GOLDEN STATE DISCOVERY - DAY 6 CRYSTAL SERENITY

GOLDEN DAY DISCOVERY DAY SIX SERENITY - SAN DIEGO

We wanted to begin with some additional photos from the renewal of our wedding vows ceremony,a few photos with those "red" shirts taken on-board Serenity and a family photo from our special Vintage Room Dinner.

This is our first Crystal Cruise when the two of us will not be dining at any of the Specialty Restaurants.  This is because out of respect to our fellow guests and to the waitstaff we didn't think it was appropriate for the grandchildren to be dining at these venues.  This evening Jennifer, Gui, Eric & Kara will go to Silk Road while we watch the grandchildren.

Since our family would not have the opportunity to dine at the Prego Italian Specialty Restaurant we decided to bring Prego to them.  We decided to order from Prego and rather then having each person order a separate meal that we would make it a Prego Italian Buffet served Family Style which is exactly what we did.

We ordered Bruschetta as an appetizer, caesar salad, eggplant parmesan, small portions of penne pasta with three different toppings with the grandchildren in mind, and a couple of different entrees including Homemade Potato Gnocchi and Handmade Butternut Squash Tortelli.    

If that was not enough we had pre-ordered a St. Honore Cake and once again with the children in mind, Gelato and we also had M&M's on-hand for them.  

Many of you know from our previous Blogs that we are careful with what we eat. Often on long cruises we are very disciplined but on occasion we will splurge such as when we visit Tastes and from time to time with a dessert or some entree.  We just think its part of good health.  On a short cruise like this one while we have been disciplined with our breakfast and lunch choices, we also balanced that between the Vintage Room and say last night.  Some of the items we had last night we have never eaten before at Prego and wanted to note how delicious they were.  

The grandchildren also enjoyed a movie and enjoyed their meal, particularly the dessert.  LOL, but they do love dessert.  

We also wanted to mention that before we began dinner while we were enjoying a pre-dinner drink all of a sudden we saw what must have been 20 to 30 dolphins in the water so we all went out onto the verandah.  We were going relatively slow and they stayed with us for at least fifteen minutes. Often we will hear of wildlife sightings but it seems that we are on the wrong side of the ship and miss out on them.  LOL.  This time we were fortunate to see so many dolphins as well as several whale which we saw the other day.  Maybe that's a sign of future things to come.  

Although it was not possible for us to attend the evening entertainment we wanted to mention that Broadway Vocalist Michel Bell performed two shows.  He is one of a select group of entertainers who performs regularly on both Symphony and Serenity.  He has a distinctive deep voice.  Since these shows were at 7:00 and 8:30 PM for those wanting late night entertainment there was a Rock & Pop-A-Mania Show performed by the Crystal Ensemble of Singers and Dancers with music by the Crystal Showband. In addition to live music in three different lounges and a late night DJ, the movie A Dog's Purpose was shown at 8:30 and 10:30 PM.

On this cruise three of our family members have become first time Crystal Society Members so now they are part of the Crystal Family.  From L-R grandchildren Jackson, Andre and Emma with their Nana.

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The seas were much calmer last evening compared to the night before.  We both slept well and began the new day as we do regularly.  This included an early workout for Keith followed by breakfast and a walk for Anne Marie as we got ready for our visit to San Diego.  We arrived to the Port of San Diego 8:00 AM.

Believe it or not, this is Anne Marie's first time to visit San Diego.  Keith spent time here on business.  One time we booked a family trip to the Coronado Hotel but canceled it and took a cruise instead.

We decided to go on a long walk which included area close to the ship and others much further away.  Our walk included stops at the USS Midway Museum, the area dedicated to the Greatest Generation and then over to the area close to the bridge that carries traffic to and from the area where the Coronado Hotel is located.  We also walked to Old City Hall, the Gaslamp Quarter, the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Courthouse Little Italy and a few other areas in the downtown area.

The weather was absolutely gorgeous and this is a beautiful city.  The area near the pier is very nice and certainly much nicer then some of the other ports such as San Pedro, California.  

We did observe quite a few homeless people as we have in other cities such as San Francisco where the homeless population seems to rise with each passing year.  

 

During our walk we ran into Caryn and Stan a beautiful couple both inside and out.  This is the third voyage that we have sailed with the two of them.  They are wonderful people.  ​

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Our children and grandchildren took the bus two and from the Coronado area where they enjoyed the beach and also had lunch.

We enjoyed lunch back on-board Serenity.  Keith played Paddle Tennis and Anne Marie walked on the outside Promenade Deck.  Keith also met up with our son Eric.

TODAY'S THOUGHT FOR THE DAY.....

The area near the pier includes a tribute to what many say is "The Greatest Generation".  Our parent's were part of that generation.  We owe so much of what we enjoy today to that "Special Generation".   We must never forget them.

​Anne Marie & Keith