A Look At What Is Happening Today:
First Visit To Guadeloupe ✔ Dinner This Evening At Prego ✔
TODAY'S THOUGHT FOR THE
DAY............
These are the menus from the Crystal Dining Room from last evening.
Before dinner last evening we went to the Avenue Saloon for a drink. This is the first cruise where smoking is now prohibited in this lounge so we decided to go there.
There were very few guests in the Avenue Saloon, as many of those having early dinner tend to go to the Crystal Cove which is located close by the Crystal Dining Room or Palm Court. At that hour there is a pianist in the Crystal Cove and in Palm Court there is a live band and dancing.
Before the last seating the Avenue Saloon will have many more guests as there is a second pianist who plays there several times at night including before the second seating.
We spoke with a few members of the bar staff and also with a Lido Deck Steward who we have known for a very long time; Raymond.
Anne Marie with Raymond at the Avenue Saloon.
We dined at the Crystal Dining Room after having been away for one evening.
Keith started wit his standing order of mixed green salad.
Anne Marie had the Panache of Mixed Green Salad.
Keith had his regular dessert of mixed berries. Anne Marie had a very tasty dessert of Sugar Free Tiramisu and Keith took a taste as well. We each enjoyed it and as we normally say you would never know it is sugar -free.
Our Sommelier is Jiri and we went with his recommendations. Anne Marie had the Gruner Veltliner Gobelsburger, Kamptal, Austria wine which she enjoyed. She found it to be a light wine. Keith went with a Chardonnay wine and enjoyed that. We have known Jiri for three years as he was our Sommelier for the entire 2010 World Cruise and we are mainly going with his recommendations.
One thing we have learned over the years about wine is to not get stuck in a rut by going with the same types of wines all the time. We are trying to mix it up more as we did on last years World Cruise.
Each evening there is an inclusive white and red wine that is shown on the dinner menu but the Sommelier's can pour an of the other wines that are part of the inclusive program which is what Jiri did for Keith last night.
After dinner we attended Magic Castle at Sea which is a recent addition to Crystal Cruises. Master Magician Francis Menotti performed his magic for twenty of us. To keep the show intimate the number of people attending is limited to twenty guests. It was held in Pulse which is a small lounge. By limiting it to just 20 guests and holding it in Pulse it provides a very nice opportunity to see the magic up close and in a very intimate venue and it also brings the guests closer together. Given the demand for this act, they added several other performances to this cruise to maximize the number of guests who can attend the performance.
We were the first ones to arrive and we spoke with the Magician and his wife. His wife took the photo of us. He started to perform magic at age 5 and in his high school years he would perform magic at birthday parties and the like. Today, he performs at sea from time to time, in Los Angeles at the Magic Castle and at various places around the world. He is also a motivational speaker and he lives in Philadelphia. He was very personable and got many guests involved in his act.
He might ask a question of a guest and then a few seconds later they were either asked to participate in the act from their seats or in some cases they were asked to come up front.
His magic was mainly done using cards but he also performed some other magic tricks for us.
Anne Marie was asked to pick a number.
Later in the show, Keith was selected and picked a card.
We were also each given coupons which allow us to visit the Magic Kingdom in Los Angeles.
We think the show is great and there will be different magicians on most voyage so we are sure we will do this again.
At the same time, there were two Production Shows of the show Across The Pond which includes music and dance from the British Invasion. We enjoy this show but passed on it last evening and will plan to see it during the first segment of the World Cruise.
When we arrived back to our room last evening there was an invitation to a Crystal Society reception for tomorrow evening. Once you have sailed with Crystal one time you become a member of Crystal Society.
Speaking of invitations the day before we received an invitation for the on board World Cruise Gala on the night before this 12 day voyage comes to an end. The vast majority of those taking the World Cruise are not on board the ship and as part of the World Cruise will be staying for one night at one of two hotels in Miami the day before the start of the World Cruise. That night they will all be taken to yet another hotel for a World Cruise Gala which will feature a cocktail hour, a dinner and entertainment. Captain Okland who will be joining the ship for the World Cruise along with the Hotel Director, President Of Crystal Cruises and others from the company will be attending and will each host tables at dinner for the World Cruisers. There are about 25 World Cruisers on board the Crystal Serenity right now and we have been invited to the on board Gala. Before dinner we will also have a cocktail party and then we will have dinner and there will also be hosted tables. The dinner will be held in Prego which will also be open for all other guests who want to dine there. We will be put into the back section of Prego. We were asked to RSVP which we did and we look forward to this evening.
