WELCOME TO FANNING ISLAND These are the dinner menus from Waterside for last evening. Before dinner we had a pre-dinner drink at the Avenue Saloon with friends John and Linda. Keith ended up having a craft beer which was brought on-board in Hawaii. We understand that craft beer will be brought on-board in selected ports. We met friends Jim & Judy at the Prego Italian Specialty Restaurant for dinner. We have known the two of them since World Cruise 2017. We met them early on that World Cruise as they sat at a table next to the one we were sitting at. Anne Marie would see them in the Laundry Room and this began the start of our friendship. We have sailed with them on several World Cruises and have enjoyed several dinners together on board the ship and at shoreside events. We enjoyed a delicious dinner, great service, the overall ambiance of the dining venue and wonderful conversation. We began the meal with Caesar Salad. Anne Marie had the Veal and Keith had the additional fish from Hawaii. It is called Fresh Hawaiian Walu. This is the first time he has had this fish and it now ranks alongside the Opah from Hawaii as the best fish Keith has ever eaten. He also asked for a double side order of grilled vegetables and Head Chef Albert created a beautiful and delicious side order for Keith The evening entertainment was fantastic. It included two showings with Musical Humorist Bayne Bacon and two showings of Crystal Dance Stars starring the amazing dancers Beverly and Curtis. We slept well as we continued sailing to Fanning Island. Captain Giske's forecast continued to be spot-on with respect to the sea swells. You know you are at sea with motion yet overall it has been fine for us. Keith was up first and back to the Fitness Center for his workout. We enjoyed coffee and breakfast in our room. We walked together inside the ship before we got ready to visit Fanning Island. We are in the same "boat" (no pun attended) as many people when it comes to Fanning Island. We have never been to this island before. The island is located 900 miles from Hawaii making it one of the closest land massed to Hawaii. It does not receive many cruise ships. Before Norwegian Cruise Line was able to offer seven day round trip Hawaii cruises without having to visit a foreign port to comply with the Jone Act they would offer cruises of Hawaii which included Fanning Island. The down-side to this is that it could not be done in seven days and longer cruises were less attractive for those looking for something with less overall days. Also, some cruisers have no interest in sea days. They were able to get around this issue through legislation sponsored by their late Senator Inouye by allowing NCL to sail a seven day round trip Hawaii cruise to and from Honolulu flagged with an American Flag and having an American Crew on-board their ship. NCL stopped sailing to Fanning Island in 2007 which impacted the island economically. Three years later Holland America began making some stops at the island along with Seabourn which has helped the local economy and also allowed additional supplies to be delivered to the residents of the Island. The island has a small population of 2,000 inhabitants. Their main diet is imported rice and tinned meats supplemented by local fish, coconut, pigs and chicken. The official currency is the Australian Dollar. Crystal Serenity was anchored off Paelau. Paelau is located on the western side of the atoll south of a passage into the lagoon. An atoll is a ring shaped reef, island or chain of islands formed of coral. Two-hundred people live in Paelau. Keith took the first tender over to the Island. Once ashore he walked around the area. There were children near the tender dock singing. One local was posing for photos. There were some buildings including a school and government office. Several people were cracking coconuts and you could purchase coconut juice. There were some tables with various items being sold. It was breezy near the tender pier and hot and somewhat humid at the buildings about a five minute walk from the pier. Bugs love Keith and he forgot to put on repellent spray ahead of time. He won't forget to use the spray going forward. Keith made several donations to the locals to help the local economy as we are sure other guests did. The people were very friendly and those selling items were not pushy. A few guests brought over items such as school supplies. You can see in the photo that they have basketball backboards but no rims. While many people have not visited the island they have seen it as it served for many years as the closing shot for Gilligan's Island. The tender bounced up and down for a good portion of the trip each way but thankfully the weather was nice so that Keith and others could visit the island. First individual photo above of Security Officer Ajoy with one of the other officers. On the tender Keith kidded around with Ajoy saying he was going "undercover". Second individual photos above of friend Jocelyn who was waiting for her husband Bob to return from his walk of the area. We first met Jocelyn and Bob at the 2007 World Cruise Gala as we were seated at the same table with them at the Gala event. Back on the ship we enjoyed lunch at Marketplace enjoying salad entrees. We kept to our regular afternoon routine of Paddle Tennis for Keith, a long walk for Anne Marie, reading and writing and getting together with friends. Looking forward to a fun evening on the ship. Next two days are at sea. Anne Marie & Keith This is the daily Reflections Program for today.
