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Crystal Cruises
We do not intend to go ashore at all during this itinerary,
so we won't have much, if anything, to report regarding the Mexican ports of
call. Our sole purpose is to get the heck out of town and away from the
daily hassles of remodeling and building that have been ongoing for two years
now. There is some light at the end of the tunnel though. Final
preparations for the hardscape are moving along and we're now able to navigate
parts of the yard without stepping in the mud. Here's a
photo of the
latest phase now reaching a conclusion. By the way, we did decide to downgrade from our originally
booked Penthouse to a category B, Stateroom with Verandah on Deck 8. We chose to drive our own car to the port, which took
exactly 90 minutes from door to door. The parking lot was rather full, but
with plenty of room left for us and a few others.
The cruise ticket states that boarding begins at 3:00 PM,
but in reality it always starts at 2:00 PM. We have read elsewhere that
they allow guests to board earlier than that, but not have access to staterooms
until 2:00 PM. We saw no evidence that they are continuing this practice.
Our guess is that they do this in ports where guests have to fly long distances
and it makes more sense to get them on board quickly rather than keep them
waiting ashore.
It really didn't matter since we arrived around 2:00 PM anyway and there were no
guests arriving, in line, or elsewhere. Our advice is to arrive at or
slightly after the boarding time stated on the ticket when you are likely to
walk right onto the ship. Our first encounter with a crew member was with
Benjamin, a Lido Deck Steward, who was rushing
out to make a phone call. He knew our names right away and who is who.
Next up was Ruel from the Lido Deck who was
manning the door. He immediately addressed us as "Mr. Dave and Mr. Bill"
and correctly applied them to the proper person. It was amusing when the
security officer sitting nearby didn't bother asking for our I.D. until after
Ruel had been calling us by name for five minutes. Security, what?
All she did was look at our driver's license and usher us in. After walking through the metal detector and hand luggage
X-ray, we walked right up to the check-in agent. She handed us our room
key cards and sent us off to the ship. From curb to ship took maybe five
minutes, if that. We were happy to see that they weren't handing out the
obnoxious dining cards for the first night. This procedure is really disruptive
and we have never discerned any point to it since table assignments are always
waiting in the rooms. In any case, the first night is "no assigned seats",
another practice we don't understand. After the usual boarding photo, we sanitized our hands
at the gangway dispenser as required and went aboard where our hand luggage was X-rayed again. The headwaiter
handling the arrivals wasn't doing his job and was mortified when we were left
standing there. The line of waiters waiting to escort us to our room just
stood there staring at him. In the line was Joaquin, a Prego waiter we
have known forever, and Mary from the shops, another familiar face. Our
waiter from the last cruise on this ship didn't recognize us, which is no big
deal. Once in the room we found a
stateroom almost identical
in layout to those on Crystal Symphony, with cherry wood rather than
whitewashed oak. The rooms aren't large by industry standards, but they are
reasonably well thought out with ample
closet space and lots of
drawers. The bathroom
is smallish, but extremely well planned with many nooks and shelves for
toiletries and such. There is a bathtub-shower combination with good
water pressure. The only negative is that the toilet is very close to the
wall. Anyone wider than we are might have issues with that. We begin this cruise with the following gifts and
credits: 2 Bon Voyage Rose
Bouquets from Crystal Society Once we settled in a bit we went down to make
reservations for Silk Road with Antonio, the maitre 'd for alternative
restaurants. He was sitting in a conference room with no line at all, so we walked right up and
made a reservation for tonight and for the final formal night. We like to
avoid the Baked Alaska Parade on the final formal evening if at all possible. Then it was up to the
Trident Grill for some lunch. Both of us had very tasty Cheeseburgers and
were fawned over in the extreme by the familiar Deck Stewards. We couldn't
walk ten feet without another one coming up and welcoming us back.
Benjamin had made his way back on board and rushed over to chat. After finishing our meal we wandered around to look at
the view and see what else was up. We saw a photographer at the gangway we
thought was our good friend Elizabeth, but we were too far up to tell for sure.
So, we went down to the Promenade Deck to get a closer look. It was indeed
Elizabeth who immediately started waving frantically and calling to us from the
terminal. We sort of chatted as best we could and said we'd find her later
and catch up. She is a dear person and very interesting to talk to. Back in the room we found a note summoning us to see the
maitre 'd, Josef, another long-time acquaintance. We already had a table
assignment so we couldn't imagine what he could want, but we went down to see
him anyway. Dave took the computer to be configured for use in the
stateroom while Bill waited in the short line for Josef. Poor Josef has to
put up with the most outrageous questions. They do all they can to make
everyone comfortable while waiting by offering drinks, etc., but people still
manage to barge in and mess up the system. There were only a few people
waiting, but it was still a zoo. If travel agents are telling their
clients to rush to the maitre d' the moment they arrive, please stop it!
There is no reason at all to do that on a Crystal ship. The maitre d' on
all of their ships couldn't possible be any more accommodating and the ships are
rarely full, so it's easy to get what you want. We received an invitation to a special Crystal
Society Dinner in Prego. This indicates we are in the top echelon of
Crystal Society for this cruise. However, we saw the man with the most
cruises of all, so we are far from the actual top with our count of 37
cruises. The past two invitations we have turned down, but we are thinking
we might accept this time if we can sit at Nikki's table. Anyone who reads
these diaries knows how much we enjoy Nikki and we've known her for years.
She is the Cruise Sales Consultant on board. In the Computer University, Dave learned that they now
connect guests' computer directly to the shipboard network, a huge improvement.
No more tedious dial up service that usually doesn't work. There actually
was some configuring of network parameters to do, but the attendant took care of
all of that, then made sure it worked. The speed there was outstanding, but it
remains to be seen how well it works in the room. We didn't know to bring
a Cat. 5 cable, so he gave us one to use during the cruise. We signed up for the
$270 flat rate for the cruise. That's $27 a day, $3 less than Crystal
Harmony's per diem rate. No mention was made of a configuration charge, previously $25.
We have always found this fee to be outrageous considering the rates they charge
for access. Just as the computer was finished, we were ushered into
an audience with Josef. He simply wanted to greet us in person and be
certain he had given us an acceptable table. He knows we aren't hot to sit
by the window, which to him is unbelievable. He had assigned us to a
table around the center circle, which we prefer, but on this ship they are all
tables for six. He said he had already removed the larger table and
replaced it with a smaller one just for us. His big dilemma, totally
imagined, was that this table was on the opposite side of the room from where we
sat on Crystal Symphony. However, when Augusto, our World Cruise
headwaiter, had found out we were coming, he wanted us at his station.
This all according to Josef, who we tend to believe. We assured him his
choice was fine and that we would be happy to be seated with Augusto, which is
true. We ran into Ross, formerly a bartender and now Assistant
Food and Beverage Manager, on the stairs. After chatting briefly with him,
we kept going on the trek back to the room. We finally made it back to the room with an hour to spare
before sailing, so we contemplated unpacking. In the meantime, our very
pleasant stewardess, Erica, arrived to introduce herself and be sure she had met
all of our desires so far. She is the first stewardess ever to get every
single preference correctly executed before we arrived. They keep lists of what
guests prefer, so they can anticipate the bed configuration and things
like that. However, they rarely do anything about it until after arrival.
In this case, she had already done everything correctly. Even the
lint-filled mohair throws were gone and the duvets changed to regular blankets,
an absolute first. She had even brought a supply of Fanta Orange and
Ginger Ale for the refrigerator, which is pretty much all we drink. This
is what 6-star service should be about. It was about time for the mandatory boat drill, so we
donned our life jackets and made our way to our muster station in the Hollywood
Theater. As we said last time on this ship, the procedures used for this
drill could not possibly be more incoherent. There is no way anyone would
figure out what to do in a real emergency. It wasn't quite as chaotic as
the last time, but not by much. By this time it was nearly sailing time, so we wandered
up to the upper deck, or tried to. There is no obvious way to get from the
aft elevators to the outside decks. It turns out you have to go all the
way through the spa to get outside. Two women from the salon escorted us
through and were quite nice about it. It was chilly outside, but not unbearable. Sailing
was delayed a few minutes while the Seven Seas Voyager departed on her World
Cruise. As far as we could tell from the windows and balconies, that ship
was completely full. We heard that the total guest count for our cruise is
about 800, which isn't bad. The full world cruise this year has about 250
guests, a record for Crystal if it is accurate. Some of the segments are
nearly sold out, so we are told. We find that a bit hard to believe, however.
