DAY 9 - EMBARKATION DAY - CRYSTAL SERENITY

A LOOK AT WHAT IS HAPPENING TODAY

BOARD CRYSTAL SERENITY; OUR HOME FOR THE NEXT FOUR MONTHS✔ UNPACKING AND GETTING SETTLED✔ SEEING SO MANY OF OUR CRYSTAL FAMILY✔ DINNER WITH DEAR FRIENDS RICKI AND DAVID✔ 

We wanted to begin with some final thoughts about Miami.  

We have enjoyed many pre-cruise stays in Miami, and this one was no exception.  For us it is perfect.  

It provides us time to purchase those remaining items (primarily liquid items) that are either not allowed on flights or would run the risk of leakage in our luggage.  

As you undoubtedly know by now, we love to walk and there are many places that we can either reach solely on foot, or some places that we can take a short ride by taxi and then walk.  Overall, other than one unusual time when were here and there were some record or close to record lows, this time of year usually has weather highs into the high 70's, and sometimes even warmer, as we had for a couple of times this trip which is perfect walking weather.

We also enjoy the warm hospitality of the locals, and we enjoy the restaurants, and all of the areas we can visit.

We have seen additional changes since we stayed here in 2007, including the continued construction of new facilities in the downtown area which has really added to the overall beauty of the city.

Our observation is that the area between the hotel where we stayed over to the port of Miami a good deal nicer and safer than it used to be. We feel very safe walking this area at night, although like any city, it is important to be street smart and observant of one's surroundings.  We even find that the drivers of motor vehicles are more courteous  than a few years ago to those who walk by foot, although some could use some schooling in this area.

If we could make two suggestions it would be for those who walk their dogs in the downtown area to be prepared to clean up their mess as often we have to look down very carefully where we walk.  OK, enough said about that.  Also, there are some who get around by bicycle who we wish would just not ride so fast when riding on sidewalks to avoid the possibility of getting into an accident with those traveling on foot.  In the scheme of things, these are minor items that are easily offset by all that we thoroughly enjoy about the city.

In short, for us we enjoy the diversity of this city, the weather, the friendliness of the locals, the range of places to visit, the ability to take long walks with pleasant scenery, and the various options available to us to get around whether on foot, by taxi or by some form of public transportation.

We have been looking forward to today for the past few months, as today marks the start of another adventure 
on- board the Crystal Serenity.  As many times as we have cruised, and as many times as we have boarded the Crystal Serenity or sailed on the Crystal Symphony or the former Crystal Harmony, we are even more excited to be back on board the Serenity than ever before.  For us, it provides the best of all "worlds" as we visit so many places all around the world, with all of the amenities and outstanding service found on board the Serenity.  We hope that you will feel our excitement through our words and through our photos.

We awoke early this morning with great anticipation for the start of our adventure at sea.  After enjoying a nice breakfast in our room, we started to get ready for our adventure to begin, including packing the final items. We then took a last look at the hotel from the lobby area.

After checking out of the hotel, we made our way to the lower level of the hotel complex, where we were met by our driver and SUV.  We took the same route that we walked countless times over the past seven days.  We made our way up Brickell and then over the bridge that connects the Bayside area of town to the Port of Miami.  Before we knew it, we could see our home for the next four months; the Crystal Serenity.  She looked more beautiful than ever before.  

We waited until it was time to board and once on board the ship we had our photo taken for our shipboard card and then we started to walk around the ship.  We saw so many familiar  faces from our Crystal Family.  We ran into Food & Beverage Manager Victor and we chatted for awhile.

At Noon we were seated in the Crystal Dining Room for lunch.  This is where we love to toast the beginning of another new adventure.

A short while later our dear friends Ricki and David arrived to visit us for embarkation day.  We are always so very thrilled that Crystal allows guests to have visitors come on board and we are so very thankful that Ricki and David drove all the way down here to see us.  It was so nice to catch up with them and to toast the start of our adventure.

The two of us ordered what we always do for our embarkation day lunch and for those of you who follow our travels know that is Cobb Salad and it was delcious.

During the course of the afternoon we made various appointments including reservations for the specialty restaurants, a hair salon appointment and a couple of other appointments.  We also began to get settled in our room.  We met with our butler Vincente and our Stewardess Lunghar.  We know Vincente from the Dining Room and last year he was a butler on our floor for a portion of the time we were on the ship.

We also saw several Senior Officers including Hotel Director Josef, the Chief Engineer and the Vice Captain as well as other Senior Staff and so many other people too numerous to name.

We are awaiting our luggage so we are going to close for today and will post about the rest of the afternoon and dinner tomorrow.

We are thrilled to be back on the Crystal Serenity and look forward to another amazing adventure.

TODAY'S THOUGHT FOR THE DAY............

"We can think of no better way to travel and see the world than by cruise ship." - Keith and Anne Marie

Keith and Anne Marie