We began last  evening  with a drink at  the Crystal Cove. Richard  Pucci  was in the Avenue Saloon as part of a special Happy Music Trivia program.  Entertainers Ana & Humberto performed and we  enjoyed their music.
 

We returned to dinner at Waterside.  These are the dinner menus.

Last evening was White Extravaganza so many guests such as ourselves were wearing something white.

We began with appetizers.   Keith had a Poisson Cruise which is Sashimi Tuna.  It is marinated in Lime-Coconut which added to its flavoring and was delicious.  Anne Marie  had Shrimp Cocktail.  We split the Eggplant Roulade Appetizer which was rolled eggplant with Gorgonzola Cheese and  Walnut & Cassis  inside the roll.  Another delicious  appetizer.

We  both enjoyed dinner salads and  for our main  course we had Pan Seared Salmon.   It had a pepper cruse and was moist.  

The evening entertainment featured comedian Tony Daro.  The  Crystal White Extravaganza Party  was held at the Crystal Plaza between 10:30 and 11:30 PM.

For the second evening in  a row  the good news was turning the  clock back 30 minutes for a  total of one  hour.  This allows us to get on the time zone for our next port of call of Rangiroa.

We  enjoyed a  day at sea  as we sail to Bora Bora.

We slept well and appreciated the extra 30 minutes of time and began our day  with our  regular routine.  This included an early morning visit to the Fitness Center  by  Keith.  He also added in a run on the  Promenade Deck  before breakfast.  He stopped for a  moment  when he saw a rainbow on the starboard side  of  the ship.

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We enjoyed breakfast in our room.    Afterwards, Anne  Marie  walked while Keith went on  another run.

The morning session included two talks.

Bill  Toon spoke about Living  with Gorilla which included stories from the forest in Uganda.

This was followed by Ocean Views.  

Ocean Views which is a panel discussion where the audience can participate with an electronic  device allowing them to vote on  a series of questions before and after a topic  is discussed.   It  was moderated  by Professor Roberto D'Alimonte and included  retired General  Nick Halley, Own Ullmann and Dr. Doug Beason.   The  session  was well done.   It  covered  lots of topics  and was very interesting  to see not only what the panelists think  but the  guests.   A test question  was what ship are  you  on?  Serenity, Symphony , Titanic.   Titanic  did score in the double digits.  LOL.

First question  asked people  if they thought  of themselves as liberals, conservative, moderates, or didn't  want to  answer.  For example, one question  was about  what poses the greatest  threat to the  United States of  America?  Answers included Russia, China, Iran, along with a couple of other choices.   

The enrichment program also included non-stop activities starting at 7:00 AM and continuing until 6:00 PM.

Anne  Marie did Yoga and worked on her Knitting and Keith ran for the second time of the day.

Keith played in the Men's  Doubles Paddle Tennis tournament.  The original game was rained out and today was its make-up day. 

We plan to  attend the  World Games Closing Ceremony later today.

Following  is the daily Reflections  Program.

Cheers,

​Anne  Marie & Keith

Let's begin with yesterday afternoon which featured at 2:00 PM the Crew Tug  O'  War.  There  were many teams  from the departments across  Serenity.  The defending team was the  Waterside Waitstaff.

The teams are first  introduced and make  a  grand entrance to cheering from the guests and once this is done the  competition began.

In  our early days of World  Cruises the Engineer Department team would sometime  win  but in the last  ten  years  the winning  team has mainly  been  Waterside (formally  Crystal Dining Room) waiters/head waiters.

Yesterday  a new team won  and that is the Specialty Restaurant Team.  There  was chatter the past few days  that they could be  the winners (they have a couple of very strong men) and yes they were.  

As  usual  it was a lot of  fun and Cruise  Director  did  a  great job announcing the event.  

At 3:00 PM the next event was  the Crystal  Family  Gold Medal  Paddle Tennis   tournament which featured  guests who won a medal in the singles  or  mixed double tennis  who  were paired with a member of Team Serenity.  Keith participated in the event.

Pairing  are drawn by random with a key card of a guest drawn along with one from the  crew to create  the  team.

The first photo is Keith with some of the members of the crew who were in the event shortly after they were practicing.   The second  photo  is Keith with his partner Beatrice from the Bar team.

While Keith  and Beatrice didn't win they had  lots of fun as  did everyone who participated.   In the  end  this is what  counts.

Before dinner we  had a drink at the Avenue Saloon and also watched the  World  Cruise Choir perform  at the Crystal Plaza.