We slept very well last evening as we sailed to Guadeloupe.
Keith was up early and by now you know the routine. He works out for about 90 minutes on the elliptical machine. This time he also lifted weights.
He returned to the room, put up some laundry and then went to the Lido Cafe to have coffee. He spoke with several of the Lido Deck Stewards including Raymond who was in the earlier photo as well as Benjamin and Rozano. He also chatted with some of the staff who work up there in the morning but also work in other dining venues in the evening including Prego, Silk Road and the Crystal Dining Room.
Anne Marie walked for 30 minutes before breakfast since we asked for breakfast in our room earlier then usual as Keith had an 8:00 AM haircut at the Salon. The hairstylist who did our hair last year is back on the ship.
Keith had his usual breakfast of Oatmeal and then Anne Marie had cereal rather then Oatmeal. While Keith had his cut, Anne Marie walked for another 30 minutes.
Keith enjoyed catching up with Wendy who does both of our hair. She disembarked the Serenity the same day we did last year and then traveled home to Cape Town, South Africa. She returned a couple of months ago.
Before we went into port, we stopped by to see the Cruise Sales Consultant, Paula Jean Pfitzer, to followup on a booking that we had made from home which we had wanted her to convert to an on-board booking. Paula said that she had already seen this booking and had just converted it for us. We really appreciate Paula pro-actively taking care of this for us.
Afterwards, we visited the port for a little while. We were docked in Pointe-A-Pirtre, Guadeloupe. This city was settled by the French in the mid 17th century. This city has suffered a couple of catastrophic events first with a great fire in 1780 which nearly destroyed the entire city and then sixty three years later in 1843 when the city was devastated by an earthquake. It also experienced several epidemics of cholera. In spite of these events, it has become Guadeloupe's largest city and economical capital.
The town is just a couple of minute walk from the ship. We first walked towards the main square which also featured a market.
When we entered this area of the market you could smell the aroma of the various vendors who were selling spice including spices such as curry.
There were only ladies in this market who were selling the items. Most did not speak English yet we somehow could communicate with them.
As we left the market, we stopped off in one store to purchase a couple of post cards.
Many of the streets looked like this one.
Although there were some areas of bumper to bumper traffic, the drivers all stopped for us as we made our way across the streets at each intersection.
The people were very friendly and we didn't encounter any of the pushing of taxis and tours as we did yesterday.
Utilizing the map provided by Crystal Cruises we made our way over to the Place de la Victorie which is considered the true town carter for this town. It includes a park with mango and palm trees. There are some cafes along the perimeter of the park as well as some homes.
After walking the town for another hour we made our way towards the pier. This is a partial view of the Crystal Serenity.
We also could see from a distance the other ship which was in port with us which is the Brilliance Of The Sea so we walked in the direction of that cruise ship.
As we made our way over to the Royal Caribbean ship there were locals selling a variety of items. This man was blowing into this sea shell which sounded like a horn.
We walked through a small indoor market which carried fruit and vegetables.
This was typical of several places selling jewelry on the street.
This photo shows a portion of the Brilliance Of The Sea cruise ship.
Once back on the ship we did some reading and writing.
We met Cruise Director Rick Spath for lunch in the Crystal Dining Room. The two of us had soup, and Keith had Salade Nicoise while Anne Marie had a Chopped Salad Potpourri. The salads were both very tasty as each one is accompanied with several different items.
At the end of this cruise Rick will return home and Cruise Director Gary Hunter will be on board for the full 2013 World Cruise.
In the afternoon, Keith played paddle tennis while Anne Marie walked on the Promenade Deck. The weather changed a few times with a short rain shower followed by sunny skies so a few times they had to wait for the rain to stop before playing again. Anne Marie met up with Ricki at The Bistro and then Keith stopped by to say hello.
Before dinner this evening, we plan to go to one of the lounges and then after dinner we will see Musical Entertainer Duncan Tuck. We are dining at Prego at 8:30 PM with friends Ricki, David who invited us along with Mary, and her lovely sisters Helen and Georgia to join them for dinner.
