Boston, Massachusetts

10/10/2025

Before I took the tender over to Provincetown, Massachusetts yesterday afternoon I stopped by the Crystal Cove to pick up a map. A woman saw me and asked if I was Keith as I had a mask on. Please no questions about the mask and I am not sick. She was right. LOL. I spoke with her and her friend, and they were both delightful people. As it would turn out we would also sit on the tender together. She touched my heart when she mentioned that when Crystal was out of business and before the ships were bought that my posts about being hopeful and staying positive were very much appreciated. I have heard this from several people since the inaugural, and it brings tears to my eyes. Yes, I never gave up hope. There is something about being positive. I learned this in school, at work, and in sports. As former Crystal Cruises Captain Glen used to say if you want to have a good time you will. If you don’t you won’t. Seems simple but these words resonate with me.

It was nice to walk around Provincetown. Anne Marie and I were last here in 1976. Actually, our once and only time when we spend a few days in Cape Town and each day visited on of the major towns. The Cape Cod visit was wonderful and ironically in one of the other towns we had looked in a jewelry store and found a ring and a month later I followed up with the jeweler and bought the ring and proposed to Anne Marie shortly after the ring arrived.

From the tender pier you pass by places selling items plus places with signs up about whale watching and other tours and there were lots of vessels of all sizes.

The town has lots of stores, cafes and restaurants and with the wind I could smell wonderful aroma such as Lobster and Clam Chowder.

All of this took me back in time remember how beautiful Cape Cod is. What a wonderful world we live in .

Waterside Dinner Menu from last evening.

Last evening we enjoyed the food of Umi Uma. Umi Uma debuted on Crystal Serenity from its very first cruise under the name Silk Road. Later its name changed to Umi Uma but not it food. The dining concept was created by Japanese Celebrity Chef Nobu Matsuhisa whose restaurants are featured around the world. Many of his recipes reflect fusion cuisine which blend traditional Japanese dishes with Peruvian ingredients. A signature dish of his includes the black cod in miso. We first experienced this food in 2005 two years following the first year of Crystal Serenity. Eventually, the dining venue was rolled out to Crystal Symphony.

The evening entertainment included a second show of this cruise featuring comedian Steve Caouette followed by the Production Show called Icons in Concert featuring the Crystal Ensemble of Dancers, Lead Vocalists and the Crystal Showband.

Following is the daily Reflections Menu.

This is our third visit to Boston of this cruise. On the first visit friends joined us on board for the day. On our second visit we took the tour of Lexington and Concord. Today, we took the shuttle into Boston.

We took the shuttle over to Boston and walked for quite a while. Anne Marie did hit Boston and that is a long story and we will mention that tomorrow. In the meantime, one photo from today included.

Marketplace

A dining venue which we have not discussed is Marketplace serving breakfast (continental followed by breakfast buffet) and a luncheon buffet.

Marketplace evolved over the years and so did we.

Before being named Marketplace for many years it was called the Lido Café. Guests would get online, take a tray and utensils and plate and would push their tray along cafeteria style. When you reached the end of the line a waiter would carry your tray over to a table.

The Café was staffed with personnel from the Specialty Restaurants, Crystal Dining Room (now called Waterside) and Lido Deck Stewards. The team of Stewards would rotate between areas such as the pool deck every few cruises. They were the heart and soul of the café. They would do the set-up of the breakfast and run to get guests items after they were seated whether that was coffee or another beverage or many other items.

The concept was changed first on Symphony and then on Serenity during respective dry docks. The venue went from Lido Café to Marketplace and the cafeteria like style was changed with trays removed and food stations set up. With this change the waiters from the dining room played a major role helping guests with food and beverage items and clearing tables.

Today due to other changes including another dining venue on both ships now Beefbar and previously other dining venues and with more people going to the lounges before and after dinner, the team that used to be called the Lido Deck Stewards isn’t involved with Marketplace. Some Junior Waiters and others do the set up of breakfast and the former team of Lido Deck Stewards have a variety of roles with some helping in the lounges.

Like us guest evolved. On our first couple of Crystal sailings on Harmony and Symphony most of our breakfasts were in Waterside (formally called the Crystal Dining Room) and the same was true of lunch. We enjoyed the table service and the menus and were happy to enjoy a leisurely meal. For us this changed when we started to go to the Lido Café (now Marketplace) each day for breakfast with the exception of one or possibly two days. For lunch we would go to either venue depending on whether it was a sea day or what we had planned in port. On the 2007 World Cruise we played Team Trivia and often after those games the entire team would have lunch together in the dining room. However, in time, this stopped for us as we wanted to have a quicker lunch to do other things following lunch including going back into port, walking, a return to the Fitness Center and by 2010 Paddle Tennis for me.

We observed similar changes in other guests with a far greater number of guests having breakfast and lunch at the Lido Café/Marketplace as well as other venues such as The Trident Grill. Just like on land where people prefer meals that require less time the same is true at sea. We are reminded that often cruise lines used to have assigned seating not only for dinner but even for breakfast and for some lunch. Same was true at certain hotel resorts with assigned seating and meals included for Breakfast and Dinner and sometime Lunch. Crystal evolved lunch and several years ago started to close Waterside in certain ports, particularly in the Mediterranean, when many people were out on tours and now closes Waterside for lunch unless it is a sea day as fewer people desired to be seated there for lunch.

Back in the day there used to be indoor pools on both ships and no certain days there was a themed buffet including an American Buffet and an Asian Buffet. This was an enormous effort to set-up plus a challenge to keep food at safe conditions and was eventually stopped but today on certain days you will find a themed luncheon in Marketplace. The grand gala buffet which used to be held in the Crystal Plaza stopped after the shutdown for Covid-19 and on certain cruises such as the Holiday Cruises on Christmas Day and New Years Day some of those food items from the Grand Gala Buffet are featured in Marketplace.

Even today often it is the same people who go for Breakfast at Waterside and in Marketplace on a long cruise although it is open seating, you’ll find that people try to sit at the same table or one nearby. After all, to a large degree we are creatures (humans) of habit.

Marketplace brings back many fond memories for ourselves including a place Keith would stop by for early morning coffee with my computer and a place where we enjoyed many breakfasts and lunches by ourselves and with others. In time, we started to have breakfast in our room and after 2020 lunch in our room.

We would often speak with the waitstaff behind the counters, and the cooks, and the waitstaff at the tables and we enjoyed lots of great conversations with them and many good laughs.

Bon Appetit.

Cheers,

Anne Marie & Keith

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ICELAND TO NEW YORK ADVENTURE
ON-BOARD CRYSTAL SERENITY
Mid-AUGUST TO Mid-OCTOBER 2025