En Route To Cape Town - Day 22

NOTE: We posted a picture from last evening taken at the Crystal Cove, which is on the same deck as the Main Dining Room. Last evening was a casual night. We also posted a picture from today with each of us wearing our World Cruise shirts.

We wanted to start off with last evening. Before dinner we sat with some friends including John and Linda and three other passengers.

We enjoyed a wonderful dinner in the Main Dining Room. We each enjoyed Chilean Salmon for our entrée, a nice salad, a couple of side orders of vegetables and berries. We enjoyed nice talks with our headwaiter, senior waiter and waiter. Afterwards, Anne Marie went to see a show starring Comedian Frank King and also the Singing Quartet, Sounds Of Serenity. Keith iced his ankle back at the room. Anne Marie enjoyed the entertainment.

An item we wanted to mention is about our fellow passengers and those who are part of the enrichment program. We have found that while there are many guests who come back year over year for the entire World Cruise there are many who come back for one voyage at a time. This way they can see many of the regions of the world over a span of several years while also renewing friendships with fellow passengers and members of the crew. At the same time, there are others who might sail on two of the seven legs of the World Cruise or possibly more and for the same reasons noted they do this year after year. As we have noted, there are many additional enrichment and entertainment programs offered for all passengers on the World Cruise whether one is sailing on one or more legs of the World Cruise. For example, on the current and previous leg of this World Cruise we have been sailing with a family who we first met in 2007 and they come back regularly this time of the year for one or two legs of the World Cruise. Since they live in South America they can bring their children with them, as this is their Summer Break. We know others who we have been on one or more of the first two legs of the World Cruise from the USA, Canada and Europe who come back regularly. Several other passengers will be joining the ship on one or more of the remaining legs that we also know quite well. All of this just adds to the felling of family and the sense of community on the ship. The same holds true for those in the enrichment programs who are invited back to join the ship for one or more legs each and every year. All of this truly adds to the pleasure of cruising.

As we mentioned, we moved the clocks forward last evening as we sailed into another new time zone.

Speaking of time, we keep teasing the Cruise Director, Rick Spath, about the start of the Super Bowl and how many people on board the ship will go to the public room to watch the event. It will also be available on each television set in the guest rooms. Somehow we got on the topic of what foods and drinks should be available. Keith’s suggestion is Coffee, and lots of it, rather than Beer, Hot Dogs and Pretzels/Chips. J Keith’s plan is to watch the rerun of it while working out and hoping that no one tells him the final score.

This morning Keith still managed to wake early and was once again the first person to arrive to the Fitness Center. Although his ankle does hurt he was able to make it through a workout on the Elliptical Machine. His original plan was only to do a short workout but once he got moving he was able to persevere and complete a nice long workout. Fellow passengers John and Brian arrived later and took their spots on their favorite machines. This shows that we are all a creature of habit not letting the change in the time zone disrupt our workouts. Likewise, Anne Marie worked out on the Treadmill. When Keith stopped by the Lido Café to get some coffee to take back to the room there was a fellow passenger sitting with Linda. The fellow passenger mentioned that in ten years of cruising with Crystal that she has never come up to the Lido Café at that hour and she didn’t even know any type of food was available nor that there were some passengers up at that hour. To her this was another world that she didn’t know about. At that point there were only a handful of passenger’s but it was funny to hear her comments. Keith told her that for us the same would be true late at night where there is another world up at say 1:00 AM. This is what makes cruising so much fun as there is lots of choice for everyone. While Keith was getting coffee he also chatted with a couple of the wonderful Lido Deck Stewards, Early and Rey. Earl asked how the Paddle Tennis was going and Keith noted that he will take a day or two off from Paddle Tennis until his ankle gets better.

We enjoyed a very nice breakfast in our room. Alexander our butler came to the rescue brought Keith a gigantic bag of ice that we placed all around his ankle for about 45 minutes. We watched the Crystal Morning show and Keith knew one of the answers to a trivia question and Anne Marie called in and we got it right.

Today has been a wonderful sea day.

We attended to outstanding morning lectures.

Special Interest Lecturer Leo Thosness who presented POW humor and Lessons gave the first lecture. We thoroughly enjoyed his presentation and his stories are an inspiration to all of us.

The second lecture was given by Destination Lecturer Ken Rees who presented “Operation Falklands – A Close run thing.” When the Argentine military junta invaded the Falkland Islands in 1982, they reckoned without British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Award winning broadcast journalist Ken Rees who was reporting for ITN from Buenos Aires during the conflict shares exclusive British and Argentine video footage.

Keith attended a computer class given on iPhoto at the Computer University. This was the first class given on the MAC at the Center. Those of us who attended the session really enjoyed it and recommended that additional classes be given on MAC.

After the two morning lectures we had lunch at the Lido Café. We each had a very delicious Salad Entrée. We did eat outside but it was a bit windy.

