A Look At What Is Happening Today:
Visit To Montevideo ✔ Dinner At The Crystal Dining Room ✔
We began last evening by attending the Captain's Welcome Reception for the cruise. It was held at the Palm Court which is on the highest passenger deck of the ship and all the way forward on the ship.
We went through the receiving line and briefly spoke with Crystal Society Hostess Jaque, Captain Okland, Hotel Director Josef, World Cruise Hostess Elise, Cruise Director Gary and Hotel Director Josef as we made our way to the reception.
The reception was very well attended and we took photos with a couple of the crew members.
This included:
Anne Marie with Japanese Guest Relations Officer, Urara
Anne Marie with Food and Beverage Manager Victor.
We spoke with some of our fellow guests and also we chatted for quite a while with Food & Beverage Manager Victor. We also spoke with the Vice Captain who just returned from holiday and joined the ship in Buenos Aires and we also chatted with Urara.
Before going to dinner, we stopped by the Crystal Plaza to have some photos taken of us in our formal attire. To change things up from previous photographs the photographer had us pose a little differently then normal. In one of the poses, Keith is holding his Tuxedo Jacket over his shoulder. In another one Anne Marie is wearing Keith's Tuxedo and in yet another one we are both hugging while Anne Marie is still wearing the jacket. We have to say it was easy to smile as we were laughing and we will need to see how all of those photos turned out after dinner this evening.
Although we did not dine at the Crystal Dining Room these are the menus from the Gala Welcome Dinner.
Afterwards, we dined at Prego with Jamie Brown. We first met Jamie on board the Crystal Serenity in 2007 when she transferred from the Crystal Cruises Headquarters location in the Los Angeles area to the ship as a Crystal Society Hostess. After performing those functions for a couple of years she moved into the position of On Board Cruise Sales Consultant. In 2011, she transferred back to the Crystal Cruises Headquarters as a Manager responsible for the administration of Crystal Cruises Quality Assurance Program as well as being responsible for the On-Board Guest Services Group who coordinates items for the guests with each ship before the guests arrive for their cruise.
We have sailed with Jamie on many voyages and have enjoyed some meals with her and other crew members over the years.
It was wonderful to catch up with Jamie on all that she has been doing since we saw her last for the start of the 2012 World Cruise in Los Angeles.
Prego Head Waiter, Mario, also joined in the photo with the two of us and Jamie.
We had a wonderful time with Jamie. We talked non-stop and also enjoyed the outstanding service, ambiance and cuisine of Prego. Since formal nights tend to be very popular in the Crystal Dining Room and many who come to Prego come later on formal nights, the restaurant was relatively quiet which is always nice.
Our Waiter for the evening was Costa but other waiters assisted him throughout the evening including Pedja and Marina. Specialty Restaurant Maitre d' Antonio checked on us a few times as did Head Waiter Mario.
We each had salads and also Anne Marie had a ravioli pasta and Jamie had carpaccio (a black Angus beef) as an appetizer. Keith passed on the appetizers.
For our entree Jamie and Keith had the additional seafood entree which is shown in this photo and was a fresh fish, while Anne Marie had the Chilean Sea Bass from the menu.
Both entrees were terrific. They were very tasty and cooked to perfection.
Keith also had a side order of Grilled Vegetables.
For dessert, Anne Marie had a Chocolate Gelato, Jamie had the Mocha Budino which is a Light Italian Coffee Custard and Keith had a Fruit Plate.
The Senior Sommelier, Mario, offered us a choice of several wines. The ladies had a Sauvignon Blanc, while Keith had a full body red wine.
The featured entertainment from last evening was performed by Jacqui Scott who sang many classic songs. She is very popular with the guests and often performs on one of the segments of the World Cruise and is a terrific female vocalist.
This is the entertainment program from last evening.
We slept very well last evening as the seas continued to be very calm. We continued sailing to Montevideo.
Keith was up early and back in the Fitness Center for his daily morning workout. Unlike yesterday, by the time he finished there were far fewer guests working out as was the case the day before.
As he does each morning, after changing, he went to the Lido Cafe to enjoy some coffee. He chatted with several of the Lido Deck Stewards.
