We wanted to begin by posting a couple additional photos from the recent Black Tie Optional evening on board the Crystal Serenity.
While at the same time approximately 240 or so of our fellow World Cruisers were attending the World Cruise Gala at the Beverly Hills Wilshire Hotel last evening, we along with around 30 World Cruisers were attending a World Cruise Gala on board the ship. We had a super time as we toasted the start of a new adventure.
The ships Food & Beverage Departments creates the same menu to match both the food and the wines that are served at the Gala on land. We just love the way the Gala is done on the ship.
The Gala began at Pulse at which is night-time oriented lounge with a Cocktail Hour for those on the full World Cruise. Thirty one of the World Cruisers attended along with several Senior Officers and Senior Crew Members.
We took a photo outside of Prego before the event began.
When we arrived to Pulse about 8 other guests had already arrived and we were greeted by Crystal Society Hostess Jaque Brown.
We conversed with many of the guests, the majority who we already knew from previous cruises or had met on board this sailing.
Anne Marie with Dear Friend Glo
Cruise Director Gary Hunter made a Toast to all of us right before we went to dinner. The Captain also made a toast. Both of these Senior Officers are going home, but they will be on for the 2015 World Cruise.
Shortly before it was time to dine we were each told what our Table Number would be and who our host would be. Our table was Table Number 2. We were called second and we were escorted up to the Prego Specialty Restaurant. All of us were seated at some tables located in the back area of Prego. Each table had one or more hosts and we each had a specific seat to sit in with our respective name cards at the place settings. To the left of Keith was Anne Marie, and dear friends Bob and Glo and to the right of Keith was Mildred and Judy and right across from Keith was the Vice Captain. The small size table made it very easy for all of us to converse together which is always very nice.
Coincidentally, we sat with Judy last year and we see her often around the ship. We have really never had a long conversation with Mildred in the past. Keith often sees her seated up at the Lido Cafe each morning writing in her journal and always waves and give a smile to her. We look forward to getting to know her more on this adventure.
We began the meal with an appetizer of Nantucket Bay Scallops. It was very tasty with the sauce that accompanied it.
The next course was Meselun Greens. The Balsamic Vinaigrette was a hit with everyone.
For the entree we had a choice of Black Cod or New York Kobe Beef. The entire table went with the Black Cod and it was absolutely delicious.
The dessert was Chocolate Cofee Bombe. You see the Orange Gelee.
Our waiter for the evening was Costa who we normally have as our waiter when we dine at Prego. Knowing that Anne Marie is allergic to orange, her dessert was brought out without the Orange Gelee without Anne Marie saying one word.
We only had a portion of the dessert as we know it's always a good idea to pace ourselves. It was absolutely delicious. There was a candy on top with Caramelized Pecans on the plate as well.
The two wines were perfect. The White was a Chardonnay, Chateau Montelena Winery, Napa Valley 2009 and the Red was a Cabernet Sauvignon, Karl Lawrence, Napa Valley 2006. We began with the White and then later in the meal switched to the Red.
We had a wonderful evening. We enjoyed the outstanding cuisine the wonderful ambiance of Prego, the outstanding service and our conversations with our table mates.
When we arrived back to our room, our Stewardess Set up the Fellas on one of the Pillows.
Approximately, 275 Full World Cruisers will be on this adventure which will take us from Los Angeles, California to Southampton, England.
Today marks the end of the first voyage, turn-around day, and also the start of the 2014 World Cruise. We awoke with great anticipation for not only a wonderful day but a fantastic World Cruise.
Since we boarded in Miami we traveled a total of 4,656 nautical miles or the equivalent of approximately 5,354 land miles.
We began our day as we do each day and by now you know the routine. The morning included exercise, a visit to the Lido Cafe and of course breakfast in our room. We took advantage of being back in the United States to make a couple of phone calls including one to the airline early in the morning.
The elliptical machine that Keith uses for those daily morning workouts.
We took care of a couple of items on our iPads taking advantage of using the local carrier network to download some Apps including one that we can use with the new capability that is being offered by Crystal Cruises which includes on line newspapers. We will also be able to get the daily schedule known as Reflections on line as well.
Keith took some photos of the display that was "magically" set up late last night to mark the start of this wonderful 2014 World Cruise Adventure.
We were able to do FaceTime with our Daughter, Jennifer, and Grandson, Andre.
We then got ready for the day and a little after 9:00 AM, we went to the designated lounge with our fellow in-transit guests so that we could leave the ship and go through immigrations and customs. At around 9:45 AM we all were escorted off the ship and by around 10:10 AM we were back on the Serenity. After going through immigration, we went to customs where we turned in our customs cards. After the ship was cleared, we went back onto the ship.
As we were turning in our Passports at the Front Desk we ran into Thomas Mazloum, Executive Vice President of Crystal Cruises Operations and we chatted for awhile and then we went upstairs with him to attend a group meeting with President of Crystal Cruiser Edie Bornstein. Although Keith had the opportunity to speak with her on the telephone a couple of months ago and we have seen her in video and on television, this was our first opportunity to meet with her. She was kind enough to meet with all of the World Cruisers who were not at the Gala. She spoke about her vision of Crystal Cruises and then took questions from those in attendance.