In the afternoon Anne Marie walked on the treadmill. Afterwards, Anne Marie sat out by the pool. Alexander brought another enormous bag of ice for Keith to apply to his ankle. With Keith’s sprained and swollen ankle he had to take a break (no pun intended) from Paddle Tennis and he spoke with fellow passengers Bob and Stan.

This evening’s attire was Formal. Before Dinner, we met our friends John and Linda for a pre-dinner drink. Complimentary drinks were provided in all lounges from 5:15 PM to 6:00 PM. Afterwards, the four of us enjoyed a delicious meal at the Silk Road Japanese Specialty Restaurant. We enjoyed a tasty dinner with lots of nice conversation along with outstanding service with very nice ambience.

Following dinner we attended the Crystal Society Party. Everyone who has completed at least one cruise with Crystal becomes a Crystal Society Member. At this reception, those passengers with a high level of completed cruises were recognized.

TODAY’S THOUGHT OF THE DAY…..

“Always give without remembering and always receive without forgetting.”

Keith and Anne Marie

En Route To Cape Town - Day 21

NOTE: We included a couple of pictures from last evenings show and we also included one to give you a sense of the port at Buenos Aires. It is an industrial port with a significant number of shipping containers. This is the way the port has looked each and every time we have docked here. Thank goodness we were quite tired last evening, as they never seem to take a break from moving all of those containers.

We also wanted to mention how much everyone we spoke with enjoyed their time in Buenos Aires whether they went on an organized tour, strolled the city on their own, went for a nice lunch or dinner or whatever they chose to do.

We enjoyed our stroll around this city. It is very beautiful and so is the friendliness of many of its people.

When we were walking along Florida Avenue we saw many familiar faces of both passengers and the crew. In fact, when we were deciding on the Paddle for Paddle Tennis one of the Lido Deck Stewards (Richie) was in the store and gave us some helpful advice.

We enjoyed a wonderful time on the ship last evening.

Before dinner we spoke with our friends John and Linda and we also spoke with special interest lectures Dr Jay Wolff and his lovely wife. We got to know them during the 2008 World Cruise when they were on board the ship for the entire sailing. We look forward to all of Jay Wolff’s lectures. He is a unique presenter in that he uses no notes and gives his lectures in a story like format and in a very tone.

We dined at the Prego Specialty Italian Restaurant. Since so many passengers were on shore for dinner and/or the Tango shows Prego was not very busy. In fact, there were only three other tables occupied while we were there. We enjoyed a wonderful dinner as we had the Striped Bass along with a nice salad, vegetable and fruit for dessert. We had our favorite Prego Waiter and also enjoyed talking with the Maitre d’ Antonio and the Sommelier who we have known from our sailings on the sister ship of the Serenity the Symphony. As usual, everything was perfect.

Later in the evening we attended the 9:00 PM Argentine Folkloric Gaucho Extravaganza. This featured “The Southern Cross Ballet” who are very well known in Argentina and who have their own weekly television show. They are a folkloric dancing family who has the largest folkloric dancing academy with over 200 dancing pupils. The dancers who appeared on the ship wore beautiful native outfits, which represented various regions of Argentina. The outfits were very colorful. They also wore accordion boots that are made from horse’s leather. The “Voices from Patagonia” was just back from a recent tour of Japan. They are considered to be the best folkloric instrumental of skilled musicians that play and also sing songs from all over with their native pan flutes and charangos. One couple also performed a Tango.

The remainder of this voyage (Voyage Number 2) of the World Cruise is for those who enjoy plenty of sea days. Including today, we now have eight consecutive sea days as we make our way to Cape Town, South Africa. As part of this crossing, we will also forward the clocks forward by one hour each on five of the eight consecutive nights while at sea. Sea days on board the Crystal ships are wonderful for us as there are lots of activities in the morning, afternoon and evening hours to choose from.

We only hope that we have very calm seas and that there are plenty of strawberries, blueberries and even bananas to last for the entire eight days at sea. J

Once again, Keith woke early to begin our day by working out at the Fitness Center. Yes, he was the first one to arrive. He took his position on one of the four Elliptical Machines for a fantastic workout. About half way through his workout passengers John and Brian arrived. Around the time that Keith finished his workout it was Anne Marie’s turn and she took her position on her favorite treadmill of the many machines that are available. It is so very easy for us to workout on the ship as we only have to walk up three flights of stairs and we are there. On our back from the workout, we have each made it a habit of bringing back to the room some coffee. A few minutes after arriving back to the room we each enjoyed a nice breakfast.

During Captain Glenn’s morning announcement from the bridge he noted that we were still in the river plate and we only had six feet of water under the keel. By around 9:30 AM we reached the end of the river plate and began cruising in the open sea and would begin traveling 20 knots per hour in order to make it to Cape Town on time. The temperature was 79 degrees Fahrenheit.

Captain Glenn’s thought of the day was “To love and beloved is to feel the sun from both sides.”

