We're Home

We disembarked the ship on Sunday and spent the day with Anne Marie’s Brother, Aunt, Uncle, and Cousins in Los Angeles. We arrived home later Monday evening and are now all settled back at home.

The cruise exceeded our expectations in almost every way imaginable. While the ship was sold out, it rarely ever seemed crowded.

This was our first sailing on the Crystal Symphony since its dry-dock in the fall of 2009.

For us, highlights included the new enhancements to the ship, the outstanding service, the wonderful cuisine, the extraordinary enrichment program, the evening entertainment, the overall itinerary, the wonderful people that we sailed with, special performances and lectures including all of the ones given by Jim Brochu, Roger McGuinn and Steve Schalchlin and the extra amenities that were part of this being a Crystal Society Sailing.

The special Crystal Society events were wonderful and so were the Meet and Mingle Party and the French Fry Party along with the sail away parties. The sail-away party from Puerto Vallarta was one of the best ever sail-away parties we have ever experienced.

We will remember all of the memorable lunches, dinners and chats we had with so many fellow guests and lecturers.

We made memories on this voyage, which will last a lifetime.

When we boarded the ship in New York City, many of the crew on the first day said welcome home. This says it all. Sailing on Crystal has that family feeling and each time we board the ship we feel that we are coming home.

It is fitting that our final post occurs on Thanksgiving Day as we truly have much to be thankful about. We wish all of you a very Happy Thanksgiving Day and hope this is a very special day for each of you.

TODAY’S THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

“All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.”

Walt Disney

Keith and Anne Marie

Disembarkation Day

Last Night We Each Enjoyed A Dessert For Our Final Meal In The Main Dining Room

We enjoyed our final afternoon/evening on the ship yesterday as we prepared for our disembarkation this morning.

Late in the afternoon, we stopped by the Afternoon Tea to walk around to and speak to some fellow guests and staff. We spoke with the Golf Pro and his lovely wife and we look forward to seeing them both on board the Serenity in January. We then sat with Brian and Gary and enjoyed a wonderful conversation with the two of them as we had a beautiful view of the ocean.

At 5:15 PM we attended the final show which featured not one, not two, not three, but four final acts and we enjoyed this performance.

Afterwards, we enjoyed our final dinner and ate in the Main Dining Room. We saw some fellow guests who we have come to know very well on this cruise including Kate and her mother, and Mary and one of her sisters, along with other guests and staff who we already knew including Stephen and Ernestine and Ambassador Ed Peck, his wife Ann Peck and her very charming Mother.

We chatted with the Maitre d’ Norbert who has been truly outstanding throughout this entire voyage, We spoke with and thanked our wonderful senior waiter and waiter who are second to none in all their professionalism for making each meal so memorable and we also chatted with our very nice sommelier. The meal was delicious. We each had a nice salad, and we enjoyed the very tasty salmon and we had a dessert that was not fruit. J Interestingly enough, in the Main Dining Room we did not special order anything for dinner other than a Caesar salad. In many ways this says a lot about the variety and the quality of the items offered on the menu.

After dinner, we went back to our room to place the last items in our luggage and then we put them out in the hallway and we enjoyed a very nice sleep.

Keith was up early but no workout this morning. Today is a day of rest. J

As we write this, we are still making our way to Los Angeles. While it is dark outside there is a nice spotlight on the sea from the Moon.

At 7:00 AM we will go through immigration on board the ship and we will have our final breakfast of this voyage at 8:00 AM in our room.

This has been a wonderful cruise and we hope that you have felt part of this voyage through our daily posts.

We will add some final comments sometime after we return home.

“The great difference between voyages rests not in ships but in the people you meet on them.” – Amelia Barr

Keith and Anne Marie

En Route To Los Angeles

Ocean 20 Buffet

Each Dessert Is A Work Of Art

The One And Only Sebastian

Formal Night On The Ship

Part Of The Downtown Area Of Cabo

Getting Ready For A Sail Away

Mexico Festivities

As they say in life, all good things must come to an end. This has been a wonderful voyage, which has exceeded all of our expectations. The voyage has been made extra special because of so many good friends we have sailed with.

