Live From Crystal Serenity – A New Adventure – Vancouver to Los Angeles

[kool kruiser]

20 hours ago, chaunceyb said:

Thank you for posting this. Does Crystal still provide a list of inclusive wines? I always ask for it - nice to have if I don't care for the Waterside dinner included white and red wines that change each night.

The list that Keith helpfully posted is not the complete list of the included wines always available in Waterside. On our cruise, there were no less than 38, excluding the roses, ie sparkling, white and red.. Truly impressive. I would suggest you ask your wine waiter to leave the list with you when you first dine In Waterside and take a photo on your phone. Incidentally, we found the reds were mostly full-bodied, whereas we prefer lighter fruitier types. Still found a couple though.

[Stickman1990]

16 minutes ago, kool kruiser said:

The list that Keith helpfully posted…

Credits where credits due - it wasn’t Keith who posted the full wine list - it was Sdancer 

 

 

Edited August 16 by Stickman1990

[Keith1010]

I think the list being referred to was my post number 68.

 

But after that a pdf was provided.

 

Back to the program now.

 

Keith

[chaunceyb]

1 hour ago, kool kruiser said:

The list that Keith helpfully posted is not the complete list of the included wines always available in Waterside. On our cruise, there were no less than 38, excluding the roses, ie sparkling, white and red.. Truly impressive. I would suggest you ask your wine waiter to leave the list with you when you first dine In Waterside and take a photo on your phone. Incidentally, we found the reds were mostly full-bodied, whereas we prefer lighter fruitier types. Still found a couple though.

Thank you!

[Keith1010]

 

A glorious day sailing Alaska on the best Cruise Line.

 

We dined at Tastes with Hotel Director Scott Peterson and his wife Cindy.

 

The concept is ordering tapas that could be shared between everyone at the table. When we dine with others, our preference is to order what the two of us would like to share and let others order what they prefer. We prefer a couple of items to be brought out at the same time and let the wait staff determine what would pair well with one another. This avoids everything being placed on the table at the same time whereby some items cool off and it slows down the overall dining experience making it more enjoyable.

 

Items we had included: Roasted Butternut Squash-Frissee Salad, Ahi Tuna Poke, Crispy Prawn Dumplings, Laphroaig Cured Salmon, Oven Roasted Cauliflower, Gambas Al Ajillo, and Chimichurri Steak.

 

The tapas represent food from around the world.  

The dining venue is beautiful offering lovely views, with outstanding service and very tasty cuisine.

 

Last night also featured White Night and we also had a special event to attend. It was indeed a late night for us. We wore something white to keep with the theme of the evening.

 

Before the function began the White Party was starting to wind down.  Guests were dancing to DJ Emotion.  Afterwards, we stopped by to visit with someone at the Crystal Cove where at that hour they serve some late night gourmet snacks. It was a soft drink for each of us with no snacks but they looked great.

 

Today we enjoyed scenic cruising of Tracy Arm & Endicott Arm. There were 45 programs on the schedule so lots to do and choose from.

 

This included three talks. The first one was given by John Webley the Sales Ambassador of A&K. Destination Lecturer Kevin Miller spoke about the Klondike Gold Rush and Retired Major General Craig Wheldon spoke about the troubled world and how best to respond to worldwide tensions and issues.

 

We both are early risers, and I am up first. I attribute being an early riser to my internal clock and that is what I have done since childhood.  One of the many attributes we love about each Crystal ship is that it allows for early exercise no matter what time we begin.  If the weather is nice, there is the promenade deck to walk and/or run.  There is also the pool deck which can cut down on wind.  However, if the weather is not conducive to being outdoors there are indoor options available. One of the is the Fitness Center which unlike most cruise lines is open 7x24. Another option is Deck 6 or 7 inside the ship although we prefer Deck 6 allowing for a longer walk circumnavigating the entire deck.

 

Late morning as we were making our way towards Tracy Arm & Endicott Arm Captain Birger spoke from the bridge to say several whales were spotted off the bow of the ship so I went outside and saw several whale.

 

Today has been a great day.  As often as we have been to Alaska, we enjoy its scenery and that includes the opportunity for scenic cruising.  We have sailed Alaska when it has been rainy, chilly, warm, sunny, overcast or a combination of all of these on the same day or during the cruise.  We always say flexibility is key and bring clothing for all possibilities.  Yes, layering clothing is key.

