DAY 27 - DAY 21 CRYSTAL SERENITY

RETURN TO  ENSANADA, MEXICO

We wanted to note that we learned yesterday that on January 14 Crystal will operate a complimentary shuttle bus to the Long Beach Aquarium.  The shuttle will operate every 30 minutes from the ship starting at 10:00 AM.  The last shuttle back to the ship leaves at 4:00 PM.  They will also note the information in the daily Reflections Program on that day for any scheduling updates.

​After we posted we attended the Crystal on Broadway program.  It is offered on selected sailings.  This was our first time being exposed to this program.  It provides a behind the scenes look at Broadway in a way we didn't realize.

This one featured Tony Award Winning Broadway producer and the writers; Wayne Kirpatrick, Karey Kirpatrick and John O'Farrell of the musical Something Rotten and the upcoming new musical Mrs. Doubtfire.    They shared with us how a new show is developed.  They spent most of the talk speaking about how they are developing the new Broadway show Mrs. Doubtfire based on the book and the movie.  They described the various challenges that go into this including their collaboration from three different places around the world, to even the logistics of being able to change the lead actor between a man and Mrs. Doubtfire in a live setting.
 
 They  performed some new songs from Mrs. Doubtfire.  We learned so much from this talk.


Afterwards we returned to the Avenue Saloon for a pre-dinner drink.

We dined at Waterside and these are the dinner menus.

Right before dinner we listened to the magical music of Violinist Irina Guskova.  She lit up the Crystal Cove with her music.  
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World Cruise Hostess and dear friend Stacey Huston joined us for dinner at Waterside.

The entire dinner gets an A+++++.

We started the meal with an appetizer of Barbecue Tiger Shrimp for Anne Marie and Gravlax (fresh salmon) for Keith.  Next course was a green salad which included fresh mushroom, and cherry tomatoes.  For our entrée we selected from the modern cuisine menu the seared, fresh ahi tuna.  We enjoyed this one night on the Holiday voyage and as we did last night.  They cooked the fish just the way we like it and it was delicious.  They enhanced the flavor with the items that accompanied it.  We didn't have the Swiss Carrot Cake a la mode for dessert but we know who did.  LOL.

It was a lovely dinner.  Delcious food.  Wonderful service.  The terrific ambience of the Waterside Restaurant.  Great laughs.   

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Photos from our wonderful dinner.  Head Sommelier Tilmar joined us for a table photo.

There was lots of entertainment on the schedule following dinner. Comedian Steve Stevens performed two shows, there was a tribute to The Beatles, lots of live entertainment in four lounges and a movie in the Hollywood theatre.

We slept well as we are sailed to Ensenada Mexico. The seas calmed as Captain Birger said the would as we sailed the Santa Barbara channel.

We began today as we normally do with a workout for Keith followed by breakfast in our room.  We arrived to Ensenada by 8:00 AM.

It was five days ago that we stopped at Ensenada on the last cruise. The stop was required to comply with the Jones Act where a vessel flying with a foreign flag and sailing between the same USA ports must stop at a foreign port.  Last week the stop was for four hours from 4:00 to 8:00 PM.  Today the stop is ten hours from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM.  

Ensenada has a city population of a half million people.  The downtown area is located one mile from the port.  It is a coastal city in Mexico located 78 miles from San Diego, California.  

It is well known for its mild weather and its beaches providing locations for surfing and also for off road-road racing.  

Major attractions include:

Museo de Historia which traces the history of the Baja region.

La Bufadora Blowhole a marine geyser with water shooting upwards of 100 feet above sea level.

Plaza de las Tres Cabezas which is a park offering panoramic views of Ensenada.

Mercado de Mariscos which is the largest seafood market in this region. 
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We have never gotten off the ship to visit the town.  On stops several years ago we were not allowed to get off the ship.  More recently on our family cruise on Serenity in 2017 we made the stop a sea day.

We will be moving rooms in a few days for the start of the World Cruise.  Anne Marie got items organized for that move.  Keith attended a meeting with Crew Officer Leroy and at the conclusion of the meeting he went into town.  

When we first arrived the weather was a brisk 48 degrees.  When Keith walked off the ship it was up to 56 degrees and when he returned it was 63 degrees.

He walked over to town which was one mile from the ship.  Once in town he walked up and down several streets.

This is a tourist town.  There were lots of shops selling items that you see at every Mexican port stop. He saw restaurants, twenty or more pharmacies, cafes, hotels and one venue better left to the imagination.  LOL.  

Unlike many places around the world, none of the vendors stopped Keith in an attempt to sell an item.  We fully understand why places do try to stop tourists but it was nice not to have to deal with that.  Keith ran back to the ship from the furthest point of town which gave him a 1.8 mile run.  

Back on the ship we enjoyed lunch at Waterside.  Following lunch Anne Marie walked outside for an hour while Keith played Paddle Tennis.  Weather was gorgeous at 64 degrees (F) and sunny skies.

We enjoyed the rest of the day on the ship enjoying conversations with guests and crew and reading and writing.

This evening we are dining with friends at the Prego Italian Specialty Restaurant.

Tomorrow we return to the USA.  Seems like only yesterday when we were last there.  LOL.

Anne Marie & Keith
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