ON THE ROAD TO NUKU’ALOFA, TONGA Connie...Thank you for your comments and for sharing your experience about walking and weight management. We began last evening with a visit to the Crystal Cove. Yesterday was the 56th Anniversary of The Beatles performing on the Ed Sullivan Show as part of their USA debut. Pianist Richard Pucci played a medley of Beatles songs. We dined at Waterside. These are the dinner menus. Dinner was terrific. We had an appetizer which was a Duo of Lobster, a Dinner Salad and Ahi Tuna. The Ahi Tuna was on the menu from the night before. We asked in advance if we could have it last evening. The appetizer and entree was delicious. Each was very tasty from the ingredients which went into each item. Several new vintages have been added since we boarded on January 7 and we have been enjoying the inclusive wine. Service as usual was excellent. The evening entertainment included two performances with Vocalist Jamila and Violinist Irina and two performances by Crystal Dance Stars Beverly and Curtis who both returned to Serenity starting in Papeete, Tahiti when this voyage began. The good news is before going to sleep last evening we set the clocks back one hour. There was one other change. When we awoke this morning we had just crossed the International Dateline so today we move the date forward. In short, we moved from February 9 to February 11 skipping February 10. We are not one year younger though. However, no celebration for those on-board who were born on February 10. You need to wait until next year. LOL. Whereas we were a few hours behind those of you in the Continental USA we are now several hours ahead of you. Today is another sea day and lots on the program. This included three lectures and 50+ enrichment activities. We caught up with lectures using the on-demand television in our room. We also enjoyed walks inside and the ship and a visit to the Fitness Center for Keith. We seemed to have hit a wall of rain so most of our time in the morning was spend indoors inside the ship. Also in the morning Keith attended Rap With The Rabbi. The discussion was good touching on a few major topics. One of them is the ability in California for anyone to get a license to marry a couple and what people thought about this. Anne Marie went to needlepoint as she did the day before. The lectures included: Captain Richard Hayman who spoke about Captain James Cook and highlighted some of his epic voyages. As many talks as we have heard over the years on Captain Cook there is always something to learn and that was the case with this talk. Professor Roberto D'Alinontee spoke about the United States of Europe. In the afternoon, Professor Judith Fordham spoke about the murder of a Jewelry Designer and how to solve the case. It rained in the morning but the good news is the rain stopped by 11:00 AM and it was nice outside in the afternoon. Keith was able to get back out in the afternoon to play Paddle Tennis. In the afternoon he met up with dear friend Bob and Anne Marie had coffee with dear friend Glo. She also got in her afternoon walk. Below is the daily Reflections Program from today. Cheers, Anne Marie & Keith
0 Comments
ON THE WAY TO NUKU'ALOFA, TONGA - DAY 1We enjoyed another fun evening on Serenity last night. It began with a visit to the Avenue Saloon. These are the menus from Waterside. We dined at the Prego Italian Specialty Restaurant. Lots on the program for evening entertainment. This included comedian Steve Cauette with two performances. Steve’s introduction to Crystal Cruises was in the middle of 2018 on-board Crystal Symphony. After he leaves Serenity he is supposed to go over to Symphony and will appear on both ships later this Summer. His show was great. In addition to asking selected guest questions, he gets the audience involved with the show in a unique way. He asked all of us stand and to make noise and clap if people came to the show late. As we did this music and song would play, the stage lights would blink and Steve would say something funny. This happened several times and there were some instances where we didn't do this. We got a chuckle when a couple arrived five minutes before the show ended at 8:25 PM and the next show was not until 9:45 PM. Either they didn't read the program or went to the wrong venue. LOL. There were also two performances of Sweet Soul Music featuring classic hits by big-time vocalists such as Aretha Franklin, Smokey Robinson, Gladys Knight, Stevie Wonder and more. We slept well as we are sailing to the next port of call of Nukalofa and began our day as we normally do. This included a workout by Keith, breakfast in our room followed by a walk by the two of us. The seas were relatively calm and with an unplanned departure early yesterday morning time is on our side until we get to the next port-of-call. This means Serenity can go slower which often translates to less motion on the ship. There were three