ON THE ROAD TO HAWAII - DAY 4 AT SEA Betty...We are glad that you are enjoying the Blog. These are the Waterside dinner menus from last evening. Before dinner last evening we had our photos taken for the World Cruise Album. The album will be produced on-board Serenity and will include photos and names of the World Cruisers. It is helpful should you not remember the name of a fellow cruiser and also is a nice keepsake. Photographer Manager Neil Roberts and World Cruise Stacey Huston were on-hand for the photos. Stacey verified how we wanted our names listed (eg., Mr. and Mrs. or just first and last names) and Neil took the photos. He took three of us and asked which one we wanted for the book. They used the remade studio to take the photos. With mission accomplished (photos taken) we went to the Avenue Saloon for a pre-dinner drink. A few minutes later friends John and Linda arrived and sat with us at the bar. Later friends Joe and Maria arrived and sat near us. They saw that Keith had one of the Gin & Tonic drinks so they tried the same one Keith was drinking which is the Grapefruit Gin & Tonic. We learned from the bartender that this one was developed by Bar Manager Maria who swings between the two ships (she relieves the respective Bar Managers from Symphony and Serenity when they go on holiday). When we see Maria we will be sure to tell her how much Keith enjoyed this "healthy" Gin & Tonic. We enjoyed dinner at Waterside where we had two courses followed by a fruit plate for Keith and coffee for Anne Marie. We began with a mixed green salad. It was accompanied by grilled vegetables which made it tasty. For our entree we went with the Seared Swordfish Steak from the Crystal Classic Menu. Head Waiter Augusto remembered (the Crystal Crew has amazing memories) that Keith prefers the swordfish butterfly style and Keith said if it was not too much trouble (we used to order it in advance) that would be great. The swordfish was accompanied by a flavorful red sauce and the combination of the sauce with the fish made this a delicious entree. Maitre d' Leo came by to check on us. With Keith having to take an afternoon off from Paddle Tennis they both spoke about having to make adjustments with sports and other exercise when you get those aches and pains. Yes, it's part of getting older and listening to your body. One observation is that Waterside was busier last evening then when we dined there on Black Tie Optional evening and the time before that. This was a surprise and an example that with five dining venues open for dinner along with room service it is difficult to predict what each venue will be like in terms of the number of people dining at each one. The other variable is the time that people come. If 400 people dine at Waterside on one night but their arrival time is concentrated this will be different than if arrival times are spread out. Evening entertainment included a two performances by Pianist Tian Jiang and two shows Calle Rock & Pop-A-Mania featuring lead vocalists Tom Lowe & Elizabeth Combs, the Crystal Ensemble Dancers and the Crystal Showband. While walking on Deck 6 we saw friends Bob and Glo and chatted with them for a few minutes. We passed on the shows as Keith has soreness from muscle issue and preferred not to sit for the shows. The good news is we moved the clocks back one hour before going to sleep and are on the time zone for Hawaii. Captain Giske was absolutely correct that there was less rocking of the ship after midnight as the weather improved as did the sea swells. When Keith went up to the fitness center in the early morning the walk to the back of the deck and up three flights of steps was easy. Keith worked out for about half of his normal workout recognizing that he is taking an indoor cycling class a few hours later and to be careful given the sore muscles. We enjoyed coffee in the room. At 7:00, Butler Jaison brought breakfast to the room. We wanted to give a shout-out to Jaison. We have known him for many years and this is the first time we have had him as a butler. He is kind, considerate, professional, and an all-around nice person. We always keep in mind that on a voyage where the suites are at high occupancy each butler takes care of several (around 10) suites. They have many items which require followup and they might have items such as serving breakfast at approximately the same time. In spite of all of this Jaison has not missed a beat. Breakfast arrives at the precise time or one or two minutes before or after that time and any request is taken care of without followup on our part and with a response such as "consider it done". The butlers work