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ON THE ROAD TO FANNING ISLAND - DAY 2 AT SEA We enjoyed another wonderful evening on-board Crystal Serenity as we sail towards Fanning Island. The attire for the evening was Black Tie Optional (BTO). Guests can dress in black tie attire including suits for gents and cocktail dresses for women. It is optional so the other choice is a sports jacket and dress slacks for gents (tie optional) and a dress/pants suit for ladies. We had drinks with friends Ileen at the Avenue Saloon. Afterwards, Ileen joined us for dinner at Waterside. We have known Ileen for several years and have shared dinners with her on-board Serenity and also in Vancouver prior to the start of the epic Northwest Passage cruise in 2016. These are the dinner menus from Waterside. We enjoyed a lovely meal with several favorites. We began with caviar for Keith and seafood rendezvous for Anne Marie. Second course was the mixed salad. We each had the Fresh Hawaiian Opah for our entree. This is the first time we remember it being served at Waterside or the former Crystal Dining Room. The only times we have had it in the past is as an additional entree at Prego which we had the other day at Prego. It is a delicious fish and a favorite of ours. It was fun to catch up with Ileen. Waterside is popular on BTO nights. The room is less noisy than in the past because of better soundproofing and a greater percentage of two and four person table tops with far less six and eight guest tabletops. The featured entertainment included the production show Icons in Concert which was performed at 7:45 and 9:30 PM at the Galaxy Lounge. We thoroughly enjoy this show which is performed by the Crystal singers and ensemble dancers along with the Crystal Showband. We slept well as we continue to sail towards Fanning Island. Captain Giske had said the weather would remain the same for the two days at sea and he was right. We started the day as we normally do. An early morning workout for Keith and breakfast in our room. Anne Marie had personal training with Fitness Director Charlotte. Keith had his second haircut of the cruise while Anne Marie finished her personal training and went to Yoga. At 10:00 AM Keith participated in the singles paddle tennis World Games. Keith ended up matched against the guest who won the gold. He had a great time playing and it is all about having "FUN". They moved the first awards ceremony from this evening to tomorrow evening. There were lots of activities on the program. We'll highlight the lectures. There were four lectures. Ken Rees spoke about Fanning Island which we will visit tomorrow. This is our first visit to Fanning Island and we found Ken's talk to be informative with his terrific humor. General Zinne spoke about the man in the middle: international peace meditation. The General has won over many guests on board with his sound and common sense approach with respect to the items he has covered. This included his first talk about the great issues that the world needs to deal with. Bill Toone spoke about the recovery of the California Condor. Bill's talks are always amazing. He has a great ability to present topics we are less familiar with and we appreciate his passion. Adrain Vickers spoke about the Polynesians in the Pacific Ocean Region. We enjoyed our afternoon. We had lunch at Marketplace. Keith played a couple of hours of Paddle Tennis and got together with friend Bob. He also read, wrote and caught up on lectures. Anne Marie walked for an hour outside the ship and continued reading a book. When she walks she listens to audio-books. When in the room she reads books that are available in the library. Keith also read and wrote. Today Marketplace featured the Asian Buffet. The following is the daily Reflections Program from today. Anne Marie & Keith
