Live From Crystal Serenity - The Adventure Continues - LA to NYC

[ryndam]

Osteria menu

 

F2E79392-8472-44D3-9A58-9D5235CD6FA4.pdf

[KenzSailing]

Very much enjoying these posts.

 

Questions:

 

Has the Umi Uma menu been broadened from pre-shutdown?  I don't remember so many cooked courses(easily my memory's fault?)

 

Didn't the Osteria open with a tasting menu option?  They seem to have abandoned that.

[ryndam]

Reflections for Wednesday attached.

Menus not uploaded yet.

 

C55920B2-9A58-4D93-BE5F-E977FB1D258D.pdf

[ryndam]

6 hours ago, KenzSailing said:

Very much enjoying these posts.

 

Questions:

 

Has the Umi Uma menu been broadened from pre-shutdown?  I don't remember so many cooked courses(easily my memory's fault?)

 

Didn't the Osteria open with a tasting menu option?  They seem to have abandoned that.

We dined at Umi tonight. We were there 2.5+ hours. Lots of sake. The menu I posted earlier is accurate. 
 

The current osteria menu is accurate. Spoke with staff today. Expected menu changes sometime before end of the year, but exact dates not yet confirmed. The pre-set tasting menu option is history. Our reservations for osteria not for several days, so assume it is as I posted, for now.

 

Rob

[BWIVince]

7 hours ago, KenzSailing said:

Very much enjoying these posts.

 

Questions:

 

Has the Umi Uma menu been broadened from pre-shutdown?  I don't remember so many cooked courses(easily my memory's fault?)

 

Didn't the Osteria open with a tasting menu option?  They seem to have abandoned that.

For comparison, attached was the last Umi Uma menu I had from OC (September 2021), but it’s from Symphony so it’s not quite apples to apples (agedashi to agedashi?)…. I know they’ve historically had some differences over the years, but it gives a reference of where the menu was at close to when things stopped at least.

 

Vince

Umi%20Uma%20menu.pdf

Edited August 28 by BWIVince

[Txcotn]

18 hours ago, Stickman1990 said:

Bon voyage - we did San Francisco to NYC on Crystal Symphony in August 2018 and loved it

 

Wishing you a great voyage and calm seas 

Hard to believe that was 6 years ago! It was an amazing cruise, and ending with the NYC sail in was just spectacular.😎

[ryndam]

Today’s lunch and dinner menus attached. We lost an hour last night, so moving a wee bit out of sync right now.

 

Rob

 

1A2045B1-6AC0-4672-9C8F-F5C7B463D22D.pdf 4F7359A0-21F6-41AA-9EDC-AE0AA0043AD8.pdf

[ryndam]

Vintage Room events during this cruise. 
 

Rob

[BWIVince]

8 minutes ago, ryndam said:

Vintage Room events during this cruise. 
 

Rob

 

What a great list...  The sake lunch especially sounds like fun to me.

 

Vince

[Roland4]

45 minutes ago, BWIVince said:

 

What a great list...  The sake lunch especially sounds like fun to me.

 

Vince

We have done the Champagne and the Italian Wines lunches, and they were both great!!!

[ryndam]

1 hour ago, BWIVince said:

 

What a great list...  The sake lunch especially sounds like fun to me.

 

Vince

Day drinking on this cruise could be addictive and dangerous…🍶🍷🥂

[PaulaJK]

Am sitting in a  very fine lecture on the Metaverse as Ryndam churns out menus, etc. yeah,Ryndam.

First day has been excellent..familiar faces, lovely dinner, terrific show w. Irish dancing taken to a new level..

last evening a medical emergency had us returning to LA to debark passenger..so awaiting word about arrival in first port. 

[nancygp]

27 minutes ago, PaulaJK said:

last evening a medical emergency had us returning to LA to debark passenger..so awaiting word about arrival in first port. 

I hope the passenger will be ok and have a speedy recovery.

 

Nancy

[KenzSailing]

12 hours ago, BWIVince said:

For comparison, attached was the last Umi Uma menu I had from OC (September 2021), but it’s from Symphony so it’s not quite apples to apples (agedashi to agedashi?)…. I know they’ve historically had some differences over the years, but it gives a reference of where the menu was at close to when things stopped at least.

 

Vince

Umi%20Uma%20menu.pdf 67.84 kB · 9 downloads

 

Thanks Vince. Yeah, my memory has changed more than the menu.  I figured.  

[KenzSailing]

4 hours ago, ryndam said:

Vintage Room events during this cruise. 
 

Rob

 

Oh,this is tempting, especially the Gaja lunch.  But what is the "Reflection" part of a "VR Dinner Reflection"?

