Many articles have/are being written about this historic and epic voyage. This is a link to an article from local media. Keith participated in the interview. www.knom.org/wp/blog/2016/08/22/aboard-the-crystal-serenity/ We often say that we have a busy social schedule when we cruise. This combined with enjoying so many of the other pleasures of cruising is why we cruise. This includes cuisine, enrichment, entertainment, shore excursions, visits to new ports-of-call and revisiting places we've been before and the enjoyment of being with our fellow guests and the extraordinary crew. This is why we prefer cruising over other types of travel. We had a lot of fun last night. We began the evening attending a reception in Captain Birger's Quarters. He held two of these last evening and we are pretty sure that every guest will have an opportunity to attend a reception during this voyage. Each guest was greeted by Captain Birger and Crystal Society Hostess Jaque Brown. Once inside there we were offered wine/spirits/soft drink/water and along with canapés. Several senior officers and senior staff were on hand. We always view this as a nice opportunity to talk with fellow guests and members of the crew. Towards the end of the reception Captain Birger welcomed everyone, shared some thoughts about this epic voyage and introduced officers and senior members of the crew who were in attendance. When Captain Birger spoke he mentioned that we might see ice mid-day today. He said that two ice pilots are on board Serenity. He also mentioned that he, the Vice Captain and the first officer went to ice training this summer where they were in a simulator for six days. The instructor is one of the ice pilots who is on-board Serenity for this voyage. We've included photos with Crystal Society Hostess Jaque and Captain Birger. We enjoyed dinner in the Crystal Dining Room. We began our meal with Tuna Tartare for Keith and a Shrimp Cocktail for Anne Marie. We each had Caesar Salads and Anne Marie had Barbecued Tiger Shrimp and Keith had Swordfish. Dessert was mixed berries for each of us. The evening entertainment featured two performances by Comedy Ventriloquist Mark Merchant who just came on board along with a few other land based entertainers in Nome, Alaska. Mark has performed on Crystal Cruises ships for a very long time and is popular with many of the guests. We attended the first performance and enjoyed the show. As usual Mark was very humorous. He used two different puppets and also had two guests (a married couple) participate in the show Bravo to Mark. As usual we slept very well last evening. Last night and into the morning it was significantly less windy than yesterday. We could not hear the howling of the winds. We are still moving at a fairly good clip. The early morning temperature was 34 degrees Fahrenheit. We began our day as we normally do with Keith working out at the Fitness Center, breakfast in our room, an indoor cycling class for Keith and a one hour walk for Anne Marie. Anne Marie also attended Yoga. Yesterday we received a card in our room noting that tomorrow we are to attend a Mandatory Arctic Briefing today at 11:00 at the Galaxy Theatre. Topics are to include: safety ashore, environmental regulations, procedures for Zodiac landings and more. It went on to say that attendance will be taken and those who have not attended will not be permitted to disembark Crystal Serenity until we reach Nuuk, Greenland. Two sessions were held in the morning so there were no morning lectures. Sometimes a break is nice. There was a 9:00 AM and 11:00 AM session. We were assigned to the 11:00 AM session. Our room card was scanned as we entered the Galaxy Showroom. The session covered lots of items and many people were involved in the talk. It was led by the expedition leader. Captain Birger spoke as well and showed a film that included several members of the crew covering several items related to going from the ship over to the zodiacs and going from the zodiacs to return to the ship. Some of the items included: Getting into and out of a Zodiac. Etiquette while on land with respect to several items ranging from photography to not looking into homes to no alcohol and so forth. How to dress and some of this will range depending on what type of activity someone has signed up for. Details on the different tours including community visits, hikes, kayaking, speed boats and helicopter tours. One of the people who spoke was a local person from Pond Inlet who is part of the expedition team. It was very well organized. We will also be receiving additional written information that will be sent to each persons room. The number one item that was stressed was clearly safety. Following the talk we had lunch at the Lido Cafe. While at lunch we listened to Captain Birger's talk from the bridge. During the talk, Captain Birger said that later in the afternoon we would be passing by some ice. About an hour later, the Captain said that we would be seeing some ice several miles off the ship on the port side which we did. We also decided to change out some tours for other ones so we stopped by the Shore Excursion Desk and they helped us with that. We spent the rest of the afternoon exercising and also Keith met with dear friend Bob and Anne Marie spoke with some other guests. In the afternoon there was a 1:30 PM lecture Expedition Lectures Adam Jaj spoke about the arctic in an age of climate change. He noted that the Arctic has undergone a radical environmental shift that has let to significant geopolitical, commercial, and social change. He also covered why the arctic will never be the same.
Late in the day, Tim Soper and the expedition team spoke about what we have seen so far and what we can expect in the coming days. Looking forward to a fun night on board Serenity and our upcoming visits to the villages in the Northwest Village. Keith & Anne Marie Brrr….Brrrr….Brrrr…..When Captain Birger gave his daily talk from the bridge he reported that it was 37 degrees Fahrenheit outside. Most of the ship was comfortable except when we walked from the Lido Café through Tastes on the Lido Deck where it was cold. In addition to posting the Crystal Dining Room dinner menu we have also posted today's Luncheon Menu and also the Prego Italian Specialty Restaurant menu. We wanted to add a few additional comments and observations from yesterday’s visit to Nome. A couple related to the infrastructure. On more than one occasion yesterday during the talks given by some of the locals they did have one concern about our visit. It was what impact there would be on their own cell phones if many of us used our cell telephones at once. As someone whose background is telecommunications, it’s not something I had thought about but a very interesting concern. Most of the roads we traveled on are dirt roads as very few roads are paved. Yesterday was rainy so essentially we were traveling on mud and walking on mud as we got in and out of the bus. For those who were wondering about annual snowfall in Nome we were total that average snowfall totals 40 inches per year. Our tour guide said that because of the wind it could snow and even if you shovel