CRUISING THE ATLANTIC - DAY 62

A Look At What Is Happening Today:

Lots Of Enrichment Activities While At Sea ✔  Dinner At Prego ✔  

Late yesterday afternoon we attended the second Quality Assurance Survey of the World Cruise, since Segment 2 of the World Cruise ended on our second morning in Buenos Aires.

 We were asked several questions and we responded with hand held electronic devices.  For those questions that did not involve personnel such as the enrichment lecturers and entertainers we saw the results.  The session took about 45 minutes and it was nice that we were able to provide feedback about various aspects of the cruise.

Cruise Director Gary Hunter did a great job moderating this session and added in nice touches of humor throughout the program.

For those questions where the results could be shared with us, it was nice to see how our views/results compared to the overall people in attendance.

Before dinner, we attended a Mandatory Lifeboat drill which is referred to as an Emergency Muster Drill.  Attendance was required not only by those guests who just boarded the ship in Buenos Aires, but by all guests who have already been on board the ship. The drill was held at 5:30 PM.  The location that we are assigned to is in the Casino.  One crew member checked each passenger off the list who attended.  After that was all complete, then the person who would Captain our Lifeboat in the event of an emergency spoke to all of us.  This was followed by communications from the bridge going through the instructions for all guests to follow in the event of an emergency.

After the drill we returned our life boat vests to our room, washed up, and then went to dinner at the Crystal Dining Room.



These were the dinner menus.

We enjoyed dinner in the dining room.  With 150 more guests on board the ship on this sailing compared to the last sailing we thought that the Dining Room might be very busy.  Then we realized that with this evening being a formal night that several guests would be dining at other venues last evening including the casual dining venue, Tastes, and the two specialty restaurants, Prego and Silk Road.  Also, with only 12 days for this voyage many guests will be in and out of the dining room as they will want to eat at each of these venues at last one time each during this voyage.

Shortly, after we were seated our Sommelier Jiri spoke with each of us about the wines for the evening.  He has come to know us quite well over the years so he has a good sense of what we enjoy while at the same time encouraging us to try other wines which we wholeheartedly agree with.

Sommelier Jiri showing Anne Marie one of the inclusive wines which was a Sauvignon Blanc from Chili.  Anne Marie enjoyed it.

We each began our meal with a salad.  We both had Keith's standing order salad.

For our next course, Keith had Tuna Tartare which he had pre-ordered and Anne Marie had a Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail which was on the menu. Both were great.  Head waiter Augusto made the Tuna Tartare which Keith very much enjoyed.

For our entree we both had the fresh Broiled Fillet of Chilean Salmon.  It was very moist, tasty and delicious.  Keith had a baked potato and Anne Marie had mashed potatoes and also asparagus. Keith also had a nice side order of vegetables which also included asparagus, string beans and brussel sprouts.

For dessert Keith had mixed berries and Anne Marie had a small portion of the Cherry Garcia Ice Cream.  She asked for only one scoop and also had a small portion of that.  

This was the entertainment program from last evening. The featured entertainment was performed by two pianists; Worbey and Farrell. Last night was their only performance as they were a last minute addition to the program as the original entertainer who was scheduled to be on the ship had a recent medical procedure and his doctor issued instructions that he not fly for a few more weeks.

Before we went to sleep last evening we forwarded the clock one hour as we sail towards Montevideo which we will reach tomorrow morning.

The seas were very calm and we slept very well. 

Keith was up very early and back to the Fitness Center.  He enjoyed a nice workout on the Elliptical Machine. Unlike the day before, there were very few people working out even by the time Keith finished his workout since today is a sea day and given the one hour change in time.

The same was true of the Lido Cafe.  Keith was the second person to arrive there for his coffee and by the time he left very few other guests were there.

Shortly after Keith got back to the room, Anne Marie walked for one hour.  She walked outside.

We both enjoyed breakfast in our room as we watched the Daily Morning Show co-hosted by Cruise Director Gary Hunter and World Cruise Hostess Elise Ivy. 