At 10:00 AM we attended Dr. Jay Wolff’s first presentation of this World Cruise Voyage. The topic of the presentation was “Evita – The Wild Days of Eva Person.” Born an illegitimate peasant, Maria Eva Duarte rose from prostitution and acting to power and wealth. When she died, does Argentina cry over the loss of their Madonna, or because they have been beguiled by an agent of the devil?

At 11:00 AM we stayed for another lecture, which was given by Ambassador Tony Leon. The topic of his presentation was “From Apartheid to Democracy and Beyond – South Africa’s extraordinary and tumultuous Twentieth Century.” For almost twenty years Tony Leon was a Member of Parliament in South Africa. He is also a trained lawyer and actively participated in the critical constitutional negotiations which let to the birth of a democratic South Africa.

We enjoyed lunch up at the Lido Café, which has been our routine since boarding the ship in Miami. Catholic Clergy Msgr Wilbur Davis joined us for lunch and we enjoyed a wonderful conversation. We sailed with Msgr Wilbur Davis in 2008 as well.

After lunch Keith played Paddle Tennis while Anne Marie took a nice long walk on the Promenade Deck. Today, Keith got to use his new Paddle that he purchases yesterday in Buenos Aires for the very first time. Unfortunately, Keith turned on his left ankle and while he continued to play he has swelling so he will likely take a couple of days off from playing.

We enjoyed a wonderful dinner in the Main Dining Room. Afterwards, Anne Marie attended a show featuring a comedian while Keith iced his ankle for the second time since twisting it.

This evening we forward the clocks one hour as we sail into a new time zone.

TODAY’S THOUGHT OF THE DAY…

“Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass. It’s about learning how to dance in the rain.”

Keith and Anne Marie

Welcome To Buenos Aires - Day 20

NOTE: We have posted several pictures from last evenings World Cruise Event, along with a couple of pictures from our visit to Buenos Aires.

We wanted to note an observation about yesterday’s visit to Montevideo, Uruguay. We enjoyed this port of call significantly more than we did when we visited there for the very first time in 2007. Many fellow passengers who we spoke with last evening and all day today felt the same way. We think part of the reason for this is because we had much more of an opportunity to see a larger area of the city this time around given the excursion that we went on relative to where we went last time around. This is a reminder to us not to come to firm conclusions about anywhere one visits around the world for the very first time because there are so many factors which can influence ones view of a port of call from the overall shore excursion to even the weather.

We had a wonderful time last evening at the World Cruise event. The World Cruise event was called Pampas Pomp. There were two seating’s for this event. We were in the main (early) seating. The event began with a forty-five minute pre dinner cocktails in the Palm Court, which is the same room, used for the welcome aboard, Crystal society and the farewell reception. After the cocktail reception, were taken to an area around the Neptune indoor pool. We had assigned tables and assigned places at the table. We sat with friends John and Linda along with another World Cruse couple and our table was hosted by one of the officers.

The program was just superb and included wonderful music, singing and dancing. In addition to the dancers and singers from Crystal some local dancers were brought on the board the ship from Argentina. One couple danced to the Tango and another couple danced to the drums and to the strings with the balls that bang. It was the best show we have seen. What is also amazing is that a good deal of the music was written by the Crystal Orchestra and how the entire team can pull together such a wonderful event in very short order and perform it as if they have been doing this every night for months. These are truly seasoned professionals.

The food was superb. We started with Argentinean King Crab Cocktail and it was delicious. This was followed by Chicken Empanada on chopped lettuce, accompanied by avocado, fresh corn and cherry tomato and tossed with Salsa Pico de Crystal. Wow. J Next up was the entrée, which included Grilled Filet Mignon Short Ribs and Beef Sausage, and Garlic, Mashed Potatoes and Oven Roasted Vegetables. Are you still hungry? The dessert was Postres de Campana which was Chocolate-Hazelnut Tres Leches and Homemade Banana-Mascarpone Ice Cream.

The dinner also included a white wine of Sauvignon Blanc, Mulderbosch, Stellenbosch, South Africa 2007 and a red wine of Malbec, Altos Las Hormigas, Mendoza, Argentina 2009. Yes the red wine was from 2009 and was superb.

Keith did change up a couple of the menu items and had Swordfish and Mixed Berries in lieu of the entrée and dessert noted above but Anne Marie had the items on the menu. The food was outstanding.

Oh and the service. One would not believe the wonderful service throughout the evening. All of the waiters from the two specialty restaurants along with many waiters from the main dining room work this event along with all of the Lido Deck Stewards, many sommeliers along with so many others who are instrumental including the Maitre d’s from the main dining room and the specialty restaurants and the head waiters from the specialty restaurants and many other members of the dining and hotel staff. When it was time for dinner to begin, the passengers assigned to a table were escorted from the reception over to the venue, where a picture is taken, and then each person is escorted over to their assigned table. There were numerous members of the staff who were assigned to each and every table and attended to every aspect of the meal. Between each course there was fabulous entertainment.