TODAY'S THOUGHT FOR THE DAY............
“We
make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” - Winston Churchill
Keith and Anne Marie
Before dinner last evening we went to the Avenue Saloon for a drink. This is the first cruise where smoking is now prohibited in this lounge so we decided to go there.
There were very few guests in the Avenue Saloon, as many of those having early dinner tend to go to the Crystal Cove which is located close by the Crystal Dining Room or Palm Court. At that hour there is a pianist in the Crystal Cove and in Palm Court there is a live band and dancing.
Before the last seating the Avenue Saloon will have many more guests as there is a second pianist who plays there several times at night including before the second seating.
We spoke with a few members of the bar staff and also with a Lido Deck Steward who we have known for a very long time; Raymond.
Anne Marie with Raymond at the Avenue Saloon.
We dined at the Crystal Dining Room after having been away for one evening.
Keith started wit his standing order of mixed green salad.
Anne Marie had the Panache of Mixed Green Salad.
We each had the Mahi Mahi Tuna.
Our Sommelier is Jiri and we went with his recommendations. Anne Marie had the Gruner Veltliner Gobelsburger, Kamptal, Austria wine which she enjoyed. She found it to be a light wine. Keith went with a Chardonnay wine and enjoyed that. We have known Jiri for three years as he was our Sommelier for the entire 2010 World Cruise and we are mainly going with his recommendations.
One thing we have learned over the years about wine is to not get stuck in a rut by going with the same types of wines all the time. We are trying to mix it up more as we did on last years World Cruise.
Each evening there is an inclusive white and red wine that is shown on the dinner menu but the Sommelier's can pour an of the other wines that are part of the inclusive program which is what Jiri did for Keith last night.
After dinner we attended Magic Castle at Sea which is a recent addition to Crystal Cruises. Master Magician Francis Menotti performed his magic for twenty of us. To keep the show intimate the number of people attending is limited to twenty guests. It was held in Pulse which is a small lounge. By limiting it to just 20 guests and holding it in Pulse it provides a very nice opportunity to see the magic up close and in a very intimate venue and it also brings the guests closer together. Given the demand for this act, they added several other performances to this cruise to maximize the number of guests who can attend the performance.
We were the first ones to arrive and we spoke with the Magician and his wife. His wife took the photo of us. He started to perform magic at age 5 and in his high school years he would perform magic at birthday parties and the like. Today, he performs at sea from time to time, in Los Angeles at the Magic Castle and at various places around the world. He is also a motivational speaker and he lives in Philadelphia. He was very personable and got many guests involved in his act.
He might ask a question of a guest and then a few seconds later they were either asked to participate in the act from their seats or in some cases they were asked to come up front.
His magic was mainly done using cards but he also performed some other magic tricks for us.
Anne Marie was asked to pick a number.
Later in the show, Keith was selected and picked a card.
We were also each given coupons which allow us to visit the Magic Kingdom in Los Angeles.
We think the show is great and there will be different magicians on most voyage so we are sure we will do this again.
At the same time, there were two Production Shows of the show Across The Pond which includes music and dance from the British Invasion. We enjoy this show but passed on it last evening and will plan to see it during the first segment of the World Cruise.
When we arrived back to our room last evening there was an invitation to a Crystal Society reception for tomorrow evening. Once you have sailed with Crystal one time you become a member of Crystal Society.
Speaking of invitations the day before we received an invitation for the on board World Cruise Gala on the night before this 12 day voyage comes to an end. The vast majority of those taking the World Cruise are not on board the ship and as part of the World Cruise will be staying for one night at one of two hotels in Miami the day before the start of the World Cruise. That night they will all be taken to yet another hotel for a World Cruise Gala which will feature a cocktail hour, a dinner and entertainment. Captain Okland who will be joining the ship for the World Cruise along with the Hotel Director, President Of Crystal Cruises and others from the company will be attending and will each host tables at dinner for the World Cruisers. There are about 25 World Cruisers on board the Crystal Serenity right now and we have been invited to the on board Gala. Before dinner we will also have a cocktail party and then we will have dinner and there will also be hosted tables. The dinner will be held in Prego which will also be open for all other guests who want to dine there. We will be put into the back section of Prego. We were asked to RSVP which we did and we look forward to this evening.