Today was the first of only two sea days on this segment of the World Cruise.  This cruise is twelve days in length.  Because of the twelve-day cruise length and this being a popular itinerary the overall occupancy on the ship is relatively high.

At 9:00 AM, Keith took the indoor cycling (Spin) Class.  It was taught by Fitness Director Bea.  All of the bikes were full and we had a terrific class.  As we were getting ready to wind down, Keith suggested that we do one more round and Bea agreed so we did more cycling.  Everyone thought that was great.

This morning featured two lectures which we both attended.    The first one was given by Destination Lecturer Ken Rees and he presented "Runaway to Rio - The Great Escape.".  Ken spoke about the great train robber, Ronnie Biggs, who escaped from jail in England and ran away to live the good life in Brazil.

Later in the morning, Ambassador Tony Leon spoke about how South America transformed itself from a basket case to a bread basket when it comes to the global economy.  Tony is the former Ambassador to Argentina from South Africa.  He is a dynamic speaker and we have been on two sailings with him.  Ambassador Tony Leon was part of the political party in South Africa that helped facilitate Nelson Mandella's rise.

We enjoyed lunch at the Lido Cafe.  We each had a salad entree.

After lunch, Keith played Paddle Tennis.  With the cooler weather largely behind us, Keith hopes to play a lot more Paddle Tennis over the coming weeks. Even though it will likely be hot in a few days, he prefers this over the cooler weather.

Anne Marie walked for an hour and then later in the afternoon she went to Yoga.  Keith met up with friend Bob and a couple of other guests later in the afternon.

This evening we will attend the Captain's Welcome Reception.  Afterwards, we will then dine with Jamie Brown at the Prego Italian Specialty Restaurant.


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

“It is never too late to be what you might have been.” - George Eliot

Keith and Anne Marie

DAY 3 BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA - DAY 61

A Look At What Is Happening Today:

Final Day In Buenos Aires ✔  Dinner At Crystal Dining Room ✔  

We wanted to begin with a few more photos from yesterday.

This is a small chapel that is at the entrance way to the Recoleta.

This is a new feature at the office that is also located near the entranceway of the Recoleta.  A family who has a Mausoleum at Recoleta made a donation about a year ago so that all of the manual records could be added to a computer system.  One can now go to a computer terminal and either type in the name of a person who they are looking for the location of the Mausoleum or they could do a search.  For example, they could search under several different categories such as politician or artist to find a list of people and then search from there to find what they are looking for.

Old and New.  Until recently the Mausoleum on the right side looked like the one to its left which was in disarray.  Often, repairs are needed to the older Mausoleum's or a major facelift.

As you walk around the Recoleta you get the feeling that this is a city to remember the dead.

The Mausoleum's range from some that are very simple to others that tell the life story of some of the deceased.

Before dinner last night we walked around the ship.  We ran into some guests who just boarded in Buenos Aires yesterday.  There will be a net increase of about 150 guests on this third segment of the World Cruise.

While we were sitting at a spot on the Lido Deck, Jamie Brown, who is responsible for Crystal Cruises On Board Guest Services Group and the Quality Assurance Program saw us and we welcomed Jamie on board the ship.  Jamie boarded the ship today and will be on for this segment of the World Cruise.  We have known Jamie for several years as she served in two capacities on board the ship; Crystal Society Hostess and On Board Booking Consultant before moving to her current position in Los Angeles.  We have dinner plans with Jamie for tomorrow evening. She also introduce us to the person responsible for Technical Services on board both Crystal Ships who is on board for the next few days as one of his responsibilities includes the upcoming work that will be done when the Crystal Serenity is in dry-dock this coming November for a couple of weeks.

Although we did not dine in the Crystal Dining Room these were the dinner menus from last evening. The theme of the dinner menu was Bon Voyage.

Since we had another overnight last evening, a local show was brought on board.  This is the Entertainment Program from last evening.

Once or twice a World Cruise we have dinner in our room and that is exactly what we did last evening.  For us, last night was Pizza, Beer and Movie night as we enjoyed watching a movie in our room along with Pizza and Beer.