Late yesterday afternoon we attended Friday night Sabbath services with Ricki and David. The services were fairly well attended given that last evening was a formal night on the ship and the cruise is coming to a conclusion.

After the services we attended the Captain’s Farewell Reception and had a wonderful time. The Captain shared with us many interesting statistics including how much ice cream and chocolate chip cookies had been consumed during the voyage and the distance we will have traveled when we arrive in Los Angeles.

We sat with Ricki and David and also Roger McGuinn and his wife Camilla sat with us for most of the reception and we all enjoyed a wonderful conversation with them. They have really gone out of their way to mingle with the guests and to participate in a variety of events. Once again, the Sextet Band played Turn, Turn, Turn and as soon as the music began Roger made his way to the stage to perform with them. Who would have thought that back when we were listening to the songs of the Byrds in the 1960’s that we would have the opportunity to meet Roger and his lovely wife on a cruise. We understand that they will be on another cruise in January of 2011 that we will be on and we look forward to seeing them again.

We then went to Silk Road and had an outstanding time. Our waiter was Emerson who we really enjoy and Noel , the Sommelier, looked after us as well. Paolo the Maitre d’ came by to talk with us and Willie the headwaiter looked after us as well so we were in very good hands the entire evening. We had lots of sushi and sashimi, and many other items and just had a great time talking with Ricki and David and enjoying all of the wonderful cuisine, the outstanding service and the overall ambience of the dining experience. We all had a great time. Silk Road was not very busy since it was a formal evening on the ship. By the time we left, more people were dining there. We saw Chuck, Steve, Gary and Brian when we were getting ready to go.

The good news is we set the clocks back another hour as we sail into another time zone.

Keith was up quite early and was at the Fitness Center a little after 4:00 AM and enjoyed a great workout. Roy made it up around 30 minutes before Keith finished up so they spoke for a while. After the workout, Keith stopped by the Lido Café for coffee and then he did some laundry. Throughout the cruise there was never anyone in the Laundry Room when Keith did the laundry but today was quite different. There were several guests in and out of the room.

At 8:00 AM Sebastian once again brought us our breakfast, which we enjoyed in our room. We thanked Sebastian for all that he has done to make our cruise so wonderful. He has such a positive outlook and a great sense of humor and is always on top of everything. Between Sebastian and our wonderful stewardess, Jurgita we were taken very well care of.

Today there were many activities on the final day of the cruise. Jim Brochu gave a morning talk on the life and music of Ethel Merman. Once again, Jim dazzled us with an outstanding presentation. We have been truly blessed with so many wonderful lecturers on this voyage.

A little before noon the Oceans 20 Gala Buffet was served. This special buffet features many of the culinary items that have been featured on Crystal Cruises over the past twenty years in celebration of Crystal Cruises 20^th Year Anniversary. There were so many items and they are all a work of art.

We had seen the Ocean 20 Gala Buffet earlier this year and there were several new presentations this time around. The food not only looked great but also had a wonderful aroma. The amount of effort that goes into the preparation of each food item is truly amazing.

We ended up having lunch at the Lido Café and enjoyed a wonderful lunch. We sat with Chuck and had another wonderful conversation with him.

This afternoon Anne Marie will be taking another walk on the Promenade Deck and Keith plans to do some reading, writing as well talking with fellow passengers.

Throughout the day we have spoken with so many fellow passengers who like us have just had a fabulous time on this cruise. We have made so many nice memories that will last a lifetime.

This evening we will have our last dinner on the ship and will be dining in the Main Dining Room. We will post again about our last evening on the ship and the disembarkation.

For our American friends we want to wish everyone a very safe and Happy Thanksgiving.

TODAYS THOUGHTS FOR THE DAY….

“Believe you can and you're halfway there.”