We slept very well last evening as we sailed to Guadeloupe.
Keith was up early and by now you know the routine. He works out for about 90 minutes on the elliptical machine. This time he also lifted weights.
He returned to the room, put up some laundry and then went to the Lido Cafe to have coffee. He spoke with several of the Lido Deck Stewards including Raymond who was in the earlier photo as well as Benjamin and Rozano. He also chatted with some of the staff who work up there in the morning but also work in other dining venues in the evening including Prego, Silk Road and the Crystal Dining Room.
Anne Marie walked for 30 minutes before breakfast since we asked for breakfast in our room earlier then usual as Keith had an 8:00 AM haircut at the Salon. The hairstylist who did our hair last year is back on the ship.
Keith had his usual breakfast of Oatmeal and then Anne Marie had cereal rather then Oatmeal. While Keith had his cut, Anne Marie walked for another 30 minutes.
Keith enjoyed catching up with Wendy who does both of our hair. She disembarked the Serenity the same day we did last year and then traveled home to Cape Town, South Africa. She returned a couple of months ago.
Before we went into port, we stopped by to see the Cruise Sales Consultant, Paula Jean Pfitzer, to followup on a booking that we had made from home which we had wanted her to convert to an on-board booking. Paula said that she had already seen this booking and had just converted it for us. We really appreciate Paula pro-actively taking care of this for us.
Afterwards, we visited the port for a little while. We were docked in Pointe-A-Pirtre, Guadeloupe. This city was settled by the French in the mid 17th century. This city has suffered a couple of catastrophic events first with a great fire in 1780 which nearly destroyed the entire city and then sixty three years later in 1843 when the city was devastated by an earthquake. It also experienced several epidemics of cholera. In spite of these events, it has become Guadeloupe's largest city and economical capital.
The town is just a couple of minute walk from the ship. We first walked towards the main square which also featured a market.
When we entered this area of the market you could smell the aroma of the various vendors who were selling spice including spices such as curry.
There were only ladies in this market who were selling the items. Most did not speak English yet we somehow could communicate with them.
As we left the market, we stopped off in one store to purchase a couple of post cards.
Many of the streets looked like this one.
Although there were some areas of bumper to bumper traffic, the drivers all stopped for us as we made our way across the streets at each intersection.
The people were very friendly and we didn't encounter any of the pushing of taxis and tours as we did yesterday.
Utilizing the map provided by Crystal Cruises we made our way over to the Place de la Victorie which is considered the true town carter for this town. It includes a park with mango and palm trees. There are some cafes along the perimeter of the park as well as some homes.
After walking the town for another hour we made our way towards the pier. This is a partial view of the Crystal Serenity.
We also could see from a distance the other ship which was in port with us which is the Brilliance Of The Sea so we walked in the direction of that cruise ship.
As we made our way over to the Royal Caribbean ship there were locals selling a variety of items. This man was blowing into this sea shell which sounded like a horn.
We walked through a small indoor market which carried fruit and vegetables.
This was typical of several places selling jewelry on the street.
This photo shows a portion of the Brilliance Of The Sea cruise ship.
Once back on the ship we did some reading and writing.
We met Cruise Director Rick Spath for lunch in the Crystal Dining Room. The two of us had soup, and Keith had Salade Nicoise while Anne Marie had a Chopped Salad Potpourri. The salads were both very tasty as each one is accompanied with several different items.
At the end of this cruise Rick will return home and Cruise Director Gary Hunter will be on board for the full 2013 World Cruise.
In the afternoon, Keith played paddle tennis while Anne Marie walked on the Promenade Deck. The weather changed a few times with a short rain shower followed by sunny skies so a few times they had to wait for the rain to stop before playing again. Anne Marie met up with Ricki at The Bistro and then Keith stopped by to say hello.
Before dinner this evening, we plan to go to one of the lounges and then after dinner we will see Musical Entertainer Duncan Tuck. We are dining at Prego at 8:30 PM with friends Ricki, David who invited us along with Mary, and her lovely sisters Helen and Georgia to join them for dinner.
TODAY'S THOUGHT FOR THE DAY............
Keith and Anne Marie
Keith,
ReplyDeleteTo follow-up on the question about your luggage: is the standard roller bag you use 26" or 28"? thanks.
Ken