We dined at the Silk Roads Japanese Specialty Restaurant last evening. We dined with Food & Beverage Manager, Tayfun (pronounced Typhoon). We had an absolutely wonderful time.
This will be our only visit to Silk Road on this voyage. We are trying to spend more time in the Crystal Dining Room to test out the new menus. Anthony who normally was our waiter was not able to take care of our table but he did pre-order us many items.
We began with these appetizers. The one in the middle was Meat Loaf which was a first for us at Silk Road. It was very tasty.
This is the Nobu Sashimi Special which is on the menu.
We began with this "little" platter of Sashimi and Sushi. At one point Keith said how about if we have some more Sashimi and Keith and Tayfun had more. We did have Lobster Tempura which we did not take a photo of.
Well, we were not done. We both had Hot Soba Noodles and some steamed scallops for our main course. However, that was it. No dessert tonight.
When this voyage comes to an end and our son and daughter in law come on for the seven day cruise our plan is to dine at each specialty restaurant (Silk Road, Prego and Tastes) one time each and then more than likely dine at the Crystal Dining Room four times unless Eric and Kara would like to go back to one of these other dining venues.
Afterwards, we went to the Crystal Society Reception which recognizes everyone who has sailed with Crystal on one or more voyages. They also recognized some of the top cruisers who have reached certain milestones with respect to the number of cruises taken. The first recognized Mama Lee who lives on the ship. She had 159 cruise (we think) but if we are wrong she has a lot of cruises. Next, they recognized Fran Bator. Fran mainly sails on the Symphony but is on this voyage and she has a lot of cruises. We spoke with Fran afterwards and congratulated her on her milestone. Finally, they recognized Pauline Hoff who also now lives on the ship and has taken well over 300+ cruises and is the person who has taken the most Crystal Cruises. Each person was recognized with flowers. Cruise Director Gary Hunter escorted Mama Lee, Executive Vice President Thomas Mazloum escorted Fran, and Hotel Director Josef Matt who is temporarily filling in until the new Hotel Director takes over escorted Pauline.
Crystal Society Hostess Jaque Brown then highlighted four other people/couples with major milestones and we were one of those mentioned.
Before the reception we spoke with several people. We spoke with some fellow guests and we also spoke with the Executive Housekeeper who just returned in Lisbon and also the Assistant Chief Housekeeper.
We slept well last evening as we are sailing to Monte Carlo. Our scheduled arrival was 12:00 Noon. As the Captain had predicted, the winds picked up around Midnight so we had some bumps in the middle of the night but as they say this is part of cruising.
We later learned that at around 1:30 AM it is assumed that a rogue wave hit the port side of the ship because three windows in the Crystal Dining Room were blown in. Water also came into the dining room. Thankfully it was at 1:30 AM when no one was dining and thankfully some members of the night crew who were cleaning the dining room were on the starboard side rather than the port side so that there were no injuries. As a result, the dining room was closed for breakfast and lunch. Of course other dining venues which are always available were open including the Lido Cafe, Tastes, Prego for lunch and The Trident Grill and The Bistro. The Dining Room will be open for dinner and the necessary repairs were made.
Keith was up a little earlier than normal, and did what he normally does including; reading, writing, working out and going to the Lido Cafe. After Anne Marie had the coffee that Keith brought back for her, we walked for an hour inside the ship before we had breakfast in our room.
With our arrival set for Noon there were some daytime activities on the schedule including two lectures.
We went down to the Crystal Cove after breakfast and spoke with several members of the crew including Crystal Society Hostess Jaque, Food and Beverage Manager Tayfun, and Head Sommelier Bart. Later on Keith played Paddle Tennis with some guests that he first met on this voyage and Anne Marie worked on her knitting project.
For lunch it was our usual with each of us having Salad Entrees.
This was our first time in Monaco, Monte Carlo since 2010. Our first visit to this area was almost sixteen years ago with our children. Since that time we have visited several times and we enjoy the beauty of this area. It is very simple to see especially by foot although taxis are plentiful plus the Serenity provides a complimentary shuttle bus.
Monte Carlo has changed very little since our first visit mainly because it is land locked. The population is slightly over 30,000 people and in general they represent the affluent. The people who work here mainly commute from other areas as they cannot afford the housing costs.
Some of the highlights include the Cathedral where Grace Kelly is buried, the Musee Oceanographique which is home to a wide collection of sea creatures, the Palais du Prince which is the official residence of the Prince of Monaco, The Rock which originally offered protection for Monaco but now provides wonderful views, and the Grand Casino. We enjoy the beauty that of the surrounding area and it is also a fun place to people watch.
The weather was a delight and we walked quite awhile. The downtown area has been set up for the Monaco Grand Prix similer to when we were here in 2008. It just made walking around a little more challenging as the streets are fenced in to prevent pedestrians from getting on the course but we were able to zig zag our way around.
The Yacht Club is located near where the serenity was docked.
There are different options to get to the higher level where the Palace and Cathedral and Gardens are located. We walked up rather than taking the elevator. This was half way up one of several walkways we took to make it to the higher street level.
We enjoyed nice views of the scenery including the beautiful Crystal Serenity.
We then walked around a very pretty park which also has some nice statues.
We then visited the Cathedral.
We then started to walk in the complete opposite directions towards The Casino.
The Grand Casino.
A view from the port side as we walked back from the Grand Casino.
All in all we had a great time. When we got back to the ship Keith read and wrote and Anne Marie sat out by the pool.
This evening we will be dining at the Crystal Dining Room.
This will be our only visit to Silk Road on this voyage. We are trying to spend more time in the Crystal Dining Room to test out the new menus. Anthony who normally was our waiter was not able to take care of our table but he did pre-order us many items.
