February 17, 2011
Highlights From Yesterday And Today
New Zealand
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We don’t want to be too repetitive so we just want to note how much we are enjoying each port in New Zealand. Likewise, we have heard the same comments from all of the passengers we have spoken with.
Entertainment Last Evening
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It’s not often that we would highlight a comedian but Yakov Smirnoff who performed last evening is not your typical comedian. He is a Russian Comedian who was just superb. He had us laughing and he did this with good “old fashioned” humor that was not offensive and that was clean. He was outstanding.
Cruise Critic Meet and Mingle Party
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We had an excellent turnout of guests from Cruise Critic along with an equally impressive turnout of officers and senior staff from Crystal Cruises. We want to thank Crystal Cruises so very much for sponsoring these wonderful parties and for Cruise Critic for proving the forum where guests who enjoy cruising from around the world can come together.
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We were back in the Main Dining Room last evening. There were lots of wonderful foods on the menu.
The appetizers included Fresh Green Shell Mussels, Pink Roasted Supreme of Duck, and Oven Bakes Tomatoes with Grilled Kapati Feta Cheese.
The Soups featured a Green Split Pea Soup and a Beef Consommé with Cabbage Strudel.
The Salads featured a Crunchy Lettuce Leave Salad and there was also a Butter Lettuce Salad each accompanied with a nice range of items.
There was a Pasta Special called Orechiette “Arrabiata” with Fresh Tomato Sauce, Garlic, Chili Flakes, Parsley and Parmesan and a wonderfully prepared Venison Salad entrée with Pink Roasted New Zealand Venison Loin in an Herb Bread Coat, accompanied by Mesclun Lettuce, Tossed with Blackberry Balsamico, and Served with Windsor Blue Cheese Crumbles, Grapes and Toasted Almonds.
The Main Fares included Broiled, Fresh New Zealand Bluenose Fillet accompanied by Roasted Sweet Pepper Ragout with Basil Sauce and New Potatoes, Pan Seared Sea Scallops, Grilled Black Angus T-Bone Steak, New Zealand Lamb Loin and a Chicken Breast and a Black Angus Filet Steak were also available.
There were lots of side orders, and the Vegetarian Selection included a Polenta and Roasted Vegetable Gratin with Chunky Tomato Sauce Entrée and there were also several lighter side items to choose.
Then there are those desserts.
The Sweet Finale featured “Queen” which is a Sticky Toffee Pudding with Caramel Sauce and Vanilla Ice Cream and “Plantation of Peach” which is Mascarpone peach Tart, White Peach Jell-O and Frozen Peach Yogurt.
The Sugar-Free selections featured Orange Cappuccino Mousse and Apple Pie a la Mode.
On top of this, there were numerous Classic Desserts to choose from.
When we were there two nights ago, our Headwaiter Giuseppe asked if we would like to have Caesar Salad this evening and we said that would be great. We know that Giuseppe makes a wonderful Caesar Salad as he has made them for us in the past and once again he prepared a wonderful salad for us. Each Headwaiter has their own way of preparing the salads.
We continued our approach of having the fresh fish entrée whenever available and we each enjoyed the Fresh New Zealand Bluenose Fillet. We certainly made the correct choice as the fish was quite tasty and moist and the presentation was superb.
We also had a side order of steamed vegetables and Keith enjoyed a baked potato. We had fruit for our dessert with Keith having mixed berries and Anne Marie having a fruit plate.
After dinner we attended a Cruse Critic Meet and Mingle Party, which was sponsored by Crystal Cruises. The party included complimentary canapés and wine, spirits and non-alcohol beverages. We had a great turnout including some first time Crystal Cruisers, others who have sailed Crystal previously but are on this leg of the cruise and still others who are on one or more legs including the full world cruise. We had an excellent turnout of officers and other key members of the cruise. This included Walter Pietschnig the Food and Beverage Manager, James Coughlan the Shore Excursion Manager, Jamie Brown the Cruise Sales Consultant, Jaque Brown the Crystal Society Hostess, Leena Hietanen the Executive Housekeeper, and a few other members of the Crystal team.
These parties provide an excellent opportunity to meet fellow passengers for the very first time and to also see fellow passengers who we have met on one or more prior cruises.
It also provides a nice opportunity to talk with officers and other senior members of the ship.
Afterwards, we went to see Comedian Yakov Smiernoff perform. He is a former Russian Comedian and he even has his own venue at Branson, Missouri. He has been in many movies including Moscow on Hudson with Robin Williams, Brewster’s Millions with Richard Pryr, The Money Pit with Tom Hanks and Hearburn with Jack Nicholson and Meryl Streep.
He has to be one of the best comedians we have ever seen in person. He kept us and the rest of the audience laughing throughout his hour long performance and did this with good old fashioned and clean humor.
We enjoyed another nice sleep on the ship as we sailed to our next port of call in Christchurch, New Zealand.
Keith was up early and enjoyed another nice workout in the Fitness Center. He worked out for over ninety minutes on the Elliptical Machine and then did some weightlifting and stretching. About half way though his workout others arrived to work out. On his way back to the room he stopped by the Lido Café for coffee and spoke briefly with Lido Deck Steward Mel.
Anne Marie also enjoyed her morning workout by taking a one-hour walk on the Promenade Deck.
A little while after Anne Marie got back to the room, there was the morning knock on the door and it was Alexander with our breakfast.
Today, we arrived at Christchurch. Our first visit to Christchurch was in 2008 and on that visit we experienced torrential rain and strong winds making it very challenging to do much in the way of touring the city. This time around we were fortunate to have sunny skies.
This city is home to almost 350,000 people. A large portion of the area is devoted to public parks, recreation grounds, and reserves. Christchurch is the third largest city in New Zealand. The local economy is driven by farming, fishing, and tourism. The city did experience an earthquake about five months ago.
We took the shuttle into town, which was about a twenty five minute drive.
We had superb weather during our visit to Christchurch and what a difference having good weather meant. We thoroughly enjoyed today’s visit.
After the shuttle dropped us off, we visited the Christ Church Cathedral, which is a beautiful cathedral. From there we walked about fifteen minutes over to the Botanic Gardens. The gardens are enormous and beautiful and we walked most of the area enjoying the beautiful trees, plants and the floral displays. We then visited the nearby university, the Canterbury Museum, the McDougall Art Gallery and a few other nearby attractions. We also took the Punting, which are like gondolas, and we were taken on a ride past the boulevards and streets, squares and terraces and colonial and contemporary buildings of Christchurch city. The narration was wonderful and we learned all about the history of the city.
The city looked quite good in spite of the earthquake that struck the city in September of last year. The earthquake destroyed approximately 1,000 homes and damaged various buildings. Some buildings experienced structural damage to their interiors and others have structural damage that one might not detect visually. Some buildings are in the process of being repaired but, in general most of the city looked in great shape.
We loved this city. It is so very easy to get around and there are numerous places to visit. It is a city that you can see by foot, by gondola, by tram and by other means.
Once back on the ship we enjoyed a nice lunch at the Lido Café. Anne Marie got in another nice walk on the Promenade Deck and Keith got in several games of Paddle Tennis. Later in the day Keith sat with some fellow passenger’s enjoying a nice conversation while Anne Marie did some reading and writing.
This evening we will dine at Prego and will post more about this tomorrow.
All in all it has been another day in which we have created memories that will last a lifetime.
Keith and Anne Marie
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