We wanted to begin with a couple of items. First, is a photo of a luncheon salad that Keith had yesterday from Waterside. Love the colors and the salad was delicious.

We began last evening attending the Captain's welcome Reception and Crystal Society Party.  We were recognized for achieving another special Crystal Society Milestone.

These are the Waterside Dinner menus where we dined following the Reception & Party.

We returned to Waterside for the first of three consecutive evenings. Unlike the last cruise guests seem to be spreading out more in terms of where they are dining and the times of dining. We arrived about 15 minutes after opening.
 
We enjoyed dinner and I will let the photos speak for the food we had other than dessert since I didn’t take a photo of it. LOL.  On most voyages the Sommelier’s in Waterside rotate stations. Our Sommelier is Mila who we have known for several years since she started on Serenity.  When Endeavor was launched she was one of the crew members who went over there and she was our Sommelier on our cruise circumnavigating Iceland in August of 2021.  When Crystal restarted, she was assigned Symphony and now is back over at Serenity. She swings between being a Sommelier to a Head Waiter in Waterside.
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We were clear to go ashore at 8:20 am to visit Cozumel.
 
Cozumel has changed quite a bit since our first visit in the early 1990’s and when friends visited this island. Back then it was sort of a sleepy place. Friends would fly from where we lived to Cozumel to go diving.  They would stay at dives where they would pay $20.00 or so a night and a low price to go diving. Food and drink were cheap.
 
On our first arrival we remember taking a taxi over to the town from where we were docked and a buggy ride back to where the ship was docked. The shopping area was totally different than today as it had one-of-a-kind shops not like today with those jewelry stores that you see across the Caribbean.  Often one ship was in port. On one of our recent visits there were nine ships in port including some that were tendered.
 
Like today, we were docked at the location within a short walk from the downtown area.
 
Today, Cozumel is the largest inhabited island in Mexico. While it has gone through a transformation in the downtown area there are still parts of the island that include untouched jungle and shoreline.
 
The ships tours give an idea of the types of activities that tourists do when they visit. This includes visits to the ruins, snorkeling and beach time (diving is still popular but not practical to offer as a ships tour), or going for a fish cookout.

​We believe about six ships in port. One docked by us; three at the other terminal and one anchored.

Keith went off on his own as Anne Marie walked on the Promenade Deck.  He enjoyed the walk along the water into town and then revisited some places we had been to on each visit including years ago with our family.  One year we sailed with another family from home and we all went into the Señor Frogs and we remember that visit as if it was yesterday.

We are enjoying the rest of the day on Crystal Serenity.

Cheers,

Anne Marie & Keith
 
 

 

Rob, thank you very much for your kind comments about our blog and we are glad you are enjoying the watercolor renditions. It's been fun including them.  We wish you both a very safe, healthy and Happy New Year.  

After posting yesterday, we both attended the Crystal Society Family Get Together. The event featured a member of the Crystal Shoreside team and Keith who is one of the two Face Book Crystal Society Family Group moderators as the co-hosts for this get-together. We had a super turnout.

It was interesting to view other ships from Serenity.  In Miami they are all docked in front of one another. At our location you had a ship across from us and another one on the left side of us.  The ship on the left departed shorty before we did and it was interesting to see it make its maneuvers to safely depart without hitting us.  
 
Yesterday’s weather was like what it was when Serenity arrived at Fort Lauderdale on 12/18, and we boarded.  When Serenity arrived to Port Everglades it was raining. The rain cleared and it was mainly cloudy. The only difference is it was windier. When we departed there it was clear sailing.
 

This is the dinner menu from last evening in Waterside.

As we did on the first night of the first cruise, we dined at Osteria and following is the dinner menu for this Italian Specialty Restaurant.

We have actually dined at Osteria on the first night of each cruise, starting with the Crystal Serenity Inaugural cruise on July 31 of 2023.  We find that many people boarding the first day dine at Waterside since the first day is busy between embarkation, unpacking, attending the muster drill, and for those who are new to Crystal or the ship learning the layout.

