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

[BWIVince]

12 minutes ago, Keith1010 said:

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

Oh no!  😢 Thank you for sharing this, Keith, although it breaks my heart.  I recently saw a picture of him shared by a forum member in their blog before Slavko left Symphony, and it gave me a huge smile.  My deepest sympathies to his loved ones and may he rest in peace.

 

Vince

[Txcotn]

We were very fond of Slavko. Our condolences to his family, he will truly be missed.

[OliverDallas]

  Horrible news. We just saw him and his wife in May. We all hugged and kissed each other. He was wonderful and so kind. We are truly devastated by this. Life is so precious. Rest in peace dear Slavko💕

 

 

 

[nancygp]

I was so sad to read the news about Slavkos untimely passing.  We first met him in 2006 when he was our head waiter in the MDR, now known as Waterside.  We watched his career blossom over the years.  He was such a great asset to Crystal employees and guests and a kind man.  May his memory always be a blessing and my deepest condolences for his wife and kids.

 

Nancy

[goldengatecruisers]

Keith, thank you for sharing the news about Slavko.  We don't participate in any other site so really appreciate you bringing the news to us here on Cruise Critic. Like Nancy, and so many others, we have known him for many years and we are shocked and saddened to learn of his untimely passing.  Glad to have really lovely memories of our interactions with him.  Our thoughts are also with his family, both at home and his family at sea. 

[Keith1010]

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

[skybluewaters]

Horrible news, Slavko was such a kind, helpful and good-natured gentleman. 

Any interaction with him was always a positive experience.

May his memory be a blessing

 

[TER777]

Such sad news re Slavko. Fortunately his wife and son were on with him on his last segment before he left on vacation. 

[Keith1010]

Today's Daily Reflection and Waterside Dinner menu.

 

August 21 Refelections.pdf

 

August 21 Waterside.pdf

 

Keith

August 21 Waterside.pdf

[seasack]

Hi Keith thanks for posting the reflections above. That was the end of segment roundup. I don’t know if you plan on posting today’s reflections when it becomes available or not but I for one would like to see it when it becomes available and you get the chance to post it. 
 

Thanks!

[360Guy]

5 hours ago, Keith1010 said:

Today's Daily Reflection and Waterside Dinner menu.

 

August 21 Refelections.pdf 150.56 kB · 38 downloads

 

August 21 Waterside.pdfUnavailable

 

Keith

August 21 Waterside.pdf 68.08 kB · 41 downloads

Thank you Keith for posting the daily Reflections and Waterside menus.  Very much appreciated!

Bob

[Keith1010]

Today's Reflections, I hope.

 

Keith

 

4E5C20B4-E1CA-46F7-8212-14B82BC55B4E.pdf

[Keith1010]

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

[travelberlin]

I am enjoying your posts Keith. Thanks for sharing. Kind regards to Anne Marie.

 

Ivi

[Keith1010]

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

 

 

[USCAdventurer]

The comedian, Tom Drake, who is performing tonight is terrific.  He was on my Syphony cruise in May, and I highly recommend that you try to catch his show!

[Keith1010]

Today's Dally Reflections and Waterside Dinner Menus.

 

August 23 Reflections.pdf

 

August 23 Waterside.pdf

 

 

[Keith1010]

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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cheers,

 

Keith

[wearesiamese]

Thanks Keith for letting us see your pics-no need to take many myself!

LOL

[Keith1010]

Waterside Dinner Menus for this evening and todays' daily Reflections program.

 

August 24 Watersie.pdf

 

August 24 Reflections.pdf

 

Cheers,

 

Keith

 

 

 

 

[goldengatecruisers]

Welcome to our beautiful City by the Bay!

[vistaman]

On 8/20/2024 at 4:54 PM, nancygp said:

I was so sad to read the news about Slavkos untimely passing.  We first met him in 2006 when he was our head waiter in the MDR, now known as Waterside.  We watched his career blossom over the years.  He was such a great asset to Crystal employees and guests and a kind man.  May his memory always be a blessing and my deepest condolences for his wife and kids.

 

Nancy

very sorry to hear that sad news  - the first time I met Slavko he was headwaiter in the speciality restaurants  - unfortuntely the last time was a few months ago on the Symphony 

[Keith1010]

 

Greetings from Crystal Serenity.

 

Let me begin by saying we continue to have an amazing time on-board Crystal Serenity. Everything has been terrific. This second of our two cruises also has a great itinerary for a short cruise with two sea days and two days in San Francisco along with the wonderful on-board experience. Bravo.

 

Before dinner, we met with a very nice couple who we met several years ago.

 

Although last evening was not a formal night in terms of evening attire, it had the feel of a formal night between the Captain's Welcome Reception and Crystal Society Party, a Concert & Dance Production Show, and a wonderful dinner menu at Waterside. We had a great time with a lot of laughs as you can see with one of the photos.

 

Serenity was met by the pilot at 6:00 am to make our way into San Francisco.  We docked at Pier 27.  

I left my heart in San Francisco.  In our case, we left our hearts in San Francisco.  

San Francisco has always been special to us.  We lived in the Bay Area with our two children from 1987 to 1991 when Keith took a work transfer.  We lived about thirty miles from the city.  There was lots to do in where we lived, when we visited the city and we enjoyed visiting other areas of the state during our time there.

Since then we have returned to San Francisco for land only visits and other times for cruises that began and/or ended in San Francisco.  Our last two visits were in 2016 for a pre-cruise stay prior to a Crystal Serenity Cruise and in 2017 when we took the family with us on a Crystal Serenity California coastal cruise.

 

Before we left the ship Anne Marie said it is forecasted to rain.  I said this is San Francisco and other than some mist from the fog it doesn't rain till October. Anne Marie wore her rain coat. Keith did not. Guess what. She was right and as we headed back to the ship it poured. Oh well. It's only rain.

On our way out and back we saw Svenja each time. We have known Svenja for many years when she would oversee the Crystal representatives at the pier in USA cities for embarkation and debarkation and we would see her other times such as in Santa Barbara in 2017. Today, she was involved with the land shore excursions for the local operator. It was so nice to see her and hopefully we will see her tomorrow morning.

 

One of the places we stopped by is Scoma’s. I first went there for dinner with some former colleagues on his first business trip to San Francisco. When we were making the decision to relocate to the city the family was invited to visit the area and we dined at Scoma’s. We returned many times. Just like Cobb Salad and a Flute of Champagne it was a tradition for us.

 

Also got in paddle tennis and for the first time wore short since we boarded. Beautiful afternoon in San Francisco.

 

We will overnight in San Francisco and stay till 6:00 pm tomorrow afternoon so we will explore more tomorrow too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cheers

[BWIVince]

Actual measurable rain??  In August, in San Francisco??  That’s like snow in the middle of the afternoon in July in Phoenix.  I would have done the same thing Keith, and thought the forecaster had lost their mind and left my coat behind… And I’d have ended up looking like a drenched cat.  😁 

 

I’m very jealous, I wish I was in the city this week!  Glad you and Anne Marie are enjoying your time there.

 

Vince

[Keith1010]

Thank you Vince. 

 

It was amazing. Friends who live said they were in Sonoma and got the rain too.  Amazing for August.  

 

Here is today's Daily Reflections and Waterside Dinner Menu.

 

Keith

 

Reflections

 

August 25 Reflections.pdf

 

Waterside

 

August 25 Waterside.pdfAugust 25 Waterside.pdf