Theodore Roosevelt

Keith and Anne Marie

Welcome To Cabo San Lucas

Welcome Home Says It All

Walking Along The Pier

Area Around Cabo Pier

Keith Visited Here In The Late 1990s With Business Colleagues

Anne Marie With A New Friend

Lots Of Yachts In Cabo

Only In Cabo

Keith Also Met A New Friend

You Know You Are In Mexico With Senor Frog's

Beautiful View Of Cabo

This Was The First Tender Launched This Morning

Part Of Cabo

The Beauty Of Cabo

Cabo

Sail Away From Puerto Vallarta

Sail Away From Puerto Vallarta

From L-R Anne Marie,Ricki, David and Chuck

Goodbye Puerto Vallarta

Getting The Corona Beer Ready For Yesterday's Sail Away Party

We wanted to mention that we had a truly wonderful time in Puerto Vallarta yesterday. The weather was gorgeous and the town was quite nice. We felt very safe and there are lots of new areas since we were here last. It is also a nice port for the crew since we were not only docked at the port but directly across the street was a shopping mall, and a Super Walmart so it’s a nice place for the crew to purchase personal items. For those who enjoy Paddle Tennis, on the lower level of the Mall there is a store that carries Paddle Tennis Rackets.

Once back on the ship we had a nice time in the afternoon. Keith ended up playing over three hours of paddle tennis and Anne Marie did some packing, and then sat out at the pool. The sail away party was one of the more well attended parties we have attended over they years. We each enjoyed a Corona Beer and were with Chuck, Steve, Ricki and David as we sailed from the port.

When we arrived back to the Cabin on the door was information regarding disembarkation, which was a reminder that this wonderful cruise is winding down.

We left Puerto Vallarta on time but around an hour after we left we learned that we would have to turn around as there had been a medical emergency and a passenger needed to be taken off the ship. The ship turned around and then the pilot boat met up with the ship so that the guest could be transferred and taken to the hospital at Puerto Vallarta for medical assistance. Over the course of the cruise approximately six passengers have needed medical assistance on land. The level of passengers needing assistance on land is certainly an exception and our thoughts are with each of them.

We walked around the ship and spoke with some fellow passengers and members of the crew and then we enjoyed another wonderful dinner in the Main Dining Room. We each began the meal with a wonderful salad, and for the main course we had the Costa Rican Bass Fillet. This fillet was one of the best entrée we have ever had. We also had extra vegetables, and for our dessert we each had a sugar free napoleon, which was actually quite good, along with the fabulous decaffeinated espresso coffee made by our waiter, which continues the best that we have had at sea or on land.

The good news is that last night we set the clocks back one hour and we will do this again this evening.

We both got up quite early this morning given that we had set the clocks back one hour so Keith was up at the Fitness Center before 4:30 AM and worked out by himself most of the time until Steve joined him. Anne Marie walked on the Promenade Deck. We enjoyed another wonderful breakfast in our room as we have done throughout the cruise.

The ship anchored off Cabo San Lucas at around 7:30 AM and stayed there until 1:00 PM. Tender service was provided to take guests between the ship and the Island. Cabo is a resort town. It attracts many visitors from the Continental United States of America and from Canada and from other areas of the world. It has lots of resorts and at night has lots of clubs, bars and restaurants in the downtown area. The population now totals over 50,000 inhabitants.

We took the tender over to Cabo and stayed around ninety minutes. We walked along the pier passing by several restaurants, cafes and stores and viewing lots of nice looking yachts and other boats. We walked into the downtown area stopping by a couple of places that Keith visited when he was in Cabo in the late 1990’s for a Management/Awards meeting. When we visited here on another cruise in the 1990’s the pier had very few buildings as it does today. Rather, it was mainly an open area where there was a flea market. As we were returning we ran into Chuck and later on Celeste and once on board the tender we also ran into David.

Once back on the ship we picked up our passports from the reception area and then we went back to the room to more packing before it was time for lunch.

We enjoyed a nice lunch at the Lido Café. Afterwards, Keith played a few games of Paddle Tennis while Anne Marie walked on the Lido Deck and did some additional packing. There was a nice sail away party and just like yesterday one of the highlights was Roger McGuinn singing Turn Turn Turn which he wrote and first performed with the Byrds with the Sextet Band. We are so fortunate to have such a nice and talented entertainer on board the ship.

This evening is formal night on the ship. We plan to go to Friday Night Sabbath Eve Services and afterwards we will go to the Captain’s Farewell Reception and then we will dine at Silk Road with Ricki and David.

It’s been another wonderful day on the Crystal Symphony.

TODAY’S THOUGHT FOR THE DAY….

“Confidence is contagious. So is lack of confidence.”

