were given free land to farm and others chose to live in the Midwest.  
 
They do some innovative things here such as the ability to set up a housing savings account at a young age which is tax free with an interest rate of 7% so that when you are ready to purchase a home you have a nice down payment. Around 80% of Norwegians own their own home. You can rent a kayak here for no cost if you agree to pick up any trash you find while sailing which is a win-win for everyone. 
 
Will post photos today and tomorrow. We will walk more this afternoon.
 
Cheers
 
 

Cheers,

Anne Marie & Keith

Let's talk photos/photography.

​Crystal Images Photo Shop
 
As we have witnessed, there have been numerous changes over the years on land, at sea and around the world. Some of these changes have been driven by cultural changes and in attitudes while others have been driven mainly by technology.
​
It wasn’t that long ago that we would take photos with a camera which utilized film during a vacation, get home and bring it to a place for developing and wait a few days for the prints to come back. There was excitement opening each envelope to see how the photos came out. We started with black and white film and then moved to color. We would place each photo in an album and sometimes we or our children would make a scrapbook about the trip.
 
From there we moved to digital cameras allowing us to take lots of photos knowing that we could simply delete the photos we didn’t like. We brought with us on a single cruise two to three cameras including a point and shoot camera and  a SLR or DSLR camera and a variety of lenses.

Then the smart phones came along with each succeeding phone coming with a more advanced camera. Those smart phones are definitely smart and in time who knows what they will be capable of doing. As they say the rest is history and you see far less standalone cameras.
 
While several luxury lines have eliminated a photo studios Crystal continues to provide this service. For many years on each cruise we would purchase photos such as the welcome on-board photo, photo of the guests at the table we were assigned to in what was the Crystal Dining Room, photo with the Captain, some photos when getting off the ship in port, formal night and semi-formal night and maybe a couple of others. We have photos of ourselves and photos of ourselves with the family or just photos of the children and/or grandchildren. 

When we renewed our 40th Wedding Anniversary wedding vows we have photos from that ceremony and photos with the family and this includes not only in print but on a thumb drive allowing us to get have a photo that we could hang on the wall of our home.
 
For those wishing to have some special photos done of themselves or their family or with friends on selected voyages a master photographer is on-board and many of their photos of superb.
 
While there are guests who no longer have photos taken or have no interested in this, it is nice that this is still offered by Crystal for those who would like to bring back professional photos from their cruise.

And we know a few guests are bothered by this when asked if you want a photo so just a simple "no thank you" works well.  We just think that choice is good knowing that a sufficient number of people still enjoy them.
 
Whether you take only your own photos or purchase some photos they allow you to relive those special memories each time you look at them.
 


​

Following is the Waterside Menu from last evening.

Beefbar is also serves lunch and this is their luncheon menu.

Some photos of Beefbar from early in the morning before tables were set for lunch.

Let's begin with the space that Beefbar occupies. The first dining venue in the space which Beefbar occupies served casual dinners on some evenings. There was a limited menu of some appetizers, salads and entrees such as steak, chicken and salmon. It was manned by some of the Lido Deck Stewards. It was first come first serve with no reservations. Unlike Waterside (former Crystal Dining Room) you could not substitute items not on the menu nor change things up.

Years later the venue was completely changed both in terms of look, menu and overall dining experience when Tastes made its debut. A Headwaiter was assigned to this venue, and some waiters from Waterside were assigned to this venue and they were assisted by waiters and a couple of members served drinks. Reservations for dinner were recommended. The menus consisted of tapas which represented areas from around the world and periodically it was updated with new items replacing others.

Eventually it was transformed to Silk by the owner who bought Crystal from NYK and served Asian cuisine.

Fast forward to 2023 and when the ships were relaunched by new Crystal the dining venue became Tastes. For dinner the menu had items similar to the former tastes.

In late 2024, the venue became Beefbar. Beefbars roots are from Monte Carlo.  Beefbar is located in 39 locations around the world including United States, Caribbean, South America, Europe, The Middle East and Africa.

Don't let the name fool you. In addition to serving Beef, the menu includes vegetarian dishes, poultry and seafood

We were supposed to dine with friends but one had a mild cold and to be on the safe side we dined by ourselves but have plans to get together during the daytime in a few days.

The first change from when we dined on the Holiday Cruise is that the Waiters all have red jackets and they look great. Next change is white tablecloths on the tables. Both changes just add to the overall experience.The white tablecloths and the red sports jackets bring out one another and make a terrific combination. 
 
There are round and square tables, and the square tables can be put together to create tables for families, and for groups as several were last night.
 
There is now a sign outside the venue saying reservations required recognizing that this is a popular dining venue in the evening.  

We tried the Bao Buns which were not available when we last cruised (the appetizer was but not the actual Korean Bun) and the same for the Ribeye Ham since the Pantene Salto Bread was not available. The Bao Buns were chewy but quite tasty. The Ham combined with the Pantene Bread was very tasty and a wonderful appetizer to enjoy. Keith had the Taretare and Tartine for the first time. Lots of ingredients providing a unique taste. We also shared the Prawn Salad as the last appetizer. Think of this an away to clean the palate
 
This was followed by Filet Mignon, French Fries, and Veggies. 
 
On future visits if we order something like the Filet Mignon we will have less appetizers and on another visit, we are thinking of having the appetizers only or appetizers and possibly trying the Cauliflower Steak.
 
We were taken great care of by Waiters Sebastian who was assisted by Evan and Ed who took care of the wine.

Special thanks to Head Waiter Jerrit and to Head Sommelier Jiri.

A nice touch when the Bau Buns arrived to the table.

This video is what it looks like when theWaiter lifts the cover off. Yes, they were smoking.  

Today is another great sea day. This cruise has a great balance of ports and day at sea.
​
There were lots of enrichment activities on the schedule including three lectures. First on was about Bergen which is our next port of call. Second wone was about who owns the North Pole and why it matters.  Final talk was about the show must go on and the focus was on the producer’s challenge.

Following is the daily Reflections Program for today.

On sea days Waterside is open for lunch so we are including the lunch menu from today at Waterside.

Cheers,

Anne Marie & Keith

We wanted to begin with the Le Casino Monte Carlo. This casino made its debut on Crystal Symphony and Crystal Serenity in late 2024. These two casino are inspire by the famous Le Casino de whose home is Monte Carlo. 

Crystal has an  exclusive partnership with Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer.

The Casino found on Crystal ships are in intimate venues and contain several slot machines along with tables that have Blackjack, American Roulette and Ultimate Texas Hold'em.

Dinner Menu from Waterside from last evening.

We had two people join us in our suite for dinner last evening. We enjoyed canapés, wine and a delicious dinner. 

Today's Daily Reflections Program.

Today, we anchored off Leknes, Norway. It is located in the Vestvågøy Municipality.  It is another small town with a population less than 4,000 residents. The town itself is not dependent on fishing but the overall region is.

Seven tours with five being covering different areas were offered today by Crystal including a visit to the fishing villages, (two tours), a hike, a safari by RIB Boat (two tours, a scenic tour with a chance to see local art, and a tour to learn about the Vikings.

We decided not to go ashore and made today a sea day. We learned from the destination lecturer at yesterday’s talk, that after tendering over to the tender port that the area is industrial. Although you could take the shuttle bus over to the nearby town, since we arrived on a Sunday most public areas are closed. Given this, the better ways to see this area are tours or taking a taxi. 
 
Later this afternoon there will be a talk given by Professor David Drewry about the geography of Norway including its mountains and fjords.
 
The newest production show featuring music and dance from Country Music Club to a London Pub and more including music of the English Rock Band The Who is on this evening’s program. It was planned to be shown the night before but following the Noon update from Captain Birger, Cruise Director Russ announced they were moving it to Sunday night being on the side of caution for the singers and dancers due to the possibility of rough seas. Although the Galaxy Lounge is on Deck 6 it is located towards the bow (front) of the ship where you will feel more movement from strong sea swells.  

