We enjoyed a good night sleep and woke up early this morning. Since we had set the clocks forward by one hour before we went to sleep last evening we were a little more tired than usual when we awoke this morning.
We had a wonderful dinner last evening with our Travel Specialist Lynn and her wonderful husband Alan and it has been so wonderful to sail with them on this segment of the World Cruise. We will miss them dearly when this segment of the World Cruise comes to a conclusion in a couple of days.
We began our day with our daily workout in the Fitness Center. Keith was the first passenger to arrive to the Center and worked out on the Elliptical Machine the entire time while Anne Marie was the second passenger to arrive and worked out on the Treadmill. Keith spoke with Mary for much of his workout. John was also working out. By the time we finished up there were far fewer passengers working out than we have gotten accustomed to during this particular segment of the World Cruise. We suspect that many of our fellow passengers were sleeping a little later given the time zone change coupled with the fact that many had been on overland tours the past few days and likely were catching up on their rest and sleep.
During the Captain’s morning announcement, Captain Glenn noted that winds were 30 miles per hour and the temperature was 84 degrees Fahrenheit. Captain Glenn’s thought for today was “It is important to learn from others mistakes and from your own as you don’t live long enough to make them all on your own.”
Today is a sea day as we sailed to Singapore and this is the last sea day of this segment of the cruise. There are lots of activities planned throughout the day and evening hours. Our experience is that many first time cruisers are concerned with how to keep busy while at sea and we find that the sea days go by very quickly given all of the activities that are scheduled throughout the day. Today is a perfect example of the extensive activities offered throughout the morning, afternoon and evening hours. For example:
Four lectures are scheduled today.
There are a variety of fitness classes including a morning walk, stretching, progressive yoga, a class on sit to be fit, beginners yoga, paddle tennis, table tennis, shuffleboard, fitball, and another stretching class,
Other activities include a piano class, beginners bridge, intermediate bridge, advanced bridge classes in the morning followed in the afternoon by actual bridge games, a beginners and Spanish class, a scarf tying class, team trivia, gaming lessons (casino games), dance class, memoir writing seminar, computer class, an afternoon and evening movie, a tour of the ships Galley, an afternoon tea, several different venues either for listing to live music or dancing to live music, a production show, karaoke, and the list goes on and on and on. There is pretty much something for everyone. For those who just want to relax there is a very nice library where one can either stay and read or take out a book to read or a movie to watch. There are the two swimming pools along with a couple of spas. Let us not forget the Fitness Center and there is also a very extensive on-board spa. There is the Promenade Deck that can be used for taking a nice walk, or jogging. Finally, there are lots of places to go for a meal, a snack, a drink and many other public rooms where one can sit alone or sit with others.
This is how we spent our day on board the Crystal Serenity.
After our workout we enjoyed a nice breakfast in our cabin. Afterwards, Anne Marie got ready for her hair appointment in the hair salon while Keith took care of some items.
While Anne Marie was having her hair done, Keith started off the morning activities by attending the Rap With The Rabbi. We had a very active discussion today with lots of participation by many who attended this session. The session was very well attended and is held usually every other sea day.
Afterwards, we attended two very interesting lectures.
Destination Lecturer, Dr. Jay Wolff gave the first presentation of the day. The topic of his presentation was “The Hanoi Hilton.” Dr. Wolff continues to amaze us with his knowledge of so many topics and places around the world and his ability to give such detailed presentations with absolutely no notes.
Author, Professor and Television Personality Harm de Blij gave the second talk of the day. The topic of his presentation was “Seven More Months of This? The Political Geography of the 2008 Presidential Election Campaign.” One of his major points is that the Presidential Cycle has become too long with the elections becoming almost two years in length and that this detracts the electorate and our political officials from focusing on major worldwide issues that can have major long-term consequences for our country and for the world we live in. Another major point is that we need to realize that many of our elected officials are not perfect when it comes to flaws in character but that doesn’t mean that these flaws make them poor leaders. Whether or not one agrees or disagrees with all of points is not important but the key is that his lectures are very thought compelling which is always good.
Last year, this lecturer spoke on a few segments of the World Cruise and we greatly enjoyed his talks. He has appeared on several programs from ABC’s Good Morning America to the PBS series The Power of Place to being the Geography Analyst for NBC News. He has written over thirty books. Harm de Blij will be giving lectures throughout the next segment of the World Cruise as well. Later in the year he will be lecturing on the London to New York City Cruise on board the Crystal Symphony and on the Lisbon to Miami, Florida sailing on board the Crystal Serenity. These two transoceanic cruises have plenty of sea days and provide a wonderful opportunity for those passengers who are interested in hearing from a variety of lecturers during the course of their cruise.
During lunchtime, there was a Jazz Brunch Buffet held outside the Main Dining Room. This brunch featured a wonderful array of brunch items and complimentary Mimosas and Champagne were also served. The Crystal Orchestra played jazz Music.
The afternoon continued with many different activities including two additional lectures. There was a lecture given by Dr. James Mass whose lectures focus on the importance of sleep. We first mess Dr. Mass on last years World Cruise. The topic for his lecture today was "Wake-Up! Power Sleep and Peak Performance for the Rest of Your Life.” At the conclusion of his lecture photojournalist and publisher Mason Florence gave another lecture. His presentation was titled “Singapore: The Lion City”.
Since today is the last full sea day of the cruise, this evening was a formal night on the ship. Before dinner, we attended the Captain’s Farewell for this segment of the World Cruise. Speaking of the Captain, last evening we had the pleasure of meeting his lovely wife and two daughters. They all live in Norway and since the schools in Norway are closed for Easter Break his family came on board for this segment of the World Cruise.
We enjoyed the Captain’s Farewell Reception. As usual, it was nice to see everyone dressed in their formal attire.
Following the reception, we enjoyed a wonderful dinner from the Silk Road Japanese Specialty Restaurant. We’ve included a picture of Anne Marie with our wonderful butler Alexander.
We are scheduled to arrive in Singapore tomorrow morning at approximately 8:00 AM. The ship has an overnight in Singapore as the following morning this segment of the World Cruise ends. Many passengers will disembark the ship while that afternoon new passengers will join the ship. We will have almost two full days to enjoy Singapore.
Keith & Anne Marie