The pool was covered with a stage and the room was all decorated. We can’t tell you how elaborate the entranceway to the venue was and the inside of the room. You would think you were at a night club in Buenos Aires.

This is the fifth time we have been to such an event as two are done on each world cruise and last evening was the very best one we have attended. Kudos to the entire Crystal Team for making this a night that will last for our lifetime.

Today we arrived to Buenos Aires. This is our third visit to Buenos Aires by cruise and Keith has also visited here before on business. Since we have previously done several morning, afternoon and evening shore excursions in the wonderful port of call we decided not to take an excursion. Crystal did offer a complimentary excursion for all passengers with an overview of Buenos Aires but we skipped this one since we have seen all of the stops on the tour on more than one occasion.

We love Buenos Aires. It is a beautiful city with wonderful people. This may surprise many of you but Argentina is indeed the eighth largest country in the world in terms of its physical size of 1 million square miles. While it is physically large, its population only total approximately 40 million people. Most of the people of Argentina can trace their roots and heritage to Europe. There are between 250,000 and 300,000 Jewish people living in Argentina. Argentina has 70 Billion dollars in exports and its economy is much stronger today than it was between 2001 and 2002 when its economic situation was analogous to falling off a cliff.

Buenos Aires was first settled in the 1500s and was initially controlled by Spain. It wasn’t until 1816 when independence was achieved. Towards the middle of the 19th century, Buenos Aires became Argentina’s Capital.

Today, when we think of the history of this area, many people think of its recent past when it was ruled by General Peron and his wife Evita.

With the devaluation of the Peso several years ago tourism has increased to popular destinations in Argentina such as Buenos Aires. At the same time there has been a significant increase in the number of cruise ships sailing between Buenos Aires and Valparaiso Chili offering passengers the opportunity to see many of the ports of call on this ever increasing popular itinerary where passengers can sail around Cape Horn and on the extended cruises sail off Antarctica.

Buenos Aires is a beautiful city and as one strolls its streets it has the feel and look of being in a major city in Europe.

There are many beautiful buildings to see. This includes the Casa Rosada or better known as the “President’s Pink House”. This house became popular as Evita Person used to give speeches to large masses of the residents of this city from of the balconies of this building. Another famous area within a short walk from here is the Cabildo, which is also known as the “Town Hall”. It was here that the independence effort began. Another famous area is the Metropolitan Cathedral which contains the tomb of the famous Argentine liberator, Jose de San Martin, are housed.

Near this area is there are wonderful restaurants, boutiques, and art galleries.

An area that attracts many tourists is the Recoleta Cemetery. In many ways this cemetery is like an ancient city with its rather ornate and elaborate mausoleums. One of these mausoleums contains the body of Evita Peron. We visited this cemetery in 2005.

Since we set the clocks back one hour last evening I woke up extra early this morning. I worked out mostly by myself until John arrived about twenty minutes before I finished. I worked out for ninety minutes on the Elliptical Machine and then lifted weights. Keith watched part of the movie Evita during his workout. For a portion of the workout it was quite spectacular outside with thunder and lightening. I know one passenger who normally swims around eighty laps each morning at the outside pool and he took a break.

After my workout he stopped by the Lido Café, which was fairly quiet. I spoke with Rey (Ray) for a while who is one of the Lido Deck Stewards. We viewed a beautiful sunrise this morning a little while before we enjoyed breakfast in our room.

We took the first shuttle bus from the cruise ship terminal over to the drop off point near Florida Avenue. Initially, we were on a mission to find a Paddle Tennis Racket and a Black Belt and we did accomplish the mission. We went into four or five different sports shops until we made the decision on a racket. We found a nice men’s store. Although the belt was too long they shortened it for us. We wanted to note how helpful each and every person was in all of the stores we visited. Anne Marie’s Spanish helped save the day as well since the three employees who worked in the store where we ended up purchasing the Paddle Tennis Racket spoke very little English.

Afterwards, we visited some of the famous sites of this beautiful city. We continued to see enhancements since our last visit in 2007.

We returned to the ship in the afternoon and enjoyed a nice lunch on the ship. We each walked in the afternoon.

The Main Dining Room had open seating and after looking at the menu we decided we would dine at the Prego Italian Specialty Restaurant.

On our last two visits to Buenos Aires we went to see the Tango performed at night. This time we plan to see the Argentine Folkloric Gaucho Extravaganza on board

There is something very special and romantic about being in this city and our last visit in 2007 was on Valentine’s Day. So, with that in mind here is today’s thought of the day.

TODAY’S THOUGHT OF THE DAY……

Life is a journey and it is love that makes that journey worthwhile.

