A LOOK AT WHAT IS HAPPENING TODAY
CRUISING ON THE WAY TO CARTAGENA COLOMBIA✔ CRUISE CRITIC MEET AND MINGLE PARTY✔
Last evening we went to the Crystal Cove to listen to the music of Scott Mitchel and to enjoy a pre-dinner drink. Well, a Perrier for Anne Marie.
While we were enjoying our drink, Jun would come by with different trays of canapés. We did not have any but enjoyed looking at what he had on each tray and speaking with him. As we have done with each member of the crew who is from the Philippine's we asked if he or other family members had any impact from the devastation of the Typhoon which had struck this country. Thankfully Jun and his family was not impacted directly from the Typhoon.
On this voyage Scott is performing two functions as the Pianist in the Crystal Cove and also as the Assistant Cruise Director. Starting on January 18 with the beginning of the World Cruise Scott will be the Assistant Cruise Director and John Mentis will come on-board to play the piano on the Crystal Cove.
We were back in the Crystal Dining Room for dinner. The theme for the evening was California Dinner.
Since this is the first California Dinner that we had we are posting the menu this time around.
We pre-ordered a couple of items ahead of time with Head Waiter, Bojan. For those of you who have not sailed with Crystal Cruises, the Head Waiter is responsible for a section of the Dining Room. They have several responsibilities and one of them is to take care of any special requests. Some special requests not on the menu can be ordered on the spot such as Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail but, in general, it is always nice to provide 24 hours notice. The Head Waiters are all very experienced and have worked for Crystal Cruises for many years. They all are very knowledgable about food so often you can get good recommendations from them.
We pre-ordered Tuna Tartare for Keith and Anne Marie had the Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail. Bojan prepared the Tuna Tartare for Keith table side. Bojan himself says that he prepared the Tartare differently than most of the Head Waiters and Keith really enjoyed it. It even included items such as Avocado and several other ingredients that often are not prepared as part of this appetizer.
Keith also thought the portion was of a good size as it was not too large and was just great for him.
On each dinner menu, in addition to several main fares entrees being offered there are also at least a couple of alternate choices listed and one of them was the Broiled Fresh Atlantic Salmon and that was our choice. It was prepared the way we like it and very tasty. The portion size was just right for us.
There is always room for dessert and Anne Marie had the sugar free Chocolate Brownie a la Mode and Keith tried a very small bite and we both thought it was delicious.
Keith had a nice bowl of fresh berries for his dessert. They did taste as well as they looked. Keith did have another dessert later. More in a moment.
Last evening we went to the Crystal Cove to listen to the music of Scott Mitchel and to enjoy a pre-dinner drink. Well, a Perrier for Anne Marie.
While we were enjoying our drink, Jun would come by with different trays of canapés. We did not have any but enjoyed looking at what he had on each tray and speaking with him. As we have done with each member of the crew who is from the Philippine's we asked if he or other family members had any impact from the devastation of the Typhoon which had struck this country. Thankfully Jun and his family was not impacted directly from the Typhoon.
On this voyage Scott is performing two functions as the Pianist in the Crystal Cove and also as the Assistant Cruise Director. Starting on January 18 with the beginning of the World Cruise Scott will be the Assistant Cruise Director and John Mentis will come on-board to play the piano on the Crystal Cove.
We were back in the Crystal Dining Room for dinner. The theme for the evening was California Dinner.
Since this is the first California Dinner that we had we are posting the menu this time around.
We pre-ordered a couple of items ahead of time with Head Waiter, Bojan. For those of you who have not sailed with Crystal Cruises, the Head Waiter is responsible for a section of the Dining Room. They have several responsibilities and one of them is to take care of any special requests. Some special requests not on the menu can be ordered on the spot such as Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail but, in general, it is always nice to provide 24 hours notice. The Head Waiters are all very experienced and have worked for Crystal Cruises for many years. They all are very knowledgable about food so often you can get good recommendations from them.
We pre-ordered Tuna Tartare for Keith and Anne Marie had the Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail. Bojan prepared the Tuna Tartare for Keith table side. Bojan himself says that he prepared the Tartare differently than most of the Head Waiters and Keith really enjoyed it. It even included items such as Avocado and several other ingredients that often are not prepared as part of this appetizer.