Speaking of sea, when we are at sea we often think of what President John Fitzgerald Kennedy said. He made these remarks in 1962 at the America's Cup Dinner hosted by the Australian Ambassador on September 14.

​He said " I really don't know why it is that all of us are so committed to the sea, except I think it is because in addition to the fact that the sea changes and the light changes, and ships change, it is because we all came from the sea. And it is an interesting biological fact that all of us have, in our veins the exact same percentage of salt in our blood that exists in the ocean, and, therefore, we have salt in our blood, in our sweat, in our tears. We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea, whether it is to sail or to watch it we are going back from whence we came."

Almost sixty-three years later these words resonate by President Kenney resonate with Anne Marie and me.
 
We look forward to the remainder of the afternoon and evening on-board Crystal Serenity.

We look forward to the remainder of the afternoon and evening on-board Crystal Serenity.
 
Cheers,

​Anne Marie and Keith

We wanted to begin with the Hollywood Theatre.
 
The Crystal Ships have several unique traits both indoors and outdoors.  One of them is the Hollywood Theatre. Each evening a new movie is shown and the following afternoon it is repeated so those guests who either missed the evening show or prefer seeing it in the afternoon can see the movie. Popcorn is available as well.  Very few ships have a real theatre like the one found on Crystal Symphony and Crystal Serenity.
 
The theatre serves other purposes including an afternoon lecture on sea days. In addition, Catholic Mass is held daily, on some afternoon a Protestant Service is held and on Friday evenings a Sabath Service is held followed by a Kiddush with Kosher Wine and Challah. It is also used for holidays such as Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Passover, Easter, Christmas just to name a few.
 
We often say the ship is like a small village and this theatre to us is an example of this.
 
 
 

Last nights Waterside Dinner Menu

We enjoyed dinner at Waterside for the third consecutive evening. We were taken care of by Senior Waiter, Enver; and Waiters, Sami and Craig. Some of you might be asking Waiters and saying to yourselves what's up. At our Senior Waiters station Crystal Food & Beverage has started rolling out a new concept in Waterside. This involves increasing the number of tables that the Senior Waiter has and having two waiters rather than one assist the waiter.  Depending on how full Waterside is this means the Senior Waiter might not be as involved in serving part or all the meal while one or both waiters serve and then remove the plates and cutlery or the Senior Waiter, and one or two waiters will serve and remove the place settings.  For example, the past few nights all three Senior Waiters/Waiters have been involved with serving each course and clearing the tables.  We find the change to be a very good approach as we see the waiters come by the table more often while increasing efficiency. 

Senior Waiter Enver does a fantastic job explaining each of the items and the way he explains them you want to order them all. He seems to know every ingredient by heart, and offers recommendations and answers all of our questions about an item if we are less familiar with it.

At the same time, Head Waiter Jacques comes by a few times to check on us as does Restaurant Manager Paolo.

As we've mentioned, Sommelier Dusan must get a signal when the wine in the wine glass reaches a certain level as he is always on top of pouring the wine. We also appreciate Dusan's knowledge of each wine including attributes of the region and the vineyard and of course the wine. 
 
On most nights, Head Sommelier Jiri stops by as well. He has a terrific knowledge of wine and is enthusiasm is contagious. 
 
Crystal Sommeliers are highly trained and a wealth of information. We learn so much from them.
 
Let’s talk food.

​We each had the Wiener Schnitzel for our main course. We normally avoid fried food, but when we had the Chicken Kiev the night before we didn't realize Wiener schnitzel would be on the menu. Ironically, we hadn't had this entree until we went from World Cruise 2019 followed by a couple of cruises and flew to Vienna, Austria to sail on the former Crystal Mozart. We had the entree at a couple different restaurants and saw how the preparation could vary and enjoyed it. On board Mozart we had it one evening and since then have had it on the Crystal Ocean Vessels. One of the butlers suggested a few years ago having it with an egg on top. This is known as Schnitzel à la Holstein or Holstein Schnitzel. Keith had this one while Anne Marie had a half portion of the traditional one.
 
We also wanted to note that the special butter was mustard and tarragon.

We had a visit by the pilot during dinner.

Today's Daily Reflections.

.

Today is the third sea day of this cruise. This has been a wonderful itinerary between visits to several interesting ports of call including many that we have never visited before and for that matter very few people have the opportunity and honor to see all of this through their/our own eyes.  
 
This is an example of the benefit of cruising which provides the opportunity to visit many places and to us is a real benefit of seeing them on a land vacation without investing an incredible amount of time and energy and pack and unpack and take flights by airplane or some other form of transportation.
 
The sea days not only provide time to enjoy the amenities of the ship and the amazing service but to also enrich oneself through a variety of programs including the amazing lectures that Crysal provides. It also provides the opportunity to share the journey and to converse with guests and members of the crew. We love to hear from others about their day in ports and what their own experiences whether they visited on their own or participated in excursions.  

This cruise has also been a reunion cruise of sorts because many guests on-board are Crystal Society members having sailed with Crystal on prior voyages of a few cruises to 100 or more cruises. Some of the guests on-board we have sailed with in the last year or two while there are some guests that we have not seen since the 2015, 2019 and 2020 World Cruises. Whenever we are on a Crystal sailing, we always know we will see some guests we know which is a benefit of a small fleet and of course we will see many members of the crew who we have known for year. At the same time, with each passing day we get to know guests who we have never sailed with before and new members of the crew and sea days provide even more time to get to know people better. 

Today is another great sea day with so much to do.  There were three lectures. First one was about our next port of call in Leknes, followed by a talk about The Race to the North Pole and in the afternoon, there was a talk about Bitcoin, Fintech and the future of Finance.  
 
There was a very popular themed lunch at Marketplace which features Asian specialties.
 
We also wanted to mention the shows, including showtimes.  Most nights are featuring a show at 8:30 and a different show at 9:30 pm allowing some guests to go to both show but mainly those who eat early to go to the first show and those dining later to get to the second show.  This is a great idea.

​We  look forward to enjoying the rest of the afternoon and evening on board Crystal Serenity
 
Cheers

​Anne Marie & Keith
​

We wanted to begin with some photos about the Stardust Lounge. Crystal Symphony has the Starlite Lounge while Crystal Serenity has the Stardust Lounge. The each have a  different design and often are used for different purposes.

Over the years we have seen Stardust used in a variety of ways. This includes for bridge when bridge groups came on board, for private cocktail parties, for other group sessions, for comedians or certain shows in the evening. On this cruise on a rainy and windy afternoon it was used by the Golf Pro for a golf clinic. If the ship was sailing in rough seas sometimes dancing would be moved from the Palm Court over to the Stardust as Stardust is located on Deck 6 whereas the Palm Court is located on Deck 12.

The Stardust Lounge was redesigned in late 2018. Afterwards it served another person. On formal nights up two times are cruise if two or more formals are on the program, it is used for the Supper Club. The Super Club brings you back to the era of having dinner with a show. The tables are set up with four chairs and if you are single or two people they will seat you with others. Although tables could accommodate a great number, they keep the maximum number of people to eighty so it is not so crowded and so they can serve each course to all tables pretty much at once.  The menu has fewer choices than what is found on the Waterside menu but certainly has popular choices. The entertainment includes live music and dancing. For those booked on a particular cruise you can sign up for the Supper Club. You don't know the date in advance but it would be on a formal evening. You will find out if you are confirmed a couple of days before the event. If you have not experienced the Supper Club we highly recommend it.

Dinner menu from last evening at Waterside follows.

​
Last evening we dined at Waterside for the second of three consecutive nights. Food was great. We tried a couple of appetizers that we have not had for years and the Chicken Kiev which we are not sure if we have had on Crystal before. We were told that they used to prepare it so when it arrived to the table either the Head Waiter or Senior Waiter cut  into it and removed the chicken the tube. We like this approach, but we will tell you more about that tomorrow.

