Pictures From Hong Kong

Here are some pictures from Hong Kong.

The Clock Tower taken at night

The Dining Table in our Hotel Room

Anne Marie outside the Peninsula Hotel

The fountain outside the Peninsula Hotel

The Crystal Symphony Leaving Hong Kong

The Crystal Symphony Leaving Hong Kong

The Crystal Symphony At Dock

The Crystal Symphony At Dock

Keith & Anne Marie

Time To Say Farewell

Before we tell you about last evening we wanted to share some statistics and final thoughts.

During the course of this cruise, we sailed 7,178 nautical miles, which is equivalent to over 8,254 land miles. This is a vast distance over a seventeen-day period. Just take a look at a map to put this into perspective.

As we have said, this has been a wonderful cruise. Obviously, it is different than most other cruises, as we didn’t select this cruise for the ports. Or should we clarify this to be singular as in port. Instead, we selected this cruise to enjoy the amenities of the ship and all of the activities that were available to us and of course to enjoy the time with the crew and the passengers. Last afternoon as we were walking around the ship, we agreed that this cruise has exceeded our every expectation.

As many times as we have cruised we have the same feelings at the end of each cruise. A cruise provides the opportunity to develop a bond with so many people that you come into contact with during its course. This includes passengers and crew alike. At the end of the cruise, we realize that some of those we have met we will never see again. At the same time, we know that there are others who we have cruised with before, crew and passengers alike who we will see again or others that we have met for the first time, crew and passengers alike, who we will sail with again.

For us, Crystal Cruises is a very unique cruise line because of the retention rate of the crew. We know that the next time we come aboard that we will know several of the crew members because many of them have been with Crystal for many years.

As we have said often, sailing on Crystal is like sailing with ones extended family. We refer to this as the “Crystal Family”.

We do realize that all good things have to come to an end so when the cruise comes to an end, we know its time to say our farewells. At the same time we will look forward to the next cruise we have planned with Crystal.


We enjoyed the last evening on the ship. We attended comedian Kenny Smiles performance. He had two performances; one before the main dining and the other before the late dining. Afterwards, we met Ambassador Peck and his wife Ann for dinner at Silk Road. Often, we have found Silk Road to be fairly quiet on the least evening of the cruise but this was not the case. Many others had the same idea that we did and it was actually quite busy.

The food was great along with the service. We all shared a few plates of sashimi and sushi. We each enjoyed a different entrée. For dessert, the women had a sweet dessert. Anne Marie waited for the last evening to enjoy her favorite which is a chocolate soufflé. Keith decided to end the night with some more Sushi. He has a particular one that is not on the menu so he enjoyed that. The Ambassador had what we normally have which is the fruit plate.

We were touched during the evening when our Senior Waiter from the Main Dining Room stopped by out table in between the mail and late seating to say his goodbyes to us and to give us a large envelope, which contained all of the dinner menus. It was a touching moment for us and we hope that he will be on the ship when we sail again.

After dinner when we headed to our room our stewardess came by to thank us for the note and gift we had left her. She also said for us to say goodbye for her to the “toys”. ☺ She has been a delight.

This morning Keith woke up a little later than usual and after showering went up to the Lido Café. He ran into one passenger who he sees and talks with each morning at that hour that was sitting with two other passengers. Yes, the first word was, why aren’t you wearing your workout gear. Keith told him that today was his day off. ☺

We will shortly have our last breakfast in the room and will say our farewells to the butler.

We expect to disembark the ship at 9:00 AM and then make our way over to the area hotel.

Keith & Anne Marie

Final Day At Sea

This will be our last post while on board the Crystal Symphony.

We posted two pictures today.

One is of us with the wonderful dining room staff, which includes our Headwaiter, Senior Waiter and Waiter. They have been extraordinary. The other picture is the final one of our stowaways that we took after we got back to the room last night. Our stewardess has come up with more scenes for them then we could possibly imagine.

We just wanted to recap last evening. We had a wonderful time at the Captain’s Farewell Reception. We have enjoyed the band and now that Anne Marie is feeling better each day we enjoyed dancing to some of their music. The Captain did a nice job in his first farewell talk as Captain of the Symphony and as usual Cruise Director Paul McFarland showed a very nice sense of humor.

Dinner was very nice in the main dining room. Once again, we enjoyed wonderful service and food. We each had the veal medallions with asparagus ravioli and vegetables and the presentation was outstanding along with the taste of the food.

Last evening we thanked the Main Dining Room Maitre d’, Josef, our Headwaiter, Vlada, and our Senior Waiter and Waiter for all that they did to make our dining experience as wonderful at it was. They are all true professionals

Speaking of quality, we have been very impressed that with so many consecutive sea days that lots of fruit is still available along with all sorts of vegetables for salads. For fruit, items such as blueberries and strawberries are still readily available and the quality of the bananas is still perfect. We know that the ship has special equipment to keep items much fresher than we can at home but this has been simply amazing.

As many times as we cruise with Crystal we are amazed at the entire food and beverage operation. If this was a land based restaurant it would be extremely challenging to provide the level of service and the quality that is provided given the number of passengers that dine each evening. Add to this the challenge of doing this while at sea and operating on a 7 x 24 schedule and it is amazing.

Today is our final day at sea as we sail to Hong Kong. It has been a glorious cruise.

Keith started off the day with a wonderful workout in the Fitness Center. As has been his routine, he brought back coffee after the workout and then later we enjoyed a nice breakfast in the room.

There have been lots of activities today.

Ambassador Peck gave a wonderful lecture in the morning and the title of his presentation was “Peck’s Postulates: The Four Keys to Total Understanding of International Relations.” As usual, the Ambassador gave a wonderful talk.

Afterwards, we enjoyed the final Rap with the Rabbi for this cruise. These have been wonderful sessions and the Rabbi has done a wonderful job leading them and giving lots of time for all of the passengers to share ideas.

In the morning, we also went to the Hong Kong mandatory check for all guests. During this check they are taking each passengers temperature. We went through this last year as well. The good news is we passed with flying colors. ☺

Today was the final day of Team Trivia. Two teams tied for first place with the team that has won many of the games winning the tie breaker. We finished in second place.

Afterwards, we enjoyed lunch at the Lido Café. We can’t thank the Lido Deck Stewards enough for all that they do to make our dining in this venue so pleasant. They are so dedicated and work so hard to please each passenger. How they learn so many of the passenger names and many of their food preferences is truly remarkable.

This evening we will dine at Silk Road with Ambassador Peck and his lovely wife. We look forward to wonderful food, service and conversation.


Keith & Anne Marie

En Route To Hong Kong

We have included a picture from last evening’s dinner at Silk Road. It was taken near the end of our dinner.

We enjoyed an excellent evening at Silk Road last evening. As we had mentioned we dined with Frantz the Chief Concierge, Joe Kita who is teaching the Memoir Writing Class and a couple who we know through Cruise Critic.

This is the first Crystal Cruise for this couple, although they have traveled on other cruise lines.

The conversation at the table was wonderful. We all shared information about the various areas of the world we have traveled to and we shared stories about the wonderful experiences we have had sailing with Crystal. We ended up staying at the restaurant for close to three hours.

The food was just wonderful. We all shared a variety of sushi and sashimi and there were a couple of special items that were created by the chef for our enjoyment. And, we enjoyed other courses including the wonderfully prepared entrée.

This was just a wonderful evening.

So, this turned out to be the latest that we stayed up during this cruise.

We slept well and Anne Marie slept the best she has since getting sick. She slept in bed and did not have to sleep sitting up as she has done for several notes on the sofa. So, let’s hope that she is almost back to herself.

Keith somehow made it up at his normal hour and enjoyed a nice workout at the Fitness Center. There was no one there for much of his workout but about ten minutes before he finished up two other passengers had arrived and were working out on the elliptical machines as well.

Keith stopped by the Lido Café and brought back coffee to enjoy with Anne Marie back in the room.

We enjoyed breakfast in our room. Afterwards, we took a long walk on the Promenade Deck. The seas continue to be calm. It was overcast while we walked but the temperature was quite nice. There were several others passengers out and about.