We began with these appetizers. The one in the middle was Meat Loaf which was a first for us at Silk Road. It was very tasty.
This is the Nobu Sashimi Special which is on the menu.
We began with this "little" platter of Sashimi and Sushi. At one point Keith said how about if we have some more Sashimi and Keith and Tayfun had more. We did have Lobster Tempura which we did not take a photo of.
Well, we were not done. We both had Hot Soba Noodles and some steamed scallops for our main course. However, that was it. No dessert tonight.
When this voyage comes to an end and our son and daughter in law come on for the seven day cruise our plan is to dine at each specialty restaurant (Silk Road, Prego and Tastes) one time each and then more than likely dine at the Crystal Dining Room four times unless Eric and Kara would like to go back to one of these other dining venues.
Afterwards, we went to the Crystal Society Reception which recognizes everyone who has sailed with Crystal on one or more voyages. They also recognized some of the top cruisers who have reached certain milestones with respect to the number of cruises taken. The first recognized Mama Lee who lives on the ship. She had 159 cruise (we think) but if we are wrong she has a lot of cruises. Next, they recognized Fran Bator. Fran mainly sails on the Symphony but is on this voyage and she has a lot of cruises. We spoke with Fran afterwards and congratulated her on her milestone. Finally, they recognized Pauline Hoff who also now lives on the ship and has taken well over 300+ cruises and is the person who has taken the most Crystal Cruises. Each person was recognized with flowers. Cruise Director Gary Hunter escorted Mama Lee, Executive Vice President Thomas Mazloum escorted Fran, and Hotel Director Josef Matt who is temporarily filling in until the new Hotel Director takes over escorted Pauline.
Crystal Society Hostess Jaque Brown then highlighted four other people/couples with major milestones and we were one of those mentioned.
Before the reception we spoke with several people. We spoke with some fellow guests and we also spoke with the Executive Housekeeper who just returned in Lisbon and also the Assistant Chief Housekeeper.
We slept well last evening as we are sailing to Monte Carlo. Our scheduled arrival was 12:00 Noon. As the Captain had predicted, the winds picked up around Midnight so we had some bumps in the middle of the night but as they say this is part of cruising.
We later learned that at around 1:30 AM it is assumed that a rogue wave hit the port side of the ship because three windows in the Crystal Dining Room were blown in. Water also came into the dining room. Thankfully it was at 1:30 AM when no one was dining and thankfully some members of the night crew who were cleaning the dining room were on the starboard side rather than the port side so that there were no injuries. As a result, the dining room was closed for breakfast and lunch. Of course other dining venues which are always available were open including the Lido Cafe, Tastes, Prego for lunch and The Trident Grill and The Bistro. The Dining Room will be open for dinner and the necessary repairs were made.
Keith was up a little earlier than normal, and did what he normally does including; reading, writing, working out and going to the Lido Cafe. After Anne Marie had the coffee that Keith brought back for her, we walked for an hour inside the ship before we had breakfast in our room.
With our arrival set for Noon there were some daytime activities on the schedule including two lectures.
We went down to the Crystal Cove after breakfast and spoke with several members of the crew including Crystal Society Hostess Jaque, Food and Beverage Manager Tayfun, and Head Sommelier Bart. Later on Keith played Paddle Tennis with some guests that he first met on this voyage and Anne Marie worked on her knitting project.
For lunch it was our usual with each of us having Salad Entrees.
This was our first time in Monaco, Monte Carlo since 2010. Our first visit to this area was almost sixteen years ago with our children. Since that time we have visited several times and we enjoy the beauty of this area. It is very simple to see especially by foot although taxis are plentiful plus the Serenity provides a complimentary shuttle bus.
Monte Carlo has changed very little since our first visit mainly because it is land locked. The population is slightly over 30,000 people and in general they represent the affluent. The people who work here mainly commute from other areas as they cannot afford the housing costs.
Some of the highlights include the Cathedral where Grace Kelly is buried, the Musee Oceanographique which is home to a wide collection of sea creatures, the Palais du Prince which is the official residence of the Prince of Monaco, The Rock which originally offered protection for Monaco but now provides wonderful views, and the Grand Casino. We enjoy the beauty that of the surrounding area and it is also a fun place to people watch.
I love Paris in the springtime. Well we were not in Paris today, but there is no question that we
love the Mediterranean this time of year and that includes Monte Carlo.
The Yacht Club is located near where the serenity was docked.
There are different options to get to the higher level where the Palace and Cathedral and Gardens are located. We walked up rather than taking the elevator. This was half way up one of several walkways we took to make it to the higher street level.
We enjoyed nice views of the scenery including the beautiful Crystal Serenity.
We then walked around a very pretty park which also has some nice statues.
We then visited the Cathedral.
We then started to walk in the complete opposite directions towards The Casino.
The Grand Casino.
A view from the port side as we walked back from the Grand Casino.
All in all we had a great time. When we got back to the ship Keith read and wrote and Anne Marie sat out by the pool.
This evening we will be dining at the Crystal Dining Room.
TODAY'S THOUGHT FOR THE DAY……….
"Your life is your message to the world. Make it inspiring." - Lorrin Lee
Keith & Anne Marie
Keith and Ann Marie,
ReplyDeleteI'm pleased to know that no one was injured by the rogue wave. I'm sure the windows being blown out in the dining area must have awaken some passengers. I am always wishing you a safe journey!
I've never been to Monaco, but it does look beautiful and I do hope to visit one day. Thank you for the amazing photographs--they are very bright and vivid.
I continue to enjoy your story. Thank you so much for sharing your experience.
All the best,
Ann