your car out it is not unusual to shovel out your car on three or four succeeding days because of snowdrift. When Gay Sheffield spoke to us about sea life she was asked about the relationship with the neighbors from Russia. She noted a couple of times that officially the respective governments prevent most communication. She went onto say that because of social media including Face Book that they do communicate with their counterparts on issues such as their research to determine what was causing illnesses to seals and on the changes in the Sea Life in the area. We began last evening with a pre-dinner drink at the Avenue Saloon. Afterwards, we saw Sarah Hayes at the Crystal Cove. We enjoyed dinner at the Crystal Dining Room and we were joined for dinner by Jaque Brown. Jaque had been Crystal Society Hostess since 2009 and we have had the pleasure of sailing with her for many voyages starting in 2010. As Crystal Society Hostess she has many on-board responsibilities for those who have taken one or more voyages with Crystal Cruises in the past. This includes coordinating any special milestones that guests have achieved and following up on items related to this. For example, at certain milestone levels guests might have a special milestone dinner at a specialty restaurant, captain's quarters or even vintage room and Jaque coordinates the scheduling of this and all of the details. Likewise, when guest achieve certain milestones they might receive a Crystal Society Pin or even a shipboard credit and Jaque follows up on this. She is also available at her desk outside the Crystal Dining Room to meet with guests. She has plenty of other responsibilities even expanding to other areas such as taking visitors such as travel agents on tours of the ship. We had a wonderful time with Jaque. Food was great and most importantly we had a great conversation with lots of laughs. The main entertainment for the evening was a performance by Sarah Hayes which was appropriately called Swinging in the Stardust. It was held 7:00 and 8:30 PM. She was accompanied by The Galaxy Orchestra. Sarah first performed on Serenity as part of a big band cruise with one of the big bands. She impressed so many people that she was invited back to perform throughout World Cruise 2014. She teamed up with vocalist Jonathan Hawkins and they sometimes performed together and other times separately. They were such a hit that they both performed on World Cruise 2015 and World Cruise 2016. With this being such a special voyage they were both invited back to appear throughout this voyage. On land, Sarah has a busy schedule performing shows in New York City. Her performance last night was sensational as she sang songs from the big band era. There was one downer from last night. We had to set the clocks forward by one hour. LOL, but we prefer to set them back not forward. LOL. We did sleep well but you could definitely hear the wind from outside. Shortly after Keith woke up and was working out at the Fitness Center the wind was even noisier. The good news is that the Serenity ship movement was not significant. Our speed was a little over 11 knots per hour. Ships movement did pick up by around 7:00 AM. There were times that one had the feeling they were in an airplane with turbulence. We enjoyed our usual breakfast in our room and for the first time of this voyage we were able to watch the Daily Morning Show featuring Cruise Director Rick and Northwest Passage Hostess Stacey. On most sea days there is an indoor cycling class that conflicts with seeing the show live but that was not the case today. The show featured John Stoll, Vice President of Land Programs and Port Operations. John has been on-board as Project Manager. He has visited the Northwest Passage Multiple times as part of the planning effort. This included visiting with Captain Birger and some of the Expedition Leaders a few months ago and also traveling on a Russian Ice Cutter as part of the planning effort. John noted that he has never experienced anything quite like Northwest Passage and that says a lot given his travels. He also talked about his meeting with the people of the community. He said they do welcome us and just ask that we are respectful of them and the community which makes perfect sense and that we leave the communities better than we found it. He said the meetings and visits were rewarding and there are several things being done so we do meet the goals that the locals have requested of us. We were reminded that we have left the United States and sailing to Canada as we received a Canadian Immigration Form to fill out. It seems like we recently filled out a similar form. Well, we did when we sailed Serenity this past May from San Francisco to Vancouver. LOL. As usual lots of activities were on the schedule and too numerous to list. We did want to highlight the lectures some of which we saw live and the others when they were rebroadcasted. Expedition Lecturer Henry Pollack spoke about Ice Water & Climate. He spoke about changes taking place in the formation of ice given climate change. He covered how past ice ages extensive ice sheets spread over the northern continents resulting in the drop of sea levels allowing for human migration between continents and spoke about what might result from the changing climate and how it may effect the world we live in . Expedition Lecturer Captain Ken Burton spoke about the Quest for the Northwest Passage by early European expeditions. He spoke about the challenges that these expedition vessels faced in an attempt to navigate this passage. World Affairs Lecturer Bill Schneider spoke about the Rise of the New America. Many of you might remember him from his frequent appearances on CNN. We didn't realize he was a lecturer on this epic voyage until read the daily Reflections program last night. When Cruise Director Rick introduced Bill Schneider he mentioned that although the major focus of the talks will come from the Expedition Team that we have some other lecturers covering other subject such as Mr. Schneider. Rick noted that we will have a General and an Astronaut. we have a closing quote from Bill at the end of this post. Bill Schneider did mention that he attended both national conventions and he has now attended nineteen of them. There were also other opportunities to hear from the Expedition Team. As we've mentioned they have a hospitality desk that is manned during certain morning, afternoon and evening hours. They also had Naturalists available from 8:00 AM to 9:00 AM in Palm Court. They were there to assist guests with their binoculars and to keep an eye out for passing marine life and to view the Diomede Islands as Serenity passed them. Palm Court has those large bay windows allowing for stunning views. Late afternoon Captain Ken Burton was on hand so guests could view items from the Vancouver Maritime Museum Collection related to the Northwest Passage. Photos of Henry Pollack and Bill Schneider. Bill Schneider used this quote when asked who will win the 2016 Presidential Election. You could apply it to most items including what will the weather by like at each place we visit in the Northwest Passage.