as a team and the have some other personnel who assist such as getting food from the galley to one of the butler pantries. The butlers cover two deck with three sizes of suites on Deck 11 and two sizes of suites on Deck 10. There are some rooms on Deck 10 that they do not take care of that are not suites. Keith attended the 8:15 AM indoor cycling class. He arrived early and worked out to one of the playlists that he used at an indoor cycling class he taught at home. There were eight guests taking the class including Keith. Only one person other then Keith took the class the other day. Anne Marie walked inside the ship before she went to Yoga taught by friends and Yoga Instructors Maria and Joe Kita. As the class concluded Captain Giske spoke from the bridge. He noted that the pool continues to be closed as the water would not stay in the pool if it was added due to the motion and sea swells. He expects the current sea swells to last until we reach Hawaii. Lots of activities were on today’s program as we enjoyed another day at sea. The World Games continued but not ones that we signed up for. We have included the daily Reflections Program towards the end of today's post so we will highlight a few items. Destination Lecturer Ken Rees provided a presentation that included a solid foundation about Hawaii. He covered history and customs from the 1800's continuing to Hawaii becoming the 50th and last state of the United States. Ken is able to take facts and to present them in an interesting manner with lots of photos and other information shown on the screen and do this with lots of good humor. The second and final presentation of the morning was given by World Affairs Lecturer Sir Mark Lyall Grant concerning the United States-United Kingdom Transatlantic Relationship. We had lunch at Waterside and enjoyed large salad entrees. We are including some photos from Waterside. The afternoon included a lecture given by History & Geography Lecturer Adrian Vickers who spoke about Killing Captain Cook: Hawaii 1779. While we have heard two other lecturers discuss this event we appreciated hearing his lecture as each one includes information that was not covered by a prior lecturer. The afternoon also included some Paddle Tennis for Keith, a walk and Zumba for Anne Marie and Keith spending time with friend Bob and also reading, writing and enjoying the views of the Pacific Ocean from the ship. Tomorrow will be our final day at sea before we arrive to Honolulu on Sunday. Reflections Program from today follows. Anne Marie & Keith
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Diane...Thank you so much for your nice comments and we will be sure to say hi to your Mom and Dad. For live views of Crystal Serenity go to: https://www.crystalcruises.com/ships/crystal-serenity-18 From there scroll down about one-third of a page and you will see the words See Live View. Click on that and it will take you to live views with options for bridge, port, starboard and computer room. Check the date and time to see if they are current or not. ON THE ROAD TO HAWAII - DAY 3 AT SEA Before dinner last evening we had a pre-dinner drink at the Avenue Saloon. We sat with friends Joe and Maria and John & Linda. It was fun to hear impressions from everyone about the changes to Serenity and about the dining experiences at new venues. These are the restaurant menus for Waterside. We enjoyed dinner at Umi Uma. Dinner at Umi Uma, the Japanese Specialty Restaurant was wonderful. Head Waiter Sigi welcomed us and also came by the table from time-to-time and assisted his team by clearing our table and others ones. Waiter Anthony got us settled at the table and Waiter Richie took good care of us for the rest of the evening. Our Sommelier was Adrian. We ordered everything. Well not everything but.....LOL. This is why all those workouts are helpful. LOL. But.......... The items we had included Lobster Tempura, Lobster Tacos, Nobu Sashimi Specials, Sushi and Sashimi, Nobu Style Sashimi Salad (Keith), Grilled Scallop Salad(Anne Marie), Hot Soba Noodles (Keith) and Nobu Style Lobster (Anne Marie) Everything was delicious. We know some might say everything? Really? If we would have taken photos of the plates the proof would have been in the pudding as we ate it all. Several of the creations by Nobu are unique which include sauces or other items that reflect when he was a chef in Lima, Peru. You do not find many Japanese restaurants featuring a taco on the menu. After dinner we attended a cocktail party hosted by a friend we have known since the 2007 World Cruise. This is the sixth year he has hosted a party at the start of the World Cruise. We