As has been the case throughout the cruise, there were lots of activities offered throughout the day. A couple of lectures were presented this morning,. Destination lecturer gave a presentation titled “Hong Kong: The Last Colony or Just Under New Management?”. Later in the morning, a presentation was given titled “The Life and Films of Rita Hayworth…Goddess.” In the afternoon two other presentations were given. One by Biologist Bill Toone titled “Water – Our Most Abundant But Severely Endangered Resource”. The other one was a presentation, which covered the introduction to Chinese Herbs.

Once again, three movies were shown in the Hollywood Theatre.

We attended the presentation on Hong Kong.

We attended today’s memoir writing class. Joe Kita had Carolynne and George DeMott read portions of memoirs from those written by six of the passengers. The writings were quite good.

Afterwards, we attended Team Trivia. We did not win. ☹ The team that won many of the earlier rounds won today. We have one more game tomorrow.

We enjoyed lunch in the Main Dining Room. We had a very nice talk with the senior waiter who had been on the Crystal Serenity with us in 2007. He told us a good deal about his home area; a place that we will visit on the Serenity in 2010.

Tonight was the forth and final formal of the cruise. As such, before dinner we attended the Captain’s Farewell Reception. It was wonderful to see so many passengers’ all dressed up in formal attire. The Captain gave a very nice talk at the reception and we look forward to sailing with Captain Ralf Zander on a future Crystal cruise.

This evening we will set the clocks backwards for the final time as we sail into another new time zone. Tomorrow is the last full day on the ship before we reach Hong Kong.

Keith & Anne Marie

Final Three Days At Sea

We were able to post four pictures today.

Two are recent pictures of the stowaways who our stewardess has arranged in other positions. She has been very creative including the one where she put out a snack for each of them. ☺

The third picture is of Michele Lee and the forth picture was from the recent Sunday Jazz Brunch.

This morning marked the final three days of this cruise. We have enjoyed it immensely. It provided a wonderful opportunity for us to enjoy all of the amenities on the Crystal Symphony, talk with the crew and the fellow passengers, and to learn a lot from the various lecturers and from some of the other activities.

Given that we set the clocks back another hour last evening, Keith woke up early and enjoyed his daily workout in the Fitness Center. For much of the time he was alone in the center. He has enjoyed having many news channels to choose from and he kept up on the news about the financial situation on a variety of news and business channels.

Anne Marie is doing better but her cough still continues. Sometimes she is perfectly fine while other times the cough just returns. As such she continues to pass on the Fitness Center and then joins Keith for a nice long walk on the promenade deck later in the morning. Keith continues to help out around the cabin. ☺ Today, was wash day as we prepare for the time we will stay in Hong Kong following the end of this journey. He also brought back coffee from the Lido Café for Anne Marie to enjoy.

Speaking of Hong Kong, we have been notified that before we reach Hong Kong that at a predetermined time each passenger will have to have his or her temperature taken. We went though this last year.


Later in the morning, we enjoyed breakfast in the room. After breakfast, we enjoyed a nice long walk on the Promenade Deck. The weather was just gorgeous. The seas have been very calm today and there are times that we can’t even tell we are moving.

One of the things that we enjoy from our sailings is the opportunity to meet a variety of passengers on each cruise as they come from so many backgrounds from various States around the USA to various countries around the world. This cruise was no exception.

We took a quick count of the number of passengers on board who are listed in the guest list and it came to approximately 560 passengers. There likely are some additional passengers on board the ship who chose not to have their names listed in this booklet. The vast majority of the passengers have sailed with Crystal previously. In addition to those passengers from all across the USA, there are passengers on board from several other countries including Australia, Argentina, Canada, Germany, Spain, The United Kingdom, Taiwan, Japan, South Africa and Taiwan.

Today was another busy day for activities including various fitness classes, the French class, the music class, the memoir writing class, the various bridge classes, the golf clinic, a cooking demonstration, and too many other activities to list. For those who enjoy bingo there have been two bingo jackpots held each day.

There was also a lecture by American Musical Theatre Expert Dr Herb Keyser and the title of his presentation was “The Life and Music of Stephen Sondheim.

Once again, in keeping with the theme of the cruise three movies were shown today.

We enjoyed the morning session, which was a question, and answer session with Michele Lee. This is her first time lecturing on Crystal Cruises or any cruise line for that matter and she has done a remarkable job.. The Q&A session was very nicely done and we learned a great deal about Michele Lee from theatre, to film to her role in the Knot’s Landing Television Series.

Rap with the Rabbi, was also held this morning. We have covered a nice variety of topics, which mainly were based on suggestions from the passengers. As we have mentioned, there is a nice cross section of passengers attending from various religious faiths.

Our team did very well in Team Trivia. We finished in second place answering thirteen of fifteen questions correctly. Two teams had gotten fourteen correct. We are happy that another new team won today’s game so that everyone wins a prize.

Once again, we enjoyed lunch at the Lido Café. We sat outside and enjoyed the wonderful weather and the views of the ocean all around us.

In between all of this we talked with a variety of passenger’s, and staff and enjoyed another perfect day at sea.

This evening we will dine in Silk Road, with a couple who we know from Cruise Critic, Joe Kita who teaches the Memoir Writing Class. We sailed with Joe and his wife on both the 2007 and 2008 World Cruises. In 2007, they took their daughter on the cruise and in 2008 they took their son. Coincidentally, in the January edition of a magazine that Anne Marie brought with us on the cruise there is an article that was in the magazine that Joe wrote about taking their daughter with them on the World Cruise. This occurred in her last year of High School. Also rounding out our table will be Frantz who is the Chief Concierge. We will provide more on our dinner in tomorrows post.

Keith and Anne Marie

En Route To Hong Kong

So, we know you are asking what exactly are the first several pictures all about?

Well, sometimes we all need a bit of humor.

So, first some background.

There are many unsung heroes on the cruise ship who make the overall cruising experience so enjoyable for all of us. This includes the Stewardesses who take care of the passenger cabins. Our stewardess and her assistant on this voyage are no exception. They have kept our room perfectly clean and have taken care of everything that we have asked from them, and even more.

Over the past few days they have also shown their nice sense of humor. As you can see from the picture there are a couple of stowaways in our cabin. Each day we have left the room we come back to find these stowaways in various positions around the room. We have captured some of these on our camera and thought we would place them on the Blog.

As they say, you are as young as you feel inside. So, today we are feeling quite young. ☺

The pictures include these stowaways each wearing shower caps and wrapped in towels, each with copies of the 2010 World Cruise Preview Brochure, on the notebook computer, getting ready to fill out a breakfast room service form The last one is most recent. When we returned to the room the television set was on and the two of them were placed on the bed with a television remote control directly beside them.

The final picture we took the other day and it is from the Silk Road Sushi Bar. It was taken earlier in the day when one of the Sushi Chefs was doing some preparatory work behind the Sushi Bar.

In addition to humor, we wanted to share some thoughts about passion.

As we reflect on yesterday, one of our takeaways is passion. Yesterday, we saw passion from Michele Lee; both in her lecture and on the 5:00 PM show with the cruise director. She exudes passion. Maybe, this is why she looks so much younger than her actual age.

We saw passion last evening when Josef the Restaurant Manager Maitre d’ and Vlada, our headwaiter, talked with us at our table. They consistently display passion in all that they do. They work in a very challenging industry and an equally challenging environment. If this were a land-based restaurant it would be quite challenging. To us, the operation of a restaurant at sea is even more complex since it is essentially a 7 x 24 hour operation. It is evident to us that they love what they are doing. They provide outstanding service and want to provide their guests with the best experience possible. They are true professionals.

We thoroughly enjoyed last evening’s dinner with the Rabbi and his lovely wife. We had special ordered an entrée for the four of us, Dover Sole, and it was outstanding. The best part about the dinner was the wonderful conversation we had with them and by the time we left the table we realized that we were one of the last guests to leave the dining room. We had also enjoyed lunch with them earlier in the day at the Lido Café. We could have still talked with them for hours upon hours. It was another special evening and we look forward to dining with them again.