Keith also thought the portion was of a good size as it was not too large and was just great for him.
Anne Marie enjoyed her Shrimp Cocktail.
When it comes to the preparation of the Caesar Salad, each Head Waiter has there own way of preparing this as well and that was the case with the one that Bojan made for us. It was excellent and it was not drenched in dressing so it really brought out the flavor of the various ingredients that go int to salad.
On each dinner menu, in addition to several main fares entrees being offered there are also at least a couple of alternate choices listed and one of them was the Broiled Fresh Atlantic Salmon and that was our choice. It was prepared the way we like it and very tasty. The portion size was just right for us.
There is always room for dessert and Anne Marie had the sugar free Chocolate Brownie a la Mode and Keith tried a very small bite and we both thought it was delicious.
Keith had a nice bowl of fresh berries for his dessert. They did taste as well as they looked. Keith did have another dessert later. More in a moment.
Our Sommelier is Christian from Chile and we asked if he could bring us out a couple of different wines that were not on last nights menu that he thought we would enjoy. He brought out a Sauvignon Blanc which was very fruity and he also decanted a portion of a bottle of red whine which was a 2007 Fontodi Chianti Classico.
On most days Anne Marie is not having any wine and when she does she is just taking a small taste. She is on a daily medication that although she can have a glass of wine a day and even a second from time to time she is just having a small taste.
We also wanted to mention that our Senior Waiter is Ayan from Turkey. We have known Ayan for many years as from time to time he has served us when we have dined for lunch at the Crystal Dining Room. He is assisted by Waiter Laszio who we had known from before as well. They are a very good team. We will be sure to post photos of them on one of our future Blog entries.
After we finished dinner we listed to a Jazz Performance at the Crystal Cove by the Galaxy Orchestra and their music was very lively and upbeat and we enjoyed it a great deal.
On the day that dear friends Ricki and David visited us they surprised Keith with a large box of rainbow cookies. We can't get those where we live and they are a cookie that Keith loved as a child which his parents would get from time to time at a Bakery. Ricki and David has surprised Keith with these cookies on two other occasions so Keith had two of them last night. The others are being stored for Keith by our butler, Vincente who was kind enough to bring the box over to our room after we returned last evening. They were delicious.
We slept very well last evening. The seas overall were relatively calm. It seems that within seconds of placing our heads on the pillow we are asleep.
By now you know the routine. Keith was up first and enjoyed a nice workout on the Elliptical Machine. He caught the replay of a lecture given on the topic of the Arab Spring and the outlook for Syria. The lecture was given by Dr. Robert Freedman who is a professor of Political Science at John Hopkins University. He focuses on both the Middle East and on Russian Foreign Policy.
On each sea day usually three lectures are given on a wide range of topics and each one is recorded so they can be watched on one of the Crystal Television Stations. Eventually, guests will be able to watch them when they want on devices such as an iPad. Keith enjoyed the lecture and this is one where he learned about some areas that he was not aware of and it just makes one think.
Shortly after the workout he was off to the Lido Cafe for some coffee. There is an early morning coffee set up which includes coffee, cereal and some other breakfast items available to go or to enjoy at the cafe.
Keith also brought some coffee back to the room for Anne Marie to enjoy before she went on a one hour morning walk. It was very windy so Anne Marie walked indoors.
At 8:00 AM it was time for breakfast and almost like clockwork, there was a knock on the door by Vincente. From breakfast Keith went to his second spin (Indoor Cycling) class of this voyage and had another great workout. Most of the same people from Monday were there and Fitness Director Michael pushed us hard which is what Keith prefers.
These photos were taken about 20 minutes into the class.
After the workout we took care of a few items around the ship. There were two lectures in the morning but we both plan to catch them on the Television. In a few days we will begin to see the lectures in person.
At noon we had lunch in the Lido Cafe. Once again, we each enjoyed a Salad Entree.
Shorty after lunch Anne Marie walked for another hour and Keith played Paddle Tennis. It was fairly windy this afternoon so it made it a bit more challenging to play tennis outside.
