Saturday, March 20, 2010
We enjoyed another wonderful evening on the ship last evening.
We dined at Silk Road with Larry and Monica. As many times as we have dined at Silk Road, we look forward to dinner there with great anticipation and we enjoyed another wonderful dinner. We began our meal with sashimi (for Keith) and sushi for the two of us. The platter we ordered was another work of art prepared by the talented Silk Road Sushi Chefs. The cuisine at Silk Road is the most wonderful Japanese food we have enjoyed and that includes dinners that Keith had in Japan when he visited there on business as well as our own experience when we visited there last year. Add to this the wonderful service and the overall ambience and we truly have a wonderful time each and every time we dine there.
Afterwards we attended a special themed world cruise event, which included a wonderful performances by the Crystal Entertainers along with dancing, live music and drinks. How they pull together these events truly amazes us. Once they come up with the theme they have to write the script, compose the music and write the songs, choreograph and put it all together. For us the event is flawless yet this is the first time they perform it before a live audience and then afterwards it won’t be seen again. This team are truly professionals and they continue to amaze us each and everyday. In short, our thanks to Crystal team for putting on another wonderful themed party that both amazed us and exceeded our expectations. At the end of the show, we spoke briefly with World Cruise Hostess Stacey Huston and took a couple of pictures with Anne Marie posing with Stacey. Stacey had a main part in the show and of course was one of those instrumental in the planning of this event. Before the start of the event we also spoke with some of the Lido Deck Stewards who were taking drink orders and then serving the guest drinks and snacks and they were decked out in costumes that were part of the theme of the event. We also spoke with a few other members of the staff who we have known for several years.
We slept well last evening. Keith woke early this morning and began the day with a nice workout at the Fitness Center. It is so easy to workout on the ship as we just walk up three flights of steps and we are right at the center. One of the other passengers who works out regularly was there a few minutes before Keith arrived. Keith worked out on the Elliptical Machine and watched the news and even a portion of a movie during his workout. Afterwards, he stopped by the Lido Café and brought some coffee back to the room. He spoke with lecturer Rex and his Japanese Guest Relations Manager Keiko about the long walk that Keith and Rex took at our third and final port stop in Oman. Keith also spoke with Lido Deck Stewards Clark and Richie. Anne Marie also worked out on the Treadmill and like Keith she stopped by the Lido Café to bring coffee back to the room.
We had a wonderful breakfast in our room as we watched the Daily Morning Show. They had Jessica Stackwell on the show. She is from the United States and has lived in Saudi Arabia for five years. They moved there because her husband teaches and she works in a variety of jobs. She demonstrated how to wear the Abayas and it is far less restrictive than we first thought. The only time they will need to cover the hair is with a scarf that they can remove when we get out of the port area and just wear the Abayas. The major restrictions only apply to Muslim women so this is good news for the women passengers on the cruise.
Keith went for his third haircut of the cruise at the Salon on board the ship. Keith’s haircut takes far less time than Anne Marie’s. Of course, he has far less hair to cut. J or is that L
Anne Marie picked up her Abbaya, which she will wear during our visit to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. We wanted to mention that all women going ashore are required to wear the Abbaya. In addition, all passenger’s going ashore are required to take a Crystal Cruises Shore Excursion. This is certainly one of those ports of call that we would not have gone out on our own even if it were allowed.
There were several lectures today.
Destination Lecturer Professor Jean-Pierre Isbouts was supposed to give the first lecture of the day but was under the weather so award winning journalist and writer Tom Litman who was supposed to give tomorrows lecture spoke this morning.
He discussed how Saudi Arabia got to where it is today and how the Religion of Muslim faith dominates the life of the people. There is no question that oil drives most of their economy. He noted how gender segregation is build into life in Saudi Arabia. He also discussed how much America has brought to Saudi Arabia over the past sixty years including paper money, television, bras, aviation, mechanical agriculture, the long handled hoe, non-religious classroom education, and immunizations for the young. In addition, we showed them how to run their government. He also mentioned that they want to grow their tourism and how much our stop in Saudi Arabia means to them.
The second presentation of the morning was given by Dinesh D’Souza who talked about “What’s So Great About America?. He talked about Islamic attitudes to the West and why America is simultaneously the most loved country in the world and also the most hated country.
After the lectures we enjoyed a wonderful lunch at the Lido Café. We each had another salad entrée.
For the first time since he injured his ankle, Keith played Paddle Tennis again. He was very careful as he ran after the ball. It was nice for him to play again and he enjoyed playing with the crew and fellow passengers.
Anne Marie took another nice long walk on the Promenade Deck while she listened to one of the audio books she has on our iTouch. She also sat out by the pool and enjoyed another nice afternoon on the ship.
Keith enjoyed a nice talk with a couple of fellow passenger’s as they continued one of the many nice conversations they have had about world events and other items of interest.
This evening we will dine in the Main Dining Room.
After dinner, we will go to a show that features comedian Mike Goddard who we have seen perform on several cruises Later in the evening there is another Liars Club that will feature Captain Glenn, Attorney Bob Hales, Comedian Mike Goddard and Rabbi Morrie Hershman.
TODAY’S THOUGHT FOR THE DAY….
“The optimist sees opportunity in every danger; the pessimist sees danger in every opportunity.”
Keith & Anne Marie
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