We wanted to correct something that we might have mentioned early on. We had understood that all guests on this voyage are Crystal Society Members meaning that each guest had sailed one or more times on Crystal Cruises before coming aboard for this voyage. We learned that six of the guests are first time Crystal Cruisers. Nevertheless, the high percentage of Crystal Society Members on this ship is amazing. After posting yesterday, we ran into several guests we know from past cruises. Some of them we knew would be on-board. It will be nice to share this experience with 900+ guest and 650+ crew. There is lots of excitement all around the ship. Keith also had the opportunity to speak with some of the personnel from Crystal Cruises who are on-board. This included Paul Garcia who was on for the day. Paul is Director of Crystal Cruises Public Relations and was on board to meet with several members of the media who were covering Crystal for the start of the Northwest Passage. John Stoll Vice President of Crystal Cruises Land Programs and Port Operations is on board for a portion of the Northwest Passage Adventure to coordinate the land side for the visits to the Northwest Passage Communities. One of the Managers of Crystal Shore Excursions fro Crystal Symphony is on-board to provide more support for the excursions on this voyage. Keith also had the opportunity to meet and Christian Sauleau Crystal Cruises Senior Vice President of Operations and Guest Satisfaction who joined Crystal Cruises in late April of this year. The muster station drill was held at 5:15 PM ahead of the ships scheduled departure tie of 9:00 PM. We actually did not leave until around 11:00 PM as there were several pallets that were being loaded on the ship. We dined at the Crystal Dining Room for dinner. It was busy and a bit louder than on the previous voyage. This is not surprising as several guests on board know one another and were seeing each other for the very first time. We each started with a salad. For our entree Anne Marie had from the Crystal Classics menu the Over-Baked Chicken Breast stuffed with Ricotta Cheese & Sun-Dried Tomatoes, and Sautéed Mushrooms. This was a terrific entree as it was very tasty. Keith had the Fresh Alaskan True Cod from the Modern Menu. This was typical of cod fish in terms of texture and the way it is cut. We were both pleased with our entree choices. Fruit was the dessert for each of us. Lots of fresh fruit arrived in Seward so a good selection for us. When we got back to our room, we saw Deidra who is a butler on board Serenity. This represents a recent promotion for Deidra as she moved from being a waiter at Tastes to this position a few months ago. We did not go to the first show of the cruise. Instead we walked around the ship for awhile and then we relaxed in our room. As usual we slept very well. We enjoyed the same routine as we normally do. Keith worked out, and we had breakfast in our room and while Keith attended the first indoor cycling class of this cruise Anne Marie took a long walk inside the ship as it was raining outside. The cycling class was full. One couple Keith knew from World Cruise 15 along with two other people who were on board for the last cruise, one of whom was also on World Cruise 15. Keith was sitting in between two guests one of whom it was her first time spinning and the other woman who had done this just a few times so he helped each of them get set up on their bikes. Fitness Director Kyle taught the class. When we returned to our room two hats were awaiting us from Crystal Cruises and were delivered to all of the guests. We first visited Kodiak in April of 2012. That was a cold day with snow showers and highs in the 40's Fahrenheit. Kodiak has a population comprising 13,000 residents. About 6,000 of the residents live in the city centre, with another 6,000 living in the suburbs and the remainder living in villages. Kodiak has a large commercial enterprise related to seafood including Halibut, Trout, Steelhead, and all five species of salmon which are available during the fishing season. It also has a National Wildlife Refuge and is known around the world for its Kodiak brown bears. Our plan was to walk from the ship to the town. It was rainy and windy. Anne Marie decided to stay on board Serenity and Keith gave it a try. However, as he was walking he realized it was just too wet with the wind blowing rain onto him. If we hadn't been here before we would have gone into town on the shuttle. Others who were here before stayed on the ship too. The first two photos are from today and the next set are from 2012. The one on the left features Shore Excursion assistant manager and swing manager Joyce. The second set of photos includes one of the churches and also some photos from the Kodiak Maritime Museum. While we were in the Crystal Cove we saw the crew who participating in a crew safety drill. Enjoyed lunch at the Lido Cafe. We had our usual salad entrees. We ran into some other newly embarked guests as well as some members of the crew who boarded in Seward. We also ran into two additional physicians who boarded the ship in Seward. We enjoyed the rest of the afternoon on-board Serenity although the weather began to clear. Keith worked out again and Anne Marie walked for an hour and was able to do so outside. Keith met up with dear friend Bob and Anne Marie spoke with some fellow guests. Our rental boots arrived to our room as well. This evening we dine at Prego.
Tomorrow is a sea day as we sail to our next port of call in Dutch Harbor, Alaska. Keith & Anne Marie Comments are closed.
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