Keith1010

Waterside Dinner Menus for this evening and todays' daily Reflections program. August 24 Watersie.pdf August 24 Reflections.pdf Cheers, Keith

Posting early today. Let's talk fishing. Well, let's talk salmon fishing. We learned why all those fishing boats were near us yesterday in Astoria, Oregon. The salmon return here annually and there are lots of them. In fact, looking down at the Columbia River from our verandah you could see the color from all the salmon. So now we know. We departed Astoria for San Francisco at 6:00 PM. As we departed and heard What A Wonderful World sung by Louis Armstrong we viewed the surrounding area. Right where we docked is a bridge that reminded of the San Mateo Bridge which we would cross to get to and from the San Francisco airport when we lived in the Bay Area. The playing of What A Wonderful World reminds us of each and every voyage we have taken with Crystal. If you turn the volume up on the video, you will hear a part of What A Wonderful World and see the birdies who flew by at the end. We enjoyed dinner in our room last evening with one guest. Just think, we could have had the freshest of salmon from the river. LOL. Butler Rao organized everything for us including canapés, drink, and the meal. We ordered from Waterside and from Umi Uma Despite some choppy seas and going in and out of rain showers, we are enjoying a fabulous sea day as we sail to our final port of call with an overnight followed by another sea day. Lots on the program today with 47 enrichment programs offered during the day and afternoon. Lectures included a talk about San Francisco, a talk about leadership, and a presentation by John Wesley from A&K about the wonderful world of A&K. An array of classes was offered including bridge, fitness, golf, computer, art, and health. Pretty much something for everyone and let's not forget there was dining. LOL. IMG_4791.mov Cheers, Keith

Stay safe.

Turn up the volume to hear part of What A Wonderful World. Keith IMG_4791.mov

Today's Dally Reflections and Waterside Dinner Menus. August 23 Reflections.pdf August 23 Waterside.pdf

Wow. What a great owner. The date when this will roll out has not been shared yet. Keith

I was able to take a look a few minutes ago at the new Sapphire Suite. The bar is quite high. I would say around 7 feet or a little more from the floor. In terms of hanging space I tried to use my feet to measure it and then compare to a traditional Sapphire suite. I would guesstimate has two feel less hanging space but this is truly a guesstimate. I hope this helps. Keith

I've heard time frames mentioned but I don't want to get ahead of Crystal when they announce it and better to wait for them because things can always change or I could have misinformation. I would make the Tastes reservations and if it convert by Beefbar by then they would convert your reservation to the new dining venue. Keith

Pool deck from earlier this morning. Keith

I thought this was worthy of a separate thread. From Crystal Cruises web site: https://www.crystalcruises.com/press/crystal-announces-exclusive-collaboration-with-acclaimed-italian-alajmo-brothers?fbclid=IwY2xjawEz9iVleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHdo1oRzONApciGKwThKEeAKgDXUsk7LPB0WRLbpWn81WbtnE7TcxbT4YUg_aem_05T7tQI9I-75WhZkf2Ps3g I did find this website that features their restaurants. We do not know what items will be on the menu but thought this might give a sense of items they serve on land. https://alajmo.it/en/pages/homepage-ristorante-quadri Ironically, we dined at Osteria last evening. Keith

Thank you Ivi. Best to you both. Today's Daily Reflections and Waterside Dinner menu. August 22 Reflections.pdf August 22 Waterside Dinner Menu.pdf Cheers, Keith

Thank you. A friend of mine booked them. When they didn't show he couldn't reach them by phone which is why I won't use them. Dial 7 which you recommended is a perfect recommendation IMHO. We used them last year and they worked like a charm.

Ivi,although it does seem high it is for a private vehicle. While a taxi would be far less as a solo traveler I can understand why you might not want to take a taxi by yourself. I would recommend Uber but I don't believe you do Uber. Keith

This reflects today for Anne Marie and myself. Keith

Ivi.I would for sure. Keith

My issue with them is they seem to outsource everything but if you've had success that is great. Keith

Posting early today. We enjoyed another fantastic evening on Crystal Serenity with dinner at Waterside. It wasn’t white night, but we made it a white night anyway. We met some people last evening for the very first time. One couple knows another couple who lived across the street from us between 1991 and 2008. What a small and wonderful world. Food was great as was the service. Last night’s menu featured two items that use to be served in Prego; Mushroom soup and Carpaccio. Anne Marie had the soup, and I had the Carpaccio appetizers. I’ve included some photos of views from earlier in the morning when I was running and walking and some photos from the bow of the ship as we were going under the bridge. Before we boarded, we could see Serenity from our hotel room as she went under the bridge. Today was turn-around day as the first cruise ended and the next cruise began. Although arriving to Canada we all guest traveling on the next cruise (in-transit guests) had to get off the ship so we could get to a zero count (no guests on-board) like you do when arriving to a USA port to end a cruise. This is because while we were docked in Canada the ship is viewed as USA since we will not be returning to Canada. As such, we had to go through USA customs in Canada. The same process is used when you fly out of Vancouver and clear USA customs in Canada rather than arrival at your first USA airport. After getting off the ship we purchased a few items that we needed and upon returning to the terminal waited in a small area for in-transit guests. At around 10:40 AM we could return to the ship first with a check by Canadian customs, followed by USA Customs and we proceeded to the ship where our Crystal Room Card was scanned. Overall easy peasy. Since today was the start of a new cruise we had our traditional Cobb Salad and with flutes of champagne toasted our love and to the next cruise. The hearts with the Cobb Salad and the Flute of Champagne says it all. We feel the love sailing with Crystal. Cheers, Keith