knew pretty much everyone in attendance. We caught up with a few people who we had not yet seen such as friends Jim and Judy. We met Jim in Judy on the 2007 World Cruise when Anne Marie and the two of them were in the Laundry Room and that turned out to be the start of our friends with them. Anne Marie hadn't seen Glo since Bob and Glo boarded the other day so it was nice for the two of them to catch up with one another. Christine Andreas sang and her husband Martin Silvestri played the piano. She performed two very moving songs. We slept well as we continue to head towards Hawaii. This was one of those nights when the gentle rocking of the ship made it easy to fall asleep. Keith was up first and enjoyed a good workout at the Fitness Center. The ship was rocking. As he made his way to the back stairwell and up three flights of stairs it felt as if he had a drink or two. LOL. We had lost some Television stations yesterday because of the satellite footprint and where we were sailing that coincidentally were all of the ones on the Elliptical Machine. Thankfully they were all back so Keith could catch up on news while working out. With the rolling of the ship he would not have gone on the treadmill even if that is a machine he used regularly. He can hold on with the elliptical machine and feel 100% safe and secure. Photos of Keith in the mirror following his workout. He should have been smiling. After all, his workout was complete. LOL. We received our second World Cruise Letter from World Cruise Hostess Stacey Huston which highlighted several upcoming items for everyone on-board Serenity. It also provided a schedule for each full World Cruiser having their photos taken for the World Cruise book. This book contains photos and names of each World Cruiser. It helps while on-board if you forget someone's name. It also is a nice keepsake. If one does not want their name and/or photo in the book then they do not have the photo taken and neither will appear. We had coffee followed by breakfast in our room. These are photos taken at 6:45 AM around the time of the sunrise. Those sea swells you see in the photo were strong. There was lots on the program today. After breakfast the two of us walked inside the ship for thirty minutes. Anne Marie attended Yoga instructed by Maria and Joe Kita. While she was in class, Keith walked inside the ship for one hour. The ship was rocking and rolling. During Captain Giske's 9:00 AM talk from the bridge he mentioned that the sea swells and winds would stay as is until Midnight when they would begin to improve as we sail west to Hawaii. Two very interesting lectures; Ambassador Scott DeLisi spoke about the impacts that Pacific Ocean Islands are having from changes in the ocean. Actor Bruce McGill spoke about his 52 years in Hollywood. The afternoon featured a talk given by Olympian Brian Goodell who spoke about how he made it to the Olympics. If this was not enough at 5:00 PM Biology Lecturer Bill Toone spoke about his life with Gorillas. In addition to all of the other enrichment they kicked off the World Games. The events we signed up for were not scheduled for today. With each passing year we have cut down on the events we sign up for so that we can balance the events with the other activities on-board Serenity. Without exaggeration one would need three to five days to experience all activities from a program offered one day at sea. We also had lunch at Marketplace. Keith took a day off from Paddle Tennis to give sore muscles rest. Instead he walked with Anne Marie for an hour. We are posting early today and plan to enjoyed the rest of the day reading, writing and visiting with fellow guests and members of the crew. This is the daily Reflections program for today Anne Marie & Keith ON THE ROAD TO HAWAII - DAY 2 AT SEA Sophie...You are correct. The Hollywood theme was special. We forgot to mention that at the World Cruise meet and meet yesterday morning we received an update on the number of full World Cruises. It is now 341 rather than 347 likely reflecting last minute cancellations. These are the restaurant menus from Waterside from last evening. Before dinner we had a pre-dinner drink at the Avenue Saloon. We sat with dear friends John and Linda. We first sailed with them on World Cruise 2007 and have enjoyed sailing with them on several World Cruises. Our original plan was to go to the Supper Club. However, after learning that there is a wait-list for this cruise to get into the two Supper Club offerings we cancelled our reservation so that two other people could attend. We'll plan to go later in the World Cruise or on a voyage post World Cruise. We went