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
3 Comments
Larry
1/18/2019 10:14:18 pm
Wonderful meeting both you and Anne Marie on the Serenity last week. Thank you for your detailed blog of all your experiences onboard. It’s like we never left ! We enjoyed speaking with Gerri... and may be considering a world cruise...we agree... no time like the present...
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Caryn
1/19/2019 12:00:42 am
Ahhhh....a photo of my new go to cocktail on Crystal!
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CtJon - Jonathan
1/19/2019 06:38:29 pm
In case people haven't seen Anne Marie's picture is on the Crystal Cruises Facebook entry for the huge party and show on the World Cruise. Didn't see Keith but he could be in some of the background but Anne Marie is easily seen in one of the picture.
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