THE JOURNEY BEGINS - DAY 1

NOTE: We had some problems with the text from today's Blog.  It will wrap and the format will be off.  It was too much to type over so we are posting it this way.  We will avoid this going forward.

A Look At What Is Happening Today:

Flight To Miami ✔  Getting Settled At Hotel ✔ A Walk Around Miami ✔  Dinner  ✔ Starting To Purchase Some Items For The Cruise  ✔

When we first put-down the initial deposit for this cruise it was almost twenty months ago, which at the time seemed like an eternity.  By the time we got within three months from the start of this cruise the time began to move rather quickly.  So here we are twenty months later, and today marks the start of our adventure.

We awoke relatively early this morning since we had an early flight. We took care of the final items at the house and a short while later the driver arrived for our drive over to the airport.

All of the private vehicle transfers are provided by Crystal Cruises and arranged by our Travel Agency with our input as to pickup times.

Unlike previous world cruises, it was easier with far less luggage to deal with since we have shipped most of our luggage directly to the ship.  In prior years, when we had all of the luggage with us, we had either been transferred in an executive type of vehicle which is the kind that could accommodate around 15+ people as well as all of our luggage.  A couple of other times we road in a limousine, while another vehicle followed with our luggage in tow.

With only two large bags, plus our carry on pieces, this made everything much simpler.  This time around we will utilize luxury vans for each of our transfers.

This was the luxury van that picked us up at the Miami Airport.

We had a very personable and courteous driver who drove usto the airport.

Coincidentally, he splits his time between our home area and 

South Beach.  In Miami, he captain's private yachts. 

He explained that we were sandwiched in between two well 

known individuals.  Only a few hours earlier he had picked up Willie Nelson and a couple of hours after our airport drop off 

he would be picking up Matthew McConaughley.

There was only one person ahead of us so checkin was 

quick and we had no one in  front of us as we made our way 

through security. After removing all our clothes for the 

security check we collected our belongings.  Just kidding 

about the removal of our clothes!

The flight was not only full but oversold which seems to be  

the norm on most flights. In fact, they were asking for three 

volunteers to give up seats and offering a nice amount of 

money as well as guaranteeing seats on a flight that would 

leave two hours later.

The good news is that our arrival and departure gate for our 

next flight was next to each other and the airline club lounge

was in close proximity as well.

The second flight took off about thirty minutes late but the 

good news is that they made up most of the time and our 

arrival was only delayed by around ten minutes.

About 45 minutes into the flight we had  breakfast.  After  

being up so early we were more then ready to have 

breakfast,even airline food.  Simply put we were famished.

We began with mimosas, followed by croissant with lots of 

butter and jelly, and forour entree we each had eggs 

Benedict.  For dessert we had waffles and ice cream.  

Assuming you have not passed out by now most of you 

know us better so you know this is not what we had for 

breakfast.  Rather, we had coffee, fresh fruit, and oatmeal.  

The oatmeal was quite hot and it hit the spot, and was just 

what we needed.

We were met at the luggage area by the driver and once the 

luggage arrived we drove about twenty minutes to the hotel.

We are staying at the Four Seasons Miami Hotel where we have stayed before each of four previous Crystal Cruises.  

We like the hotel property, and its location.

Our room was not ready so we had lunch at the hotel while  
we waited for our room.  Lunch was great.

Once our room was ready we got settled and then we took a walk.  The weather is great and the forecast for the rest of our stay looks great as well.

After our walk, we enjoyed a very nice dinner at Perricone’s Marketplace & Café.  This is our fourth year dining at this restaurant, which has become a favorite of ours when
staying in downtown Miami.  We plan to dine here a couple 

additional times but we also have reservations at three other 

restaurants for dinner during our stay in Miami.

The menu features a wide range of Italian cuisine, including many traditional favorites.  There is a nice selection of many of the items we enjoy including fresh seafood and nicely prepared dinner salads.  The wait-staff at Perricone’s is very friendly and the overall atmosphere reminds us of some of the restaurants that you will find in city neighborhoods such as in New York City. The interior of Perricone’s is quite unique, with a warm and inviting casual atmosphere, along with a warm and friendly wait staff.  There are several areas within the restaurant to dine, including inside and outside dining.

We dined early this evening.  Two of the areas were full of people but the dining area that we were in only had a couple of people so it was very quiet and we enjoyed a very nice dinner.

This is the dining room that we dined in.  In another hour or so this room will be full of diners.

This is one of a few outdoor areas and has been set for a private party.

We each began with a dinner salad.  The dressing which is not shown was a very tasty balsamic dressing

We each had one of the specials which was pistachio crusted salmon.  Anne Marie had the salmon with couscous and vegetables
and Keith had the salmon with couscous and spinach.  It was very tasty.

The city is very vibrant and there were holiday lights all around us.  We will take some photos tomorrow evening.

The good news is that the weather forecast look great for the six days we will be in Miami.

We know we will sleep well this evening.

TODAY'S THOUGHT FOR THE DAY............

“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” – Albert Einstein 

Keith and Anne Marie