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

[Keith1010]

HI everyone.

 

OK as to the Magician.

 

The itinerary will determine whether or not there is a magician and as Patty mentioned sea days are a factor but again main driver is the itinerary.

 

I have inquired about the Los Angeles to NYC cruise and will let you know what I find out.

 

Keith

[May B]

1 hour ago, Sdancer said:

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.

I believe you’re misinterpreting, and whoever at Crystal you spoke with was blowing smoke rings.

 

My “take” now is that the list is accurate for the sailing you’re looking at, and clicking on further info gives you the rest of that person’s schedule. Originally I thought as you did, but watching other cruises now leads me to believe as I do.

 

 

[RoselleU]

Thanks for letting me know. I will check out the list and click through to look at the actual dates. We are looking forward to this cruise. It will be our 5th Crystal cruise. Covid and waiting for the A&K restart delayed our voyages. So please Crystal is now part of the A&K family. We went to India with A&K Feb. 2023 and they were amazing.

[TheKingD]

On 8/16/2024 at 7:57 PM, BWIVince said:

 

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

@BWIVince, there was one in our cabin last month too, and I did not take it - rats!  I have at least one at home, and I also have a hanging garment bag that must have come back with some dry cleaning at some point.

[Keith1010]

I wanted to mention that on today’s program was a special movie presentation by renowned fil producer and IOC member Anant Singh which presents Paris 1924: An Olympic Epic which celebrates the 100-year anniversary of the games returning to Paris in 1924. Anant and his wife were at the dinner we attended the other evening at Waterside on Friday evening.

 

Last evening, we dined at Umi Uma for the first time of this cruise. We first dined at Umi Uma which back then was called Silk Road in 2005 when we sailed Crystal Serenity for the very first time. Crystal Serenity was the first Crystal vessel to feature the cuisine of Nobu. Due to its popularity, it eventually was added to Crystal Symphony.

 

I think bringing Umi Uma (Nobu) back when Crystal was relaunched demonstrated the commitment that the new ownership has to elevate the luxury experience of Crystal as is the case with Osteria and replacing Tastes with Beefbar.

 

Dinner was delicious and we thoroughly enjoyed the sushi, sashimi, starter course and entree in this beautiful dining venue.  Adding to the special cuisine and venue is the outstanding level of service of the waitstaff team.  We have known the vast majority of the waitstaff since 2005.  They are kind, knowledgeable and professional and add tremendously to the overall dining experience.

Today we arrived to Sitka. On our most recent visit, we docked as we did today, and a shuttle was provided for the 15-minute drive to and from the city center. On other voyages we anchored and tendered to and from the downtown area.

 

Sitka offers the opportunity to see wildlife on land and by water, and to enjoy the scenery by foot and by vehicle.

 

We were fortunate to have great weather today as we've had for most of the voyage.   It's been another great day sailing Crystal Serenity with stops in terrific ports. I even got in a couple of really good games of Paddle Tennis. What a wonderful world.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cheers,

 

Keith

[USCAdventurer]

So happy to know you and anne marie are enjoying your alaska cruise.  it really is a spectacular place to visit.  And of course, you are like part of the crew and that's what makes it so special for you both.  Enjoying your commentaries and pictures very much.

[Keith1010]

Today's Daily Refections.

 

Aug 19 Reflections.pdf

 

Dinner menu for this evening at Waterside.

 

Aug 19 Waterside.pdf

 

This evening is a formal night in terms of dining menu and the evening program without formal attire.

 

Keith

[BEAV]

2 hours ago, Keith1010 said:

Today's Daily Refections.

 

Aug 19 Reflections.pdf 1.2 MB · 17 downloads

 

Dinner menu for this evening at Waterside.

 

Aug 19 Waterside.pdf 69.76 kB · 23 downloads

 

This evening is a formal night in terms of dining menu and the evening program without formal attire.

 

Keith

The Traditional Honey Nut Pie on the dessert menu jumped out at me. Sounds delicious, and I don’t recall ever seeing it on the menu before.

 

I’d love a photo of it, but how can we twist Keith’s arm to actually order a slice? 🤔

 

[Keith1010]

56 minutes ago, BEAV said:

The Traditional Honey Nut Pie on the dessert menu jumped out at me. Sounds delicious, and I don’t recall ever seeing it on the menu before.

 

I’d love a photo of it, but how can we twist Keith’s arm to actually order a slice? 🤔

 

Brian,

 

It would be a tough decision; a slice of this pier a la mode, french fries or wine.  

 

Decisions, decisions.

 

I am thinking the wine will wine (win) out. LOL.

 

Keith

[TheKingD]

I have retrieved a recipe for Honey Salted Mixed Nut Tart from the Food Network, and it looks like there are several variations - probably all delicious.  If Keith will post a picture, I'll be able to tell which one is closest.

 

We have a couple of pieces of black cod already marinating in the Nobu marinade that we will fix this week.  We are reliving our Alaska cruise from last month! 

[nancygp]

37 minutes ago, Keith1010 said:

It would be a tough decision; a slice of this pier

Keith…autocorrect at its finest! 😁😁

 

Nancy

[seasack]

Hi Keith since you are interacting with much of the Crystal management that is onboard have you heard any updates on when the Beefbar will be open for business? I have not seen any updates on possible dates of when it will be operational on either ship. 

[BEAV]

1 hour ago, TheKingD said:

I have retrieved a recipe for Honey Salted Mixed Nut Tart from the Food Network, and it looks like there are several variations - probably all delicious.  If Keith will post a picture, I'll be able to tell which one is closest.

I knew I could count on you, Cindy 👍. 
 

Enjoy that black cod! 😉

[Keith1010]

56 minutes ago, seasack said:

Hi Keith since you are interacting with much of the Crystal management that is onboard have you heard any updates on when the Beefbar will be open for business? I have not seen any updates on possible dates of when it will be operational on either ship. 

