Well, not quite yet. However, stay tuned for tomorrow when we arrive to Montevideo, Uruguay at around the scheduled time of 9:00 AM.
Before dinner last evening, we enjoyed a pre-dinner drink with dear friends John and Linda at the Avenue Saloon. Afterwards, we went up to the Lido Cafe to have some formal photos take of us. As we have mentioned, the Manager of the Photo Department, Neil, has been trying to change things up rather than taking formal photos at the same traditional spots for those of us who are signed up for the photo package of unlimited photos.
Afterwards, we dined at the Silk Road Japanese Specialty Restaurant with friends Joe and Maria Kita. Joe is the Memoir Writer on Board who also leads a new addition to this year's World Cruise which is Book Club and also assists Maria who teaches two Yoga Classes. As mentioned, Anne Marie takes the Gentle Yoga Class. We have had the pleasure of knowing Joe and Maria since our first World Cruise in 2007 which was also their first time on the World Cruise. We enjoy several similarities including travel, and exercise but we also enjoy dining and especially together at Silk Road and especially the Sashimi for Joe, Maria and Keith.
Head Waiter Sigi who is back on board after a well deserved Holiday at home escorted us to our table and Waiter Albert who is also on board took care of us for the first time since he went home before the start of the World Cruise for his holiday.
We began with some items that Waiter Albert pre-ordered for us.
These are Nobul Specials of Sashimi, some of which are not cooked and one of which is slightly cooked. For those people who do not care for Sashimi, we have found that many of them do like these items as they find the item to be flavorful due to the unique sauces that are used to marinate each item. Anne Marie does not prefer Sashimi, yet she enjoyed two of the three items show below.
We ordered a Sashimi/Sushi Platter for the two of us.
Joe and Maria did likewise for them.
Keith then had the Sea Bass for our entree. This menu item was added to the menu on the previous segment of the World Cruise. He finds the sea bass to be light, moist and enhanced with the sauce that accompanies the entree.
Anne Marie had the Wagu Beef which is accompanied by three different tasting sauces. We didn't get a photo of it but she really enjoyed it. The beef is thinly sliced and the three tasting sauces enhance the taste of the beef.
All in all it was a wonderful evening and we thoroughly enjoyed dining with such nice friends.
When we arrived to the room there was a World Cruise Gift on our bed wrapped in Silver Paper commemorating the Silver Anniversary of Crystal Cruises.
The good news is we set the clock back yet another hour as we are sailing to South America. We are now only two hours ahead of those of you who live in the East Coast of the United States of America. We have truly enjoyed the route that we have taken during the World Cruise as it allows for the clocks to be set backwards rather than forwards. With that said, when the World Cruise ends, we will then be setting the clocks forward as we sail from Miami, Florida to Lisbon, Portugal. Oh well!
The seas were fairly calm last evening, which was nice and another good thing was that we moved the clocks back another hour as we are sailing to our next time zone change.
We slept very well and Keith was up first. By now you all know the routing which included exercise and then a stop to the Lido Cafe for coffee and to read and to write. Interestingly enough, even though we did not hear the wind from our room, while Keith was working out at the Fitness Center for most of his workout he heard the wind howling. Surprisingly, it had minimal impact on the ship.
Anne Marie was up next and after having some coffee walked for an hour.
This was another fun-filled day.
Keith took an indoor cycling class. Fitness Director Chase taught this one and Keith and his fellow spinners worked very hard. This class involved speed with a lot of all out efforts and in between were extremely high hills where the resistance was almost as high as it could go without one stopping.
Towards the end of Keith's Class was the weekly crew drill. This drill is just for the crew and usually involves them responding to something out of the ordinary on a particular deck.
He also attended the Ocean Views Panel Discussion which was moderated by Ken Rees with participation from panelists Kathryn Childers, Ambassador Tony Leon, Lord David Steel and General Sir Hugh Michael Rose. This Ocean Views was quite a bit longer than usual given the number of questions that were being asked and possibly due to the speakers who were on board. We both really enjoy Ocean Views for several reasons. First, it allows a wide range of opinions to be given on each and every question rather than just getting one point of view. Second, with the interactive electronic devices that each guest is given we can see what others in the audience response is to the same question that will be asked of the panelists. Finally, since the audience feedback is asked both prior to when the panelists weigh-in on each question and also after they have given their opinion, we can see what impact the discussion had on the audience based on which answer they selected before and after the discussion.
The program was very well attended.
To test out our electronic devices we were asked which restaurant on board Serenity is your favorite and the Crystal Dining Room had the highest number of people selecting it.
The questions asked touched on a range of subjects. Examples included:
Can Iran be a force of good in the world? The majority of guests selected the answer which said that we should give it a try with them.
What can be done about this new thread (ISIS) to world order? Form a coalition to take military action.
Has America lost influence in the world? Slightly over 28% thought that American has lost influence. Around 67% said we should stay involved with issues. About 7% said we should not try to influence regional countries. While the question could be applied to any region, it was more focused on the Middle East. This is one that the panel discussion moved the response more towards that America should stay more involve.
Is democracy in peril? 14% have faith in democracy. 3% of the people thought that the system is diminishing. 83% believe thought the system should be changed. The results of this one also changed quite a bit and Keith thought that was because people didn't think through the answer to the question.
They key is to keep in mind that the wording of the question can be a factor in how one answers the question as well is the choices that are listed for each answer and how they are written.
Anne Marie attended Gentle Yoga and her Knitting Class.
The morning passed quickly and before we knew, it was time to have lunch at the Lido Cafe.
In the afternoon, Keith played Paddle Tennis and then met up with dear friend Bob.
Anne Marie walked for an hour and continued to work on her knitting projects.
This evening we are back at the Crystal Dining Room for dinner.
TODAY'S THOUGHT FOR THE DAY......
"We should not let our fears hold us back from pursuing our hope." - John Fitzgerald Kennedy
Keith & Anne Marie
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