DAY 35 AT SEA AND DAY 27 CRYSTAL SERENITY

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We had mentioned in yesterday's post that when we arrived back to our room after the Gala there were some gifts in our room.  One of them was these two bags with each containing World Cruise Jackets, Hats and Shirts inside them.

When we returned to our room last evening, there was a letter from World Cruise Hostess Stacey about some coming events and also a gift for each of us which was a pin commemorating the 25th Anniversary of Crystal Cruises.

We wanted to begin by saying that everyone we ran into yesterday thought, as we did, that the World Cruise Gala was a wow+++.  The team of Crystal Cruises really elevated the bar with this year’s Gala and there were so many benefits for the guests to have this on board rather than at a land based hotel.  In addition to Crystal being able to provide the guests with a much higher level of service, cuisine and overall ambience by having the Gala on-board, the other major benefit was logistics and flexibility for each guest.  If someone wanted to skip the cocktails and balloon drop they could or if they wanted to attend the cocktail hour, balloon drop off and dinner but skip the entertainment they could.  In short, there was tremendous flexibility for each and every person.  Kudos to Crystal Cruises including both the Los Angeles and the Shipboard team for making this a night that we will carry with us for the rest of our lives.

Many guests took advantage of our overnight in Miami and either went on an organized tour, toured the nearby area on their own, or did some shopping.   A complimentary shuttle was offered taking guests to South Beach and dropping them off at Lincoln Rd. where there are many stores nearby.  We visited this area on our pre-cruise stay.  For us, we walked between the port of Miami over the bridge and over to Bayside as well as a nearby Pharmacy.  We picked up a few additional items.

We enjoyed another wonderful evening on board Crystal Serenity last night.

When we first arrived to the Crystal Cove for a pre-dinner drink, we spoke with Hotel Director, Josef, for a few minutes and let him know how much we enjoyed the Gala.  We also thanked Josef and his entire team for working tirelessly to make this a success.  As we mentioned yesterday, doing all that they did on top of embarking over 600 guests that same day and having to transform the dining venues and the Crystal Plaza as they did and then put it all back the way it was required a major team effort.  On top of this, they served 600+ meals at once.  Unlike at a hotel banquet, each course was served at the appropriate temperature and also at a much higher quality level than you can find at a hotel. 

With all guests on board, there was a mandatory guest emergency muster drill for all guests who had embarked for the first time in Miami.  Those of us who had already been on board did not have to attend.  During this journey there will be selected drills that all guests will be asked to attend. 

We had a pre-drink at the Crystal Cove where we sat with friend John and Linda and Jocelyn and Bob.  Lecturer, Bill Miller, sat with us.  Bill lectures about the history of cruising.

We were back at the Crystal Dining Room for dinner.  We will have our same table that we had for the last to voyages for the entire World Cruise.  As we mentioned, Senior Waiter Ayhan will be on board the entire time.  Our new waiter is Daniel.  Our Head Waiter is Bojan who we adore and have had from time to time in the past.

There was a lot of enthusiasm in the Dining Room as this was the first dinner other than the Gala since the World Cruise began.  At some tables you have people who have known each other from other sailings and at other tables you have people meeting for the very first time and still at other tables you have a combination of both people already knowing each other and people meeting for the very first time.

Sommelier Javier went home on Holiday and we now have Ivana who was our Senior Waiter last year.

We began dinner with salads. For our entree we each ordered Salmon which was perfectly cooked.  The menu called for pan fried Salmon and we asked for broiled salmon with the same sides that accompanied the salmon on the menu.

We also had our usual side order of vegetables.

For dessert, it was mixed berries for Keith and Blueberries for Anne Marie.

When we left the dining room we ran into many familiar people including Pastor Ed and his wife Ruth and Memoir and Yoga Instructors Joe and Maria Kita along with some other people we know.

