Keith1010 Posted January 26, 2020 Author #276 Share Posted January 26, 2020 Denise, that is super. We took a climb as well before sailing on Crystal and a couple of other luxury lines. We sailed several other lines. What I like is the cruise lines each have a niche with emphasis on certain areas. This way we can each figure out which ones match to those areas we enjoy the most. For example I have met some people whose number one reason for selecting a line is Paddle Tennis. One couple we met last year selected Crystal for that reason but also plays Paddle Tennis on the HAL cruise which does the their World Cruise. Others might be drawn to Dancing. Of course Itinerary is a consideration for most people. Best to you. Keith Link to post Share on other sites
edgee Posted January 26, 2020 #277 Share Posted January 26, 2020 On 1/24/2020 at 11:51 AM, Keith1010 said: Robin, the seas are another example how everyone's experience is different. Over the years I've gotten more and more sea legs. But don't try to ever get me up in a helicopter. No way Jose. 😀 Biggest challenge for me outside today was running on the Promenade Deck. In similar wind conditions on the first World Cruise leg on day I just ran back and forth on one side of the deck to avoid being blown off the bow as you make the turn. Today it was too crowded so I ran around several times. As I approached the bow I removed my cap and tucked it into my arm and at the same time held a finger on each AirPod for fear they would come flying out. Thankfully hat, AirPods and more importantly myself didn't get blown off the ship. 😎 Keith Keith, Your helicopter comment came to mind this morning with news of Kobe's tragic death in a helicopter crash. How sad. Ed Link to post Share on other sites
Keith1010 Posted January 26, 2020 Author #278 Share Posted January 26, 2020 Ed it was very sad. He was there at the game when LeBron hit a shot to overtake Kobe in career scoring. I do avoid helicopters and certain planes Keth Link to post Share on other sites
Keith1010 Posted January 27, 2020 Author #279 Share Posted January 27, 2020 ON THE ROAD TO NUKO - ANOTHER DAY AT SEA We enjoyed another glorious day at sea. For those who love sea days on Crystal Cruises we have plenty of them on this voyages. I always say on a Crystal Cruise World Cruise it is Crystal on steroids when it comes to enrichment as there is so much to do and no time to do it all. It is a fun challenge to have. Lots of activities were on the schedule including 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. In the afternoon, Dr. Simon Spooner spoke about maritime archaeology. The World Games continued with several activities for guests to participate. This included Gin Rummy, Men's and Women's Shuffleboard, Men's and Women's Basketball Foul Shooting and a few other competitions. I wanted to highlight the weather. It was the most beautiful day to be outdoors of this sailing. The weather was incredible. It was 75 degrees Fahrenheit for most of the day and Sunny. It was humid which made it feel warmer than it was. 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. Unfortunately, I was unable to take any photos since I was participating in Basketball Foul Shooting. I will be sure to take photos the next time the brunch is held. During his talk from the Bridge Captain Birger noted we were going at 23 Knots which is the most Serenity can go. We are making up time at this speed. There has only been minimal impact to the itinerary. We will arrive one day later than originally planned to our Nuku and miss only one port and most importantly the two guests who required medical attention on land are where they needed to be. In the end the safety of guests, members of Team Serenity and the Ship are the priorities as they should be. Before dinner we attended the Cruise Critic Meet & Mingle Party. We had a nice turnout. I wish we had more time to meet everyone but we did meet several couples we have never met before plus one couple who we met on our second Crystal Cruises in 2003. It is hard to believe 17 years ago. On the World Cruise they change the Prego Specialty Restaurant on each segment given how long guests are on-board. We dined there last evening. Current Prego Menu attachment1.en.pdf I enjoyed two of the updates which were added to the menu for this voyage. This included a Crab appetizer with a Cannoli. The best description for this appetizer was the word Yummy. I also had the Sea Bass which was added to the menu and one word to describe this was delicious. Cannoli Sea Bass. Caesar Salad Grilled Vegetables Speaking of changing menus, we learned from one of our fellow CC members that two nights ago as part of Chinese New Year they had a special menu at the Silk Asian Restaurant. Last nights evening entertainment included the production show of Icons In Concert which is very uplifting. Cheers, Keith 2 Link to post Share on other sites