The guests counts during World Cruise usually hover about the 600 mark, or less. After sailing we unpacked in 15 minutes and rested
until about an hour before dinner. Then we went out and walked the public
rooms where we found Elizabeth in the lobby. After much hugging and greetings,
we chatted a bit and started back up toward Silk Road. In the meantime, we
were spotted by Augusto from the Dining Room
who rushed out and repeated the greeting ritual we just had with Elizabeth.
Eventually, we ended up in
Palm Court for drinks. We were starving by this time, but snacks were
not forthcoming. Service was friendly and abundant even though there was a
big private party going on across the room. Tonight's dress code is Casual. We arrived at the
assigned hour of 8:00 PM in
Silk Road where Willy, the headwaiter, fawned over us enthusiastically.
This over the top service continued for the entire meal. It wasn't
annoying, we're just pointing out how attentive it was. Every single
waiter came over and welcomed us, mostly by name. Willy insisted on
creating an array of sushi and sashimi for us, which he did by telling a waiter
what to do. He also included one of Nobu's signature sashimi dishes,
Yellow Fin Tuna with Jalapeno. This was good, but not worth knocking
anyone over to get to. The sushi platter was also good, but not great.
Everything was very fresh. Thomas Mazloum, an executive from Crystal headquarters,
came in and immediately recognized us. He hosted our table at the 2003
World Cruise Bon Voyage Party, so we would expect him to know us. We have
spoken to him on several occasions since then and he seems like a very nice
person. He is the only executive we have ever seen on board who appears to
be more interested in ways to improve service than in his fueling his own power
trip. The ship's staff seem to feel the same way because they are always
complimentary of him. We will attempt to get the full Silk Road menu at some
point, but for now we'll have to describe only what we ordered. It seemed
as though the menu was more limited than it was last time, but we're not sure
about that observation because we were with other people then. In addition
to the sushi, we ordered the Lobster Spring Roll, which was artfully arranged in
a martini glass, but looked more exciting than it tasted. The Crystal Harmony
version is far superior. The Rock Shrimp Tempura isn't what one would
expect from tempura, but is very good. It is sort of like deep fried
popcorn shrimp with a vaguely spicy cream sauce on it. It wasn't as good as we
remember it, but it was satisfactory. We both had the Nobo Box sampler dinner that consisted of
the Kobe Beef with Three Sauces, Glazed Cod, and Grilled Lobster. Everything was
extraordinary, but the beef was even better. The beef itself is very good,
but the three unusual dipping sauces make it truly special. Both of us
ordered the Chocolate Soufflé Cake with Sesame Ice Cream. It's really the
ice cream that is the draw in this dessert, odd as it sounds for an ice cream flavor.
The cake part was outstanding also, but the unusual ice cream really is
phenomenal. They also served a sampling of unusual cookies: Ginger,
Chocolate Coconut Squares, and Toasted Sesame. All were unusual and very
good, but the chocolate squares were melt-in-your-mouth delicious. After more fawning and attempts to bring us even more
food, we waddled back to the room to waste some time before the show.
Tonight's entertainment was a Welcome Aboard Show that consisted of an opening act
from "A Chorus Line", followed by a clumsily narrated tour of the ship by the
Cruise Director, then a dance number by Tony and Margaret Long.
This dance team is very good and worth watching. Next up was a performance
by à capella group, The Plaids. We saw them last time we were here and
they were and are outstanding. Only one of the original troupes was still
here, but the result was the same. The show closed with another
presentation from "Grand Hotel" by the singers and dancers . In general,
this opening show is far superior to the pretentious bore presented aboard
Crystal Harmony and Crystal Symphony. We estimate that about 100 guests
were in attendance, but there was also an early show to absorb guests from the
first dinner seating. As an aside, there are more children on board than we
have ever experienced here. We'd guess there are at least ten, and
probably more, ranging from infants to teenagers. We are next door to two
of the teenage girls, but we can't hear anything through the walls.
However, walking by their door it is quite noisy and the balcony is useless to
us. We said it before and we'll say it again, these are not appropriate
ships for children no matter how well behaved they may be. The weather all day has been cool, but clear. The
movement of the ship is barely noticeable, especially since we are moving at a
snail's pace to kill time. From the old Gas Lamp Quarter to the Horton Plaza,
named after the former owner of the present city area, San Diego combines
history with progress. Bordered on one side by the graceful Pacific Ocean
lapping its shores and the hot desert plains on the other, this magical city
is a festive and colorful attraction for tourists and locals. Our hopes for a reasonable internet connection were
dashed when we could not connect last night or this morning. Well, we could
connect, but only got a transfer rate of 2 bps. Something is obviously
wrong, but we don't yet know what that is. Since we were docked in
San Diego today, there was no reason we
couldn't get a satellite connection. We didn't emerge from the room until 1:00 PM. Erica
was amused because our preference list says we don't usually get up before noon.
She said, "It is WAY after noon, you know." The way she said it was very
funny and she was kidding. Bill asked about sending a jacket to be pressed
for tonight and she wouldn't take no for an answer when she said she would take
it down to the laundry herself. Today's security clearance procedures delayed our arrival
for about an hour, so we didn't sail until 1:00 PM to make up for it. Actually, we didn't
leave until almost 1:30 PM because they were still paging missing guests at 1:00
PM. In the morning arrival announcement, the departure time wasn't
completely
clear, so we could see how some guests might not know for sure what time we were
sailing. However, it would been easy enough to confirm it before
disembarking. We went directly to the
Lido for lunch. The
selections we had were all satisfactory, but there wasn't much variety to choose
from. There was no one in the buffet line, but many tables were occupied. The
weather is a bit on the chilly side, so everyone was inside. Prego waiter,
Estefan, was at the head of the serving line and was overjoyed to see us.
He carried on to the point of holding up the line. As usual, Deck Stewards
fawned all over us, including some new faces who made a point to ask our names
and introduce themselves. They couldn't possibly be any nicer to us. After lunch we took the laptop back to the Computer
University to see if the connection would work from there. It did, so we
got a longer cable for the room and went up immediately to try from there.
No luck. Thirty minutes and still no ability to upload the website.
It took over 15 minutes just to get half of a regular site up on our screen.
So, Dave went back down and told Jessie, the computer "Dean", that our connection
didn't work. He said he would report it immediately, but nothing was done
that we know of by 5:00 PM when we tried it again. We went down to introduce ourselves to the Crystal
Society Hostess, Carolyn, whom we had not met before. She seemed very nice
and was thrilled we would be coming to the special dinner party. She said
that Nikki had already expressed her desire to sit at our table, so we didn't
have to request that. As we were wandering off,
Nikki ran out from her desk to greet us and chat for a few minutes.
Since no guests were waiting for her at the time, we took the opportunity to
make our next booking on Crystal Harmony for next September/October. We're
combining a 10- and 7-day Mexico cruise to make up 17 days total. We'll
also be cashing in our 35th Milestone, so we pay for an A category stateroom and
get a Penthouse instead. That's a very good price for Crystal Harmony
particularly. Nikki said they will give us the entire 14 days and then a
per diem rate for the extra four days, which is fine with us. She gave us
the preliminary itineraries for 2006, so we'll have to look those over and see
what we can combine to make up a route we want. By 4:00 PM it was time for an ice cream break, so we went
up to the Lido Deck where we were fawned over again by the stewards who wouldn't
even let us carry our own water. By the way, this ship offers casual
dining at Tastes by the Neptune Pool every night except formal nights. So,
on this ship at least, casual dining is indeed a viable alternative. The
menu is very limited, but it is a reasonable option now.