Vince Lombardi

Keith and Anne Marie

Welcome To Puerto Vallarta

(The Beautiful Crystal Symphony)

(Decorations Out For The Holidays)

(We Thought We Were In Mexico, Not England)

(One Of Several Beautiful Resorts)

(Beach Area)

(We Walked On This Beach)

(Krystal not Crystal)

(Did We Land On Mars)

(Yummy Cakes At The Grocery Store Bakery)

(Back To The Future)

(Go Longhorns)

(Which Is The Regular Coffee)

(Steve Performing His Concert For Us)

Each day they voyage gets better and better. Yesterday’s highlights included the wonderful talk given by Jim Brochu on Lucille Ball, the concert performed by Steve, spending time getting to know Bill and Carolyn and spending time with so many wonderful guests and crew on board the ship.

We had a wonderful time on the ship after posting yesterday.

At 4:00 PM we attended a piano performance given by Steve in the Avenue Saloon for members of Cruise Critic, as well as some other people. Unfortunately due to the limited size of the room, it was not possible for Steve to have Crystal Cruises send out invitations to all members of Cruise Critic so Steve mainly invited people to attend that he ran into. The songs that Steve sang are all songs that he has written. He is truly an outstanding songwriter and singer and musician. Each of his songs was very moving and comes from the heart and we were very moved be each and every word.

Afterwards, we went for wine and canapés at Bill and Carolyn’s room, which is, located right new to our room. It provided a great opportunity to get to know Bill and Carolyn and we enjoyed a wonderful conversation with the two of them.

After a few days away from the Main Dining Room we once again back in the Main Dining Room. We love our waiter and senior waiter and had just a wonderful time being back in the dining room. They are on top of everything and have a wonderful disposition and are truly professionals. We each enjoyed a nice salad and we greatly enjoyed the salmon entrée. It was not only very tasty but its presentation was beautiful. Friends of ours, Steven and Ernestine, were celebrating their 48^th anniversary and they sent over to our table two pieces of their St. Honoree cake so we had some of that for our dessert. We ended the meal with decaffeinated cappuccino, which is superbly made by our waiter.

Keith awoke quite early and was the first person to the Fitness Center. Unlike yesterday, it was fairly quiet at the center and about midway through the workout Roy arrived so Keith chatted with Roy for the rest of his workout.

Afterwards, Keith stopped by the Fitness Center for some coffee and sat with friend Chuck and enjoyed a wonderful conversation. It has been a wonderful pleasure for the two of us to sail with Chuck on this voyage. Around the time we finished our coffee, we arrived at the port for Puerto Vallarta.

When Keith arrived back to the room Anne Marie was there and then she left to walk on the Promenade Deck for an hour. Keith did some laundry and then some reading and writing. Around the time Anne Marie arrived back to the room we enjoyed our morning breakfast. As we mentioned the other day, we have a running joke with Sebastian about the coffee. Each day he labels the decaffeinated coffee pot with a had and writes out decaffeinated. Today, to change it up Sebastian labeled the caffeine coffee pot. However, before he left just so we would not get confused he put a top on the other pot so today each day each pot had its own respective hat. We all got a good laugh from that. He’s been wonderful.

After breakfast we explored Puerto Vallarta.

This is our second time to Puerta Vallarta, Mexico. This city has an population of almost 200,000 inhabitants. It is located on the Pacific Ocean’s Bahia de Banderas. While archeological evidence shows that that this area may have been inhabited as early as 580 BC, the first hand written accounts of inhabitants date back to 1524. This town is a popular Mexican tourist destination and is known for its resorts.

We walked for a couple of hours. We felt very safe in port. This is an organized city in terms of traffic, road systems, mass transit and streetlights. We felt very safe. As we were getting off the ship one of the Royal Caribbean ships was just arriving. We walked up the street with the beach and the ocean on our right side. We first came to a market and were the first people walking around the area. From there we came to a supermarket, which was quite up to date in what it carried. They had their Christmas decorations up and they were playing Christmas Music. We then continued up the road a couple of miles when all of a sudden the landscape became very attractive with both sides of the street lines with very tall and beautiful palm trees. There were many hotel resorts and high-rise condominiums that had beautiful views of the beach and the ocean. We walked on the beach for a while and it was very quiet as very few locals and tourists were out and about. Afterwards, we continued our walk passing by several additional resorts and condominiums and restaurants. We also walked the area that is called Malecon which is a one mile long seawall that stretches the length of downtown Vallarta. We crossed the street and walked back on the other side of the street passing by several car dealerships and other retail stores and restaurants. As we got closer to the ship we passed by a very large Sam’s and a very large Super Walmart. Right across the street from the cruise ship terminal was a very large shopping mall.

