We wanted to begin by saying that there are a number of items that for us makes a cruise successful. This includes items such as the itinerary, the cuisine, the amenities of the ship, the service, and the entertainment and the enrichment programs. However, in the end what pulls this all together is the team of people and in this case it is the crew of the Crystal Serenity along with the team of people who work at Crystal Cruises headquarters in Los Angeles and in a few other places around the world that puts all of this together and day in and day out. Adding to the experience is also the fellow passengers that we sail with.
As this first leg of our adventure begins to come to a close we wanted to note that we have had an outstanding time since boarding the ship in Miami. We have been reunited with friends we know from previous sailings, and we have made some new friends and acquaintances and we have been thoroughly touched by the professionalism, spirit and friendliness of the entire Crystal crew.
We truly enjoyed another magical evening on the ship last night. There is always something special about sailing on a cruise ship and the evenings are always one of the highpoints. They are made even more special on Formal nights. For us, we just love the ambience of seeing so many of our fellow passengers decked out in forma attire and that was certainly the case last evening.
Before dinner complimentary drinks were served in several lounges throughout the ship so that those passengers who are in the main dining could enjoy a pre-dinner drink. We sat with another couple who we have just gotten to know the past few days. They sit right next to us in the Main Dining Room and we have several mutual interests.
A special dinner was offered in the Main Dining Room whose theme is the Captain’s Gala Dinner. While we did not dine in the Main Dining Room, we wanted to mention some of the menu choices.
Appetizers included Caviar with all of the traditional items, Chicken Liver Parfait, and Gratinated Oysters Rockefeller.
Soups and Salads included Cream of Asparagus Argenteuil, Double Oxtail Consommé and a Captain’s Salad.
Main Fares included Broiled South African Lobster Tails, Pink Roasted Supreme of Pheasant, Filet of Beef Wellington and Grilled Wisconsin Veal Medallions. Additional items included New York Sirloin Steak Broiled Fillet of Lemon Sole, a Salad Entrée and there was also a Past Special of Fettuccine Pasta tossed with Lobster “Bolognese Style” on Green Pea Puree.
There were also vegetarian selections and lighter side items to choose from.
All of this is followed by the most important item; the sweet finale. The desserts included Baked Alaska and Symphony of Chocolate, which is White Chocolate Panna Cotta, Chocolate Whiskey Tart a la Mode and Chocolate Praline. There were two sugar free items, which was Pistachio Cream with Dried Cranberries and Vanilla Cream Swan.
Several Classic Desserts were offered including Chocolate Ooze Cake a la Mode, Vanilla Crème Brulee with Fresh Fruit, Apple Crumble Tart with Vanilla Ice Cream, Vanilla, Vanilla with Snickers, Mint Chocolate Chip or Rocky Road Ice Cream with your choice of Toppings, Freshly Frozen Nonfat Double Dutch Chocolate Yogurt, Low-Fat Soft Serve Vanilla Ice Cream, and finally there was Refreshing Kir Royale Sherbet, Petits Fours, and Seasonal Fruit.
On top of this there was also the Cheese Trolley.
We decided to have dinner at the Silk Road Japanese Specialty Restaurant. As soon as we arrived for dinner we were seated by headwaiter Sigi and we were taken care of for our entire dinner by waiter Alberto who took good care of us throughout last years World Cruise. He can and from time to time has done this pretty much order our entire dinner for us unless we change things up which we do from time to time. From time to time Walter who is a waiter at another section also assisted.
We enjoyed a couple of special appetizers that are not on the menu and then some sushi and sashimi and we each had a lobster entrée with a side order of vegetables.
Dinner was just delicious and we always look forward to dining at this very special venue. The recipes prepared by the chefs that have been trained by Nobu is just amazing. We have never tasted anything quite like this at any land-based Japanese Restaurant.
Maitre d’ Bruno Marques stopped by to talk with us realized that for the first time in quite sometime it was just the two of us dining together at the specialty restaurant. The same is true for this evening when we will be dining at Prego.
After dinner we attended Captain Glenn’s Reception and we had a wonderful time. These receptions are truly elegant with a wide range of drinks offered including non-alcohol drinks, wine, spirits, other mixed drinks and champagne and the staff comes around with a variety of trays of canapés. The band plays a nice variety of songs and the Ambassador Hosts are there to dance with solo female passengers. The talks given by Captain Glenn are always very touching. At the end of this voyage Captain Glenn will be going home for a well deserved vacation and then will be back on board the Serenity at the end of the World Cruise. Right after the World Cruise ends the ship will be in dry dock for a couple of weeks before beginning a very nice summer season which will include Northern Europe followed by Western Europe sailings.
We sat with friends Bob and Glo and their granddaughter Becky and we also sat with the couple that sits next to us in the Main Dining Room who we also enjoyed pre-cruise drinks with this evening After the reception was over we sat with the couple for almost another hour. The music was great this evening and we danced to a couple of times. It was a lot of fun. We also spoke with the Master Sommelier and his wife who just came on board the ship in Peurto Vallarta.