Later in the afternoon Keith met up with good friend Bob and a couple of other guests. Anne Marie worked on her Needle Point and she also signed up for some one on one personal training at the Fitness Center.
This evening we will dine at the Crystal Dining Room and we will also attend a Cruise Critic Meet and Mingle Party.
We thought we would close with the following thought.
We live in a time where there is tremendous change occurring all around us. Some people welcome the change, while others prefer to leave things as they are.
With that in mind we leave you with a quote related to change.
On most days Anne Marie is not having any wine and when she does she is just taking a small taste. She is on a daily medication that although she can have a glass of wine a day and even a second from time to time she is just having a small taste.
We also wanted to mention that our Senior Waiter is Ayan from Turkey. We have known Ayan for many years as from time to time he has served us when we have dined for lunch at the Crystal Dining Room. He is assisted by Waiter Laszio who we had known from before as well. They are a very good team. We will be sure to post photos of them on one of our future Blog entries.
After we finished dinner we listed to a Jazz Performance at the Crystal Cove by the Galaxy Orchestra and their music was very lively and upbeat and we enjoyed it a great deal.
On the day that dear friends Ricki and David visited us they surprised Keith with a large box of rainbow cookies. We can't get those where we live and they are a cookie that Keith loved as a child which his parents would get from time to time at a Bakery. Ricki and David has surprised Keith with these cookies on two other occasions so Keith had two of them last night. The others are being stored for Keith by our butler, Vincente who was kind enough to bring the box over to our room after we returned last evening. They were delicious.
We slept very well last evening. The seas overall were relatively calm. It seems that within seconds of placing our heads on the pillow we are asleep.
By now you know the routine. Keith was up first and enjoyed a nice workout on the Elliptical Machine. He caught the replay of a lecture given on the topic of the Arab Spring and the outlook for Syria. The lecture was given by Dr. Robert Freedman who is a professor of Political Science at John Hopkins University. He focuses on both the Middle East and on Russian Foreign Policy.
On each sea day usually three lectures are given on a wide range of topics and each one is recorded so they can be watched on one of the Crystal Television Stations. Eventually, guests will be able to watch them when they want on devices such as an iPad. Keith enjoyed the lecture and this is one where he learned about some areas that he was not aware of and it just makes one think.
Shortly after the workout he was off to the Lido Cafe for some coffee. There is an early morning coffee set up which includes coffee, cereal and some other breakfast items available to go or to enjoy at the cafe.
Keith also brought some coffee back to the room for Anne Marie to enjoy before she went on a one hour morning walk. It was very windy so Anne Marie walked indoors.
At 8:00 AM it was time for breakfast and almost like clockwork, there was a knock on the door by Vincente. From breakfast Keith went to his second spin (Indoor Cycling) class of this voyage and had another great workout. Most of the same people from Monday were there and Fitness Director Michael pushed us hard which is what Keith prefers.
These photos were taken about 20 minutes into the class.
After the workout we took care of a few items around the ship. There were two lectures in the morning but we both plan to catch them on the Television. In a few days we will begin to see the lectures in person.
At noon we had lunch in the Lido Cafe. Once again, we each enjoyed a Salad Entree.
Shorty after lunch Anne Marie walked for another hour and Keith played Paddle Tennis. It was fairly windy this afternoon so it made it a bit more challenging to play tennis outside.
Later in the afternoon Keith met up with good friend Bob and a couple of other guests. Anne Marie worked on her Needle Point and she also signed up for some one on one personal training at the Fitness Center.
This evening we will dine at the Crystal Dining Room and we will also attend a Cruise Critic Meet and Mingle Party.
We thought we would close with the following thought.
We live in a time where there is tremendous change occurring all around us. Some people welcome the change, while others prefer to leave things as they are.
With that in mind we leave you with a quote related to change.
TODAY'S THOUGHT FOR THE DAY............
"Embrace
the detours." - Kevin Charbonneau
Keith & Anne Marie
Thank you so much for sharing your adventure. I notice Anne Marie (almost) always chooses a sugar free dessert. Is there a particular reason for this? I would also love to see a picture of the needlepoint she is working on!
ReplyDeleteAnne Marie already looks considerably more refreshed and relaxed! Enjoying your blog!
ReplyDelete