We were glad to walk early in the morning, as it was cooler when we began our walk and by the time we got back to the ship it was quite a bit more humid with temperatures in the low 80’s. Other than all of the exercise we do on the ship this was the first long walk we have taken in port since Miami and it was delightful.

For those interested in taking a taxi or a tour on their own there were very nice taxis and vans that were available for hire. Because this was an unplanned stop there were just a couple of ships tours that were offered including a couple of highlight tours and a canopy adventure.

We will be returning here again on another cruise and next time we plan to visit some other areas including Casa Kimberly, which is now a B&B and a former home of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, the Museo del Rio Cuale which is a museum on pre—Hisapanic culture along with old town Vallarta.

We enjoyed lunch in the Main Dining Room and we were able to sit at a table that our regular Senior Waiter and Waiter is assigned to. Lunch was delicious. The only excitement was that Keith spilled one very large glass of Sprit Zero onto his lap. The good news is that it was a clear soft drink and not wine and amazingly not a drop landed on the table.

Keith played Paddle Tennis in the afternoon while Anne Marie did some packing.

Late this afternoon just before we departed Puerto Vallarta there was a Crystal Society “Mexican Fiesta Sail Away Party” which was held poolside. This was another special event held during this voyage.

TODAYS THOUGHTS FOR THE DAY….

“All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.”

Walt Disney

Keith and Anne Marie

En Route To Puerta Vallarta, Mexico

(At Dinner Last Evening At Prego With Chuck)

(Chuck, Keith, David, Ricki and Anne Marie With Huatulco, Mexico In The Background)

Keith Is Wearing His "Half Full Glass" Shirt

(Gaylord and Georgina)

We had another wonderful time on the ship last evening.

Last night we dined at Prego with our friend Chuck. This was our second and final dinner at Prego for this voyage. We had a wonderful time at dinner. As usual, both the cuisine and the service were outstanding as was the overall ambience of this dining venue. Chuck and Anne Marie each had the veal special of the evening, which was the osso bucco, while Keith enjoyed the striped bass entrée. We enjoyed a fabulous conversation with Chuck and it has been very wonderful to get to know Chuck over this voyage.

We slept very well last evening as we sailed towards Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

Keith awoke early and once again began his morning in the Fitness Center. When he arrived, one of the Steve’s was already there. Keith enjoyed another great workout on the Elliptical Machine while talking with Steve and then the others who arrived during the workout. A little while later the other Steve (by now you must be confused with all of the Steve’s and which Steve is which) arrived to the center and after that Roy arrived and later on Chuck arrived. If we gave it more time, we may have had a full house at the Fitness Center. J

After a wonderful workout, Keith stopped by the Lido Café to bring back some coffee to the room.

A little while after Keith arrived back to the room, Anne Marie started her first of two workouts for the day and she also brought back some coffee to the room.

At 8:00 AM there was a knock on the door and that meant that Sebastian the wonderful butler arrived with our breakfast. We chatted with Sebastian as he set up the table for breakfast and have truly enjoyed having him as our butler over the course of this voyage. We have a good running joke with Sebastian about which coffee pot has decaffeinated coffee and which one is regular. While each day he not only labels the decaffeinated coffee pot with a hat but also neatly writes on it decaf, he also reminds us which is the decaffeinated pot. So, on some days we ask him after he goes through the entire explanation, which is the decaffeinated coffee.

We stopped by the stores and there was a big sale going on in one of them so it was quite busy. In general, the stores have been busier on this cruise than we have seen on prior cruises as many guests have a good deal of shipboard credits that they can use towards part or their entire purchases.

