Welcome To Mumbai - Day 51

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

NOTE:

We added some pictures from yesterday’s tour. This includes a couple of pictures of Buffalo that were roaming in an open field right by the church where we visited. Buffalo is plentiful in this area for their milk according to the tour guide. We also included some additional pictures of the 250-year-old home that we visited along with one of the churches. We also included a picture to try to show some of the youth who had painted their faces as part of the Hindu Holiday Celebration.

We also wanted to note how nice the tour was yesterday. It was very well done. Each tour group that was on our tour was had only about twenty passengers per guest. The tour guide spoke excellent English and most importantly communicated a good deal of information in a very thoughtful manner. We were very impressed with the three churches along with hearing about their history. The tour of Goa was very impressive and we greatly appreciate the route that the tour guide had our bus driver take which allowed us to see many areas of this city. It is a beautiful city with a very rich history. The home that we visited was beautiful including the interior and exterior of the home and we great appreciated the hospitality of the hosts. While we did not eat any of the food, there was ample food and drinks provide for everyone. While the description of the tour mentioned tea, they also provided various canapés and other food items, fresh fruit, bottled water and even beer for all those participating on the tour. We were fortunate to have had very nice weather. We also had a nice time on the tour as we stayed together with our friends Bob and Glo and with Barbara Rinella (the book reviewer/dramatist) and her husband. Collectively, all of this translated to a very nice day for us.

We enjoyed another wonderful dinner last evening. As we mentioned we dined with a couple who frequently takes one or two legs of the world cruise each year and we had met them on previous voyages. This was the first time we dined with them. We made arrangements with the headwaiter for the two of them to join us at our assigned table in the Main Dining Room since the table accommodates up to four people. We had a very nice time talking with them and learning more about each of their backgrounds. One of the nice aspects of traveling and particularly of cruising is getting the opportunity to meet so many nice people. After all, part of travel is discovery not only learning about each of the places we visit but also learning from others about their lives and their views on a wide range of subject. This couple will be on for the next leg of the world cruise as well.

After dinner we went to the Variety Showtime Entertainment, which included four acts. They were The Keatings, which features singing by a father and his son, Bruce Gold who is a comedian and magical entertainer, Jebb Fink a comedian and Penny Mathisen a vocalist. The Galaxy Orchestra accompanied these entertainers. It’s nice to have the finale shows feature a variety of entertainers. This way there is something for just about each guest to enjoy.

Today ends the third leg of the World Cruise and is the beginning of the forth leg.

During the course of the third leg of the World Cruise we sailed from Cape Town, South Africa to Mumbai, India. The total distance was 6,642 Nautical Miles or the equivalent distance of 7,638 land miles.

We begin this leg of the World Cruise in Mumbai, and then travel to Muscat, Oman; Bandar Abbas, Iran; Kuwait City, Kuwait; Manama, Bahrain; Abu Dhabi, UAE; and Dubai, UAE. Including sea days we this leg is a total of thirteen days. This along with the next leg of the World Cruise will take us to several places for the very first time and to some places that we would not visit on our own except by way of cruise ship.

Our first visit to Mumbai was in 2008 when we spent a couple of days visiting this city. At the time we saw much of the city and many of the key tourist attractions. In addition to taking tours, we did venture out a little bit on our own. For those of you who have never been to Mumbai there are very few cities like this one on the world. The city is essentially overcrowded with over 14 million inhabitants. Each year, more people arrive to this city from other areas of India hoping to start a better life by find work. Unfortunately, there is more demand for jobs than actual jobs so many of those arriving do not realize a better life. While we have seen first hand poverty in many cities around the world including those of our own country, we have never seen so much poverty in one city as we saw in Mumbai on our last visit. In fact, approximately six million of the inhabitants live in poverty. This is in contrast to others who also live in certain areas of this city where real estate is valued at higher levels than most places around the world. The challenge to this city is its sheer population.