 

We look forward to a great evening on-board Crystal Serenity.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cheers,

 

 

[oakridger]

I'm enjoying the pictures, Keith!  So far, your weather has been very pretty.  Lucky for Alaska!

 

~Nancy

[doglover214]

I am on the Serenity enjoying the trip through Tracy Arm, and enjoying every minute of this wonderful ship. 
In the past, in every room, was a large white bag with the Crystal logo on it. Surprisingly, there is none this trip. I really miss it. 
I'm wondering if they have run out of them, or are not providing them anymore. 

 

[Texas Tillie]

4 minutes ago, doglover214 said:

I am on the Serenity enjoying the trip through Tracy Arm, and enjoying every minute of this wonderful ship. 
In the past, in every room, was a large white bag with the Crystal logo on it. Surprisingly, there is none this trip. I really miss it. 
I'm wondering if they have run out of them, or are not providing them anymore. 

 

 

They weren't offered last month on earlier Alaska cruises. Thinking they are a thing of the past. I do have about 20 here at the house. 😉

 

Patty

[Keith1010]

37 minutes ago, oakridger said:

I'm enjoying the pictures, Keith!  So far, your weather has been very pretty.  Lucky for Alaska!

 

~Nancy

Thank you Nancy. We are having picture perfect weather.

 

Keith

[oakridger]

1 hour ago, doglover214 said:

...In the past, in every room, was a large white bag with the Crystal logo on it. Surprisingly, there is none this trip. I really miss it. 
I'm wondering if they have run out of them, or are not providing them anymore. 

 

 

If you ask about it onboard, please let us know the official answer about the bags.🙂

 

Thanks,

~Nancy

[BWIVince]

1 hour ago, Texas Tillie said:

 

They weren't offered last month on earlier Alaska cruises. Thinking they are a thing of the past. I do have about 20 here at the house. 😉

 

Patty

 

There was one in my cabin last month...  They must have just recently used up the old supply.  I'm kind of glad I took it now.  hehe. (Oops, I contributed to the extinction.)

 

Vince

[Keith1010]

A very good morning everyone.

 

Cruise continues to be great.  

 

We were blessed with extraordinary weather yesterday and the opportunity to see so many whales at once. We have traveled to Alaska many times and have seen whales but not as many at once as we did. This was similar to sailing off Antarctica on World Cruise 2007 when one day we saw some whales at once but yesterday there were many more.  

 

For those interested in the this evenings Waterside Dinner menu and today's Daily Reflections program here they are.

 

Waterside

 

August 17 Waterside.pdf

 

Refections

 

August 17 Reflections.pdf

 

Keith

August 17 Reflections.pdf

[loriva]

Thanks again, Keith, for your information and posting.

 

Something I do not see in the Reflections (and perhaps it never appears) is the magic show.  Is that still being offered?

 

Enjoy the rest of your time at home,

 

[Keith1010]

34 minutes ago, loriva said:

Thanks again, Keith, for your information and posting.

 

Something I do not see in the Reflections (and perhaps it never appears) is the magic show.  Is that still being offered?

 

Enjoy the rest of your time at home,

 

Thank you very much.

 

I know it's still offered on cruises but hadn't gotten a chance to see if it is offered on this cruise.

 

Keith

[Keith1010]

 

 

I wanted to start with some additional photos from yesterday afternoon.

 

Last evening, we were invited to dine at Waterside with some very special people including Manfredi Lefebvre d’Ovidio, Bill Smith former SVP of Marketing at Crystal and Fernando Berosso de Oliveira, Crystal Ambassador, another couple we know and a couple of other people.  We had an amazing time with wonderful conversations, great food and service in a beautiful dining venue. Below are the dinner menus.

 

Food was amazing starting with the very tasty Grill Shrimp Prawn.  We have had Sea Bass many times over the years, but this entree was the best we have had.

 

Crystal Serenity arrived at Skagway by 8:00 am.  Skagway is in the northern terminus of the inside passage.  The town has kept much of its charm from the first time we saw it in the early 1990's.  Several tours are offered many of which allow one to enjoy the landscape from different vantage points including train, helicopter, e-bike or by feet.

 

Due to some rockslides, a port shuttle was provided to take guests over to the end of the pier as walking the pier is not permitted.  From there the walk to the downtown area is about 10 to 15 minutes depending on how brisk someone walks. 