Before we forget, for those of you who want to know who won the crew tug-of-war event held yesterday afternoon it was the Engine Room Crew. Typically, this department either wins or does very well in this event. Other winners that we have seen in the past, include the dining room wait staff and one time we saw a win by the Bar Staff.

Today has been another wonderful day on board the Crystal Symphony. We realize that in just a few days that this cruise will come to an end. It has been a spectacular cruise. Yes, it is definitely unique because there was just one port of call but it has provided a nice opportunity to talk with so many of our fellow passengers and the crew.

Keith enjoyed a wonderful workout in the Fitness Center in the morning. As we have done throughout this cruise we enjoyed a nice breakfast in the room.

Right after breakfast we took the first of two morning walks on the Promenade Deck. Initially, we walked for about thirty minutes, but it became windy, cool and it began to rain. About forty-five minutes later, we walked again and it was sunny and the temperature was quite nice. We enjoyed a nice walk. We also spent a little while talking with Josef, the Main Dining Room, Maitre d’ with a few questions we had about another voyage. As usual, he was very helpful to us. We also stopped by the Cruise sales Consultants desk to talk with Nikki who assisted us with a few questions that we have. We have known her for so many years and she is always so helpful to us. When we talk about the Crystal Crew so often we say similar things. They are courteous, professional and genuinely nice. We actually reflected on this as we walked around the Promenade Deck. We can’t stress enough about the difference that the crew makes in the pleasure of the cruise.

We did fairly well in today’s Team Trivia. We had eleven of the answers correct and finished in second place. Another new team won today which is great. We have a few more games to go before the end of the cruise.

After Team Trivia we enjoyed nice lunch in the Lido Café.

There were lots of activities in the afternoon. In keeping with the theme for the cruise there was a presentation on Garbo and once again three different movies were shown in the Hollywood Theatre.

We enjoyed a quiet dinner by ourselves in the Main Dining Room.

After dinner there was a concert given by Pianist Naki Ataman. This was followed by the highlight of the evening; Liars Club. The stars of Liars Club included;

“Legal” Liar Bob Hales (Bob is the Estate Planner who lectures on the ship).

“Diplomatic” Liar Ed Pack (Ambassador Peck also lectures on the ship)

“Hysterical” Liar Kenny Smiles (Kenny is a comedian who first appeared with Crystal in the Spring of 2008 and now appears on both the Symphony and the Serenity).

“Can’t Tell a Lie” Rabbi Morrie Hershman (The Rabbi is on variousl Crystal Cruises each year)

The host for this event was Cruise Director Paul McFarland with assistance from Assistant Cruise Director Carolynne DeMott.

This evening we move the clocks backward another hour as we sail into yet another time zone.

Keith & Anne Marie

A Day At Sea

It has been difficult to post pictures on the Blog but finally we have succeeded. These are pictures from earlier in the cruise.

First picture is from dinner at Silk Road with Ambassador Peck and his wife.

The second picture is of us in the Crystal Cove before dinner on the evening we left Honolulu.

Third picture from another informal evening on board the ship.













We really enjoyed last evening. We sat at the Crystal Society Reception with Ambassador Peck his wife and the Rabbi and his wife. If we remember correctly both the Rabbi and the Ambassador will both be participants in the Liar’s Club this time around with the comedian. It is always enjoyable to talk with all of them.

Afterwards, we both enjoyed another wonderful dinner at Silk Road. In all our times at Silk Road on the Crystal Serenity we had never sat at the Sushi Bar and here were sitting at the Sushi Bar for the very first time and also in our formal attire to boot. We really enjoyed the experience. We are always amazed with the Sushi but to see the chefs prepare each piece with the care and artistry that goes into it was amazing. Keith went with their recommendations in terms of the sashimi and added in a few choices on his own. Anne Marie went with the rolls. There was one passenger next to us who made a few recommendations as well.

Now, probably a first at the Sushi Bar. While Keith is using chopsticks as he always does throughout the meal, Anne Marie asks for a fork and knife. Keith always kids with her that if she can thread a needle or do so many of the other things she does, then she can use chopsticks. Aside from being concerned she will drop some of the food she does prefer to cut the items into smaller pieces. However, once in a while Keith is successful in encouraging her to ask for the chopsticks with training wheels. So, after a couple of minutes of laughing about the fork and knife she did agree to use the training wheels. ☺ And, she did very well. Maybe, one day she will master them so she can stop using the training wheels. ☺

After enjoying some sushi we enjoyed the rest of the meal at a table and it was wonderful as it always is. The restaurant was actually a little busier than it was on the last formal night but still relatively quiet.


Today marks our seventh consecutive day at sea. This is the longest stretch of sea days we have enjoyed since we began cruising and there are several more days to go.


We set the clocks back another hour last evening so it continues to be a piece of cake to wake up early in the morning. Keith enjoyed a wonderful workout in the Fitness Center and, yes, he was the first person to arrive. But, before he left, two other passengers were working out. Yesterday, they added several more news and sport stations so there was a lot of programs to choose from today. Keith learned that the even the wedding industry is being significantly impacted by the recession with overall average spending considerably lower than in the recent past.

Keith went to the Lido Café to bring back coffee to the room and there were also just a couple of passenger’s there. Since it was Sunday morning, we think more passengers chose to sleep-in this morning.

We enjoyed another nice breakfast in our room. Following breakfast we took a nice long walk on the Promenade Deck. The weather was quite nice and the seas have been relatively calm.

Today was yet another day with so many activities to choose from.

One of the highlights of the day was the talk given by Michele Lee whose title for her presentation was “Behind the Scenes – Broadway Film Stars and Stories. Her presentation was wonderful. She showed us lots of pictures and told so many nice stories about the various actors and actresses she worked with over they years. She also shared an film showing several outtakes from Knot’s Landing.

Today, there was also a Sunday Jazz Brunch Buffet. On selected cruises of longer lengths in addition to the Grand Gala Buffet there is also the Sunday Jazz Brunch Buffet. This includes a wonderful assortment of brunch items as well as complimentary Mimosas. Adding to the festive atmosphere is live Jazz music by the Crystal Galaxy Orchestra. We stopped by today’s buffet to admire all of the wonderfully prepared items and then ate lunch in the Lido Café.

Additional presentations were also offered throughout the day. This included one on Acupuncture and how it can be used to manage arthritis pain. There was a presentation given on Estate Planning and one on on the Ancient Jewel of the North.


On many afternoons, Keith has spent time with a few fellow passengers who I have talked with on a regular basis since the start of the cruise. One of the passenger’s I know from last year on the Serenity and the others I had not met before. We are all from different places including a couple of us from different parts of the USA, one person from Australia, another person from the United Kingdom and yet another person from Asia. It’s been interesting to share perspectives on a variety of subjects and issues and to hear how each of us thinks on a particular subject. There are similarities and of course differences on subjects. What’s also been nice is that each of us can express views on various issues and subjects even at times having views that are in direct contradiction from each others. Yet, at the same time we have done this in a respectful manner. By closely listening to one another and hearing what the other has to say in some cases ones thoughts on a particular subject may actually change. If not, at least each of us has come away with a better understanding of how others might see a particular issue and to understand there is normally more than one way to approach a particular item. This is one of the nice aspects of travel that we have enjoyed over the years.

This evening we dined in the Main Dining Room with the Rabbi and his lovely wife. We have enjoyed many nice dinners with them on several Crystal cruises and we cherish our friendship with them. We had made arrangements with the Headwaiter and ordered Dover Sole as the entrée for the four of us and it was delicious.

Keith & Anne Marie

En Route To Hong Kong

Some passengers seemed to bothered by the seas last evening but we thought that overall they were mild in comparison to other times we have experienced rough seas. Overall, we have been fortunate with the seas and the weather as we continue to sail towards Hong Kong.

We wanted to note how well the charity auction was done yesterday. The passenger’s who attended had a wonderful time whether or not they were bidding on items. Many from Crystal were also in attendance including the Captain. The money raised is going to a very worthwhile charity. There are some items available in one of the stores and with a good percentage from the sales of these items also going to the charity. Kudos to our Cruise Director for the wonderful job he did as the auctioneer and to those from the entertainment staff and other areas of the ship who provided assistance throughout this wonderful event.

