We wanted to begin today's Blog noting that it was thirteen years ago that the horrific act occurred on September 11, 2001 where so many innocent people lost their lives. This event changed the life of families of those who died was it did for so many people around the world. Just as the generation that preceded us carried with them the tragedy of Pearl Harbor, we carry with us the tragedy of 9/11.
Wouldn't it be nice if one day the world could live in peace? We are reminded that on a cruise ship people might represent 50 or more nationalities, yet they work collectively as a team. Our thoughts and prayers go out to those impacted by 9/11 and also from previous and subsequent horrific acts.
Before dinner last evening we attended a cocktail reception at the Captain's Quarters. We were greeted at the entrance by the Captain, Crystal Society Hostess and as we walked in we also spoke with Nikki the Cruise Sales Consultant. We spoke with awhile with the Vice Captain and with the Hotel Director. About an hour of so before the reception the sea swells picked up a little more and with some wind some water was splashing up even to our verandah and hand rail on Deck 11. The Captain's quarters are located on our deck several room more forward so you will feel the sea swells more from this location which we did. It did not bother us but as we left and walked out with two other couples some of them seemed to be getting a little sea sick. Later in the evening the sea swells felt a good deal calmer and that continued throughout the nighttime hours.
After the reception we dined at the Crystal Dining Room.
Dinner was wonderful and we were taken good care of by the wonderful waitstaff team.
We each began our meals with salads and then we had as an appetizer of a smaller portion of the Modern Cuisine Fresh Turbot entree. It was so very tasty between the Turbot, and the items that accompanied it. The modern cuisine menu items are presented very well and they are indeed very tasty.
All in all we had a wonderful time. Maitre d' Leo came by our table as did our own Head Waiter Augusto several times and also Head Waiter Franz who also checked up on us a few times. Head Waiter Franz will bicycle in port from time to time and over the past two times we have dined at the Crystal Dining Room he has told us some very funny stories that made us laugh so hard we did have tears rolling down from our eyes.
The sky was beautiful as the sun was setting, when we got back to our room. It had a beautiful pink glow to it.
The good news is that we set the clocks back one hour as we are sailing into a new time zone. This is one of the advantages of sailing from the East to the West.
We slept very well. When we went to the Captain's Cocktail Party the seas seemed choppy plus his location is on our deck but very far foreword to it will feel more bumpy there but by the time we went to sleep the seas were calmer and we are more mid-ship.
We had our normal routine for the morning with each of us working out and Keith getting coffee at the Lido Cafe. As he was getting his coffee, Lido Deck Steward Joe put a nice tray of goodies right next to the coffee urns, but as good as they looked and smelled Keith was not tempted.
We had breakfast 30 minutes earlier as Keith had an early Spin Class. Then it was off to the Spin Class for Keith while Anne Marie walked some more. It was too cold for Anne Marie to walk outside so she walked inside the ship. Spin Class we fun and for the first time this cruise all cycles were taken and Fitness Director LeAnne challenged all of us.
There were a couple of interesting lectures in the morning. Jay Wolff spoke about Reykjavik including its long history. Next up was World Affairs Lecturer Dr. John Renninger who spoke about what happened after the Arab Spring and the New Middle East.
We also spent time at the Crystal Cove and just like the World Cruise we sat at our favorite location that some refer to as our office. It's a great spot to speak with guests and members of the crew who pass by. One of the people who we spoke with was JiJo. JiJo had been our Senior Waiter on several cruises and a couple of years ago became one of the Butlers who work on decks 10 and 11. We had not yet seen JiJo since we boarded the ship. It was great to catch up with him.
The Stewardess that we have for this voyage is Sneha. She was our Stewardess for the entire 2012 World Cruise and is an absolute delight. Since that time she has been on Deck 11 (we normally are on Deck 10) and we were thrilled to have her for this voyage. We have seen her from time to time on the 2013 and 2014 World Cruises and she is a gem.
The Stewardesses who are responsible for the three Penthouse categories are assisted by a Stewardess in Training. Usually the Stewardess in Training support two different Stewardesses. It is in that position and their first contract with Crystal that they learn all of the aspects of the job and how to perform it and assuming they are successful then for their next contract they will be promoted to Stewardess. On occasion, some are promoted sometime during their first contract.
Sometimes you can go a few days and not even see your Stewardess as they work they magic cleaning your room while you are in port or somewhere else on the ship in the morning and in the evening including turndown service. We applaud all that the Stewardesses do to make each voyage special.
We had lunch at the Lido Cafe and we were joined for lunch by Cruise Director Rick.
Keith didn't think he'd play Paddle Tennis as it looked cold and windy but someone from the crew told him it would be fine. Now, we've heard that before. LOL. So, he put on a long sleeve workout shirt and long workout pants and his fleece and his woolen hat and it was nice. There was not much of a wind and after a few sets he took the fleece off. However, as they say you never when it comes to weather and weather can change in minutes which it did. It got cool and windy so the fleece came back on and it was a little tricky to play but nevertheless they continued and played for a few hours. It was a lot of fun with a good group out there who play hard and also laugh a lot.
Anne Marie walked in the afternoon and finished her knitting project.
We are posting early again and expect to arrive to Reykjavik in less than two hours where we will dock overnight and then have tomorrow there as well. We understand that many people have made reservations for dinner downtown as Reykjavik is known for having some of the best restaurants in the world. In fact since this is a food and wine cruise a local chef will be coming on board Serenity and he will do cooking demonstrations, will oversee the preparation of some food for the dining room and will be the chef for the exclusive Vintage Room that we will be attending. Some guests also are going ashore to visit the Blue Lagoon.
This evening we are dining at Silk Road. There will also be a variety show.
Keith & Anne Marie
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