​We enjoyed a delicious dinner along with superb service, great wine and the ambience of this beautiful dining venue.

We tried a few new items including Duck for Keith and a Dessert that Anne Marie had not had before. Always good to change things up.

​First photo with Specialty Restaurant Maitre d' Mario Moinheiro

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Early this morning.

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Interesting cloud formations before we had breakfast.

Today is the first sea day of this young cruise.  Like all sea days there is lots on the schedule and this includes three lectures. They are: Dr. Michael DeDonno who spoke about The Female Brain versus the Male Brain, Dr. James Wirtz who spoke about The Cuban Missile Crisis Revisited, and Jim Jimirro who gave a behind the look of Walt Disney.

We are enjoying a wonderful sea day with great weather.

Cheers,

​Anne Marie & Keith

Anne asked how many people are on board for each of the two cruises. We don't like to quote number because they can vary based on revenue versus all guests. The first cruise was almost full and the one that starts today is completely full as we understand it. 

Last nights dinner from Waterside.

We enjoyed a wonderful meal from Waterside along with several appetizers with two other people. It includes canapés we enjoyed prior to dinner.

We wanted to introduce you to our Penthouse Attendant and her Assistant; Amber & Jonah who are amazing.

Today we arrived to Port Everglades where this cruise comes to an end and we begin the next cruise.

Following is the daily Cruise Reflections Program.

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For Serenity, today is a turn-around day. For guests it is either a day to debark the ship, embark the ship, or continue onto the next voyages and the latter guests are considered in-transit guests.  In the USA, all guests continuing on to the next voyage are required to leave the ship temporarily so that the ship can get to a zero-count meaning all guests are off the ship.  Guests continuing onto the next cruise were asked to leave the ship by around 10:20AM. After a short wait we went through passport control and then looped back to return to the ship.  They could also leave the ship starting around 8:00 am if they had plans to do something in port. A shuttle was provided to take guests between Serenity and Las Olas Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale.

We've included photos of the Lounge.  The Lounge replaced the former Casino on each ship.  The new Casino has been introduced on each ship in the space occupied by the former Bridge Room.
 
The Casino is an alliance between Crystal and Monte-Carlo SBM and is the only Casino de Monte-Carlo at sea. It features slot machines, blackjack (at certain hours poker) and roulette. Those who play will experience what it is like at the Casino de Monte-Carlo in Monaco from those who work in the Casino on board Crystal Symphony and Serenity.
 
Back to The Lounge.  The Lounge is multi-purpose. Today, it will be used to check in those embarking the ship today as the gangway will be on Deck 6. If the gangway was on Deck 5 then the area between the two Crystal Future Cruise & Loyalty Managers would be used.
 
It is used for open bridge play, bridge instruction, mahjong, and by those who desire to play board games or cards on their own. It is also utilized for on-going puzzles and two are included in a photo I’ve posted.  Still others such as Anne Marie and I have used it to get together with a guest or guests on-board each ship. On this current voyage I have met up with a friend almost every afternoon in the Lounge.  
 
Each night since the first night of Chanukah three menorahs are utilized.  Two are in the Crystal Plaza and are electric and are in use 24 hours a day.  The Rabbi has lit a menorah in the Hollywood Theatre in the evening.  
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Since today is embarkation day we had our traditional Cobb Salad and Flute of Champagne marking the start of the next cruise.

We are posting early today as Keith will be attending a Crystal Society Family Get Together. The event features a member of the Crystal Shoreside team and Keith as the co-hosts as he is one of the two Crystal Face Book Family Group moderators.

Cheers,

​Anne Marie & Keith

Last evening began with the Captain’s Party including the Crystal Society Recognition. Several Society Members were recognized with flowers and several were mentioned for Milestones on this cruise.
 