Keith1010 Posted January 27, 2020 Author #280 Share Posted January 27, 2020 I will have to write it down for next time but one of the inclusive wines in Prego was replaced very recently with a new vintage. It's one of the red wines. Anyway, I was discussing with the sommelier how much I enjoyed it and there was one surprise. I often think of some of the California wines as being higher in alcohol content than old world wines. This Italian wine was 14% alcohol. I hope this isn't the reason why I liked it. LOL. 😀 I've enjoyed several of the inclusive wines in Waterside. A couple of red wines are from Spain. I can't remember how long we were told they have had this one but there is a C Riesling Wine. I just don't remember it from last year. Anne Marie can only have a little bit of wine each week but has enjoyed this one. I've tasted it. Like all things wine is subjective. It's certainly not a dry Riesling not is it extremely Sweet. I would put it in between. I'm only mentioning this so for those who do like Riesling that you are aware they have it on-board as one of the inclusive wine offerings. As a reminder I do post daily Waterside Menus and Daily Reflections Programs on our Blog. With that said here is today's Waterside Menu and Reflections Program. Waterside Menu. WatersideJanuary27.pdf Daily Reflections Program. ReflectionsJanuary27.pdf Keith 2 Link to post Share on other sites
DeeniEncinitas Posted January 27, 2020 #281 Share Posted January 27, 2020 Good morning Roy! All I can say is WOW to the extensive Prego specialty restaurant!! Very impressed with the selections. How did you do with your basketball foul shooting? I really see how well Crystal keeps everyone engaged in all kinds of activities and enrichment programs! Have a wonderful sea day Denise😊 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Keith1010 Posted January 27, 2020 Author #282 Share Posted January 27, 2020 HI Denise: I think you meant Keith. The Basketball foul shooting went the way I expected. This was my night time in this event (one year it was canceled due to rain). I have gotten five golds, three silvers and one bronze. I did play High School Basketball. I told my wife Anne Marie earlier yesterday morning that this was my year to not get a medal . I was right. LOL. I had a great time anyway. Met several guests while we were out there for the first time and had a great time. Keith Link to post Share on other sites
DeeniEncinitas Posted January 27, 2020 #283 Share Posted January 27, 2020 57 minutes ago, Keith1010 said: HI Denise: I think you meant Keith. The Basketball foul shooting went the way I expected. This was my night time in this event (one year it was canceled due to rain). I have gotten five golds, three silvers and one bronze. I did play High School Basketball. I told my wife Anne Marie earlier yesterday morning that this was my year to not get a medal . I was right. LOL. I had a great time anyway. Met several guests while we were out there for the first time and had a great time. Keith OMGOSH yup! Sorry Keith! I had already sent Roy my response several hours ago! Denise😳 That is what is so fun! Engaging with people and building a relationship. Some of them last like your couple who were on your WC back 17 years ago. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Keith1010 Posted January 28, 2020 Author #284 Share Posted January 28, 2020 Denise no worries and thank you for following along. Yes, cruising has so much to offer including developing relationships with others. Keith Link to post Share on other sites
Keith1010 Posted January 28, 2020 Author #285 Share Posted January 28, 2020 LAND I SEE LAND - WELL, NOT YET BUT OUR DAY WILL COME In the meantime, we enjoyed another glorious day at sea. For those who have not sailed on a World Cruise segment think of a sea day as Crystal on steroids with the normal array of enrichment and other activities plus more. Yesterday was an example of this. Enrichment included not three but four lectures on a wide range of topics. Examples of enrichment included; Piano for beginners, a golf clinic, beginners bridge followed by beginners bridge, needlepoint get-together, knitting get-togther, intermediate bridge, creative media fundamentals with focus on photos, a computer university class, team trivia, complimentary dance class, man jongg, progress piano, memoir writing, Zumba and dance fitness, duplicate and social bridge play, a watercolor art class and advanced piano along with Rap with the Rabbi. In addition there were some beauty and fitness seminars, the showing of the movie The Souvenir in the Hollywood theatre, other indoor and outdoor activities. On top of this the World Games continued. Now the challenge was how to do so much and still have time to eat. Mother Nature could not make a decision on the weather. The day included thunderstorms, rain showers, sunny skies, partly cloudy skies, more on and off rain. I thought we would get in our doubles Men's World Games tournament. Just as my partner and I were getting to start our game Mother Nature said no way Jose and it began raining. There was more movement as the day progressed. For me not bothersome. It was the feeling at times such as when we arrived and left the Captain's quarters for a reception with several guests you had the feeling walking Deck 11 deck that you already had a few drinks when we had nothing to drink at the reception. LOL. For us it does make it easy to fall asleep. Think rock-a-bye-baby. As Captain Birger mentioned at the reception we are making good speed as we are sailing to our first port of call. We were traveling mainly between 21 and 22 knots. We dined at the Japanese Specialty Restaurant Umi Uma last evening with dear friends whom we have known for 13 years and have enjoyed a great friendship on and off Crystal vessels. We did a first. I had the idea of ordering sushi, sashimi and a few appetizers and everyone agreed. It was delicious. My only mistake is I was enjoying the food so much I forget to take photos of a few items. This will give you a "flavor" for many of the items we enjoyed. This is today's Reflections Program. January28 Reflections.pdf As a reminder you can find more details and photos and menus along with the programs on our Blog at: https://www.followourtrips.com/current-blog Cheers, Keith 2 Link to post Share on other sites