After snacking and sitting by the deserted
Neptune Pool, we went back to
the room to wait for dinner time. We did make a brief detour through the
shops, but found the same very limited supply of souvenir-type things,
overpriced designer clothing and
nothing else we were at all interested in. It really is too bad they don't
expand the merchandise because the shops are beautiful and quite spacious. Tonight's dress code is Informal. As always, items we ordered from the menu each night will
be highlighted. CALIFORNIA DINNER APPETIZERS SOUP AND SALAD PASTA SPECIAL SALAD ENTREE MAIN FARES TRADITIONAL MAIN FARES VEGETARIAN SELECTION DESSERT Food review: Everything we ordered
was very good to outstanding, with the exception of the Apple Crumble Pie that
was only satisfactory. The salmon was particularly tasty. The
presentation of all of the dishes was very appealing. We're told they are
making an effort to improve consistency from ship to ship. So far, we have
found Harmony and Serenity heads above Crystal Symphony in presentation and
flavor. Quality of ingredients has always been consistently outstanding,
but preparation varies quite a bit from ship to ship. Our waiter, Jacek, is jovial and
friendly, but the service wasn't quite as precise as usual. For example,
the wrong dishes were served to us and we ran out of forks at one point.
None of this is a big deal, just an observation. Augusto was chatty, as was Bulant,
another headwaiter. Augusto wants to make a pasta dish for us later, which
is fine with us. They have cut way back on tableside cooking and we
wouldn't ever request it, but if he wants to do it that's great. The dining room wasn't anywhere near full
and we found out that the total guest count is only about 600, not over 800 as
we had been lead to believe. That's the reason nobody is out and about and
the shows aren't well attended. The dining room is very noisy and chaotic,
but it is an attractive room to look at. Tonight's entertainment is a Spotlight
Showtime, "An Evening with Comedy Magician" Nick Lewin. Ordinarily we
don't like magicians, but this show was more comedic than magic, so it was
rather entertaining. The few magic tricks he did were well thought
out and impressive. There were fewer guests in attendance tonight than
last night, however. At one point he made an amusing comment about it
being a theme night and all of the guests on the sides came dressed as chairs. There is an unusual note in tomorrow's
Reflections under the Dress Code. It says, "Tonight's dress code
throughout the ship for the entire evening after 6:00 PM is Formal. For
the consideration of all guests, only those who adhere to the guidelines will be
allowed in the public rooms. Thank you for your kind understanding and
cooperation." That is the most forceful "request" that we have ever seen,
but we find it hard to believe they would actually do anything to enforce it.
There really isn't anything they can do to force the issue anyway. When we returned to the room there was a
note from the air conditioning department saying they had responded to a
complaint about noisy air conditioning and that everything was normal. We
didn't complain about anything like that, so we hope this wasn't an incorrect
attempt at fixing the internet connection. By the way, we have no
connection at all to even the shipboard network at this point. So much for
improved service. At least with the old dial-up connection it worked most
of the time. We move an hour forward on the clock
tonight. The sea is completely calm and there is little noticeable
movement at all. We were awake earlier than lunch time, but we didn't
venture out until then. The sea is still flat and there is no feeling of
motion, although the ship is speeding along. The Captain announced it
would be around 70 later today, but we didn't go out to sample it for ourselves.
Most guests we saw were wearing jackets. Our first stop was the Crystal Dining Room for lunch.
There is an Asia Cafe theme buffet on deck, but we didn't feel like braving the
crowds. Besides, we know that one of our favorites, Spicy Orange Chicken,
is always on the menu in the dining room during this buffet.
Augusto had us seated by a window with an amusing waiter
named Matthias from Austria. He would be fun to have as our regular
waiter sometime. The food was all very good and the service
prompt and efficient. The only semi-disappointment was the Bailey's Cream
Cake dessert that didn't have much flavor, although it looked nice. On the way out we chatted with Mario, a headwaiter we
have known for years. He was interested in talking about our never-ending
remodel. The crew always find it unbelievable that we are sleeping on the
floor and have no carpeting yet. We had a message on our voicemail this morning from Jessie
in the Computer University, so we went back to the room after lunch to try the
computer before going to see him. Still no connection in the room.
We went down and waited for a few minutes for someone to come out and help us.
A very impatient woman came in after us and simply couldn't stand and wait, so
she went to look for an attendant. She did tell him we were first, so that
part was OK, but we didn't mind waiting a few minutes until he was free.
He called an officer who told him to tell us that they would be up to check our
connection this afternoon. If it can't be fixed they want to move us to
another room, which doesn't interest us in the slightest. If it can't be
fixed we just want our money back and we'll call it good. It is, however,
an enormous inconvenience and disappointment, which we will express in the end
of cruise survey. Erica was still working on our room when we came back, so
we chatted with her. She was appalled by the cracked wood molding above
our closet. It looks as though it snapped when the ship flexed during a
storm, but it doesn't bother us. It has probably been that way for months
before an alert stewardess finally arrived. Erica told us this is her
first contract and she's only been here for a month. The first week was
"hell", but she has grown accustomed to the job now and doesn't mind it.
She does find it rather boring though. She was a florist and a bartender
in Sweden, but the ship requires five years experience before being a bartender
on board, so she's stuck with this for now. She is so personable and
naturally friendly that we think she should be at the Front Desk or somewhere
more involved with the guests. We decided to stay in and watch "A Bug's Life" DVD we
borrowed from the library yesterday. Tonight's dress code is Formal for the Captain's Welcome
Reception at 7:45 PM in Palm Court. We arrived precisely on time and found
a long, slow-moving line to enter the reception. Since we are familiar
with Captain Maalen, we thought we should go through the reception line
properly, which we did. While Carolyn was fumbling for our names, he
recognized us and began an enthusiastic conversation. The reason the line
was moving so slowly was that this Captain is quite personable and actually
takes the time to say something appropriate to each guest. Once we
finished up with him, next in line was Paul, the Cruise Director, and Herbert,
the Hotel Director. We know both of them quite well, so there was a bit of
discussion about World Cruises and such. We all agree they are "a
challenge", as Paul put it. The upcoming World Cruise is unusual in that
all of the major officers, including the Captain, change several times rather
than keeping everyone for the entire cruise. Nobody told us this, but
we're guessing nobody was willing to do the entire thing because it is such a
nightmare. The party was pleasant. We sat incognito in the
front section, but we could hear the Captain's speech. He is a very
entertaining speaker and says some amusing things. Simon, our butler from
our last Serenity cruise, saw us and came over to chat. He said he had
been thinking about us and wondered if we would show up soon. He was
surprised we were down on Deck 8 and tried to convince us we should upgrade so
he can serve us. We told him if he can arrange it, we'd be more than happy
to move up there. GALA WELCOME DINNER APPETIZERS SOUP AND SALAD SHERBET PASTA SPECIAL SALAD ENTREE MAIN FARES TRADITIONAL MAIN FARES VEGETARIAN SELECTION DESSERT Food review: The fruit appetizer was beautifully
arranged and consisted of quite a variety of fruits. The salad was nothing
special and a bit of a bore. The sherbet course was tasty, as was the
pasta dish. We didn't think the Chateaubriand was quite as good as it
usually is. The meat wasn't as tender and the sauce was too heavy on the
wine. That's not to say it wasn't very good, just not outstanding.
As per usual, the whipped potatoes on the plate were as dry as dust and
completely inedible. The fish entree was beautifully presented and
everything with it complemented the fish nicely. Everything had a great
flavor, but the fish was way overcooked and very dry. Augusto brought more
sauce for the fish without being asked, which did help. Both desserts were
edible, but that's about all we can say for them. So far, the desserts
haven't been especially good, although they look attractive. We had a lengthy conversation with Augusto about a
variety of subjects not worth repeating here. Mostly we were discussing
the nightmare of remodeling since he was aware of what was going on when it
began two years ago. Needless to say, he was astounded that it isn't
finished yet. He and Mario want to see photos, so we'll probably haul the
laptop to the Dining Room some night to show them. Tonight's entertainment is the lavish production show,
"Million Dollar Musicals". This is one of the better
productions, but we have seen it too many times. The dancers were the most
precise we have seen recently. Unfortunately, the leads weren't at their
best tonight. The lead woman seems a bit miscast, although she has a
respectable voice. There were a few technical problems with the lights,
but most guests wouldn't have noticed. It looked as though they weren't
focused correctly because quite often the dancers were left in the dark while
the empty stage was well lit. On the way out after the show, we passed Herbert and
Renato, the Food and Beverage Manager. He was new to Crystal last time we
saw him, so he was happy to see familiar faces. They were both
disappointed, or acted as though they were, that we won't be on the World
Cruise. Herbert was shocked that we are only cruising twice a year, but we
explained the reason we can't be away for long at the moment. We were
surprised when he brought up the new house because we don't believe we have ever
spoken to him about it before. By the way, nobody ever showed up or called regarding a
repair attempt to our internet connection. So, we're going to assume at
this point that nothing is going to be done about it. We didn't really
expect it to be fixed at this point, but we do think someone should call to tell
us that, especially since they were planning to offer a room change. It
won't make any difference for the next couple of days because the satellite is
unavailable in this area, which was announced in Reflections for tomorrow.