"Never make predictions, particularly about the future." – Yogi Berra Keith & Anne Marie We enjoyed last evening on-board Crystal Serenity. Before dinner we attended a Cruise Critic Meet & Mingle Party. Cruise Critic is a site that allows those who share a common interest in cruising to share and comment on their experiences and to ask questions of each other. If ten or more people are on board a particular voyage and sign up for this party, Crystal Cruises hosts a party for them. Crystal does the party better than any other line we have sailed with several nice touches including having additional members of the food & beverage team on hand to serve drinks and canapés. This was one of the best Cruise Critic Meet and Mingle Parties we have ever attended. There was a large turnout of Cruise Critic Members and also many officers such as the Hotel Director Hubert, Cruise Director Rick and Head Housekeeper Maria were in attendance and everyone was so upbeat. Some of the comments we heard the most were how much fun everyone was having, and how fortunate people felt to be part of this epic and historic voyage and to do this on such a special ship and cruise line. Met so many nice people and many for the first time along with some who we know from other voyages. Keith took photos at the beginning so they are all with the crew. With a wine glass in his hand and the number of people at the party it just wasn't practical to get photos as we circulated to speak with the guests in attendance. After the party, we went to the Japanese Specialty Restaurant Silk Road for dinner. We dined their with dear friend Ileen who we first met several years ago on a cruise and since that time have been on different cruises with her every year or two. We had dinner with her in Vancouver. Our waiter for the evening was Richie assisted by Ruel. We remember Richie and Ruel when they were Lido Deck Stewards and a few years ago they were promoted to the wait-staff of Silk Road. They were fabulous and added to our overall enjoyment of dining at Silk Road. Food was wonderful as usual as was the service and the overall ambience of the dining venue. We liked it so much we will return. LOL. As to the food the first item includes many of the nobu special sashimi items. Next food photo is lobster tempura. Next one is a platter of sashimi and sushi. Next photo is a mushroom salad. Mushrooms come warm with a tasty sauce. Keith had the hot soba noodles as his entree and rather than having them with tempura had three scallops placed inside the soup bowl. Anne Marie had an appetizer portion of the wagu beef. All three of us had a fruit plate for our dessert. Two variety shows were performed featuring Vocalist Jamila, Instrumentalist Kenny Marytn and Vocalist Michel Bell. They were accompanied by The Galaxy Orchestra. This was their last show for this voyage as they each got off Serenity today in Nome while other land based entertainers came on board today. Since this is such a long cruise Crystal Entertainment will have some land based entertainers coming on from time-to-time with others leaving the ship. This is no easy task given the itinerary. Their performance was quite good and we enjoy the variety shows as in one show you have the opportunity to see two to three or even sometimes more entertainers to perform. Sunset came close to 11:00 PM last night. The seas were relatively calm and the weather was very nice. Today we began another terrific day on Crystal Serenity as we sailed to Nome, Alaska. This is a maiden port of call visit for Crystal Cruises. We began our day as we have since boarding Serenity. This included a workout at the Fitness Center for Keith, a walk outside by Anne Marie, Breakfast and even an indoor cycle class for Keith. There was some minor confusion as the classes are always at 8:00 AM and when the signup was done yesterday it was for 8:00 AM. Unfortunately, there was an error in Reflections and it was shown with a start time of 8:30 AM. Most of us knew 8:00 AM. A few showed up at 8:25. There is a silver lining. Fitness Director Kyle taught the class a little longer so we got even more of a workout and those who got there a little later (two people) got a little more time to make up for the confusion. Always remember to err is to be human. LOL, but it is so very true. By the way a great class. Kyle pushed us hard. Thankfully we had plenty of time to change. Before we left for the tour we got to Face Time with our son, daughter in law and grandson Jackson. We then got ready for our first visit to Nome, Alaska. In 1898 Nome was the last of the great strikes for gold in Alaska. Nome is a relatively small city with a population of around 4,000 residents. Its size is 21 square miles. Nome has retained quite a bit of its charm and feel from the past as it is frontier-like town. It is actually located closer to Siberia than to Anchorage. We took what is called a community visit shore excursion. On this epic voyage complimentary community visits are being offered for many of the ports such as all of the Northwest Passage Ports. We were escorted around the town on a school bus. The driver, Dave, along with his brother owns all the school buses and provides buses for all of the schools. In fact, school begins tomorrow. The guide, Bob, works most of the year diving for gold. He also does other jobs from time to time when he is not diving for the gold. We made several stops. The first one was where we met Mayor Richard Beneville who showed us how to pan for gold. He was a hoot. He was an actor in New York City theatre but eventually made his way to Alaska. Our next stop was to a facility where we Gay Sheffield whose expertise involves sea life spoke to us about the sea creatures that live in this area of the world. This included Seals, Whales. Walruses as well as other animals such as Polar Bears who can be found on land at at sea. She spoke about changes that are occurring; some of which cannot be explained. For example certain types of seals have become ill since 2011. At the same time because of changes in water temperature certain sea life is leaving the area while other sea life is arriving to Nome. Kay also noted that the depth of the water in this area is only 90 feet and that crabs, and clam beds can be found at the bottom of the sea and they attract the sea life such as the seals and there is concern that changes in the environment could impact the clams and the crabs which, in turn, could impact the source of food for some of the sea life. She along with Bob the tour guide spoke about the importance and nutritional value of the sea life and animals on land to the people who live in this area of Alaska. They make up about 70% of the food that is eaten by the locals. This is because other items are very expensive. For example, one artichoke costs $8.00 and one ear of corn cost $3.00. Our next stop was to see the pack of dogs that pull a dog sled. We met a family that owns this pack. This includes a husband, wife and daughter. He gave us a very thorough talk about raising the pack and dog sledding. Our next stop was to see a herd of Musk Ox. There are a few hundred in the area. We made another stop and then they showed us around town. Many items were for sale at the community center. Our visit was a big to do for the community. They receive about six expedition ships per year that carry up to 200 people on each vessel. The largest ship to ever visit Nome prior to today’s visit was The World, which carries significantly fewer people than Serenity. They have been preparing for our visit for quite sometime. We also learned about life in Nome. It’s not an easy life but for many it is their life and they are happy to be here. Many have lived in Nome their entire lives. Some moved to Nome from other parts of Alaska and still others such as the Mayor moved to Nome from areas outside of Alaska. Unless you are in industries such as Oil, your income is relatively low Yes, there are some subsidies but not as large as we had thought and this varies by area. There was a light rain for parts of our visit but it didn’t dampen our spirits. We walked away with a very nice impression of Nome and its people. This is true Alaska. We hope that we (Crystal Serenity and its guests and crew) left the residents of Nome a good impression of all of us. We didn't edit any of these photos. We had pre-ordered a salad to our room before we went on tour knowing we would get back around 1:30 PM. Keith had a commitment at 2:30 PM and knew he needed to shower so having the salad entree in our room worked out perfectly.