About thirty minutes after the group session we both had the opportunity to meet with Edie along with the Vice President of Public Relations for Crystal Cruises, Mimi Weisband at The Bistro, and we enjoyed a very nice chat with them. We really appreciate the time that Edie and Mimi spent with us.
We also ran into Vice President of Entertainment for Crystal Cruises, Bret Bullock.
Then we ran into Rao, who has been our Butler the past couple of years and who we will have again starting today.
We then had lunch at the Crystal Dining Room and toasted the start of the World Cruise with a flute of Champagne and had our traditional Cobb Salad.
As many of the World Cruisers who we know from our previous travel arrived we greeted many of them. The warm greetings and excitement that surrounds the start of the World Cruise has the feel of a family reunion as after all we have traveled with many of these people for hundreds of days and with some the equivalent of one year or even close to two years over the past few years. It was so very exciting to see so many friends that we have met over the years as they boarded the ship.
Our friends John and Linda who we were not expecting until Japan decided just a few weeks ago to come on board starting with this segment and we saw them in the Crystal Dining Room. We saw Elaine who just boarded today along with so many people.
When we arrived back to our room there were several gifts awaiting us. This included:
World Cruise Jackets (with fleece) and hats.
World Cruise Diary/Journal, World Cruise Calendar With Events Planned and two Magnets.
In the afternoon, we continued to run into many people throughout the ship. Several crew also joined the ship today as others went home on very well deserved Holidays so it was also an exciting day to see several members of the crew who we have known from past cruises.
At 3:00 PM, we had the pleasure of meeting with Thomas Mazloum, Executive Vice President of Operations for Crystal Cruises. We have known Thomas for several years and we always look forward to getting together with him.
We sail at 5:00 PM and at 4:00 is the muster (lifeboat) drill for those who just boarded the ship today.
This evening we will have dinner at the Crystal Dining Room and later in the evening we will attend the World Cruise Balloon Drop.
We are so very excited about this World Cruise Adventure. For us each and every World Cruise is magical and we are even more excited about this one than even our first World Cruise.
We hope you also enjoy this adventure.
TODAY'S THOUGHT FOR THE DAY.........
“Our journey never ends, as there are more places to visit, more adventures to enjoy, more special memories to make, that together, we will carry with us for the rest of our lives.” –
Keith & Anne Marie
While at the same time approximately 240 or so of our fellow World Cruisers were attending the World Cruise Gala at the Beverly Hills Wilshire Hotel last evening, we along with around 30 World Cruisers were attending a World Cruise Gala on board the ship. We had a super time as we toasted the start of a new adventure.
The ships Food & Beverage Departments creates the same menu to match both the food and the wines that are served at the Gala on land. We just love the way the Gala is done on the ship.
The Gala began at Pulse at which is night-time oriented lounge with a Cocktail Hour for those on the full World Cruise. Thirty one of the World Cruisers attended along with several Senior Officers and Senior Crew Members.
We took a photo outside of Prego before the event began.
When we arrived to Pulse about 8 other guests had already arrived and we were greeted by Crystal Society Hostess Jaque Brown.
We conversed with many of the guests, the majority who we already knew from previous cruises or had met on board this sailing.
Anne Marie with Dear Friend Glo
Cruise Director Gary Hunter made a Toast to all of us right before we went to dinner. The Captain also made a toast. Both of these Senior Officers are going home, but they will be on for the 2015 World Cruise.
Shortly before it was time to dine we were each told what our Table Number would be and who our host would be. Our table was Table Number 2. We were called second and we were escorted up to the Prego Specialty Restaurant. All of us were seated at some tables located in the back area of Prego. Each table had one or more hosts and we each had a specific seat to sit in with our respective name cards at the place settings. To the left of Keith was Anne Marie, and dear friends Bob and Glo and to the right of Keith was Mildred and Judy and right across from Keith was the Vice Captain. The small size table made it very easy for all of us to converse together which is always very nice.
Coincidentally, we sat with Judy last year and we see her often around the ship. We have really never had a long conversation with Mildred in the past. Keith often sees her seated up at the Lido Cafe each morning writing in her journal and always waves and give a smile to her. We look forward to getting to know her more on this adventure.
We began the meal with an appetizer of Nantucket Bay Scallops. It was very tasty with the sauce that accompanied it.
The next course was Meselun Greens. The Balsamic Vinaigrette was a hit with everyone.
For the entree we had a choice of Black Cod or New York Kobe Beef. The entire table went with the Black Cod and it was absolutely delicious.
The dessert was Chocolate Cofee Bombe. You see the Orange Gelee.
Our waiter for the evening was Costa who we normally have as our waiter when we dine at Prego. Knowing that Anne Marie is allergic to orange, her dessert was brought out without the Orange Gelee without Anne Marie saying one word.
We only had a portion of the dessert as we know it's always a good idea to pace ourselves. It was absolutely delicious. There was a candy on top with Caramelized Pecans on the plate as well.