We each began with a nice salad.

We had the La Fin Du Monde Beer which is also known as "end of the world".

Rao brought our next course which was Pizza.

Keith had the "all inclusive" pizza.

Anne Marie enjoyed the cheese pizza.

For dessert, Anne Marie had some Gelato and Keith had Popcorn.  

We really enjoyed the meal and it was nice to enjoy a movie and to make it "Pizza Night".

We slept very well last evening as we remained docked in Buenos Aires.

Keith was back up bright and early and began his day in the Fitness Center with a good workout on the Elliptical Machine.  He followed this up with weight lifting. There were many more people up early at the Fitness Center with some of them having just joined the ship.  Possibly they were there earlier due to jet lag and/or early shore excursions.

Afterwards, Keith enjoyed coffee in the Lido Cafe as he read and wrote. Two Lido Deck Stewards, Nat and Benjamin rotated back over to the Cafe from other areas of the Lido Deck while Liebert, Ray and Darwin will remain in the Cafe for this 12 day voyage.

Lido Deck Steward - Nat

Lido Deck Steward - Liebert

Lido Deck Steward - Benjamin

A short while later Anne Marie walked for one hour and then we had breakfast back in the room.


With two days of touring along with the wonderful shore side event, we decided not to go back into the city for a third consecutive day. Rather, in the morning we took the shuttle from the ship over to the Cruise Ship terminal and browsed the stores that are located there.

Before we did that we went down to the Crystal Plaza and Anne Marie did some needlepoint and Keith followed up on a couple of items and then we both spoke with some fellow guests and crew.  

As mentioned, we then took the cruise ship terminal over to the cruise terminal to walk around that area where some stores were located.  On our way back to the terminal we were the only guests on that terminal.  The terminal where we were is not connected to where we are docked so for all three days the shuttle has to get out to the main road and drive about one-half miles to get to another port entrance to enter that area.  All of a sudden there was a traffic jam and we could see smoke coming from the entrance.  As it turned out there were people trying to block the area, and they had lit on fire several different tires that were blocking traffic and the area.  There were a lot of police there but not sure what if anything they were doing.  The good news is that our shuttle bus maneuvered around all of this although it seemed to come within inches of one of the tires burning and Anne  Marie could see us being on the news should the bus have hit the tire.  Good news is we made it into the entrance and within a minute or two were back on board the ship. 

Keith worked out after we got back and Anne Marie took care of some items around the room.

We had lunch in the Lido Cafe and each made another one of those wonderful salad entrees we enjoy for lunch.

In the afternoon, Keith played Paddle Tennis for a couple of hours.  The weather was on the warmer side but that was great.  It as nice to play Paddle Tennis without the gusty winds, nor the rain, nor the cool temperatures.

Anne Marie walked for another hour, worked on needle point and enjoyed the afternoon.

Today the ship remained docked in Buenos Aires until our planned departure of 6:00 PM.  

We have enjoyed our time in Buenos Aires.  It is a beautiful city that we enjoy very much including the passion and kindness of the people, the beauty of the architecture, as well as the customs and traditions of this city and the country.

As a tourist there are some items to be aware of and even some of them apply to those who live their based on what we learned over our time here.  This includes being very careful when being out and about in this city when it comes to crime.  This means be aware of your surroundings as you walk the city and/or go place to place.  Leave valuables on the ship and this is one of those cities where we did not take our best camera with us and Keith wore a travel wallet around his neck.  Also, if needing a taxi be careful which taxi you use and often it is better to have someone such as at a Hotel or Restaurant call a taxi for you. We want to note that we would recommend being careful in many other places around the world including areas in our own country but just wanted to note this.