Last evening was  originally Crystal Casual  as the original  itinerary called for it to be a port day.  However, due to the need to revise the itinerary for the medical stations which made this a sea day and the next day a port day Black Tie Optional  was moved up to last night.

We already had made a date to  have  dinner with friendsJohn Clark and his lovely wife  Pauline  at Silk so  we stayed  with the dinner plans.   Silk  is  the Asian restaurant serving Chinese Cuisine.

John  is  the golf  instructor on-board for the  entire  World Cruise.  In fact, John has  been the instructor for all of the World  Cruises we have taken with one exception.

We had a great time  as  we have  in the  past when we dine with John and Pauline.  Since  it was a  Black Tie Optional night Silk was less crowded with  more people dining  at  Waterside and the Supper  Club.   We  also  enjoyed a beautiful sunset.

This is  the dinner menu from Silk.

These are photos from dinner.

The good news  is before retiring to bed we set the  clocks back.  The difference is that we only  set them back 30 minutes  which  does not  happen very often.

We began the  morning as we always do with a  workout at the  Fitness Center  for  Keith, breakfast and a walk for Anne Marie.  Keith went for a haircut.  Since today was originally a sea day but became  a port day the Salon  contacted  Keith several days  ago to see if he wanted to  changed the appointment  to a day earlier  or a  day  later but Keith decided  to keep it the same.

As  they say,  I see land. I  see land.

We anchored off  Nuku Hive  by  8:00 AM. All guests  who are disembarking at the end of this segment or at any of the French Polynesia  ports  had to  go through Immigration today.  This didn't impact us.  

Niku Hiva is the  largest of the Marquesas Islands.  It is part of  French Polynesia and is part of France.  The number of people  on board  Serenity between guests and crew represents  slightly over 50% of the Islands population.  ​

Major  attractions include:

Baie Hatiheu  which is the preferred bay of write Louis Stevenson.

Hakaui Valley & Vaipo Waterfall located west of the island.  

Hikokua/Kamuiihei-Tahakia Archaeological Sites which was discovered in 1957 and were used for ancient festivals, rituals and human sacrifices.

Mt. Make which rises 2,834 feet and stands net to the town of Taiohae.

Notre Dame Cathedral which dates only to the 20th century.  

The town is located within 300 yards of the tender drop-off.  

When we  stepped ashore we said we feel land.  In all candor while some people couldn't wait  to touch  land we were fine.   In the past we have had nine sea days on  a couple of different cruises with one not planned due to a missed port.  With so many activities the seven days at sea went by in a blink of an  eye. 

Two tours were offered for  this island  and we decided  to visit it on our own.  Our first tour  will be in Papeete.

We walked along the shore for a good part of our time ashore.  The views  were nice and we stopped along  the way.  We also visited a few of  the local shops.  Every person you saw who was  not a  local  was someone from the ship including fellow guests and member of team Crystal  Serenity. 

We spoke with some of the locals  in the shop and around the town.  

On our  walk  back to the tender pier we  saw our Senior Waiter  Kirsten who had lunch off today so she planned to enjoy the area.  She remembered a restaurant she enjoyed the last time  she was here.


The  first two people we saw were Security Officer  Ajoy and Nat

Isn't she lovely.

We enjoyed  lunch  back on board Serenity.

Following lunch we enjoyed  a nice afternoon of Paddle Tennis for  Keith and a  walk by Anne Marie  along with conversations with members of Team Serenity and fellow guests.

This  evening  we dine at Waterside.

Following is the  daily  Reflections Program.

Cheers,

Anne Marie & Keith

We wanted to begin with some photos from yesterday.  

Yesterday, Market Side features the Asian Buffet 

While Keith was playing Paddle Tennis yesterday a Helicopter circled Serenity  two times.  Anne Marie was  walking on the Promenade Deck and took a photo of the Helicopter.

We dined at Waterside last evening.  While  we  were dining Serenity crossed the Equator  at 6:30 PM.  We felt a bump.  Well, maybe not.   LOL.

These are the menus  from Waterside.

Dinner was  great.  We started with an appetizer of Warm White Asparagus &  Seafood Salad.   Fantastic.

Next course  was a  dinner salad.

For  our  entree it  was Ahi  Tuna "Au Poivre".  Another winner. Very  tasty.   Sorry the photo is blurry.  

We have a fantastic waitstaff  team.

Head Waiter August, Senior Waiter Kirstin, Waiter  Fernando and Sommelier Ricardo.  Head Sommelier Jiri stopped by our table.