However, the cracked wood molding that Erica reported was replaced while we were
at dinner, so at least some repairs are done quickly. Again, there is no noticeable movement and the weather
remains perfect. We passed a woman a few doors down from us changing rooms
and complaining about the "horrible vibration" on this floor. There is no
vibration at all that we notice and she's only three or four doors down.
We are closer to the engines than her room is. Sounds like she wanted an
excuse to get a better location or an upgrade. Just as we were about to conclude today's report, the
ship pulled into Cabo San Lucas, slammed on the brakes and dropped a tender into
the water. It sped off toward the marina. This all started around
1:15 AM. The tender was gone for about fifteen minutes, then it returned
and we sailed off. Some guests on the Promenade Deck asked a deck officer
why we were stopping and he immediately denied we had stopped, which, of course,
was ridiculous because it was plainly obvious we had. When they persisted,
he told them a guest was sick and had to be taken ashore. They certainly
can get the boats into the water quickly enough, which is reassuring to know. The Captain acknowledged our emergency visit to Cabo San
Lucas during his morning announcement. It was, as we already knew, a guest
who had to be off loaded for medical reasons. Today's weather is clear and in the low 70's, but very
humid. Not that it matters to us at all. The sea is calm, as it has
been every day so far. We received a message from Jesse asking if the IT Officer
can come up after 4:00 PM to check our internet connection. He wasn't
aware that we had already talked to someone about this very subject, but maybe
someone will show up this time. We have little hope it will be fixed, but
you never know until they try. Our first stop was the dining room for lunch. There
was a Nuevo Latino buffet by the Neptune Pool, but we weren't in the mood to
fight the crowds. Besides, the same theme applies to the lunch menu in the
dining room. We were seated at our regular table and served by Jacek.
As usual, none of the Mexican dishes resembled anything one would expect based
upon the description, but the tortilla soup was tasty. It was a
tomato-cream soup with bits of melted cheese floating in it. We assume the
tortillas were pureed into it because it tasted somewhat of corn tortillas, but
no tortillas were visible. The Chicken Enchiladas were also very good, but
nothing like any enchilada we have ever seen before. The small scoop of
refried beans was topped with a square of American cheese and was inedible.
We also sampled the flank steak that was served with a BBQ sauce. It was
good, also. We overheard a woman at a neighboring table saying that the
Monte Cristo Sandwich wasn't very good. Based on previous experience, we'd
say she was being kind. After lunch we browsed the photos and purchased our
boarding photo and the picture with the Captain from last night. Dave
found a watch on sale in the shops and purchased that. Actually, it will
be free with our shipboard credit. There is little chance of us using up
our entire spending credit during this cruise. We went back to the room and stayed there for the rest of
the afternoon. Just after 4:00 PM, an electrician arrived to check our
internet connection, but he had to wait for the computer officer to test
something first. He arrived shortly and eventually determined that the
wiring was working, but our computer was not. He changed a few settings
and it appeared to be working, so he left. Of course, as soon as we tried
to connect, it stopped working. Jessie called at just the right moment to
check whether things were working. Since they weren't, he immediately came
up and gave us a loaner computer, free of charge. The problem was how to
get an entire website transferred onto a loaner with no hard drive.
Eventually, Dave came up with a way to save just this page onto a removable disk
key and transfer it to the site. Not the most efficient way to do it, but
it seems to work...for now. Tonight's dress code is Informal. We sat in the
Stardust Club and
listened to the dance band until dinner time. There were three couples
dancing, one watching, and a single woman trading off between the two Ambassador
Hosts. Not a very dynamic crowd, is it? There was a concert by
pianist Julie Cheek in Palm Court at this time, but we know from experience that
those shows are not well attended, no matter how talented the performer may be. DINNER APPETIZERS SOUPS AND SALADS PASTA SPECIAL SALAD ENTREE MAIN FARES TRADITIONAL MAIN FARES VEGETARIAN SELECTION DESSERT Food Review: The shrimp were very
fresh with a tasty sauce. The corn soup was almost as good as it had been
on the Symphony, which was outstanding. We'll never understand why they
insist on adding the leeks because they add nothing except the texture of wet
grass. The peanut butter soup was acceptable, but the lime pieces floating
in it were
totally incongruous. Salad was nothing special and tasted like nothing
except lettuce. Augusto made Fettuccine Alfredo with Turkey tableside for
our entree. Of course, it was outstanding and an enormous quantity.
We were both so stuffed we had ice cream for dessert and called it good. The tableside cooking attracted the
attention of the adjacent table, of course. Things like this have to be
ordered the night before, so no such luck for them tonight. Also, Augusto
isn't their headwaiter, so Bulant would have to prepare it. We've never
seen him do that, but he probably is capable of it. We chatted with Augusto about where to buy a
surf board for his son in Norway. Then Josef wanted to know if we thought
he should go to the Harmony for the reunion cruise. We didn't have much of
an opinion one way or the other, but we did tell him we thought the guests would
enjoy it. After we left the dining room we stopped by
the front desk to see if Ronnie was working as
an operator tonight. The man at the desk went to get him and came back
with quite a smirk on his face. He wouldn't tell us what Ronnie's reaction
was, but Ronnie did rush right out to greet us and chat for a few minutes.