The change that we did see from a few years ago relates to the black market for United States currency.  In certain tourist areas such as Florida Avenue on every street corner there are people offering to exchange Pesos for USA currency at 7 Pesos for 1 USA dollar versus the official rate of 5 Pesos for 1 USA dollar.  Evidently, this started when the Argentina Government put in some regulations with respect to exchange rates and who could accept USA dollars and how the exchange rates would work.  We do not profess to know all of the particulars and in the end people have to decide what they want to do but we would not advise exchanging money on the streets and dealing in the black market for many reasons.  This includes our belief in not supporting a black market but also who is to say that the money you are receiving is not counterfeit and who is to say that someone is not waiting to then rob you.  We certainly want no part in all of this.

Later this afternoon we will attend another Quality Assurance Program where our feedback will be solicited using the remote hand held devices.

Before dinner this evening we will attend the mandatory muster (lifeboat drill).  This one is mandatory for not only those guests who embarked the ship in Buenos Aires but for all guests.

Afterwards, we will be back in the Crystal Dining Room for dinner.

This evening we will set the clocks forward one hour as we will be sailing back to Montevideo.

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

“For every minute you are angry you lose sixty seconds of happiness.”  - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Keith and Anne Marie

DAY 2 BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA - DAY 60

A Look At What Is Happening Today:

Private Tour In Buenos Aires ✔  Pizza Night✔  

Although we didn't dine at the Crystal Dining Room these are the menus from last evening.

Last evening was the second and final World Cruise Shore Side Event.   

The title of the event was appropriately called "Tango! Tango Tango!  The event was a celebration through music and dance of one aspect of Argentinian Culture.

The event was held at the Palacio Frers which was part of a large exhibition space which has more then 100 years of history.

We were taken in buses over to this venue.  Approximately thirty people were on each bus so there was extra room for everyone.  A Crystal Escort was also assigned to each bus and their was a local person on each bus as well.

The drive took about 30 minutes and the local spoke about not only the Tango but all of the sites that we saw on the way to the Venue.  Our escort also sang a Tango song to all of us.

We were the first bus to arrive to the venue. All buses left at the same time and they pretty much caravanned between the pier and the venue.

When we arrived there were all sorts of people (we'd say 30 or 40) dressed in outfits representing the early to the mid to even later 1900's. They were in all different areas of the very large entranceway as we made our way to the actual room where the venue was held.  

Approximately 340 people attended this event.  When we entered the large room there were tables all around the room. Rather then having one stage which might make it difficult for those sitting in the back of the room to see there were two stages.  One was in the front of the room and the other towards the back of the room.  Some of the entertainment was staged on each of the two stages.

However, before that entertainment began we were treated to about one hour of entertainment by those who had been at the entranceway who came up the rows and stopped by each table to perform.  

We sat with friends Linda and John and Elaine and there were some other guests who we knew at our table.  

Heavy cold and hot canapés were served at the event.

When we sat down at the table this is how it was set up.

The cold Canapés were already on the table and wait staff came by frequently offering choices of red and white wines as well as beer and water.  

Later on we enjoyed some hot Canapés.  At the end of the show there were also desserts served. This plate was served to each person and it had a little of everything.  It included a meat empanada, a grilled sausage sandwich, a filet mignon brochette with bell peppers, onion and chimi churri, salmon pastrami, potatoe and rosemary focaccia with prosciutto, fresh tomoatoes and herb gremolata and capresse style skewers.  

Other characters came by the tables for quite awhile and the men received hats and the ladies colorful feather boas.   

Keith ended up with a hat and a Boa.

Cruise Director Gary Hunter kicked off the event.

We didn't get a photo of it but World Cruise Hostess Elise Ivy came out to the stage and danced with one of the men. She and Gary each said a few words.

Gary Hunter then introduced Captain Okland who was not in his usual Captain's Attire but was in attire to capture the theme of the evening.  The Captain welcomed us and proposed a toast.

The tango was performed representing several decades to show the entire history of the Tango. In total, there were 16 different playlists; including many performances of the tango.

Many of the people who were at the entranceway and who later entertained us at our respective tables.

The venue, the music, the dancing, the singing, and all of the additional characters and the food and the wine were terrific.  We had a wonderful evening and we made memories that will last a lifetime.  

