Photo 1 from lunch with Cruise Director Rick Spath.
Last evening when we returned to the room we received a nice letter that is sent to all World Cruisers from our World Cruise Hostess; Anne Marie Falvey. We receive a letter on most sea days and also on some evenings when we are in port. In these letters, Anne Marie recaps events that have taken place on the ship and also highlights upcoming events. The letters are very well written and we appreciate the time and effort that goes into writing them. This is Anne Marie’s first year as the World Cruise Hostess and she has performed admirably in this position. We have enjoyed our conversations with her and the dinner and lunch that we had with her and the Assistant Cruise Director. They both used to perform on the ship as part of Repertory at Sea which was a small group of actors/actresses (usually two male and two females) who would perform thirty to forty-five minute plays on the ship. Anne Marie has written several of the events that have been put on during the course of the cruise and she has utilized her background in theatre very effectively.
We enjoyed another good nights sleep last evening as we sail to our next port of call in Gibraltar, United Kingdom. It is hard to believe that today is the start of May. In less than one week we will be leaving this wonderful ship as our World Cruise adventure comes to an end. There is no question that this years world cruise has been outstanding and has exceeded our expectations. We have made memories that will last a lifetime.
This morning we woke early. Yes, Keith was the first passenger arriving at the Fitness Center and was followed by Anne Marie about forty-five minutes later. Regulars such as Mary and John also worked out. Keith spoke with John for a little while when he first arrived and then spoke with Mary during part of the workout. The center was not very crowded. During our workout there was one other person working out whom we have seen from time to time in the center. We learned from him that he has lost 50 lbs. during the World Cruise. Keith asked him if he planned to lose the weight and he said yes. He finds that he can eat great items, such as plenty of fish, and between the good food and working out quite a bit he succeeded in reaching his goal.
The food on the ship is wonderful so for those who want to eat very healthy food it is easy to do just that so one can lose weight on the ship if this is something that they desire by eating healthy, and utilizing the Fitness Center and/or walking on the Promenade Deck and talking other walks in port and taking advantage of the other fitness related classes and other activities offered on board the ship.
The food portions are reasonable sizes and clearly the focus is on quality rather than quantity for each food item. Each recipe is prepared with high quality food ingredients and the presentation of the food items is what you would expect from a five star restaurant. At the same time, one can indulge in those items that they enjoy and they can order as much as they want.
For us, we do approach eating differently on a World Cruise than we would on say a twelve-day cruise. We can’t say enough about the flexibility of the Main Dining Room. If there is a particular item that one would like to eat the key is to order it 24 hours in advance although some items can be ordered the same day. Given the number of passengers that are served each day, it is amazing the amount of flexibility in the dining room.
After our workout we each got a nice cup of coffee at the Lido Café. We spoke with fellow passengers John and Linda for a while. They are wonderful people who we first met on last years World Cruise and we are so very happy that we have had the opportunity to sail with them again.
We enjoyed another fantastic breakfast in our room. During Captain Glenn’s morning talk from the bridge, he noted that the outside temperature was 63 degrees Fahrenheit and that we were traveling at 11.8 knots per hour with two of six engines in use. We were on track to reach our next port of call; Gibraltar, United Kingdom on schedule tomorrow morning. Captain Glenn’s thought of the day was “The more you say the less people will remember.” Another great thought of the day and one that makes perfect sense. We enjoy these thoughts of the day.
Today is a sea day so we enjoyed many nice activities throughout the daytime and evening hours.
Keith attended the Rap With The Rabbi Session while Anne Marie did some packing. The session with the Rabbi was wonderful. It was nicely attended and the discussion was very interesting.
Afterwards, there were two very interesting lectures.
Dr. Jay Wolff gave the first presentation, which was another wonderful lecture. The topic of today’s presentation was “Guernica, a Town and a Painting.” This was a very enjoyable presentation. Dr. Wolff’s next presentation will be on the Vikings.
The next presentation was given by Political journalist and author Ken Walsh who presented “Escapes from the White House: Presidential Hideaways, Homes and Retreats. Mr. Walsh talked about the locations that many of the Presidents utilized over the years. He talked about George Washington, John Quincy Adams, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, John Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George Bush, Bill Clinton and the current George Bush. His next presentation will cover the 2008 Presidential Election.
Anne Marie also did additional packing in the morning and has several bags packed. This will make it easier to finish the packing towards the end of the cruise.
The four of us met Cruise Director Rick Spath for lunch in the Main Dining Room. This is our third lunch with Rick during the course of the World Cruise. We truly appreciate Rick taking the time out of his busy scheduled to meet with us and we appreciate all that he does. He is an outstanding Cruise Director and has gone out of his way to make this an outstanding cruise for us. We look forward to sailing with Rick again.
We took care of a few other items this afternoon. We had been holding pictures from the photo studio in a folder since the beginning of the World Cruise and today we selected those that we wanted to purchase.
Before dinner this evening the four of us attended a cocktail reception given by our travel consortium that our travel specialist is affiliated with. This is the last of the receptions that the travel consortium will be hosting during this world cruise. We enjoyed these events and the opportunity to converse with many of our fellow passengers.
Afterwards, we enjoyed a wonderful dinner in the Main Dining Room. We had pre-ordered Beef Wellington which was one of the few times that we did not have fish during the course of this World Cruise Adventure. Our daughter enjoyed Black Bass, which we had pre-ordered for her. Dinner was outstanding. The food, service and ambience were wonderful. We can’t say enough about how good the dining experience is on Crystal. We applaud all that Crystal does in this area of the cruise.
Keith & Anne