He thinks he might want to go back to the Harmony, but since things have become
better here he isn't quite sure it's a good idea. We have no way of
judging how wise it would be, so we couldn't help him. He filled us in on
our mutual friend Tom and went back to work. Tonight's entertainment is a Spotlight
Showtime featuring the "Star of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera,"
Dale Kristien. Although we enjoy Dale, we were too stuffed and tired to go
to her show tonight. We saw her just a few months ago on Crystal Harmony
anyway. Again, it was smooth sailing all day and
into the night. There was some slight motion as we neared the coast for
arrival in port tomorrow. The seaside port of Zihuatanejo was established over
100 years ago. Today it maintains the rustic charm and easy-going ambiance of
that period. Picturesque and unspoiled, its golden beaches and brilliant
waters are somewhat reminiscent of Polynesia. Just five miles away lies its
twin town, the burgeoning resort of Ixtapa, an isolated oasis of high-rise
hotels. Shore excursions available in this port:
Today's weather is quite a change from the chilly temperatures we have had so far. It is 92 and clear. We arrived in the bay very early this morning after passing two cruise ships during the night. No other ships are in this port today. Nothing obvious has changed in Zihuatanejo. Mansions still cling to the cliffs on one side of the bay, while condos and small homes climb the hills on the other. We started the day by strolling down to the reception desk to drop off a birthday card for Emilie, our assistant stewardess from the 2003 World Cruise. Then we stopped at the dining room entrance to wish Augusto a happy birthday. Lunch for us was in the Lido today. For the first time in recorded history, we can report that two of the entrees we had in the Lido were outstanding. One was the Asian selection of stir-fry beef with garlic and onions. It was spicy and had a nice flavor. The other was a Beef Kabob with peppers and onions. These were especially good. Stewards fought to serve us, as usual. Two we didn't know came over and introduced themselves and asked our names. We can't go anywhere alone without being asked where the other one is. After lunch we escaped the dippy conversations near us by moving out by the pool, in the shady area, to listen to the band. They played for half an hour longer than listed in the program, so we got more entertainment than we bargained for. Someone in the Philippines must have a good thing going training all of the cruise ship musicians with the exact same repertoire from year to year. This particular group isn't quite as good as previous cruises, but they aren't bad either. The alternative lunch by the Neptune Pool from Tastes certainly does seem popular. Most of the tables were occupied. We haven't inspected the menu lately, but last cruise it was very limited. They have a few interesting entree salads, among other things. We know from experience that the pizza is ghastly, although the description sounds good. Once the band finished at 2:00 PM, we decided it was getting too hot for us, so we went back toward the room to await the sail away in an hour. In the elevator lobby we bumped into the ship's doctor who was happy to see us. He explained that the main reason all of the officers change during the World Cruise is that their contracts are only three months and there is no convenient way to do it otherwise. He said he would like to stay for the entire thing, but has to get back to work at the hospital. He is also the medical consultant for all of Crystal Cruises, so he has more duties than just this ship's doctor. There is a nightly live TV show presented by Paul, the Cruise Director, to introduce the evening entertainment. He usually has a trivia question for guests to call in and win a T-shirt or a pen. We almost always know the answers, but never call. Today we felt sorry for Paul waiting for someone to call, so we did, and won a T-shirt. Aren't you excited? Tonight's dress code is Informal for the Crystal Society Party in Palm Court at 7:45 PM. There is only one party this cruise, which indicates less than 400 repeat guests on board. The party was well attended, but not crowded. Our names were mentioned as being over the 35th Milestone, then it jumped to 85 cruises, so there's quite a gap in there. Nikki came over and chatted for a while. She was talking about what fun the Harmony's Reunion Cruise will be, so we asked if there was still room. Her reply was, "For you there is!" So, we'll probably be adding that booking to the roster for this year. She told us that Crystal has some sort of arrangement in San Francisco for parking and we should ask our travel agent for the information. Apparently it is a mile away, but they have a shuttle to the ship. Sounds reasonable. We handed Augusto a birthday card as we entered the dining room. He seemed genuinely touched to get it. FRENCH DINNER APPETIZERS SOUP AND SALAD PASTA SPECIAL SALAD ENTREE MAIN FARES TRADITIONAL MAIN FARES VEGETARIAN SELECTION DESSERT Food review: The fruit was artfully arranged and quite a variety. The onion soup was a little too heavy on the wine, but was otherwise very good. The salad was better than they have been, but that's not saying much since they have been generally boring. The pasta dish was very good. Both entrees were outstanding in flavor, but the steak was sort of hard. Not fatty, but just hard. The Lyonnaise potatoes that came with both plates were outstanding. As usual, the soufflé was delicious. Augusto was going around the room adding Grand Marnier to anyone's dessert who wanted it, a nice touch. Mario came over after Augusto left our table and told us how nice he thought it was that we gave Augusto a birthday card (we also gave him money, by the way). It was the card that seemed to mean the most. Mario said nobody else had given him a card, so he thought ours was really thoughtful. He brought it up again later, so it must have been sincere. Augusto wanted to cook something for us tomorrow, but we weren't all that interested. His cooking is excellent, but we don't get tired of the regular menu in a 10-day cruise. He is still supposed to be making a dessert for us at some point. That would be nice because the desserts in general haven't been all that spectacular. Tonight's entertainment is a new production show, "Enchanté". We were a bit skeptical about this show because nobody had told us we had to go see it. Usually when a new show comes out someone like Nikki will tell us not to miss it. After seeing it, we know why. This snooze-fest has to be the worst new show we have ever seen by Crystal, and we've seen some stinkers. There wasn't anything wrong with the performance per se, but the show itself was a bore. We were especially put off by the lackluster can-can number that was copied from a previous show. However, in that production, it was a showstopper. The same number ended the show in a rock version that was totally out of place. Even pyrotechnics and confetti couldn't raise more than polite applause from the audience, or what remained of it by the end. Crystal's producers are really out of touch with who their audience is based upon what we have seen coming from them lately. Two of the most elaborate shows are already gone and we certainly hope this one follows those quickly out the door. We had an informative conversation with Paul after the show regarding the entertainment. He agrees with us that the "That's Dancin'" show that was slapped together on board for the World Cruise is one of the best things ever presented. It is coming back for this year, but he had to fight for it. When will the people in the office wake up and realize that expensive costumes do not necessarily make a good show? They could take the pay for one classical pianist who only draws twenty guests and use that money to put on "That's Dancin'" for a year. Of course, it would be overproduced and quickly ruined if it went through the production process. It was still 84 outside after midnight, although we do expect it will be cooler in Puerto Vallarta than the 92 of Zihuatanejo today. The ship is speeding along at top speed to make it to port on time tomorrow. There is a bit of a swaying motion and the first bit of vibration we have noticed, but neither is anything to fret over. Embraced by rugged tropical mountains on one side and
the beautiful Banderas Bay on the other, Puerto Vallarta is second only to
Acapulco when it comes to the Mexican Riviera's leading resort cities. Shore excursions available in this port:
In his arrival announcement, the Captain said it would be in the low 90's today, but it was never above the low 80's, if that. It was hazy with a nice sea breeze all afternoon. We are docked in the usual place directly across from the flea market with the "lowest prices in all of Mexico". There's a huge yacht at the small pier across the street from Wal-Mart. Someone said it belongs to a bigwig at Microsoft. It has it's own helicopter and a fold-down dock complete with sit-down bar. Lunch in the Lido was again very tasty. The selection is a bit limited, but what we did have was very good. The carved chicken and pork were the best choices, as was the made-to-order pasta. The way the seating is arranged in the Lido it feels somewhat crowded even with only a few guests in attendance. It is an attractive room, but the table arrangement isn't very appealing. Our plan was to wallow on our verandah for the afternoon, but it was in the direct sun, so that wasn't an option. Nothing like being total bumps on logs and hiding out in the room all day. Eventually, we were able to move outside until after sunset when it was a lot cooler. The weather became quite pleasant as soon as the sun went down. The ship sailed out at 8:00 PM, as scheduled. Tonight's dress code is Casual. DINNER
APPETIZERS
SOUP AND SALAD
PASTA SPECIAL
SALAD ENTREE
MAIN FARES
TRADITIONAL MAIN FARES
VEGETARIAN SELECTION
DESSERT Food review: The Lobster Samosas were very good, as was the fruit selection. The salad was one of the best so far with a tangy, creamy dressing. The pasta course was excellent. The entrees were a mixed bag ranging from average to outstanding. The ribs weren't anything special, although there wasn't really anything wrong with them. The chicken was as outstanding as it always is in the Lido during lunch. Augusto made our special caramelized peaches for dessert, which was incredible even though he thought he had ruined it at the beginning. We chatted with Jacek for a while and he seemed thrilled to have a real conversation with us. He seems extremely pleasant and says he enjoys working for Crystal. He claims they treat the crew far better than other cruise lines he has worked for, which is probably true to a certain extent. The evening entertainment is a classical concert by pianist Julie Cheek. We're sure the twelve people who attend will love it. This isn't a reflection on Julie's talent, it's just that we know from experience that this kind of show doesn't draw many guests. We think shows like this should be presented in smaller venues rather than as the headline act for the night. Out of curiosity, we checked the attendance a few minutes before the concert began and counted only about thirty guests in attendance. We wandered around the ship and ran into Paul as we were checking out the new lighting in the jewelry shop windows. He said they changed it during the summer and sales soared after the improvement. He made an amusing comment about how good it makes the glass pigs look in the case. On the way to the room to drop off the menus for tonight, we chatted briefly with the Captain. He's leaving the same day we are, so there is a special crew show tonight for the occasion. He's a lot of fun because he says some really clever things that no other Captain would dare say. After stopping briefly in the room we wandered around the public areas and found nothing much going on. We ended up sitting in Palm Court where the after dinner dancing was going on. That amused us long enough to carry us past our usual retirement time. It was very windy tonight on deck, but it is still quite warm. There is a bit of swaying motion due to the wind, but it is otherwise smooth sailing. We move the clock back one hour tonight. The massive lighthouse of El Faro welcomes you to the
thriving seaport of Mazatlán. Located on a peninsula just south of the Tropic
of Cancer, this fast-developing resort is a fishing and sportsperson's
paradise. Supposedly there are as many fishing boats as tennis courts here!
