We had a great time on Serenity last evening.
We began the evening by attending the first of the two Captain Welcome Receptions. We were greeted by Captain Giske who we have sailed with several times, including this past September when we crossed the North Atlantic from Southampton to Boston. This is Captain Giske's first World Cruise as Captain and he is very excited about this adventure. We also spoke with Crystal Society Hostess Alissa, Hotel Director Josef and Cruise Director Gary and also Food & Beverage Manager Tayfun.
Anne Marie with Food & Beverage Manager Tayfun.
We also signed up for the World Cruise 2015 Photo Package which we have done before starting in 2013 when it was first offered. For a set fee you can get prints of all photos taken of you (no limit) and for a small incremental amount over that you can also have them put on thumb drives and you will also own the copyrights to the photos. We really like having them on thumb drives so we can use them on our blog. We should get a thumb drive at the end of each segment and then will be able to post some of them in the coming weeks. We do have a lot of fun with this with the photographers.
Afterwards, we had dinner at Silk Road with Cruise Director Rick, World Cruise Hostess Stacey, and Jocelyn and Bob who we first met in 2007. Earlier in the day, Gary had saw Keith in the Crystal Cove and asked if we would be available to go for dinner at one of the Specialty Restaurants with Stacey and one other couple and also whether we preferred Silk Road or Prego. Keith gladly accepted and since we already have a reservation for Prego for evening recommended Silk Road. With so many on for the full World Cruise Gary said he hoped to dine with as many World Cruisers as possible by inviting a couple of couples to dinner as schedules allow.
We won't go through each and every item we had but we thought we would post a photo of the Sushi/Sashimi Platter.
We had a fabulous time at dinner with lots of great stories and a lot of laughs. We had met Jocelyn and Bob at the World Cruise Gala held at the Four Seasons Hotel in Miami at the start of World Cruise 2007 as we were seated at the same table with them and Keith was seated right next to Bob.
Last evening featured the Billy Joel Concert which we think is one of the best shows we've seen on Crystal Cruises. The songs that are sung appeal to a large cross section of guests at various ages.
Seas were relatively calm last evening as we sail towards our first Port Of Call of World Cruise 2015. We slept very well and enjoyed our regular morning routine. Keith was up first and worked out at the Fitness Center. Afterwards, he enjoyed coffee at the Lido Cafe, while he read and wrote. After having coffee that Keith brought back to the room for her, Anne Marie got ready and then walked for an hour before we had breakfast in our room. We then enjoyed breakfast in our room as we watched the Morning Show. Normally the show is hosted by Cruise Director Gary and World Cruise Hostess Stacey. However, Gary has laryngitis so Joe Kita stepped in to help out. Joe covered some of the things he'll be doing this World Cruise. In addition to Memoir Writing and helping with Yoga, Joe will be hosting the first World Cruise Book Club. He has chosen around 13 books that represent places we are visiting. Unlike when Robert Adams covered books from time to time, Joe will not lecture but it will be more of a discussion. The books were noted on the Crystal Cruises web site months ago but people could also download them in port.
Today was another jam packed day with lots of enrichment on the program. There was even more than yesterday since yesterday included opportunities for people to sign up for some of the programs such as Pilates and Computer Classes and the like and today many of the programs were rolled out.
There were three lectures on the schedule;
Rick Stealing spoke about provocative and memorable opening scenes in movies
Jack McManus spoke about social networking and how to get involved.
Bill Miller spoke about the original Queen Mary and the Queen Elizabeth Ocean Liners and also spoke about Queen Mary 2 (which we sailed on in May of late year following World Cruise 2014) and the two newer Queens (Elizabeth and Victoria). He noted that there are 36 cruise ships under construction right now across all cruise lines.
On this year's World Cruise there will be a wide range of speakers and topics that are covered from World Events and Politics to Geography to the Economy to Sports which hopefully provides something for everyone.
We caught two of the three lectures on Television as they are recorded live and then rebroadcasted both the same day and the following day. In addition, they are available to view on the iPad anytime we want.
Shortly after Breakfast, Anne Marie took Yoga which is taught by Maria Kita. Last year, Anne Marie took Yoga on most sea days and enjoyed the program. Maria has been teaching Yoga on the last three World Cruises and her husband Joe teaches Memoir Writing and this year looks like he will teach both Yoga courses with Maria. We first met Joe and Maria in 2007.
On a related note, there are some members from enrichment such as Joe and Maria who usually return to the World Cruise most if not in all succeeding years. Examples include Rabbi Morrie and his wife Jerri, Pastor Ed and his wife Ruth, Computer Instructor Stan and his wife Mary, Golf Pro John and his wife Pauline, Bridge Instructors (husband and wife) Ginny and Jeff. At the same time, there are some who return every few years or still some who come on for one time. We enjoy this approach as we have become good friends with several of the people who return often while we enjoy meeting new people too.
Keith ran some errands this morning such as meeting with the Chief Concierge Sergio and also working on some of the tours we have set up over the coming weeks and months. He sat in his normal spot at the Crystal Cove and Anne Marie joined him after Yoga and we ran into lots of people so it was a nice place to socialize.
At noon, we enjoyed lunch at the Lido Cafe and made our usual Salad Entrees.
In the afternoon, Anne Marie walked for an hour and then read and wrote and Keith played Paddle Tennis. It was a beautiful day outside and Keith and the others had a fun time out there. Late in the afternoon, Anne Marie went to a knitting get together and Keith met up with dear friend Bob.
Shortly before dinner we will have our photo taken for the World Cruise Photo Book. Afterwards, we plan to have dinner at Prego and then we will be attending a cocktail party hosted by one of the people we have known for many years from our World Cruises. We will post all about this tomorrow.
TODAY'S THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
“And in the end, it’s not the years in
your life that count. It’s the
life in your years.” - Abraham
Lincoln
Keith & Anne Marie
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