He brought some coffee back to the room for Anne Marie to enjoy and a short while later Anne Marie walked for one hour. She walked outside with friend Elaine as we were making our way to port.
We then enjoyed breakfast in our room.
Today is our second visit to Montevideo on this World Cruise. If you remember on our last visit it was on a Sunday so many places were closed and also it was raining.
We did not do any touring today since we have been to this city before on a few prior visits. On our last visit back in 2010 we toured the city extensively. This time we just took the complimentary shuttle provided by Crystal Cruises.
We began last evening by attending the Captain's Welcome Reception for the cruise. It was held at the Palm Court which is on the highest passenger deck of the ship and all the way forward on the ship.
We went through the receiving line and briefly spoke with Crystal Society Hostess Jaque, Captain Okland, Hotel Director Josef, World Cruise Hostess Elise, Cruise Director Gary and Hotel Director Josef as we made our way to the reception.
The reception was very well attended and we took photos with a couple of the crew members.
This included:
Anne Marie with Japanese Guest Relations Officer, Urara
Anne Marie with Food and Beverage Manager Victor.
We spoke with some of our fellow guests and also we chatted for quite a while with Food & Beverage Manager Victor. We also spoke with the Vice Captain who just returned from holiday and joined the ship in Buenos Aires and we also chatted with Urara.
Before going to dinner, we stopped by the Crystal Plaza to have some photos taken of us in our formal attire. To change things up from previous photographs the photographer had us pose a little differently then normal. In one of the poses, Keith is holding his Tuxedo Jacket over his shoulder. In another one Anne Marie is wearing Keith's Tuxedo and in yet another one we are both hugging while Anne Marie is still wearing the jacket. We have to say it was easy to smile as we were laughing and we will need to see how all of those photos turned out after dinner this evening.
Although we did not dine at the Crystal Dining Room these are the menus from the Gala Welcome Dinner.
Afterwards, we dined at Prego with Jamie Brown. We first met Jamie on board the Crystal Serenity in 2007 when she transferred from the Crystal Cruises Headquarters location in the Los Angeles area to the ship as a Crystal Society Hostess. After performing those functions for a couple of years she moved into the position of On Board Cruise Sales Consultant. In 2011, she transferred back to the Crystal Cruises Headquarters as a Manager responsible for the administration of Crystal Cruises Quality Assurance Program as well as being responsible for the On-Board Guest Services Group who coordinates items for the guests with each ship before the guests arrive for their cruise.
We have sailed with Jamie on many voyages and have enjoyed some meals with her and other crew members over the years.
It was wonderful to catch up with Jamie on all that she has been doing since we saw her last for the start of the 2012 World Cruise in Los Angeles.
Prego Head Waiter, Mario, also joined in the photo with the two of us and Jamie.
We had a wonderful time with Jamie. We talked non-stop and also enjoyed the outstanding service, ambiance and cuisine of Prego. Since formal nights tend to be very popular in the Crystal Dining Room and many who come to Prego come later on formal nights, the restaurant was relatively quiet which is always nice.
Our Waiter for the evening was Costa but other waiters assisted him throughout the evening including Pedja and Marina. Specialty Restaurant Maitre d' Antonio checked on us a few times as did Head Waiter Mario.
We each had salads and also Anne Marie had a ravioli pasta and Jamie had carpaccio (a black Angus beef) as an appetizer. Keith passed on the appetizers.
For our entree Jamie and Keith had the additional seafood entree which is shown in this photo and was a fresh fish, while Anne Marie had the Chilean Sea Bass from the menu.
Both entrees were terrific. They were very tasty and cooked to perfection.
Keith also had a side order of Grilled Vegetables.
For dessert, Anne Marie had a Chocolate Gelato, Jamie had the Mocha Budino which is a Light Italian Coffee Custard and Keith had a Fruit Plate.
The Senior Sommelier, Mario, offered us a choice of several wines. The ladies had a Sauvignon Blanc, while Keith had a full body red wine.
The featured entertainment from last evening was performed by Jacqui Scott who sang many classic songs. She is very popular with the guests and often performs on one of the segments of the World Cruise and is a terrific female vocalist.
This is the entertainment program from last evening.