Speaking of the Master Sommelier during his stay on board he is working with the sommeliers on their certification. We learned that the program that Crystal uses for the certification of the sommeliers is unlike any program that is implemented at sea or at land. We always were impressed with the knowledge that each sommelier has but this has given us a better appreciation of the training that the sommeliers receive and why they are, in fact, so knowledgeable. We wanted to note our own experience with each sommelier. If you tell them what you like in your wine they will come up with a great recommendation for you or if you talk about what meal you will be having they will come up with a great recommendation(s) for a wine to be pared with the meal. On top of this, we have found that they recommend a wine that makes sense rather than trying to recommend an over the top wine in terms of a high price. Each time we speak with one of the sommelier’s about wine we always learn something new. This is not always the case on other lines we have sailed where the sommelier’s didn’t seem to know much about the wine and their role seemed more to just pour the wine.
We also wanted to note that we saw a most beautiful sunset last evening while we were sitting in the Palm Court where the reception began.
Afterwards, we stopped by the Main Dining Room to speak with Maitre d’ Mario Gallo for a few minutes.
When we arrived back to the room the good news is that we set the clocks back another hour since we are sailing into another new time zone.
We enjoyed another nice nights sleep as the ocean was relatively calm. Last night was a perfect night when the ship gently rocked us to sleep. It was a little windy this morning but the ship handles so very well that even with some higher than average winds it is not bothersome at all.
As usual, Keith was up earlier than normal given that we set the clocks back one hour to enjoy another wonderful day at sea. Keith enjoyed another nice workout at the Fitness Center and worked out on his favorite elliptical machine for his longest workout of the cruise totaling one hour and forty-five minutes. Afterwards, he lifted some weights and also did stretching.
After the workout, Keith stopped by the Lido Café for some coffee. This time Lido Deck Stewards, Reggie and Raymond, asked Keith if he wanted to try putting on the cup lid himself on one of the cups while Raymond did the other. You can guess who did the better job. Yes, it was Raymond. J
By the time that Keith got back to the room it was time for Anne Marie to begin her workout. She enjoyed a very nice workout.
By the time she got back to the room, Alexander arrived a few minutes later with our breakfast. We spoke with Alexander for a few minutes. He always does a superb job and takes good care of us. He is a very well rounded person.
Today was another wonderful day at sea as we made our way to Los Angeles.
Keith got a haircut in the salon one of those items that needs to be done when one is on a longer voyage.
There were two lectures this morning. The first was given by Dr.John McMichan who spoke on the topic of Affairs of the Heart; Living with coronary artery disease. This lecture along with his other ones has been spectacular. Dr. McMichan has a very good style of being able to convey a lot of good information in a logical and easy to understand manner. His power point slides are also quite good.
The doctor covered many items that we have learned over the years but it is always good to hear this over and over plus he mentioned some new items as well.
He mentioned that it is advisable to carry an uncoated 325 mg regularly aspirin close by should you have chest pains in the event it is a heart attack and that you would chew the aspirin. Anne Marie always carries one in a small cosmetic bag that she takes everywhere with us including on the ship. Keith carries one in his wallet. They are sold as travel aspirin so they are in a sealed pouch. For men and women over age 65 he also recommends taking a baby aspirin after first consulting with a doctor. He also talked about several good foods to have as well as foods to avoid when it comes to lowering cholesterol and heart disease. Some of the items he recommended included oatmeal, oily fish such salmon (daily), blueberries, teas such as green and black tea, grape juice or red wine, two pieces of dark chocolate, plenty of fruits and vegetables. He talked about the benefits of the Mediterranean diet. He also talked about the importance of weight control and exercise that is within your own capabilities and he touched on foods to avoid.
The other lecture was on understanding the energy crisis, which we intend to watch on the television.
At Noon we were back playing team trivia for the last game of this leg. We ended up winning for the second consecutive day. Whether you win or lose it really doesn't matter. It's just a game.
We enjoyed another wonderful lunch at the Lido Café where we were taken good care of by the spectacular, Lido Deck Stewards, including Clark, Reggie and Raymond and Michael just to name a few of them.
In the afternoon, Keith played Paddle Tennis and then spoke with some fellow passengers.
As she does each afternoon, Anne Marie took another hour long walk.
We took care of some other items this afternoon and this evening we will dine at the Prego Italian Specialty Restaurant and then we will go to the Variety Show afterwards.
We will post more about this tomorrow.
We wanted to note that we saw several passenger’s who we have met for the very first time on this cruise who we have gotten to know and exchanged cards with them and hopefully we will see them on a future cruise.
TODAY’S THOUGHT FOR THE DAY…..
“You can't do anything about the length of your life, but you can do something about its width and depth.” - Evan Esar
Keith and Anne Marie
No comments:
Post a Comment