 

Having visited Skagway numerous times, we didn't take a tour and I went into town. Even though there were three ships in port the town was not busy as many people were likely on tour. The town hasn’t changed all that much other than a couple of jewelry stores that you see in the Caribbean and in several ports in Alaska. Only 800 people live in Skagway year-round, so the passenger and crew count are significantly greater than this figure.

 

The weather was nice with no rain.

 

We are enjoying the rest of the day on the ship.  As they say there is no place like home and sailing on-board Serenity is like being at home with friends and family. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cheers,

 

Keith

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Mrs. Claypool]

1 hour ago, loriva said:

Something I do not see in the Reflections (and perhaps it never appears) is the magic show.  Is that still being offered?

I was on the first Vancouver/Alaska voyage last month and when I asked about the magic show, I was told that it was going to be discontinued during the entirety of the Alaska season. 
 

Emily 

[Texas Tillie]

I was told that the magicians would be on cruises with at least 3 sea days. 
 

Patty

[Keith1010]

Today's Daily Reflections.

 

 

August 18 Refectlions.pdf

 

Today's Waterside Dinner Menu.

 

 

August 18 Waterside Menu.pdf

 

Keith

 

[loriva]

8 hours ago, Texas Tillie said:

I was told that the magicians would be on cruises with at least 3 sea days. 
 

Patty

 

Thank you, Patty.  Will be interesting to see what Crystal does for the NYC-QC (and reverse) sailings in September and October.  We only have one official "sea" (really St. Lawrence River) day, but two days where we do not put into port until 1900 hours or afterwards.  I would consider the latter two as sea days as well, bringing us to a total of three, but we'll see.

 

Thanks to all for your responses and take care,

[Keith1010]

4 minutes ago, loriva said:

 

Thank you, Patty.  Will be interesting to see what Crystal does for the NYC-QC (and reverse) sailings in September and October.  We only have one official "sea" (really St. Lawrence River) day, but two days where we do not put into port until 1900 hours or afterwards.  I would consider the latter two as sea days as well, bringing us to a total of three, but we'll see.

 

Thanks to all for your responses and take care,

In our case we have three sea days although it depends how this is defined as two of the three could be defined as scenic cruising.  I will try to remember to ask but my apologies if I forget to follow-up on this.

 

Keith

[Texas Tillie]

1 hour ago, loriva said:

 

Thank you, Patty.  Will be interesting to see what Crystal does for the NYC-QC (and reverse) sailings in September and October.  We only have one official "sea" (really St. Lawrence River) day, but two days where we do not put into port until 1900 hours or afterwards.  I would consider the latter two as sea days as well, bringing us to a total of three, but we'll see.

 

Thanks to all for your responses and take care,

 

I think this varies by cruise. I asked just one crew member when I got the answer. It's like when you ask crew members the guest count, you never get the exact same number!

 

Patty

[nancygp]

39 minutes ago, Texas Tillie said:

 

I think this varies by cruise. I asked just one crew member when I got the answer. It's like when you ask crew members the guest count, you never get the exact same number!

 

Patty

🤣🤣…also the case on other lux lines

 

Nancy

[RoselleU]

We are sailing on the NYC-QC voyage and it is very port intensive. I personally prefer a few more sea days. Hope the magician is on our sailing. We always enjoy his show.

[ryndam]

20 minutes ago, RoselleU said:

We are sailing on the NYC-QC voyage and it is very port intensive. I personally prefer a few more sea days. Hope the magician is on our sailing. We always enjoy his show.

Here is the line-up guest lecturers and entertainers on the 9/14-9/24, NYC-QC voyage. It's an impressive group of professionals. I don't see a magician listed, however.

 

Rob

 

https://www.crystalcruises.com/cruises/none-cse-010-240914?menu=ship_overview

[Sdancer]

19 minutes ago, ryndam said:

Here is the line-up guest lecturers and entertainers on the 9/14-9/24, NYC-QC voyage. It's an impressive group of professionals. I don't see a magician listed, however.

 

Rob

 

https://www.crystalcruises.com/cruises/none-cse-010-240914?menu=ship_overview

The list of lecturers and entertainers listed is for the ship for different departures, not for a specific departure. One has to click on each name to find out the sailing dates.

Crystal said that it is too much work to have a separate list per each sailing.

It is a simple programming issue and not that difficult to do IMHO :).

This information is already in the main database with dates and could be retrieved based on matching these dates with the sailing dates.

Edited August 18 by Sdancer