Offshore, scores of sailfish and marlin frolic in the temperate waters while
para-sailors drift lazily overhead. Shore excursions available in this port:
We were awakened at 9:45 AM by the first of many incessant announcements, alarms, etc., regarding a crew emergency drill. They spend more time telling guests they aren't supposed to participate than doing anything else. We've never understood why they have to sound alarms and make announcements in the rooms for this, but they always have. The ship is docked at the same pier as usual, but a few berths farther in from the sea. We weren't aware in the past that the city continues for miles along a crescent bay beyond the area where the ship docks. That's not to say we felt compelled to go ashore or anything ridiculous like that. We had some time to kill before lunch time, so we figured up our gratuity totals and took the form down to the front desk to be charged to our account. We have more than enough spending credits to cover whatever generous amounts we choose to extend. That done, we went up to the Seahorse Pool area and sat in the shade drinking orange juice until noon, half an hour away. The weather today is pleasant and not too hot. There is not a cloud in the sky. There were several tasty dishes in the Lido buffet today. The Asian selection of Hoisin Beef was very good, as were the BBQ Baby Back Ribs, and the Jamaican Jerk Chicken. After lunch we took a lap around the upper deck, then returned to the room. Erica was horrified because she hadn't finished our room yet, but it looked done to us. We waited on the verandah while she did whatever it was she thought needed doing. We would have stayed outside for the day, but they were dredging the channel and the noise was unbearable. Inside with the door closed we couldn't hear any of it. Tonight's dress code is Casual. Tonight is our special Crystal Society dinner in Prego with Nikki and Carolyn, and a few other guests. Here is the Crystal Dining Room menu so you don't miss anything. NEPTUNE DINNER
APPETIZERS
SOUP AND SALAD
PASTA SPECIAL
SALAD ENTREE
MAIN FARES
TRADITIONAL MAIN FARES
DESSERT As it turned out, there was only one other couple besides Nikki and Carolyn for dinner, so we ordered from the regular Prego menu. PREGO MENU
VALENTINO at PREGO
PREGO
SOUP
SALAD
PASTA
ENTREES
DESSERT SPECIALTIES
PREGO DESSERTS
GELATO Almost the entire menu was different than last time, a big improvement in our opinion. Although everything we ordered was beautifully arranged, nothing stood out as outstanding, flavor wise. Presentation was outstanding though. For example, the Iced Melon Soup came in half of a cantaloupe sitting on top of a clear glass bowl of crushed ice. The dinner conversation was pleasant, as it usually is with Nikki in attendance. Carolyn is also very gracious and gets along nicely with everyone. The other couple was also convinced by Nikki to book the Harmony's Reunion cruise, and they acted excited that we would be there also. They said that they have never slept as much as when they are on board. We all discussed our amusing belief that they pipe something into the rooms to make us sleep all day so they don't have to entertain us. The time flew by until we all realized it had become really quiet and we were the only table left in the restaurant. Tonight's entertainment is a Variety Showtime featuring "International Dance Champions" Tony and Margaret Long, and à capella group, The Plaids. Paul announced earlier today that this is the last cruise for The Plaids. We thought they were supposed to be a relatively permanent addition to the lineup. We arrived about fifteen minutes late due to the Prego dinner, so we missed Tony and Margaret's part. The Plaids were outstanding, as expected, although a few guests left part way through. The weather continues to be nearly perfect. It is very humid, but the temperature after dark was only in the 70's. During the day it might have been up to 80 or so, but it was never unpleasant. The sea is completely smooth again tonight. Cabo San Lucas is nestled on the southernmost tip of
the Baja Peninsula, where the cool currents of the Pacific Ocean meet the warm
waters of the Sea of Cortez. Commanding rock formations, timeless desert and a
translucent sea provide a compelling introduction to this tranquil resort
town.
We neglected to mention yesterday that we have learned that Crystal Serenity's godmother, Julie Andrews, will not be sailing on the first segment of the World Cruise as previously announced. This was promoted as a big deal, but all mention of her has now been dropped. Carol Channing will be on board as an entertainer during that time. The weather couldn't be more perfect today. Mid 70's and sunny. As usual, there were numerous fun lovers out parasailing and shooting around on jet skis all around the ship. We're not quite sure what two policemen in a tiny boat could do to save the ship from attack, but they were out there all day. We were up too early for lunch again, so we went up for some new port photos. Every time we stop here there is another new resort popping up on the dunes. The rock pinnacles look the same and we could hear the seals barking in the distance. The tenders took guests into the small marina in the center of town, although we didn't take advantage of the service today. They made an attempt at themeing the Lido lunch to the location by serving made-to-order tacos and a couple of other things topped with salsa. The tacos were so bad they were inedible. Everything was correct except whatever weird spices they added to the meat. Luckily, there were lots of other dishes that were very tasty, including a deep-fried chicken patty topped with salsa. The pasta station was serving spaghetti and meatballs. It wasn't bad except it was a little too heavy on the rosemary. We went back to the room after eating and found that it hadn't been made up yet, so we went back up to sit by the pool for a while. It was very pleasant there most of the time, but eventually it became a geriatric ward and we decided to move to our verandah. We stayed there for the rest of the afternoon watching the boats, birds, etc. Actually, we're not sure if we were watching the birds or they were watching us. There was a sail away party around the Seahorse Pool beginning at 5:30 PM, which we decided to attend just to see what a "Sangrita" was. Paul had attempted to explain it this morning on TV, but we never did quite figure out what it was. It is based on Sangria, but has a bunch of other liquor tossed in. It didn't look very appealing when we finally saw it in person, so we didn't bother to try it. There were a lot of guests out listening to the band, but not much was going on. Let's just say the energy level was quite low. As we sailed out of the bay, the wind picked up and the clouds started to move in. The Captain announced that there might be some slight movement tonight, which there was almost immediately after sail away. That's not to say it was anything unusual, but it's the first time there has been any movement at all during this trip. Tonight's dress code is Casual. We went up to Palm Court for drinks and to await dinner time. It remains slightly rocky at this time, but the ship rides very well and the motion isn't a problem. DINNER
APPETIZERS
SOUP AND SALAD
PASTA SPECIAL
SALAD ENTREE
MAIN FARES
TRADITIONAL MAIN FARES
VEGETARIAN SELECTION
DESSERT Food review: The Lobster Taco was mini in the most literal sense, but it was nonetheless the best part of this menu. It was quite outstanding. The iceberg salad was the worst yet because of the dressing. It didn't have much flavor at all, other than wet chopped garlic. The Caesar salad would have been better without the shrimp, but it was satisfactory. The soup was good, but had too many seeds in it that were more distracting than adding any interest to it. Augusto made Steak Diane at the table, at his suggestion, so we didn't have to order a main course. His timing was perfect because we weren't in love with any of the menu offerings. His steak was outstanding. The dessert was attractive, but didn't have much flavor. We had a nice conversation with Josef. This is the first time in nine years he hasn't done the World Cruise. He wants to spend more time with his son when he is out of school this year. We told him he should be able to do pretty much whatever he wants because he is so beloved by the Crystal regulars. That comment touched him more than we expected. He was really moved to hear that people like him so much. Augusto was on a conversational roll tonight, so we spent a lot of the evening chatting with him. We wanted to catch up on his family, mother, etc., who we had discussed the last time we saw him. All was as usual there. He and his wife want to visit California soon and we assured him it was fine with us if they came to see us. Our conversation lasted so long that we were the last ones out of the dining room. The discussion continued outside the doors until Nikki came running by. Tonight's entertainment is a Variety Showtime featuring comedy-magician Nick Lewin and Broadway star Dale Kristien. We didn't get out of the dining room in time to see Nick's act, but we did see all of Dale's. Her selection of music from "South Pacific" was nice and different from the last time we saw her a few months ago. Once again, several people walked out during her portion of