lectures: Captain Richard Hayman spoke about the Pacific Ocean and Ecology; General Joe Shaefer spoke about the failure to communicate between the East and West and Dr Bill McKay spoke about Tasman Cook and the Mutiny on the Bounty. Lunch was at Marketplace. It was raining so Keith went on a couple of walks inside the ship in the morning, one with Anne Marie, and Anne Marie went to Yoga. The Academy Awards was shown in the Hollywood Theatre. It began with the Red Carpet at 1:30 PM and the actual awards started at 3:00 PM ships time. Following is the daily Reflections Program. Cheers, Anne Marie & Keith WELCOME TO RAROTONGA, Cook IslandsLast evening was Black Tie Optional (BTO) night. We enjoyed another pre-dinner drink at the Crystal Cove. Once again we enjoyed the wonderful music of Pianist Richard Pucci. These are the dinner menus from Waterside where we dined for the third consecutive evening. We began the meal with appetizers; caviar for Keith and soup for Anne Marie. Keith also tried the Tartar of Pacific Salmon Appetizer. The second course was dinner salads for each of us. Our entree was the fresh Maine lobster. The evening just got started after dinner. There was the Captain's Reception at Palm Court with Captain Birger and following the reception was the Crystal Production Show called Crystal On Broadway The Show featuring lots of memorable songs. Captain Birger updated everyone about Crystal Symphony which has been denied docking in various ports and is on its way to Singapore, our arrival at Rarotonga and he introduced the Senior Officers of Serenity. After a lovely evening we slept well as we sailed to our next port-of-call of Rarotonga, Cook Islands. We began the day as you all are accustomed to which included a visit to the Fitness Center by Keith, breakfast in our room and a walk for Anne Marie and an indoor cycling class for Keith. We first visited Rarotonga in 2011. Rarotonga is is the main island of the Cook group of Islands. This chain of islands was named after celebrated explorer Captain James Cook. Rarotonga’s mountains rise 2,000 feet above it beautiful white-sand beaches. Major attractions include: The Takitumu Rainforest. Yes, they get lots of rain on this island. Cook Islands Christian Church built in 1853. Cook Islands Cultural Center which is a private property reflecting the traditions and culture of this island. Muri Beach one of the most popular beaches of the Cook Islands. It features stunning lagoons and white sandy beach. Punanga Nui Market located near the waterfront and is popular on Saturday mornings. It includes fruit, vegetables, fish, pastries and other Island treats along with art works, souvenirs and handcrafts. Before Keith went to Cycling Class he looked out our verandah and he could tell if the sea swells were similar on the other side of the ship we would not go into Rarotonga. When he walked up to Deck 12 he looked at the starboard side of Marketplace and the sea swells looked similar so he thought the port stop would be cancelled. Sure enough a short while later Captain Birger spoke from the bridge and said due to the sea swells it would be unsafe to run the tenders. We are reminded what happened in 2011. We went over to Rarotonga in the morning for a Crystal Tour of the Rainforest. The sea swells were calm. After the tour we went back to the ship and the swells had picked up and an hour later they were very bad. In fact, they were so bad that some people got sick in the tender. Not a pleasant thought. A view from our Verandah at sunrise. Some photos from the Rainforest. Today became a sea day with several lectures and other activities. We did what we often do which was additional walks for Anne Marie and Paddle Tennis for Keith and Lunch at Marketplace. Also enjoyed conversations with fellow guests and member of Team Serenity. All in all a nice unplanned sea day. Following is the daily Reflections Program. Cheers, Anne Marie & Keith ON THE ROAD TO RAROTONGALet us begin with yesterday. These are photos from our visit to Raiatea and the island's capital city; Uturoa. The city is the way we remember from our first visit in 2008. Once back on the ship Keith ran on the Promenade Deck and also walked inside the ship. Anne Marie began walking inside the ship a couple of years ago either when it was too hot and/or windy outside or when it was dark outside. Keith started to do the same last year if he wants to do less on the Elliptical Machine or if running is not possible. We walk Deck 6 on Serenity which is the deck with many public areas including three lounges, shops, casino, photo studio and shops. We prefer walking this deck over the guest decks with staterooms and suites. These are some photos of the areas we walk. After returning we enjoyed the rest of the day on Serenity. This included lunch at Marketplace, Paddle Tennis for Keith and a long walk for Anne Marie. At one point while playing Paddle Tennis a storm