We slept very well last evening as the seas continued to be very calm. We continued sailing to Montevideo.
Keith was up early and back in the Fitness Center for his daily morning workout. Unlike yesterday, by the time he finished there were far fewer guests working out as was the case the day before.
As he does each morning, after changing, he went to the Lido Cafe to enjoy some coffee. He chatted with several of the Lido Deck Stewards.
He brought some coffee back to the room for Anne Marie to enjoy and a short while later Anne Marie walked for one hour. She walked outside with friend Elaine as we were making our way to port.
We then enjoyed breakfast in our room.
Today is our second visit to Montevideo on this World Cruise. If you remember on our last visit it was on a Sunday so many places were closed and also it was raining.
We did not do any touring today since we have been to this city before on a few prior visits. On our last visit back in 2010 we toured the city extensively. This time we just took the complimentary shuttle provided by Crystal Cruises.
Montevideo is the capital and major port city of Uruguay. The city was founded in 1726. It is a
very beautiful city to visit with its
European like architecture.
We spent a few hours walking around.
These photos were typical of the architecture of many of the buildings we walked by and the streets that we walked.
These photos were typical of the architecture of many of the buildings we walked by and the streets that we walked.
Almost every restaurant and market we saw had Coca Cola somewhere displayed on the outside of their establishments.
Then there was the old fashioned looking Coca Cola Delivery Truck.
This man filled this jug with water from the water fountain. He then went up to a couple of phone booths and poured water over each one to clean them. Not sure how clean they got.
Then there was the old fashioned looking Coca Cola Delivery Truck.
This man filled this jug with water from the water fountain. He then went up to a couple of phone booths and poured water over each one to clean them. Not sure how clean they got.
This is one of several restaurants and bars that were in a large building that we walked into. This one is very well known. Similar to a sushi bar, you sit at a long counter and you eat your steak and/or other items as you watch the chefs cook additional meats for your dining pleasure. While we were there some items were being prepared and the aroma was delightful. Several members of the crew enjoyed a meal over here last Sunday as did guests and the same was true today.
We began to get hungry for lunch when we saw the Empanadas but we waited to have lunch back on the ship.
We enjoyed lunch at the Lido Cafe. It was not very quiet as some people were out on longer tours including some full day tours.
Later in the day, Keith went back to the Fitness Center for an additional workout. Anne Marie watched the other DVD movie we had signed out when we had the Pizza and Movie night in our room the other evening.
Later in the day, Keith went back to the Fitness Center for an additional workout. Anne Marie watched the other DVD movie we had signed out when we had the Pizza and Movie night in our room the other evening.
In the afternoon, Keith played quite a bit of Paddle Tennis. The day started out a little on the chilly side but while Keith was playing it warmed up quite a bit. From this point on it should be shorts weather each and everyday.
Anne Marie walked for an hour staying on the shady side of the Promenade Deck.
Anne Marie walked for an hour staying on the shady side of the Promenade Deck.
This evening we will be back in the Crystal Dining Room and have invited someone to join us. We will post all about that tomorrow.
TODAY'S THOUGHT FOR THE DAY............
“We do not quit playing because we grow old, we grow old because we quit playing.”- Oliver Wendell Holmes
Keith and Anne Marie
The local cuisine in Uruguay looks very tempting. Question:
ReplyDeleteWhat do you two use a guideline for eating off the ship? How often do you eat off the ship?
Second question: among your friends who do indulge in local food at restaurants was there much illness on this trip?
I do admire you both for staying so healthy on such a long journey.
still enjoying your blog,
Ilene
Hello Keith and Anne Marie. First I would like to thank you for taking us along on your fabulous journey. I am so enjoying the ride! I also would like to commend you both for your discipline to your fitness programs. Good job! I too try to keep fit and it is sometimes a challenge as we age. I have a question that perhaps you can help me with. I have not cruised with Crystal as of yet, but would like to try it. I am a recent widow so would probably be travelling solo. Is it hard to meet and mingle so to speak on Crystal? Is it mostly couples? Many wonderful itineraries to pour over, Thanks again, Rhonda
ReplyDeleteYou both look stunning!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy reading about your adventures both on the ship and ashore. Thank you for taking the time to share with everyone. Jan