FANNING ISLAND - HERE WE COME We began last evening at the Avenue Saloon with friends Ed and Patti before dining with them at Silk. We met Ed and Patti in 2014 on an overland Safari adventure while on-board Crystal Serenity. We sailed with them the following year and keep up with them from time-to-time when we are back home. Since last evening included the White Extravaganza Dance Party Keith wore white pants and Anne Marie's dress included white. Keith tried a new drink to the ship which is called Sea Garden. These are the dinner menus from Waterside. We had dinner with Ed & Patti at Silk which serves Asian Cuisine. Our first experience with Silk was on Crystal Symphony last year and we ate there during the Holiday Cruise on Serenity. With two previous visits we feel more comfortable in terms of what food and the quantity of it to order. This is the menu. The concept of Silk is to serve Chinese cuisine family style. If there are four of you the idea is to place what has been ordered in the middle of the table for everyone to share. We asked the waiter to let each couple order what they want and not place it in the center. This way Ed and Patti could share what they ordered and have some items that one of them has and we did likewise. This worked well for us. We ordered: Cruise Duck Salad for Keith and the salad without the Duck for Anne Marie. Dim Sum Sampler. Chicken Wonton Soup. Spring Roll of the Day (chicken). Lobster and Scallop Wok (Anne Marie). White Rice (Anne Marie). Chilean Sea Bass (Keith). Steam Vegetables (Keith). Fresh Fruit (Keith). We dined for close to two hours and enjoyed a wide range of cuisine. We departed Maui at 10:00 PM and enjoyed a good sleep. Keith was up first and worked out at the Fitness Center and after having coffee and breakfast in the room Keith had personal training. Fitness Director Melanie took Keith through a series of exercises and he used the Kettle Ball for the first time. Anne Marie walked inside the ship and Keith met up with her after his training and we walked together. While we were walking we saw Celebrity Chef John Ashton who told us that tomorrow at Waterside they would be featuring a trio of poke featuring Hawaiian dishes. Later in the morning Keith participated in the Basketball Foul Shooting tournament that is part of the World Games. This is the first event Keith entered. When we began World Cruising each of us would enter lots of the events but have decided to just do a few events this time around. It was very windy so you never know where the ball will go. We began with the first round and you need to make one foul shot to advance to the next round. If you make the first shot you are done till the next round. The same goes for each succeeding round. If you make two on the second round you advance to the third round. Keith was lucky and ended up with the Gold. The awards will be given out tomorrow for all events through tomorrow afternoon. We often say that the daily activities/enrichment program on the World Cruise is Crystal Cruises steroids with 53 programs offered between 7:30 AM and 5:30 PM today. The diversity of the programs is amazing: Lectures, Fitness, Computer, Bridge, Art, Knitting, Movie Making, Dancing, Piano, Memoir Writing & Golf Classes. Social Bridge & Duplicate Bridge Trivia Casino Tournaments Bingo Crystal Chorus Rehearsal Movie This doesn’t take into account all of the daytime dining options, the afternoon tea along with enjoying time to take in the views off the ship, enjoy the companionship of others, or other personal activities including reading and writing or relaxing inside or outside on a lounge chair or a trip to the salon, swimming or sitting out by the pool, sitting in the hot tub, or playing paddle tennis, table tennis, a board or computer game or walking inside or outside the ship. In addition to these activities this first segment of the World Cruise includes the World Games which offers the guests the opportunity to participate in a wide range of activities and to receive medals for finishing in the top three for each event. There were four lecturers; Dr Terry Schroeder spoke about his Olympic Journey and Sir Mark Lyall Grant spike about Pakistan and the West's War. In the afternoon Dr. Jay Christofferson spoke about Whales and Astronomy Lecturer Dennis Mammana spoke about the seven wonders of the cosmos. In the afternoon, we enjoyed lunch at Marketplace. We spent the rest of the day enjoying the ship. This included our routine of exercise of walking for Anne Marie and Paddle Tennis for me and also visiting with fellow guests and members of the crew. Another great day on-board Crystal Serenity. Anne Marie & Keith The daily program Reflections follows. WELCOME TO MUAI We wanted to begin by saying what a nice day we had yesterday. The weather was superb adding to our enjoyment of our tour and providing beautiful views as we drove the North Coast. When we lived in Northern California we used to say that one of the reasons for housing prices being high was the beauty of the region. We found ourselves spending lots of time outside. In many ways the same is true of Hawaii. Housing costs