The two wines were perfect. The White was a Chardonnay, Chateau Montelena Winery, Napa Valley 2009 and the Red was a Cabernet Sauvignon, Karl Lawrence, Napa Valley 2006. We began with the White and then later in the meal switched to the Red.
We had a wonderful evening. We enjoyed the outstanding cuisine the wonderful ambiance of Prego, the outstanding service and our conversations with our table mates.
When we arrived back to our room, our Stewardess Set up the Fellas on one of the Pillows.
Approximately, 275 Full World Cruisers will be on this adventure which will take us from Los Angeles, California to Southampton, England.
Today marks the end of the first voyage, turn-around day, and also the start of the 2014 World Cruise. We awoke with great anticipation for not only a wonderful day but a fantastic World Cruise.
Since we boarded in Miami we traveled a total of 4,656 nautical miles or the equivalent of approximately 5,354 land miles.
We began our day as we do each day and by now you know the routine. The morning included exercise, a visit to the Lido Cafe and of course breakfast in our room. We took advantage of being back in the United States to make a couple of phone calls including one to the airline early in the morning.
The elliptical machine that Keith uses for those daily morning workouts.
We took care of a couple of items on our iPads taking advantage of using the local carrier network to download some Apps including one that we can use with the new capability that is being offered by Crystal Cruises which includes on line newspapers. We will also be able to get the daily schedule known as Reflections on line as well.
Keith took some photos of the display that was "magically" set up late last night to mark the start of this wonderful 2014 World Cruise Adventure.
We were able to do FaceTime with our Daughter, Jennifer, and Grandson, Andre.
We then got ready for the day and a little after 9:00 AM, we went to the designated lounge with our fellow in-transit guests so that we could leave the ship and go through immigrations and customs. At around 9:45 AM we all were escorted off the ship and by around 10:10 AM we were back on the Serenity. After going through immigration, we went to customs where we turned in our customs cards. After the ship was cleared, we went back onto the ship.
As we were turning in our Passports at the Front Desk we ran into Thomas Mazloum, Executive Vice President of Crystal Cruises Operations and we chatted for awhile and then we went upstairs with him to attend a group meeting with President of Crystal Cruiser Edie Bornstein. Although Keith had the opportunity to speak with her on the telephone a couple of months ago and we have seen her in video and on television, this was our first opportunity to meet with her. She was kind enough to meet with all of the World Cruisers who were not at the Gala. She spoke about her vision of Crystal Cruises and then took questions from those in attendance.
About thirty minutes after the group session we both had the opportunity to meet with Edie along with the Vice President of Public Relations for Crystal Cruises, Mimi Weisband at The Bistro, and we enjoyed a very nice chat with them. We really appreciate the time that Edie and Mimi spent with us.
We also ran into Vice President of Entertainment for Crystal Cruises, Bret Bullock.
Then we ran into Rao, who has been our Butler the past couple of years and who we will have again starting today.
We then had lunch at the Crystal Dining Room and toasted the start of the World Cruise with a flute of Champagne and had our traditional Cobb Salad.
As many of the World Cruisers who we know from our previous travel arrived we greeted many of them. The warm greetings and excitement that surrounds the start of the World Cruise has the feel of a family reunion as after all we have traveled with many of these people for hundreds of days and with some the equivalent of one year or even close to two years over the past few years. It was so very exciting to see so many friends that we have met over the years as they boarded the ship.
Our friends John and Linda who we were not expecting until Japan decided just a few weeks ago to come on board starting with this segment and we saw them in the Crystal Dining Room. We saw Elaine who just boarded today along with so many people.
When we arrived back to our room there were several gifts awaiting us. This included:
World Cruise Jackets (with fleece) and hats.
World Cruise Diary/Journal, World Cruise Calendar With Events Planned and two Magnets.
In the afternoon, we continued to run into many people throughout the ship. Several crew also joined the ship today as others went home on very well deserved Holidays so it was also an exciting day to see several members of the crew who we have known from past cruises.
At 3:00 PM, we had the pleasure of meeting with Thomas Mazloum, Executive Vice President of Operations for Crystal Cruises. We have known Thomas for several years and we always look forward to getting together with him.
We sail at 5:00 PM and at 4:00 is the muster (lifeboat) drill for those who just boarded the ship today.
This evening we will have dinner at the Crystal Dining Room and later in the evening we will attend the World Cruise Balloon Drop.
We are so very excited about this World Cruise Adventure. For us each and every World Cruise is magical and we are even more excited about this one than even our first World Cruise.
We hope you also enjoy this adventure.
TODAY'S THOUGHT FOR THE DAY.........
“Our journey never ends, as there are more places to visit, more adventures to enjoy, more special memories to make, that together, we will carry with us for the rest of our lives.” –
Keith & Anne Marie
Keith & Anne Marie
I have been following along everyday.. but this comment is somewhat random. I just wanted to comment on how lovely Anne Marie is. Her skin is just amazing! I have to know what skin care regime she uses!
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