Historians believe that Mumbai was inhabited by humans as early as 250 BC. Mumbai was initially a group of seven islands which were occupied by Loki fishermen. Mumbai was originally inhabited by Hindus until the islands were seized by Sultan Muhamed Begada. The Portuguese captured the Islands in 1534. Some of the Islands eventually were gifted to England and in time they were leased to the East India Company.

Mumbai quickly became an important trading post. With the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869, Mumbai became a very strategic port and became the chief commercial an industrial city for all of India.

Bombay was renamed Mumbai fifteen years ago in 1995. Its population now totals close to 14million inhabitants and continues to grow at an alarming rate year after year. It has the second largest population of any city in the world. Mumbai has a very diverse and some might say very extreme economic structure. While almost six million of its fourteen million inhabitants live in poverty, Mumbai has some of the most expensive real estate of any city around the world.

Originally, we were signed up for a shore excursion called Museums and Galleries but unfortunately due to lack of demand this excursion was cancelled. Most of the other excursions included places that we had already visited so we decided not to take an excursion. We also decided not to venture out on our own. This is one of those cities that we think it is safer to be with others either on a formal excursion or at least in a group. Last time, we went through the challenges of not only negotiating a price for a cab but having to be very direct with the driver(s) to get from point A to point B without being taken on a several hour shopping spree. Also, last time we learned not to get a cab at the pier as it seemed to us that the local police authorities were working in collaboration with the local taxi drivers to inflate taxi fares. We also know passengers and crewmembers that had some bad experiences on the street. Even on our tour a couple of years earlier the tour guide constantly warned us each time we got out of the bus because many times just walking a short distances there would be throngs of people harassing the tourists. Because of all of this we decided not to venture into the city today. Instead, we went down to the pier where there is a fairly large area in the terminal with a variety of vendors who were selling goods.

This morning we awoke early to work out and to also go to a required Indian Immigration inspection for all guests. Keith arrived to the Fitness Center very early as he normally does and enjoyed a nice workout on the Elliptical Machine. Keith was the only guest working out this early in the morning. Afterwards, he stopped by the Lido Café for coffee. He spoke briefly with friends John and Linda.

We learned last evening that all crew and passengers would have to go through immigration this morning. Just like in Miami immigration can change each time the ship visits a particular location. Given the issues that India had in 2008 we can see how they have tightened up on security and on immigration. We had to go to the Galaxy Showroom, pick up our passport and our landing card and then meet with a representative from Immigration.

The immigration officer who Anne Marie met with asked her one question and then stamped her card and passport. The person who Keith met with literally looked at each and every page of my passport, stamped the landing card and passport and didn’t asked me any questions. The process only took about a minute.

After we went though immigration, we enjoyed a nice breakfast in the room and then Anne Marie headed to the Fitness Center for her morning workout. Keith read and wrote and took care of a few other items.

Afterwards we went over to the pier walked around for a while and then spent the rest of the day on the ship. We enjoyed a nice lunch up at the Lido Café and in the afternoon Anne Marie took another long walk on the promenade deck while Keith read, wrote and spoke with other passengers. We also greeted several friends who boarded the ship today in Mumbai.

This evening we will dine in the Main Dining Room and will post more about this tomorrow.

We are very excited about the next two legs of the World Cruise as we return to some familiar places and also visit several new places for the very first time.

TODAY’S THOUGHT FOR THE DAY….

“Remember, the greatest gift is not found in a store nor under a tree, but in the hearts of true friends.”

Keith and Anne Marie

Welcome To Maramagao, India - Day 50

MONDAY, MARCH 1, 2010

Today is Monday, March1.

NOTE: Last evening was a formal night and we have included some pictures taken last night. We also included a few pictures from the churches from today’s tour. We will include some others tomorrow.

We enjoyed a wonderful evening last night. Last night was formal night on the ship, which for us is always a special evening. We enjoy seeing everyone all decked out in his or her formal attire as for us it just adds to the overall ambience on board the ship.

