En Roue To Brunei

Today was the first of four consecutive days of sea while we sail to our next port of call in Bandar Seri Begawan.

We awoke early this morning after getting a great night sleep. The seas were very calm.

Keith went right up to the Fitness Center for his daily workout. He was the first passenger to arrive but within 15 minutes Mary, John and one other passenger joined him in the center. Keith enjoyed a great workout on the Elliptical Machine. As usual, he enjoyed a wonderful conversation with Mary. There were a few more passengers in the Fitness Center and we suspect that was because we turned the clocks back thirty minutes last evening.

Anne Marie worked out in the afternoon while Keith was involved with the World Games. While Keith was in the center in the morning, Anne Marie did the laundry. We figured it would be a quiet time to get the laundry done given the time of the day. She read a book while waiting for the laundry and then Keith brought here some coffee after his workout.

We enjoyed a wonderful breakfast in our room. Each morning on Sea Day there is a 30 minute daily programming starring the Cruise Director and the World Cruise Hostess. We normally don’t get a chance to watch it as we are normally out and about. However, today we saw the program. They included clips from the past day or two on the ship and we were in a few of them from the World Cruise Games. They also ask a few trivia questions and Anne Marie called in with the correct answer to the final one for the show.

During Captain Glenn’s morning talk he noted that we were traveling at 21 Knots per hour, which is close to our maximum capabilities. While the ship can travel at a top speed of 23 Knots per hour that top speed is based on perfect conditions such as very little to no wind. The weather this morning was 86 degrees Fahrenheit. These nice weather conditions are in the forecast for the next few days. The Captain’s thought of the day is “You are never fully dressed until you wear a smile.” Another wonderful thought of the day. ☺

There were lots of activities scheduled throughout the day, including many lectures and the continuation of the World Cruise Games.

At 10:00 in the morning there was a special event for those on the full World Cruise. The event was a Block Party in the Officers’ Quarters. The staff transformed the Officers’ Quarters into CandyLand, where they treated the passenger’s to captivating confections, which were capped off by a beautiful view of the ocean from the bridge of the Crystal Serenity. Several of the staff were dressed in candy costumes such as a tootsie roll, sugar baby, a gingerbread man (Rick Spath our Wonderful Cruise Director), the tooth fairy (Anne Marie Falvey our Wonderful World Cruise Hostess) along with several other characters. The Captain was on hand to answer questions. Keith asked the Captain about the new route we were taking to our new port of call and Captain Glenn took the time to show Keith the original route along with the new route. A variety of items were available including candy, cookies, and cupcakes along with coffee served with various liqueurs, champagne, mimosas and a variety of other items. We appreciate Crystal allowing us to visit the Bridge and this was a perfect day to view the sea from the bridge.

The ocean has been very calm today and has the look and feel of a lake.

In the morning there were two lectures. Dr. Jay Wolff gave the first lecture which was titled “Krakatoa, the Crack of Doom.” He spoke about Indonesia and the fact that it has the most volcanoes of any other country. In 1883, one of them, Krakatoa, exploded. It was the largest explosion ever witnessed, and it created the biggest tsunami in the history of mankind.

Later in the morning, former FBI Profiler Clint Van Zandt gave a lecture on some of the famous unsolved cases. He has appeared on many television programs talking about these very cases.

At Noon we went to Team Trivia. Our team did very well today answering thirteen of fifteen questions correctly and coming in second place for the day. Let’s hope that this trend continues. ☺

In the afternoon there was yet another lecture. Michael Glick who presented “How Movies Are Made” gave this one. This lecture covered the basics of film producing and he shoed actual film clips of behind the scenes experiences on productions.

After Team Trivia we enjoyed a nice lunch in our room. We needed to finish up quickly as Keith had the next of the World Games at 1:30 PM. Today’s game was men’s doubles shuffleboard. Keith and his partner made it to the semi-finals where they lost for the Bronze Medal. Keith had a wonderful time playing and conversing with many of his fellow passengers during the course of these games.

We went to the Friday evening Sabbath services. We really enjoy the Rabbi and the service was well attended. As part of the service when the Rabbi asked for names of people who needed additional prayers we mentioned a name of someone who we know and our thoughts and prayers go out to him and to his lovely wife.

