DAY 10 - DAY 5 CRYSTAL SERENITY - BELFAST, UNITED KINGDOM

Before dinner last evening we met with Crystal Society Hostess Alissa Gustafsson.  This is our first time sailing with Alissa and she is very friendly and gracious and we feel as if we already have known her for a very long time.

Afterwards, we enjoyed a drink at the Crystal Cove as we listened to Pianist, John Mentis perform.

Emma is one of the crew members who is working in the Crystal Cove Lounge during this voyage who we sailed with earlier this year.  She took great care of us.

We then went to dinner at the Crystal Dining Room and we joined for dinner with Cruise Director, Rick Spath.  When we dine with Rick, we know that we are in store for some fabulous conversation and also lots of jokes.  Keith and Rick share an enthusiasm for sports, but each has their own favorite Major League Baseball Team, neither which is having a season worth remembering.  LOL.

Behind Rick and Anne Marie is Head Waiter Augusto.

Behind Keith is Head Waiter Frantz, Senior Waiter Lylian, and Waiter Jan.

We had pre-ordered appetizers ahead of time with Head Waiter Augusto.  Keith had Tuna TarTare while Anne Marie enjoyed Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail.  Keith really enjoys the ingredients that Augusto uses to prepare the Tuna.

Augusto had the Jumbo Shrimp served on a plate and there were quite a few of them.  

However, Rick only got two.  Oh my!

For a second course we each had soup, with the two of us having the Chicken Broth with Matzo Balls.  For our next course we had Salad.

All three of us had the Modern Cuisine Halibut. It was very tasty with the flavor from the various ingredients that accompanied it.   This included Spinach Pearl Cous Cous, Red Wine Onions & Corn Cappuccino.  We also had several side orders of vegetables.

For a final course it was mixed berries for Keith, and non-fat frozen Cappuccino Yogurt and Rick had some ice cream.

We had an absolutely wonderful time with Rick.

During dinner the Captain spoke briefly from the bridge at 6:30 PM.  He noted that that with all guests back on the ship that we would depart 30 minutes earlier than the schedule and that the forecast for Belfast called for sunny skies with highs around 57 degrees fahrenheit.  

When we got back to the room we had a form on our bed that needs to be filled out for our arrival later in the cruise to Halifax, Canada.

Seas were calm and we slept very well.  

Keith was up first and did the same routine as normal including workout, stop at the Lido Cafe and coffee for Anne Marie.  Anne Marie walked for about 30 minutes and then we had breakfast in our room and then got ready for our arrival to Belfast.

Today, represented our first visit ever to Belfast.  As such we did take a tour and we took a special private tour that Crystal Cruises arranged for us a few months ago based on some of our input along with their recommendations.

We had an absolutely amazing tour.  Everything was perfect, and the weather was too.

The tour included a private car, guide and driver.

Our fabulous tour guide Roland.

Our equally wonderful driver David.

The Vehicle we were driven in.

We began the tour with a visit to the Hillsborough Castle.  Very few individuals get into this Castle so we consider ourselves so very fortunate to visit the Castle.  Queen Elizabeth II visits this Castle from time to time and has stayed over here from time to time as well, most recently just 2 1/2 months ago.

The interior was amazing as was the outside gardens.  It boasts lots of antiques and artwork.  

We walked through each of the rooms.

We had a private tour guide just for this part of the tour.  Her name was Judith.  She has given tours here fro 17 years. 

We had some coffee (Anne Marie), tea (Keith) and some sconces.

This book is signed by important officials such as Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles.

We then departed for the Belfast City Centre while we took a Panoramic Tour of Belfast.  We then walked around for about an hour while Roland pointed out many interesting sites and provided lots of valuable information.

This is one of two universities which we visited.

We then walked through a Botanic Garden.  It was beautiful.

This was the area of where some of the bombing took place between 1969 and 1999.   These are the politic murals that are on display in the working class neighborhoods.

This is a wall that separates neighborhoods.

This is one of many Catholic Churches that we saw during our tour, along with many Protestant Churches.

This is City Hall and we also toured the inside area.

At around noon we visited the Belfast Harbour Office and had a private guided tour which was followed by lunch at the Harbour Office and hosted by the Port of Belfast.

The tour was given by Tony who is the Public Relations Director of the Harbour Office.  We were hosted for a lunch by Joe O'Neill who is Commercial Director and CEO of the Harbour Office which includes all of the Port Operations.  

The interior of the building is amazing and looks like a Palace or Castle or Museum or a mix of all three.

This is the table and chairs built for the Captain's Quarters of the Titanic.  It was not ready at the time of sailing but a few days after the fact.

This is where we dined.

Public Relations Director Tony next to Keith and Director, Joe O'Neill next to Anne Marie.

After lunch, we were given a private tour of the Titanic Belfast Museum which was given by the Manager of this museum. This museum contains 130,000 square feet of floor space and is both a visitor attraction and a monument to Belfast's maritime heritage in the city's Titanic Quarter.  

The museum opened in 2012.  Many people do not associate the Titanic with Belfast not realizing that not only was the ship built there but so were 1,500 or so ships including all of the ones that were part of White Star as well as military ships.  Rather they think of Southampton or Liverpool.  A decision was made to build this museum to educate the people about the building of the Titanic and its association with Belfast.  The design of the building both on the exterior and the interior was very well thought out along with what is on display.  It is one of the most interesting museums we have ever visited related to ships.  

This is just a small portion of the outside of the building.  The height of the building represents the height of the Titanic.  The color white represents White Star.

The first part of our tour was conducted by the Director of Operations and the Deputy CEO of this museum, Judith Owens.  She provided a lot of information about the background of this museum and its philosophy and she also took us to the top floor of the museum.

From the top floor you can see where Titanic lay while being constructed.  Crystal Serenity is in the background.

Later on we were taken on a private tour of the rest of the muse by Tony.  The reality is you can spend a day or more here and we had around 90 minutes so we want to return again for a day's tour of the museum.  So much to see and learn.

For about 10 minutes you go in an amusement like ride and you see many views of what it was like when the Titanic was constructed.

After this tour we drove for about 15 more minutes while our guide and driver pointed out other items for us to see and then we were taken back to the Crystal Serenity.

We had an amazing day.  One of the best tours we've ever taken.  We got a great appreciation for Belfast which is working very hard to reinvent itself.  Many years ago their major economic drivers were shipbuilding, linen (you needed linen for all of the ships for various items including tablecloths), rope (key for ships too) and a few others areas that are either not in existence or are relatively small today.  Back then people had very little.  For example, those working on the Titanic made very little money and could largely afford a diet of potatoes and tea.

Tourism is now very strong in Belfast.  And there is no question that it will get stronger.  The city has a lot to offer.  We want to revisit Belfast and highly recommend it to those of you who have not yet had the opportunity to visit this beautiful city.

We thank Crystal Cruises for organizing an absolutely wonderful tour for us that we will remember for the rest of our lives.

This evening we will dine at Tastes with two special guests.

Keith & Anne Marie