DAY 38- DAY 32 CRYSTAL SERENITY

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.

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These are the dinner menus from Waterside.

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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.

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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.

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