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