Before dinner this evening we had another couple over to our room for Hors D’oeuvres and we shared a bottle of wine, which they had bought for us during one of our stops in Australia. Afterwards, the four of us enjoyed a wonderful dinner at the Prego Specialty Restaurant, which serves Italian Cuisine.

We had requested to sit at a table to be served by a waiter who we really enjoyed on last years World Cruise who just came back to the cruise ship starting with this segment of the World Cruise. His name is Adam and he is from Hungary. We were happy to have him as our server this evening.

We are still receiving a very nice variety of television stations on board the ship. This will vary based on where the ship is sailing in the world. Right now we are receiving CNN International and CNN Headline News, CNBC, FOX, BBC, Australia, EXPN and ESPN2, News Asia, Bloomberg Asia-Pacific, and a Japanese News Station. Between these stations and the two papers delivered to our room and the Internet, we are doing our best to keep up with USA and National News.

Today, in the daily program, we learned that all Brunei and Chinese Health officials will require each of us to have our temperature taken before we enter Brunei and Hong Kong. This will occur on March 10. Evidently, this is not the first time they have requested this but it is a first for us as we have never cruised in this area of the world.

We continue to have an outstanding time on the cruise. We can’t say enough about the elegance of the ship, the diversity and quality of the daytime and afternoon activities and the evening entertainment, the outstanding cuisine, and the outstanding service of the crew. On top of this, we are sailing to so many special places and we are making new memories each and every day.

We look forward to another wonderful day on the Crystal Serenity as we continue to sail for our next port of call.


Keith & Anne Marie

Darwin, Australia

We arrived at Darwin, Australia this morning. This city is named after the father of evolution. Darwin is our last stop in Australia. Darwin has a population of approximately 100,000 residents and is Australia’s northernmost city. It is considered both cosmopolitan and casual. Darwin is quite modern and was largely rebuilt after Cyclone Tracy destroyed most of the city on December 24 of 1974.

This city is mostly known as a gateway to the Kadadu National Park, Katherine Gorge, and the Kimberly. It boasts a most comfortable tropical climate.

The local economy is vibrant. There is lots of growth in Darwin. Real Estate prices have doubled in only five years.

Darwin also accounts for the highest per capita beer consumption in the world. On average, each resident consumes the equivalent of 650 American bottles of beer a year. Amazing.

We awoke early this morning as we do each and every day. We began
our day by working out in the Fitness Center. Keith enjoyed a wonderful workout on his favorite Elliptical machine and Anne Marie did likewise on a Treadmill that she uses each day. Keith was a bit tired from yesterday’s fast walking competition but was able to make it through his workout. He talked with Mary for a good portion of the workout, which made the workout go fairly quickly. John was also working out on one of the other Elliptical machines as he does each day. There was only one other person in the Fitness Center by the time we finished our workout.

We enjoyed a wonderful breakfast in our room.

We got ready for our tour. Originally the tour was scheduled in the afternoon as we were supposed to be in port until 9:00 PM. However, we were notified towards the start of the World Cruise that the ship would depart port at 2:00 PM. This schedule change was needed due to security concerns (pirates), which necessitated the ship sailing a lengthier route in order to get to our next port of call in Bandar Seri Begawan..

Our tour met at 9:00 AM involved a tour of the Territory Wildlife Park. The park is located about 38 miles south of Darwin. Although there are over four miles of walking trails within this park, people movers are operated throughout the park to take visitors to and from the various facilities, which are used to house various animals and wildlife including kangaroos, wallabies, buffalo, birds, dingoes, crocodiles and the Banteng cattle. It also has a walk-through aquarium which houses sting rays and sawfish.

Our bus driver pointed out many areas as we drove to the Park. He also shared with us lots of information regarding Darwin. When we arrived at the Park we took the people mover to our first stop and after that we walked the rest of the park on our own. We visited a very nice aquarium where we viewed a variety sea life. We walked to a goose lagoon and to other areas of the park we viewed lots of wildlife including ducks, geese, wallaroos, emus, snakes and wallabies. Yes, even Keith had the opportunity to hold a snake. The snake is three years old and when it reaches it full size it can eat an entire wallaby. We also had the opportunity to feed a cute looking wallaby.

We were fortunate that we had a nice sunny day. It was a bit humid. On our drive back to the ship, we were given a tour of the city where we saw the parliament, which is nicknamed the wedding cake since the building looks like the base of a wedding cake. We saw the Mayor’s Home, along with a new conventions city that is being built. We also saw various landing strips, which were used by the allies during World War II.

