Wednesday, March 10, 2010
NOTE: We have included additional pictures from yesterday’s visit to Manama, Bahrain.
We wanted to provide a few additional comments about yesterday’s visit.
As mentioned, this was Crystal’s first visit to this Port of Call and this is another port of call that hopefully Crystal will continue to visit when one of the ships is sailing in this area of the world. There was a nice variety of tours offered and so much to see.
We thought that our tour was excellent. Those guests who were on our tour also gave it very high marks. We believe we picked the right tour for this area after talking to some fellow guests about where they went on their tours.
We were very pleased with the amount of information covered during the tour guide. Our tour guide provided information on a wide range of subjects about Manama, Bahrain and she gave us a wonderful tour at the Museum. Unlike some tours that include a Mosque where one just walks around somewhat blindly on their own, it was great to have someone from the Mosque provide so much insight about the Mosque and the Muslim way of life. She also did show us the Muslim Prayer Book, which like a Jewish prayer book is read, from right to left rather than from left to right. And, she even sang the first two pages of the book to us and explained a good deal about it.
The outfits that women wear in this country do vary. Some women would wear the head covering while others would cover their faces as well.
We were all asked to dress in conservative clothing and advised note to wear shorts and to wear shirts with sleeves. Either short or long sleeves were fine. The only time there were additional restrictions was during our visit to the Mosque. The men and the women went into different areas to get ready for our visit to the Mosque. As is the custom, everyone needed to remove his or her shoes. There was one man on our tour who had mistakenly worn shorts. He was given a full-length robe to wear to cover his legs. The women were given head covers and also clothes to cover their necks. You could see their eyes.
We are glad to have had the opportunity to visit this port of call and to learn a good deal of information. One of the main reasons we travel is discovery and yesterday was a great day in terms of discovery.
We enjoyed a nice relaxing evening on the ship last night.
After a few days away from our table in the Main Dining Room we were happy to be back at our table with Senior Waiter, Pedja; Waiter, Therese; and Headwaiter Augusto. One of the advantages of assigned seating is how well the wait staff knows us and how well we know them. There are certain items we like on a regular basis. For example, there is a particular roll that we greatly enjoy which is a fairly dark roll that also includes pumpkin seeds so Therese is always great to have one for each of us. They know exactly which water we prefer as Keith prefers one type and Anne Marie another kind. The same goes for the type of fruit we enjoy, the type of coffee Anne Marie enjoys and the side vegetables that Keith enjoys. We will mix it up with the entrée and the salad and also another side vegetable dish from time to time. We also greatly enjoy the location we are seated in the dining room and the entire dining experience.
At the same time, once in awhile we like to throw the wait staff off by ordering something different. Before the cruise is over, we will also be sure to order a cake for dinner.
Since the waiters know what we prefer they can also make good recommendations to us for dinner. We find that very helpful.
Last evening Anne Marie enjoyed for an entrée the broiled Mahi Mahi Fillet, which was served with warm tomato-fennel vinaigrette and grilled baby vegetables, which came from the lighter side menu. Keith enjoyed a broiled salmon steak served with some of Keith’s favorite vegetables. We also had a nice salad, and of course those delicious berries. We also wanted to mention how much we enjoy our sommelier, Jiri (which is pronounced Urji). He has been wonderful and always is so outgoing and very helpful.
We walked around for a little while after dinner and stopped off to talk with some friends and then we went back to our room to relax. We lost an hour last night, as we had to set the clocks forward so we went to sleep at a reasonable hour. It seemed that as soon as our heads hit the pillow that we were asleep. We sleep so well on the ship.
Today has been a wonderful sea day as we sail to our next port of call in Abu Dhabi, of the UAE. We believe this is the first time the Crystal Serenity has sailed there and we have not met any members of the crew or fellow passengers who have been there before. We believe that the Crystal Symphony visited this port of call last year or if not then sometime in the past couple of years. We are excited to visit another new port of call that we have never been to before.
Keith woke up early and began his day with a nice workout at the Fitness Center. He was the second one to arrive and during the course of the workout there were about five other passengers working out. He enjoyed a great workout on the Elliptical Machine. After his workout he stopped by the Lido Café to bring some coffee back to the room.
He did a couple of washes in the Laundry Room and got them all done before it was time for breakfast.
A short while earlier Anne Marie worked out for an hour on the Treadmill and also stopped by the Lido Café for some coffee.
Since today is a sea day there were lots of activities and entertainment throughout the day and evening hours.
We began our morning by watching the Crystal Cruises Daily Morning Show with co-hosts Cruise Director Rick Spath and World Cruise Hostess Stacey Huston. Keith correctly answered one of the questions, which was where is the largest spectator sport arena located in the world. Put your thinking caps on and not fair if you do a google search. J
While watching the show we enjoyed a nice breakfast. Yes, you guessed correctly. We had oatmeal and fresh fruit. We spoke with the butler about our plans for today and about this evening, as he will be bringing canapés and other items over to our room for a pre-dinner snack. More on that later.
During Captain Glenn’s morning talk he noted that we were cruising at a little over 10 knots per hour and that is because we are well on schedule to arrive in Abu Dhabi on schedule. The outside temperature was 74 degrees Fahrenheit as was the Ocean temperature. Captain Glenn’s thought of the day was “ Don’t stand in a bucket trying to lift yourself up by the handle.”
There were two lectures in the morning. Sam Lewis who presented Afghanistan – Is it doomed gave the first one? He spoke about the challenges that American and NATO troops have in Afghanistan. He also described Afghanistan before the Soviet invasion and what it could become again. He agreed that the current strategy is our best approach to this challenging situation.
Destination lecturer Ken Rees presented the story of two different neighbors, conservative Abu Dhabi and Dubai whose lofty ambitions almost ended in a financial meltdown, gave the second presentation. Ken also spoke about what to see and what to do in each of these fascinating locations. While Dubai is better known to all of us, it is Abu Dhabi with all of the money as they have significantly more oil in this region which equates to about 10 % of the World’s oil.
Sam and Ken are two outstanding lecturers and once again we learned a great deal from the two of them.
There was a Viennese Brunch offered for the Main Dining Room. Complimentary French sparkling wine and Mimosas were also available. We will post pictures when we post tomorrow. We went to the Lido Café for lunch. We both enjoyed a nice salad entrée.
The third and final presentation was given by Special Interest Lecturer Bill Milled who presented “When getting there Was Half The Fun – The Last Atlantic Liners.”
During the afternoon Anne Marie took a nice long walk on the Promenade Deck. Keith read, wrote and spoke with some fellow passengers.
Later in the afternoon we will go to Captain Glenn’s Quarters for drinks with some of our fellow guests.
We will also have dinner with friends Allen and Lynn at Silk Road. They will also come by our room as we have asked Alexander to provide a nice array of canapés and we will also enjoy champagne. We will post more about this when we post tomorrow.
Tomorrow we will have a shore excursion in the morning and we will attend a very special world cruise event that evening. During the course of the World Cruise there are two special shore side events that are organized for those passengers who are on for the entire duration of the World Cruise. The planning for these events begins 12-18 months before the actual event as venues must be lined up and reserved and then other arrangements must be made. A couple of weeks ago we received some specifics about the event. We are looking forward to it with great anticipation.
TODAY’S THOUGHT OF THE DAY……
“Once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you will start having positive results.”
Keith and Anne Marie
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