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I didn’t photograph today’s snack before we demolished it. OMG. Double portions of pate with caviar. Made up for the skimpy servings of lobster and crab claws. There’s more flat space up on deck 11 than deck 7, I guess. My bad….Rob

I have no issue naming names. He was Perry Grant. Ladies of a certain age loved him. Not so much anyone else. He’s gone bye-bye. Rob

Live update supplement: no whales but dozens of dolphins. And they are jumping really high out of the water! Impossible to photograph without professional equipment, but wow this afternoon! Rob

The party’s not over! Puerto Vallarta tomorrow then 2 more sea days. Been whale watching from our balcony this afternoon. And today, the seas are lake-like! 😁😁 Rob

Random voyage observations: 1. On this b2b voyage, two of the enrichment lecturers and several of the entertainers are holdovers from the previous cruise. We’ve seen their performances and heard their lectures less than two weeks ago. Repetitious. Fortunately there are other venues to enjoy. Or simply early evenings for us. 2. Waterside variety, preparation, presentation and quality are excellent. Service appears hit-or-miss. On at least three occasions we twiddled our thumbs for 40-45 minutes before our orders were even taken. We generally arrive between 7:30-7:45pm and are often among the last to leave between 9:30-9:55pm. And no, we do not order everything on the menu; generally only 3 courses - a starter, main entree and a dessert or cheese. 3. Beverage service in Marketplace during lunch is wildly hit-or-miss. Either it’s spectacularly efficient or non-existent. 4. Beverage service by the pool is over-the-top outstanding. A small army of servers constantly roam the decks. I’ve periodically been camped out on the rear decks on 10 or 11 and servers are continuously roaming the rear decks. 5. Service in the bistro is consistent and very efficient. The new seating arrangements with mostly 2-tops or 4-tops that eliminated the larger round tables of yore is so much more appropriate and allows better utilization of the space. 6. Always plenty of beach towels and bottled water at the gangway on port calls. And a tented reception on the pier with iced towels and cold water or tea. A nice touch. 7. Our butler can’t do enough for us. He almost lives in the corridor outside our room. Our stewardess is super efficient. We go to breakfast and the room is freshened once we return. She’s is quick! 8. The Avenue Saloon player is still too loud. His pre-dinner , piano-only set is very nice. It’s only when he sings later in the evening that the sound level is painful. (He practically swallows the microphone, which causes the decibel level to spike louder than a 747 taking off!) He’s great when he keeps his mouth shut and just plays. Many other guests seem to enjoy his performance, so maybe it’s just me… 9. Plenty of lounge chairs and seating available around the pool. In sun. In shade. If you're flexible about the type of chair, I’ve not seen a “sold out/full house” around the pool. There are a few chair hogs that stake their claim by 8:30am, but to their credit, they do continuously occupy their position the entire day, so they really are using their “land claim”. 10. Bar service in the Cove is uniformly excellent. Bar service in Stardust when that lounge is used for shows is excellent. Bar service in Avenue can be hit-or-miss. It depends on who’s behind the bar and the number of servers working the room. Bar service in Palm Court is often a dice roll; to me, it appears that room is consistently understaffed. 11. The most popular activities this past week have been the NFL playoffs broadcast in the Lounge or in the cabins. 12. The gym and spa used to have a dedicated attendant to ensure that towels, water, soaps, amenities, etc. are always replenished. That position seems to have been eliminated. The whole experience is now more a “self-serve-you’re-on-your-own “ these days. Bring your own towel, water bottle and soaps with you. Don’t know if this lack of attention is only temporary or the continuing new reality. 13. The front desk/reception staff are as nice and as sweet as can be. Unfortunately, IMHO they are either not trained appropriately or dumb-as-dirt. If you interact with reception staff, go with very low expectations. The concierge, on the other hand, is a very seasoned, experienced professional. 14. We cancelled our OO reservation last night and dined in Waterside. The OO menu is “okay”, but IMHO, nothing on the menu is special enough to warrant a return visit. We’re dining in Tastes tonight, which has, in our opinion, the best lamp chops onboard! Rant over. Time for lunch and pool time. Rob

Todays Reflections and menus. E68D389B-7500-40ED-9D77-A70F53638ACD.pdf 3631E5BB-34DB-4282-9297-F49977F0A6DD.pdf 3C96944E-C748-4AC1-8592-B3DB770214C0.pdf

Huatulco. This port is the only new destination for us in 30 days. It’s a bit like Cabo was 35 years ago before it became overdeveloped. The US and Canadian coast guard keeps cutters nearby in an attempt to slow the illegal drug trade from Guatemala and further south. The beach is literally at the end of the pier. Rob

Today’s menu. 572281CA-7D9C-4773-9366-1D1085D4DA81.pdf

Screenshot of our current conditions and location.