Keith and Anne Marie

Welcome To Montevideo, Uruguay - Day 19

We had a great time last evening. We had such a wonderful time dining with friends Stan and Mary. The meal was delicious and the conversation superb. Anne Marie ordered a cake to celebrate the anniversary of Keith’s retirement. It was a chocolate cake and very yummy. This was our first dessert of the World Cruise but we did enjoy a few desserts with the family on the seven day cruise.

After dinner, we went to a cocktail party sponsored by our Travel Consortium. They have one party per voyage of the World Cruise for a total of seven parties. We spoke with some passengers who are on the entire World Cruise along with a few other passengers who are on for a portion of the voyage. These parties do provide a nice opportunity to talk with some passenger’s who we don’t know very well or some who we have never met. Several crewmembers stopped by including the Cruise Director, Hotel Director and the Food and Beverage Manager.

Keith awoke even earlier this morning for his workout at the Fitness Center since we had a fairly early tour in Montevideo. We won’t say what time he was up there but not one single passenger was working out with Keith and he was up there for over 90 minutes.

Afterwards, Keith stopped by the Lido Café to bring back some coffee to the room. There were no passengers there either except one arrived as Keith was leaving. Keith was helped greeted by several of the infamous and outstanding members of the Lido Deck Steward team including Ray, Raymond and Romano.

This morning we arrived at Montevideo. This was the second time that we have visited this port. Our first visit was in 2007.

Montevideo is the capital of Uruguay. This is South America’s second smallest country. The economy of this country is thriving. It has high growth and a great balance of trade. Montevideo is this nations largest city. Its name originated from the words monte vides eu which means “I see a mountain.” It has a beautiful harbor. Over 90% of Uruguay’s land is used for sheep and cattle grazing.

Major attractions of Montevideo include the Plaza Independencia, the Iglesia San Francisco, the Plaza Constitucion, the Museo Historico Municipal and the Museo Historico Nacional.

Montevideo is located approximately 130 miles from Buenos Aires. While Uruguay is tiny in comparison to the size of most other countries in this region, the city of Montevideo is home to approximately half of the population of this country. As the capital of Uruguay it is the southernmost capital on the continent of South America. In many respects, Montevideo is the only large city in Uruguay. As a port city, it is home to a large portion of the fishing fleet in all of South America.

Unlike other cities in the region, the history of Montevideo is relatively simple. This city was first established as a fortress for the Spanish Empire and in the middle of the 18th century became a major port city. The architecture of this city represents a mixture of styles reminiscent to those from Spain, Portugal, England and France.

In the early part of seventeenth century this city was settled and was under Spanish rule until the 1800s. Over time various countries tried to settle in this area from the British to the Portuguese. Overtime, the people of this area declared their independence, as did their neighbors in Argentina.

In 1828 Montevideo became the Capital of Uruguay. In the years ahead there was quite a bit of conflict in this area due to both a civil war and other conflicts in the region. It wasn’t until the early 20th century where political order came to this area.

Today, tourism is starting to increase in this port city as more tourists are visiting this region to get away from some of the more touristy areas in places such as Chili and Argentina.

Our ship docked at the port of Montevideo and complimentary shuttle service was provided between the ship and the downtown area. The trip took about 15 minutes in each direction.

We booked a shore excursion through Crystal and the name of the excursion is Past & Present Jewish Life in Montevideo. This city has long had a large Jewish presence and this increased after the Inquisition of 1813.

Our journey took us to the Old Town, where Jewish immigrants first settled at the end of the 1800’s. We passed by many sites including the Maccabi Sports Center and the Golda Meir Square.

We stopped at the main Community Center and two synagogues; the Sephardic and the Ashkenazi. Following our visit to the two Synagogues, we visited the Goes area to see the colorful neighborhoods first built in the early 1920’s.

We then visited the Holocaust Memorial, which was inaugurated in 1994. The memorial was designed to resemble the Wailing (Western) Wall. It also has a noticeable blemish; a deliberate and symbolic crack, which represents the rupture in Jewish society, caused by the Holocaust. The memorial was quite moving.

We were thoroughly impressed with the tour and the places that we saw. The community center was very impressive between the school and the Synagogue. They have two bakeries and the smaller one was open today. The tour guide was terrific and actually was the one who developed this tour for the tour company she works for. We were also extremely impressed with Montevideo. As mentioned, we had been here in 2007 and we didn’t have the opportunity to do the type of touring we did today and to pass so many nice buildings that we saw today. We did have a police escort for the entire tour. Our tour guide told us this was a requirement of the places that we visited due to some problems that occurred in Argentina in the 1990s with respect to attacks on tourists visiting Jewish sites. She did not feel it was necessary but as they say better to play it safe than be sorry.

At the conclusion of our tour we went back to the ship and enjoyed a nice lunch at the Lido Café. We ate outdoors and enjoyed the views from the ship. It was a perfect day to sit outside.