Before dinner we attended the Captain’s Farewell Reception. Throughout the cruise we have been attending the receptions held after we eat but since we were ready relatively early we decided to attend the first reception rather than the second one. We sat with some passenger’s that we know very well and had a wonderful time. One of the nice items that are done each month at one of the receptions is to recognize the employee of the month for the Serenity. The Captain makes the recognition announcement. Last evening they recognized the drummer from the Orchestra who is also the backup bandleader and also was the person who was responsible for coordinating the World Game events. He did an outstanding job and we were thrilled that he received this well deserved recognition.

Afterwards, we dined at the Prego Italian Specialty Restaurant and enjoyed a very nice dinner. As usual, the service, cuisine and the ambience were outstanding. We began our dinner with a wonderful appetizer that is one that the chef prepared for everyone dining this evening. We followed this with our very favorite salad. We each enjoyed Broiled Fresh Striped Bass Alla Lovornese, which was served with sautéed baby leaf spinach with fresh tomato, black olive, capers, celery, thyme and white wine. It was topped with eggplant puree and yes it tasted as great as it sounds. It was outstanding. We also ordered steamed vegetables. We each had a fruit plate for our dessert and Anne Marie enjoyed a nice cup of decaffeinated coffee while Keith enjoyed green tea. Our Waiter for the evening was Costa who is from Portugal. We usually either have Rossi or Costa who are both exceptional waiters.

We had a lovely table at the window and we enjoyed a full well lit moon. The seas have been very calm as they have been throughout most of this crossing. We have been very fortunate to have such wonderful weather.

Keith awoke very early to enjoy a nice workout to start of the day. He was the first one up to the Fitness Center and was very happy to be back on the Elliptical Machine for the second day in a row. The only other person working out was fellow passengers and friend John. After enjoying a wonderful workout, Keith stopped by the Lido Café to bring back coffee to the room for the two of us. He spoke briefly to Lido Deck Steward Brian and John’s wife Linda.

We ordered an early breakfast, which was brought to our room at 6:30 AM by Alexander. We enjoyed a very nice breakfast and then got ready for our next port of call.

This morning we arrived at Marmagao, India, which is our first visit to this port of call. Some say that the area around this island has the feel of one of the Pacific Ocean Islands and the island itself has a feel as if one is visiting Spain or Portugal.

For our first visit to this Island we took a Crystal Shore Excursion that was called The Churches of Old Goa and Traditional Tea. We departed the pier on a motor coach and we drove about forty five minutes to the old city of Goa. This area boast a wealth of churches and convents, all of which are UNESCO World Heritage sites.

Our first stop was to the Baslica of Born Jesus which features Jesuit architecture. The church is considered the most elaborate in all of Goa. It was quite impressive.

After visiting this church we took a short walk over to St. Catherine’s Cathedral. It was commissioned to showcase the wealth and power of the Portuguese.

We then walked over to the Church of St. Cajetan. It is modeled after St. Peter’s in Rome and is another magnificent looking church.

After visiting these three churches we boarded the motor coach and traveled to Merces which is a charming little village where we visited the home of Oliviera de Fernandes family. The family has been living here since the family house was first built 250 years ago. The hosts for our visit were the sixth generation to occupy the home.

A local band played music while the guests could enjoy tea if they would like.

Our day was wonderful and our tour extremely well done. It shows you that you cannot judge a book by its cover. If you judged this area based on the pier and the surrounding area you would have a very poor impression of this area. However, once you get about five minutes outside the area you find that this is a beautiful area. Between the time we visited the three churches and the time we went to the Family house we also drove around and saw very beautiful homes, hotels, and other beautiful buildings.

A few other items worth mentioning. Today was a holiday for this area called the Festival Of Colors. It is a Hindu Holiday and people, mostly young of age, paint their faces. One has to be careful that the children do not try to paint them. J The major drivers of the economy are iron ore, and tourism. The unemployment in this area is essentially at zero (0) percent. If someone wants a job, it is available.

We give today’s tour and our overall visit an A+.

Yes, like anywhere in the world there is poverty here and challenges for a portion of the population but there is quite a bit of hope for most people along with a large middle and upper class population. As we would suspect, their economy has been booming for over ten years.

