We posted last evening before we went to dinner at the Prego Italian Specialty Restaurant. We enjoyed a wonderful dinner with four other people. This included a wonderful couple who we first met on last years Full World Cruise who we sit with from time to time at various World Cruise Events. The other two people included a charming woman who we dined with about a month ago who spent here entire career as an actor including performing on Broadway and around the country and she has also performed on television and has appeared in movies. We first met her last year on the World Cruise and she is a fascinating woman to talk with. She invited the lead Crystal male vocalist to join us for dinner and it was so wonderful to talk with him. The food, service, ambience of the restaurant and the food was wonderful. I had a seafood special which was on the menu, which was fresh turbo fish that had just been flown in, and my wife enjoyed the black cod. We arrived a few minutes before everyone else so we spoke with the Maitre D’ of the Specialty Restaurant and the Head Waiter for Prego who we have come to know quite well.
This morning we arrived in Crete/Aghios Nikolaos, Greece. This was a maiden call for Crystal Cruises. This city is located on the Greek Island of Crete. It is considered a gateway to many small towns and villages of this region. It has become a favorite destination for visitors to this area of the world. It has a very attractive harbor and has many nice beaches.
Over the years this Island was under the rule of the Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, Venetians, Ottoman Turks, British, Italians and the German Nazis.
We woke up early this morning and enjoyed another nice workout in the Fitness Center. I worked out on the Elliptical Machine, while my wife worked out on the Treadmill. The workout was great and as we were finishing up the workout we could see the lights from the port.
After our workout we stopped by the Lido Café to get a cup of coffee and later in the morning we enjoyed a wonderful breakfast in our room.
Our ship docked at the Aghios Nikolaos in Crete, Greece on schedule by 7:00 AM this morning. No shuttle was needed as the town is located within a very short walk of the pier. From our verandah we had a picture perfect view of this port of call and it is stunning. There was no question that we have arrived to Europe. This city has the look of Greece (it should this is Greece ☺) and of course it has the European flair as well. The only downside is that the USA dollar is worth even less than it was last year. We are glad that we have Euros with us from last year. We don’t think too many people will be out shopping today.
We did not take a shore excursion. Four excursions were offered and the highlights included the Minnoan Palace of Knossos, the Archaeological Museum in Heraklion, and the Lassithi Plateau.
During Captain Glenn's daily talk from the bridge his thought for today was "You have succeeded wen all you really want is all you really need." Another very nice thought from the captain. During todays talk the Captain said the weather forecast called for very nice weather and as usual the Captain was correct. We had a beautiful day in port.
We walked off the ship at around 8:15 AM and spent three full hours walking around the town. This is a beautiful town and hopefully one that Crystal will return to in the future. We visited three different churches, and walk up countless roads and side streets. There are many nice restaurants and cafes around the town offering both inside and outside dining. We walked into a few bakeries with wonderful smells of just made breads and cookies and other delectable desserts. We walked inside one supermarket and also looked at a seafood store and also a butcher shop.
We retuned to the ship late morning and in the early afternoon we enjoyed a nice Salad Entrée for Lunch in the Main Dining Room. Afterwards, we decided to taken another walk around town for about an hour. During our afternoon walk we ran into lots of our fellow passengers and crew. Everyone we ran into thought the town was a delight. We also ran into Actor and Playwright Jim Brochu and Steve and chatted for a few minutes. They are both very nice.
This evening is a special World Cruise Event, which will be held at the area around the Indoor Pool. A stage for the entertainment was built and placed over the pool. The event is called Roman Holiday. The event is et to begin with pre-dinner cocktails at 5:30 PM and at 6:00 PM we were escorted to our assigned table. We sat with two other couples who we first met on last years World Cruise and each table was hosted by someone from Crystal’s Staff.
For all of those guests not on the full World Cruise they have been invited for complimentary pre-diner cocktails in several of the Crystal Bars and they are also being offered a selection of complimentary wines with dinner in the Crystal Main Dining Room.
We will post more about the event tomorrow. Stay tuned.
Keith