We also wanted to note how special our dinner was last evening. Everything about our dinner was wonderful. The meal was perfect. The chefs know how to prepare a wonderful meal and once again they came through superbly. On top of this we enjoyed wonderful service in a beautiful setting.

Once again, Keith started my day with a nice workout. Anne Marie stayed in the room to get some additional rest. Keith was the first one to the Center and eventually two other passengers were working out. There were less passengers up there at that hour since we did not turn the clocks back last evening. After a great workout, Keith stopped by the Lido Café to get coffee to bring back to the room and spent a little while there talking with a fellow passenger who I had not met before. After solving the problems of the world ☺ he brought coffee back to the room.

Anne Marie slept fairly well last evening. While she was coughing quite a bit before last evenings dinner she did not cough too much last evening, which was good for her and for Keith. ☺

We enjoyed a wonderful breakfast in our room. After breakfast we walked on the Promenade Deck for about an hour. The seas were calmer and the air temperature very nice. We met one woman during the walk who is from Australia and as it turned out was on the leg of last years World Cruise which began in Sydney. We told her how much we loved Australia during our first time there last year with the Serenity and we look forward to visiting there again.

Once again, many activities were scheduled today. We will mention some of them.

Dr Herb Keyser gave a nice lecture in the morning titled “The Life and Music of Frank Sinatra”. The presentation was very nicely done. During various parts of the presentation, he also sang some of Frank Sinatra’s songs.

Later in the day Astronomer Dr. Norma Caisse gave a fascinating presentation titled “Adventures in Space and Time: To the Edge of the Known Universe”.

As has been the case through out the cruise, three movies were shown in the Hollywood Theatre.

In the morning we had Rap with the Rabbi and of course there was Memoir Writing.

At the same time there were so many other activities including fitness classes, bridge classes, an art sale, a French class, jackpot bingo, a computer class on powerpoint, a golf clinic, an art sale, along with many other activities.

Our Team Trivia Team tied with three other teams for first place. Another team won the tie breaker question by coming closest to the answer without going over the number. The question was how many steps are there in the Empire State Building? We were happy for them as it’s good to see a team win who had not won before. The team that had one the first several games of Team Trivia was not one of the teams to tie for first today.

Before dinner this evening, we attended the Crystal Society Reception. All past passengers of Crystal were invited to this reception. As this is the third of the forth-formal nights, most passengers were dressed in formal attire.

We have enjoyed the band that plays at these receptions and at other times during the day. The members of this particular band are the best that we have experienced with Crystal. They are very adept at playing a very diverse set of songs to appeal to the wide spectrum of passengers on the ship.

After the reception we dined at the Silk Road Japanese Specialty Restaurant. For the first time, we sat at the Sushi Bar where we enjoyed a variety of sushi and sashimi. It was a wonderful experience for us. Afterwards, we had more sushi and sashimi at our table and then enjoyed a salad and an entrée. It was a lovely evening.

This evening we set our clocks back by another hour as we continue to sail into new time zones. We believe this will continue until we reach Hong Kong where we set the clocks back by an hour every other evening

Keith and Anne Marie

Another Great Day At Sea

We enjoyed a good night sleep. In keeping with one of the themes of the movie the Groundhog Day Keith awoke early this morning and once again started his day in the Fitness Center. Last evening, we,, set the clocks back one hour as we continue to cruise into another new time zone. Needless to say, Keith began my workout very (and we do mean very) early. He also poke with a few members of the “night crew” before beginning his workout. They are so nice and work so hard.

About a half hour into his workout, there were other passenger’s working out and the same familiar faces who he has seen for much of the cruise. After the workout, he stopped by the Lido Café with the intent of bringing back coffee to the room. Realizing it was still early and he didn’t want to wake up Anne Marie he ran into Estate Planner Bob Hales and he had a very nice conversation about the current state of affairs in the financial market.

We both enjoyed coffee in the room and Anne Marie sat out on the verandah to get some fresh air. When Keith went back to the Lido Café for a second cup of coffee there were quite a few passengers sitting up there because of the turn back of the clocks last evening. We have been very fortunate that the seas have been relatively calm since leaving Hawaii with very moderate temperatures.

Today has been another delightful day at sea as we make our way to Hong Kong.

We enjoyed a nice breakfast in the room and then we went for a walk on the Promenade Deck. There was some light rain before we began the walk but it was fine for most of the walk. It was cooler than yesterday but by the time we finished our walk it had warmed up.

There were a couple of nicely done lectures. One by Destination Lecturer Dorinda Nicholson whose presentation was titled “Remember WWII, Kids Who Survived to Tell Their Stories”. The other lecture was by American Musical Lecturer Dr. Herb Keyser, “The Life and Music of Hagy Carmichael”.

Another very popular activity has been the Memoir Writing Class that is being given by Joe Kita. I have spoken with a number of passengers who are enjoying this class. We know Joe quite well from our previous cruises with him and his lovely wife. He will be joining us towards the end of the cruise at dinner in Silk Road.

There are many on this cruise who enjoy playing bridge, some of whom we know quite well. They have been enjoying the time at sea which provides lots of opportunities for them to play bridge.

We forgot to mention yesterday that there was a wonderful cooking demonstration given by Executive Chef Markus Nufer. I have to say that I learned a good deal about keeping items fresh and what to do to keep items such as lettuce and other vegetables and spices as fresh as possible.

In the afternoon there was a benefit auction, which is part of a joint effort by Crystal Cruises and Conde Nast Traveler. All of the proceeds from this auction benefit the CNT Five and Alive Fund that promotes the health and welfare of young children around the world. The auction was a success raising a good amount of money for a very worthy cause.

Throughout each and every hour of the day there were many activities offered. As mentioned often, this cruise is a dream cruise for those cruisers who appreciate sea days.

Today’s Team Trivia questions were very difficult. The winning team had five correct answers. We had three correct and the team that usually wins also had three and many teams had one or two correct answers. After Team Trivia we enjoyed a nice Salad Entrée in the Main Dining Room. There was also a Mediterranean Buffet in the Lido Deck area.

Before dinner this evening, we attended Sabbath Eve Services led by Rabbi Hershman.

Starting this afternoon and as we are writing this the seas have become rough. To play it safe, we each have taken our Bonine.

Last evening we had decided to pre order a nice dinner with our outstanding headwaiter Vlada. We had Chalah, Chopped Liver, Matzoh Ball Soup, Kosher Chicken, Steam Vegetables and Fruit. It was a wonderful meal.

Keith & Anne Marie

A New Day

We have crossed the International Dateline. We did the same thing last year. When we went to sleep last evening it was March 17 and we were a few hours behind the USA Mainland. When we woke this morning it was March 19 and rather than being a few hours behind the mainland, we are now sixteen (16 hours) ahead of the Eastern Daylight Time. So, we now know what the future holds for those of you on the mainland. Just kidding! ☺

The seas were very smooth last evening when we went to sleep and have been very nice today. The Captain was correct about today’s weather when he gave us the two day forecast yesterday.

Anne Marie had a good deal of coughing last evening. She does well during the daytime but for whatever reason has more trouble at night. Regardless, she is enjoying the cruise and is very happy to be on board such a wonderful ship and cruise line.

Keith awoke early this morning and as has been the case for the entire cruise absent the first couple of days, he wake up prior to the alarm clock going off. He started my day with a nice workout on the Elliptical Machine. It always takes him about one week to get used to these machines because all Elliptical Machines are not created equal and he is now used to this machine. The workout was great and he watched the news prior to the AIG hearings and then watched some of the hearing while he was still working out. A few of the same passengers who he has seen each morning were up there for a portion of my workout.

Afterwards, Keith stopped by the Lido Café to bring some coffee back to the room for the two of us and then we listened to some more of the AIG hearings.

We enjoyed another nice breakfast in our room and during breakfast we planned our day by looking at the daily program.

As has been the case on each sea day there were lots of activities offered throughout the day, afternoon and evening hours. As this is a theater and movie theme cruise one of this mornings featured lectures was titled “The Great Movie Stars – The Life and Films of Cary Grant”.

