Villefranche-sur-Mer, France

When we had lunch in the suite yesterday, Butler Marcin brought the lunch as Butler Ayhan was on break. We have known Marcin for many years and he was our Senior Waiter on several prior sailings. 
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Last evening we dined at Waterside for the first time of this young voyage.

Waterside Dinner menus

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Last evening we dined at Waterside for the first time of this young voyage.

Senior Waiter Enver took great care of us when we were on board for two months last year, so it was great to be with him again. He was ably assisted by waiter Arvin who began as a junior waiter. Senior Head Waiter checked up on us and it’s great being with Restaurant Manger Leo who we hadn’t been with since the 2024 Holiday Cruise. Sommelier’s rotate with each succeeding voyage so last year we had Isabel on one of the voyages we were on. 
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We were taken care of by Restaurant Manager, Leo, Senior Head Waiter Jacques, Senior Waiter Enver, Waiter Arvin and Sommelier Isabel.

Shortly after we were seated Junior Waiter Brian came by with Pellegrino for Keith.
 
Food was amazing as was the service and let's not forget the wine.

As mentioned yesterday, Crystal recently went to a new dinner menu. Over ten years ago they had rolled out a new dining concept in Waterside with two distinct menus rather than one menu. One menu featured Contemporary cuisine and the other menu featured Crystal Classics. At the same time they took items that were featured as part of themed dinners such as French Night and incorporated them in the Crystal Classic menus. We were on Crystal Serenity when they rolled out this concept directly after the conclusion of one of the world cruises. One could say that items that were considered contemporary at the time in today''s world could be classified as classic. For some the menus could be confusing since you could order from one or both menus.

The single menu which recently made its debut on both ships makes it easy for guests to select from each menu course/category, it streamlines the process.  For comparison there is lots to choose from. The new menu features seven appetizers/salads versus four from the previous menu with two soups like the previous menus and the same number of main courses.

The new menu also shows the desserts and cheese. Although you won't order dessert until after you have finished your main course seeing what is offered might be a factor about what you will order for the first set of courses. When it is time for dessert, your Senior Waiter will bring over a dessert menu and unlike the first one will provide a short writeup about each of the six choices of cheese that are available that evening.

As in the past there are some items available each night even when not on the menu such as chicken, salmon, various sides, and matzah ball soup.

Food photo features from top left and moving clockwise Fricassee of Forest Mushroom & Asparagus and Cured Fresh Salmon “Mi Cuit” appetizers, and Fresh Spaghetti “Fruitti Di Mare with White Wine Sauce, Tomato & Assorted Seafood and Fresh Groups with Tortellini Confit Leeks and Champagne Velout Main Courses. We also each had a salad and some dessert.

Today, we arrived to Villefranche, France. Villefranche is a picturesque and historic harbor town on the French Riviera.  It is located east of Nice. 

Tender service was offered between Serenity and the tender pier. The pier is a short walk from the train station and the trains provide access to Nice and Monaco with ten and fifteen minute rides respectively.

We have visited this charming town several times over the years. It offers travelers many places to visit including historical and cultural sites, lovely drives and beautiful beaches. You can enjoy aa nice walk on cobblestone streets and/or a visit to a nice restaurant to enjoy local cuisine. 
 
Crystal offered several tours. Some of them included drives of the beautiful countryside, wine tasting, a visit to Nice, views of the Riviera by electronic-bike and some private vehicles where you could customize the tour for yourselves. 

On prior visits to this port and to Monte Carlo we have visited the lovely village of Eze which we highly recommend, toured the local port area and have also visited Nice and enjoyed stunning views of the Riviera.

Keith took the first tender over to the tender pier. It was a local tender so he got to sit outside. Crystal also ran their regular tenders shortly after Keith went ashore.

He enjoyed his walk around town. There are lots of restaurants, cafes, stores, and residences. Keith went up and down lots of steps with steep inclines. Weather was absolutely perfect.

We wanted to acknowledge the Crystal Serenity Senior Officers.

We will enjoy the rest of the afternoon and evening on-board Crystal Serenity.