Afterwards we had dinner with a fellow gues Ida.Keith had met her and her late husband in 2022 at the Hotel Borg in Reykjavik, Iceland. We had checked into the hotel following our cruise circumnavigating Iceland on the former Crystal expedition ship. They were sitting in the lobby awaiting to leave for the ship and Keith struck up a conversation. Fast forward to July 31, 2023 and we saw them several times on the Crystal Serenity Inaugural Cruise while we walked daily inside the ship and on the Promenade Deck.

We have seen her most days of this cruise and extended an invite for dinner.
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Dinner menus from Waterside from last evening where we dined.

Dinner was wonderful between our conversations, the amazing waitstaff, the beautiful dining venue and the delicious food.

Let's talk food.

French Onion Soup for Anne Marie and Seared Ahi Tuna for Keith.

Caesar Salads followed by Wiener Schnitzel.  Only difference is Keith had his with an over easy fried egg on top. We learned about this from one of the Butlers we had on Bahama cruises we took in 2021. It's very similar to what is called Schnitzel a la Holstein.

And then there was the wine.  The ladies enjoyed Far Ninety Winery Chardonnay a very pleasant wine. Keith enjoyed La Sirena, Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley.

This is the Daily Reflections Program.

The good news is we turned back the clocks one hour before retiring to bed.

This was the last day of the cruise and a sea day. Lots of programs on the schedule.  The program included three lectures; First was sailing the ancient world.  Next was the mind of the Psychopath. Final one was the third part of the Rapid Rise of AI.

We are enjoying the day at sea speaking with members of the crew and fellow guests.  We enjoyed lunch at Waterside with CEO Christina Levis and her husband Enzo Visone who used to head of Silversea.

These are the dinner menus from Waterside from last evening.

Last evening, we dined at BeefBar for the first time.  Many have said how wonderful the dining experience is, and I couldn’t agree more.
 
Beefbar is in twenty-five different countries, in the air and at sea on Crystal.  Their locations are in Europe, the Middle East & Africa, Asia, South America and North America.
 
They first open in Monte Carlo in 2005.  Their founder was Riccardo Giraudia European leader in meat import and export. Their concept is a modern steakhouse that breaks with traditional codes.

Someone told us they visited BeefBar and the venue looks like the ones on Crystal Symphony and Serenity. I supposed the biggest difference is on a Crystal ship you are sailing the world so can enjoy ever-changing views from each ship.

Evidently, the menu on land is much more extensive than on the ship which is very understandable given factors such as the availability of product and the size of the facilities including the galley.  
 
There is a lot to choose from.  We have friends who are not beef eaters and were very pleased with the selection.  I love beef but rarely have it.  I can easily dine there and select items which are not beef including the salmon.


This is their dinner menu.

The biggest challenge was what to order but we did some homework ahead of time.  

The concept is item are for sharing and tasting although you certainly can have your own item.

The Senior Waiter remembered how we liked to dine at Tastes and used the same method last evening. In other words bringing one item out at a time other than when they served the entree although we shared two entrees so he could bring one out at a time.

We began with the Tacos which included Angus beef, tender wheat galette, avocado, Kobe beef butter, habanero. The Taco shell is soft, and the tastes are amazing.
 
Next we had the Prawn Salad. It includes Prawns, Avocado, Greens and a very tasty dressing.
 
Next, we each had the Ribeye Cap which you could have sliced or not sliced and since we shared it we had it sliced. 
 
We shared Classic and Parmesan French Fries and Seasoned Vegetables.
Finally, we shared a filet mignon. It was also amazing.
 
Anne Marie had the Mille-Crepes Caramel Miso and Keith had some of it and Keith had the Fresh Fruits.

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The dining experience exceeded our expectations. The food was delicious. The venue is beautiful and enhanced in the evening with the beautiful lighting. Each dinner plate has a unique design. The round tables have a nice design so as not to cramp anyone's legs. 

Add to this the amazing service, professionalism, friendliness, warmth and knowledge of the wait staff team and this is a recipe for success.