We also enjoyed another wonderful walk on the Promenade Deck. We love the Promenade decks on Crystal ships. There are very few cruise ships afloat that have Promenade Decks like Crystal’s. Some ships have them but they are not true wrap around decks while others don’t have them and you have to walk on the top deck. Another nice feature of Crystal’s promenade deck is that if you can’t be out in the sun you can walk back and forth on the shady side of the deck or if it is too hot you can do likewise. At the same time if you want some additional sun or if it is too chilly you can walk back and forth on the sunnier side of the deck. And, if you are like us and welcome a combination of temperatures and sun and shade you can walk around the full deck and enjoy both features. While we love the Promenade Deck on this ship we enjoy the one on the Crystal Serenity even more as it even wider.

Later in the morning we attended another one of the Raps With The Rabbi. Normally, these are offered every other sea day but because we skipped Wednesday on board the ship we had a Rap today since to us yesterday was Tuesday and today is Thursday. Are you confused now? ☺

After the Rap it was time for……yes……Team Trivia. The good news is that we won today’s Team Trivia. After all of the questions were asked we thought we would be lucky to finish in the middle of the pack. However, it turns out that we were not the only ones challenged by some of the questions. We ended up tying for the lead with the team that has won on most days and then we won the bonus question. So, we are each the proud owners of a new Crystal Hat.

After Team Trivia we enjoyed lunch in the Lido Café. On most days we typically enjoy lunch in the Main Dining Room as we enjoy the table service and the ambience of the dining room. Typically, we have a salad entrée. However, with the weather being so nice we just decided to once again go over to the Lido Café, make up our own salad entrée, and then enjoy the views from this area of the ship.

There were three movies being shown today, two in the afternoon and one in the evening. The first of the movies shown was “How to Succeed in Business of which actress Michele Lee was featured in this movie. This was an appropriate movie to show given that Michele Lee is on our voyage and will be speaking later in the cruise. Keith remembers seeing this movie first in the movie theatre when it was released in 1967. Keith and Anne Marie have also enjoyed seeing this as a play.

This evening we enjoyed a wonderful dinner in the main dining room. Last evening we spoke with the headwaiter and preordered a special entrée for this evening. Everything from the service to the food was wonderful.

Keith & Anne Marie

Happy St. Patrick's Day

From Right To Left Daniel (assistant to the Hotel Director), Anne Marie (Reception Desk), Frantz (Chief Concierge) and, Patrick from the Reception Desk.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day to everyone from on-board the Crystal Symphony.

It has been difficult to post pictures on this cruise. When we arrive home we will try to add more to the Blog.

We had mentioned that last evening that we dined a Silk Road. As it was a formal night there were very few passengers dining there as most were enjoying the French Dinner in the Main Dining Room. Dinner was once again wonderful. We let Willie who is the Silk Road Headwaiter select the Sushi for us as he did the other evening. We normally do the selection ourselves but Keith has been more adventurous with the Sushi that he enjoys so he has gone with Willies’ recommendations. Anne Marie prefers the rolls rather than the raw fish so she selected the rolls and then Willie added a few to what she had picked out.

Keith always uses the chopsticks but Anne Marie usually prefers the fork and knife. Last evening she used chopsticks with training wheels for the Sushi. Keith continues to encourage here to try it without the training wheels.

We talked with Willie for quite a while since there were very few passengers dining. He is another wonderful person. We first met him on the Serenity in 2005 and we think the world of him. He adds tremendously to the dining experience. It is amazing how he is on top of everything. We sailed with him on the entire full World Cruise in 2007. I remember one of the special events one evening was a special performance given by many of the crew from the Philippines including Willie. This included dancing and singing. We will tell you that it was one of the most memorable performances and several of us, including the two of us had tears in our eyes during the performance.

We have never eaten at the Sushi Bar, but after talking with Willie last evening we have decided to give it a try. So, we have added one additional Silk Road reservation to the two remaining ones we have (yes we love Silk Road) and plan to sit at the Sushi Bar at least for some of the Sushi and then will enjoy the rest of the meal at a table.

Last evening we turned the clocks back another hour. Keith was up quite early this morning and was working out a little after 4:00 AM and by 4:30 AM three other passengers were working out. He enjoyed a wonderful workout on the Elliptical Machine. During the workout he watched the preview of the 2010 World Cruise on the Crystal Television Station. It is an amazing itinerary.

Afterwards, Keith stopped by the Lido Café to bring coffee back to the room for Anne Marie. He spoke for awhile with Bob Hales who is an Estate Planner who is lecturing on board this voyage. We have been on several other cruises when Bob has given lectures. He is very knowledgeable in his field and very interesting to talk with. Keith enjoyed a nice talk with him.

Anne Marie did great yesterday but was up part of the night coughing last evening. So, she took another break from the Fitness Center. We enjoyed the coffee in the room.

We had a great breakfast and afterwards we enjoyed a very nice long walk on the Promenade Deck.

There were lots of activities on the ship today.

Ambassador Pack gave a presentation titled “The Shock of Foreign Cultures – Especially Yours”. We enjoyed his talk as we always do and it was very well attended.

There was Rap with the Rabbi at 11:00 AM and also Memoir Writing with Joe Kita. We once again enjoyed the Rabbi and the topics that were discussed.

There was Team Trivia at 12:00 Noon. The team that always wins tied for first but then lost the tiebreaker. We got eleven of fifteen questions right but that was not good enough. Maybe we’ll do better tomorrow.

Today was the Grand Gala Buffet. As usual there was an array of wonderful foods. As many times as we have seen the buffet we continue to be amazed at the preparation and the attention to detail that goes into this buffet. We had a nice lunch at the Lido Café. The weather was wonderful as the Captain had mentioned in his morning announcement so we ate outside.


We enjoyed a wonderful dinner in the Main Dining Room. Our headwaiter is Vlada. He has been wonderful and we have enjoyed our conversations with him. He is a true professional and a genuinely nice person. The Senior Waiter and the Waiter have also been wonderful in all that they do. They have made each meal memorable for us.

This evening’s entertainment includes Kenny Smiles whose first time as an entertainer with Crystal was on one of the voyages of last years World Cruise where he received a standing ovation during each of his performances. He is quite an interesting comedian. He boarded the ship in Hawaii we ran into him later that day. He did remember Keith from last year. When you talk with him off stage he is quite humorous and when you hear stories from him you just aren’t quite sure if they are true or part of his act. He has been performing on Regent Cruise Lines for many years and as we mentioned gave his first performance on a Crystal ship last year.

Since we are crossing the dateline, we will skip tomorrow March 18 and when we wake up it will be on March 19. This happened to us last year so we now know the routine.

Keith & Anne Marie

Hong Kong Here We Come

The remainder of this cruise is now sea days, which for us represents the most consecutive sea days at sea.

We set the clocks back last evening as we have and will continue to do several more times during this cruise. We really prefer sailing this way as so many others do. It is preferable to us then moving the clocks forward.

Anne Marie did better last evening. She’s still not working out yet in the Fitness Center but hopefully she will begin workouts soon. Keith was up to the center very early, although about ten minutes later there were a few other passengers working out. Keith worked out at what has become his favorite elliptical machine. There seem to be a greater percentage of passengers on this cruise who prefer one of the stationary bicycles and a particular one at that.

Keith continues to take care of things around the house until Anne Marie is back to normal. After his workout he did a couple of washes and he brought coffee back to the room a couple of times as well. The scary part is when he was showing one of the woman passengers how to use the machines. He has become quite the expert until he put Anne Marie’s formal dress in the washing machine. Just kidding. ☺ We are lucky though that Keith does not have to dust and vacuum the room.

We enjoyed a very nice breakfast in the room. After breakfast, we did take a very long walk on the Promenade Deck for about an hour and fifteen minutes. The fresh air was great for Anne Marie.

There are lots of activities throughout the day and evening hours.

A couple to highlight;

A lecture was given by Ian Perkin who gave a presentation titled“”The Asia Pacific Century – Are We Living It?”