In the afternoon, Anne Marie took a very nice long walk on the Promenade Deck. Keith played paddle tennis with a fellow passenger and with the manager of the Casino and another person who also works at the Casino. I was very hot out there while at the same time a lot of fun.

This evening we will attend a special world cruise event around the pool area. Earlier today construction took place to put up a temporary stage over the pool area for this event. This event includes pre-dinner cocktails, dinner and performances by several of the Crystal entertainers. Passengers were asked ahead of time if they wanted to attend the early or the later event. We chose early as did many of the passengers who dine early in the Main Dining Room. For those passengers who are on individual voyages, complimentary wines will be served during dinner in the Main Dining Room.

This evening we will set the clocks back one hour as we sail to Buenos Aires. After we leave Buenos Aires and cross over to Cape Town we will forward the clock not one or twice or three time but five times. Ouch.

TODAY’S THOUGHT FOR THE DAY…..

“If you want happiness for an hour – take a nap.

If you want happiness for a day – go fishing.

If you want happiness for a year – inherit a fortune.

If you want happiness for a lifetime – help someone else.”

Keith and Anne Marie

En Route To Montevideo - Day 18

NOTE: Picture of Anne Marie with Captain Glenn and Cruise Director Rick Spath, pictures of Anne Marie with Cruise Director Rick Spath and picture of Anne Marie with Rabbie Morrie. Where’s Keith? J

We wanted to begin by saying that last evening was once again a wonderful evening.

Before dinner, we sat at the Crystal Cove (one of many lounges on the Crystal Serenity) where we enjoyed a wonderful conversation with friends John and Linda. John is the fellow passenger who works out in the morning that Keith does. We first met the two of them in 2007 and greatly enjoy their company. Crystal provided complimentary drinks between 5:15 PM and 6:00 PM so that those in the early seating could enjoy a pre-dinner drink.

We enjoyed an outstanding meal in the Main Dining Room. Since last evening was a formal night the majority of guests dined in the Main Dining Room. Anne Marie did have the lobster; a favorite of hers. Keith had the Halibut. As usual food, service and the overall ambience of the dining room were terrific. We spoke with awhile with our headwaiter, Augusto and he showed us the next nights menu (tonight’s menu).

Afterwards we attended the Captain’s Welcome Aboard Reception. Towards the end of the reception when the Captain normally introduces the senior officers he introduced others from the various teams who guests do not always meet. We thought this was terrific for not only the guests but for those on the team.

Before the reception began we spoke with both Cruise Director Rick Spath and Captain Glenn for a few minutes. They are both highly professional officers and we always enjoy talking with them. They are able to communicate with ease.

For most of the reception, We sat with the Rabbi and his lovely wife, Gerri, along with Destination Lecturer Ken Rees and his lovely wife Lynn and another very nice couple from Austin, Texas. One of the unique aspects of sailing with Crystal is all of the opportunities that are available to guests to talk with the enrichment team and we thoroughly enjoyed our conversations. Although the receptions ended at 8:30 PM since all of us except for the couple from Austin had already eaten the six of us less the couple from Austin chatted until 9:15 PM. We touched on so many subjects including talking about many of the destinations of the world we have visited and how much we learn through our travels.

The seas continued to be very calm so we each enjoyed a wonderful sleep.

This morning Keith awoke early and once again enjoyed a wonderful workout in the Fitness Center on the Elliptical Machine. Like the movie Groundhog day, Keith was once again the first to arrive to the Fitness Center where he was eventually joined by fellow passenger’s John and Brian. Keith had a good workout and was able to multi-task as he was able to watch most of last evening’s State of the Union Address given by President Barack Obama. After the workout, Keith chatted with John for a little while. While getting coffee in the Lido Café Keith chatted with, Earl, who is one of the Lido Deck Stewards who we have known since 2005. At the start of each voyage the three teams of Lido Deck Stewards will rotate from one of three positions on the Lido Deck. This gives each steward the opportunity to perform different responsibilities which adds to the enjoyment of their work, also to interact with other passengers and also puts them on different time schedules. Early is one of the many amazing Lido Deck Stewards. For example, when we attend one of the Receptions, Earl knows exactly which wine that each of us enjoys.

About the time Keith returned to the room Anne Marie began her one-hour workout on the Treadmill. At the time she works out there are several more passengers working out but she can easily use a treadmill for the entire time with several still empty.

Afterwards, we enjoyed a nice breakfast in the room. We watched the morning show and we correctly new two of the first three questions but did not call in time. Keith called on the forth question and got it correct. For you sports buffs the question was who was the lowing coach of the first Super Bowl.

During Captain Glenn’s morning talk from the bridge he noted that were cruising at 17.4 knots per hour and we were 80 miles off the coast of Brazil. The temperature was 77 degrees Fahrenheit and the depth of the ocean was 230 feet.

Captain Glenn’s thought of the way was “Dreams keep changing but friends are forever.”

We attended the Rap with the Rabbi. Once again, we thoroughly enjoyed the discussion.