​

Today's Daily Reflections Program.

Honningsvag, Norway is known as the jumping point and gateway for the North Cape. It is located five degrees north of the Arctic Circle and the most northernmost city in mainland Norway. Situated on Magerøya island. The city population is 2,000+ residents.

Nordkapp is a famous cliff on the northern side of   Magerøya island, approximately 21 miles away. 


The North Cape already became a tourist destination by the 1800s. When visitors reached the top they celebrated by writing postcards. When their post card was mailed by the post office it was stamped with Nordkapp.

We try to avoid buses these days and Keith  so we didn’t make it up to the Nordkapp. The main factor though was Keith's concern with heights.  Keith thought about doing the hike of the Nordkapptrappa, but was concerned about heights. He doesn't mind heights where you have a wide area on both sides but having something narrow doesn't work for him. We were happy for those who did.

When Keith debarked the ship he saw Shore Excursion Manager Alex and Assistant Shore Excursion Manager Erin. Erin swings up to Shore Excursion manager when Alex is on Holiday. As it turned out Keith could have done Nordkapp.  He had googled this ahead of time and got mixed answers.  Lesson learned check with Crystal ahead of time.
​
Instead, Keith walked over to the local town and still had a very nice time.

It was a rainy day but we came prepared between waterproof jackets and waterproof pants. We learned to be prepared from our first visit to Reykjavik, Iceland many years ago on Crystal Symphony. It was on that day it was cold and raining and with the wind the rain was coming at you and we got drenched. A good lesson that we have applied to all of our adventures ever since which is to bring the correct clothing with you.

It drizzed for the first 45 minutes of Keith's walk. He first made a left out of the port area walking a couple of miles. The scenery was quite nice and he arrived at another area with many nice homes and nice views of the landscape. Reversing course the rain had stopped and once he got the port area he realized more of the local town was to the right so he proceeded to walk that area. There is a beautiful harbour and while tourism is important here so is fishing so you see a number of fishing vessels. He covered 5+ miles and it was great.

All in all it was a lovely walk and as Captain Birger said to Keith today's weather was another beautiful summer day in Norway. We are reminded that a summer day in our own country can vary based on where you are visiting and summer around the world varies quite a bit as well.

Another great day and the night isn't over yet.

Cheers,

​Anne Marie and Keith

Norm, thank you so much for yesterday's comment and for following along.

We also wanted to mention that last evening as the Captain had said would be the case, Serenity was treated to many magnificent views as we made our way from Svalbard and the seas were very calm so you could enjoy them from your verandah or other areas outside such as the Promenade Deck and you didn't have to worry about it being dark outside. 

Seas remained calm early this morning when Keith was out on the Promenade Deck at 5:00 AM.  By around 6:30 AM there was more wind and you could feel movement around the ship. While walking inside the ship on Deck 6 for a morning walk you felt sort of like you had a little more wine than you should have. LOL.  We've experienced far worse so no big deal.

We wanted to give a shout-out to the extraordinary crew who works so hard in all departments. Today, I wanted to mention housekeeping.
 
Each morning since it has been cool outside I walk inside the ship in the early hours after going to the Fitness Center. As I walk the ship I see the night crew and their supervisor cleaning all of the public areas and I mean cleaning. They clean everything you could imagine and it looks it. The two Crystal ships look much younger than their actual ages and this is one of the reasons.
 
Likewise, I wanted to say how hard housekeeping works along with the deck hands. Due to the strong winds, there was a good amount of sea salt that was on the sliding glass windows and the verandahs. Instead of waiting until turn-around day they cleaned them yesterday morning and this included washing them down by the deck hand and then the two women who keep the inside of our room looking great going outside and drying everything off and putting the seat cushions back on the chairs. It was cold and they just worked to make everything look great. 

Many thanks to each crew member for all you do. You are truly amazing.
 
Before dinner, we attended a cocktail reception at the  Captain’s Quarters Hosted by Captain Birger. It was attended by several fellow guests including many Crystal Society guests some of whom we have known for years.  
 
Lots of officers and senior staff were on hand including Vice Captain, Chief Engineer, Hotel Director, Cruise Director Ships Doctor, Chief Accountant, Food & Beverage Manager, Crystal Future Cruising & Loyalty Manager, Bar Manager along with other staff from Food & Beverage.

​There was lots of laughter, enthusiasm and overall appreciation for this voyage and where we were sailing. The Captain noted that the last time Crystal Serenity visited this area was in 2010. It was also special as the Captain is from Norway. It was nice that this itinerary included the overnight providing more time for people and crew too to visit the area. Although cold and it did turn colder and windier in the afternoon, we were blessed with not having rain and having weather that we could deal with by layering our clothing which we did. 
 
It was the most well attended reception we have seen in years. As Captain Birger noted, this reception was the most northern reception.

Waterside dinner menu from last evening.

Today's Daily Reflections Program follows.

A view from 5:00 AM this morning.

Although we only forwarded the time two times many people, including ourselves, were a bit tired for portions of yesterday.  We think it's a combination of the time change and also the other evening when we were rocking and rolling due to significant sea swells. Even if you are sleeping through it, you are continually waking up even for a brief time. This is one of the reasons we take a suite closer to mid-ship where you feel the motion far less than being in the bow (front) or the aft (back) of the ship. We had some banging that evening but nothing broke. We spoke with a very nice guest at the Captain's Reception who had a bottle of wine fall off the shelf onto the floor and the bottle didn't survive.  

With each passing day we continue to run into fellow guests some of whom we met for the first time since the restart of Crystal and others we have know for almost twenty years of sailing with Crystal. Last evening we met two guests shortly after being seated at Waterside. This is something that is very special about Crystal and is a benefit of sailing a cruise line with few ships. When you return to either ship you know there will be the Crystal extended family of crew and guests, many you have known for many years. While some guests just want to sail with Crystal and itinerary is not a driver, there are many who took this voyage specifically for its itinerary. Also, some are staying on through the Reykjavik to New York City sailing to avoid transatlantic flights back to the United States.

Lots on today's program. Three lectures including one on Honningsvag which is the gateway to the North Cape, one on Radical Islam and they save the best for last if you are a Beatles fan or is that fans as we are.  The final one was on growing up with the Beatles.  Yea, yea, yea, or is it She Loves You, or Let It Be or..........Lots of songs that we love.

 
Travel has shown us how wonderful our world is. Like us, it is not perfect but there is so much to do and sea and incredible diversity. 
 
Think about it. I you are in Svalbard in December there is mainly darkness daytime and nighttime. You may be fortunate and catch the Northern Lights. In July the opposite is true, and you will find mostly light in the daytime and evening hours.
 
We pinch ourselves each time we are on a new adventure and when we sail with Crystal. When we first started out, we never thought we would see so much and experience so much as we have through travel primarily sailing Crystal. Our time in Svalbard is truly an example of this.  
 
No matter what the geography is, or what a village, town, or city look like, or the size of its population, or the outdoor temperature, or what the local culture is like, there is something to see and something to learn in each area of the world. 
 
As was the case sailing the Northwest Passage in 2016, we feel humbled having visited Svalbard. In both cases, these are locations where very few people get to see through their own eyes. Even many of the seasoned crew said this was the first time they were in Svalbard. This is because the stops are not all that frequent, and they could have been at home, or it might have been the sister ship whose turn it was to visit this area of the world.
 
For those who sail Crystal when we leave most ports, we get to hear Louis Armstrong sing What A Wonderful World and these words resonated with many of us.

Waterside dinner menu from last evening.

Often, we dine at each specialty restaurant once per cruise even on a longer one such as this 14 day cruise. We do this as we love dining at Waterside plus for us the specialty restaurants are special so we want find it even more special by going there occasionally.  The only exception is when we are invited to dine at one for a second time which was the case last night when we were invited to dine at Osteria.