Since we knew we would arrive back to the ship relatively late we ordered salads for each of us with the Butler. We had it arranged that the salads would be ready and stored in the butler pantry so that when we got back to the ship all we had to do was to call and the butler on duty would deliver the salads to our room. As usual, this worked like a charm.

This evening we will dine in the Main Dining Room with a very nice couple who are on for two legs of the World Cruise. Each year they take one or two legs of the World Cruise and we met them in 2008 and when we saw them again when they boarded the current leg we decided it would be nice to dine together. We sat with them the other evening in one of the lounges and then just yesterday we invited them to join us this evening for dinner. There are quite a few guest we know from previous cruises who come on for one, two or more legs of the world cruise and all of this truly adds to the feeling of friendship on this voyage.

After dinner there is a variety show featuring not one, not two, not three, but four performances. The show features singing by The Keating’s which is a Father and Son Show. The show continues with Comedian and Magical Entertainer Bruce Gold. The third act was comedian Jebb Fink and the forth and final performed was vocalist Penny Mathisen.

This evening marks the conclusion of the third leg of the World Cruise. This has been a wonderful leg with many sea days. We have been blessed with wonderful weather, some very interesting ports of call, and much in the way of activities and enrichment programs and time spent with the wonderful crew and so many wonderful passengers.

The next leg of the World Cruise takes us from Mumbai, India to Dubai, of the UAE.

TODAY’S THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

“My best friend is the one who brings out the best in me.”

Keith and Anne Marie

En Route To Marmagao, India - Day 49

SUNDAY, February 28, 2010

NOTE: We included a picture from last evening where we dined at Silk Road with the Rabbi and his lovely wife.

We also included a picture taken last evening of The Crystal Trio playing music in front of the fountain in the Crystal Cove. On most evenings they also play a song at each of the tables at the Main Dining Room. Guests can request a song and they normally know each of them. We enjoy their music. The first few pictures were taken at this afternoons Buffet.

We wanted to begin by saying that our hearts, thoughts, and prayers go out to all of those individuals and families who have been impacted by the catastrophic earthquake in Chili. We know that words cannot describe the magnitude of this event nor the challenges that many people will face over the coming, days, weeks, and months.

Today is Sunday, February 28 and we have enjoyed a wonderful day at sea. The sea has been very calm. We are nine hours and thirty minutes ahead of those of you on the east coast of the United States of America.

We wanted to mention that late yesterday we finally got a chance to watch the broadcast of The Liar’s Club which was held this past Thursday evening. This has to be one if not the funniest one we have seen. Cruise Director Rick Spath emceed this event and the panel was comprised of Dr. Jay Wolff, Ken Rees, Barbara Rinella and Rabbi Morrie Hershman. For those of you who have never seen a Liar’s Club the audience is broken into various teams who tries to figure out which of the panelists has given the correct definition for a particular word. Of course, these words are not ones that one see often if ever. Here’s an example of one of the words. “Jentacular”

We enjoyed a wonderful dinner with the Rabbi and his lovely wife last evening at Silk Road. Everything was wonderful including the conversation, service and the food. It is always so nice to spend time with Rabbi Morrie and Gerri. We first sailed with them on the 2007 and the 2008 World Cruises and we also sailed with them in the Fall of 2007 on a New York City to Montreal cruise and again last spring when we sailed from New York City to Hong Kong.

What was funny was that for a few minutes we had three of the four members from Liar’s Club all at Silk Road. There was the Rabbi at our table. At the adjacent table was Barbara Rinella. Finally, Dr. Jay Wolff was sitting at the table right adjacent to the one that Barbara was dining at. All we needed was Destination Lecturer Ken Rees to walk into Silk Road and we could have had another Liar’s Club event. J

While we did not attend the buffet, there was a special buffet also offered last evening on the Lido Deck. This buffet featured many food items from India as well as a variety of other items including Seafood, Beef and Chicken and many other delicious items. At the same time there was open seating in the Main Dining Room so there was lots of nice dining options for people to choose from.