We slept well and began another wonderful day.

Early workout for Keith.  Breakfast in our room.  A  wake inside the ship followed by Yoga and Knitting for Anne Marie and a run for Keith.  Keith also  played Paddle Tennis  with several people including  lecturer Bill Toone and his lovely wife Sonny.

Lots on the schedule including two lectures. They were Adrian Vickers on Christianity in the Pacific and  General  Nick  Haley on China and its future as a superpower.

After lunch at Marketplace we both  walked outside on the Promenade Deck.

Speaking  of walking, Keith will get  20,000  to 40,000 steps and ten to twenty miles daily  when we cruise.  

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At 2:00 PM we will  attend the Crew Tug-O-War Competition and at 3:00 PM Keith participates in the Family Paddle Tennis competition where one guest has a team member from the crew.  More on this tomorrow.

Below please find the daily Reflections Program

Cheers,

​Anne Marie & Keith

We began last evening attending a reception with fellow guests at Captain Birger's Quarters.  The Captain is a gracious host.  He is very welcoming and a terrific communicator.  He  gave everyone an update on our  current heading  and the planning that he does should a  medical incident occur as it did.  He noted this was the first time in his years as Captain where he had to turn around this far out from port.

Afterwards we visited the Avenue Saloon to enjoy a  pre-dinner drink.  When we say a pre-dinner drink for Anne Marie  it is usually sparkling water.  We  sat at the bar as we have done the last couple of  nights.  It's  fun to see the drinks the bartender(s) make and to speak with them.

These were the dining menus at Waterside.

We dined  at Umi Uma with dear friends Bob & Glo who we have known for twelve years.  It was Crystal Cruises and cruising  which brought us together and as they say the  rest is history.  We have sailed with them on many cruises.

We did something that we have never done at Umi Uma on all our previous  visits.   No entrees.  No dessert.  And we didn't look at  the Main menu to order Appetizers  although we did order a couple of them from memory.

Instead  we have sushi, sashimi and a few appetizers.   It  involved several courses.   Keith forgot to get photos of a few of the items. He was having too  much fun at dinner.  LOL. 

​The Umi Uma team took excellent care of us including Head Waiter Ruel, Waiter Sheila and Sommelier Jay.

When we arrived back to the room there was a letter on our  bed which went out to all guests   from  the Captain.  It  talked about the coronavirus and  offered some recommendations which would apply to  not  only  this virus  but to  similar  viruses.  The letter also noted that when in port all non-essential ship visits have  been cancelled.  

We  slept well and enjoyed another wonderful day at sea.

It began with an early morning workout for Keith at the Fitness Center followed by breakfast in our room.  We both walked after  breakfast.  During  our  walk we saw they were set for the putting tournament  for this afternoon  which is part of the World Games.  The four holes represent places  where Serenity  will be stopping during the World Cruise.

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After  walking  Anne Marie  went to Yoga and from there she went to Knitting.
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Keith played in Mixed Doubles Paddle Tennis. His partner was Heather and they advanced t the final where they won the Silver Medal.  Win or lose, Keith enjoys playing.

There was a  Commemoration of Crossing the Equator held  at 11:00  AM.

Lectures included  a talk given by Owen Ullmann about White House Tales which focused on several Presidents.  Captain  John  Creighton  spoke what  other  countries are doing  as part of their respective  space programs.  In  the afternoon Neil Leifer spoke about Muhammad Ali and  the challenging of selecting photographs from all of those  taken of Ali.

The afternoon included lunch and  more Paddle Tennis for Keith and a walk outside the ship on the Promenade for Anne Marie

This evening we plan to dine at Waterside.

Following is the daily Reflections Program.

Cheers,

​Anne Marie & Keith

​

We wanted to begin  by sharing a thought on how  we live our lives.  We often say life is like a book and no one knows when the last chapter will be written.   Our belief is to enjoy each day and not put off till tomorrow those things you can do today.    It is also a reminder to enjoy each day   and don’t sweat the little things.

Kobe Bryant’s death at age 41 due to a helicopter crash is an example of this.

​For those  interested in learning about the Green Flash be sure to check out the cover page of the daily Reflections  Program  at the end of today's post.


We enjoyed a nice night yesterday evening  beginning at the Avenue  Saloon.

We enjoyed dinner at Prego and  dined with Cruise  Director Rick.  On  the  World Cruise they  will update menus  for  the Prego Specialty Restaurant and we enjoyed some of the items added to the menu.  This included a Crab  appetizer with a Cannoli which we both had and thought it was terrific.    