to Waterside for dinner. Waterside was much quieter than we thought it might be and the food was delicious. We began with Clear Oxtail Soup for Anne Marie and Caviar for Keith. Our next course was an appetizer size salad for the two of us. Then it was Anne Marie's favorite of lobster which we both enjoyed. Final course was Fruit Plate for Keith and Coffee Buzz Buzz Ice Cream for Anne Marie. Our Waitstaff team is outstanding. The team includes Head Waiter Augusto, Senior Waiter Claudia, Waiter Yivraj and Sommelier Ricardo. They are professional, kind, in great spirits and we have enjoyed several good laughs with them. Last evening's entertainment featured Comedian John Joseph who performed two shows last evening in the Galaxy Lounge. The good news is that before we went to sleep we turned the clocks back one hour. This is one of the benefits of sailing from East to West. We slept well other than a few times in the middle of the night when we heard some noise from the rocking of the ship. We are fortunate that Captain Giske changed our approach to Hawaii given the storms. This is a crossing when you do know you are at sea. Benefiting from the time change Keith was up earlier than usual and did visit the Fitness Center. Unfortunately the satellite was out so Keith was unable to watch TV which is a good way to get through the workout and he didn't bring his ear buds for his iPhone. Nevertheless he watched the Crystal Station that had music and photos of the officers and a map of where we are sailing. He also walked inside the ship. Anne Marie woke up earlier than usual as she has an early personal training course. This was at 7:00 AM (ouch for her) but the other ones will be at 7:30 AM. We had Jaison bring us breakfast at 6:30 AM. Anne Marie's personal training was with instructor Charlotte Bane. Keith already knew her well from indoor cycling as she and Melanie Hossack alternate teaching it. Charlotte is from England and has worked on land in Cornwall as an instructor. While Anne Marie was with the personal trainer Keith worked out again. Later in the morning Anne Marie took Yoga with Yoga Instructors Maria and Joe Kita, Keith went to the volunteer safety inspection. More on that later. The middle photos is from the Elliptical Machines Keith was working out on. We wanted to digress for a moment. While we walk inside the ship we pass the map of the world near The Bistro (a great place for coffee). This map has been on Serenity since she debuted in 2003. Ever since we sailed Serenity starting 2005 we have stopped to look at that map on numerous occasions. This included before or after booking a world cruise and getting excited about new and old places we would see. We look at the map after lectures about world affairs and destinations to see the areas of the world being discuss and we look at the map to reflect on places we have seen or places, we would like to see. There are other items on walls that have special meaning to us that I’ll discuss on future posts. Signups continued for the World Cruise Games. There was lots of activities on today's program. At yesterday's meet and greet Captain Giske mentioned that today would include a voluntary safety inspection. He introduced this to the guests when we were on the 2015 World Cruise and it was held two times during the cruise. They showed the crew safety video at the Hollywood theatre which is designed for the crew. One section of deck 5 where officers and senior staff stay was set up to simulate smoke and the lights off and guests could navigate from one end to the other of the corridor. One of the tender boats was available for guests to visit to learn about its use in an emergency and what supplies are on board. A life raft was inflated and placed in the pool. These rafts would be used by members of the crew in an emergency evacuation. A fire extinguisher demonstration was shown with some of the fire men in actual gear and equipment. While an emergency at sea is unlikely increased knowledge by the guests is beneficial. The crew goes through a lot of training on the ship and on land and they also have a weekly drill. We wanted to highlight a few of the items from the program. General Zinne morning's lecture was about what drives the world today. We enjoy the former General's talks which we have seen on several prior cruises. Today’s talk covered a lot of items related to the future and a number of things to think about inside and outside our country. Although we no longer attend Trivia, World Cruise Hostess Stacey accompanies by pianist Richard Pucci kicked off the first team trivia quiz of the World Cruise. Lots of classes were held today