We are enjoying the rest of the afternoon on Serenity. Keith & Anne Marie We forgot to mention when we posted about the first day of this epic adventure that we have a new stewardess. We thoroughly enjoyed our stewardess who we had for the Vancouver to Seward sailing. Evidently she was filling in as a stewardess on our deck, which along with deck 11 are usually assigned to more seasoned stewardesses. At the start of the Northwest Passage some of the more experienced stewardesses such as our new stewardess returned from well-deserved holidays. We are sure that the stewardess we had will advance and be back to this deck. Our new stewardess is Ruti and she is another gem. Before dinner last evening we went to the Palm Court for the very first time of this voyage. We chose this venue as Captain Birger mentioned in his talk from the bridge that we might have the opportunity to see whale during our sail-away from Dutch Harbor. As it turned out we didn't see any whale but while we were having dinner there was a humpback whale sighting of several whales. We did see some sea life and beautiful scenery. Several high powered binoculars and telescopes have been placed in various locations of the Palm Court for this voyage and two television monitors are also in place to enjoy additional views. A few minutes before we left the Palm Court we saw Vice President of Land Programs John Stoll and Senior Vice President of Crystal Cruises Ocean Cruises Operations Christian Sauleau. Afterwards, we were back at the Crystal Dining Room for the second night in a row. We each began our meal with salads. There were several terrific entrée choices on the menu. In fact, one of them is usually on a menu that is part of Black Tie Optional. We both had this one, which is Fresh Alaskan Halibut. The taste of the fish was enhanced with the mushroom-leek fondue, arugula puree and yellow squash accompanying the meal. Head Waiter Augusto had mentioned one other item the night before that he knew Keith would like and that was swordfish. He had it prepared butterfly style. So Keith had two entrees but without the items that would normally accompany the swordfish. That exercise does pay off. LOL. We thought that the Halibut was the best that we have ever had. We think it is because it was not one large cut. It was very moist and the sides that accompanied it added to the flavor. It was a wow. After dinner, we went to a party hosted by friend Marv. Many guests were in attendance along with senior offices and senior staff. Vocalist Sarah performed two songs including What A Wonderful World which brought tears to some including Anne Marie. It provided a nice opportunity to see some people who we have not yet had a chance to speak with as well as others we see fairly frequently. The entertainment for last evening featured a special show which was called Jazz – A Crazy Rhythm. It was a nostalgic journey through the history of one of the great forms the world has ever known. It featured entertainers Kenny Martyn and Michell Bell along with the Northwest Passage Entertainment Team and the Galaxy Orchestra. The show was performed at 8:30 and 10:30 PM . On the first night of this epic voyage Cruise Director Rick had mentioned that at the time we had all booked the Northwest Passage that we all assumed that the evening entertainment would be more limited and more like one might see on an expedition ship. We didn’t expect to have any land based entertainers on board let alone the vast number of entertainers that are planned for this voyage. A great show with many more to come. We slept well as we cruised towards our next port of call of Nome, Alaska. We did get a note to our room last evening along with a phone message earlier in the day noting that our tour would leave a little earlier than scheduled. There were over 50 activities on today's schedule. We got in our regular exercise program in between other activities. This included two long walks for Anne Marie and Yoga. Anne Marie loves taking the Yoga taught by Yoga Instructor Maria Kita and assisted by her husband and Memoir Writer Joe Kita. Keith worked out on his own in the morning and the afternoon on the elliptical machine and also took a morning indoor cycling class. The classes are in such high demand that they added a second class for this afternoon. The sea swells did pick up shortly before Keith's class and two people who were signed up didn't make it to class. It could be because of the sea swells. While we are on the bikes we do have a nice view of the seas and to Keith it had the look of sailing on a North Atlantic Crossing. It was cloudy, rainy with noticeable sea swells. We wanted to mention that one of the items that is very unique to this voyage is the 40 member expedition team. Even when we were in port yesterday some of them were at the sites we visited to answer any and all questions. Today there was a naturalist available on the Sun Deck from 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM to assist people trying out the binoculars and providing tips about viewing wild life from the ship. A special Expedition Hospitality Desk was set up in the Crystal Cove near the show excursion desk to assist with information and questions. They had morning, afternoon and evening hours. Keith went by there late morning and there were five members of the expedition team there. He asked several questions related to layering of clothing as well as about the weather. Two of the three lectures were given by members of the Expedition Team.
Expedition Lecturer Flip Necklin who has been named National Geographics whale guy since 1979 spoke about the changes in whales and told the story with many photos that he has taken of them. It was funny when Flip said this was the largest audience he ever had on a ship until the light bulb went off. This is by far the larges ship he’s ever been on. Expedition Lecturer Flip Necklin who has been named National Geographics whale guy since 1979 spoke about the changes in whales and told the story with many photos and some video that he has taken of them. He showed us an area that we will be visiting that in one year there were over 1,000 whales in an area the size of an American Football Field. Flip and others returned the following year and there were none. Special interest lecturer Kurt Dunbar spoke about the Bering Sea Patrol. He spoke about the Revenue Cutter Service. This service has been around longer than the Navy. Many years later it was merged into the Coast Guard. He spoke about its role in Alaska. He spoke about how they began to do Arctic Cruises each year to go as far into the Arctic they could and their historic role in helping others while they put themselves in harm way. When Kurt concluded his talk he said that he had been on since June 19 and fittingly he noted that he would be going “home from “Nome”. Because of the high demand for these talks, they were also shown live so that guests could watch them from the comfort of their rooms. As usual they were also recorded and rebroadcasted throughout the day. We have been enjoying the rest of the afternoon on board Serenity. We look forward to a fun evening as well. Keith & Anne Marie Headline News. It didn't rain today and even the sun came out. More in a moment. We wanted to mention that yesterday we received two booklets delivered to our room by our stewardess. One book provides names and biographies in many of the people from the Expedition Team. The other booklet provides a wealth of information about the Northwest Passage including a section on each village we will visit. This was a photo taken yesterday afternoon with Anne Marie and wonderful Lido Deck Steward Nat who we have known for many years. Always has a wonderful smile and takes wonderful care of the guests. Last night was one of two Black Tie Optional Evening's planned for this voyage Before dinner, we had a drink at the Crystal Plaza. Afterwards we were back at the Crystal Dining Room for dinner where we were taken care of by the wonderful wait-staff team. Even though the dining room was fairly full it was not as loud as a typical formal night which was good news. We decided to have appetizers. Keith had the White Sturgeon Caviar and Anne Marie had shrimp cocktail. The caviar was served with Smashed Chive Potato. For our second course we each had a salad. Our entree was Anne Marie's favorite which was Fresh Maine Lobster served with Asparagus and Leek-Truffle Risotto. Lobster was cooked to perfection and very tasty. Following dinner we attended the Captain's Reception which included music and dance and a talk by Captain Birger. For those of you who have sailed Crystal Cruises we have never seen so many guests at one of these parties since inclusive rolled out. Everyone was very upbeat which we think is simply due to the excitement to of this epic voyage. In addition to many guests attending many officers and senior staff were in attendance as well. Captain Birger gave a very enthusiastic talk about our sailing. He said that he and the crew would be on top of all aspects of the voyage. He did ask the guests to take responsibility for one item and that is the weather. LOL, but true. We don't think there is much we can do about the weather either. We've included some photos. First photo is with Northwest Passage Hostess Stacey and Vice President of Shore Land Programs and Port Operations John Stoll. Second photo with Assistant Shore Excursion Manager Joyce. Third Photo with Joyce and on board Cruise Sales Consultant Daniele. Fourth photo with Chief Concierge Max. Next two photos with Specialty Restaurant Maitre d' Antonio. Last two photos are of Cruise Director Rick and Captain Birger when they addressed those in attendance. It was more than a reception. It truly felt like a party. The entertainment was performed by Toy Award Nominated Broadway Vocalist and Crystal Headliner of the Year, Michel Bell. Michel is one of several popular entertainers who performs on Crystal Cruises several time each year who was selected to entertain during a portion of this voyage. We slept well as we continued to sail towards Dutch