Memoir Writing With Joe Kita. He is the writer who taught memoir writing on the 2007 and 2008 World Cruise. With so many sea days on this cruise it is an opportunity for passengers who have an interest in doing this to get started with their memoirs. Part of writing the memoirs is to share memories and information with family. Of course, some of his students have gone on to publish their memoirs.

At Noon there was team trivia. The questions were very challenging and we did not win. In fact, the team that has won the previous several days of trivia won again. Oh well. There is tomorrow. ☺

For those who enjoy bridge, and there are many on board who do, there was lots of opportunity for them to play and to take classes throughout the day.

In keeping with this being a movie voyage there continues to be three movies shown each day, including Slumdog Millionaire.

A wonderful Matinee Concert was given at 5:00 PM by pianist Halida Dinova and Clarinetist Kevin Schempf.

This evening was the second of the four formal nights that are being held on this cruise. This evening’s dinner in the Main Dining Room was the French Dinner Menu.

We decided to dine in Silk Road this evening knowing that the majority of passengers would be dining in the Main Dining Room. This is the first time during this voyage that we dined by ourselves in one of the Specialty Restaurants. Since we sit at a table for two in the main dining room many times when we dine in the specialty restaurants we try to dine with others.

This evening’s production show is Million Dollar Musicals. There is also Karaoke at 11:00 PM in Luxe.

Yes, we move the clocks back another hour this evening. We love sea days! ☺

Keith and Anne Marie

Aloha

NOTE: We are having difficulties placing pictures on the Blog. When we return home we will add pictures.

We arrived in Honolulu at around 4:30 PM yesterday afternoon. For those of you who are familiar with the area we were docked at Pier 10 and 11, which is opposite the Aloha Tower.

We enjoyed a wonderful dinner in the Main Dining Room. We had preordered the dinner with our Headwaiter the other evening. We enjoyed Caesar Salad which he prepared for us tableside. The entrée was Veal Zurichoisse which was just delicious. It is veal, which is served on top of Roesti Potatoes, topped with a delicious mushroom sauce. The Roesti are potatoes, which are grated with onions in the shape of a flat pancake. For those of you who are familiar with Potato Latkes the taste is quite similar. Not sure how healthy all of this was, but it was sure yummy!

After dinner, we walked off the ship and walked along the nearby area. We saw the Rabbi and his wife while ashore. While we were walking it started to rain so we headed back to the ship.

Crystal brought on board local entertainment who provided a nice show for the passenger’s. With only one stop on this voyage before we arrive to Hong Kong some passenger’s chose to dine in port and/or to take in a show or other activities on land.

While Anne Marie was doing much better during the day, she had a tough time sleeping last evening as she was coughing quite a bit so she was up for a good portion of the night. Keith did his morning workout and was up to the Fitness Center at the crack of dawn. ☺ He found a good program to watch so he had his longest workout of the voyage. We enjoyed a very nice breakfast in our room and spoke with our son Eric by cell phone.

In the morning, we went off the ship to walk around the area. We have been here a number of times on cruises and also on land vacations. We walked over to Waikiki to the Hilton Hawaiian Village where we first stayed twenty years ago this month. We last visited it three years ago while on a cruise. It is about a 45-minute walk each way from the Aloha Terminal. It was a sunny day. During our walk we spoke with our daughter, Jennifer, by phone.

A variety of shore excursions were offered including some that are new in 2009. Security is very good in this port of call as it was when we visited here last year. In addition to showing the local security our shipboard card each passenger was also asked to have in their possession a government photo identification card with them. Packages and other items such as purses were checked very carefully.

At Noon we met a couple that we brought on to the ship. We had made arrangements with Crystal a couple of months ago so that they could come onto the ship. Keith knows the man Pete from Cruise Critic. They live in Hawaii. Crystal is one of the few cruise lines that still allow guests to bring visitors on board the ship when in port. A special form must be provided to Crystal ahead of time. Keith made the arrangements back in Februarry. Last year when we visited this port on the Crystal Serenity we brought on board our friends, Joan and Mac onto the ship. and we enjoyed the afternoon with them. We really appreciate Crystal’s willingness to allow passengers to bring guests on board their ships. We had a wonderful time talking with Pete Leilani.

This evening we dined at Prego with the Rabbi and his lovely wife Gerri. We have been very fortunate to have cruised with them on the 2007 and 2008 World Cruises and on another sailing from New York City to Montreal. They are truly wonderful people who we are proud to have as our friends.

Keith & Anne Marie

Let There Be Land

We have tried to post pictures but given the limited internet connections it has been a challenge. We’ll try to add some in time.

We wanted to share some additional thoughts about last evening.

We had a wonderful time at the reception held at the Captain’s Quarters. There were close to 30 guests in attendance along with various officers. Once again, we spoke with the Captain and he continues to be very interesting to talk with. For a good portion of the reception we spoke with the Hotel Director. We enjoyed talking about this ship and also talking about the Serenity and how the two compare. Later on we spoke with the Vice Captain and the talk then turned to the technical aspects of the ship. We asked him a number of questions about the ship and about his experiences in both calm and rough seas. All three of these officers have much in common from the experiences at sea to their warmth and charm, to their professionalism and to their interest in both the guests and the crew. Towards the end of the reception we recognized four other guests. Guess who? Yes, the four other members of our Trivia Team.

After dinner we dined at Prego with Ambassador Peck and his wife Ann who we have come to know so well from our other sailings. It was our first time back to Prego on this voyage. Lots of wonderfully prepared Italian foods to choose from. Ironically, we each ordered the same entrée which was the Swordfish Special of he evening. We enjoyed a wonderful meal with outstanding service and equally outstanding conversation for over two hours. We chatted with the Specialty Restaurant Maitre d’ someone we have also come to know quite well.

We will post early today because when we reach land at 5:00 PM Hawaii time the Internet service will be down. We are not sure about the status tomorrow so we may not post tomorrow.

We set the clocks back last evening and once again Keith woke up early and was up at the Fitness Center by around 5:15 AM. About thirty minutes later there were others up there who, like, Keith, arrive fairly early.

Anne Marie is feeling better but is another few days away from being back to normal so she stayed in the room while Keith worked out.

We enjoyed another nice breakfast in the room. We would have tried the Lido Café by now but with Anne Marie not feeling herself it is just easier to have breakfast in the room.

Since part of today is a sea day there are lots of activities. Destination Lecturer Dorinda Nicholson presented :Honolulu: Then and Now”. As part of this talke she covered the area from its volcanic origins to its statehood. She has been a very good lecturer and we enjoyed today’s lecure.

There were a variety of other programs including stretching and yoga classes, music classes, a French class, a beginners bridge class, and an intermediate bridge class, a golf clinic, jackpot bingo, needlepoint, rap with the Rabbi, and of course Team Trivia. In the afternoon, there is an equally impressive list of activities including gaming lessons, a lecture on estate planning, duplicate and social bridge, another golf clinic, a movie, a talk on art work, afternoon tea and some additional fitness classes.

We enjoyed today’s Rap With The Rabbi. We did well in Team Trivia but not well enough to win.

After Team Trivia we enjoyed a very nice lunch in the dining room. We have ordered a special dinner for this evening.

We are due to arrive in Hawaii in just a few hours. The weather forecast for this evening is for rain showers. Hopefully, tomorrow will be nicer.

The seas have been more rough than what we experienced last year and even a bit more rough than what we experienced a few years ago. The seas today have also been rough and this should last until we dock later today. The captain does promise that we will not feel the rough seas when in port. ☺


Keith & Anne Marie

Here, There, & Everywhere

Today is Friday the 13th. ☹

We wanted to note from last evening how much we are enjoying the dining room staff. Our waiter and senior waiter have been wonderful. They are of the same nationality. While from a different nation, the waiter and senior waiter we had last year were of the same nationality. One of our enjoyments of travel is learning a great deal about others around the world through seeing things through our own eyes and also from listening to others. It has been amazing learning about the culture of these two individuals and what has added to our education is that fact that we visited a couple of ports of call in their homeland last year. There is so much that we can learn from one another.

The title of today’s Blog is a reminder that we have the ocean all around us as we are making our way over to Honolulu, Hawaii.