We are reminded that when Serenity made its debut Tastes was a dining menu, while it was introduced on Symphony several years later.  In the early years Tastes offered a very limited menu for dinner, and one could not change it up. For example, one kind of salad, one type of steak, one type of chicken and a few other items. It was staffed by the Lido Deck Stewards.  It offered those looking for casual dining an alternative. There were no reservations.
 
It then converted over to a dining venue offering tasting of a wide range of items representing places around the world and was staffed with a Head Waiter and Senior Waiters and Waiters mainly from Waterside with some of the Lido Deck Stewards. It was highly regarded.
 
It was eventually converted over to Silk serving Chinese food and had mixed reviews. 
 
When New Crystal launched, they converted the menu to something similar to what the tasting Tastes was like.
 
The introduction of BeefBar in our opinion takes it to the next level. Many people I know would ask why Crystal couldn’t offer a Steak House. BeefBar achieves that goal and lots more. There are several items on the menu that can be chosen by those who don’t care for Beef or who eat Beef infrequently or by those who are vegetarians.  

The ambience is even nicer than the previous Tastes which was quite nice, but this takes it to the next level. It’s beautiful during the daytime but it glows in the evening when it is dark outside with the beautiful lights.

The Waitstaff continues to excel and given the short time they have been open their knowledge was excellent. The Senior Waiter and the Waiter could answer all questions and provided excellent knowledge.
 
While they are very busy the staffing appeared to be more robust than before. Those pouring drinks covered the entire venue and I believe over the course of the evening four different people poured our wine and water and they came by frequently to check on us.

Bravo Crystal for introduction BeefBar to Crystal Serenity and Symphony. This is another wonderful enhancement made by new Crystal.

​This is today's Daily Reflections Program.

Today is the first of two sea days as we make our way to Fort Lauderdale.

Lots on the daily program including three lecture. First one about the most influential psychological experiments in history, followed by a behind the scenes VIP talk about the White House and in the afternoon a talk about the acceleration of AI.

We continue to have a great time and we are enjoying our time on Crystal Serenity.

Cheers,

Anne Marie & Keith

This is the Waterside menu. Last evening was formal night.

It featured a Holiday Classic menu and a Holiday menu and also included some items typically found on a formal night.   

At the same time, Crystal offered a Supper Club for around 108 which includes a smaller version of the Waterside menu plus dancing. It’s reminiscent of a supper club from years past.
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​We were in excellent hands with the outstanding Waterside team enjoying friendly, warm and professional service along with several good laughs and delicious food along with great wine.

Today's Daily Reflections.

We thought we would post many of the holiday decorations found around the ship.

We ended up making today a sea day and stayed on the ship. Another early morning walk outside for Keith following a workout at the Fitness Center.

We ended up making today a sea day and stayed on the ship. Keith got a haircut while Anne Marie walked on the Promenade Deck. We spoke with several fellow guests and members of the amazing crew and enjoyed walks on the promenade deck.
 

Cheers,

​Anne Marie & Keith

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​A very Merry Christmas and this evening marks the start of Chanukah.  So we say, Merry Christmas and Happy Chanukah to our friends on land and to our extended Crystal Family at sea and on land.  We wish you all happiness.
 

Dinner menus from last evening in Waterside where we dined.

We enjoyed a wonderful dinner at Waterside last evening. Everything was impeccable including superb service, wonderful and creative cuisine and the ambience of this dining venue.
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Everything was marvelous. Some members of the fantastic Waterside team.

Keith was able to fit in an early workout including time on the pool deck.We've included an actual photo and then an artist like view thanks to the magic of a water-brush app. 

Today is the first of two consecutive sea days. 

Like all sea days, today's program featured lots of enrichment activities including lectures. The lectures incorporated a festive flare with Melinda Bates speaking about entertaining at the White House and Bob Ray talking about Holiday Music, Tunes and Tales.