the show, which was, in our opinion, uncalled for. Even if her show was awful, which it certainly was not, how hard can it be to be polite and wait for twenty minutes for her to finish? Here's the deal, if you think you might want to leave a show early, do not sit in the front of the theater, OK? After the show we returned to the room to find a gift and lovely note from Nikki thanking us for our company last night and our cruise bookings. We are already confirmed on the reunion cruise for June on Crystal Harmony. The Captain announced that the ship will have to travel at full speed to make San Diego on time. As he put it, "We will be traveling at 21 knots, or just about all we can squeeze out of Crystal Serenity." This ship rides very smoothly even with a head wind and choppy seas. There is a bit of creaking and popping around the glass doors to the verandah, but otherwise the movement is barely noticeable. It continued to be somewhat rough all night and into this afternoon when it calmed down a bit. The temperature is in the high 50's with a strong wind. The swells are continuous, but the motion isn't enough to be bothersome. In other words, nothing is falling from shelves or anything close to that. There was an American Classic buffet around the Neptune Pool, but by the looks of the Crystal Dining Room, we weren't the only guests who skipped it. We were seated on the opposite side of the room from where we usually sit, with a waiter we don't know. By the way, there has been almost a total turn over in waiters since our last cruise. We have seen only a handful of familiar faces among the dining room crew, other than the headwaiters and maitre d'. Our lunch was tasty. The Jambalaya wasn't as spicy as it should be, but it was good enough. The turkey club was very good. We skipped dessert and went up to the Bistro to sample the selection there. We hadn't been to the Bistro yet this cruise. It is nearly twice the size of the Bistros on the other two ships and is very attractive. The buffet selection is about the same. We sampled the low-carb cheesecake just for kicks and declared it one of the worst things we have ever tasted. After the Bistro snack we went back to the room briefly and then moved up to the Seahorse Pool area to sit for a while. It was somewhat chilly, but not unbearable. Eventually, we moved into the covered Neptune Pool where the buffet had been. The whole area was a sty with food all over the floor and the furniture in disarray. At least the temperature was warmer with the roof closed. However, we thought they should have at least swept up the chunks of fruit and whatever immediately after the buffet was dismantled. We were fawned over by the Deck Stewards because our gratuity had been posted to their accounts already. They are usually the only group who make an effort to thank us for any tips we give them. We returned to the room to wait for dinner time. It was overcast for most of the late afternoon. Tonight's dress code is Formal for the Captain's Farewell Cocktail Party and Dinner. This is also Captain Maalen's farewell to the Serenity. He is moving to Crystal Symphony when he returns from vacation. The party was a usual, with some witty remarks by the Captain that were quite amusing. Our dinner tonight is in Silk Road, but here is the regular menu for your review: FAREWELL DINNER APPETIZERS SOUP AND SALAD SHERBET PASTA SPECIAL SALAD ENTREE MAIN FARES TRADITIONAL MAIN FARES DESSERT SILK ROAD MENU APPETIZERS SOUPS SALADS ENTREES DESSERTS Food review: The lobster appetizer was again lacking in flavor, but looked beautiful served in a martini glass. The sauce tasted like nothing, unfortunately. This time we chose the traditional shrimp tempura and it was excellent. You have your choice of how many pieces you want and you can have just shrimp, or include vegetables. We only had shrimp. The tomato salad was interesting and a bit on the spicy side. There were three kinds of tomatoes, red onions and cucumbers in a spicy vinaigrette dressing. The Nobu Box consisted of all seafood, which was an odd change from last time when it came with the beef. Everything was very good, however. The three sauces with the beef are all very interesting, unusual flavors, so this is a good choice. The chicken was outstanding and by far the best thing we had. The sauce was familiar teriyaki flavor with the bite of balsamic vinegar. The dessert was also outstanding, especially the sesame ice cream. We took some sushi down to the front desk and sent it to Ronnie in the back. The front desk people thought we were gods for doing that, especially since we told them to share it. Tonight's entertainment is the popular production show, "Curtain Call". This show is energetic and entertaining with good production values. Our only quibble with it is that they have rearranged the order of songs in the shows they use to suit themselves. Otherwise, this is a lively, well-received production. It received a standing ovation from about one-third of the audience and nobody left during the show. When we returned to the room there was a note under the door stamped "URGENT". It was a thank you note from Ronnie for the food we sent to him. The disembarkation information doesn't mention U.S. citizens having to go through customs while on board, so we're assuming we won't have to get up at 5:00 AM this time. Anyone who gets off the ship in San Diego has to show either their passport or a birth certificate and photo ID at the gangway. If this is a permanent change, it is a good one. We never did see the point to making everyone parade in front of a line of customs agents just for show.
It's a beautiful, sunny day here in downtown San Diego today. We think maybe everyone was lying about all that rain lately. Due to the constant announcements that had nothing to do with us, we were up a lot earlier than usual. That meant we had to go somewhere for breakfast for the first time this cruise. We went to Tastes by the Neptune Pool for the Late Risers breakfast. This is a table-service meal from a limited menu. The menu was improved since our last visit. In addition to some fancy, or some may say weird, items, they have added eggs, bacon, etc., and some other familiar breakfast foods cooked to order. We both had the Peanut Butter and Jelly French Toast, which is much better than it sounds. In fact, it is outstanding, although the portion is literally four bites. We knew from experience that the portion would be small, so we added eggs and bacon to the order. That was plenty of food for breakfast. Everything was very good. After breakfast we went down to the Front Desk to get some change and ended up chatting with the receptionist who had been so impressed with our sushi delivery last night. He wanted to chat about destinations and such since this is his first contract. He seemed most interested in whether we were coming back soon, which we unfortunately are not, at least on this ship. We found Lara arriving with her pile of luggage. She has been staying with her mother in Point Loma while on vacation, so she was delivering part of her luggage in advance of re-joining the ship in Los Angeles tomorrow. She was sick and was keeping her distance from everyone. Her voice was also gone, so the conversation was limited. In any case, she seemed happy to see us and was disappointed we are leaving tomorrow. She is used to us being around for the entire World Cruise. Once finished with the niceties, we went back to the room to fill out the Quality Assurance Questionnaire. We also took a stroll around the Promenade Deck just for the heck of it and wandered down to look at the golf set up for no particular reason. They have two driving cages plus a small putting green that looks nice if you are into that sort of thing. Callaway Golf used to supply the clubs and golf instructors, but that is changing in Los Angeles. On the TV they have been constantly saying that the new clubs will be "much better" than the ones from Callaway, so there must have been some sort of issue with them. We killed time until around 1:00 PM when it was time to eat again. We debated about going to the dining room, but decided the selection in the Lido was worthwhile. Several of the dishes were very good. As usual, the Asian selection was the best, followed by a fried chicken with peaches and lingonberries, and the Hungarian Beef Goulash. We were amused by the brazenness of a seagull who wasn't the slightest bit intimidated by the guests sitting inches away from his perch on the railing. Someone threw him a bit of food he didn't like and the resulting rejection was especially amusing. We didn't know birds were so good at showing disgust. As we went through the buffet, a waiter, Sami, we had over five years ago, or more, recognized us. We hadn't seen him before today, but he said he has been here the entire cruise. He hadn't seen us before today either. Our next stop was a table in the shade by the Seahorse Pool where we stayed until the area turned into a geriatric ward again. One particularly surly group was playing cards while the women took turns belittling their husbands. Sounds fun, doesn't it? After the ruckus became too much for us, we moved back to the room to await the next feeding. By the way, there were hundreds of visitors on board today, so the restriction on visitors has obviously been lifted. Today's dress code is Casual.