We spoke with Ross who is the Bar Manager who we know from our sailings on the Crystal Serenity. He has recently moved onto the Symphony on a permanent basis. We complemented him on The Vintage Room since his responsibilities include that venue and we also thanked him for his help at the Meet and Mingle Party and at the French Fry Party.

There were lots of great activities and enrichment on the ship throughout the day today.

In the morning, destination lecturer Ken Rees presented South of the Border – The Story of Mexico. He spoke about Mexico’s challenges including their problems of the past and its uncertain future. A good deal has changed in Mexico. In the afternoon, Celebrity Lecturer Jim Brochu presented Loving Lucy – The Life and Career of Lucille Ball. It was a very personal and moving tribute to Lucille Ball and once again Jim did an outstanding job in sharing lots of interesting information about this famous actress and comedian.

Later today we will be going to the Avenue Saloon to see Steve play some songs for several of us on the Piano. Before dinner we have been invited to the room next ours for some wine and canapés and then we will finally be back in the Main Dining Room after being away a few days. We hope that the wait staff will remember our names. J

In honor of Jim Brochu’s outstanding lecture on Lucille Ball we are including two thoughts of the day. The first we posted the other day and is a quote from Lucille Ball.

TODAY’S THOUGHT FOR THE DAY….

“I'd rather regret the things I've done than regret the things I haven't done.”

Lucille Ball

TODAY’S THOUGHT FOR THE DAY….

“Believe you can and you're halfway there.”

Theodore Roosevelt

Keith and Anne Marie

Welcome To Huatulco, Mexico - Almost

(Roger McGuinn, Anne Marie And Keith)

From Left To Right

(Camilla McGuinn, Roger McGuinn, Anne Marie And Keith)

(Vintage Room Dessert)

(The Vintage Room)

(Fitness Instructor Dennis With Gaylord And Keith)

We enjoyed another wonderful time on the ship last evening.

We attended the performance of Zero Hour given by Celebrity Entertainer Jim Brochu. This marked the second time we have seen this performance on a Crystal Cruises ship having first seen this performance on the Crystal Serenity a couple of years ago. As was the case with the first performance we thoroughly enjoyed Zero Hour and feel blessed to be able to not only see this for a second time but to personally know Jim Brochu. To Jim we say bravo, bravo, bravo. The show was truly outstanding. He plays Zero Mostel like no other actor could.

After this fine performance we strolled around the various stores on board the ship since we had some time before we would go to The Vintage Room.

At 7:00 PM we attended our first Vintage Room with Crystal Cruises and enjoyed this wonderful venue. The room and the setting are beautiful. Several of those who attended had been to the Vintage Room the other day and didn’t want an explanation of the wines. We on the other hand were very interested in expanding our knowledge of wine so Bart, the Head Sommelier, spoke with the two of us and he went over each and every wine with us. We learned a great deal from Bart. And he thoroughly answered each and every question that we had. Each wine that we sampled was perfectly paired with each food tasting. The focus of the evening is the wines and as Crystal notes in its daily Reflections Program The Vintage Room was created to promote wine education and the vast range of fine wine selections that are offered on board the ship. We had a wonderful time.

Roger McGuinn and his lovely wife Camilla were invited as guests to attend The Vintage Room, which added to this very special evening. We both spoke with Roger for a while when we first arrived to The Vintage Room. We were fortunate to be seated fairly close to Roger and Keith and fellow guest Philip enjoyed a wonderful conversation with and learned so very about the Byrds and many other musicians that Roger has known over the years that began their careers in that era.

As part of the Crystal Society Sailing, when we arrived back to our room, on our bed was a box of chocolates and a letter from Mary-Catherine Wilks, Director of the Loyalty Program & Guest Relations and Emilie Perz, Coordinator of Crystal Soceity.

Once again, Keith was the first guest up to the Fitness Center. About 30 minutes into his workout Steve arrived and a short while later Roy arrived as well. The workout was great and Keith and Roy spoke for a portion of the workout. A short time later it was Anne Marie who enjoyed a nice workout as well. It’s so nice to be able to just walk up two flights of steps and to utilize the Fitness Room and we appreciate the fact that it is open 24 hours each day.

After our workout, we enjoyed a nice breakfast in our room. We chatted with Sebastian for a while and really appreciate his professionalism and his great sense of humor and his overall knowledge.