including Zumba led by Stacey; Memoir Writing by instructor Joe Kita; Golf with PGA teaching professional John Clark, Dance Class with dance instructor Curtis; Advanced Bridge with instructor Jeff; Social Bridge with instructorDebbie and Bill; Apple open house and sign up with instructor Stan; Knitting Class with Janet along with several Fitness Classes. Following is the daily Reflections Program from today. In addition to activities we continue to meet guests who we know from prior sailings. There are still some on-board who we have not seen but as they say the night is young. We enjoyed lunch at Marketplace and our afternoon on-board Serenity. Our afternoon included Paddle Tennis for Keith, a walk for Anne Marie, lots of conversation with fellow guests and members of Team Serenity. It was very windy outside so for those of you who play Paddle Tennis it was one of those days when you hit the ball up in the air you don't always know where it will go so we had plenty of laughs, but lots of fun. Anne Marie & Keith
ON THE ROAD BACK BACK TO HAWAII - DAY ONE AT SEA Rebecca, so glad that you have booked World Cruise 2020. Very exciting. All...A couple who is friends with us and trying their first Crystal Cruise later this year was at a Chinese Restaurant and when they opened up one of the two fortune cookies they thought of us with this saying. We thought we would pass this on as it is our core beliefs when it comes to travel. “Travel with an open heart and positive expectations." Rain would not prevent the USC Marching Band from performing yesterday at 3:00 PM. This has been a tradition of many of the World Cruises leaving out of Los Angeles. Special thanks to Vice President of Crystal Cruises Land Programs John Stoll for arranging this special sendoff. When the weather is good they perform outside around the pool area. Since it was raining they performed inside at the Galaxy Theatre. Shortly after the performance by the band, Keith visited friend Bob and Glo who boarded yesterday and chatted with them for awhile. On our way to the 5:15 PM mandatory lifeboat drill we saw friends John and Linda who also boarded yesterday. We first met John and Linda on the 2007 World Cruise. This was the first drill we attended on Serenity where guest didn't need to wear their life jackets. Both Symphony and Serenity eliminated this practice beginning with their respective January cruises. After the drill we stopped by the Crystal Cove for a drink. Bartender Afzal took excellent care of us. On the last cruise he was at Palm Court and for this cruise he is at the Crystal Cove. Afzal is amazing. At one point every seat at the bar was taken and Afzal was alone making drinks in very short order. As we were getting ready to depart the port Captain Giske spoke from the bridge. He noted that due to a storm in the Pacific we would be taking a somewhat different route over to Hawaii. We had dinner at Waterside. These are the restaurant menus.
We enjoyed dinner at Waterside. It was very quiet when we first arrived and continued that way for most of the dinner. Let's start with the waitstaff team. Senior Waiter Claudia who we had in October. Waiter Yivraj who we had for the last two cruises. Sommelier Ricardo who we has taken good care of us for several years. Dinner was fabulous. Anne Marie had the Roasted Portobello Mushroom and Keith the Seared Ahi Tuna for our appetizer. We both had Caesar Salad (dressing on the side) and for our entree Salmon. Everything was terrific. It came out hot and it was delicious. As much as we wanted to stay up for the World Cruise 2019 Balloon Drop it was held late in the evening and the timing did not work out for us. We were up early that morning and today we began the day early with personal training for Keith. These are photos taken earlier in the day of the Balloons. When we arrived back to the room there was information from World Cruise hostess about upcoming events for the World Cruise. It included a letter, a calendar with any known events and a place where we could list restaurant reservations and also a Crystal Cruises photo calendar. There was also a booklet about the Word Cruise Games which will be held on-board this segment of the World Cruise. It will include a variety of events including sports, team trivia, board and computer games and photography. Those placing first, second or third will receive gold, silver or bronze medals. Two former Olympians are on-board. Every guest participating will receive a shirt. This morning was about exercise. Our morning began early with a workout for Keith, followed by coffee and breakfast in our room. Both of us have signed up for personal