are high and the price of goods is high due to most items being imported. At the same time there is lots to do outside including water sports, enjoying the beach, picnicking, or taking a nice walk. We will remember this day for the rest of our lives. Last evening we enjoyed a pre-dinner drink at the Avenue Saloon with friends John and Linda. Before Linda and John arrived we walked into Stardust where they were showing the New England/Kansas City game and it was tied and going to overtime which we had been watching in our room. A few minutes later John and Keith walk in and as they make it through the door it's touchdown New England wins. Most people leaving Stardust were quiet. These are the dinner menus from Waterside. Our original plan was to dine at Waterside. However, we have fond memories of dining at Prego on World Cruises which stopped at Hawaii remembering the local fish that showed up in additions added to the Prego menu. After leaving Waterside on Saturday evening we stopped by Prego to ask about this and we made a reservation to dine there on Sunday evening. The dinner was amazing. Prego was not busy with less than half the number of guests dining there compared to a most nights. We assume some people were dining off the ship. Specialty Restaurant Maitre d' Mario and Head Waiter Morne welcomes us to Prego and sat us at a table. Our waiter for the evening was Azem who is from Turkey. Congratulation to Azem on the arrival of his first baby son the day before. He showed us a couple of photos of the newborn. Sommelier Lubo took excellent care of us as well. We had the Caesar salad followed by the addition entree which was our favorite Hawaiian fish called Opah. The head chef Alfred is amazing. The fish was delicious. It was grilled in oil. It has some characteristics of swordfish but we find it to be softer and have more taste. We each had grilled vegetables on the side. The featured entertainment was a show called Aloha Polynesia featuring local music, dance and costumes of Hawaii. This began at 9:15 PM. After the show was over the Crystal Showband featuring vocalist Karin Kovacova performed at the Crystal Plaza. We slept well last evening. We were asleep before Serenity left at Midnight. We began the day as we normally do. Keith worked out at the Fitness Center, before we had coffee and breakfast in our room. Keith took an indoor cycling class at 8:15 AM. It was a good class and the turnout was larger than Keith expected with three people including himself in attendance. He had expected just one person; himself. LOL He changed and freshened up and then we visited Maui. Anne Marie walked outside the ship. There was a big commotion by the stern (back or aft) of the ship with several Whale close by. This is the time of year to visit Maui for Whale Watching as the Whale visit from Alaska. This is our third visit to Maui since May of 2018 when we were on board Crystal Symphony before returning in December of 2018 on-board the Crystal Serenity Holiday Cruise. Our first visit was with our children on a land vacation in 1998 when we spent a week on this island. Maui is the second largest of the Hawaiian Islands. It covers 727 square miles and is the seventeenth larges island in the United States. The island has lots of natural beauty. It is a major tourist destination for those visiting Hawaii and has several hotels and restaurants on the Island. There are several popular outdoor activities including Golf and Tennis. After taking the ships tender over to Lahaina we enjoyed a pleasant walk on Front Street which is a major street lined with stores and restaurants catering mainly to tourists. We walked some side streets and enjoyed the weather and views of the water and vegetation. The weather was similar to yesterday in Honolulu with a high in the low 80's F and mostly sunny skies. As we walked close to the water there was a breeze. We made a trip to the food store to pickup Valentine Candy for some members of the crew. After taking the tender back to Serenity we enjoyed the ship for the remainder of the afternoon. This included lunch at Marketplace, Paddle Tennis for Keith, and long walk for Anne Marie. We enjoyed conversations with fellow guests and crew and read and wrote. Today is our son's birthday and we spoke with him by phone. We have enjoyed the past two days in paradise on and off the ship. Aloha Anne Marie and Keith The daily Reflections program follows. WELCOME TO HONOLULU - WE SEE LAND Aloha: Jonathan...Thank you for letting us know about the Face Book photo with Anne Marie in one of the photos. Caryn... Thank you very much. We will be sure to give your regards to More and to Kai. Yesterday was a great day for Paddle Tennis. We began last evening with a visit to the Avenue Saloon for a pre-dinner drink with dear friends John & Linda. We met John and Linda on