arrive and you could hear the wind howling. They got in another game and finally it started to rain and it was time to stop play. We enjoyed the rest of the afternoon visiting with people and catching up on reading and writing. We enjoyed a pre-dinner drink at the Crystal Cove before returning to Waterside for dinner. We listened to Pianist Richard Pucci perform. We love his piano playing. These are the Waterside menus. We enjoyed a delicious meal starting with Sautéed Seafood for the two of us along with a dinner salad. For our entree, Anne Marie had Broiled Fresh Swordfish and Keith had the Local Fresh Ruby Snapper from the modern menu. Everything was great including the wine. Keith had a new Vina Robles wine recently brought on board. They still have the Cabernet which many are familiar with and this one is called the Arborist. Keith enjoyed it very much. Kudos to Sommelier Amela who explained each wine. The evening entertainment featured vocalist Jamila who performed at 7:45 and 9:45 PM. We slept well as Serenity sails to our next port-of-call of Rarotonga and began our day with a visit to the Fitness Center by Keith, and breakfast in our room. Keith went on a run and later joined Anne Marie for a walk before she went to Yoga. Keith played Paddle Tennis with three other guests until the skies darkened and rain showers arrived. Today is the first sea day of this young segment. The program featured three lectures in addition to 50+ enrichment programs. This included: Captain Richard Hayman who spoke about the islands which make up Polynesia, Gen Joe Shafer who spoke about will nations die for Water, and Professor Judith Fordham who spoke about Life, Law and Not Enough shoes. Today was an Italian Theme at Marketplace. After having lunch at Marketplace we both walked inside the ship given the rain. Keith met up with dear friend Bob while Anne Marie read and wrote. A nice addition to the afternoon program was wine tasting at Waterside. The focus was on Sauvignon Blanc. This evening is Black Tie Optional and we will return to Waterside for the third consecutive night. Following is todays' daily Reflections Program. Cheers, Anne Marie & Keith WECLOME TO RAIATEA NOTE: We are experiencing some problems with the internet on-board the ship which makes it challenging to update our blog. As a result we are publishing today's Blog much earlier than usual. It is possible from time-to-time we might not be able to do daily updates. If for whatever reason you don't see an update this is why. Let's begin with last evening. We enjoyed a pre-dinner drink at the Crystal Cove. Ana & Humberto performed as soon as the muster drill completed. These are the dinner menus from Waterside where we enjoyed dinner. We are dining at Waterside for three consecutive nights. We enjoyed dinner. Our Senior Waiter and Waiter remain Kirsten and Fernando and our Sommelier is Amela. We've had Amela as a Sommelier on previous cruises along with her Sister who is a Senior Waiter. Head Waiter Augusto. Our dinner Included Beet Root & Vodka Cured Salmon Appetizer for Keith and Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail for Anne Marie followed by dinner salads. We both had the Local Fresh Wahoo Fillet which was a Yahoo. LOL. We were not familiar with Wahoo and selected it based on the recommendation of August and Kirsten. On this voyage there will be several opportunities to try the local fish and this will continue as we sail New Zealand and Australia. The featured entertainment was Crystal in Motion which showcases the Crystal Ensemble of Dancers and Singers, Dance Stars Curtis and Beverly who returned back to Serenity and the Crystal Showband, Violinist Irina and Vocalist Karin. We slept well as we sailed to our next port of call in Raiatea. This island is the second largest of the Society Islands after Tahiti. It is considered to be the center of the Eastern Islands in ancient Polynesia. It is believed the organized migrations to the Hawaiian Islands, New Zealand and other part of Eastern Polynesia began at Raiatea. The traditional name for the island is Havai, which is homeland for the Maori people. Major attractions include: Marae Taputapuatea which features a number of marae and other stone structures. Marche Uturoa which is a local town market. Taha's Island which has a population of 5,000 people and is 35 square miles. Faaroa River which is the only navigable rinver in French Polynesia. Four Islands Virew which is the mountain that dominated the northern part of the island. It offers spectacular views. We will arrive to Raiatea in less than two hours. We will be docked and our plan is to walk from the pier over to Uturoa which is the island's capital. The walk is 1/2 mile. We hope to post photos tomorrow. Following is the daily Reflections Program. Cheers, Anne Marie & Keith PAPEETE, TAHITI DAY 2After a day of touring we decided to have dinner in our room last evening. This