We had a great time on this tour. We arrived back to this ship about ten minutes before the ship left port. Since we were on a tour booked through Crystal we knew the ship would wait for our tour group in the event we were late. Ironically, as the ship began to pull out of port there was a little drizzle. We were fortunate to not have any rain while we were in port. ☺

We have thoroughly enjoyed our time in Australia. It is a beautiful country and one that we hope to visit again in the future. There is so much to see in this vast country. As we have mentioned, we found the locals to be very friendly and we appreciate their warm hospitality.

Before dinner, we went to the Palm Court to listen to live music and to dance. Afterwards, we enjoyed a wonderful dinner in the Main Dining Room. For our entrée, we enjoyed a local fish of Fillet of Tasmanian Salmon. We thoroughly enjoyed this fish, along with the rest of the dinner.

As was the case only a couple of nights ago, this evening we turn the clocks back another one-half hour. Tomorrow will be the first of four sea days in a row as we sail to our next port of call.


Keith & Anne Marie

En Route To Darwin Australia

We enjoyed another wonderful sleep last evening, as the seas were fairly calm. We find that we sleep so well on the cruise ship and overall it is very quiet on the ship. We rarely ever hear anyone in the corridors and we are so very pleased with the location of our room. It is located mid-ship which we have found to be a perfect location.

As we do everyday, we woke up very early this morning. Keith was the first passenger in the Fitness Center and as he does almost everyday he spoke with a couple of the night crew workers who work so very hard throughout the evening hours to keep the ship spotless. A little while later Anne Marie made it up to the Fitness Center and we both enjoyed a wonderful workout. As we’ve mentioned before, working out on the cruise ship is so easy. We just wake up, get changed and walk up just a couple of flights of steps and we are ready for our workout. The facility is a great size and the machines are in excellent condition. Keith worked out on the Elliptical machine for about an hour and a half and Anne Marie worked out on the Treadmill for a little over an hour.

Today is anther sea day as we sail to Darwin, Australia. It rained this morning as we were finishing up our workout.

Anne Marie continues to feel better each day. She still has a cough but we can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Believe it or not Keith still has a little congestion from when he was sick but he is about 99% well. Many on the ship continue to have various colds and viruses. We try to keep our distances from those who we can tell are sick.

We enjoyed anther wonderful breakfast in our room. We have a number of activities planned for today, many of which are related to the World Games.

We started off the morning activities by attending Rap With the Rabbi. There was another nice turnout for the Rap. We spent time with the Rabbi and his lovely wife yesterday morning including sitting with them in the Lido Café while they had breakfast. We talked about a variety of interesting subjects and Keith offered some suggestions for topics that might stimulate additional discussion at the Rap With The Rabbi sessions. Of course, those who attend are not shy so it is relatively easy to solicit feedback and comments and opinions on a variety of issues.

After the Rap, Keith participated in the Men’s Basketball Competition. Last year Keith won the Gold by advancing to the finals over the course of many rounds when he made the most free throws in the final round. This year I ended up finishing in second and won a Silver Medal.

Next up was the Women’s Basketball Competition. Last year Anne Marie won the Bronze as she finished third among the women’s participants. She advanced into the third round but didn’t quality for a medal this time around.

We both had a lot of fun and during the women’s practice Keith was coaching the ladies and helping many of them with their shooting.

We then went to Team Trivia. Unfortunately, today was not a good day for our team but as they say there is always tomorrow (figuratively). We will play again in two days. ☺

After Team Trivial we enjoyed a wonderful salad entrée in our room. Since we had several activities to go to in the afternoon we knew it would be quicker to have lunch pre-ordered and waiting for us when we got back from Team Trivia.

This afternoon Anne Marie played in the Solitaire Competition, which is done on the computers. She had a nice time playing and she was not one of the finalists.

Also, in the afternoon Keith participated in the Walking Relay, mixed doubles. There were about 12 teams and Keith and his partner finished in first place over 2 minutes ahead of the next team. We posted a picture of Anne Marie and Keith with Dean Martin's daughter; Deana Martin.

We enjoyed a wonderful dinner in the Main Dining Room. The service and the food were outstanding.