training and Keith took his first class today with Melanie Hossack. She is from Scotland where she has been a personal trainer on land. Fifteen minutes after the personal training session was over Keith took the first indoor cycling class of the World Cruise. We had four people at all times. Other than Keith all first timers. One guest gave out about half-way through the class as the seat was hard for her which often happens for first timers. One gent was confused about the start time and arrived ten minutes before the end of class. As it turned out Keith met one of the men a few years ago on the Paddle Tennis court. He's from the UK, likes exercise and will be on-board until Cape Town. In addition to the workouts for Keith, Anne Marie walked for an hour, and she took the Yoga Class. Views of the Pacific Ocean and Sunrise taken from our room at 7:00 AM this morning. In addition to the being the first leg of the World Cruise which includes the World Games this is also a Wine and Festival voyage. As part of this theme there will be several activities. This includes cooking demonstrations, wine tastings, presentations by a mixologist, and a special dinner in Waterside featuring selected items prepared under the direction of the guest chef on-board for this voyage. Today's program included 50+ enrichment activities including three lectures: Destination lecturer Ken Rees shared his experiences as a reporter covering the world. Forensic Science Lecturer Judith Fordham shared stories of wild characters and crazy experiences from 30 years of law practice. Marine Biology Lecturer Dr. Jay Christofferson spoke about the Coral Reefs. The World Cruise also includes some special enrichment programs in addition to the 50+ programs found on most voyages. Memoir Write Joe Kita will teach Memoir Writing on the first segment of the World Cruise providing an opportunity for guests to learn how to write a memoir or just about one aspect of their lives. Yoga Instructor Maria Kita will teach Yoga on the first Segment of the World Cruise. A Music Instructor, Ursula Cauffiel,is on board to teach piano on the Yamaha Pianos. Stan Leja will teach a college course on several different applications of the Apple products. Protestant Clergy Ed Voosen, Jewish Clergy Rabbi Morris Hershman and Catholic Clergy Father Thomas Falkenthal are on-board for the duration of the World Cruise. Photo of the Yamaha Pianos. We attended a morning World Cruise get-together which included an introduction of many of the officers and senior staff on-board and an opportunity to meet fellow guests, Rather than sitting we walked around for most of the time so we could see as many people as possible. We enjoyed lunch at Waterside making our usual salad entrees. Keith was going to play Paddle Tennis but it was too windy. We both walked together inside the ship and are enjoying the rest of the day on-board Serenity.
Anne Marie & Keith WORLD CRUISE 2019 - DAY 2 - THE EXCITEMENT CONTINUES TO BUILD Doris...Thank you for your good wishes. Yes, there are some new ports on the World Cruise and the voyages following it. Same will be true for the River Cruise. Sophie....Thank you for your thoughtful commments. Alessa...Thank you also for your nice comments. You asked about a link at the bottom of the Blog. If you scroll to the bottom which might require scrolling down several of the posts you will come to a footer. It will say previous if this is the first one or if you look at an older post you would see previous or forward. With that said we just made a change which will loading two posts per page which will make it easier to scroll down to the bottom of the page to see the footer. Barb....Glad you enjoyed the slide show from previous World Cruises and the photos of Richie and Ruel. We had an amazing start to World Cruise 2019 last evening. Throughout the evening we reunited with many guests who we have sailed with before and met new guests. In many ways it is similar to a family, high school or college reunion. There is lots of hugging and embracing between guests and crew who have become our extended Crystal Family. This was our schedule of events: 5:30 PM Hollywood World Cruise Gala & Celebration hosted by Crystal Cruises CEO & President Tom Wolber. This included a welcome, dancing and cocktails 6:00 PM Hollywood Word Cruise Gala Dinner at Waterside which included a multi-course dinner. They assigned each guest to a table. 8:30 PM Sneak Preview Of Upcoming Broadway Show. We got a sneak preview of the new play Mrs. Doubtfire. It included appearances by Tony Award winning producer Kevin McCollum and featured Broadway Stars, Heidi Blicenstaff and Brian d"army James with The Crystal Showband. 