Today, we sail to Marmagao, India, which will be our first visit to this port of call. On Friday evening we learned that due to a docking restriction time window in Mumbai that the Serenity will now dock in this port of call from 7:00 AM to 3:00 PM rather than from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Those who had private shore excursions were advised to contact the reception desk if they needed assistance to try to change those tours.

Keith awoke early for another workout at the Fitness Center. He was not the first one to arrive as fellow passenger Brian was already working out. For the first time three days after injuring his ankle when he temporarily gave up the elliptical machine, Keith was back on the elliptical machine today. He worked out for 75 minutes and overall the ankle felt very good. So, we will hope that continues. Fellow passenger John was also working out as was another passenger and the Executive Chef. Keith stopped by the Lido Café and Lido Deck Steward Ross helped Keith with the coffee and they chatted for a little while.

Anne Marie also enjoyed another nice one-hour workout on the treadmill and once she finished she also stopped by the Lid Café for coffee.

We enjoyed another nice breakfast in the room. Since today was a sea day we watched the Daily Morning Show hosted by Cruise Directors Rick Spat and World Cruise Hostess Stacey Huston. One item we haven’t mentioned is that during morning, afternoon and evenings that someone from the audio/video department takes videos of passengers and on each show small snippets are showed from these videos.

There have been lots of activities throughout the day and afternoon hours. It’s always fun to look for passengers we know and see them on television.

There was a very touching moment on the show. Our cruise director called home and spoke very briefly to three of his four children and his wife. As he spoke with each of them we viewed a pictures of his lovely children. This was very touching. What a beautiful and loving family.

During Captain Glenn’s morning talk from the bridge he noted that the seas were calm and good weather in the forecast and that we are on schedule for tomorrows port of call. We were cruising along the coast of India.

Today’s’ thought of the day from the Captain was “In order to achieve big goals in the future we must achieve our small goals so why worry about work tomorrow when this is work to be done today.”

We attended the Rap With the Rabbi. It was another nice session and the last one for this leg of the World Cruise.

Afterwards, there was a Travel Channel Academy Film Festival. This program featured those passengers who participated in this program during the cruise where the participants edited and produced their own films about the trip.

Later in the morning, a lecture was given by Bob Warne who presented “War with al Qaeda Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the roles of India and Iran.” This presentation covered the fact that this involves a different kind of war and the kind of skills that are required on the part of NATO and others.

Dr. Jay Wolff gave the final presentation of the morning. The topic of this presentation was “The Buck Stops Here – The Story of Harry S. Truman.”

Afterwards, we enjoyed lunch on the Lido Deck. We attended the Nuevo Latino Luncheon Buffet, which featured popular and classic cuisine from Latin nations south of the USA border. We were able to make a nice salad entrée for ourselves.

In the afternoon, Anne Marie enjoyed another nice long walk on the Promenade Deck and she also sat out by the pool. Keith read and wrote and also talked with a couple of fellow passengers.

We’ve mentioned this before but there are so many activities to enjoy on days at sea with Crystal Cruises. We counted close to sixty formal activities including entertainment.

Health and Fitness Activities included Nordic Walking with the Fitness Director, Morning Walk on Water with a Water Vest with the Fitness Director, Fitness Stretch and Fitness Sit and Be Fit Classes, Fitness Indoor Cycling, Skincare Seminar, Shuttleboard and Table Tennis open play, Golf Clinic, Paddle Tennis Open Play, not one but two different Yoga Classes, Pilates, afternoon Walk with Fitness Director, Afternoon Walk with the Walking Polls. Of course there is the Fitness Center and the Swimming Pools and the Promenade Deck.

Several different classes including Piano Class, Beginners, and other Bridge Classes, Spanish Class, Computer Class, a second Music Class, Dance Class, and a Video Workshop offered by the Travel Channel.

In terms of religion there was the Rap With the Rabbi, A Catholic Mass, and a Protestant Workshop Mass.