Keith1010 Posted January 28, 2020 Author #286 Share Posted January 28, 2020 A couple of additional items. Last night each guest received a letter from Captain Birger with some information related to coronavirus. It noted that non-essential ship visits have been cancelled while in port. It noted things that can be done to help reduce risk of this and other upper respiratory viruses including frequent washing of hands, avoiding touching of eyes and personal contact such as sharing utensils, etc. Also to cover nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing which of course is good to help prevent disease even when you are not aware you are sick. It encouraged each person to contact the Medical Center from their room if they have symptoms of respiratory illness. Switching gears I had mentioned that yesterday I attended Rap with the Rabbi. Rabbi Morrie has done this for years and it is a season that people from all faiths can and have attended where a range of items related to Judaism is discussed.. It provides an opportunity for guests to bring up new topics and ask questions and for the Rabbi to bring up topics and facilitates good discussions. I often leave learning something new. We discussed Auschwitz as yesterday marked 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 I 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 other topics before at the end he mentioned some of the major changes of this last decade. One was something I had not thought about which has to do with the Impossible Burger. Since it is not made of beef, one who follows kosher practices 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. To those of you on Symphony and on board Serenity or traveling the world I hope everyone stays out of harm way from the coronavirus. At the same time for those of you at home and traveling I am reminded that influenza right now kills more people than this new virus. This is not to down-play the new virus but for us all not to forget the seriousness of other viruses including influenza. Cheers, Keith 2 Link to post Share on other sites
wearesiamese Posted January 28, 2020 #287 Share Posted January 28, 2020 On 1/26/2020 at 10:23 AM, Keith1010 said: WeareSiamese waves to Keith as likely theone who booked Crystal not just for the itinerary but very important to me was paddle tennis. LOL 🙂 I will no longer be sailing on Crystal as they are no longer having a paddle tennis coach./As a solo cruiser, I have no one to play with unless Mr Amritraj shows up as I found on at least one occasion and likely more but one time really upset me-Crystal that couples played without even acknowledging that I was on the bench outside the court, waiting to play. Another couple arrived after I did, and they invited them to play against them. Not only did they hog the court, but they did not even consider rotating me in .Crystal did nothing about it>On the website it now says that Crystal " invites guests to play singles or doubles matches-" so noone who wants to learn or wishes to play with others who they are not traveling with, have a way to play anymore at a set time or with a referee of sorts, to keep people from hogging the court For example I have met some people whose number one reason for selecting a line is Paddle Tennis. One couple we met last year selected Crystal for that reason but also plays Paddle Tennis on the HAL cruise which does the their World Cruise. Others might be drawn to Dancing. Of course Itinerary is a consideration for most people. Best to you. Keith Link to post Share on other sites
wearesiamese Posted January 28, 2020 #288 Share Posted January 28, 2020 On 1/26/2020 at 12:14 PM, edgee said: Keith, Your helicopter comment came to mind this morning with news of Kobe's tragic death in a helicopter crash. How sad. Ed I live just a mile away from the crash site where Kobe and the other 8 passengers died ,here in Calabasas. It is literally straight down th road from me… RIP Kobe and the others on that helicopter 😞 Link to post Share on other sites
Keith1010 Posted January 29, 2020 Author #289 Share Posted January 29, 2020 12 hours ago, wearesiamese said: I live just a mile away from the crash site where Kobe and the other 8 passengers died ,here in Calabasas. It is literally straight down th road from me… RIP Kobe and the others on that helicopter 😞 Oh wow. Such a tragedy and they were going to the basketball game where Kobe was coaching and his daughter was playing in. Keith Link to post Share on other sites