9:00 PM to 12:30 AM Afterwards there was live music in three different venues; Avenue Saloon, Crystal Plaza and Palm Court. It was an amazing evening and one we will remember for the rest of our lives. The theme was Hollywood. After all we were docked less than an hour from Hollywood. The was a red carpet in the Crystal Plaza leading to Waterside where dinner was held. Small tables were placed around the Plaza and the area on the next floor with a replica of an Academy Award. We wanted to mention that we learned that those arriving to the ship yesterday for embarkation were greeted as Hollywood Stars. After being dropped off by their vehicle there was a red carpet and inside the terminal, they were given flutes of champagne as well as caviar. We saw so many familiar faces at the welcome celebration and also met some guests for the first time. We also spoke with John Stoll VP of Land Programs; Susan Robinson; Director of Global Public Relations; and Carmen Roig, SVP of Marketing & Sales. CEO& President Tom Wolber gave a very nice welcome address. Next was dinner. Each guest was escorted to their assigned table by members of the waitstaff team. Other personnel from the waitstaff came by the table. Waterside looked amazing and the flowers on the tables were beautiful. We sat with two couples who we met for the first time and one solo guest (Anne) who we have known since the 2007 World Cruise and CEO & President Tom Wolber. We enjoyed a delicious meal with outstanding service, in this beautiful room and a wonderful nice conversation throughout the meal. The meal included: Fresh Dungeness Crab Salad Cauliflower Soup A choice of fish or beef entrees. We chose : Pan Seared Halibut Dark& White Chocolate Mousse The two hour dinner was a “wow”! After dinner we went to the show which we thoroughly enjoyed. The music and the singing was sensational and it did include two songs from Mrs. Doubtfire. We cannot say enough about the singing of Heidi Blickenstaff and Brian D'Arcy. Heidi sang throughout the performance songs from various plays including Mrs. Doubtfire. Brian sang one of the new songs from Mrs. Doubtfire. When Cruise Director Gary Hunter came out there was a standing overation for the performance and an encore for Heidi to sing more. Gary closed out the show by mentioning the remaining entertainment for the evening and also highlighting events for today including an appearance by the USC Marching Band, the mandatory lifeboat drills and the World Cruise Balloon Drop. Yesterday was also Gary Hunter’s Birthday and we all sang Happy Birthday to Gary including another appearance by Heidi Blickenstaff to lead the song. When we arrived back to the room there was a beautiful floral arrangement of flowers from dinner, a World Cruise hat, vest and a shirt for the men and a sweater for the women. We wanted to share some fun facts about the 2019 World Cruise: 347 Full World Cruisers 63 of the Full World Cruisers are on their first Crystal Cruises. Of the 284 Crystal Society Members, 105 are taking their first Crystal Cruise. Captain Giske will be Captain for the first part of the World Cruise and this is his third World Cruise. Captain Birger will be Captain for the second part of the World Cruise and this is his fourth Crystal World Cruise and he as been on eleven world cruises. Gary Hunter and Rich Spath will be the Cruise Directors with Rick on his fifteenth overall World Cruise and Gary on his eighth overall World Cruise. World Cruise Hostess Stacey Huston is on her ninth Crystal Cruises World Cruise. We slept well last evening but it was not due to the gentle rocking of the ship as we remained docked in San Pedro. Although we went to sleep late, Keith began the morning extra early with his daily workout. We enjoyed coffee followed by breakfast in our room. We are getting used to the room. It is the same room as the one we are in other than everything is on the opposite side and that includes the interior of the closet. We are sure we will be experts in a few days. LOL. Keith tried on his new World Cruise 2019 Shirt and wore it today. We enjoyed the rest of the day on the ship. Keith met at The Bistro with Carmen Roig, SVP of Marketing & Sales. The remainder of the day we visited with many guests who we have sailed with on prior cruises, talked to many members of the crew and enjoyed a nice lunch. Those guests who are booked for one or more segments of the World Cruise embarked today some of whom we know very well so it was great to see them. We set sail for Hawaii at 6:00 PM this evening. This is the Reflections daily program for today. More tomorrow.
