Last evening when we arrived back to our room, we each received a nice card along with 2008 World Cruise polo shirts and a nice letter from the World Cruise Hostess. We look forward to wearing our new shirts from time to time throughout the course of the World Cruise.
Last evening and throughout a good portion of today the seas have been a bit choppy reminding us that we are indeed cruising on a cruise ship. We are fortunate that the Crystal Serenity Cruise Ship does very well even in choppy seas.
We now get to enjoy four consecutive sea days as we sail towards Raiatea, Society Islands, French Polynesia. We are looking forward to visiting all of the Pacific Ocean Islands that are on the itinerary for the very first time.
We awoke early this morning as we have done since our adventure began and enjoyed a wonderful workout in the Fitness Center. Keith worked out on the elliptical machine while Anne Marie worked out on the treadmill and also on the weight lifting machines. Keith is thinking that all of these workouts must be good for him as the other day a woman passenger asked him if he was either the fitness or sports director. ☺ During our workout, we spoke with some of the regulars who we frequently see in the Fitness Center each and every day.
After our workout we enjoyed a very nice breakfast in the Lido Café. A very nice variety of hot and cold items are offered for breakfast. Mid-way through our breakfast a couple of passengers sat with us as we enjoyed breakfast.
Each of us shared our experiences from Maui. One of the passengers went on a shore excursion, which included a visit to a rain forest along with a long hike, and the other passenger had rented a car and spent the day at a very nice beach. Everyone we spoke with enjoyed Maui. We did confirm that the name of the restaurant we had lunch at on Maui was indeed the Plantation.
We enjoyed several activities on board the ship today. We attended the third session of Rap with the Rabbi today which was very well attended. Today’s discussion was very thought provoking and we really appreciate the thought that the Rabbi puts into organizing these sessions. At the end of the session, we made plans to have dinner with the Rabbi and his lovely in a few days.
We then attended two consecutive lectures which were also very well attended.
The first lecture was given by Biologist Bill Toone whose topic was titled “Our Most Endangered Species: Them..or US?” We enjoyed his presentation.
Captain Scott O’Grady gave the second lecture and the topic of his talk was titled “Return with Honor.” Captain O’Grady is best remembered when an anti-aircraft missile slammed into his F-16 over Bosnia. He then survived in hostile territory for six days before being rescued by the U.S. Marines. He is an outstanding speaker with a wonderful story to tell that focused on his faith along with what is important in life. His talk reminded us to focus on those items that are most important in ones life such as family and friends and to focus on what is good. His talk also reminded us to enjoy each day.
Afterwards, we enjoyed an excellent lunch in the Main Dining Room. We each had a wonderful salad entrée, which was followed by some fresh fruit. At the same time, there was an Asia Café Buffet set up around the Neptune Pool.
This evening attire was formal and it was so nice to see our fellow passengers all dressed up in their evening formal attire. The evening activities began with a Crystal Society Reception, which is held once per voyage. This reception is for all past cruisers of Crystal and we always enjoy this event. Several passengers who have completed a large number of cruises with Crystal were recognized. The reception also includes a nice talk given by Crystal Society Hostess Jamie Brown. We first met Jamie last year.
After the reception, we dined with two other couples at the Prego Specialty Restaurant that serves Italian Cuisine. We met the couple that organized the dinner for the first time on last years World Cruise and this is their ninth consecutive World Cruise. We had a wonderful time at dinner and enjoyed excellent food and a great conversation. We each had fresh fish, which was brought on the ship in Maui for the main course and it was excellent. We also had a very nice salad and fruit for our desert. The service was wonderful and we enjoyed the ambience of this restaurant. We enjoyed the fish so much (it was Opah) that we are going back to Prego again tomorrow so that we can have it again.
Keith & Anne Marie