DINNER
APPETIZERS
SOUP AND SALAD
PASTA SPECIAL
SALAD ENTREE
MAIN FARES
TRADITIONAL MAIN FARES
VEGETARIAN SELECTION
DESSERT Food review: The liqueur poured over the fruit did not complement it at all, but otherwise it was fine. We requested that the sun-dried tomatoes be left out of the soup, which was a big improvement. This is a delicious cream soup and the tomatoes are the wrong consistency for it. The salad was boring, but edible. Both entrees were very good. No sauce was served with the steak, but it didn't need it. The potatoes served with the steak were ghastly. They were a weird concoction of mashed potatoes, chopped vegetables and spices wrapped in a thin pastry. It was a lot of trouble for something so awful. The macaroon tart was satisfactory, but nothing special otherwise. We chatted several times with Augusto. We have known him for so long that we have a lot to talk about most of the time. Bulant came over and said he was told we have a website and asked for the address. In the past, we haven't given that information to anyone currently on board, but we've decided we can't keep it a secret forever. We also gave it to Augusto when he asked. Jacek seemed happy to have served us and we certainly were satisfied with him. He's extremely pleasant and always cheerful. We'd gladly have him as a waiter again. We also liked our assistant waitress, Swancha. We learned that the World Cruisers are being brought to the ship for lunch rather than forcing them to stay at the hotel until 2:00 PM as has always been done before. This is probably a good idea as long as there aren't hundreds of travel agents in the dining room getting a free lunch at the same time. World Cruisers definitely are not fond of being overlooked, especially for someone who isn't paying the fare. On the way out we chatted with Josef who is still contemplating going to the Harmony for the reunion cruise. We really think he should do it since the whole point is to bring back the original crew members. We expect, however, that Crystal will drop the ball on this as they usually do when an event is hyped up to the max. It will certainly be a fun time no matter what, but we're skeptical that anything terribly special will happen. If it does we will be pleasantly surprised. We brought a supply of goodies down to deliver to Ronnie, which made him run out and chat for a few minutes. He still wants to go back to the Harmony, but it doesn't appear to be in the cards. He should probably be back there for the reunion cruise if they are truly trying to assemble familiar faces for a crew. He filled us in on the whereabouts of a few people we wondered about, then we said our goodbyes and went up to finish packing. That took all of five minutes and the bag was out in the hallway for pick up. NEW RULES, NEW RULES: We received a note slipped under the door telling us that we have to report for a Customs inspection between 7:00 and 7:45 AM because we didn't go ashore in San Diego. If anyone had told us beforehand we certainly would have gone ashore and taken care of that formality. The note said, in part, " We thank you in advance for your cooperation in this important matter and apologize for the inconvenience, but it seems the US Immigration department in San Diego and Los Angeles are not on the same wave length." No kidding. Oh well, so much for sleeping until a decent hour on the last morning. The ship is sailing along at only 8 knots. The distance to Los Angeles is about 95 miles, so there is certainly no rush. There is no discernable movement at all tonight. We were as awake as possible at 7:00 AM when the first announcements were made regarding the Customs Inspection. At 7:30 AM we were ready to wander down to the Stardust Club for the inspection. When we arrived, two staff members were sitting at a table outside the entrance looking bored. They crossed us off of a list and sent us into the inspection. There were four officers sitting at a long table, one walking around in front of them, and another standing behind. This big show for no one except us. After handing the first officer a U.S. Passport, his important question was, "Are you a U.S. citizen?" Answer in mind, "No, that's a fake passport I handed you. I'm really from Iraq." Real answer, "Yes." After scrutinizing the customs declaration saying there are no other family members with us, he asked, "Are you traveling alone?" Answer in mind, "How many people do you see standing here and what does it say on the form in front of you?" Real answer, "Yes." That was it and we were back in the room. Ridiculous. Your tax dollars at work. After a brief stop to really finish getting ready for the day, we went up to the Lido for our first and only real on board breakfast. Everything one would expect was available, except made-to-order waffles as on the other two ships. The pre-made version offered from the buffet was very good though. We also obtained omelets from the egg station where they do make everything to order. We were happy with everything. In fact, some items were extremely good. We sat outside, which was a bit on the chilly side, but less crowded and stuffy than inside. Once we finished eating, we took a stroll around the upper deck just to get in the sun and warm up a bit. The enormous Diamond Princess was in port with us today at the adjacent terminal. By the way, we only owed $53 at the end of this cruise. All of our gratuities and purchases were covered by our Crystal Society spending credits. Our scheduled departure time was 9:45 AM, so we had about thirty minutes to kill before it was time for us to meet in the Galaxy Lounge. Everyone is allowed to remain in their stateroom until fifteen minutes before their scheduled departure, which is a really nice convenience. We knew from experience to go down a little bit early, so we headed down at 9:30 AM. We were told at the door that we could go ahead and disembark then, so we joined the long line past the Casino toward the exit in the lobby area. When we reached almost the end, we saw Jerry, our World Cruise waiter, so we left the line and went to chat with him for a few minutes. He was a bit disappointed that we wouldn't be there for any part of the World Cruise, but he seemed happy to see us. Just as we were reaching the check-out point where they scan keycards for the last time, Renato, the Shore Excursions Manager, came walking in and saw us. He has been hiding for most of the cruise, so he didn't know we were on board. He was in a rush, but also seemed glad to greet us, at least for a moment before hurrying off. In the terminal, we quickly found our luggage in the well organized piles, although one bag was completely missing it's pull-out handle. Mind you, we haven't taken these bags on any airline, just on Crystal ships, and both of them have been destroyed by rough handling in only three cruises. The other one split at the seams after the first trip through their system. These aren't flimsy either. We didn't complain, and won't, but we thought this was worthy of mention in case anyone is considering taking along expensive luggage. Outside the terminal we ran into Tom, the Crystal Cove pianist from the World Cruise, who rushed over to talk to us. We always have a good time chatting with him in general. We have no idea how, but he already knew we were on board, so he expected to see us today. After catching up on the latest gossip and letting him know we will be on the Harmony in June when he is, we rolled our luggage off in the direction of our car. The parking cost for ten days was $110.00, which caused the parking attendant to gasp. That doesn't seem too ridiculous, but she seemed to think it was. It's cheaper than taking a shuttle or cab from our house and back, that's for sure. The drive home was traffic free and took the same 90 minutes it did to get to the port. It couldn't have been any easier. All in all, we were very satisfied with this cruise. We got the relaxation and escape we were looking for and then some. Driving to and from the port is so much simpler than flying to a port. We'll probably stick to this close to home routine for a while. We felt that the food overall was very good with a few dishes being outstanding. The incredible Silk Road was the culinary highlight. We could live a long time without ever going to Prego again, however. The entertainment offered during this cruise was satisfactory, but we wouldn't knock anyone over to see any of it again. The production shows were a mixed bag ranging from very good to terrible. Unfortunately, the newest show was by far the worst thing we have ever seen on an upscale ship. What a waste of money that was. The headline entertainers were worth seeing, but we had seen most of them too many times. Crystal really needs to get a new rotation and stop dragging in the same people year after year. Overall, we confirmed our feeling that Crystal Serenity is too dark and confined in some areas. Main corridors are sometimes narrow and the configuration of the Lido Restaurant makes it seem crowded even with only 600 guests on board (the ship holds over 1,000). On the other hand, most of the public rooms are beautiful to look at. The Crystal Dining Room is attractive, but way too noisy. We were appalled by the filthy carpets in some of the public areas, particularly in Silk Road and the stairs in the lobby. If we went to a shore side restaurant with carpeting that dirty we would walk out thinking the kitchen may be even worse. The light beige color probably wasn't the best choice for hiding spills, but if they are expecting to keep it, they need to clean it more often. Otherwise, upkeep was outstanding, as one would expect on a ship of this standard. Our standard verandah stateroom was attractive and well thought out, although not especially spacious. The sofa was slightly more comfortable than those on the Symphony, but still barely wide enough for two people to sit side by side. There was plenty of drawer and closet space. The bathroom had lots of storage on shelves and in the cabinets below, but the toilet was way too close to the side wall for an even slightly above average person. Neither of us is overly wide and we had to lean against the wall to fit. The shower/tub combination worked well and the water pressure was great. Aveda bath amenities are provided. As we've said before, this isn't our favorite ship among the Crystal fleet, but there is nothing offensive about it either. It is the premium price Crystal charges for this particular vessel that might keep us from coming back as often as we'd like. Why pay more for the same product when it is half the price to sail on Crystal Harmony? She may be older, but we don't see that much of a difference in areas that matter to us. In fact, we think the food on the Harmony is superior to either of the two sisters. Look for new voyages, coming soon!
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