I have asked about it for both ships but am not 100% sure of the dates so I don't want to get ahead of an announcement.

 

Keith

[Keith1010]

One of the photos I’ve included is of the replica of Crystal Harmony that we first saw on the July 31, 2023, inaugural cruise. Like us, several people sailed Crystal Harmony as their introduction to Crystal. As I had mentioned, our introduction was July of 2022 when we sailed a round trip San Francisco cruise of Alaska on Crystal Harmony.

The other collage includes some photos from earlier this morning on the pool deck which I took following an early morning walk and run. It was just me and the night crew who work diligently during the evening hours to keep the ships public areas looking pristine.

We enjoyed another wonderful evening on-board Crystal Serenity. We had guests to the room and ordered from the Waterside dining venue and also enjoyed some canapés before dinner.

The only downside to this wonderful evening was forwarding the clocks by one hour as we sail to Victoria, BC.

Today is a sea day. Crystal had an incredible array of enrichment activities on the schedule. This included three talks; Scott Bornstein on six steps to making names and faces unforgettable, Retired Major General Craig Wheelmen speaking personally about 9/11 having worked at the Pentagon on that day, and Anant Sing with a talk and a film about Pierre De Coubertin; An Olympic Life. Including these three talks, the program included 47 activities between 8:00 am and 5:30 pm. This is another wonderful example of Crystal at its best. If you include food (breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea) you have a round number of 50 things to do. LOL.

We continue to enjoy each and every minute on this sailing.

 

 

 

 

Cheers,

 

Keith

[Keith1010]

Correction. First time on Crystal Harmony was 2002 not 2022. Mama Mia.  🤣

 

Keith

[Keith1010]

I have verified that there will be a magician (Doc Eason) on the August 27 Serenity voyage.

 

Keith

[Keith1010]

Dinner menus for this evening Waterside.

 

August 20 Waterside Menu.pdf

 

Today's Daily Reflections.

 

August 20 Reflections.pdf

 

Keith

[loriva]

13 hours ago, Keith1010 said:

I have verified that there will be a magician (Doc Eason) on the August 27 Serenity voyage.

 

Keith

 

Thanks, Keith.  Mr. Eason shows up under the "Entertainment on this Ship" area on that sailing.  No magician is listed on our NYC-QC sailing in early October, so I guess that means we are out of luck.

 

Take care,

[Keith1010]

1 minute ago, loriva said:

 

Thanks, Keith.  Mr. Eason shows up under the "Entertainment on this Ship" area on that sailing.  No magician is listed on our NYC-QC sailing in early October, so I guess that means we are out of luck.

 

Take care,

My guess is that is correct given the itinerary.

 

Keith

[loriva]

8 minutes ago, Keith1010 said:

My guess is that is correct given the itinerary.

 

Keith

 

Interesting the different definitions of "port heavy."  We really only have four ports in our 8-night cruise.  I don't count Quebec City as the ship does not arrive until 2000 hours the night before disembarkation.  So that day to me is a "sea" (really river) day.  We also do not arrive in Halifax until 1900 hours (and then leave early at 1500 hours the next day) so those days also have substantial time on board.  Given Crystal's reputation for enrichment, our offerings look light for so much time sailing.  I will go with an open mind, however, and hope to be delighted.

[BWIVince]

8 minutes ago, loriva said:

 

Interesting the different definitions of "port heavy."  We really only have four ports in our 8-night cruise.  I don't count Quebec City as the ship does not arrive until 2000 hours the night before disembarkation.  So that day to me is a "sea" (really river) day.  We also do not arrive in Halifax until 1900 hours (and then leave early at 1500 hours the next day) so those days also have substantial time on board.  Given Crystal's reputation for enrichment, our offerings look light for so much time sailing.  I will go with an open mind, however, and hope to be delighted.

Speaker assignments are always (not just with cruises) perpetually in-flux, much to the chagrin of my clients.  I wouldn’t read too much into what’s currently listed for cruises more than 30 days out, especially if something doesn’t look final.  Changes are both possible and likely in that case.

 

Vince

[Keith1010]

48 minutes ago, loriva said:

 

Interesting the different definitions of "port heavy."  We really only have four ports in our 8-night cruise.  I don't count Quebec City as the ship does not arrive until 2000 hours the night before disembarkation.  So that day to me is a "sea" (really river) day.  We also do not arrive in Halifax until 1900 hours (and then leave early at 1500 hours the next day) so those days also have substantial time on board.  Given Crystal's reputation for enrichment, our offerings look light for so much time sailing.  I will go with an open mind, however, and hope to be delighted.

I'm sorry. I was looking at the September NYC to Quebec cruise when I said port intensive as it is port intensive with I believe 10 nights and 2 sea days.

 

It would be helpful to know which October cruise you are referring to but I did take a quick look at them and they are still pretty port intensive although I hear you about Halifax.

 

As to the enrichment, you can send an e-mail to on board guest services to verify the magician and to see who the lecturers and entertainers will be.  As Vince said they can always change but it should be pretty close since your cruise is in October.

 

Keith

[Keith1010]

I was very sad to read the sad news on another site about the passing of F&B Slavko.  His passing was unexpected. He was home at the time having recently completed a contact on Symphony.  We last sailed with Slavko on Endeavor in 2021 when he was the Restaurant Manager and like many of you had known him for years. I have fond memories not only inside the ship but of our paddle tennis games. 

 

May Slavko rest in peace and may his memory be a blessing.

 

Keith

[dimundsR]

I remember his name, but could somebody refresh my memory with a photo of Slavko. Thanks.

Edited August 20 by dimundsR
Addes name