Tomorrow morning we will arrive in Darwin, Australia.


Keith & Anne Marie

En Route To Darwin Australia

This morning is our first of two sea days as we cruise to Darwin, Australia. We enjoyed a good night sleep last evening and awoke early to begin our day. We worked out in the Fitness Center. Once again, Keith worked out on the Elliptical Machine and Anne Marie worked out on the Treadmill. Mary and John worked out as well but otherwise very few passengers were working out while we were there. While there seem to be younger passengers on this segment of the World Cruise, we suspect that some of them might be up late at night and then go over to the Fitness Center during either the late morning or afternoon hour. Keith spoke with Mary during his workout.

We then stopped at the Lido Café to get some coffee to take back to the room with us until our breakfast was delivered. We spoke with our butler for a while and learned that he and a senior waiter who we try to sit with for most of our lunches live near each other in Serbia. They are both wonderful and are truly the consummate professionals.

Keith got a haircut at 8:00 AM. He had the same hairstylist cut his hair who cut it the first time and plans to continue to have her cut his hair for the remainder of the cruise. Speaking of the salon, the daughter of the original owner who started these salons is on the cruise for two segments of the World Cruise along with her husband. We met them both on the Africa segment of last years World Cruise. They are two very nice people and Anne Marie spoke with the daughter the other night.

During Captain Glenn’s morning announcement he noted that yesterday when we sailed in and out of Cairns that there was only six feet of water below the keel of the ship. His thought of the day is “It’s better to ask twice than lose your way once.” Another solid thought.

Since today is a sea day there were lots of activities throughout the day. Today was also the second day of the World Cruise Games.

We attended Destination Lecturer Dr. Wolff’s lecture on Mysteries of the Sea. He shared stories of ghost ships, whole crews who have vanished and planes and vessels that have disappeared without a trace. He continues to amaze us with his ability to share lots of information in story form.

We then attended a lecture given by Cathy Rigby. We enjoyed our conversation with she and her husband last evening. They were very easy to talk with. She is a two time Olympic gymnast. She also has performed extensively in plays and earned a Tony nomination for starring in Peter Pan. She talked about her family life as a child and into her teenage and young adult years. She talked about the importance of setting concrete goals, working hard and trusting ones instincts. She also talked about her eating disorder and how she was eventually able to overcome it. All in all she gave an extremely well organized, informative, and motivating presentation.

At noon we attended Team Trivia. We ended up getting only ten of fifteen answers correct so this was not one of our team’s finest days. But, there is always tomorrow. ☺

Afterwards, we enjoyed a wonderful lunch in our room. We did this so that Keith would have time to make it to the 1:30 PM men’s singles table tennis game.

This afternoon Keith competed in the Men’s Table Tennis. He won his first game. On the next round he was matched against Mr. T. Some of you who have cruised on Crystal before probably know that Mr. T plays lots of table tennis and paddle tennis. Keith lost a close on 21-18 and Mr. T won his next couple of games and was the Gold Winner.

The weather this afternoon was outstanding. The forecast was for clods for most of the day but the afternoon was nice and sunny with very little to almost no winds.

Tonight was another formal night on-board the ship. Since there are four formal nights on this cruise there was not a reception this evening as there are three receptions on each segment for formal night. We made plans ahead of time to dine with Stan and Mary at the Silk Road Japanese Specialty Restaurant. We had a fabulous time. Stan and Mary are truly remarkable and wonderful people and we always enjoy talking with them. We enjoyed wonderful cuisine, in a delightful venue, and equally wonderful conversation.

This evening we set the time back thirty (yes thirty) minutes before we go to sleep. We believe this is the first time we’ve ever set the clock back, or forward for that matter, by only thirty minutes. We guess there is a first time for everything. ☺

Keith & Anne Marie

Cairns, Australia

This morning we arrived to Cairns, Australia. This is the only place in the World with two World Heritage attractions, which lie side by side. This includes the Great Barrier Reef and the Wet Tropics Rainforest.

Many people visit Cairns each year, attracted by the opportunity to visit the Great Barrier Reef. There are many other attractions in Cairns including the Crocodile Farm, the Wild World; the Tropical Zoo, the Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park, and the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway.

