We began our evening at the Crystal Cove. About midway through the time we sat at the Cove all of a sudden it became very busy and actually standing room only. It didn't bother us since we already had seats and the people standing were having a nice time.
In addition to the bar staff, there are some other crew members there in various roles. The following photos is Anne Marie with Nino. Nino is one of the Lido Deck Stewards currently in the Lido Cafe for morning breakfast and one of the wonderful members of the Crystal Team who Keith sees daily when having his morning coffee. On this voyage one of his other many responsibilities is working at the Crystal Cove in the evening serving canapés.
While we were at the Cove, we listened to Scott Mitchel play the Piano. Scott said if he only knew we were wearing pink he would have worn a pink shirt although his shirt matched up fairly well to our shirts.
We dined with Food & Beverage Manager, Tayfun, and with Shore Excursion Manager, Daniel. This was our reunion dinner, as the four of us had dined at Tastes towards the end of World Cruise 2014. Both of these officers have major responsibilities on board Serenity.
Tayfun oversees the Food & Beverage Department and this department not only takes good care of the guests but they are also responsible for feeding the crew and with a crew with many diverse nationalities this involves diversity in food and its preparation.
Daniel and his team are instrumental in so many areas of the shore excursion program ensuring that all is set with the tour operator in terms of number of participants by tour, taking care of guest short tickets including those who want to add or cancel tours, selecting escorts from Crystal to accompany each tour, following up on any passenger issues, revising schedules should there be a delay in the arrival of Serenity to port due to weather related issues and a multitude of other items. In addition, Daniel and his team are very involved in other areas such as the World Cruise Shore Side Events.
From L-R Tayfun, Anne Marie, Keith, Daniel.
There are three living walls in Tastes, and we are standing in front of one of them for this photo.
For us dining at Tastes in the evening has the look and feel of dining at a land based restaurant at a resort hotel. The service and the cuisine were absolutely superb as was the company whom we dined with. We enjoyed plenty of great conversation with a lot of laughs.
Our waiter was Deirdre who was our waiter on the last voyage and someone we have known from the Crystal Dining Room.
We posted the new Tastes Menu when we dined at Tastes on the Holiday Voyage but thought we would post it again.
These photos show the various items we enjoyed with the exception of a couple of desserts. This is a relatively new salad which is the first time we have tried it. It was very tasty.
This salad is called Roast Butternut Squash-Frisse Salad.
We have been enjoying the Alsatian Tarte since the first time we dined at Tastes in January of 2014.
Thi sis the Scottish Cured Salmon.
The yummy Saffron-Marinated Lamb Kebabs
Chimichurri Steak and this is the one time that Keith has the Sweet Potatoes.
California Street Tacos which we have had before but not on the first voyage. Very tasty too.
We also shared two of three desserts. This is one of the few times that Keith will have a dessert and same for Anne Marie other than from time to time having a sugar free dessert. We shared the Bananas Foster and the Dark Chocolate Creme Brûlée. They were delicious and thankfully small portions but likely more calories than we would want to know. LOL, but true.
We had an amazing time with Tayfun and Daniel with lots of great conversation and a lot of laughs.
We slept very well last evening as we sailed to Tortola, of the British Virgin Islands.
Once again, Keith was up first and worked out at the Fitness Center.
After his workout, he enjoyed coffee at the Lido Cafe. We wanted to mention that there are some additions at the Lido Cafe with respect to organic breakfast items. At home we use almost all organic products and it's nice to see some organic items being introduced such as these breakfast cereals and other related items.
Anne Marie went on a one hour walk and then we had breakfast in our room as we got ready for another wonderful day on-board Serenity.
We were just to Tortola less than two weeks ago and because we would need to take a tender we decided to make today a sea day instead.
Tortola is great for its water related activities such as snorkeling, swimming, and even the excursions involving the dolphins. These are a couple of photos that we took from our verandah.
Guests on the Dolphin Swim Adventure boarded this ship from the Tender Landing on Serenity.
It was another reunion with the two other cruise ships that were in port with us when we were anchored off Tortola during the Holiday Cruise.
Our friend the Aida and she is definitely easy to recognize with the exterior paint design.
The Costa Magica.
Several other guests also decided to make today a sea day as well.
In the morning, Keith worked out, once again, at the Fitness Center and we also sat in the Crystal Cove where we spoke with some guests, including Barbara and also Ed and several officers including Hotel Director Josef; Food & Beverage Manager Tayfun; Bar Manager Ross as well as with Cruise Sales Consultant Daniele and Crystal Society Hostess Jaque. We also read and wrote. Anne Marie started work on another project which is crocheting an evening glitter clutch purse.
Once again, we had lunch at the Lido Cafe and made salad entrees. We typically make a full dinner plate of salad including salad greens, tomatoes, and cucumber. Anne Marie adds a few other items to her salad such as olives while Keith usually adds some type of boiled and/or grilled vegetables and then we each have a small portion of either chicken or salmon or some other cooked fish. This works very well for us. We enjoyed some great laughs at lunch with some of the people at the table next to us.
After lunch, Keith played Paddle Tennis for a couple of hours while Anne Marie walked for another hour, and sat out by the pool. We both read and wrote. The weather is warm and humid but it is far better for us than being in the cold.
This evening we will be dining at Prego with two senior members of the crew and will post all about this tomorrow.
TODAY'S THOUGHT FOR THE DAY......
“Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.” - Robert Francis Kennedy
Keith & Anne Marie
I think this may be a long shot, but Keith, with your contacts, anything may be possible. Can you get some pictures of crew quarters, such as their mess hall/dining room, bar/lounge and maybe one of the crew cabins. It's part of the ship we are never allowed to see!
ReplyDeleteGeorge/Lambcom