DAY 19

DAY 15 CRYSTAL SYMPHONY  -SEA DAY

Last evening we began with a pre-drink at the Avenue Saloon. Keith tried a lush champagne.  This was the third and final black tie optional (BTO) evening of the cruise.  These are the dinner menus from Waterside.
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We ate dinner at Waterside.  We were invited to dine with four other guests and the Vice Captain.  One couple we ate at earlier in the cruise with the Captain and the other couple we met for the first time.

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We didn't take photos of the food. Sorry.  LOL.  This was one of the best meals we have had this cruise.

Anne Marie had the Poached Lobster for her appetizer while Keith went with the Caviar.  They provided a double order of the caviar and Keith had the blinis with it.  The caviar was delicious.  

We each had the Commander's Salad for the next course.  This is an item that is familiar to the final BTO night.  It includes salad greens, tomatoes, palm hearts asparagus, and crips leek.  We have always enjoyed this salad and we did last evening.

For the entree Keith had the Sea Bass which was recommended by a couple of senior waiters and it was a great choice.  Anne Marie selected the Beef Wellington and enjoyed it as well. Anne Marie had the sugar free dessert and Keith blueberries and strawberries.  We enjoyed wine with the meal.  Most importantly we enjoyed great conversation.  

By the time dinner ended there was just the two of us at the table along with the Vice Captain and one of the husbands.  One of the ladies enjoys dancing and was the first to leave to dance before the evening show.  One of the ladies was worried about getting a good seat to see the show and left before dessert arrived and eventually one of the husband's left to find his wife.  LOL.  The Vice Captain was gracious enough to stay until a few minutes before the Captain's Farewell Reception. 

It was great to have the opportunity to speak with the Vice Captain.  Keith knows him from  Paddle Tennis games.    A very impressive officer.  ​


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After dinner we went to Captain Nenad's Farewell Reception and then to the first showing of Crystal's newest production show Crystal On Broadway the show.  It featured excerpts from Something Rotten, West Side Story and Rent.  It was so nice to see its debut on-board Crystal Symphony.  The show included familiar music from these shows with some dialogue.  There was not an empty seat in the house.  It was a wonderful show and we think most people will feel the same way as we do.  

The show really shows the talent of the entertainment team between the song, dance and singing.  Unlike some cruise lines that are so large and can rehearse a show on land and take the team onto a ship to perform it, this is not the case with Crystal Cruises because they just don't have the scale to do this.  Instead, the performers rehearse this show on the ship and have to fit the rehearsal times into their schedule which includes practicing for the shows on the regular schedule and performing those.  They performed the show the night before for some of the members of the crew which is very nice for those being able to attended.  Kudos to the entertainment team on land and at sea.

At the conclusion of the show Cruise Director Paul McFarland introduced Keith Cox, Vice President of Entertainment and the person who was involved in the choreography of the show.  Keith was presented with flowers and spoke to everyone and thanked the extraordinary team for making this a success not only the performers but those who are involved with audio and lighting.  

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All in all we had a lovely evening.  

Once back to the room we set the clock forward for the third and final time of this cruise.  Ouch.

We slept very well.  That was easy given we have set the time forward three times since leaving Hawaii.  

​We enjoyed breakfast in our room as we got ready for our final sea day of the cruise.  Since indoor cycling was not on the schedule Keith offered to cycle with other guests and led them in cycling.  Two of the guests cycled with Keith for a 50 minute class.  

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There was lots on the program today.  This included:

Morning Lecture by Michael Bishay about the person who killed 16 people and wounded 33.  He discussed why it happened and what went wrong.

Next was a talk given by General Nick Halley about the World in Conflict.  Since we saw this one on a previous cruise we didn't attend.

The afternoon featured a talk by Dr. Jay Wolff who spoke about Lewis and Clark.  He spoke about Thomas Jefferson sending Lewis and Clark to the Rocky Mountains to define the Louisiana Purchase and on to the Pacific to mark America's manifest destiny: Sea to Shining Sea and the USA and Canada each getting a Pacific Port Seattle and Vancouver respectively.

Once again there 50+ programs were on the morning/afternoon schedule.  The quantity and quality of the activities is unique to Crystal Cruises and a hallmark of the cruise line.  For those interested in food preparation there was a Galley Tour at 4:30 PM.

We dined at Waterside for lunch as we have done most times since boarding the ship.  Afterwards, Anne Marie walked for an hour and Keith played close to three hours of Paddle Tennis.  Anne Marie did a good deal of the packing so that we can spend time in Victoria tomorrow.

Another wonderful 24 hours on Symphony.

​Anne Marie & Keith