We each read from the first two chapters of Genesis and discussed the relationship of these two chapters.

After the Rap, we attended two presentations.

Special Interest Lecturer Leo Thorsness who presented “Surviving Tough Times” gave the first presentation. Leo is a very unique man. He served 23 years in the Air Force where he accumulated 5,00 hours flying time as a firther pilot. He flew over 92 missions over North Vietnam and was shot down in April of 1967. He became a POW and was not released until 1973. Leo is a Medal of Honor recipient for a Wild Weasel mission he flew 11 days before being show down. After retiring from the Military he worked at Litton Industries. After he stopped working for Litton he and his wife moved to Washington State where he eventually became a State Senator. We have heard Leo Thorsness speak before and we were still very moved by his presentation including the bravery, courage and heroism that he exhibited during his horrific time as a POW.

Destination Lecturer Ken Rees gave the second presentation which was titled “Don’t Cry For Me, Buenos Aires – The City of Evita.” This presentation covered the rich history and future promise of Buenos Aires, city of Evita and the world’s tango capital. It includes What to see, where to shop and why Eva Duarte still casts her spell over Argentines even today.

Once again, Ken knocked the ball out of the park with his lecture.

An Asia Café Buffet was featured on the Lido Deck today. Instead of the buffet, we had pre-ordered salad entrees which we enjoyed in our room.

After lunch Keith played paddle tennis for the next two hours. Yes, Keith continue to enjoy paddle tennis. Keith enjoys the camaraderie the fresh air and of course the benefits of this type of activity. Keith is not sure why it took him several years to try playing this sport as it is so much fun. Once again he played several sets with the Specialty Restaurant Maitre d’. Anne Marie took a long walk on the promenade deck. Afterwards, she attended a program where she made a necklace and she also picked up a needlepoint kit.

Keith spent time with a couple of passengers and once again they tried to solve the issues of the day.

This evening we dined in the Main Dining Room with friends Mary and Stan. Stan teaches the college computer class on board the ship and we first got to know these two wonderful friends during the 2007 World Cruise. The elliptical machine that Keith used to use was located next to the treadmill that Mary used to use and throughout the 2007 and 2008 World Cruise they would be working out side by side and it was because of the workouts 2007 that we first met Mary and then Stan.

After dinner, we attended a cocktail reception that was hosted by our travel consortium.

TODAY’S THOUGHT FOR THE DAY….

“To reach your dreams, the crucial step is to realizes that you don’t know the meaning of the word, NO!””

Keith and Anne Marie

En Route To Montevideo - Day 17

NOTE: We included a picture from last night’s party where we sat with friends John and Linda and Bob and Glo. We also included pictures taken before this evenings formal dinner.

We wanted to start off by saying that we had a wonderful time last evening.

We thoroughly enjoyed dinner in the Main Dining Room. We had the Broiled Fillet of Fresh Local Dorade as our entrée and it was outstanding.

After dinner, we attended a sail away party up at the Palm Court. We sat with friends John and Linda, Bob and Glo, and the Crystal Society Hostess Jacque Brown along with another couple joined us towards the end of the party. We all enjoyed a wonderful conversation. The orchestra was great and there was dancing and complimentary drinks provided to everyone. We viewed some of the famous landmarks as we left Rio.

We also wanted to mention that yesterday we gave our best wishes to Herbert who is the Food & Beverage Manager. Herbert will be off for a while and then will be on the Symphony later in the year as he swings between both ships. He said that we would see him on the Symphony in November and we look forward to that. At the same time we chatted with the Food & Beverage Manager Walter who we saw yesterday who is the regular Food & Beverage Manager on this ship. The responsibilities in this position are major as they include all of the bars and lounges, the galley’s, all of the dining rooms and other restaurants and even the butlers. Over the years we have treasured our talks with both Walter and Victor.

We have received some questions from many of you about various subjects so from time to time we will touch on them. One question is what happens to the passenger’s when one is continuing no the ship from one voyage to the next. In general, with the exception of a voyage arriving to the USA, if you are arriving to a port outside the USA to end and then start a new voyage it is a normal day for that passenger’s continuing on. You can stay on the ship or go off the ship like a normal port day. With Crystal, you receive new passenger key cards the day before the morning of embarkation at which time you are asked to begin using them. The difference is in the USA ports. When arriving back at a USA port all passengers must go through customs and immigration and the process varies not only by port of call (eg, Miami, Los Angeles, New York City, etc.) but also sometimes can vary from voyage to voyage for the same port with Miami being an example of that. In many instances those passengers who are staying on for the next voyage will meet in a designated room as they too are required to go through a mandatory inspection. You will be given your passport and carry with you the blue customs declaration form. These passengers will be taken off the ship and then wait in a designated area until all passengers have gone through this process and all other passengers who are leaving the ship and not returning for another voyage are off the ship. The amount of time all of this takes can easily vary from voyage to voyage. At the same time other factors can impact all of this such as on our seven-day voyage when we arrived in Key West, Florida (our first USA port) the day before this cruise ended in Florida so the ship was technically cleared at that point. In any event, in general for ports outside the USA the entire process is fairly transparent to those passengers staying on for the next voyage versus the process for that takes place when the ship return to a port in the USA.