Reflections attached. Menu not online yet. It’s windy tonite. All the balcony cushions were brought into the cabin. The liquor is secured on the sofa. There’s a very noticeable list to port since the wind is coming at us directly starboard. Not as bumpy as the ride to Cartagena last week however. The Pacific is not calm tonight. Rob E79D67DD-D3A3-4B95-AF4D-655FB27CD05B.pdf

Captain’s announcement: expect very high winds tonight and ship movement. Butler’s guidance: move the liquor bottles to the sofa again. Rather calm at the moment. Thanks for the warning! 🥴🤪🫢🤢

Tonight’s menu. 7984988B-22B1-40A7-AA00-FB06A30F11E8.pdf

Reflections attached. Menus not posted yet. 287D7435-0F81-4C25-9312-44A993581C8B.pdf

Presentation of the port plaque to the captain.

We enjoyed a private Vintage Room dinner last night. 14 bottles of wine. 3.5 hours of conversation, wining, dining and good times. I rarely post “food porn” pics, but here they are anyway. Rob

Welcome to El Salvador.

Reflections and menu 8B3F8AB6-DFC9-4FCA-ACDC-08B438152223.pdf 64E64A2C-43F6-4A03-AE4A-C4862FBDCDFC.pdf

In 2019, Crystal Serenity provided a complimentary shuttle from the port to a central drop off point in Livorno. I do not know what the current situation may be. There are several local tour companies that offer economical bus transfers from Livorno to Lucca and Pisa. On the return the tour bus dropped us off directly on the pier; we did not need to transfer back to the Crystal shuttle bus. Again, this was in 2019. Not certain of the current situation post-Covid. Rob

Reflections and menus 1E4DBDA5-4D5B-4D5B-B0BF-D9072DF96038.pdf C22C576D-6842-4E87-80F3-A558CF7D652E.pdf DDB9F409-7F69-42A1-832F-E6B93C1D31ED.pdf

No pax on or off today. I think some travel agents boarded today and possible some new entertainers. Larry is correct. We disembarked in Puerta Caldera from Symphony in 2019. It is a long ride to the airport in San Jose. We used Crystal’s group transportation because it was way more economical than arranging our own transport. Rob

Puerto Caldera. A “sea day” for us. Been there. Done that. It’s nice being onboard when the majority of guests are ashore on tour. Rob

Reflections and menu. F8E3B9B1-0F09-47E7-AC7F-49E765226C66.pdf 2DF72703-10CC-4F1A-AC14-539D1B17FC96.pdf

Mid-voyage random observations: 1. White party tonite. The amplification was deafening. We’ve been to Rolling Stones concerts that weren’t as loud. It was painful. Our opinion only. Maybe others removed their hearing aids and thought it was fine. 🤪🤪🤪🥴 2. Avenue Saloon performer finally arrived in Cartagena. Waaaaaaay over amplified. I registered concern with cruise director & hotel manager. Issue not resolved. Painful to the ears. We will not be returning to the Avenue the remainder of this cruise. 3. The rotating duos playing in Palm Court are great. Choice is good. Our preferred evening venue for the balance of the cruise. 4. Clocks back 1 hour tonite. 5. Four enrichment lectures scheduled tomorrow. And Magic-at-Sea (rez required) tomorrow afternoon. 6. A/C onboard is fabulous considering it is hotter than hades and wetter than a steam room outside. Rob

Reflections and menus. B90040AD-959C-4063-9E3C-8EAE0FE6608D.pdf 66C46D07-CBA8-4B83-9D80-022909A74893.pdf 1E0BB1D2-7B3F-4384-ADD0-F8E7443A581B.pdf

Our unofficial observation: the ship “kissed” the canal concrete at least 5 times during the transit. The “bump” was noticeable when it occurred. I’m guessing the hull painters will be busy once we reach Caldera. Rob