Harbor, Alaska. We began the morning as usual with exercise followed by breakfast in our room. We arrived to Dutch Harbor at 8:00 AM. Our first and only visit was on Easter Day in April of 2012. There were snow flurries on that day and lots of snow on the ground. Originally Crystal had one tour scheduled but due to the lack of available transportation and overwhelming demand for the tour Crystal provide complimentary hop-on/hop-off bus services and provided complimentary ticket allowing guests to visit the World War II center and the Museum of the Aleutian. Please keep in mind that very few cruise ships visit this port so the infrastructure that is in place for tours is quite limited. The WWII center opened in 2002 and pay homage to the role played by the United States Armed Forces based in the Aleutian Islands. The Museum of the Aleutians is a cultural center opened in 1999. Its mission is to collect, research and preserve the ethnography and the history of the Aleutian Island Chain. The population of Dutch Harbor is close to 5,000 residents. Very few cruise ships visit this area given the distance from the most popular ports offered on seven to ten day Alaskan sailings. We took the first shuttle (school bus) over to the WWII museum. It was a bit chilly and cloudy so we thought it made sense to go for the short drive. We toured the WWII museum and then we walked about another mile into down. While in town we also visited the Museum of the Aleutians, and made stops at the Safeway and the Alaska Ship Supply store. We picked up a couple of shirts and a couple of other items between both stores. We then walked back to the ship. On both of our walks we enjoyed the beautiful scenery on both sides of the road. There is very little sidewalk so for the majority of the walk we walked on the shoulder of the road. It had rained most of yesterday so it was fairly wet on the shoulder of the road and a little muddy. Most of the people we saw were either guests or members of the crew. The sun actually came out from around the clouds which was a nice treat. We saw a couple of eagles and included a some photos. Keith didn't take his large DSLR cameras with him as he wasn't complete sure about rain so he used a point and shoot for all these photos. The town hasn't changed from 2012. In many ways that is very nice. We are enjoying a relaxing afternoon on the ship. We had a long and leisurely lunch as we chatted with Cruise Director Rick and one of the land based entertainers. We both exercised and also spoke with some friends.
Keith & Anne Marie We began last evening with a pre-dinner drink at the Avenue Saloon. We dined at the Prego Italian Specialty Restaurant with friend Marvin. We first met Marvin on World Cruise 2007 and since that time we have sailed with him on several World Cruises. We had a wonderful time. We enjoyed the conversation, the cuisine, the service and of course the overall ambience of the dining venue. We started with appetizers. Anne Marie had a creamy king crabmeat salad and Keith had the slow-poached lobster tail which was the first time he has tried that. We each had salads for our next course. For the entree Anne Marie had wild mushroom risotto with grilled tiger shrimp and Keith had roasted rack of baby lamb. Most of these are items we normally don't have but we have to say they were delicious. We had such a nice time that we dined for over two hours. That is the nice thing about dining on board Serenity. You are not rushed and can enjoy a nice meal with terrific conversation . The other day we received lanyards for our key cards. Some guests are using them now. We plan to use them when we take the zodiacs to and from the ship from the Northwest Passage Villages and that is why Crystal came up wit the idea to provide them in the first place. We slept well. The ship was definitely rocking and the sea swells had picked up. When Keith walked up to the Fitness Center he was very careful as he made his way up the steps. We kept to our normal routine. We had breakfast in our room. Keith went to another indoor cycling class. The class was full and quite a few people were on the waitlist. Anne Marie walked for an hour. Maria Kita who has taught Yoga for most of the World Cruises and her husband Joe who assists with Yoga and also teaches Memoir Writing are on board and Anne Marie took the Yoga Class. Later in the morning we both went to the first of the Enrichment Lectures on this epic adventure. Let us say that if we were excited when we booked this voyage and two years later boarded Serenity we are more excited after hearing this lecture. The talk was led by Expedition Voyage Team Leader Tim Soper and members the expedition team and focused on the introduction to Crystal Serenity's Northwest Passage Expedition. He spoke about the planned route we will take, sites planned to visit and expedition activities along the way. This is not done very often but the broadcast was also conducted live. As usual it was rebroadcast through the day. John and Linda thought about you two as Keith sat in John's favorite seat. There was so much interest that all seats were taken and some people stood in the back. They noted that their planning and involvement with Crystal began three years ago. As we sat in the lecture we quickly learned that the effort and planning that went into this was done in Crystal fashion. The length of the Northwest Passage totals 7,000 nautical miles. He mentioned that John Stoll, VP of Land Programs went on a small Russian ship to see all of this first hand as part of the planning to determine if this would all work. John did many of the adventures such as Kayaking and came back so enthused he said that he would like to work this out so that Crystal guests can experience all that he did. He noted that this voyage has attracted a lot of attention from the media. We know that it has not all been very positive Tim went on to say they visited the communities and asked if it would be OK for a ship the size of Serenity to come and visit. Those in attendance were overwhelmingly enthusiastic. They returned to the communities earlier this year and the sea was frozen as they checked the sites and met with the communities. This also included Captain Birger and others from Crystal and the Expedition Team. They have worked closely with the local communities. They spoke with the locals to discuss how they can receive the guest and that included providing training to them as some of them will be involved with guiding the tours. They have a team of 40 people who are involved with logistics. Some are on board now and the rest will be on the Ice Breaker. The expertise is incredible. They noted that the key is flexibility and patience as this voyage is unlike any other voyage. Tim introduced one of his colleagues to speak about the history of the Northwest Passage. About 220 ships have sailed the entire Northwest Passage. There are currently six scientific ships sailing the passage some over a multi year period. Tim also introduced National Geographic Photographer Flip Nathan who shared photographs and experiences with us. One was a person in a Kayak with a whale pushing the back of the Kayak up above the water. Tim introduced the ships Geologist. As he said the ships “rock” star. He spoke about the wide range of water depths comparing where we are sailing right now where the water is some of the deepest in the world to some of the shallow waters we will be in . He noted that the amount of sea ice in September has been dropping tremendously the past thirty years. He noted that in 1980 we could not have done this voyage. Tim also had Conrad Field a Naturalist speak to us to give us tips on how to view the scenery. We have on board the ship telescopes and high powered binoculars to enhance the experience. He noted that we are squeezing through the door between ice and dirty /melting ice. He said we are on one of the best ships for viewing wildlife such as whales because of our angle. Crystal also had binoculars placed in each and every room. He encouraged us to take our binoculars with us as we go around the ship. Tim noted that once we leave Nome in a few days the expedition truly begins. He noted that ice is exciting but timing is very important as ice can prevent the voyage. He said the timing of our voyage is optimal. We were glad to hear that. At the conclusion of the talk Tim noted that there will be a mandatory talk on the 23rd. It will cover several items including guest etiquette when visiting the villages as well as safety issue including the zodiacs. We also received the items that we ordered from the web site this morning with various clothing items to keep us nice an warm. The third photo is Keith wearing shirts that we were given several months ago by one of the wonderful members of the Crystal Serenity Team. In keeping the the focus of this adventure later in the morning Special Interest Lecturer Ed Larson spoke about the North Pole and talked about the history and the challenge of the quest to reach the North Pole. We watched this talk on television later in the day. The talks continued in the afternoon as Expedition Voyage Team Lecturer Captain Ken Burton spoke about the forgotten battle. This began in June of 1942 when the citizens of Alaska awoke to a Japanese invasion of parts of the Aleutian Islands and the Bombing of Dutch Harbor. This marked the first time since the war of 1812 when a foreign military invited and held American territory. We enjoyed lunch at the Lido Cafe as we often do and we each made salad entrees. In the afternoon we each exercised. As they say you have to work off those calories from the delicious food we enjoyed each day. Later in the day we tried on some of the items we had ordered and received this morning. Other items we ordered included sock, gloves, hand and foot warmer inserts and a waterproof backpack. Today was a very exciting day. We know that we are blessed to have an opportunity to sail such a remote part of the world that very few people have ever seen through their very own eyes. We are humbled to be part of such an extraordinary adventure.
