DAY 80 - DAY 74 CRYSTAL SERENITY

3/5/2019

ON THE ROAD AGAIN - DAY TWO OF TWO SEA DAYS SAILNG TO MAPUTO, MOZAMBIQUE.

Harry, Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail can be ordered any evening even though it is not listed on the menu and can be ordered at the time the meal is ordered. Although one might be able to order Caesar salad at Waterside at the spur of the moment, we recommend ordering it ahead of time so not too slow up the meal. At Prego it is on the menu.

We enjoyed another amazing evening on-board Crystal Serenity.

The evening attire was Black Tie Optional (BTO). The optional means that formal attire is not required. Guests can dress in formal attire which includes a tuxedo, dinner jacket or suit for gents and long gown, cocktail/tea length dress or glitzy top and skirt or suit for the ladies. Optional also provides the opportunity for guests to dress in other attire which for the gents is a sports jacket, dress pants, collared shirt (tie is optional) and for the women some type of dress, suit top and skirt.

Our evening began going to the Captain's Quarters with some of our fellow guests for a cocktail party. We always try to attend as it provides a nice opportunity to socialize with fellow guests and with Senior Officers and Senior Staff.

Two parties were held last evening.

These are the menus from Waterside.

We dined with Cruise Director Rick Spath at the Prego Italian Specialty Restaurant.

We had a wonderful time. Great food. Great service. Wonderful cuisine. Lovely conversation.

Head Waiter Mario.

Going clockwise First photo is the Chilled. Seafood Salad; next photo Caesar Salad which the two of us enjoyed; third photo of the Roasted Rack Baby Lamb cooked medium which Keith enjoyed and last photo which is a half portion. of the Veal Scallopini which Anne Marie enjoyed. A lot of delicious food.

The featured entertainment included two performances by concert pianist Filip Wojciechowski. While some of his past shows have emphasized classical music this one focused on a musical journey of Jazz, Swing and Contemporary Music. Filip first performed with Crystal Cruises in 2010 as part of the 2010 World Cruise. He was amazing and we remember the performance very well and the standing ovation he received. His performance was recognized and he was brought back for additional performance later in the year. Since that time he has performed regularly on Crystal ships. We saw him perform on Serenity and Symphony last year. He is from Poland and the best pianist we have seen in person and he is a very kind and friendly person. There is no ego and he is genuine. Bravo.

Live music was performed at the main venues and the featured film was the 2017 version of Going In Style.

We received some great news when we returned to our room. What you ask? We got to turn the clocks back another hour. LOL, but we were happy.

We slept well as we continued sailing to Maputo, Mozambique. Like the movie Groundhog Day our morning began as always; an early morning workout for Keith followed by coffee and breakfast in our room. We both walked inside the ship for an hour. Later in the morning Keith played more Paddle Tennis. With the heat some guests are playing. only in the morning whom Keith enjoys playing with so he has been going up both in the morning and in the afternoon following lunch.

As Keith finished playing he met Anne Marie at the Stardust Club to see a cooking demonstration with Celebrity Chef Jon Ashton. It featured cooking English Muffins and also making other items including Strawberry Jam and Hollandaise Sauce. Jon is one of the most positive people we have ever met and is passionate about several areas including cooking and people. He is an outstanding cook and his demonstration is easy to follow and engaging and you walk away wanting to cook.

At the end of the demonstration Jon played a short video introducing a show he has produced on-board Crystal Serenity over sixty days which will premiere tomorrow with the first of several shows. It will be available on board to view and also via the Crystal Cruises website.

There were three lectures on the program.

Ken Rees spoke about Mozambique. He provided history of the country, highlights of Maputo and some good suggestions about wheat to do. Dr. Khalid Sheikh spoke about The Unique Aspects of Heart Disease for Women. Paul Cook. spoke about Trafficking from West Africa to Europe. All of the talks were very informative and quite interesting.

We enjoyed lunch at Marketplace and following lunch Keith returned to the Paddle Tennis Court for more paddle tennis while Anne Marie enjoyed a walk. We are enjoying the rest of the day on-board Serenity as we post this.