After enjoying another good nights sleep, we awoke early this morning. We began our day as we always do with a very nice workout in the Fitness Center. The Fitness Center was not crowded and Keith worked out on the Elliptical Machine and Anne Marie worked out on the Treadmill. We enjoyed a wonderful workout. The only other regular working out at the same time we were in the Fitness Center was John. Many passengers had tours scheduled starting early this morning so that is why the center was not busy.

Afterwards, we enjoyed a great breakfast in our room. Anne Marie continues to feel a little better each day. I actually still have a little congestion myself from when I was sick.

Originally, we had a shore excursion scheduled for today but decided to cancel it the other day. We weren’t sure how Anne Marie would feel plus we wanted to avoid being around too many people on a bus to avoid picking up another new virus. This turned out to be a good move since it has been raining a good portion of the day. In fact, due to the rain and the winds at sea the shore excursion to the Great Barrier Reef was canceled this morning. We felt bad for those who were scheduled for this excursion, but clearly the weather posed a safety risk.

The ship arrived in port around 7:30 AM. We watched the view from our room as we sailed in.

The Serenity docked at Trinity Wharf in Cairns and the good news is that the downtown area is located approximately 200 years from the downtown areas.

During the Captain’s morning talk; Captain Glenn noted that there are showers in today’s forecast. The Captain’s thought for today is “Even though you are on the right track, you will be run over if you just sit there.”
This was another thoughtful comment and one that has good meaning to us.

We disembarked the ship at a little before 9:00 AM. For the first two hours there was intermittent rain showers. We were prepared for the showers as each of us wore a raincoat. The city is full of hotels, restaurant and stores, and many of the sidewalks also have overhangs so when it was raining we tried to walk up and down streets where we could take advantage of the overhead protection. We found a shopping mall and walked around there for awhile and interestingly enough the mall also contained two food stores that were adjacent to one another. Talk about direct competition. ☺

Eventually, we walked along the Esplanade, which is a nice street with a boardwalk that runs along the water. Our original plan was to walk along this street as soon as we came ashore but we waited for a break in the weather before we began this portion of the walk. The city was quite busy everywhere we walked, in spite of the rain. We saw many passengers from Crystal during our walk. I was very easy to identify even those who we do not know since many were walking the town with their large Crystal umbrella in hand.

When we arrived back to the ship we enjoyed a wonderful lunch in the Main Dining Room.

This evening we went to the sail-away party. Since it was raining the party was held in the Palm Court. Complimentary mixed drinks and various Australian Beers were served and the Jazz Band played.

On our way to dinner we had the opportunity to talk with Olympian Cathy Rigby and her husband Tom McCoy. We have posted a picture of us with Cathy Rigby. We appreciate the time that Cathy and her husband Tom took to speak with the two of us.

We enjoyed a wonderful dinner in the Main Dining Room.

Keith & Anne Marie

En Route To Cairns Australia Day 2

While we ate at Silk Road last evening the Main Dining Room featured an Australian Dinner. We thought it would be interesting to note just a few of the menu items from that meal.

Appetizer of Thinly Sliced Kangaroo Prosciutto and Emu Chipolata

Appetizer of Chilled Local Fruit with Queensland Mango

Soup of Sydney Rock Oyster and Baby Spinach Chowder

Soup of Tomato Consommé with Crocodile-Pumpkin Strudel and River Mint

Entrée of Pink Roasted Walnut- Crusted Kangaroo Loin

Entrée of Grilled Australian Lamb Chops

Entrée of Braised Wild Board Bourguignon

Dessert of Colors of Australia featuring Pineapple Crepes with Brown Sugar, Banana Pudding and Guava Ice Cream

During the World Cruise Crystal makes a great effort to vary items that are served in the dining room knowing there are a number of passengers who are on board the ship for multiple segments or the entire World Cruise. On each segment in addition to offering different items along with those that they have throughout the year, they also have a special dinner similar to the Australian Dinner where they prepare items that are associated with the area of the world we are sailing in.

We enjoyed a wonderful sleep last night with relatively calm seas. This morning we awoke very early and we both worked out in the Fitness Center. Keith arrived first and worked out on the Elliptical Machine and Anne Marie arrived about twenty minutes later and worked out on the Treadmill. A couple of the regulars were up there with us such as John and Mary. Surprisingly, the Fitness Center was never crowded. In addition to us, the ship doctor was working out (we see him up there often) and just a coupe of other passenger’s. Keith spoke with Mary the entire time. Mary and her husband Stan enjoyed last evenings dinner. Stan had the Kangaroo entrée and the Kangaroo Appetizer and Mary had the Crocodile Soup and the Queensland Dory Fish and they both thoroughly enjoyed the dinner.