Keith & Anne Marie 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 We began last evening with a pre-dinner drink at the Avenue Saloon. This lounge is often quiet before early dining as many guests sit at the Crystal Plaza to listen to the pianist in that lounge. The Avenue Saloon picks up before late dining when Perry Grant plays the piano and then again later in the evening when he expands this to much more including singing. After our drink we made our way to Silk Road for the very first time of this voyage. Silk Road is a Japanese Specialty Restaurant and was developed by Nobu who has restaurants around the world. He blends traditional Japanese cuisine with cuisine from other areas including Central America where be worked early in his career. We dined with Hotel Director Hubert Buelacher. Our waiter was Anthony who has taken excellent care of us for many years. This is a photo of Silk Road. Anthony pre-ordered several items for us. Several of the Nobu Specials were served together making for a very nice presentation. We also shared a platter of sushi/sashimi (sorry no photo this time around). We added a few items to what Anthony had already pre-ordered for us. When we had finished those items, Anthony gave us each a menu and we ordered our entree and one other item. We finished our meal with a delicious assortment of fruit on a fruit plate including a very tasty mango. All in all we had an absolutely wonderful dinner. When we look at our watch, we realized we had been there for two and one-half hours. Nearby the Avenue Saloon since we boarded there have been several posters with information about the Northwest Passage. These photos show some of the posters. By the time we got out of dinner it was too late to attend the show so we went back to our room, read and wrote and then got a good night sleep. We went with the same routine to begin today. Keith worked out at the Fitness Center, stopped by the Lido Cafe for coffee and also did laundry. We both enjoyed some coffee in the room using the recently installed coffee maker and then got ready for another wonderful day as part of this adventure. We had breakfast in our room. We arrived to Seward, Alaska at around 5:30 AM. The arrival marks the end of the Vancouver to Seward voyage and the start of the Northwest Passage Voyage. Approximately 100 passengers will remain on board for the Northwest Passage. These are considered in-transit passengers. The remaining guests disembarked this morning and those joining the ship arrived to the ship starting late morning. As part of turn around day, a lot of pallets of items arrived to the ship today and loading commenced as soon as possible. Later in this voyage at one of the Northwest Passage stops several pallets of food will be arriving. There is a landing strip at that location and the pallets will arrive by plane. Although it rained in some of the ports, none of this dampened our spirits. After all this is Alaska. If it didn't rain it wouldn't be as green as it is and the characteristics would be totally different. We met some very nice people on this voyage. Lots of families have been on board, and all has been good. Everyone very well behaved including not only the children but the adults too. LOL, but true. Today marked our third visit to Seward. The first time was in 1998 at the end of a cruise from Vancouver to Seward. We remember that beautiful drive between Seward and Anchorage. We spent one night in Anchorage at the Captain Cook Hotel and then flew home the following day. More recently we spent one day at Seward in April of 2012 as part of the last segment of World Cruise 2012 on-board Crystal Serenity. We spent several hours in Seward including doing a tour on our own of the Sealife Center. One of the photos we are including is of the Silversea Expedition ship which we saw in Vancouver a couple of days prior to boarding Serenity. We walked off the ship a little after 8:00 AM. Crystal Cruises provided a shuttle service later in the morning but we didn't want to wait for it. The weather was nice with highs in the 50's and later got into the low 60's with a mix of cloudy to partial sunny skies. When we last visited Seward in April of 2012 there was quite a bit of snow on the ground from a snowstorm a few days earlier. While walking to the terminal to exit the port, we ran into John Stoll, Vice President of Crystal Cruises Land Programs and Port Operations as well as Paul Garcia Director of Crystal Cruises Public Relations. John Stoll will be on board until we get through the Canadian Northwest Passage portion of the voyage to oversee the land operations portion of this voyage. Paul Garcia is on board for the day for Media interviews as many members of the media are here to cover the start of the epic voyage. On our way to the downtown area we walked along the sea wall. Eventually we came to a large campsite with many campers parked. There were no campers in 2012 given the weather and time of year. The walk into town is about 2.5 miles. The scenery was nice with mountains all around us some still having a little bit of snow on them. When we arrived to town we walked into the Sealife Center. Last time we were here we took a tour. On our way back to the ship we first walked through the downtown area which is just a few blocks. We saw several churches along with restaurants and stores. We saw a building for GCI which Keith remembers well back in his work days. Back then he and his team would work them to provide communications to and from Alaska as part of MCI's Global Network. We stopped off at the visitor center where we saw a Park Ranger having three children take an oath to be an honoree assistant park ranger. It was adorable. We enjoyed lunch at the Crystal Dining Room. The dining room opened 15 minutes earlier than usual at 11:45 AM. We had our traditional cobb salad to mark the beginning of the Northwest Passage Adventure. We also enjoyed a flute of champagne and toasted our love for one another and the epic journey which starts today. We are posting a copy of the Lunch Menu. You will continue to find dinner menus on the top bar of our blog site labeled menus. Later in the afternoon, we each worked out. Keith worked out on the Ellpitical Machine and Anne Marie took a very long walk and also did a short workout on the Elliptical Machine.