Finally, those passengers’ who remain on the voyage for the next voyage are referred to as being in-transit during the turnaround day for the ship.

We are also asked about the ports of call on this voyage. We began in Rio and have stops at Montevideo, Buenos Aires, and Cape Town. This cruise includes ten sea days, eight of which will be consecutive. Let’s hope is plenty of sushi and lots of bananas, blueberries and strawberries. J

This morning Keith woke up early and once again enjoyed a wonderful workout on the Elliptical Machine. Keith was the first to arrive and about thirty minutes later Brian arrived and then John arrived about fifteen minutes after that. By the time Keith finished up there were six of us working out which is the most people for that time of day. Of course, as more passengers join the ship on the next set of voyages that number will increase. Keith also worked out on the weight lifting machines. As she continues to do Anne Marie worked out on the treadmill for one hour.

Today was a wonderful day at sea as we sail from Rio to Montevideo, Uruguay.

We enjoyed another pleasant breakfast in our room. After breakfast we took care of a few items and then we attended two truly outstanding lectures.

During the morning show, we learned that the Super Bowl would be shown in all staterooms and in one of the public rooms at 1:00 AM ships time. Thank goodness it will be rerun over the following 24 hours because we will not be up at that hour.

Speaking of time, Keith learned from one of the other butlers that we will have five evenings during the crossing when the time is forwarded a total of five hours. In some ways it might be better to just do this all at once and just not have any activities one morning until noon. J

We listened to Captain Glenn’s morning announcement from the navigation bridge. Captain Glenn noted that we were ahead of schedule so we will likely slow down a little later in the day. The outside temperature was 82 degrees Fahrenheit and there was essentially no wind. The weather forecast calls for good weather. Captain Glenn’s thought of the day was, “Always remember, where you go, there you are.” J

Special Interest Lecturer Rex Ziak who presented “A Legacy of Exploration gave the first lecture. As part of this talk, he talked about how the ancient Greeks mapped the world as they knew it and how early sailors made corrections to these maps for more than 300 years until finally in 1728 a superstar named James Cook is born. Rex Ziak has to be one if not the most charismatic speakers we have heard on all of our Crystal sailings.

Destination Lecturer Ken Rees gave the second presentation of the morning. The topic of today’s talk wsa “The Full Monty – Welcome to Uruguay. South America’s Friendliest Country.” This presentation covered the fascinating story of tie Uruguay and included the rare archive film which showed how Montevideo offered a grandstand view of the sinking of the Graf Spee, the pride of the German Namy. This was also another excellent presentation like all of the others we have heard thus far from Ken Rees. We have thoroughly enjoyed each and every presentation given by Ken Rees.

In the afternoon, special interest lecturer Dr. Herb Keyser presented the presentation, which was titled “The Lives and Music of Geniuses of American Music – Al Jolson. While we were on the Los Angeles to Hong Kong sailing on board the Crystal Symphony last March Dr Herb Keyser was also an on board lecturer and he has a wealth of knowledge that he is able to share through these presentations.

In the afternoon, Keith continued to play Paddle Tennis and continues to make progress each and every day. Keith’s partner for the last two sets was the Maitre d’ from the Specialty Restaurants and they played some great games together. While Keith was playing Paddle Tennis, Anne Marie took another nice walk on the Promenade Deck.

This evening was formal night on the ship. We enjoyed a wonderful dinner in the Main Dining Room.

After dinner, we attended the Captain’s Welcome Formal Reception, which was hosted by Captain Glenn Edvardsen. In September of 1998 Glenn was first promoted to Captain of the former Crystal Harmony making him the youngest captain in Crystal’s Fleet. In the year 2000 Glenn joined the Crystal Symphony as Captain and in August of 2003, Glenn joined the Crystal Serenity as Captain.

Before we share today’s thought of the day we wanted to once again say that we are so very thankful that we have the opportunity to see first hand those areas of the world that our parent’s could only dream of seeing, while at the same time experiencing all of this by being on the beautiful Crystal Serenity. Over the years we have learned the importance of seeing the glass as half full rather than half empty and looking at the positive side of each and every situation. Even through those challenging times we feel that we are being tested and that through adversary those times will make us well rounded and well grounded and more appreciative of all of the other times that we will experience during our lifetime. With this in mind, we wanted to share another thought related to focusing on all that is good.

TODAY’S THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

“A pessimist see only the dark side of the clouds and mopes; a philosopher sees both sides, and shrugs; an optimist doesn’t see the clouds at all – he’s walking on them.”

Keith and Anne Marie