We are happy to report last night was indeed special between the dinner, service and amazing cuisine at Osteria along with the wonderful conversation. 

Osteria dinner menu follows.

Before we discuss what, we had for dinner, we just wanted to mention like any restaurant you might like everything, or you might like many items but not some of them. So, it’s a nice idea on each visit to try some new items so you can be the judge. One option to consider is to have the tasting menu. If there are two people you need to have this from the same menu. In general, expect this to be a two-hour meal and we believe in our case it would be longer just because we enjoy those leisurely dinners.  
 
So, what did we have for dinner?  We both had the ministrone al profumo di basilico soup which we both thought was delicious including the soup and vegetables. It hit the spot from a cold day. 
 
Next course we shared the Ravioli which was also wonderful. Like the half portion of Lasagne we had the first night, we are finding that the half portions work out well. It gives us nice tastings without feeling as though we have eaten too much.
 
For the entrée we had the veal. It was good but I would say on the drier side. It was accompanied with arugula salad.
 
For dessert we each had a quarter portion of the Tiramisu prepared tableside by waiter Hislaine. Just like the first night it is yummy, and the quarter portion worked out well. Unlike the first night we did share one other dessert which was the Cioccolato, nocciola e caffe which is chocolate, hazelnut and coffee. This dessert was also delicious. 
 
Then there was the wine. We started with the sparkling rosé and we both had an Italian Chardonnay and Keith had red wine.To sum up the meal it was sorprendente.
 
We learned that the large wine glass can hold 1.5 litres of wine. This is equivalent to two bottles of wine. I would not recommend this. Probably two much weight to lift the glass and if you have it all you will likely need a wheelchair to return to your room, and you likely will not remember much about the dinner other than having a splitting headache.  LOL.
​

Today's Daily Reflections follows.

The city of Svalbard includes a global seed vault. The vast interior of the site is not open to the public but is very important to the world. Encased in thick rock 100 meters below the surface contains a special Vault. Some consider it an insurance policy for the world's supply. It is intended to secure for centuries millions of seeds of each important crop variety available in the world today.

We wanted to share some lesser known facts about Svallbard,  Norway in case you want to know.
 
Some little-known facts about this town.
They have one grocery store.
They live right next door to reindeer.
They (not the reindeer but the local residents) take off their shoes when entering hotels and restaurants which is a tradition dating back to the time with coal dust.
The old mining infrastructure can be seen around the town reminding locals and visitors of its past.
The streets of this town have numbers rather than street names.
There is a university accommodating three hundred students. A course requirement is that students must learn how to use firearms.
It is not uncommon to see whales swimming in the fjord from lounge windows.

Some additional items.
 
Walk on the left side of the road if there is no pavement.
 
If you are heading out of town, take a tour.
 
Do not pick flowers in Svalbard.
 
It is compulsory for anyone traveling outside Longyearbyen to be equipped with appropriate means of frightening and chasing off polar bears. Relevant training is also compulsory.
 
Get permission before photographing people. Don’t photograph children, including at kindergartens or school.
 
Carrying a firearm in the settlement is prohibited. Taking firearms into shops or public buildings is also prohibited.
 
Help keep Svalbard beautiful by using rubbish bins and leaving no traces behind.
 
Do not disturb animals and birds or get too close to take photos.
 
​
​

Yesterday, upon arrival back to the port we asked how to get to a few places by foot and whether it was safe from the polar bears. The guide said it was but pointed to an area outside the port where one of the polar bear signs was located.  I walked over to it was and took a photo and sure enough some man was way beyond that sign. Hopefully, he won't end up being a meal for a polar bear. And hopefully, he had a firearm and flare gun. 
 
This morning, Keith decided to walk to and from town. Walking to the town I walked along the road the shuttle bus took yesterday morning. You walk on the side shoulder, but it is very wide, so you feel safe. At first there was some rain drops but it ended a few minutes into the walk.  Although slightly colder than yesterday and was far less windy so it didn’t feel as cold and the four layers of clothing above my waste worked very well as it did yesterday.  The walking time is typically 20 to 30 minutes each way depending on your walking speed. Keith made it in 18 minutes.  On the way back he realized he could take a path along the waterfront.  
 
We are enjoying the rest of the day on Crystal Serenity.
 

Last evening, we happily dined at Umi Uma for the first time on this cruise! Umi Uma, formerly known as Silk Road, made its spectacular debut with Crystal when the Crystal Serenity first set sail in 2003. Our initial encounter with this incredible dining venue was during our 2005 voyage on Crystal Serenity, and we absolutely adored it from the get-go. This fantastic Japanese restaurant was crafted by the renowned Master Chef Nobuyuki (Nobu) Matsuhisa and showcases many of the delightful dishes you'd find at one of his famous land-based restaurants.

​Nobu has gained fame for his exciting Japanese-Peruvian fusion cuisine, a style he crafted while working in Lima, Peru. It was in this vibrant city that he brilliantly adapted traditional Japanese dishes by infusing them with unique Peruvian ingredients! It's been a great day.

While reservations are needed for the tables sitting at the Sushi Bar does not require reservations and seating is based on the order of arrival. Often those wanting to sit at the sushi bar arrive early. This was the case last evening and the first six people who wanted to dine there were confirmed a few minutes prior to the opening of Umi Uma.  

We were escorted to our table by Headwaiter Richie. Richie was recently promoted, and we are very proud of him.  For many years Richie worked primarily on the Lido Deck before becoming a waiter in Umi Uma. In Richie’s new position when Headwaiter Sigi is on Holiday, Richie swings up to take his position and if they are both on board at the same time then Richie swings to the waiter position. Most recently, Ruel who was in the position now occupied by Richie moved over to Umi Uma at Crystal Symphony. Over the years it has been wonderful to see many members of Crystal Symphony and Crystal Serenity progress to higher levels of responsibility

We were taken excellent care of by Waiter Renato and Sommelier Jay.  Many others from Umi Uma checked up on us along with Specialty Restaurant Maitre d’ Mario and Restaurant Manager Paolo.
 
Everything was wonderful. The cuisine. The service. The dining venue. The entire experience. Bravo.

Last night most of guests dining at Umi Uma arrived sometime between 6:30 pm when it opened and 7:00 PM. Very few guests dined after that. The waitstaff team did an extraordinary job taking care of everyone and the service was as personable as it can be. The waitstaff team is truly a team, and it showed throughout the meal. We have known several members of the team for many years, and they are part of our extended family. They remember so many details whether that is a favorite appetizer or the wine that we enjoy.  While Nobu was on-board he made a few minor tweaks just showing attention to detail just like the crew observes along with those from Crysal on land. 

Once again the only downer for the evening was setting the clocks forward one additional hour before going to sleep. 

We also moved around quite a bit last night.  This included the ship and if the ship was moving around, we were too.  You knew you were at sea. After all we are LOL. We think of this as an all-inclusive roller coaster.  
​

Todays Daily Reflections Program follows.

A view from inside the ship at 5:00 AM from Deck 6, Seas were still choppy but lots calmer from a few hours earlier.

​More North Than Northwest Passage
 
We were fortunate to have sailed the first Crystal Northwest Passage Cruise in 2016. It was an epic voyage and one we will never forget.
 
Today we are in Longyearbyen which is the most northmost settlement. Although its popular is a mere 2,000+ residents, it is a vibrant town combining modern amenities with its Arctic roots. This town is known for its views of the Northern Lights. Longyearbyen also has residents from over 50 countries.
 
Some little-known facts about this town.
They have one grocery store.
They live right next door to reindeer.
They (not the reindeer but the local residents) take off their shoes when entering hotels and restaurants which is a tradition dating back to the time with coal dust.
The old mining infrastructure can be seen around the town reminding locals and visitors of its past.
The streets of this town have numbers rather than street names.
There is a university accommodating three hundred students. A course requirement is that students must learn how to use firearms.
It is not uncommon to see whales swimming in the fjord from lounge windows.