We are going to post early today as we have some items to take care of. We will post about the rest of the afternoon and evening tomorrow. Keith & Anne Marie Before dinner we went down to the Crystal Plaza and sat by some of the chairs near the window on the side of the Crystal Dining Room. We skipped our pre-dinner drink as we got down there a little later than we usually do. We met a very nice couple from Florida, originally from New Orleans. They have their family on board including daughter and son in law and two granddaughters. They said they were all having a great time and how much they have enjoyed this voyage. The sea swells picked up quite a bit and were rougher than they had been since we boarded Serenity. They were still very manageable. As you walked you had the feeling that maybe you had something to drink. We enjoyed dinner in the Crystal Dining Room. As has been the case for most of this cruise, it was relatively quiet. Many guests were dining at other venues. We each began our meal with an appetizer. Keith had spotted the Caviar on the menu and decided to have that so Anne Marie happily asked for Shrimp Cocktail. Caviar is offered when it is available on the menu rather than whenever you want it. Keith prefers it this way as to him it makes having it very special and notes that the caviar that is served is of a higher quality than when you could order it anytime. We each had salads for our next course. For our entree, Keith had Broiled Alaskan Salmon while Anne Marie had Broiled Alaskan King Crab Legs. We each finished the meal with some fruit. We had a great time. Wonderful food, great wine, fantastic service and lots of conversation. Life is good. The first photo include our outstanding Senior Waiter, Lylian. We have known her for a couple of years. While on board in 2015, often she was working the Lido Cafe during lunchtime and was always very kind and helpful to us. After dinner we went to the Crystal Society Reception. The reception honors all guests who have previously sailed Crystal Cruises. We were one of two couples who were recognized for the number of times we have cruised with Crystal Cruises. Crystal Society Hostess Jaque Brown introduced us providing a brief highlight about our introduction to Crystal Cruises and also highlighting why we frequently sail Crystal. We will share with you one of the items she mentioned which is the number one reason we do cruise Crystal is because of our love for the officers and the crew. Yes, there are other reasons but this is clearly number one in our book. Anne Marie was presented with a bouquet of flowers, and I received a boutonniere and we posed for a photo with Captain Birger, Cruise Director, Rick and Crystal Society Hostess Jaque. By the time we returned to our room, our wonderful stewardess was down the hallway and stopped by to ask us if she could deliver the flowers to our room. After we went through the receiving line, Anne Marie posted for a photo with some of the wonderful members of the Crystal Cruises team. We didn't stay up beyond the end of the reception. We were tired from our late nights on the two previous evenings. We read and wrote and went to sleep. We began the morning with our same routine of an early morning workout for Keith, some coffee in the Lido Cafe, followed with us both having coffee in our room. Jijo brought us breakfast at 7:00 AM as Keith had an 8:00 AM indoor cycling class. Keith enjoyed the final class of this voyage. As has been the case with each and every class, the class has a full signup sheet with a waitlist. As it turned out there were three empty bikes but think that was attributable to it being the last day of the cruise. Keith spoke with fellow guest Martie who was next to him and will also be on the Northwest Passage about their experiences in indoor clicking While Keith was at the class, Anne Marie walked for one hour. Before walking, she stopped by the Fitness Center to take a couple of photos. Keith was certainly talking with his hands as you can see with the photo on the left. Photo on the right is Keith and Marty stretching as the class began. Class was taught by Fitness Director Kyle. The focus of this morning was Hubbard Glacier. It is not often on an Alaskan Voyage that the itinerary includes cruising of both Glacier Bay and Hubbard Glacier so we were fortunate to have the opportunity to view both Glaciers this time around. Our last visit was in 2009. It is amazing to realize that Glaciers have been moving, advancing, retreating and advancing again for 12+ million years. Hubbard Glacier measures seventy-five miles long and covers over 1,350 square miles. This makes Hubbard Glacier the largest tidewater glacier in all of North America. This glacier has been advancing the last one-hundred years. Guests and Crew enjoyed views of Hubbard Glacier from various vantage point around the ship. In order for guests to enjoy it from the Palm Court with the large bay windows coffee, juices and danish were available at Palm Court from 7:00 AM to 9:30 AM. Although the weather was not ideal with low cloud cover and rain, we were able to still enjoyed views of the Glacier. Keith was able to view them right after class ended and a little from his seat on the bike and Anne Marie viewed them during her walk. Serenity was able to get within 1/2 miles of the glacier. For safety reasons with respect to ice it was not possible to get any closer. As we left the area, Captain Birger noted that we would proceed very slowly due to ice. This was certainly an appetizer of things to come on the Northwest Passage Voyage. There were 50+ activities on today's schedule, including three lectures. We were able to view all three lectures in the comfort of our room as they are all recorded. Kurt Dunbar spoke about the marine mammals that inhabit the seas off Alaska. This was followed by a talk by Destination Lecturer Ed Larson who spoke about who owns the North and South Pole and why it is very important. He also covered the historical and legal claims. The afternoon talk changed gears with Special Interest Lecturer Jan Wahl talking about what has changed in Hollywood from the days of Gone From The Wind to todays' Hollywood. In preparation for the Northwest Passage cruise Anne Marie picked up this Polar Bear for our (well for Keith) room. This is one of many items that are being sold by the on-board stores. She couldn't resist. For those on the Northwest Passage voyage they are also going to be selling items related to that voyage including logo items. In the meantime, this is the kind of Polar Bear that we don't mind being too close to. We do want to be much further away from the "real thing". Before lunch we ended up speaking with a few of our fellow guests. One had sailed with us on two other voyages and this was the first time we saw them on this voyage. Had lunch at the Lido Cafe. Since this was a sea day and it featured the Asian Buffet it was busy. Although it is buffet with food stations the waitstaff is very helpful at the stations and once seated. They stop by often to ask if we need assistance, clear dishes and also bring beverages. We still kept to our salad entrees. Anne Marie got in her one hour afternoon walk. She walked inside as it was still raining and windy. Keith worked out at the Fitness Center. We read, wrote and watched the lectures we mentioned earlier. This evening we dine at Silk Road. It is hard to believe that this ten day voyage is coming to a close tomorrow morning when we arrive to Seward, Alaska.