We had success once again. Keith woke up early but as is normally the case I woke just a few minutes before the alarm went off. So, better news. ☺

The seas were a bit rougher during the night. Anne Marie is doing a bit better but is still challenged with the cough that occurs either if she is talking or laying flat in bed. So, during the course of the evening she will move from the bed to the couch where she attempts to sleep in more of a sitting position. The nebulizer treatments at the Medical Center are helping and we appreciate all that they have been doing for her.

When Keith arrived to the Fitness Center he was the first person working out but by the time he finished there were quite a few passengers up there. Using the Elliptical Machine when the Seas are somewhat rough actually makes Keith forget about the seas since he can’t feel their roughness during the workout. ☺

It was a bit on the warmer side so for the first time ever Keith consumed four bottles (yes four bottles) of water during the workout. He also felt like it was déjà vu. It was two years ago on the World Cruise that for about the month the news was mainlyh focused on the death of Anna Nicole Smith. Well, here we are two years later and the news last evening and while Keith was working out was on the items related to her death. With that said, the news on the financial front is certainly quite different than two years ago. We were talking with one of the lecturers who we know from many cruises who talks about Estate Planning. The difference this time around is that there is less to plan these days.

Speaking of the economy many people who we have spoken with are taking a cautious approach in their travel plans. While many have other travel planned for this year and next year already they know that they will adjust these plans depending on the current economic situation.


We enjoyed a very nice breakfast in our room this morning. Afterwards, we got ready for another nice day at sea. We are scheduled to arrive at our port of call tomorrow at 5:00 PM.

Lots of activities were offered today. This included a destination lecture given by Dorinda Nicholso titled “Pearl Harbor Warriors; the Pilot, the Friendship”. There was also a Health Seminar, and a couple of courses on computers and one on music given and a class on Memoir Writing. Of course, there were many other activities from Bridge to Bingo and so forth.


And, there was Team Trivia which was held on 12:00 Noon. Our team did quite well but the team that won the past two days answered all fifteen questions correctly. So, who won? It wasn’t us. ☺


We enjoyed a nice lunch in the Main Dining Room. Today was the American Classic Buffet so when we entered the Dining Room we told the Maitre d’ that we were looking for the American Luncheon that they were serving. We each enjoyed a wonderful salad entrée.

In the afternoon, in keeping with the theme of this cruise, there was a nice lecture given on the life and music of Leonard Bernstein as well as two different movies shown in the Hollywood Theatre. Many other classes were available along with other activities and there were Sabath Services.

This evening we attended a reception at the Captain’s Quarters along with some other guests. We had a wonderful time and enjoyed our conversations with the Captain, other Senior Officers and with our fellow gifts.

This evening we dined at the Prego Italian Specialty Restaurant with Ambassador Peck and his lovely wife. We enjoyed wonderful food and outstanding service and a wonderful conversation.

Keith

Another Wonderful Day At Sea

Success! This morning Keith woke up at the correct time for our morning workout. More on that in a moment. We wanted to share some additional information about last evening.

We had a wonderful time at the Cruise Critic get-together last evening. We are very appreciative to Crystal for organizing this for us. It was a pleasure to meet others who we have not had the pleasure of meeting before. We had a great turnout and we also were appreciative that many of the officers who attended spent as much time as they did with us. As we mentioned earlier, this is the first solo sailing for the Captain with Crystal and we really appreciated that he not only attended this event but stayed for almost its entire duration.

We also wanted to mention how much we enjoyed Silk Road last evening. We have enjoyed Silk Road on the Crystal since the first time we sailed on her. We think the décor of the new Silk Road on the Symphony is just outstanding. And, we have to note that the food that we had last evening was probably the best of the food we have ever eaten at Silk Road. We plan to dine at Silk Road several times during this cruise. All of the food was just wonderful.

Anne Marie is still not feeling well so she stayed in the room this morning while Keith worked out. Keith began his workout at around 5:00 AM and was the first one working out but mid-way through the workout there was actually others passengers working out. By the time he left, eight other passengers were up there. Once again, Keith enjoyed the Elliptical Machine. We find that working out on the cruise ship is so easy.

When Keith got back to our room, he did another wash. He is become quite the laundry man. ☺ We enjoyed another nice breakfast in our room and then Anne Marie went to see the doctor again. She also went back to see the doctor again later in the afternoon. She is taking the inhaling misting machine. Can’t remember the precise name.

Lots of lectures and other activities throughout the day. Ambassador Peck gave a lecture in the morning and Magician Mark Haslam gave a lecture titled “The Story of Houdini”.

There was Rap with the Rabbi which was very nicely attended. The Rabbi will be doing these every two days.

After the Rap, there was Team Trivia. We had a nice score but not good enough to finish in first place. We know we will do better tomorrow. ☺

After trivia, we enjoyed a wonderful lunch in the Main Dining Room.

Given the theme of this cruise they are showing three different movies each day rather than two as they normally do. Our travel consortium arranged for wine tasting today and also has a couple of other events during the course of the cruise. There are seventy passengers on board the ship who are booked with travel specialists who are part of this travel consortium, which represents quite a few passengers.

We enjoyed a wonderful dinner in the main dining room. The service and the food have been outstanding.

With Anne Marie under the weather we have not attended the evening shows or other performances. Hopefully, she will be better soon and we will do that.


Keith & Anne Marie

A Wonderful Day At Sea

Anne Marie With Head Concierge Franz At Cruise Crtiic Get Together



Dinner With Ambassador Ed Peck and His Wife Ann At Silk Road



Success or so we thought!

Yes, the alarm went off correctly this morning. Well, sort of. We’ll provide more details on that in a moment. As such, Keith began his day with a very nice workout in the Fitness Center, arriving there by 5:15 AM or so he thought. ☺ Anne Marie stayed in the room to get some additional rest until she is feeling better.

Keith was the only person in the Fitness Center for his entire workout and enjoyed a very nice workout on the Elliptical Machine. While working out he watched the news to keep up to date with what is going on around the world.

When he got back to the room Keith put up a wash as we knew that no one would be in the laundry room at that hour. -☺ Hhe was right. We have learned over the years that early in the morning are a perfect time to do the wash. But this turned out to be even earlier than Keith had expected.

OK. We will share with you another funny moment and Keith will take full responsibility for this. We were supposed to put our clocks back one hour last evening. Well, we (Keith) thought he did but we (Keith) forgot. We discovered this because we had asked for breakfast in our room at 7:15 AM and it did not arrive. Well, when we called at what we thought was 7:30 AM to see if breakfast would be coming anytime soon we learned it was really 6:30 AM. So, Keith actually began his workout at 4:15 AM. So, you would think this was our first cruise with these little mishaps. ☺ In all our years of travel and in all of Keith’s business travels he has never set the clock or the alarm clock wrong. So, we are now 0 for 2 and as Keith knows if this was baseball he would have one strike to go. ☺

We wanted to mention that we thoroughly enjoyed the talk given by the Captain last evening. We always recognize that the number one priority of a captain is their competency in guiding the ship as we cruise throughout the world and in the safety and well being of the entire ship, its passengers and its crew. Clearly, this captain is quite impressive with his vast experience. At the same time, we found his talk to be quite nice and he seems very personable. From the crew that we have spoken with so far we can see that he has already earned the respect and admiration from his crew. He noted last evening that there are slightly more crew than passengers on board the ship.

We also wanted to note that each time that when we think it can’t get any better than the service on board the ship exceeds our every expectation. We both thoroughly love our Dining Room Senior Waiter and Waiter. They already know many of our preferences and they have taken quite good care of Anne Marie, bringing her tea and other items to help her get better. Likewise, we are extremely pleased with our Headwaiter who has been with Crystal for thirteen years and we are extremely pleased with our room stewardess, assistant stewardess and butler. The stewardess is likely the best we have ever had.

We have always thought that in the end it is the people who make the difference in any product and that goes for cruising. You can take a nice ship but if you have the wrong people staffing it you will have a so-so experience. With Crystal they combine the right ingredients including a superb crew with luxurious ships to make the cruising experience second to none.