Today’s port of call was supposed to have been Huatulco, Mexico, which replaced the originally scheduled port of Acapulco. Since we were not originally scheduled to be in this port of call we had to anchor off the island and tenders were going to take passenger’s to/from the Island. Unfortunately, due to the sea swells it was not possible to operate the tenders safely and the decision was made to leave Huatulco. Later in the morning the Captain announced that the port of Puerto Vallarta will be added to the schedule and we will arrive there on Thursday morning. In addition, several lectures and other activities have been added to the schedule.

Earlier in the morning we ran into Ricki and David and the four of us sat outside on the Lide Deck talking for quite along time. Throughout the morning several other guests who we all chatted with joined us and we enjoyed a nice leisurely morning with everyone. We also stayed and had lunch outside on the Lido Deck.

Afterwards, Anne Marie took a long walk on the Promenade Deck and she also sat out by the pool.

This evening we will dine at Prego with our friend Chuck.

TODAY’S THOUGHT FOR THE DAY….

“A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.”

Albert Einstein

Keith and Anne Marie

En Route To Huatulco, Mexico

(Picture From The Other Day After Our Team Won The 20th Anniversary Team Trivia)

(Art Work Being Sold At The Pier In Costa Rica)

We had another very nice time on the Crystal Symphony last evening. After two consecutive nights at Silk Road, we were, once again, seated at our very nice table in the Main Dining Room. The food was wonderful. We each had the grilled Portobello Mushroom Appetizer, followed by a salad and for our entrée we had the Grilled Queens Seabass Fillet. The Fillet was just delicious. Like so many of the other seafood entrées that we have had the fish was very tasty and also very moist. For dessert, we had fruit.

We love the Senior Waiter and Waiter that we have for our table. They are very kind and very professional and they check up on us frequently. They are very nice individuals who work as a superb team.

When we entered the Main Dining Room there was the Maitre d’ Norbert with a hand sanitizer in each hand and many guests like us used it. While Anne Marie carries a small bottle with her all the time for both of us to use we still took advantage of the opportunity to use the one that Norbert had. Many other passengers used it as well.

After dinner we strolled around the ship for a while and ran into several members of the crew and fellow guests.

Today, we enjoyed a wonderful day at sea as we sail to Huatulco, Mexico.

Keith was up early and started his day off at the fitness center. About 30 minutes into his workout Steve came up to the center and then a little while after that Roy came by and then after that Chuck also came by to workout. Keith stopped by the Lido Café to bring some coffee back to the room and then he did some laundry. At this hour, it is a perfect time to use the machines. After he got back to the room Anne Marie also had a nice workout at the fitness center.

After breakfast in our room we got ready for another wonderful day at sea.

Keith took the spin indoor cycle class back up at the fitness center along with fellow guest Gaylord.

After the class, we attended the lecture given by Roger McGuinn, co-founder, lead singer and lead guitarist of the Byrds who spoke about the history of the Byrds. This lecture along with his first lecture was fascinating. He shared so many interesting tidbits.

We enjoyed a wonderful lunch in the Main Dining Room.

In the afternoon, Keith played paddle tennis for a couple of hours and Anne Marie walked for an hour on the Promenade Deck.

At 5:00 PM, we will attend Zero Hour, which will be presented by friend and celebrity entertainer Jim Brochu. We first saw Jim perform this show a couple of years ago on the Crystal Serenity. It is about the life of Zero Mostel. This show has been performed off Broadway in New York City and has won several awards including the New York Drama Desk Award for the Best Solo Show, the Washington Helen Hayes Award for Best Actor, the South Florida Cabonell Award for Best Actor and the Los Angeles Ovation Award for Best Play.

This evening we will be dining at the Vintage Room as the prize for being on the winning trivia team. We look forward to our first experience in the Vintage Room.

One of our core beliefs is the sum of the team is greater than the sum of the individuals. This is proven all the time whether in business, in sports, in school and in a variety of other areas. We see this day in and day out on each Crystal ship. With this in mind here is today’s thought for the day.

TODAY’S THOUGHT FOR THE DAY….

“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.”

Helen Keller

Keith and Anne Marie