DAY 36 - DAY 30 CRYSTAL SERENITY

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.

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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.

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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.  ​

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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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