By 9:00 am we were cleared to go ashore in Longyearbyen and did. They offered a shuttle to/from town.
 
As usual Anne Marie was right.  Keith wanted to walk into town which would have been about twenty minutes, but Anne Marie said there was no sidewalk. Right she was.  Keith didn’t want to wear four layers of clothing (shirt, fleece, and two North Face jackets and lining) but Anne Marie said I should. She was right. We took wooly hat and gloves.  It was windy so with the wind chill quite cold but we were prepared. 
 
The bus driver and the tour guide were great. She is from India and has been here five years and will leave after summer with a doctorate in hand. She studied plants in the sea and their importance for food and oxygen. She told us all about the town and answered our questions.
 
Crystal advised to not go beyond the signs marked polar bear and she spoke about that. In the town there are four signs one on each side of the town noting where it is unsafe to be on your own without a rifle. What I wonder is do the Polar Bears read the signs but let’s not think about that.
 
After being dropped off we walked with friend Nancy for a little while and then Nancy went in one direction, and we went in another direction. 
 
People who didn’t go ashore asked what the town is like. We it is a town and like most towns they come in different sizes and look different than one another. It does have a church, museums, university, shopping mall (well not the way we think of malls), restaurants, a couple of places serving coffee one which has dogs, food market, two sporting goods stores, and some other businesses.

The downtown area has thirty-five public buildings. Looks like a similar number of private buildings.

From the town we could see the glaciers.  Today another reminder about the diversity of the world and the importance of realizing much of the world is unique from where each of us live.

Today was another reminder about the diversity of the world and the importance of realizing much of the world is unique from where each of us live. Yes, what a wonderful world it is.

Upon arrival back to the port we asked how to get to a few places by foot and also whether it was safe from the polar bears. The guide said it was but pointed to an area outside the port where one of the polar bear signs was located.  Keith walked over to it was and took a photo and sure enough some man was way beyond that sign. Hopefully, he won't end up being a meal for a polar bear.
 
 
​
 

Cheer,

Anne Marie & Keith

Weather Alert:  Captain Birger was right as usual and the temperature continued to drop yesterday afternoon as we were proceeding towards the North Cape. Looking at our temperature at home, the temperature was less than half of our high back home. By 4:00 PM the temperature was 44 degrees Fahrenheit and with the wind it felt like 28 degrees. This is not a surprise but it's amazing since it is Summer.  

We enjoyed a lovely evening last night.

It began with the Captain's Welcome Reception at 5:45 PM in the Palm Court. You can enter either side of the Palm Court. If you enter the one on the (starboard side) right side you can just enter. Or as we did you can enter from the (port side) left side) where you are greeted by one or both of the Future Cruise & Loyalty Managers, the Captain, the Hotel Directors and the Cruise Director. There is live music, and drinks and other officers and senior staff are on-hand along with many of your fellow guests. We entered from the port side.

​During the Captain's talk he introduced the Senior Officers of Crystal Serenity. This includes: Vice Captain; Chief Engineer, Hotel Director, Cruise Director and the Doctor. 

This was a formal night and the food as usual was wonderful. The menu included many items that are normally served on the first formal night of the cruise. This included appetizers such as Oyster and Caviar and main fares such as Lobster, and Beef Wellington. With several other items on the menu, we had some major decisions to make.  LOL.

​We had mentioned that each evening they start with a special butter. This evening the special butter had ghost cheese, chives and garlic and the focaccia bread had tomatoes on top. Yummy.


​

Today has many daily activities as it is another sea day. The following is the daily Reflections Program.

Todays's program included three lectures covering our next port of call Longyearbyen, the Arctic Convoys during World War II and a very current topic about AI and the Future of Work. As was the case yesterday, the program included a wide range of classes and other activities with the biggest challenge being which ones should I participate in today. We often say choice is good and there is a lot of choice as to what to do on a sea day or one can just sit back and enjoy a leisurely day curled up with a book. LOL but so very true.

The Computer University featured classes on managing passwords, and chat GPT both important topics to cover in the current environment.
​

On Crystal Serenity the morning lectures are normally in the Galaxy Showroom and the afternoon lecture is in the Hollywood Theatre. This is because the morning lectures have larger crowds mainly due to some guests having lunch or participating in other activities in the afternoon. Both are great venues for lectures similar to Crystal Symphony where they can make use of the Galaxy Showroom, the Starlite Lounge and even the Hollywood Theatre.

All in all, a great sea day and as they say the night is young. Captain Birger noted that the winds would keep up for the rest of the afternoon into the evening. Outdoor temperature 45 degrees at Noon today and believe the sea Temperature was around 46 or slightly higher. This is Fahrenheit.  
 

Cheers, 

​Anne Marie & Keith

A final view before we left Akureyri, Iceland. Our first time here and a lovely town.

Dinner menu from Waterside from last evening where we had dinner.

We enjoyed another wonderful dinner at Waterside last evening. Food delicious. Dining venue special. Service impeccable. Let's not forget the wine.

We enjoyed so many wonderful conversations last evening. Cruise Director Russ Grieve came by. We met Russ for the first time on the morning the 2024 Holiday Cruise ended in early January of 2025 on Serenity, and this is the first time we are sailing with him. We chatted with some fellow guests who came by our table to say hello to us and with several members of the Waterside team. We enjoy a nice leisurely dinner and we were there for two and one-half hours.  

​Waterside was relatively quiet with guests dining at other venues such as Osteria, Uma Uma, Beefbar and even in their suites/guest rooms.

The only downside to last evening was forwarding the clocks forward before going to sleep. A third world problem for sure. LOL.
​

We were ready for the first sea days of this cruise. Sea days are an absolute delight, and with Crystal they are truly exceptional.

There are so many activities that trying to do them all would take most people two to three days. Sometimes I wish we could slow down the clock to fit in more sea day activities into one day.

On port intensive cruises or on cruises where you have several consecutive ports many times we would yearn for a sea day to relax and change things up. There is all sorts of activities including enrichment that is a lot of fun for many of us. This includes enrichment activities like fitness, computer (and the computers at computer university are terrific ones) bridge, golf, dance, and art classes. But it does not end there. There activities inside and outside the ship, and of course, we can't forget about the food. LOL. As the evening approaches there are lots of entertainment options from live music, including dance, performances and an evening move. Similarly there are several dining choices and several lounges to visit for a drink, some with live music and an opportunity for a nice casual or even serious conversation.

For us the favorite part is enjoying all of this with fellow guests and the amazing members of team Crystal Serenity the same way we enjoy it when sailing Crystal Symphony with the extraordinary member of Team Crystal Symphony and fellow guests.

Today's program included three lectures; first one about the conflict in Ukraine, second one about climate change and third one about the story of Siegfried & Roy. Other activities included fitness classes, beginners,  intermediate and duplicate and social bridge, a golf clinic, computer university talks, team trivia, dance classes, Odyssey Art at Sea class, and a  photography class. There were other classes about spa and salon products. There was a morning Catholic Mass and an early Evening Interdenominational Protestant Service along with various get togethers. Then let's not forget the food between early morning, morning and late risers breakfast, lunch in various venues, and an afternoon tea. For those who enjoy sports/workouts there is Paddle Tennis, Pickleball, Table Tennis (ping pong), Golf, the Promenade Deck to walk, run or just take in the lovely views, the Pool, and the Fitness Center which is open 24 hours a day. In addition there is the library, the cinema where a movie is shown in the afternoon and a different one is shown two times in the evening.

The program continues into the evening and late evening hours with live music in various lounges, dancing, shows, and even Karaoke Night. And for those who enjoy gambling the Le Casino De Monte- Carlo was open during portions of the daytime and into the evening.  