We enjoyed a wonderful breakfast in our room this morning and it was worth waiting for. ☺

Later in the morning we saw the Rabbi and his wife and we sat with them while they had breakfast in the dining room. It was nice to catch up with the two of them. Later Anne Marie went back to the medical center for a treatment and she went back again later in the day. While she was at the center Keith spoke with several people including the Food and Beverage Manager, The Hotel Director and a few other personnel from Crystal.

There were many activities throughout the day on board the ship.

As the theme for this cruise is Film and Theatre there was a lecture given by Theatre Critic and Author David Kaufman. Another nice event in the morning was the celebration of Purim. The Rabbi did a wonderful job leading the ceremony as he always does. It was very well attended.

Yes, then there was team trivia at 12:00 Noon. Our team did not win but we still had a fun time playing. There is always tomorrow.

At 5:00 PM we hosted a Cruise Critic get together. Some of you know Cruise Critic very well while others do not. Cruise Critic provides an internet forum where people from around the world can post about their experiences on many of the cruise ships and cruise lines along with others who post questions. Over the years, we have met many wonderful passengers through Cruise Critic. The reception was wonderful. It was very well attended. In attendance were several passengers from Cruise Critic who we know quite well from previous sailings along with several that we met for the very first time. We look forward to seeing everyone over the coming days on board the ship and on future cruises. Our thanks go to Crystal for making this an outstanding reception.

Shortly after the conclusion of the reception we dined with Ambassador Peck and his wife, Ann, at Silk Road. We enjoyed a wonderful meal and an equally wonderful conversation.

Keith & Anne Marie

First Full Day At Sea

Panic set in this morning when the alarm did not go off. Rather than getting up at 5:15 AM as we had planned to start off the day at the fitness center Keith looked over at the clock and discovered it was 7:00 AM. This is a first for us. Keith later discovered my mistake as he had inadvertently set the clock for 5:15 PM rather than 5:15 AM. The good news is that we slept later and since today like almost every other day on this ship is a sea day we just rearranged our schedule.

The seas have been somewhat rough which is part of the course on a crossing. We did wake up from time to time last evening, just not at the right time for the morning wakeup. ☺

We enjoyed a nice breakfast in our room. The butler told us about the rough seas that this ship had encountered on its South America sailing, which we had heard about from people who at the time were traveling on that sailing.

After breakfast Keith saw the on board-booking specialist while Anne Marie went to see the doctor. She had a cold several days ago which seemed to be getting better but then she started to get much more congested. She has an upper respiratory viral infection. The doctor gave her various medications.

While Anne Marie rested in the room, later in the morning Keith went to the first lecture of this cruise which was given by destination lecturer Dorinda Nicholson who presented” Pearl Harbor Child”. Dorinda witnessed the attack at Pear Harbor from her home opposite Battleship Row when she was just six years old. Anne Marie stayed in our room to get some rest. Keith enjoyed the lecture.

At 12:00 Noon Keith attended team trivia and met for the first time the two couples who we will be teamed with throughout the cruise. There were lots of teams playing. We did well but not good enough to finish in first place. Oh well, there is always tomorrow.

After Team Trivia Keith met Anne Marie and we had lunch in the main dining room.

In the afternoon, Keith went to the Fitness Center a unique experience since we always use the center in the mornings on our cruises. Keith worked out on the Elliptical Machine and there were not many people in the center during the workout.

Keith enjoyed some other activities on the ship in the afternoon while Anne Marie followed the doctors orders and got plenty of rest and drank lots of water.

Before we knew it the evening was upon us and we attended the Captain’s Welcome Aboard Reception. Our Captain for this sailing is Captain Ralf Zander who is new to Crystal.

After the Captain’s Reception we enjoyed a wonderful dinner in the main dining room. The food and service were superb as we are accustomed to on each Crystal Cruise. We each enjoyed a wonderfully prepared salad, lobster, along with our favorite steamed vegetables.

Tomorrow evening we will dine with Ambassador Peck and his wife, Ann, at Silk Road. Silk Road is the Japanese Specialty Restaurant. This restaurant is on the Crystal Serenity and was added to the Symphony in the spring of last year. This will be our first time to dine at Silk Road on the Symphony after dining there countless times on the Serenity. We are looking forward to this dinner. This will be our third cruise with the Ambassador and his wife and we have been fortunate to have dined with them a number of times on our previous cruises; each time at Silk Road. We look forward to wonderful conversation and of course a wonderful meal.

Keith & Anne Marie

Isn't She Lovely

"Photo courtesy of Crystal Cruises"


Our home for the next seventeen days will be the Crystal Symphony. We first sailed on the Crystal Symphony in July of 2003, when we took a British Isles from London, England to Rouen, France. Cruise. We thoroughly enjoyed this cruise as we have all of our cruises on board each Crystal cruise ship.

We woke early this morning and enjoyed a very nice breakfast at the hotel. After breakfast we finished up the last of the packing. We were taken by car from the hotel over to the Los Angles Cruise Ship Terminal in San Pedro, California.

We arrived to the terminal earlier than expected as there was far less traffic than we expected and we were through security by 10 30 AM. There were four other people already there including a couple who we knew from last years World Cruise sailing. In a matter of minutes another couple that we also know from last year arrived in the area and before we knew it there were many more people who we knew. We also saw Ambassador Peck and his wife Ann who we know from previous sailings as well and we had a wonderful chat with them. A little while later we saw the Rabbi and his wife. We completed the check in process by 11:30 AM, which was the earliest we have ever been checked in. We were asked to wait for about fifteen minutes and then a little before noon we had already boarded the ship. In keeping with Crystal this was a very orderly check in process.

As we boarded the ship we ran into the first of several familiar crewmembers; Franz who is now the head concierge on this ship. We have known him for many years. He was a butler in previous years, and also has worked the reception desk and then as a back up concierge. It is always wonderful to see the crew promoted to new levels of responsibility and Crystal is great about doing this. A few minutes later we ran into Josef the Maitre D’. He gave us each hugs and just like that he remembered our table number. And a few minutes after that we ran into another familiar crewmember whom we know from our sailings on the Serenity. Her name is easy to remember; Anne Marie and, yes, she spells it the same way that Anne Marie does.

There is no question that being back on the Symphony is like coming home with so many familiar crewmembers and passengers.

We soon enjoyed a wonderful lunch in the Main Dining Room. As is customary for us on the first day of embarkation we enjoyed a Cobb Salad and a flute of complimentary champagne so we could toast the start of the cruise.

After lunch we took care of a few items including getting our notebook computer set up to access the internet while on board the ship and we also revised and added some new specialty restaurant reservations. We enjoyed seeing Paolo the Specialty Restaurant Maitre d’ and Willie who is the Senior Waiter for Silk Road. We have come to know them so well over the years.

Our room was ready early so we were able to get settled in before 2:00 PM. All of our luggage arrived shortly thereafter. We met our butler, Rainer from Austria, who we had first met on in 2003 when we sailed the British Isles. If we remember correctly, he has been with Crystal for 15 years. Amazing. We also met the Room Stewardess Aleksandra and the Assistant Stewardess Jeanette. Everyone was so very nice.

We are all unpacked and settled in. We attended the lifeboat drill in the afternoon and from there we viewed the Coral Princess leaving the harbor on its way out to sea. We ran into a very nice couple during the drill that we have sailed with before on several cruises. Like Keith, the husband enjoys playing Table Tennis.

We enjoyed a wonderful dinner in the main dining room. The service was great. We were very pleased with the senior waiter, waiter, head waiter and the sommelier.

We are very excited to be on the ship. It is amazing how many passenger’s who we know from previous sailings. While we have spent more time on the Serenity than the Symphony in recent years it is amazing how many crew members we know as several have now moved over to the Symphony who previously worked on the Serenity plus others we knew from our Symphony and even our Harmony sailings. How they remember our names is also amazing.

This is one of the things that is so special about Crystal. When you step on board the ship you feel right at home and it is almost like a reunion each and every time you return.

As we understand, about 500 passengers are currently on board the ship. Another 100+ passengers will be joining the ship in Hawaii.

Keith & Anne Marie