is the Waterside Dinner menu We chose an appetizer, salad and entree from Waterside. Anne Marie had the Portobello Mushroom Appetizer and Keith had the Ahi Tuna appetizer. We both had salads. They were not on the menu and Jaisin had them made a little larger than a house salad. For our entree we enjoyed Salmon. Butler Jaison organized the meal for us and served it course by course. The evening entertainment featured Big Band Dancing with the Crystal Showband and featured vocalist Karin. Since we had an overnight at Papeete there was no formal show. We began our day as we do most mornings starting with an early workout for Keith at the Fitness Center followed by breakfast in our room. Keith took an indoor cycling class while Anne Marie walked outside on the promenade deck. We had the mot participants in the class since we boarded. A couple of photos before class. We want to continue with photos from yesterdays tour. We concluded yesterday's post with photos from lunch. The owner's of the restaurant, Le Restaurant Bar du Musee Gauguin, are Roger and Juliet Gowen. Roger arrived to the island by sail boat. He is from England. He was ship-wrecked on the reef which surrounds the island. He fell in love with the island and with his future wife Juliet. He met her when she was only thirteen and waited five years to marry her. They have owned the restaurant for fifty years. They bought the house in which they live in about forty years ago. Initially, the owner asked if they would be interested in purchasing the house but they could not afford it. The owner very much wanted to sell it to them so he allowed they to purchase it with monthly installments and no interest on the overall purchase. They said yes and the rest is history. The home is close to 100 years old. It was originally built by a known English write, Robert Keibel. Roger Gowen was also an author and he wrote a book called Voyage To Paradise which was published in 1963. He showed us the book along with photos taken shortly after he arrived to Tahiti. Roger is 84 and we are not sure the age of his wife. They are beginning to think of the time when the won't run the restaurant and his son is getting ready to commission an architect to make some modifications to the restaurant along with a few other changes on the property. His son will eventually run the day-to-day operations of the restaurant. After lunch, we drove five minutes to the owner's private residence and toured inside and outside the home. The man is from England and his wife is Tahitian. In honor of his English heritage they have a large room with a bar with items from England including photographs and paintings of the Queen, Winston Churchill and Princess Diana. They are a loving couple who have a passion for the restaurant, their family, their home, history and gardening. When he first met her they had to wait a few years until she was old enough to marry. Photos from the Natural Fern Cave. Lionel used to swim there from time-to-time. A few additional items from the tour. The Tahitians are fairly religious with 50% being Protestant, 35% Catholic and the remainder representing other religions. The economy gets a big lift from France who employs much of the population and provides a big influx of money into the economy. Up until twenty-five years ago French was the primary language taught in school and young age children would get in trouble if they spoke in Polynesian. This has changed with Polynesian being spoken and tougher along with French. Later in school English is taught. Lionel explained when we visited the area where people were sacrificed that the sacrifices were in many ways far worse than what has been shown in movies. A major sport and one that man Tahitians excel is the outrigger canoe racing. Others have studied them including videoing them from underneath the water and still can't master this as well as they do. We discussed safety and crime. Overall their rates have been low but there has been an increase in petty larceny due to drugs. A big surprise for us was learning they only get ten to fifteen major cruise line passenger ships per year. Global warming is having an impact on Tahiti including receding beaches, and warmer waters which is killing off coral. The scientific community in Moorea is growing coral to offset some of the impacts. For the two of us the tour tied in so much we have learned from schooling, on our own, from prior visits and from many lectures we have seen on prior voyages when we sailed Tahiti. The tour was an example of why in addition to visiting new places we also learn a great deal by revising places knowing you can't do it all on one visit. We enjoyed the afternoon on the ship including lunch at Marketplace, a walk for Anne Marie and a return to Paddle Tennis for Keith Following is today's daily Reflections Program. Cheers, Anne Marie & Keith |
THE
ADVENTURE BEGINS Archives
March 2020
Categories |