Keith1010 Posted January 29, 2020 Author #290 Share Posted January 29, 2020 LOST AT SEA OR LOVERS OF SEA DAYS We continue to enjoy our time on Serenity and yes we are going in the direction of land. LOL. Yesterday was another great day on-board Serenity. Be sure to visit the Blog for details. I wanted to highlight a few items. As part of the World Games four putting holes were set up in the Crystal Plaza for the putting tournament. Each hole represented one of four places which Serenity will visit during the World Cruise. There was mixed double Paddle Tennis play and I was matched with someone who I have known since 2010 and we won the Silver Medal. On a related note today is the Crew Tug O' War event on the pool deck. Las Vegas odds are on the Waterside waitstaff team. Another special one is the Family Paddle Tennis which pairs a crew member with a guest. While playing Paddle Tennis in the afternoonna helicopter flew around us a few times and Anne Marie saw it as she was walking the Promenade Deck and got a photo. The Marketplace Lunch featured the Asian Buffet which is a favorite of many guests. I took a few photos. Many of you know my view which is every cruise is different. An observation from this cruise compared to last year with respect to the Avenue Saloon starting when it opens at 5:00 PM. Last year at 5:00 PM and by the time we would leave closer to 6:00 PM we might have six to eight guests at any given time. This year it's quite different. Last night by 5:30 PM the place was full. Just a reminder when we are all asked questions that the answer might truly vary by cruise. Now let's get to the important information. Over the years I've tried the Merlot Crystal Wine. I remember it's introduction and it didn't work for me. They worked to refine it and again for me it was not a hit. I am only mentioning this because they have a new Vintage on-board and instead of coming from the Sonoma Region it now comes from Washington State. To me it was night and day. When the Sommelier brought it to the table I cringed but he recommended I try it and explained the change in vintage. He was right. Wine like most things are subjective but if you like a red wine think about giving it a try. OK now to food. We dined at Waterside and after our dinner at Umi Uma we were going to go with two course and skip the appetizer. However, after looking at the menu we said we have to have the appetizer too and it was a great selection. It was warm white asparagus and seafood salad. We did have it one other time since boarding and it is a hit with the two of us. For the salad we ordered a salad not on the menu but added Avocado to mine from a different salad. We were also pleased with the entree. It was delicious. I might not have ordered it if not that it was on the modern menu which incorporates more flavoring. It was Ahi Tuna Steak "Au Poivre". I am sorry the photo is blurred. Second time and I am starting to wonder maybe the wine has kicked in by the time the entree arrives. LOL. One final comment before I wrap this up. Overall, I would say the food at Waterside might be the best yet compared to our previous Serenity voyages. It's a notch up IMHO in terms of choice and the actual preparation of the food. Cheers, Keith 1 Link to post Share on other sites
mchell810 Posted January 29, 2020 #291 Share Posted January 29, 2020 3 hours ago, Keith1010 said: I am sorry the photo is blurred. Second time and I am starting to wonder maybe the wine has kicked in by the time the entree arrives. LOL. I guess the new wine was tasty 🤣 🤣 1 Link to post Share on other sites
ijkh Posted January 29, 2020 #292 Share Posted January 29, 2020 I wonder where the helicopter was based? Another ship or are you close enough to an island? Thanks for the photos and all. I am enjoying your trip. Stay well. Link to post Share on other sites
Keith1010 Posted January 29, 2020 Author #293 Share Posted January 29, 2020 Just now, ijkh said: I wonder where the helicopter was based? Another ship or are you close enough to an island? Thanks for the photos and all. I am enjoying your trip. Stay well. Thank you Ilene for the kind words. I am not sure where it came from as we were very far from land. I do plan to see if I can find out. Keith Link to post Share on other sites
Keith1010 Posted January 29, 2020 Author #294 Share Posted January 29, 2020 58 minutes ago, mchell810 said: I guess the new wine was tasty 🤣 🤣 Yes, probably too tasty. LOL. 😀 1 Link to post Share on other sites
rafinmd Posted January 30, 2020 #295 Share Posted January 30, 2020 5 hours ago, ijkh said: I wonder where the helicopter was based? Another ship or are you close enough to an island? Thanks for the photos and all. I am enjoying your trip. Stay well. I think at the Crystal Society Party Captain Vorland said it was from a fishing boat doing reconnaissance on the fish stocks. Roy 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Keith1010 Posted January 30, 2020 Author #296 Share Posted January 30, 2020 One of the highlights of the World Games is the traditional Crew Tug--War. As in the past the teams are first introduced and come out in all sorts of outfits. After this there is the actual Tug-O-War. In the old days the Engineers would sometimes be the winners but the last ten years he winning team has mainly been Waterside (formally Crystal Dining Room) waiters/head waiters. Today 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. Another event which is a tradition of the games is Crystal Family Gold Medal Paddle Tennis Competition which pairs a guest with a member of the crew. Guests who won a medal in one of the Paddle Tennis events was selected to participate. I was one of them and we had ten teams. The pairing is done by pulling cards randomly. Before the games we practiced and this photo is when some of us sat out so others could practice. I was paired with Beatrice from the Bar Team. We didn't win but we had lots of fun and in the end that is all that matters. Cheers, Keith 2 Link to post Share on other sites