The bus ride back to the ship took around 20 minutes as there was less traffic then earlier in the evening. When  we were first greeted at the entrance by Hotel Director Josef and World Cruise Hostess Elise. Several other members of the crew welcomed us with cold towels and flutes of champagne.  We skipped the champagne.  There was a light buffet snack available for us and just as we did after the first shore side event we took a few items and then sat in the Crystal Dining Room to enjoy them and also to support the crew who worked so very hard to prepare this light meal for us and the wait staff who worked later into the evening for all of us.


The amount of planning that goes into this is incredible.      The challenge is not only deciding which cities to have these events, and what theme and type of event to offer, but to also find venues that are suitable and will accommodate the record number of people taking this years World Cruise.  Special thanks to John Stoll, a Vice President at Crystal Cruises, whose responsibilities include the shore excursion and overland programs, port operations and also planning these events along with the World Cruise Gala.  His team of on board members of the Shore Excursion Department play an integral role as well as do so many other people including the Food & Beverage Group once we return to the ship.

We wanted to note that since this is an industrial port when we leave the port we take a shuttle that is operated by the port authority between the ship and the parking lot outside the terminal area.  From there one can get on a Crystal Shuttle in to town or be picked up or take a taxi or some other related transportation.  Kudos to John Stoll for being able to get permission to bring those buses that we took yesterday to and from the venue right into the terminal so that we did not have to take two buses each way.  It made things lots easier for everyone.


We slept very well after a very long and wonderful day.  It was very quiet.  Keith was back up early in the morning and got a nice workout in.  There was no one at the Fitness Center.

Keith had some coffee at the Lido Cafe and spoke with some of the Lido Deck Stewards.  Three of the five will continue to work at the Cafe during the next segment. Two will move to other areas of the Lido Deck and two from other areas will take their place in the Cafe.  

When Keith got back to the room, Anne Marie walked for about 45 minutes before we had breakfast in the room.

Today marks the end of World Cruise Segment 2 and the Start of the third Segment of the World Cruise.  During the second segment we traveled from Lima, Peru to Buenos  Aires, Argentina.  We sailed a distance of 5,674 land nautical miles or the equivalent of 6,525 land miles.

We had an early breakfast in our room as we got ready for an excursion.

Today, we went on a Private Excursion which we had booked through out Travel Agency. The focus of the tour was a guided tour of the La Recoleta Cemetery (which we had visited in 2005) along with a visit to the Evita Museum.  Our tour also included some highlights of the city and even a stop for a coffee.

We were met at the pier by our driver Fernando and our tour guide Maria Gomez.  They both were fabulous.  Fernando knew many shortcuts as we weaved from area to area and Maria had terrific knowledge of each and everyplace we visited.  At times, she seemed to be a walking encyclopedia.

As we drove to the La Recoleta Cemetery, Maria pointed out many landmarks and spoke about the history of what we were seeing.  

Maria studied extensively at the Recoleta Cemetery and her knowledge was tremendous.  We spent a long time walking all around the Cemetery and we stopped at mausoleum after mausoleum and then she would give the history of each family.  It was amazing.

We visited the mausoleum where Eva Peron and many of her family members were put to rest.

This fighter Lusis Firno fought United States Boxer Jack Dempsey in the 1920's.

We visited the oldest church in the Recoleta District.

We then took a break and had a nice cup of Cappuccino Coffee.

We then made our way over to the Eva Person Museum where we spent a great deal of time walking the museum.  Maria spoke extensively as we walked each of the rooms.

All in all it was a great tour and we learned so very much over the past two days.  Buenos Aires is a beautiful city and like many large cities around the world there is so much to see and to learn.

The weather was unseasonably cooler then what is normal which was perfect for touring around the city. Maria mentioned to us that the other day it was unbearably hot.

When we got back to the ship in the late afternoon we had a nice salad entree.

Later in the afternoon Anne Marie walked on the Promenade Deck for an hour.  Keith met up with friend Bob and also with a couple of other guests.

This evening we plan to enjoy dinner in our room.

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

“Be the change you want to see in the world.” - Mahatma Gandhi

Keith and Anne Marie