Racing to Miami

 June 6, 2024

It is D-Day, the Longest Day, and we are now sailing to Miami for an on-time arrival on the 8th. Two things of note since the last blog: We had our finest meal on the ship the night before arriving in San Juan and we had a lovely morning in San Juan.  First the meal: Crystal has an exclusive relationship with the Japanese celebrity chef and restaurateur Nobu Matsuhisa and 

Crystal is the only cruise line with his restaurant. 

It is elegance personified! From the moment you walk in and are greeted by name with welcomes in Japanese from all the staff - until you walk out on cloud nine - it is a truly magnificent experience. Everything stimulates the senses, from the lovely small orchids on the table to the handcrafted chopsticks with NOBU burned into wood. The service is to your taste, by that I mean they want you to order at your convenience and pace. The table is yours for the evening and you may linger over multiple courses deciding at the last minute if you want more of something, which is exactly what we did.  We worked through the menu with gusto and savored every small detail and taste. We enjoyed it so much that we decided not to go back for fear that the second time would pale from the first and diminish our appreciation of the restaurant experience!

The Asian flavors were divine, starting with two tiny appetizers floating in miso, one tuna and one salmon, both garnished with caviar.  There were several dishes to follow, the highlights including lobster "smothered" with roasted peppers, tuna tataki in a cilantro sauce, and the black cod for which Nobu is famous.    

We decided to get off the ship in San Juan with three objectives:  a good PR coffee in a typical cafeteria, a decent haircut for me, and a new Panama hat to replace the one I purchased five years ago that was being held together with crazy glue and duct tape. We cleared immigration (so we don’t have to do it in Miami) and headed towards the area Cindy had determined would be the best place to find a barber. Sure enough she found the one we were looking for but they did not open for another twenty minutes. Luckily right next door was a down-and-dirty cafeteria called Mallorca so we popped in. We ordered two coffees, water, and something called a Mallorca, which turned out to be a panini made with sweet Puerto Rican bread and Swiss cheese, all of which was liberally covered with powdered sugar!  They do love their sweets and everything was delicious despite being served in paper and plastic. 

Once done with breakfast we stepped out the door and entered the barber shop that had just opened and I was in the chair in seconds. I got an almost Italian haircut; he was great and ever so talented. Cindy watched the entire show and said she learned a lot from observing (many future haircuts are likely to be done by her). I paid the modest bill and gave him a rather large tip for his artistry. As we were leaving I showed him my well worn Panama hat and asked where I might buy a new one.  Rather than give me directions, he simply said to follow him. He locked up the shop and walked us, without conversation, down and around narrow streets and deposited us in a magnificent hat store with a huge selection of Panamas and then silently returned to his shop!  I guess I tipped well! I spent fifteen minutes with the knowledgable clerk, selected and paid for my new hat, and left the old one with him for disposal. In just ninety minutes we had accomplished all we wanted and headed back to the ship. 

We started to see lots of people with maps and shorts and tank tops and kids, all wandering aimlessly and we knew that they were not on our cruise. Rounding the corner with a view to the dock we saw the largest cruise ship we had ever seen. It had docked after we had left the pier and there were thousands of people spilling out of this behemoth, which turned out to be the  Carnival Celebration and holds 5,340 passengers!! This thing has waterslides, roller coasters, fifteen restaurants and, well … you get the picture. There were scores of busses lined up for excursions and we felt like we were swimming upstream as the multitudes kept coming off the boat. We were ever so happy to get back on our little ship!!  Cheers - Cindy and Wm

Crystal Serenity

 June 3, 2024

Today is Cindy’s birthday and I arranged this cruise so that she could celebrate it in style on the high seas.  We are into day eight of a twelve-day cruise from Las Palmas (Canary Islands) to Miami, arriving on June 8th. Thus far it has been a perfect cruise with excellent weather, flat seas and spectacular service and food. We really didn’t know what to expect from the new Crystal after Covid and a corporate bankruptcy, but they are doing a fantastic job. 

There are people on board  who started this cruise in San Diego in early January and will finish the cruise there on the 21st of June.  I love cruising but can’t conceive of being on a ship, no matter how luxurious, for 140 days plus!!  Our first day on the cruise was very interesting since we were 200 or so newbies, and those who'd been on board for weeks or even months would look at us and size us up. There are about 250 passengers that have been on the entire cruise and of course they know each other quite well. The first night after dinner we went to the Avenue Saloon to hear a remarkable piano player and it was like being in Cheers. Everyone  (except the newbies) who entered the bar was greeted by name from the piano player, who incidentally never missed a note during his shout out. We have noticed that every night the same people occupy the same tables at drinks before dinner, in the dining room at dinner, and again in the bar for after-dinner drinks. One large family!

The ship is designed to carry 740 passengers in great comfort with almost as many crew members. On this leg of the passage there are only about 450 passengers, meaning there are far more crew than passengers and which might account in part for the great service. We are told that two hundred or so passengers disembarked in Cape Town when it was announced that due to piracy concerns in and around Yemen, they would no longer be visiting India, Oman, Jordan, Egypt or the five ports planned in the Med. Instead they would be going up the western coast of Africa for two weeks visiting countries that we only hear about because of famine, drought, civil war and pestilence! No doubt there were more UN Peacekeepers than  passengers in most of the stops.  Certainly I would have jumped ship!

Crystal is an all-inclusive cruise line and everything is included in the upfront price. That means that from the time I stepped aboard I only needed to carry my suite key, pocket knife, handkerchief, pedometer and some See’s Lollipops. All of the food, drinks, tips, and wifi are included. Our butler came on day #1 asking how we would like our suite bar set up and every day since he checks, replenishes and brings us canapés before cocktails. Perhaps I could stay for 140 days but they would actually have to use a crane to take me off my balcony at the end of the cruise!

In reality, we are always quite moderate on these cruises and usually lose a little weight since we have lots of time for exercise and we can choose from many healthy food groups. There are about six places to eat, three formal dining options and three informal which are mostly used at lunch time. We honestly have not had a bad mouthful of anything and the food is always fresh and well prepared. They offer lots of wine choices and the bars are stocked with top-shelf booze with well-trained bartenders and servers. What’s not to like?!

On this cruise we opted for a one-bedroom suite and it is delightful, well designed and maintained with a large comfortable balcony.  I suppose we could have breakfast or lunch out there, but really, who wouldn’t rather be waited on in air conditioned comfort in one of the dining venues? The balcony is a nice place to exercise in the morning and to sit and have a coffee or quiet drink. We used to choose cabins with large windows but no veranda/ balcony. That all changed during Covid when on the news we saw people being confined to their cabins with no access to fresh air - or worse yet, those that had interior cabins with no windows. With age comes privilege!

Speaking of age, we are in the category of youngest on board. Two thirds of the passengers are clearly in their eighties/nineties and there are lots of walkers, scooters and wheelchairs being used, but these passengers are a game bunch and they don’t let anything get in the way of having fun.  It's a good reminder for us to be thankful for our mobility and good health.