​Keith had  the Sea  Bass which was  added to the menu and was delicious.  This is the updated Prego Menu.

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Last nights evening entertainment  included the production show of Icons In Concert which is  very uplifting.

We slept well as  we continue to sail to our first port of call on leg 2 of World Cruise  2020.  

We began the day with our usual routine and following breakfast got ready for another  wonderful day on-board Crystal Serenity.

We had to stop  by the  desk which was  set up to go through and sign  immigration  documents such as  landing cards.  They have used this approach the last several years which makes it easier to get all of the paperwork completed rather than sending it piecemeal to the guests.    The entire  process  was very efficient.  

The  enrichment program included not three but four lectures.

Owen Ullmann spoke about news  and which  news  you  can  trust.  General Nick Halley spoke about Iran. He discussed the agreement with Iran and other areas such as what they are doing in Afghanistan.   In  the afternoon Bill  Toone spoke about  the Evolution of a  Biologist and late afternoon  Cheri Steinkellner spoke about  Tales from the Script: Cheers Deconstructed.

We also enjoyed our  regular sea  day routine of a fitness center workout for Keith,  a  morning walk for the two of us, and  afternoon walks  for Anne Marie along with Yoga.

Each Monday if it is a sea day the Rabbi has Rap with the Rabbi.  While Anne Marie was in Yoga  Keith attended  as he did last Monday.  We  discussed Auschwitz as  today marks the 75th Anniversary  of  the  liberation of the concentration camp.   The Rabbi pointed out that in another  10 years  there will be very few survivors of  people who were  in the concentration camps  and  it  will be viewed  as we do history  where people of the time are no longer alive.   When the Rabbi completed discussion  on this topic  Keith thought about our  visit to Austria and  school children being required to visit the concentration memorials and the importance of this.  If studied  history  can help us to prevent the sins of the past but the key is to  learn from rather than ignore the lessons from history. 

The  Rabbi covered  several topics  and ended by  mentioning some of the major changes of this last decade.  One  was something we might not have thought about  and that is Impossible Burger.  Since it is not made of beef, one who eats kosher could potentially have their first burger (Impossible Burger) with cheese  on top of it.  However, if  someone  who they know  didn't know  it was an Impossible Burger  then you get into perception and the perception the person was not following kosher  practices.  As they  say, food for thought.  LOL.  

The afternoon included lunch at Marketplace.  There was a men's double tennis tournament which Keith was supposed to play in. Unfortunately, when Keith and his partner started to warm up it began to rain making it too slippery to play.  The game will be rescheduled to another date.

We spent the rest of the afternoon visiting with friends.

Following is the daily Reflections Program.

Cheers,

Anne Marie  &  Keith

Once again, we enjoyed a wonderful evening on-board Crystal Serenity.

We returned to the Crystal Cove for a pre-dinner drink while enjoying the music of pianist Richard Pucci.

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Dinner back in Waterside for the third consecutive evening of the cruise.

These are the Waterside  Dinner  Menus.

​

We both had pretty much  the same meal.  We  had a seafood  appetizer, salad, and turkey.   The only  difference is Keith had cheese.

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On our way we  saw Sneha who is the Assistant Executive Housekeeper.   Sneha  was our Penthouse Attendant several  years  ago and  we are very proud of her.

We slept  very well  as we continue to  sail towards Nuku  Hiva.  

Today has  been a  wonderful day with lots  of activities.

This includes:

Three lectures:

Adrian Vickers spoke about Tahiti and how it became part  of  the French Polynesia.  Owen Ullmann  spoke  about the  financial outlook  for 2020.  Dr. Simon  Spooner spoke  about maritime archaeology.  

Keith  took another indoor cycling class at  9:00 AM and Anne Marie  walked on  the Marathon Deck. Anne Marie enjoyed another peaceful walk on the promenade deck.

Keith also participated in the  World Cruise Basketball Foul Shooting.  This time he didn't walk away with a medal.  The tide has turned.LOL.

Later in the  morning  there was a Sunday Brunch.  The Brunch has similarities to the Grand Gala Buffet but as any brunch would includes  several breakfast items as well.

We chose to dine at Marketplace.  During  his talk from the Bridge Captain Birger noted we were going at 23 Knots which is the most we can go.

In the afternoon it was lots of  Paddle Tennis and a walk for Anne Marie.

Today's Daily Reflections Program Follows.

Cheers,

​Anne Marie & Keith