[BWIVince]

12 minutes ago, KenzSailing said:

 

Oh,this is tempting, especially the Gaja lunch.  But what is the "Reflection" part of a "VR Dinner Reflection"?

 

It's the diet version...  They just give you a reflection of the courses, projected in front of you to admire.  😄  J/K....  Hopefully.

 

18 minutes ago, KenzSailing said:

 

Thanks Vince. Yeah, my memory has changed more than the menu.  I figured.  

 

The menu didn't radically change, but it did evolve over time...  You could always be remembering a different moment in the timeline too.

 

Vince

[Txcotn]

5 hours ago, ryndam said:

Vintage Room events during this cruise. 
 

Rob

I was just about to sign up for a couple of these when I realized our cruise isn't until November🙄

Is this a pre-reserve deal or sign up when you board?

 

[ryndam]

1 hour ago, Txcotn said:

I was just about to sign up for a couple of these when I realized our cruise isn't until November🙄

Is this a pre-reserve deal or sign up when you board?

 

These Vintage Room events vary by voyage. This cruise has 12 sea days, so lots of time for lunches. They cannot be pre-reserved in advance, because the actual events are generally not finalized until the ship actually sails. 
 

This is the greatest number of VR events I’ve ever seen on a single voyage. 
 

Rob

[ryndam]

2 hours ago, KenzSailing said:

 

Oh,this is tempting, especially the Gaja lunch.  But what is the "Reflection" part of a "VR Dinner Reflection"?

I asked for a translation. The actual VR dinner menu and wine selections will be posted in Reflections. 

[ryndam]

5 hours ago, nancygp said:

I hope the passenger will be ok and have a speedy recovery.

 

Nancy

We were notified this morning that it was a crew member that needed assistance ashore. During the captain’s noon announcement, he stated the about-face took about 5 hours, but we are now moving at 20+ knots to make up time and are expected in Puerto Vallarta on schedule on Friday.

 

Rob

[ryndam]

Reflections and menus attached.

 

 

01C9BE27-972E-4833-A922-4BDAC7D333E7.pdf 9965B855-ABA0-4C9A-94F5-95AACF31171A.pdf 5C231CDD-BA48-44F7-B3DF-D9CCDE2092F5.pdf

[ryndam]

Re: the emergency crew evacuation yesterday. It was the ship’s priest. They are trying to arrange a replacement clergy to board in Mexico.

 

Rob

[PaulaJK]

Last evening was Crystal at its finest….fabulous dinner of caviar and lobster followed by the music of Billy Joel, presented by the super talented Jamie Fox. The orchestra and very talented cast accompanied Fox’s presentation.

 

Dinner service seems faster these days…or perhaps folks check posted menus & order more quickly…or consume less ( ha!). but whatever, there can be a lull between dinner and the show…no casino, music doesn’t start in Avenue until 9. 

 

 

[ryndam]

Here are the in-room menus. During regular Waterside dinner hours, the full dinner menu can also be ordered in your room. Full sized bottles of your preferred alcoholic beverages are also available in-room; just let your butler know your preferences.

 

Rob

 

 

[ryndam]

Some random observations as we speed down the west coast of Mexico at 21 knots on a beautiful, sunny, calm sea.

 

1. The plastic spoons at the gelato bar have been replaced with real, Italian-made little gelato shovels. Pic below.

 

2. The color of the Crystal logo has been altered to a much lighter shade of teal. The formerly bolder teal has apparently been retired. Pic below of the new cocktail napkins.

 

3. Refillable water bottles are replenished in the cabins. Single-use plastic water bottles are available on request. Pic below.

 

4. The pump mechanism and square shape of the shampoo, conditioner, lotion bottles are still annoying. They are tough to dispense and the pump mechanism is really ill-designed. 
 

5. Service in all dining venues is greatly improved. No long waits anywhere. In fact, our servers have asked us if we prefer quick, sequential courses, or if we prefer a more leisurely service. They are all so accommodating and adjust service to suit the guests’ wishes. We’ve found our Waterside “sweet spot” to be 7-7:15p, have not had any wait for a table and conclude dinner meal around 9p. Enough time to stop by the Cove for a to-go beverage and head to the Galaxy for the 9:30 main stage entertainment.

 

6. What has happened to public decorum? At lunch today in Marketplace, there were a couple of seasoned gentleman wearing only their big cabin bathrobes and the Crystal house slippers. There was a time when guests arriving wearing their bedroom attire would be gently turned away at the door. 
 

7. We enjoy our afternoon walks on Deck 7 as does Captain Birger on sea days around 3pm. He laps us all the time.

 

8. I think the “Prego carpaccio” in on the Waterside menu tonite. Will report later.

 

Rob