Sunday, April 25, 2010
We had another nice time on the ship last evening. We dined at the Silk Road Specialty Restaurant with our wonderful World Cruise Hostess Stacey Huston, her parents who came on for this final leg of the World Cruise, another World Cruise couple and one World Cruise Female Guest who is traveling solo. We had a wonderful time and it was terrific to meet and to get to know Stacey’s parents. One of the nice aspects of the World Cruise which we have mentioned from time to time are the strong bonds that develop between guests, and the crew and last evening was one example of that. In addition to the wonderful conversation we all enjoyed, we also enjoyed a wonderful meal at Silk Road. We enjoyed a wonderful plate of sushi and sashimi. We then each enjoyed a wonderful soup and we each ordered the lobster for our entrée. We ended the meal with a fruit plate and coffee for Anne Marie and green tea for Keith. It was a delightful dinner.
Last evening was payback time from the night before when we turned the clocks back one hour. This time we had to forward the clocks by one hour. We still have one hour to go when we will be moving them backward by one hour.
This made it a bit more challenging for Keith to wake up this morning. He was the second guest to arrive to the Fitness Center and did his normal workout on the Elliptical Machine. After his workout he stopped by the Lido Café to bring back some coffee to the room. He spoke for a few minutes with one of the members of the Night Crew who he sees all the time and then spoke with a couple of the wonderful Lido Deck Stewards; Lebert and Demi. Around the time Keith returned to the room it was Anne Marie’s turn and she enjoyed a nice workout on the Treadmill. Like Keith, after her workout she stopped by the Lido Café for some coffee.
We enjoyed a wonderful breakfast in our room as we got ready for our second to last day at sea. We watched the Crystal Cruise Morning Show while we ate our breakfast. Rick had two special guests on the show including the Vice President of Crystal Cruises Entertainment and Enrichment Program, Brett Bullock, and Bandleader for The Galaxy Orchestra, Raphael Derkson. One of the items they discussed is tomorrow evening’s special entertainment, which is the Serenity POPS, which will feature the fabulous Crystal Entertainment Team along with some special musicians who have recently boarded the ship for tomorrow evening’s performance.
Keith dialed into the show to express our appreciation and our gratification for the extraordinary level of entertainment that has been performed throughout this voyage. Keith also mentioned that each succeeding year that the entertainment surpasses the prior year. He also mentioned how talented the Crystal Galaxy Orchestra is and the tremendous job that our Cruise Director and World Cruise Hostess have done along with all of the other members of the Crystal Entertainment Team.
Today is our second to last sea day as our wonderful and exciting voyage is winding down. We are scheduled to arrive to our next port of call in Bilbao, Spain. Since today was a sea day there were lots of activities offered on the shop throughout the day.
We attended a lecture given by Destination Lecturer Ken Rees who we have thoroughly enjoyed during this adventure. This morning he spoke about our final port of call on this adventure before we reach Southampton which is La Rochelle, France. He talked about why La Rochell is one of the most historically rich cities in France and has beautifully maintained its architectural heritage. This included a discussion of the old town where the visitor can step back to the days of the Templars, the Huguenots and the Three Musketeers.
Later in the morning we attended the World Cruise Video Showing. During the course of the World Cruise video has been taken and we got a chance to see the video this morning. About eight weeks after we arrive home a copy of the video will be sent to each of us. Seeing the video reminded us of all of the extraordinary places we have visited during this World Cruise Adventure along with many of the special events we have participated on and off the ship along with all of the entertainers and destination lecturers and others from the enrichment program who have been a part of this journey. Each of our eyes swelled with some tears as we thought about what a wonderful adventure this has been. There was applause during portions of the Video and a standing room applause for our Cruise Director, World Cruise Hostess and Captain and the guest remained standing as personnel who represented all of the ships departments came into the room and marched ont the stage.
At Noontime there was the Ocean 20 Gala Buffet. While this buffet has been available on the sister ship the Symphony, this was the first time this gala was offered on the Serenity. This buffet featured culinary highlights from the last 20 years of Crystal Cruises and is all part of the 20 year celebration for Crystal Cruises. In addition to the special foods, the staff wore new outfits and there were some new serving items.
Some of the items on the buffet included;
An array of Baked Breads and Rolls including Ciabatta, Focacia, Mini Panini, Parmesan & Pesto Ears, Puffy Pastry Sticks; Salt Sticks; Kornspitz; Croissant, and Danish Pastries.
Salads such as Cherry tomato and Baby Buffalo Mozzerella, Prosciutto and Melon Balls, Egg “Penguins”, Marinated Beet Salad with Raspberry Balsamic; Marinate White and Green Asparagus Salad; Marinated Greek Salad; and Traditional Cobb Salad.
Chilled Savories such as a Selection of Sushi and Cut Sushi Rolls; Chilled Alaskan King Crab Legs with Cocktail Sauce; Norwegian Gravlax with Honey Dill Mustard Sauce; Chilled Lobster Tail Half and Jumbo Prawn Tower with Creole Remoulade Sauce.
Hot Dishes included; Jade-Style “Mongolian” Grilled Lamb Chips; Baked Salmon Coulibiac; Poached Eggs – “Benedict”, with Truffle Hollandaise or Sauce Choron, Creamy Spinach; Pink Roasted Prime Rib, Creamy Horseradish, Sauce Bordelaise; Spaghetti “Prince of Naples” Tossed with Tomato, Bolognese and Creamy Porcini Sauce; Eggplan Parmigiana.
Desserts included; Tiramisu, Mini Crème Brulee, Imperial Slice, Chocolate Delight, Cream Swan, Homeade Vanilla Ice Cream, Fresh Berries, Chocolate Fountain and Condiments, Selection of Vintage Cheeses, Grapes, Pecan Nuts, Caramelized Walnuts, Pear Chutney, Ice Wine Jelly, Truffle Honey, Assorted Mustard and a Splendid Presentation of Fresh Fruits.
We viewed the buffet and the introduction of the various chefs. Afterwards, we went to the Lido Café for lunch where we each enjoyed a nice salad entrée.
This afternoon we read, wrote, did some additional packing (L), and we spoke with fellow passengers. Anne Marie also worked out on the treadmill for another hour.
This evening we plan to have dinner in our room. We thought it would be nice to do this before the cruise ends and will post more about this tomorrow.
TODAY’S THOUGHT FOR THE DAY….
“The trouble with the world is not that people know too little, but that they know so many things that ain’t so.”
Keith and Anne Marie
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