​And if you like to shop that is available too.

It was a bit nippy outside as one would expect. After all, we are not sailing the Mediterranean or the Caribbean. We are sailing towards the North Cape and that means cooler weather. It was also overcast.  Rather than walking outside on the Promenade Deck we made us of the indoor track or should we say walking area and for us that is many Deck 6 where you can walk full circle and in our case full circles to get those steps in.  Keith also did this earlier this morning. Tomorrow early morning it will be back to the Fitness Center which some people refer to as a gym.  

​Last evening we spoke about Crystal Serenity being a village and the major difference of this village is that we do not stay in one spot and travel the world.  

We love traveling the world and seeing similarities and difference in people, culture and customs and its geography. 
 
For example, as we enjoy the scenery from the ship, we see mountains or as they call them in Iceland Fjall. They are beautiful but without trees whereas in another part of the world you might see a mountain with lots of trees on them.

​In the case of Iceland, you see few trees because of a combination of the early settlers who removed them, and due to other factors such as its harsh climate and volcanic activity.

 
This time of year, there is plenty of sunlight to be seen. If we were sailing in June we might have 24 hours of sunlight, this month the amount of sunlight is decreasing but we still had over 17 hours of it. Return here for the Winter solstice, and on December 21 you might have only four to five hours of daylight. 

For those who don’t travel we can sometimes forget about how diverse the world is and it is not the same throughout.
 
The crew reenforces all of this as they represent something like fifty different nationalities and it is always special to learn about their home cities, towns and villages and their home countries where they were born or where they live today. 

For those of you interested in the weather as of 12:00 Noon when Captain Birger spoke from the bridge the outside temperature along with the sea temperature was 48 degrees Fahrenheit and this is expected to decrease over the coming hours.  

And with colder weather in mind, we changed our jackets to something heavier and very much Crystal. LOL.

Cheers, 

Anne Marie and Keith

 

Last evening's menu at Waterside where we dined.

We began last evening with our first visit to the Waterside Restaurant of this voyage. We will be dining at Waterside for three consecutive evenings including a formal night.
 
Before dinner, we stopped by the Crystal Plaza to converse with fellow guests and members of the Crystal Serenity Team. We think of the ship as if it is a small village on land. The size is small enough we can walk out our front door and leave the car at home. We walk for a couple of minutes down a hill (in this case down six flights of steps) and we are near where we will be dining. Nearby there is a place to get drinks and/or to listen to live music. There are areas where you can get assistance with services provided by members of the concierge, reception, and shore excursions teams or if you would like to book a cruise or need help with the loyalty program help is available as well. We have known the members who comprise this village and who represent these areas for many years including some for 15 years or more. Others from the village passed through last evening and we chatted with them as well including members of Crystal Serenity and several guest who live in the village a portion of the year.  For us, it is the people who make this village so very special in addition to the lovely amenities found within this village. The major difference between this village and the ones on land is we keep moving 

​We began last evening with our first visit to the Waterside Restaurant of this voyage. We will be dining at Waterside for three consecutive evenings including a formal night.
 

August 16 – Akureyri, Iceland

We began last evening with our first visit to the Waterside Restaurant of this voyage. We will be dining at Waterside for three consecutive evenings including a formal night.
 
We had a wonderful time at Waterside. We were taken care of by an amazing team.  It starts with Restaurant Manager Paulo who returned from holiday the day we boarded. It continues with Senior Head Waiter Jaques. Our Senior Waiter was Enver. Enver was our Waiter in 2023 assisting Senior Waiter Marcin who after many years in what was the Crystal Dining Room which was renamed to Waterside on Serenity in late 2018 is now a Butler. Most recently, Enver took great care of us for Lunch one day during the 2024 Holiday Cruise. He is assisted by waiter Sami who is from Mumbai Our Sommelier is Dusan who has taken care of us on prior cruises.
 
This team has a lot in common, and this includes passion, enthusiasm, love of Crystal, teamwork, caring for guests and attention to detail. They don’t miss a beat. It seems like the alarm goes off or the lights flicker when we need a refill of wine because if you look up there is Dusan or the same holds true when your water glass needs filling because there is Enver or Sami or another waiter who came by from a nearby table to assist.
 
We enjoy conversing with each other through the meal and with the waitstaff team and enjoying many laughs and dinner is usually two hours or more. 


How do we sum up dinner?  We can in just a few words. Food was delicious.  Service was outstanding.

Since our last cruise they have introduced a couple of nice touches related to butter and bread/rols. Each evening they serve two different types of butter and accompanying the basket of rolls they serve a different type of focaccia bread each evening. Focaccia is a flat leavened over-baked Italian bread and

Focaccia is a flat leavened oven-baked Italian bread. In Rome, it is similar to a type of flatbread called pizza bianca. Focaccia may be served as a side dish or as sandwich bread and it may be round, rectangular or square shape.

​Since we had such a great time we will return back to Waterside this evening and for the formal night tomorrow evening.

Today's Daily Reflections Menu

This morning we arrived to Akureyri, Iceland. Views from 5:00 AM before arrival.

​Akureyri is located at the base of Eyjafjörður Fjord in northern Iceland. Its overall population is 20,000 residents. The Akureyri Church is located in the town and dates back to 1940 and has stained-glass windows portraying scenes from Icelandic Christian history. It offers views of the fjord. Near the church is the  Akureyri Art Museum which displays contemporary art from Iceland. To its south are the Botanical Gardens, with specimens from across Iceland. 

Considering it is located 60 miles from the Arctic Circle, the weather is moderate.  Thank goodness for us. LOL.

Although we didn't select a tour, five different tours were available for booking including a visit to the GeoSea Baths and Gobafoss Waterfall, Whale Watching, a Polar Flight to Grimsby Island and a couple of tours for guest to take-in the beautiful scenery of the surrounding area.
 
Its overall population is 20,000 residents. The Akureyri Church is located in the town and dates back to 1940 and has stained-glass windows portraying scenes from Icelandic Christian history. It offers views of the fjord. Near the church is the  Akureyri Art Museum which displays contemporary art from Iceland. To its south are the Botanical Gardens, with specimens from across Iceland. 

Although we didn't select a tour, five different tours were available for booking including a visit to the GeoSea Baths and Gobafoss Waterfall, (Waterfall is located about 45 minutes from town) Whale Watching, a Polar Flight to Grimsby Island and a couple of tours for guest to take-in the beautiful scenery of the surrounding area.

We were in port with our merry bandmates, or is that a trio of musicians and singers, or a trio of dancers, or better yet a trio of passenger cruise ships? Since we are on a ship it must be the latter. Yes, the two ships who were with us at Reykjavik, and again yesterday in Isafjordur were here with us today. We can't seem to get rid of them. LOL.  Or maybe they want to get rid of us.  Today was also payback time. We ended up tendering yesterday while the other two ships docked.  Well today we were docked with the very large ship while the other kid on the block was docked at the container port meaning they would need a bus to travel into town while we could easily walk

Before proceeding ashore, Keith went out on the verandah and was not going to wear a jacket. However, Anne Marie would have none of that and had her jacket. Feeling guilty or better yet not wanting to be second guessed, Keith put on a jacket. Well, as usual Anne Marie was right. As we got off the ship the wind picked up and the wind picked up as we walked into town. We thought when we turned around to walk back to the ship there would be less wind. Think again. It was windier on the way back. We think of this as Icelandic air-conditioning.  

Overall, we had beautiful weather in spite of the wind. The temperature was very moderate starting in the 50's and just like a cherry on top of a hot fudge sundae our dessert was having a sunny day with no rain.  

We enjoyed our stroll around town including some beautiful scenery. In spite of the wind, Keith hiked up to the entrance of the church. He held onto the handrail for dear life. Well, NOT.  
 