After our workout we enjoyed a nice quiet breakfast in our room. We have been eating in our room for breakfast until Anne Marie is 100% well again. Anne Marie is getting better each day and hopefully will be back to normal in a few days.

Today is another sea day as we sail to our next port of call in Cairns, Australia. With the start of the World Games there are lots of games along with a full set of lectures.

During the Captain’s daily talk he noted that we were now traveling at 14.5 knots per hour, utilizing two of six engines. The temperature was 80 degrees Fahrenheit. We actually had force 7 winds but it didn’t seem rough at all. Tomorrows forecast calls for rain but we will hope that the forecast is wrong.

The captain’s thought of the day is “If you don’t want to go anywhere follow the crowd.” We really enjoy these thoughts for the day as they are quite poignant.

We attended Rap With The Rabbi and enjoyed a well-attended session with lots of participation by those in attendance. We covered a variety of topics and today we could have spent a good deal more as many comments were offered concerning the topics that the Rabbi covered at our session.

Afterwards as part of the start of the World Games Keith participated in the Singles Shuffleboard Men’s Tournament. Ironically, his first match was with John and that was the case last year when the two of them were matched up in the first game. Last year, John won and advanced to the next round. This time around Keith won and advanced to the next round where he lost a close match 38 to 31. Maybe next time he’ll do better. ☺ It was a lot of fun and Keith enjoyed talking to many of the participants.

While Keith was waiting to play, he was enjoying all of the pretty scenery. We have passed by numerous islands and from the ship we could see a variety of resorts.

Later in the morning we attended a lecture given by Dean Martin’s daughter, Deana Martin. She presented “Memories Are Made of This: Dean Martin Through His Daughter’s Eyes.” She talked about her dad Dean Martin, and also about his partner Jerry Lewis and some of his other friends such as Frank Sinatra, read from her book which was published in 2005. She also shared with us some home movies showing her as a youngster with her Dad and Mom and then shared some memorable highlights of her Father and of his time with other actors such as Frank Sinatra, Jerry Lewis, Sammy Davis Junior, and others.

At Noon we played Team Trivia, which is our third trivia session of this leg of the World Cruise. The good news is that our team finished in first place as we correctly answered 14 of 15 questions. This was a great day for our team. ☺ Let’s hope this trend continues.

Afterwards we enjoyed a wonderful lunch in our room. We had lunch in our room so that we could finish in time so that Anne Marie could participate in the World Cruise Games. Speaking of lunch today was the Sunday Jazz Brunch Buffet. This Buffet is usually held on longer voyages. The Buffet is setup outside the Main Dining Room and includes an array of wonderfully prepared items with complimentary Champagne and Mimosas. There was also entertainment which of course was Jazz Music performed by Crystal’s Galaxy Quartet. From time to time they will also play Jazz music in the evening in the Crystal Cove, which is located adjacent to the Main Dining Room, and the Reception Desk where fellow passengers come out to listen to the music and/or to dance.

In the afternoon Anne Marie participated in the Table Tennis, Singles Female Tournament. She did quite well and won the first round and then she lost the second round. She had a nice time playing.

Other World Game Events for today included Cribbage, Duplicate Bridge, Social Bridge and Ladies Singles Shuffleboard.

We took care of some items for the rest of the afternoon until it was time for dinner. The attire for this evening was informal.

Tomorrow morning we are scheduled to arrive in Cairns, Australia.


Keith & Anne Marie

En Route To Carins, Australia

We awoke early this morning and started our day off at the Fitness Center. After taking off a few days from working out, Anne Marie was able to get workout today. Anne Marie is slowly making improved progress and hopefully will be over this in a few more days. Then the challenge will be for both of us to avoid getting sick again. We continue to try to keep our distances from those who we suspect are ill. We also thoroughly wipe down the fitness equipment before we use it and we wash our hands as often as possible and use the anti bacterial cleanser, which Anne Maries carries with her at all times in her purse, every time we touch items including the restaurant menus. The challenge is being in a close environment such as a cruise ship or when we ride the bus for a tour or to take the complimentary transportation to and from town.

