Cruise Overview

This will be our first cruise since we last sailed on the Crystal Serenity Passenger Cruise Ship in May of 2008 and our first time back on the Crystal Symphony since the Fall of 2007 when we sailed from New York City to Montreal.

We will board the Symphony on March 9 at the Port of Los Angeles' World Cruise Center located in San Pedro, California. This is a seventeen day cruise which includes a total of fifteen sea days with just one overnight stop in Oahu/Honolulu, Hawaii as we make our way to Hong Kong. This cruise is for those who enjoy sea days and all of the activities that are offered throughout the day and evening hours when at sea.

We will miss March 17th, as this will be the day we cross the International Dateline. As such, when we go to sleep on March 16 we will wake up on March 18. After having gone through this last year, this now all makes sense to us and we know what to expect.

Prior to the start of the cruise, we will spend a few days in Southern California visiting with family and friends.

The theme for this cruise is the Film & Theatre Festival. As such, there will be several lecturers on board this cruise speaking on this very topic. This will include an well known actress who has appeared on stage, including Broadway, and in feature and television films and on a television series along. Several other speaker will be on-board covering other areas of film and theatre.

There also will be several speakers discussing a variety of other topics including Pearl Harbor, International Relations, Astronomy, along with a Destination Lecturer. The cruise will also include a writer who we had the pleasure of sailing with and getting to know quite well in both 2007 and 2008 who will cover memoir writing. There will also be a golf instuctor and a yoga instructor each who will teach various classes throughout the cruise.

The Crystal Symphony was built in Finland and entered service in March, 1995. The size of the ship is approximately 51,000 tons. Assuming two passengers per cabin the Symphony can carry approximately 960 passengers and along with a crew totaling close to 550 people. In addition to the Main Dining Room, there are two specialty restaurants on the ship; Prego and Silk Road. Prego feature Italian Cuisine. Silk Road, the Japanese Specialty Restaurant, commenced service on the Symphony in March of last year and has been on the Crystal Serenity since that ship first entered service in June of 2003.

There is lots of public space throughout the ship providing more than ample room during sea days allowing for many activities to be held concurrently throughout the daytime and evening hours.

Stay tuned for more when we arrive in Southern California.

Keith & Anne Marie