Portovenere, Italy

6/18/2026

We're including a couple of photos of our suite.

Speaking of the suite, we want to give a shout out to Executive Head Housekeeper; Sneha who had been our Penthouse Attendant several years ago on a World Cruise, Assistant Head Housekeeper Nivalda; Penthouse Attendant Rose and her assistant Belen. Also, a big thank you to Butler Ayhan. Everyone has been terrific and gone the extra mile to get us all situated.

Breaking News. We are very open about Anne Marie’s compromised immune system. Because of this the last time we ate at Marketplace for lunch was during World Cruise 2020. This is because we feel with the number of people dining and the proximity of tables to one another that it is too risky for her. Today we decided with the lovely weather we are experiencing to have lunch at Marketplace and to sit out with the exceptional food and amazing crew and the beautiful scenery and it was perfect. We will continue to do this on days that the weather cooperates. It also provides time to see member of the Food & Beverage team and fellow guests.

Keith played close to three hours of Paddle Tennis with our Crystal family, and it was lots of fun. Great exercise, lots of good laughs and wonderful views.

Anne Marie got in her second walk of the day and after her walk she came up to the Paddle Tennis Court to take some photos.

Last evening we returned to Waterside. The menu featured some items that used to appear on the menu when Crystal had themed dinners such as French Night. These were replaced in 2014 when they moved to the Contemporary and Traditional menus.

We enjoyed a very leisurely dinner and stayed close to two hours. Food was delicious including being fresh and very flavorful. The wine was great too.

The entire team took very good care of us starting when we were welcomed to Waterside by Restaurant Manager Leo, escorted to our table and seated by Senior Waiter Enver and Waiter Arvin and water glasses filled by Arvin and Junior Waiter Brian. Brian assists in another area but demonstrated wonderful teamwork assisting Arvin and Enver. Sommelier Isabel poured the wine and as if the lights were blinking always came by at the right time to pour additional wine. Senior Headwaiter Jaques checked on us a few times throughout the meal.

Waterside serves a lot of people each evening. We would say around 450 yet the food including its presentation and the service is like dining at a specialty restaurant. Kudos to the entire Food & Beverage team and this incudes all of the staff who work in the galley. Let's also thank those on land who create recipes, provision the food and beverages and create new concepts for dining.

Today's Daily Reflections

We anchored off Portovenere, Italy before 8:00 AM.

Portovenere is a UNESCO World Heritage Site which we have visited a few times over the years. It is a quaint and charming village located on the Liqurian coast and has a population of 3,200 residents. The harbor is lined with brightly covered houses and narrow medieval streets.

It is often referred to as Cinque Terre's sixth town even though it is less known and visited by tourists.

There are many picturesque views including the stunning views from Byron's Grotto. Lord Byron is said to have written Childe Harold's Pilgrimage in Porto Venere. The area includes couple of churches. There is San Pietro which originated as an early Christian Church made of black marble dating back to the 6th Century. Adjacent to the church is a Romanesque Loggetta with arches, which frame the coastline. The second church is named Chiesa di San Lorenzo, built in the 12th century and has a Romanesque Facade.

You can visit the Andrea Doria Castle which was built by the Genoese between the 12th and 17th Centuries. Adjacent to the Castle is a cemetery. We noted that many people lived long lives and far greater than the life expectancy of those times.