​

Cheers,

Anne Marie & Keith

, We want to get to the bottom line. Everything about this dining venue is amazing. All of the glassware, dishes, cutlery, centerpieces and everything on the table is new. It is innovative. This includes the centerpieces that have vegetables such as lettuce, pepper, pumpkin. The glasses are amazing as well. The glass with the sparkling wine was very light in weight. The water glass was very unique and they have different sizes of wine glasses. The wine glass for the red we believe could have held an entire bottle of wine. Maybe more. 

The service is always fabulous and last evening was no exception. Our waiter, Hislaine, did a wonderful job explaining the three menus and giving recommendations and she was assisted by another wonderful waiter. Our Sommelier who we have known for years is like a fine wine. He gets better and better.

There are three menus.  The first menu features traditional Italian classics. The second menu has signature dishes and the third menus features fish/seafood.

You can order from one menu or from all three. We ended up selecting items from all three. You can get full portions or smaller portions.

If everyone at your table would like a tasting, you could get a tasting from every item on one of the three menus.

Food was tasty. The aroma is like a fine wine. Smell it before you taste it.

We each began the meal with the scampi. It has a very unique presentation and taste. This was delicious.

We shared the lasagne for our next course. This was the best lasagna we have ever had. The lasagna is hand made and the ingredients are fresh and very tasty. It is homemade. Anne Marie is half Italian and knows how to cook Italian but she would agree this is simply the best.

Anne Marie had a half portion of the egg plant and let Keith taste a little of it. It had a smoked aroma and Keith had the Bronzino.

For dessert we selected the Tiramisu and had a small portion. Often they would recommend four pieces to share but we went with two and that was plenty for us after three courses. It is prepared table-side.

We think there has to be something (well much more than something) to make people happy.  We plan to try other dishes on our next visit until we have tried them all.

Kudos to Crystal for rolling out this amazing menu.

​

Our Penthouse Attendant.

Today's Daily Reflections

We wanted to begin with our observations of Iceland as a tourist destination and for us it is analogous with Alaska to some extent.
 
Our first visit to Alaska was in 1993 and back then in several ports there was one ship or in some ports two ships. In succeeding years, the number of cruise ships calling on ports of call such as Ketchikan and Juneau increased significantly as Alaska became a popular tourist destination.
 
Iceland has become very popular in recent years. While it doesn’t get the volume of cruise ships that Alaska receives, its cruising tourism has increased quite a bit, and its busy months are July and August with some cruise ships in September. Yesterday, including Crystal Serenity there were three ships docked at the port plus one at the old port. Tourism has also increased in the winter as tourists visit to see the Northern Lights. With this said, some cruise lines are avoiding Iceland due to a fee that went into effect on January 1 of this year.

Fishing continues to be the number one driver of its economy followed by tourism along with renewable energy and manufacturing.
 
​

We had an incredible experience during our first and only visit to Isafjordur, Iceland in August 2021 aboard the former Crystal Endeavor as we circumnavigated Iceland. On that thrilling adventure, we hopped on a zodiac and were mesmerized by the stunning views of the area. We were also delighted to spot amazing wildlife, including playful seals!
​

​Because of this we didn't book a shore excursion for today in addition to being selective on the number of excursions we book.  We took the tender over to the port. The ride was so calm you thought you were on land. Upon arriving we saw the two cruise ships from yesterday were docked. With a population of 2,700 people the number of guests and crew on-board the three ships significantly outnumbered the local population.
 
It was a ten-minute walk into town. We passed some houses whose façade was colorful and attractive as were some of the storefronts. The town included a modern church along with a museum in an 18th century building.  
 
The town was first settled in the 9th century and used for farming. By the late 16th century, it was a trading post and overtime it was occupied by whalers and other merchants. These days tourists can take boats out for whale watching.
 
After 24 hours on-board Crystal Serenity we feel very settled back home at sea.

Cheers,

Anne Marie & Keith

We've absolutely loved every moment of our time in Reykjavik, Iceland! If you had asked us back in 2020 whether we'd spend three pre-cruises in this city, we would have said no way. It's amazing how things turn out! 

We've absolutely loved every moment of our time in Reykjavik, Iceland! If you had asked us back in 2020 whether we'd spend three different pre-cruise stays in this city, we would have said no way. It's amazing how things turn out! 
 
Since our very first cruise, there is something very special about embarkation day. The anticipation and excitement builds from the moment we’re awake about starting a new cruising adventure. 

We’re thrilled being back on Crystal Serenity! We've practically lived a lifetime on this ship—three and a half years, to be exact. Our first cruise on Serenity was in 2005 for two back-to-back cruises totaling twenty-four days sailing the Mediterranean. At the time it was our longest cruise. We began at the port of Civitavecchia the gateway to Rome, Italy. It was on these cruises that we decided to book a World Cruise. In fact, we submitted a waitlist deposit for the 2007 World Cruise having no idea what the itinerary was. A few weeks later the itinerary was published. A few months after that the 2008 World Cruise was released and we had a feeling we would have such a great time in 2007 that we immediately booked 2008.
 
If we add in our time on Crystal Symphony and the former Crystal Harmony, along with the former Crystal Endeavor and Mozart we've spent well over four years at sea sailing with Crystal! 

Similar to booking a second world cruise before we sailed the first one, we were so sure we would love our first cruise on the Crystal Harmony in 2002, that months before this sailing that we booked a cruise on Crystal Symphony for 2003.
 
We were right on all accounts and as they say the rest is history.
 
We’ve included photos from the first time on Harmony, Symphony and Serenity.

We continued smiling while we waited to board Serenity. We saw fellow guests and some crew members.  The excitement continued as we walked up the gangway. We were greeted by some members of the security team and once they scanned our documents we walked a few feet and we were standing inside Serenity.  

Once on board, it felt like a family reunion with our beloved Crystal Serenity crew. We have known some of the crew for 23 years.
​

Guess what we had for lunch? No tough decisions here! We enjoyed our classic embarkation meal—a delicious Cobb Salad paired with a flute of champagne—and raised a toast to our love for one another. Cheers!

Butler Rao took care of everything.
​

This is our route for this first voyage of our adventure.

Today's Daily Refections

Cheers,

Anne Marie & Keith

Thank you Betty for your comment and for following along.

Thank you Jonathan for the weather update which we were unaware of.  

We wanted to digress for a moment and that is timing or maybe luck is everything.  When we cross streets we look both ways even at a traffic light and when the pedestrian walk turns green. We assume someone is not paying attention. Today we were behind a family of four including their two children. The light turned green and the walk light did too. There were two lanes on each side end. Looking to the left two vehicles one in each lane were coming to the light. The one in the right stopped. As the family was getting near the one in the left the driver of that SUV didn't stop, and made a left hand turn. The family was inches away from a catastrophic accident. Years ago while visiting Keith's parents in Florida a woman stepped onto the street and a car didn't stop and she was instantly killed. This is something we haven't forgotten. Pedestrians pay attention and never assume someone will stop. Same true for drivers and also a reminder to pay attention when you drive.

Let’s begin the day with some Iceland Trivia.
 
Everything You Wanted to Know About Iceland But Were Afraid to Ask. Or Ten Trivia Topics Which Could Show Up When You Play Team Trivia.
 
It is believed that Iceland got its name from explorer Hrafna-Flok Vilgeroarso who encountered icy fjords during a harsh winter. When he saw the ice supposedly, he names the island Island which translates to Iceland in English.
 
On our first visit we were told it got its name by settlers who tried to trick their fellow Norsemen into staying away thinking the entire island was covered in ice.
 
The water. Often, when we travel outside our own country, we purchase bottled water. Even in our own country we no longer drink water out of the tap.  Iceland has terrific water, so we drink water from the tap.
 
In Iceland, most homes do not need a separate water heater due to the widespread availability of geothermal energy.
 