Santa Claus could be sighed too as he visited the ship at 10:30 am at the Palm Court. A great time for children and adults of all ages.  It is so nice he was able to locate Crystal Serenity.  

Marketplace featured a special Christmas Brunch and opened at 11:30 am rather than at 12:00 noon.

This evening at 6:00 pm Rabbi Lavinsky will light the menorah as the start of Chanukah begins.  This is the second  time that Chanukah has started on Christmas in my lifetime.  It doesn't happen often though.  The last time it has occurred was in 1910, 1921, and 1959.

This evening is a formal night.

Once again, we wish those of you who celebrate Christmas and/or Chanukah a lovely day and evening and holiday season.  

Cheers,

​Anne Marie & Keith

Happy Holidays.

Before dinner Keith attended a cocktail party at a fellow guest’s suite with about twenty-five to 30 fellow guests in attendance. Anne Marie arrived a bit later. The holiday decorations in the suite were amazing.

Later, we went to the Crystal Plaza and enjoyed the vocals and piano playing of Nadia Matiunina. Several round cocktail tables with tablecloths were added to the area adding to the festive look of the Plaza while also providing more capacity for guest to enjoy drink and/or canapes.
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Dinner menus from last evening in Waterside where we dined.

Dinner was great. Some of the highlights included Duo of Crab for me, Cream of Mushroom for Anne Marie, U-10 Scallops which is an entrée for Anne Marie and Sesame Tofu Cake accompanied with Japanese Rice, Tempura Bok Choy, and Miso Espuma for Keith. While Keith enjoyed salads and vegetables, he’s only had Tofu one or two times in his life and the experience was not favorable. Earlier in the day while looking at the dinner menus on the tablet which Crystal provides in all guest rooms, Keith asked Senior Head Butler if he know about this entrée and Rao described it and highly recommended it.  Well, he was right. It was delicious so a reminder that you are never too old to try new things.
 

Today's Daily Reflections.

Keith got in an early morning workout between the Fitness Center, Promenade Deck and finishing up on the Pool Deck.

Shortly after breakfast, Senior Head Butler comes to the room with the Ginger Bread House and Candy.  These are for the four Crystal Penthouses and Junior CP Suites.

This morning, we arrived at Roseau of the Dominica.  The ship was cleared at around 8:00 am.
 
Roseau is known as the nature island of the Caribbean. It is a beautiful island and unlike most inhabited Caribbean islands, it has changed very little from the time Christopher Columbus visited. It is known for its rainforest, rivers, and cloud covered hills.
 
Roseau is the capital and major port of Dominica an island of only 72,000 people.  Today’s shore excursions included Snorkeling, Beach-Time, a visit to the Titou Gorge & Spa and Waterfall Wonders.    
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Keith walked several streets of the town.  The locals were friendly and engaging. Sure some wanted to see if he wanted to go on a tour of the island or buy some item but this is part of tourism and a means to earning income which we applaud.

One man noticed Keith's New York Yankees shirt and said he is a Yankee fan.  He give tours and showed his business card which did say Yankees Taxi Driver. 

While waiting for a tour to walk down the gangway Keith looked up and saw a rainbow looking over Serenity.  A very nice sign indeed.

We are enjoying the rest of the day on-board Crystal Serenity.

Cheers,

​Anne Marie & Keith

Happy Holidays!

These are the Waterside dinner menus from last evening.

​We dined at the Vintage Room. This was a private dinner that we hosted. Appropriately, we called it a "Special Vintage Room Dinner With Our Crystal Family."

In consultation with Head Sommelier Jiri we selected each course from the three different menus ahead of time. Jiri selected wines to pair with each course with some input from Keith.

The experience was wonderful from the moment we arrived. Jiri was assisted by three butlers.

We began with champagne before it was time to take our seats and toasted with our guests. Prior to the start of each course, Jiri poured the wine and provided background information about the body and the preparation of the wine, the vineyard and the winemaker along with other details.While you can have up to 14 people in attendance, we hosted a very small group. With less bottles to consume, we enjoyed some very special ones. We also went with two fewer bottles of wine as it would have been too much for us to consume.

