We just wanted to mention how wonderful the evening was last night with Thomas Mazloum and our fellow guests. A special dinner menu was prepared for us which included an appetizer of three items, including lobster and a meatball, minestrone soup, a choice of two different entrees (grilled shrimp and pasta or filet mignon) concluding with a desert sampler and two very nice wines. What made the evening very special was the conversation throughout the evening. We really appreciate Mr. Mazloum taking the time to dine with us and our fellow guests and clearly he sets a wonderful example that is followed on both the Crystal Serenity and Crystal Symphony.
We awoke early this morning to begin another wonderful day on the Crystal Serenity. We are sailing en route to Yangon, Myanmar. We wanted to note that the seas continue to be very calm and sometimes it’s easy to forget that we are cruising in the water. ☺
Keith was the first passenger to the Fitness Center and Anne Marie arrive about thirty minutes later. John also worked out and eventually a few other passengers were there as well. Mary who Keith talks with often is escorting a four night overland tour that is visiting various sites in Myanmar. She and the passengers on the tour will arrive back to the ship on our last day in Myanmar. Keith watched some of the news shows including two United States based shows and also the BBC to try to keep up with world events.
After our workout we stopped by the Lido Café to pick up a cup of coffee and then about thirty minutes later we enjoyed a wonderful breakfast in our room.
Captain Glenn’s thought of the day was “There may be time where you cannot find help but there is no time when you cannot give help.”
Keith had his haircut this morning at the salon that is on the ship. While Keith was getting his haircut, Anne Marie attended the Rap with the Rabbi session which was great as it always is.
Later in the morning we attended an enrichment program featuring author and book reviewer Robert Adams who presented his lecture on Jack Maggs, by Peter Carey. We first saw this speaker on last years World Cruise and he continues to be excellent. He is a dynamic speaker.
Following this talk, we attended a special presentation, which was followed by a question and answer session by Crystal Cruises’ President, Gregg Michel and Senior Vice President of Hotel Operations, Thomas Mazloum.
Mr. Michel talked about some new items. He mentioned that the new Silk Road Restaurant recently opened up on the Crystal Symphony and highlighted the new décor of very rich looking colors. He showed us pictures of the new interior and it looks beautiful.
He then discussed changes that have been made on this ship the Crystal Serenity such as the new Captain’s Choice store, the new Trunk Store featuring jewelry, the new gym equipment. He also noted that at the end of the World Cruise that the remaining new Fitness Equipment will be coming on board such as new stationary bikes and other related equipment. He also noted that Spin Bikes would be added to the center as well.
He also touched on other changes such as the new Fine Art Program on both ships, the new no smoking policy on the Verandahs starting in May, the new lightweight Kimonos in all staterooms, the availability for purchase of daily newspapers with over 700 different newspapers to choose from, and the new 2008 share the experience program. He also noted that in 2009 the benefits for Crystal Society will remain the same as they are in 2008.
He talked about cruising in the Mediterranean in 2008 and how it provides a great value to passengers and that there are various promotions in place and that on some cruises that the pricing was rolled back to 2006 pricing.
Mr. Michel also talked about the President’s cruise and some unique events that will occur on it from a special optional tour to a very special evening in the Vintage Room. It has just recently been announced that Frankie Avalon will be on this cruise.
Finally, he gave us a preview of the plans when the Crystal Serenity is in for dry-dock in November of this year. About $10M+ in enhancements are planned. Major changes include:
The Casino will be redone with new lighting and new machines.
The Crystal Coe and Plaza will be redone including putting a circular bar in the Crystal Cove to open up the area.
A new décor will be added to the Upper and Lower Atrium areas.
Deck 5 and Deck 6 corridors will be enhanced.
Some changes are planned for the Gift Shops to give them the look of what has been done on the Crystal Symphony.
Some changes will be made to the Seahorse Neptune Pool particularly in the way of more color and improved lighting to give it more of a residential feel.
Twelve additional Penthouse (PH Category) Rooms will be added by converting eighteen AA rooms to PH rooms. In addition, better wall units will be added to the Penthouse Suites that do not scratch as easy as the existing units.
Keep in mind that these are the highlighted changes. I believe there will be some other changes such as replacing carpeting in certain areas of the ship.
Afterwards Mr. Michel and Mr. Mazloum took several questions from the audience and did a wonderful job answering them. Many passengers complemented them on the enhancements that have been made in the entertainment, and lecture programs.
They were asked about a third ship and Mr. Michel explained that while they would like to add a third ship to the fleet the timing is not right at this point in time to purchase a new ship given the devaluation of the USA dollar to the Euro recognizing that all passengers cruise ships are constructed in Europe. Adding to this are the components for the ship such as engines which are constructed in Asia which are currently in high demand because of world-wide demand in the shipping industry. They do recognize that passengers would like to sail to places such as Alaska again and that a third ship would be needed for this. Timing is the key here.
All in all it was a wonderful session and we applaud Mr. Michel and Mr. Mazloum taking the time to talk with the Passengers and to field a variety of questions each year on the World Cruise as is also done during each of the President Cruises. They also stayed after the session to speak off-line with those passengers who had questions or feedback that was less general and more personal to them. Again, we thought this was done very well.
We also applaud Crystal for making the changes that they continue to make. All effective companies must continue to change and we think it is great that Crystal is looking to continue to enhance its product at a time when many around the industry are cutting back on what they offer or just providing the same product.
We enjoyed a wonderful lunch in the Main Dining Room. We ate lunch with the World Cruise Hostess and the Assistant Cruise Director who are both wonderful people and we enjoyed a wonderful lunch and a wonderful conversation.
Before dinner, we went to a reception sponsored by the Travel Consortium that our Travel Specialist belongs to and enjoyed the vent.
We enjoyed a wonderful dinner in the dining room. We had pre-ordered a very special dinner and everything was outstanding.
After dinner we attended a performance given by Kenny Smiles who was a wonderful entertainer.
This evening we will set our clocks back thirty minutes (yes, thirty minutes) as we sail into yet another time zone.
Keith & Anne Marie