Keith was the first one to the Fitness Center and Anne Marie arrived a little while after. Keith worked out on the Elliptical Machine and Anne Marie worked out on the treadmill. Other regulars such as John and Mary worked out as well. Keith enjoyed a nice conversation with Mary. By the time we finished up, there were far fewer passengers working out than is normal for so early in a cruise segment. We’re not sure why but maybe some folks wanted to sleep in later today.

After our workout we stopped by the Lido Café to get some coffee to take back with us and then we enjoyed a wonderful breakfast in our room. Typically, we order the same thing for breakfast each day. We have cereal and a variety of fruit and coffee. We were kidding around with the Butler about this and asked if we are in the majority or in the minority in terms of the type of food we order. Not surprisingly, he confirmed what we expected that we are in the minority. He had a good way of putting it. Many of the passengers order a children’s breakfast, such as Pancakes, Waffle, or French toast. Sometime during the cruise, we will try the children’s breakfast ☺

During Captain Glenn’s morning announcement he noted that we were in the Coral Sea and in the area of the Great Barrier Reef. At the time of his announcement we were using two of six engines and traveling at a speed of a little over 13 knots per hour. In order to make it to our next port of call on schedule he would be increasing the speed and utilizing one additional engine. His thought of the Day is “If what you are telling is the truth you don’t have to choose your words so carefully.”

Speaking of the Great Barrier Reef is represents the sum total of a sprawling swarm of reefs and islands. It measures 1,250 miles long and in certain places it measures as high as 50 miles wide. It is comprised of 3,000 individual reefs and 850 islands. It continues to grow in size.

Today is a sea day as we sail to our next port of call located in Cairns, Australia. There were many activities throughout the day and afternoon.

Keith attended a lecture given by Destination Lecturer Dr. Wolff. The topic of his presentation was “I Shall Return. The Ballad of Douglas MacArthur.” Dr. Wolff talked about the greatness that Douglas MacArthur achieved. He discussed his achievements, which included the US victory in World War I, the Pacific successes in World War II and his role in Korea. At the same time he discussed his failings which led up to his resignation/dismissal from the armed forces. Dr. Wolff continues to give outstanding lectures and it is amazing all of the topics that he has covered. The other day we took the elevator down from the Captain’s Reception to the Main Dining Room for dinner, and he was on our elevator. Recognizing that with stops we might have two minutes on the elevator, Keith asked Dr. Wolff if he could share one of his interesting stories with us for the two minutes. ☺

Following Dr. Wolff’s lecture Keith attended a lecture given by former FBI Profiler Clint Van Zandt. He discussed Modern Day Pirates. He started off by talking about the history of the early Pirates and how law enforcement agencies and militaries around the world continue to fight this menace on the seas. He also provided case studies of modern day private attacks and the weapons used to combat them. He discussed the infamous disappearance of the recent newlywed on a honeymoon with his wife in from a Royal Caribbean Ship along with the pirate attack of the Seabourn Spirit cruise ship of Samoa.

We then went to Team Trivia. Today, our team finished in a tie for third place in terms of overall score. We had eleven of fifteen questions right.

After Team Trivia we enjoyed a wonderful lunch in the Main Dining Room.

Later in the afternoon we attended a get together that Keith organized for those passengers who post to the Cruise Critic Web Site. Several passengers who have been on board since January attended along with a couple of passengers who joined the ship earlier in the week in Sydney, Australia. We all got together at the afternoon tea that Crystal provides. Today’s tea was called Chocolate Tea Time. Various desserts were served at this tea including brownies, ganache, chocolate crème brulee, chocolate mousse and other sweets. Everyone who attended seemed to have a wonderful time.

After this get together we attended a cocktail reception that was provided by our Travel Consortium; Signature. The reception was very well attended.

This evening we enjoyed a wonderful dinner in the Silk Road Japanese Specialty restaurant with fellow passenger’s Helen and Allan King. We had a wonderful meal with fine cuisine along with a wonderful conversation.

This evening marked the opening ceremony for the 2008 World Cruise Games. There is an opening ceremony later this evening. The two Olympians who are on this segment of the cruise are Cathy Rigby and Mitch Gaylord.

Tomorrow we have another sea day as we sail to our next port of call in morning in Cairns, Australia.

Keith & Anne Marie