NOTE: Pictures are from las evenings World Cruise Shore Side Event
Picture 1 of of our table minus Keith who took the picture and one other guest who was not seated at the time Keith took the picture.
Picture 2 of the four of us.
Picture 3 and 4 of some of the entertainers at last nights event.
We had a wonderful time, last evening at the World Cruise Shore Side event, which was held in Rome. We left the ship at around 5:00 PM for the drive into Rome. We arrived at the Complesso Monumentale di Santo Spirto in Saxia which is a monumental complex of the Holy Spirit in Saxia. It is located within walking distance of St. Peter’s Square and the Vatican. As we mentioned yesterday, Santo Spirito in Saxia is indeed one of Rome’s oldest historical monuments. It dates back to AD 747. The complex was destroyed by fire and was rebuilt in 1198. It was expanded between 1471 and 1478.
After we arrived, we were welcomed at the entrance to the building by some of the officers and staff from the ship including the Captain, the Hotel Director, the Cruise Director, and the World Cruise Hostess.
A children’s choir entertained us during the cocktail hour. The building was just beautiful and words cannot describe the magnificent interior of this historical site. At around 7:00 PM we entered another area where we were seated for dinner. During the dinner music was played by a white harp’s quartet and after dinner we were entertained by two tenors and one soprano, along with a pianist. The tables accommodated ten people. We sat with John and Linda, Jim and Judy, our daughter and son-in law and two World Cruise passengers who are traveling solo. We were so glad to share this experience with such wonderful people and were also fortunate to have a table right near the stage where the entertainers performed.
The dinner included artichoke flan in a mini puff pastry, cavatelli short pasta with a vegetable caponata and grated ricotta cheese, beef tenderloin with aromatic herbs and seasonal vegetables, and a grand marnier semifreddo with orange sauce.
This was a wonderful evening. The venue was spectacular and it amazes us how Crystal is able to locate such unique venues such as this one. We spoke with the Crystal person from the Los Angeles Office who is responsible for Crystal’s land programs which includes the shore excursions, the pre and post hotels, along with items such as these events. He was telling us how he selected this venue. We know that we will remember this event for the rest of our lives.
When we arrived back to the ship there was live music and various wines and champagnes and moist towels for all of us. It was a nice close to a very classic evening and we appreciate these extra touches.
We left the port at 12:00 Midnight. Our ship arrived to Monte Carlo, Monaco at approximately 1:00 PM today. This is our third visit to Monte Carlo and this will also be our third overnight in this port of call. We have enjoyed our stays in this city as we find there is much to do and it is an easy city to get around by foot.
Monaco is an ancient principality, which today is headed by Prince Albert II. Monaco is not very large and is a nice place to walk around. It is well known for its famous grand Casino.
Despite the fact that we went to sleep later than usual, Keith woke up relatively early and enjoyed a nice workout in the Fitness Center. Other regulars such as John and Mary also worked out. Keith ended up working out on the Elliptical Machine for two hours. He continues to rack up those miles. Anne Marie slept a little later and Keith brought back coffee for her. After the workout we had a very nice breakfast in our room.
We then took a nice long walk on the promenade deck. While we were walking, we listened to Captain Glenn’s morning talk from the bridge. The captain noted that the outside temperature was 61 degrees Fahrenheit and that we were cruising at 19 knots per hour. Captain Glenn’s thought of the day was “More people could learn from their mistakes if they weren’t so busy denying them.”
We met our daughter and son-in-law for lunch a little before Noon and we ate in the Main Dining Room. We enjoyed a wonderful lunch.
The ship arrived in Monte Carlo at 1:00 PM. The ship provided a complimentary shuttle that ran from the pier over to the Monte Carlo Grand Casino. We disembarked the ship as soon as the local authorities cleared the ship.
We walked for almost three hours. We visited the area outside the Palace, then we went into the Cathedral, and then over to the gardens, and then we walked all the way over the Casino. They have a Grand Prix race on May 10 an and May 11 and many of the grandstands are already set up and there is temporary fencing in place along many of the sidewalks in preparation of this race. The weather was quite nice and there were lots of people out and about. Outside the Casino we saw many beautiful cars.
This evening we enjoyed a wonderful dinner in the Main Dining Room. We have moved over to the table next to the two person window table that we have sat at for the first seven segments of the World Cruise and now have a table for four. We have our same headwaiter, Peter, senior waiter Pablo and waiter Layla. We had ordered a special entrée for the table for this evening and it was wonderful.
Our daughter and son-in-law are taking the complimentary shuttle over to the casino this evening so that they can see this area of town at night when everything is all lit up. We did this when we were last here in the fall of 2005.
Keith & Anne Marie