Serenity left the port of Miami on schedule last evening at around 8:00 PM.  With the vast majority of the World Cruisers already on board on Wednesday, yesterday’s embarkation involved 300+ guests and the embarkation was very smooth as it was on Wednesday.  Evidently about 20 people coming from London arrived later than planned, but thankfully they did arrive with enough time to get them on board and their check in was performed at the reception desk.

The show last evening was a Welcome Aboard Showtime which featured the Crystal Ensemble of Singers and Dancers along with Dance Team Curtis and Beverly.

When we got back to our room we realized we had to forward our clocks by one hour.

The seas were calm and we enjoyed a good night's sleep.  We were tired after being up later than usual the night before so that helped as well.

Keith was up first and worked out twice; first shortly after he awoke and a second time after having some coffee at the Lido Cafe.  It was during his second workout that he saw dear friend John who worked out on the Elliptical Machine next to Keith.  Keith paid a second visit to the Lido Cafe to get coffee for Anne Marie and shortly after she took a one hour walk.  We then had breakfast in our room while we watched the Morning Show.   On the World Cruises there is a morning television show on sea days from 8:00 AM to 8:30 and this years World Cruise features Cruise Director Gary Hunter and World Cruise Hostess Stacey Huston.  They cover major items for the day, or upcoming events, and they take callers questions and also do some trivia.  They had two trivia questions today and Keith called to correctly answer the first question.

Today was the first sea day of the World Cruise.  As such there was a lot on the program including three lectures.  Dr. Jay Wolff let the lectures off with a talk about how Spain was made rich with New World gold in places such as Santo Domingo, Cartagena and Santa Marta.  Following his talk, World Affairs Lecturer Own Ullman spoke about the Financial Outlook for 2015.  In the afternoon, Bill Miller spoke about the Grand Atlantic Ocean Liners, which were designed to be floating palaces.

In addition to the enrichment founds on each Crystal Voyage,  the World Cruise Program is augmented to include even more enrichment as well as entertainment.  Some of the enrichment on the program today that is mainly found on World Cruises included Yoga with a dedicated Yoga Instructor, Everything Apple Computer Class, and Memoir Writing.

We had a great day!  We continue to run into many World Cruisers who we have known from one or more sailings and we also have enjoyed meeting people for the very first time.  We watched two of the lectures on television as at the time they were given live we were in our usual spot at the Crystal Cove, reading and writing and speaking with fellow guests and crew and Anne Marie continued to work on her projects.  While we were at the Crystal Cove, Gary Hunter stopped by to ask if we would be available to dine with him and Stacey this evening along with one other couple and we said yes so we will be dining at Silk Road this evening instead of the Crystal Dining Room.

Later in the morning we attended a meet and greet for World Cruisers.  There was dancing to the music of the Galaxy Orchestra and then Stacey and Gary spoke with everyone about the World Cruise.  They then asked all of the Senior Officers and other Senior Crew to go to the front and to introduce themselves noting their name, position and home country.  We sat with Bob and Glo.

We enjoyed lunch at the Lido Café and afterwards we did some of usual activities. 

When we say some, it had rained a little bit but looked like it would clear so the crew dried off the Paddle Tennis Court and Keith played for a short while when all of a sudden it started to rain again so that was it for today.

Later in the afternoon Keith got together with dear friend Bob and some of our other friends.

Anne Marie walked for more than an hour, and then went to the Knitting Class.

This evening is Black Tie Optional.  Whereas on most sailings there are now usually one Captain’s Welcome Reception with so many people on board and this being the first Welcome Reception of the World Cruise two receptions will be held this evening.  The featured entertainment is a show that recently debuted on Serenity and one that we already love which is My Life: The Music Of Billy Joel.

To close out today, we thought we would share a thought about enjoyment.  It is very easy to let the little things in life to distract each of us from what is truly important and enjoyable. We prefer to focus on all that is good.

TODAY'S THOUGHT FOR THE DAY.............

"Make everyday the best it can be.  Enjoy each moment as if it is your last." -  Keith & Anne Marie

Keith & Anne Marie