Anne Marie & Keith WORLD CRUISE 2019Realizing that we are moving today to another room (next door to the one we have been in for the first twenty-three days) we had dinner in our room. Instead of going to one lounge we enjoyed a pre-dinner drink in our room thanks to Butler Jaison. We ordered dinner from two of the dining venues. We began with Sushi & Sashimi and Lobster Tempura as an appetizer from Umi Uma. It was a wonderful way to begin the meal. The appetizers were delicious. Our next two courses came directly from the menu in Waterside. We both had the Greek Salad which we enjoyed. For our main course it was Sautéed Tiger Prawns for Anne Marie and Fresh Grouper for Keith. These were excellent picks, and we were pleased with the choice each of us made. The dinner menu from Waterside follows along with photos below it. We slept well as Serenity set sail 110 nautical miles from Catalina Island to Los Angeles (San Pedro) where this cruise began. The day began like most days with Keith enjoying a nice workout at the Fitness Center. This was followed with Breakfast in our room. Today is moving day as we moved from our current room to the one next door. We were fortunate that we went through immigration when we arrived to San Diego on Friday. Unlike the last cruise when we arrived to Los Angeles directly after our stop at Mexico we did not have to leave the ship to go through immigration and avoided having to wait in the terminal until they cleared the entire ship. This would have required the ship getting to a "zero count" where every guest has left the ship before we could go back on the ship. We used the time to get all of our items ready for the move. If you remember the day we arrived, we left three full suitcases with clothing to unpack for the World Cruise to avoid having to unpack and pack before moving to the new room. We plan to unpack those bags in the next three days. We placed items in laundry baskets and totes. Crystal makes it easy to move. We waited in our room until the guests in the other room had left and the housekeeping team cleaned the room. We finished packing our items. We were fortunate that the people leaving the room left before 8:00 AM. Penthouse Attendant Sladjana and Room Attendant Dushica began cleaning the room as soon as they left. Once the room was ready Butler Jaison came to our room. Between Keith, Jaison, Sladjana, and Dushica we moved everything to the new room while Anne Marie cleaned draws and other areas a second time with sanitized wipes. Head Housekeeper Maria who just returned in San Diego and the Supervisor for this floor came by to check on everything. The good news is that we will continue to have Sladjana as our Penthouse Attendant. Dushica will move up to deck 11 just for one cruise as she is going on a well-deserved holiday at home after that. A couple of photos from outside the ship. The bridge connects this area to Long Beach. Our original plan was to have lunch in the room but since we had everything put away by 10:30 AM we decide to have lunch at Marketplace. They opened 30 minutes early since World Cruisers began boarding at 11:00 AM. Waterside was closed for lunch as they prepare the dining venue for this evening's festivities. The other dining venues such as Silk and Trident Grill were open. We enjoyed our usual salad entrees and with a whole turkey we added that to the entree. We took photos of Ruel and Richie. During the evening they are waiters at Umi Uma. There is a lot on the schedule for this evening which we will post about tomorrow. Today marked the end of the seven day California Cruise and the start of World Cruise 2019. The following map shows the routing of the world cruise. All full World Cruisers boarded the ship today and we also have on-board all those guests who were already on-board staying for either the full World Cruise or for one or more segments of the World Cruise. All other guests will board the ship on Monday. We have already seen 30+ guests we know from other voyages. A special touch was Captain Giske and the CEO & President of Crystal Cruises Tom Wolber welcome each guest as they entered the ship. The World Cruise totals eighty-five days. It is comprised of four voyages. Close to 300 guests will be on the full World Cruise with other guests on board for one or more segments. Segment 1: Los Angeles to Auckland (21 days) Segment 2: Auckland to Perth (15 days) Segment 3: Perth to Cape Town (21 days) Segment 4: Cape Town to Monte Carlo (26 days) On the Serenity cruise we will visit ten ports of call for the first time. They are: Fanning Islands, Kirbati Latoka, Fiji Kangaroo Island, Australia Busselton, Australia Georgetown, Ascension Island Santa Cruz de la Palma, Spain Koto, Montegro Pahos, Cyprus Koper, Slovenia Souda Bay, Greece We have many wonderful memories from our previous World Cruises. Following is a slideshow of photos from some of these cruises. This is Crystal Cruises twenty-fourth annual World Cruise and we have been a part of nine of them including eight full World Cruises. Let the World Cruise begin. More tomorrow and in the days to come.
Anne Marie & Keith |
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May 2019
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