Other activities included three lectures and one program on videos, afternoon listening to piano music, team trivia, complimentary gaming lessons in the casino, poolside music by a live band two movies in a movie cinema, needlepoint get together, and several more that we haven’t listed. This afternoon like every day on board the ship is also a very nice afternoon tea.

In the evening there is the Captain’s Farewell Reception, live piano music in not one but two different venues, live music by a band and by the trio members. There was also a production show called Curtain Call with two performances, and late night Karaoke. Of course there are many lounges and the Casino. On top of this are many dining options.

This evening was formal night and we will be dining by ourselves at the Prego Italian Specialty Restaurant. Afterwards, we will attend the Captain’s Farewell Reception for this leg of the World Cruise.

Tomorrow, we will be sure to also post comment about this evening.

TODAY’S THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

“If you can imagine it, you can achieve it; if you can dream it, you can become it”

Keith and Anne Marie

Welcome To Cochin, India - Day 48

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2010

NOTE: We included eleven pictures; nine of which are from our visit to Cochin earlier today.

Picture one taken where the buses were waiting for us about a five minute walk from the Jewish Synagogue. Picture 2 from along the street/area referred to as Jew Town. Pictures 3 and 4 outside of the Jewish Synagogue. Picture 5 outside the Mattancherry (Dutch)Palace. Pictures 6 and 7 of the infamous Chinese Fishing Nets. Picures 8 and 9 of the Church we visited and Pictures 10 and 11 before dinner last evening.

We enjoyed a very nice dinner in the Main Dining Room last evening. We each had a nice salad, Keith had the salmon entrée and Anne Marie had a veal entrée, and we had side order of steamed vegetables and berries for dessert. The food and service were wonderful as it always is. We really enjoy the entire wait staff including the waiter, senior waiter and the headwaiter plus we have really enjoy our sommelier. We realize that there are some who enjoy open seating but we have experience both open and fixed seating and we really enjoy fixed seating where the wait staff is familiar with what we prefer and we can develop a nice rapport with the entire team.

After dinner, Anne Marie attended the show, which included Comedian and Magical Entertainer Bruce Gold and International Flautist Gary Arbuthnot. Keith went back to the room to get some rest.

Today, we after seven consecutive days at sea we arrived at our first of three stops in India. This is our second time to Cochin, India.

Cochin is one of the major seaports of India. Its population totals approximately 600,000 inhabitants.

It is situated in the state of Kerala, and it has been considered a trading post since the days of the Romans given that it is strategically located between Europe and China. It has a beautiful harbor.

Cochin boasts a very diverse architecture that came from those that ruled this city including the Portuguese, the Dutch and the British.

The Portguese ruled this aeras in the 1500. The British settled this city in 1634 nly to be driven out by the Dutch who made this city into an important center for trade. The British seized this city when it conquered India but they allowed the Dutch to run the city until 1814 when it became part of the East India Company.

The major attractions of this city include the Paradesi Synagogue, which is the oldest synagogue in al the Commonwealth of Nations. There are the Chinese Dipping nets and it is believed that they were introduced by Chinese rules Kublai Khan. Another attraction is the Mattancherry Palace, which is also known as the Dutch Palace, which was built by the Portuguese in 1555. Other attractions include the Santa Cruz Basilica which is a Roman Cathedral., the Indo-Portuguese Museum, and the St Francis Church.

This morning we awoke early but not to work out but to have a relatively early breakfast as we had an early shore excursion.

We had a nice breakfast in the room and afterwards got ready for today’s tour. Originally we decided that Anne Marie would go ahead with the tour and Keith would stay back at the ship, but then Keith decided to go as well. On each leg of the World Cruise there is one complimentary that all guests can take if they care to and this is the tour that we chose for today.

Security in and around the pier was much tighter than our last visit to this port in 2008. While we do remember some guards, there were several more this time around with machine guns. This time we had to provide a landing card along with a copy of our passport and we showed the a couple of times as we entered and departed the port for our shore excursion. We also showed it once upon our return and each passenger was required to place the landing card in a box located near the gangway as we boarded the ship at the point in time we were boarding the ship for the last time today.