There was plenty of time to talk during and between each course. The service, cuisine, education and enjoyment of the wine was magnificent as was the conversation.  We began the evening at 6:30 pm. Amazingly, when we looked at our watches as we were ready to wrap-up it was 10:15 pm and probably the longest of the many Vintage Rooms we have been a part of.

Special thanks to Head Sommelier Jiri Kamal, the three Butlers and to the F&B team including Executive Chef Franz Weiss, Executive Pasty Chef Savio Fernandes and their teams, and to others involved with this including housekeeping and the florist.

Keith began the day with an early morning walk on the poll deck, after a workout at the Fitness Center. I was very peaceful with a nice breeze along with temperature already in the high 70's.

Today's Daily Reflections Program.

We arrived at the town Basseterre on St. Kitts at 8:00 this morning. It is the larger of the two islands. It is known for its rainforests and white sand beaches. Two island make up St. Kitts is the larger of the two islands and Basseterre is its capital.  

It is recorded that Christopher Columbus explored the islands in 1493.  At that time it was inhabited by Carib people. This changed with slavery and today most of the inhabitants are descendants of African slaves.

​The walk out to the port security was fairly long. Due to construction at the other berth which was much closer to the secure area we docked further than we have on past visits.  Outside the secure area there are lots of shops and from there the local town.  As we find in some Caribbean ports side walks were not very wide or not non-existent so it was important to walk safely.  

​The walk out to the port security was fairly long. Due to construction at the other berth which was much closer to the secure area we docked further than we have on past visits.  Outside the secure area there are lots of shops and from there the local town.  As we find in some Caribbean ports’ sidewalks were not very wide or not nonexistent, so it was important to walk safely.  
 
We are enjoying the afternoon on-board Crystal Serenity.
 
Cheers
 

We are enjoying the rest of the afternoon on-board Crystal Serenity.

Cheers,

​Anne Marie & ​Keith

Patricia...Thank you so much for your lovely comments.

Before dinner we went to the Crystal Plaza for the Tree Lighting Ceremony. Before the ceremony, we spoke with several people including Golf Pro Joe and Paster Ed and his lovely wife Ruth

​We returned to Waterside last evening for dinner. We enjoyed a wonderful dinner. The cuisine is top notch as is the service and the ambience of this dining venue. It starts from the moment we arrive being greeted by wonderful restaurant manager Leo. It continues with the wonderful waitstaff team of Senior Head Waiter, Jacque, Senior Waiter Marcin; Waiter Nitish, and Sommelier Rudolpho.

Dinner menu from last evening at Waterside.

Today's Daily Reflections.
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 While we are fortunate to live within a five minute walk to one of four fitness centers in our community, use of it is restricted to its opening and closing times. Unlike most cruise lines, the Fitness Center on Crystal Serenity and Crystal Symphony is open 7x24 and is located within a couple of minutes walk from anywhere on the ship. 

So today began as it normally does with an early workout at the Fitness Center (photo taken towards the end of the workout), followed by a one hour long walk on the pool deck and capped off with a run on the wrap-around Promenade Deck. Weather was very nice with a breeze and 80 like outdoor temperature. A great way to start another wonderful day on-board Serenity as we were sailing towards Marigot, St. Martin.

Up until last year's Holiday Cruise our other visits to Saint-Martin have involved docking on the Dutch side of the island. Once again, today's visit involved anchoring off Marigot which is a  town located on the French side of the island.  

This town offers the visitor a chance to enjoy its charming streets and the opportunity to try French cuisine and browse the local stores and markets and it is known for its beaches. While most think of Orient Beach there are other beaches including Rocky Beach.

Back on the ship we are enjoying the rest of the day on-board the amazing Crystal Serenity.  

Cheers,

​Anne Marie & Keith