oakridger Posted January 30, 2020 #297 Share Posted January 30, 2020 When I finished reading about the Tug of War and looking at all your pictures I realized I was grinning from ear to ear!! It sure looked like a fun day!! Thanks for sharing Keith! ~Nancy 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Keith1010 Posted January 30, 2020 Author #298 Share Posted January 30, 2020 Nancy, you are welcome. It was a lot of fun to watch the crew. Some of them were unrecognizable in their costumes. I want to give a shout out to the Medical team who were joined by members of a few other departments. Cute costumes with each of them coming out with Pipes in their mouth (A medical team with pipes. LOL) and they did very well in the actual Tug-O-War. Link to post Share on other sites
Keith1010 Posted January 30, 2020 Author #299 Share Posted January 30, 2020 I SEE LAND.......I SEE LAND........ Well not yet, but soon. After seven full days at sea we will see land soon. The time has really gone fast with so many activities so for most people it does not feel like seven days. We have been fortunate with some of the best weather we've ever had on a crossing. I realize some were bothered by the seas from time to time but overall it's been terrific and we were not bothered by the weather. Another tradition of the World Cruise is the World Cruise Choir which I mentioned when they performed on the first segment. They also gave a performance last evening in the Crystal Plaza. Last night was originally supposed to be a Crystal Casual night as the original schedule called for being at Nuku Hiva and this evening would have been a Black Tie Optional evening as today was supposed to be a sea day. With the schedule change this was reversed. Our original plan was to dine at Silk with another couple. When we realized this we considered going to Waterside. However, we realized Waterside would be very busy and Silk would likely be quiet so we stayed with Silk. We were right about Silk. We dined there for close to three hours and I would say there were 20 to 25 people dining there at any given time. We sat by the window and enjoyed a beautiful sunset. Food was good. I tried one item which might have been new which was a chicken curry entree which didn't work for me. I also had the Lamb Chops which I always enjoy at Silk and that was the case last evening. We also enjoyed salad and and various appetizers. Each couple ordered what they wanted to share and this works best for us. This happens infrequently. Before we went to sleep we turned the clock back 30 minutes to get on the local time for Nuku Hiva and this evening we will do this again. Cheers, Keith Link to post Share on other sites
Keith1010 Posted January 31, 2020 Author #300 Share Posted January 31, 2020 WE SAW THE LAND - WE WALKED THE LAND - WE ALMOST KISSED THE LAND. WELCOME TO NUKU HIVAE Our last time on land was January 22 when we went through immigration at the Port of Los Angeles so it was nice to visit Nuku Hive and to see Serenity from a different vantage point. This is an island which very few people get to and it was our first visit. They only have 2,900 people living there. Everywhere we walked it was either the locals or people from Serenity including guests and crew. We enjoyed some beautiful views and it was good to walk on land. Last night was White Extravaganza Night. I found the number of guests wearing white was far greater than on other voyages. This is because many guests are familiar with White Night and with many on for such along time they were more likely to pack something white even if it is for one evening per voyage. We always take something white and in Anne Marie's case she always had white even before this theme rolled out in February of 2018. I want to give a shout out to the Food & Beverage Team. We have found the food at Waterside to be delicious and maybe the best we have had in this venue including the Crystal Dining Room.. The recipes have been creative making use of a wide range of ingredients to enhance the taste of the food and the presentations have been equally creative such as the appetizers and entrees we had last evening. I had Tuna Crut. We shared an Eggplant appetizer which was rolled and included different ingredients inside including goat cheese. Our entree was Salmon but we found it to be very tasty with a pepper crust and it was very moist and the items which accompanied added to its flavor. And then there was the wine. A great meal and it continued with the entertainment. More on our Blog. We are sailing to Bora Bora. Cheers, Keith 2 Link to post Share on other sites
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