We took a motor coach and then drove approximately thirty minutes to Fort Cochin. As was the case on our last visit here we stopped to see the famous Chinese fishing nets, which we saw on our last visit here in 2008.

As we walked through this town we passed by other sites including the Church of St. Francis, which was the first European church, built in India.

We got back into the motor coach and traveled to the Jewish Settlement of Mattancherry. We visited the Mattancherry Palace, which is also known as the Dutch Palace. As is the case with most tours in India time was given to explore the surrounding area where those on the tour could go into some nearby shops. We also stopped by the Synagogue, which we had gone into a couple of years ago but this was not possible since today was the Sabbath.

In comparison to the large city of Mumbai which we will visit in a few days, Cochin is much smaller and a more logical and orderly city. It does not have the extremes that one experiences in Mumbai with the distinction between the upper class and the very poor lower class where millions upon millions of people live in poverty. Our other observation is that there has been some improvements around the city of Cochin since we last visited here two years ago.

The tour got back to the ship at around 12:00 Noon and we spent the rest of the day on the ship. Unlike most places that we visit the local taxi association in India prohibits the ship from running buses between the pier and other areas in order to maximize taxi fares for the local drivers.

The majority of passengers took the tour we were on but there were also a few other tours to choose from. In addition, there were several overland programs offered of varying lengths of up to six days that passengers could book.

We enjoyed lunch on the ship at the Lido Café. As usually we each had a very nice salad entrée.

This afternoon we each took a walk on the ship. Anne Marie sat out by the pool and Keith wrote, read and sat with a couple of passengers.

This evening was open seating in the Main Dining Room and we had plans to dine with the Rabbi and his lovely wife so we changed the plans to dine at Silk Road with them. There was also a special evening dinner buffet offered around the indoor Neptune Pool.

We will post more tomorrow about dinner and the evening activities.

TODAY’S THOUGHT FOR THE DAY……….

“A journey is best measured in friends, rather than miles.”

Keith and Anne Marie

En Route To Cochin, India - Day 47

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2010

NOTE: We have included a picture taken when we dined at Silk Road with Cruise Director Rick Spath and World Cruise Hostess Stacey Huston.

Someone asked how many people are involved with the planning of the World Cruise program. While we are not 100% sure as to how many people are involved what we do know is that the planning is extensive and involves a good deal more planning than the typical voyage. We also know that much effort goes into the planning and that it includes meetings held during the summer before the start of the World Cruise which includes the Cruise Director, the World Cruise Hostess, and others from the ship working in conjunction with various personnel who work at the Crystal Cruises Los Angeles Office. Also, that the planning continues beyond that time frame. Once on the ship, the planning continues and many personnel will play an active role throughout the cruise whether its pulling together scenery for some of the special events to writing music or whatever else is required. Additional personnel help with the events. For example, the backup bandleader who is currently playing the drums for the Crystal Orchestra coordinated the World Games. We appreciate all of the efforts that go into this and making one World Cruise unique from the other one. There is also a special events coordinator on the ship and others that assist him.

In addition, planning for other aspects of the World Cruise starts even sooner. For example, there will be two events held on land and those sites are likely secured eighteen months or more in advance of the event and then much planning goes into each of those events.

We are now ten and one half hours ahead of those of you on the East Coast. When it is evening on the ship it is morning back home. When it is the morning on the ship, it is evening back home. We believe this will be the largest variance in time that we will have during the course of this adventure.

We wanted to begin today’s post with some comments about last evening.

Before dinner, we attended the one hour Matinee Production performance of the Crystal Cruises Show Standing Room Only. This included the lead vocalists, the Crystal Ensemble of singers and dancers who were all accompanied by the Galaxy Orchestra. We find that each time we see this show we enjoy it even more. We love the dancing, the music, the singing and the costumes that are worn by each of the performers.