our first World Cruise in 2007 and since that time we have been on several World Cruises with them. As this is a Food & Wine Cruise which also includes a mixologist, they were having a Whiskey tasting at the venue next to the Avenue Saloon. There have been several other themed events including wine tasting with more planned for this first segment of the World Cruise. Dinner was back at Waterside. This is the dinner menu. When we first looked at the dinner menu earlier in the day at we were not thrilled with the choices. However, once we were seated and spoke with Senior Waiter Claudia our concerns went away. Claudia recommended the appetizer and entrée for Keith to have and we selected an appetizer for Anne Marie which we you can get any day and we were very pleased with our choices. We began dinner with Shrimp Cocktail for Anne Marie and a Deconstructed Hamachi Taco for Keith. This meant that the Taco was not one whole piece. It had a soft shell, and the fish was not cooked. This is a recipe of Celebrity Chef Jon Ashton. Jon is from Liverpool and will be on for two months. He stopped by our table and Keith immediately picked up on his Liverpool Accent. We have seen him around the ship. We believe his experience will be shared as part of a TV series he is filming which will take place on the ship and in a few locations in port. Our next course was a Chopped Salad entrée which we had as a Salad Appetizer. Keith had the Pan Fried Branzino and Anne Marie had Grilled Angus Fillet Steak for her entrée We slept well last evening as we continued sailing to the first of two stops at Hawaii; Honolulu. As Captain Giske had forecasted, the sea swells continued to be the same as they have been the past two days. We kept to the same early morning routine of exercise for both of us and breakfast as we got ready to see Oahu. After five plus days at sea it was nice to see and touch land. We have visited this island three times since last May. This included our visit when we sailed Crystal Symphony last May and our recent visit on Serenity during the Holiday cruise. Last May we took a private tour arranged with Crystal Cruises which focused on Pearl Harbor where the horrific attack took place by Japanese Forces on December 7, 1941. More recently, we walked around the downtown area of Honolulu. Each time we arrive to Honolulu we think of the darkness of that horrific day and how our country responded to it. The day following the attack President Franklin Delano Roosevelt delivered a famous address to Members of the House and Senate and the nation. He began his talk with those words we have read and heard countless times. “Yesterday, December 7th 1941 a date which will live in infamy–the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attached by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan. We think about the many sacrifices that the generation of that day made for our freedom and for the freedom of so many around the world. As Tom Brokaw wrote, we believe they are "The Greatest Generation". As we proceeded ashore we received a lei greeting. The lei is a symbol of hospitality, love, respect and Aloha. We arranged a private tour for today. Our tour guide was Kirk. He has lived in Hawaii for thirteen years and when not working as a tour guides is an avid kayaker, hiker, and cyclist. He moved to Oahu to be close to his sister who moved to be here thirty years ago. Since most of our touring has focused on the horrific act of Pearl Harbor, we decided to take a tour to visit the North Shore of the Island with a couple of stops at the end near Honolulu. The tour included: Scenic drive from the ship to the North Shore. Historic Hale'iwa Laniakea (turtle beach). Although we didn't see any turtles we enjoyed spectacular views. Waimea Bay Pu'Uo Mahuka Heiau also known as the Hill Of Escape where we saw the ruins from a sacrificial temple. We took in the view of Waimea Valley where we saw the state trees which are the Kai tree. They are not natural to Hawaii. Kirk showed us the Kukui Candle Nut which is on the lei's that Kirk gave to us. Next stop was Turtle Bay where we ate at Lei Lei. Earlier in the day Kirk asked us where we wanted to eat and we wanted a place where we could have a salad entree. He said that about 50% of the people opt for a food truck and the other 50% a restaurant. We both had Seafood Cobb Salad with grilled Ahi Tuna and Shrimp. For those wanting spicy shrimp from a food truck his go-to truck is Giovanni's Shrimp Truck. We proceeded to Kua Loa Regional Park where we could view Chinaman's Hat which is a small island. We saw people in Kayak's paddling out to the island. It is a very nice place to sit on the beach, go in the water, picnic and enjoy the views. Our last stop was Pu'u Ualaka'a State Park which provided panoramic views of all of Waikiki. At the end of the