Keith & Anne Marie Last night we attended an an exclusive Vintage Room Dinner. The focus of the Vintage Room is on wine with food specially prepared and paired to complement specific fine wines selected for the evening. Each wine was carefully explained by Head Sommelier Tilmar Pfefferkorn. This included details such as the history of the Vineyard and characteristics of each bottle of wine. Including ourselves we had six people attending. We met with Tilmar shortly after boarding Serenity to plan the menu for this event. We did as we have done in the past. We reviewed three different menus and could choose food from any of the menus and essentially mix and match them. The difference is that this time Tilmar also brought a vegetarian menu and we chose a most amazing soup from that menu. The soup was Cappuccino of Fresh Butternut Squash. It even included some cinnamon The taste was out of this world. We've had the Chilean Sea Bass before but Tilmar recommended that it be prepared differently by adding a small egg yolk to the plate which not only brought out additional flavors of the sea bass but also of the wine. In a larger group of up to fourteen people one might go with champagne, five or six wines, plus a dessert wine as two bottles would be opened for each item chosen. With very few people only one bottle is needed per type and we decided to go with less wine choices allowing for even better wines/champagne to be served. We agreed that two white wines and two red wines would be served and left the selection to Tilmar. We chose the food items with the types of wines in mind. Tilmar came up with the idea that rather than just pairing wines to the food items we could pair wines to one another. As such, two white wines were served at once and accompanied the first few courses. This allowed all of us to compare the two chardonnay wines with each other. One was a 2013 California wine and the other was a 2004 wine from France. Differences included the amount of alcohol content, color and aroma. A few days ago Tilmar ran by us two different ideas he had about the red wines and we loved one of the idea s which was quite unique. We had two very special red wines from the same vineyard, the same grapes, the same year and everything the same except for one item. The difference was the type of barrel that was used for each wine. One wine utilized an American Oak Barrel while the other wine utilized a French Oak Barrel. This provided us with an opportunity to compare both wines and clearly the aroma and the taste varied between the two wines. These wines are very hard to obtain as very little product is produced. Tilmar spotted them on a special visit he made on behalf of Crystal Cruises to this vineyard and was able to obtain only six bottles of each wine for Serenity and the same amount for Symphony. Below you will find the dinner menu from last evening. Whenever you attend the Vintage Room the package you receive also includes a detailed writeup for each wine. We are only including the one page summary of the food and the wine. We've included photos of those in attendance, one with Tilmar and Anne Marie, a few of the items we had including that wonderful soup and a photo of Executive Chef Werner and Pastry Chef Harald. Werner and Harold were kind enough to come by the room to check up on us. This also provided us with the opportunity to thank them for overseeing this amazing meal. We slept very well as we cruised to our next port of call in Sitka, Alaska. Between the rocking of the ship and the wine (just kidding) it was easy to fall asleep. We began our morning as we do most morning's on board Crystal Serenity with an early visit to the Fitness Room by Keith, followed by Keith's a stop at the Lido Cafe for coffee. Shortly before we had breakfast we were able to do Face Time with our daughter, son in-law and grand son, Andre, and grand daughter Emma. Andre is very excited that we are taking them and our son, daughter in law, and grandson on a Crystal Serenity cruise next May. We gave them a little tour of our room and also showed him our views of Alaska. It's so nice to be able to stay in touch with family. Yesterday we did Face Time with our son and grandson. Following is a photo that Keith took of Emma and Andre while we were doing Face Time with them. We were still speaking with them when Butler Jijo came with Breakfast and it was so nice that Jijo could see Emma and Andre as well as Jennifer and that they could speak with Jijo. After breakfast we got ready for our visit to Sitka. Sitka is another area of Alaska that we have visited a few times in the past, starting in 1998. Today, the town has many of the characteristics that impressed us on our first visit. The population is less than 10,000 residents. When Alaska was purchased by the United States from the Russians the transfer ceremony was held in Sitka. Initially, Sitka was the capital of Alaska. Initially, gold mining and fish canning fueled the town's growth. By World War II, Sitka's population grew several fold as the United States navy constructed an air base on Japonski Island and 30,000 service personnel were brought to this area. Major attractions of Sitka include St Michael's Cathedral build between 1844 and 1848, the 200 year old Russian Cemetery, the Sitka National Historical Park which is Alaska's oldest national park, and the Russian Bishop's House completed in 1842 and restored in 1973. On all of our prior visits, we would anchor and a tender would take us to and from the downtown area. About three years ago a pier was opened up allowing cruise ships to dock. A complimentary shuttle was provided to take us on a five mile drive to and from town. The good news is by taking the shuttle is that it provided a nice opportunity to see areas outside the immediate town. We have taken several shore excursions on previous visits. Most recently we participated on one of Crystal Cruises Voluntourism Adventures where we volunteered at the Sitka Sound Science Center. Originally, we signed up for a Private Catamaran Cruise. Unfortunately, we learned that there was an error and that the excursion would total six people per Catamaran. Although we could have booked another excursion we had already taken all of the other ones we had an interest in taking. Instead we did take the shuttle to town and just enjoyed walking the town on our own. We walked for quite awhile. From time to time the sun came out, other times it was overcast and a couple of times it rained and drizzled. We were well prepared with our rain coats. Our walk included a visit to the Sitka National Historical Park. It is a beautiful park on 113 acres of land with winding paths offering scenic views. It also featured several totem poles. This is Alaska's oldest national park. We walked by some of the residential areas and saw many beautiful homes with colorful exteriors and lush landscape. On a portion of the walk we met a local resident who is a land surveyor. We asked him a wide ranges of questions about Sitka from its primary economic drivers to its weather. He did note that as a result of global warming the weather has changed quite a bit. He noted that they used to get several inches of snow in the winter whereas more recently they might get no to very little snow. We walked the downtown area which included several different churches and shopping. Unlike some of the other Alaskan ports, there are none of the jewelry stores such as Diamonds International commonplace in those ports that receive many more cruise ships during the summer season. The first photo is of Anne Marie with Shore Excursion Manager Daniel who is also sporting his beard in the spirit of the Northwest Passage cruise. After returning to Serenity, we had lunch at the Lido Cafe. We had our usual salad entrees. We sat by a window and noticed that it was raining quite hard and it has lasted several hours. We are fortunate that we went took the shuttle into town early in the morning.
Afterwards, we both exercises with Anne Marie going on a one hour walk followed by a short workout on the Elliptical Machine and Keith working out on the Elliptical Machine. For those of you who workout a lot this was one of those workouts that Keith was in a groove. He was able to just focus on some music and also one of the news stations and it allowed him to enjoy a very long workout. Needed to work off last nights Vintage Room dinner and drink. LOL. This evening we dine at the Crystal Dining Room and tomorrow we cruise Hubbard Glacier. On Tuesday the Northwest Adventure commences. Keith & Anne Marie |
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