Today's Reflections, I hope. Keith 4E5C20B4-E1CA-46F7-8212-14B82BC55B4E.pdf

We are ones who view them as special so we don't go too often. If we did, they would not be special. We tend to adjust this based on the length of the cruise. For example, on the cruise that is just wrapping up with 8 nights one time at each specialty restaurant and at Tastes was fine. If this was a 18 day cruise we would only go once to Tastes but we might go to one or both of the specialty restaurants one additional time. Although the menu does not change there is a sufficient number of items for us to choose from that we could dine at both and other than the sushi/sashimi at Umi Uma not repeat items. As I often say choice is good. There are plenty of dining options and each person can easily decide what works best for them. For sure no one will starve on a Crystal Cruise. 🤣 Keith

Appetizers last night at Waterside. Look familiar. Keith

I actually think that on board guest services is quite good. I needed their help even on the first two cruises last year to create reservations at Tastes for four people rather than two and it worked well. Is it perfect? No. Who is. Keith

Today's Daily Reflection and Waterside Dinner menu. August 21 Refelections.pdf August 21 Waterside.pdf Keith August 21 Waterside.pdf

If it is one long cruise it would be 2 inclusive reservations per restaurant which you can make one each ahead of time. If two back to back cruises 20 at each but you could make all of them ahead of time. If you want to dine at Osteria twice instead of one each once on board you can ask if there is availability at Osteria for the two in lieu of Umi Uma. Keith

We are numb having heard the news about the passing of Slavko, a member of our extended Crystal family. Like many you Anne Marie and I knew Slavko for several years. He was not only an amazing member of Crystal, but a great father, husband, and a great person While on-board the vessels I very much enjoyed playing Paddle Tennis with him. This provided a great opportunity to get to know him better while we took breaks between games and while we played together. We also enjoyed many good laughs on the court. We last saw Slavko in 2021 on Endeavor and before that on Symphony in 2018. I often say that life is like a book. In other words, none of us knows when the last chapter of our lives will be written. Sometimes people ask me why I am so positive. It is because over the years we have family and friends who passed way too young, so I try to put things in perspective. This positivity includes cruising. In the Fall of 2018 while on-board Serenity we learned the tragic news of former F&B Manager Walter Peitschnig’s passing while he was at home due to a fatal attack by robbers. And today, we learned the sad news about F&B Manager Slavko. So sad. So young. Such a good man. May Slavko rest in peace and may his memory be a blessing. Knowing Slavko, he would want us to carry-on so I will do just that now. The photos from the Hollywood Theatre are where I went for a few minutes to pray for Slavko and for his family. This theatre is used for worshipping which is why I selected it to pray for him. We enjoyed another wonderful evening on-board Crystal Serenity last evening. Last evening was like a formal night other than the attire which was evening resort. It began with a Captain's Farewell/Crystal Society Reception which included a special talk by Executive Chairman A&K Travel Group Dr. Manfredi Lefebvre. It was a great talk as it started with the history of Manfredi's family and ended with the present plans or Crystal. We have been so impressed with Manfredi. He is bright, experienced, caring, and a genuine person with a great sense of humor. He led everyone singing Happy Brithday to former Sales and Marketing SVP at Crystal; Bill Smith who is in one of the photos I posted with Manfredi. The turnout for the reception was large so most guests on this sailing had a nice opportunity to hear from Manfredi. If not for Manfredi, I believe the Crystal brand would only be a memory from the past. Thank you to Manfredi and to the A&K/Crystal leadership team for all you have done to make Crystal better than ever. Following the reception, the evening continued with dinner. While we dined at Waterside, there was a Supper Club. We have attended Supper Club twice since it rolled out on Serenity in late 2018 and it is a wonderful experience. The menu featured many special items including caviar, seafood cocktail, fresh Alaskan halibut, fresh lobster, and beef tenderloin. So many wonderful choices to choose from. Decisions, decisions. LOL. Today in the morning is a sea day and in the afternoon a visit to Victoria, BC. As part of this visit the Canadian authorities will review the custom documents, we filled out the other day. We visited Victoria for the first time on our first cruise of Alaska taking a ferry from Vancouver. We went to Butchart Gardens and did the same when Crystal Harmony stopped there in 2002 on our first Crystal Cruise. Victoria is the Capital of BC. It has a charming downtown area which we enjoy walking. I will close now. Often, when others cruise, I say, enjoy every minute. This saying resonates even more with the passing of Slavko. Cheers, Keith

You can make one reservation for Osteria and one for Umi Uma for each of your two legs. If the system is not allowing you to do this either you or your TA can contact on board guest services for them to make them for you. Keith