tour Kirk was kind enough to take us to Walmart and to wait for us and take us back home to Crystal Serenity. After Kirk dropped us off at the terminal we recognized one of the two security guards from the Holiday cruise. She was the woman who for years wanted to sail Crystal and was on part of the Crystal Symphony cruise we took last May. Instead of going Los Angeles to Vancouver she boarded in Honolulu. She loved it. Oahu offers the best of both worlds. There is the city of Honolulu, the military presence and its history and the beauty of areas including the North Shore. It is paradise. We enjoyed a terrific day in Oahu and we look forward to a wonderful time on-board Serenity this evening. Aloha, Anne Marie & Keith Today's Reflections Daily Program Follows. ON THE ROAD TO HAWAII - DAY 5 Larry...We enjoyed meeting and sailing with you both as well. Caryn...Glad you enjoyed that "healthy" Grapefruit Gin & Tonic. This is a favorite of Keith's. We began our evening with a pre-dinner drink at the area opposite the Crystal Cove. We sat with another couple who is taking their first World Cruise. We met them the first or second day of the World Cruise and discussed getting together. They are from Europe living in two different countries during the year. We discussed our respective countries and the areas where we live, what we learn from travel and the things we love about cruising and Crystal Cruises. This is one of the aspects we enjoy about cruising and that is the opportunity to get to know people and their perspectives This is the menu from Waterside. We are including the menu from Prego since that is where we dined last evening. We enjoyed a terrific meal at Prego. Head Waiter Morne sat us at our table and came by from time-to-time to check on us. Our waiter was Ka and our Sommelier was Lubo. Lubo was our Sommelier on one of three back-to-back sailings we took last Autumn. We began the meal with Crabmeat appetizer for Anne Marie and the Lobster and Octopus Appetizer for Keith. We both had Caesar Salad and for our entree Baby Rack of Lamb. This is the first time that Anne Marie tried the Lamb. Our complements to the wonderful Prego team including the waitstaff and the chefs including the head chef of Prego; Afred. It was a busy evening for the Prego waitstaff, yet they didn't miss a beat. The featured entertainment included two performances given by vocalist Christine Andreas which included an appearance by dancers Curtis and Beverly. Christine is amazing with a terrific stage presence and voice and the show was very special with the talented Curtis and Beverly performing. Those two are amazing dancers. We slept well as we continued to sail towards Hawaii and began today as we do each morning. This included a visit to the Fitness Center by Keith as well as a walk inside the ship. A few weeks ago we spoke about the hard-working night crew. As Keith walked Deck 6 of the ship he thought of them and wanted to give another shout out to the wonderful team. This deck is comprised of public areas including: The Casino, The Galaxy Theatre, The Stardust Lounge, Pulse Disco, The Connoisseur Club, The Bistro, Restrooms and Stores. From this deck you can see down to Deck 5 which includes the Reception/Concierge/Shore Excursion Desk, Crystal Society and Future Sales Consultant Desks, The Crystal Cove, The Crystal Plaza and a large tiled floor and fountain. That area of the deck also includes Waterside Dining Venue. While Keith was walking the deck he saw several members of the night crew cleaning every nook and cranny to keep these areas looking sparkling clean. When we say every area we mean every area including underneath tables, pictures handing from the floor, trash receptacles, walls and pretty much everything you could imagine. Before arriving to Deck 6 as they do each night a member of the night crew was in the Fitness Center cleaning each piece of weight lifting equipment and with help from one other member of the night crew will be cleaning all of the treadmills, ellipticals, stationary bikes along with floor and walls and mirrors. We have known many members of the night crew team for years along with meeting some this past year. They work hard, are kind and are thorough in their work. As Keith walked he was thinking to himself no matter what the weather conditions they are doing their jobs. The same goes for the other members of the crew. He thought back to the start of the crossing and how the more challenging it is to be performing all of the jobs around the ship while the ship is moving all around. We also realize that we have been in far worse conditions than the other day. These photos show portions of Deck 5 & 6 which are cleaned each night in addition to each and every public area inside the ship. We enjoyed breakfast in our room. Speaking of breakfast on sea days Marketplace