We had a wonderful dinner at Silk Road and were joined by our Cruise Director Rick Spath and our World Cruise Hostess Stacey Huston. We first sailed with Rick Spath in 2008 and this is our first sailing with Stacey Huston. They are both very positive individuals who have been on top of everything throughout this World Cruise. We appreciate their professionalism as we also appreciate their friendliness, warmth and sense of humor. They are true professionals.

We had planned to go to the Liar’s Club but after successfully avoiding getting a cold that some have gotten over the past few weeks Keith’s throat began to feel sore last evening so we decided it would be best to get some rest.

After we arrived back to the room we moved the clocks forwarded thirty minutes in preparation for our arrival to India on Saturday morning.

Today is our last day at sea before we arrive to our next port of call in Cochin, India. We have had an amazing time at sea between all of the on board activities and the entertainment and the World Cruise Games. It seems that all of the sea days have gone by in a blink of an eye.

Since Keith has a cold he skipped this mornings workout at the Fitness Center and slept a little later getting up at 6:15 AM, which is early for most but definitely is sleeping in for Keith. He stopped by the Lido Café to bring back some coffee.

Anne Marie left a few minutes later and she worked out for an hour on the treadmill and brought back coffee to the room.

We enjoyed a wonderful breakfast in the morning and during breakfast we watched the Crystal Cruises Morning Show hosted by our Cruise Director and World Cruise Hostess. We were pleased to hear that throughout the day and evening hours that tomorrow the Liar’s Club event will be broadcast so we will be able to catch this.

We learned that there would be a local show on the ship at 9:00 PM, as we will not be leaving until 10:00 PM. From time to time local shows are brought on board the ship, which is quite nice.

During Captain Glenn’s morning talk from the bridge he noted that we are on schedule for arrival to Cochin, India. The weather outlook continues to be quite good with smooth seas and nice weather ahead of us. The Captain’s Thought for the Day was “A man who can’t dance thinks the band is no good.”

This morning featured two lectures.

Lecturer John Hare who presented “A first in Desert Travel gave the first lecture.” He talked about a six week 450 mile trek around magnificent Lake Turkan and a crossing of the mighty river Orno.

Destination Lecturer Ken Rees gave the second lecture of the morning and he presented “From Ghandhi to Gucii – The Story of Modent India.”. As part of this presentation, Ken Rees talked about the remarkable transition from Partition to Prosperity and he also discussed what to see and do in Cochin, Goa and Mumbai.

We wanted to share a couple of interesting statistics from Ken Rees’ talk. India covers 2.4% of the land mass of the world but comprises 15% of the population of the world. In very short order India’s economy will be larger than that of the United Kingdom, France and Italy and it is projected that by 2050 that its economy may surpass that of the United States and be second to China’s.

Keith took a nice walk on the Promenade Deck in the morning to get some fresh air and to get a little bit of exercise since he took the day off from the Fitness Center. Keith walked with a fellow passenger and they enjoyed a nice talk. The weather was perfect.

Afterwards, we enjoyed a nice lunch at the Lido Café. Today’s lunch featured Phillipine Specialities and also included complimentary beer. The Lido Deck Stewards take a lot of pride in this lunch at it features so many nice foods that represent their homeland.

Speaking of lunch, we forgot to mention that yesterday Father Will joined us for lunch at the Lido Café and we enjoyed a wonderful talk with him. One of the really nice aspects of this adventure is having the opportunity to exchange thoughts and have discussions with a wide range of people on board the ship so it was once again a pleasure to sit with Father Will for lunch as we did several weeks ago. Likewise, the Rabbi and his wife will be joining us for dinner tomorrow evening in the Main Dining Room.

This afternoon Keith took another walk and I also spoke with some of our fellow passengers. Anne Marie also walked and we enjoyed a nice walk on the promenade deck and all sat out for a while by the pool.

This evening we will dine in the Main Dining Room and we will post more about dinner when we post tomorrow.

TODAY’S THOUGHT OF THE DAY….

“The optimist proclaims that we live in the best of all possible worlds; and the pessimist fears this is true.”

Keith and Anne Marie