We thought we’d start with a brief recap from yesterday afternoon. The weather was quite nice as we made our way closer to Oahu. We saw several whales. Keith played Paddle Tennis for several hours with fellow guests and some members of the crew. There are days that Keith thinks he is making progress and days when he thinks he is going backward. Yesterday was one of those good days.
Anne Marie walked outside on the Promenade Deck and then sat out for a while.
We docked ahead of schedule and as soon as we were sailing off the coast of Oahu we were able to get regular phone service on our cell phones so we took the opportunity to speak with our son and our daughter and it was wonderful to hear their voices. We miss them both along with our son in law Gui and our future daughter in law, Kara.
We had a wonderful time on the ship last evening and a wonderful day today.
Last evening we had dinner in Silk Road. We dined with Roger McGuinn who was the founder of the Byrds and his lovely wife Camilla. We first met Roger and Camilla on board the Crystal Symphony in November of this past year as we sailed from New York City to Los Angeles. Roger was one of the Celebrity Lecturers and we thoroughly enjoyed all of his lectures. We also sat with the two of them one night along with Ricki and David at the Captain’s Farewell Reception. We also spoke with them when we went to the Vintage Room when the trivia team that Keith was playing on won the special trivia game about Crystal history and the winning team got to go to the Vintage Room. The Vintage Room is a wonderful experience where several types of wine are carefully chosen by the Head Sommelier and are pared with individual food courses to bring out the best in the wine and each course.
For us it has been a real treat to be able to get to know Roger and his lovely wife. Keith remember quite well that he and his brother had the album of the Byrds that included Turn, Turn, Turn and used to listen to it all the time along with some other favorites such as The Beatles.
We had a great time dining at Silk Road. We had a wonderful conversation and enjoyed the fantastic Silk Road cuisine along with the terrific service and ambience of this dining venue. The waiter who normally takes great care of us was off, and we were fortunate to have Anthony. Anthony took excellent care of us in 2007 and on part of the 2008 World Cruise when he returned from Holiday.
We each had a Nobu Special, which was Tuna Tataki with Ponzu Sauce.
We then ordered a very large platter of sushi and sashimi. Anne Marie prefers Sushi and Keith, Roger and Camilla preferred the Sashimi. Some of the Sashimi items we had included Salmon, Scallops ,Tuna. Toro, Squid, Octopus, and Yellowtail. We also ordered a California Sushi Rolland a couple of the House Special Rolls and Anthony already remembered a special roll that Keith enjoys so we didn’t need to order that one.
We all ended up having the same entrée, which was the Nobu Style Lobster with Truffle-Yuzu Sauce. This includes Lobster with Garlic, Asparagus, Shitake Mushrooms and Snap Peas, which is finished with Nobu Style Truffle Yuzu Sauce. Keith did also have a nice side order of vegetables.
We ended up dining for three hours because we were just enjoying such a wonderful conversation. On our way out we saw Joe and Maria Kita (Joe teaches memoir writing and Maria teaches yoga) and we will be going with them in a few nights to Silk Road. We have dined with them in the past in Silk Road. Now, that is a night where the platter of sushi and sashimi may need to be big enough for the entire table.
While we didn’t eat in the dining room we wanted to highlight one item from last nights menu. One of the desserts on the menu was appropriately called “Aloha” and was a Hawaiian Macadamia Nut Tart with Chocolate Sour Cream Mousse. It sounds like it was “yummy”.
This morning Keith woke early to begin his day with a daily workout at the Fitness Center. Keith worked out for ninety minutes on the Elliptical Machine. Afterwards he worked out on a few of the weight lifting machines and also did some stretching.
He went by the Lido Café to bring back some coffee to the room. While at the Lido Café he spoke with a couple of the Lido Deck Stewards.
Anne Marie skipped this morning’s workout since we had Alexander bring our breakfast at 7:00 AM instead of 8:00 AM
We enjoyed a very nice breakfast in our room. We chatted with Alexander for a few minutes as he set the table and with our breakfast. Alexander is wonderful and we always appreciate his attention to detail and his professionalism. We had asked Alexander to bring breakfast an hour earlier than normal, as we wanted to run an errand in Honolulu.
We have been to Honolulu several times including a land-based vacations and a visit on another cruise line. This is the third time we have visited Honolulu on one of the Crystal Ships. Our first visit to Honolulu with Crystal Cruises was in 2008 on the Crystal Serenity and we visited here again in 2009 on the Crystal Symphony as we sailed from Los Angeles to Hong Kong.
Honolulu is the Capital of Hawaii. It attracts many visitors each year including those who enjoy the beach along with honeymooners and visitors of all ages. It offers a wide range of activities and appeals to a wife range of people. It attracts about seven million visitors each year. There is so much to do and see on Oahu.
One can go to the beach, hike to Diamond Head, snorkel, enjoy a variety of restaurants or visit other parts of the Island. There is the Polynesian Culture Centre, which includes the Sea Life Park. There is Pearl Harbor where one can pay their respect to those who lost their lives during the horrific attack that took place on the morning of December 7, 1941.
We first visited Honolulu with our children when our son was about two year old (young) and our daughter was five years old. We spent the week here at a nice resort on Waikiki Beach. We spent two of those days with Keith’s parents as they were on a land tour with Taulk Tours We have so many wonderful memories of that first visit that we will carry with us for the rest of our lives.
We took a nice long walk fairly early in the morning for a couple of hours. We walked off the ship at 7:30 AM and we walked a few miles on King Street. We visited several sites including Kawaihao Church, The September 11, 2001 Memorial, the First Chinese Church of Christ, the Iolani Palace and we also viewed the statue in honor of King Kamehameha The Great. The weather at that time of day was just perfect making for a glorious walk. Before getting back on the ship we went to a specific store where Anne Marie had purchased an Hawaiian type of dress that she likes two years ago. We had the same very nice woman help who helped her the last time help us again today.
Today we spent a nice day with friends Keith and Sue. We first met Keith and Sue on a cruise with Seabourn that we took in 2005 from Valparaiso, Chile to Buenos Aires, Argentina. Early on in the cruise we met Keith and Sue and then spent time with them on and off the ship including enjoying some nice meals with them on the ship. There were a few other guests who we also got to know on that cruise and all of us got along so very well. Since that time we kept up with the two of them including seeing them on two different occasions during visits to San Francisco. The timing worked out for our visit with Keith and Sue as they were staying in Honolulu for their yearly winter vacation when they visit Honolulu.
We made arrangements ahead of time for Keith and Sue to visit the ship. Crystal is one of just a few cruise lines that allow passengers to have visitors on board the ship when it port. Approval is required and guests and visitors much comply with the requirements that are duly noted on the visitor form. We met Keith and Sue at the dock at 11:00 AM and then gave them a tour of the ship. At 12:00 Noon the four of us enjoyed a very nice lunch in the Main Dining Room.
Afterwards, we went in their rental car and toured around. We drove all along Waikiki and then over to Diamond Head and from there saw breathtaking views of the ocean and beach area and many beautiful homes. We also drove by the downtown area and the historic area where we saw beautiful colonial buildings.
We had a wonderful time spending part of the day with Keith and Sue and we wish them all the very best and look forward to seeing them again very soon.
This evening there will be a special event for all guests. We will post all about it tomorrow.
TODAY’S THOUGTH FOR THE DAY…..
“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." - Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Keith and Anne Marie
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