opens at 5:00 AM with an early bird and coffee until 6:00 AM. Between 6:00 and 7:00 AM a continental breakfast is offered and between 7:00 AM and 10:00 AM a full buffet breakfast is available. These are photos of the continental breakfast selection. Keith had his second Personal Training Session at 7:30 with Melanie Hossack. With some muscle issues Melanie adjusted the session for Keith using lighter weights and stretching him out at the end of the session. Anne Marie walked while Keith was at this session and he caught up with her after the session ended. Thank goodness for technology we did a video call via Face Time with our son and later we did one with him and Grandson Jackson. Grandson Preston was taking a nap so we missed him. It's so nice to see them along with our family in Australia who we do video calls with via WhatsApp. We both went to fill out immigration cards for our upcoming port visits for the entire World Cruise. We did this during World Cruise 2015 but this one was more organized than back then. The benefit of doing this is two-fold. It ensures that all guests fill them out. Also, we filled each card out together with one member from the Crystal Crew. Most of it was pre-filled in by Crystal Cruises and we only had to fill out some information ourselves and sign each card. The person pointed out precisely what we had to fill out and guided us through each item. This eliminated any confusion and ensure that the card was filled out correctly. Anne Marie took another Yoga Session given by Maria and Joe Kita and Keith waked inside the ship. There were lots on today's program. We have included a copy of the daily Reflections Program. We wanted to highlight a few items. The World Cruise games continued with several events. A highlight of the morning was Ocean Views which is offered on selected cruises. It was moderated by Destination Lecturer Ken Rees and General Anthony Zinnia's, Ambassador Scott DeList and Sir Mark Lyall Grant comprised the panel. Ken asks questions of the panel and the audience gets to weigh in using electronic devices that tabulate the summary of questions posed to the audience. They weigh in on the issue before the panelists speak and after they speak. We won't list all the questions but thought we would list the first couple of them. What do you think of Trump Wall? Agree - 40 % Do Not Agree 60% What do you think of Immigration? Must find away to help the needy 21% It is a world problem and takes a world solution 61% Must say no 18% We found that the discussion related to this question and the other questions was very thoughtful. No yelling. Panelists listening to each other, sharing thoughts, and finding common ground. When the vote was retaken after the discussion the results were as follows. What do you think of Immigration? Must find away to help the needy 14% It is a world problem and takes a world solution 61% Must say no 25% What do you think of China's influence? I worry about China's rising influence but let's let Asia sort it out. 10% We should facilitate China's modernization. 16% A more assertive USA would help to bring more balance. 74% When the vote was retaken after the discussion the results were as follows. What do you think of China's influence? I worry about China's rising influence but let's let Asia sort it out. 3% We should facilitate China's modernization. 15% A more assertive USA would help to bring more balance. 82% Another question which we have heard before is if Democracy is in danger around the world? It was a relevant question when we heard it last in 2015 and certainly a relevant one today. The vast majority of people think it is. The next question was should we be concerned about Putin and the vast majority of people think he is a danger. Final question was about education given that the USA and UK education is ranked 24/25 worldwide. 40% of the people were for free education including vocational and university and 45% of the people think we should have higher standards for education. The culinary team outdid themselves and with the support of the wonderful waitstaff and sommeliers a Grand Gala Buffet was featured at the Crystal Plaza at lunchtime. Kudos to the entire culinary team under the direction of Executive Chef - Werner Brenner and Executive Pastry Chef - Johannes Ferreira. We love to take photos of the buffet and have our lunch at Marketplace which we did today. When we arrived to Marketplace we said "We are here for the Marketplace Grand Gala Buffet." We enjoyed the afternoon. This included Anne Marie walking, Keith playing Paddle Tennis and getting together with friends, reading and writing. The weather outside was a delight. It was the warmest weather since we boarded on December 21. Tomorrow we will see land. Yes. Anne Marie & Keith |
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