Iceland has its own home air-conditioning. It works easily. If you are warm, open one or more windows. 

Iceland has the world’s or one of the world’s oldest parliaments dating back to 930 AD. Take you pick.

Reykjavik Iceland is the most northern Capital of any of the 195 UN-recognizes countries.

Beer was banned between 1915 and 1995.

Until 1986, Iceland only had one television station and initially it broadcasted on Wednesday and Saturday. Overtime, it expanded to other days of the week.  Everyone got the month of July off so no TV in July.  
 
In 1924, a complete ban of dogs was enforced in Reykjavik. The rule has since changed and people can own dogs if they get permission from the municipality and pay a fee.

Let's talk food again. We shared another Pretzel Bagel with our dinner last evening. 

The good news is there is no rain in today's or tomorrow's weather forecast. Unlike the weather back home, the low started in the mid-40's (F) with a high of 57 degrees. It has been mostly sunny.

We have enjoyed a very nice stay in Reykjavik. One of the things we like about cruising is often we have stayed at certain locations pre/post cruise that we might not have visited if not for a cruise. At the same time, cruising has given us the opportunity to see so many places that it would not have been possible for us to see if we visited by air.

Over the years there are places that we have come to love that we may never have visited if not for cruising. In some cases, we simply didn't think we would enjoy them, but were proven wrong. There have been other cases where we thought certain places would be amazing. While very good they were not what we expected. Cruising doesn't always give you depth meaning if it's a stop along the way there isn't enough time to see everything. However, cruising provides the opportunity to get a flavor of a place and if it's a location you enjoyed one could consider a return via a pre or post cruise, an overland, or visiting it on a land vacation.

While some people do not want to repeat itineraries there are certainly itineraries that we do not mind repeating because of our love of a town, city, country or even continent.  

We are also at a stage in our lives where there are places that we never tire of visiting again and again. On the other hand, there are places and geographical areas where we have visited once, twice, or several times that we appreciate having seen but we don't see a need to go back. Health concerns also factor into some of this as well.

When we were studying countries around the world in grade school and at University and in our early years of marriage we would never have believed that we would have the honor of visiting them by our current age let alone in our lifetime. Cruising has played a big role in all of this. 

Travel continually reminds us of the diversity of people in the world and the beauty of the world. Everyplace we have visited we have learned something from and everyplace has its own beauty even if sometimes it is not apparent at first.

The other thing that travel has taught us is in such a fast paced world to take the time to smell the roses. In other words we have never felt the need to see it all at once and to see certain areas just to say we saw it. There are certainly places that we might have seen that we chose not to either because we would be rushed or wanted to do something else. This is not to say we've never had to rush on a tour or on a stop by on our own, but we try to make this an exception. Full disclosure though in certain museums Anne Marie could spend the day while Keith might prefer one hour max.  Same goes for shopping at home.  LOL.

We have enjoyed another lovely stay in Reykjavik for the second consecutive year and for the third time since 2021. Ironically, our pre-cruise stays have all been driven by Crystal between boarding the former Crystal Endeavor in 2021, Crystal Symphony in 2024, and Crystal Serenity tomorrow in 2025. We have also transited Reykjavik a few times on prior Crystal Symphony and Crystal Serenity Cruises and we have sailed around the entire island of Iceland with many stops including utilizing zodiacs in 2021. If not for our Crystal Cruises we may never have seen Iceland let alone spend several days in the beautiful city of Reykjavik.

We enjoyed several very nice long walks this morning and this afternoon stopping at various sites along the way. We will let the photos do the talking except to say in the early morning both the moon and the sun were visible.
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Tomorrow, we return home to Crystal Serenity which has been our home for the equivalent of over three-and-one-half years since our first visit for twenty-four days in September of 2005. It was on this cruise that we firmed up plans to take the first of what turned out to be many World Cruises and many other voyages. If you told us many years ago we would travel as much as we have and do a lot of it on this amazing cruise line with the best crews afloat on all of the Crystal vessels we have sailed we would have said you were crazy. This is why we pinch ourselves (figuratively) each time we cruise and we remind ourselves how lucky and fortunate we are and what a wonderful world this is in spite of some of its day-to-day challenges. When we think of luck travel reminds of this as it takes us to several places where the challenges people fact day-to-day are vast and this does remind us of how fortunate and lucky we are.  

In closing for today, this is a reminder that no matter how much liquid is in the glass, it is always half-full.

Cheers,

​Anne Marie & Keith

Thank you Jo for your comment and we are glad you are enjoying the Blog.

Let’s talk groceries. Say what?  Yes, groceries. 
 
If you are up to a 12-minute walk as we, are we have found not one, not two but three grocery stores adjacent of each other. And just as you thought three is enough, or was the show called eight is enough, you learn there is a fourth store close by.
 
By USA standards, these are considered small, yet they are like the size many of us experienced back in the day when everything seemed large because we were young and small.
 
They don’t carry tons of each item which in many ways is a blessing. Sometimes, less is more or should I say less makes grocery shopping simpler.
 
Stores are clean and well organized.
 
The shelves are well stocked and some might say packed. Thankfully, you won’t feel like you are in New York City trying to navigate your shopping cart all around to avoid crashing into boxes all over the floor or worse yet running into employees stocking the shelves.
 
The produce and fruit selections are amazing that if you didn’t know better you would think the fruit and vegetable gardens were right outside each store and picked minutes ago.
 
Some items normally found on grocery shelves back home, are chilling in the in the refrigerators even though they are sealed tight. This includes milk in a box and Hellmann’s mayonnaise.

These stores are everywhere as if they have multiplied. If we walked 15 minutes in the opposite direction we would find several more grocery stores.
 
If this wasn’t enough, there are several convenience stores who when they grow up maybe they will become grocery stores because they carry many items you could find in grocery stores plus other items and often cooked food to go such as Pizza.
 
For us this works out well because these hotels are basically apartments disguised as hotels as they come with an apartment layout and amenities, with hotel-like services. It’s like getting two for the price of one. Well, maybe two for the price of one-and-a-half.  

Speaking of food:
 
Time to chow down! Every morning, like clockwork, a breakfast lands on our doorstep. Just like at last year's spot and back in 2021, this breakfast is a multi-tasker: it feeds us in the morning, provides fruity snacks for an afternoon snack, and even sneaks in some goodies to jazz up our dinner. It's a breakfast with ambition!

​In addition to the breakfast items shown below, we could add to this traditional Icelandic yoghurt, juices, vegetables, boiled eggs, scrambled eggs, fried eggs, bacon. 

 

Speaking of food, right near where we are staying is a bakery and the driver who picked us up at the airport pointed it out before dropping us off at the Apartment Hotel. He said it's the best bakery in the city. While we didn't try their pastries, we decided to taste a pretzel bagel. We each have had a variety of bagels over the years and soft pretzels, but never a pretzel bagel. It's never too late in life to try something new.  We enjoyed it for sure.

We knew today would be the coolest, as in temperature, since we arrived and there would be intermittent rain showers and the weather forecast was spot-on. After all this is Iceland in August. The weather elements didn't prevent us from enjoying a glorious walk as we sang raindrops keep falling on my (our) head. We changed this with it's raining, it's pouring, The old man is snoring. He went to bed and he bumped his head, And couldn't get up in the morning. It's sunny, it's shining, The old man is whining. When he woke up he dropped his cup, But all clouds have a silver lining.

As to the silver lining less people were out and about and we had the opportunity to view several pieces of art by ourselves and enjoyed walking as far as our feet would take us.We were prepared with our waterproof jackets and it only rained for short periods of time.

At one point we could see from a distance a cruise ship making its way to the larger of the two ports and we spotted another cruise ship already in port. At the same time there was one ship in the downtown port which accommodates smaller vessels.  

It's been another great day in Reykjavik and we still have another full day to look forward to tomorrow.

Cheers,

​Anne Marie & Keith