February 3, 2018 – At Sea

Since leaving Honolulu, we have been heading almost due south (actually on a heading of 190°). We crossed the equator last night while we slept, and by the time we reach our next port stop at Pago Pago, American Samoa, we will be located at 14° South. Those of us doing World Cruise 4 on Crystal Symphony will remain in the Southern Hemisphere exclusively, until mid-April.

We are very happy to report that weather has been beautiful – relatively calm seas and warm temperatures, 85°F (29°C) today.

The past four days we have been “at sea,” which means there have been a lot of activities taking place onboard the ship. We try to attend as many of the enrichment lectures and entertainers as we can. Here are some of them that we attended and enjoyed in the past three days:

Hector Olivera – organist/keyboard artist with the remarkable ability to play the organ in a way that it sounds like an entire orchestra – many instruments and a chorus – all playing at the same time. There were no computer attachments or pre-recorded parts. He did a full concert (45 minutes) solo this way playing many styles of music.

Bob Arno – an interactive comedy act on a serious topic. The show title explains it all – “The Art of the Steal.” He demonstrates the tricks-of-the-trade for pickpockets and was unbelievably effective with picking pockets undetected by fellow passengers he selected from the audience.

Wyomia Tyus – four-time Olympic medalist. Holder of multiple world records. The first person to win two consecutive gold medals in the 100-meter dash in 1964 and 1968. A founding member of the Women’s Sports Federation.

Steve Friedman – enthusiastic Broadway aficionado. His presentation was titled “The End of the Broadway Musical Golden Age: 1960-1970.”

Jo Little – A very talented female comedienne and singer. She was very funny – comedy was the highlight of her performance -- but her singing talent was also great.

Several of these people left the ship in Honolulu and were replaced with new entertainers and speakers. We assume this latest crew will be with us until Sydney.

In addition to the beauty of the ship, the combination of competent and friendly crew members, and excellent food choices, the entertainment and enrichment programs with Crystal Cruises are why we enjoy cruising with this company.

Others of our highlights for the past three days at sea include Mark Farris performing at the piano in the Avenue Saloon venue, the high energy “Rock & Pop-A-Mania” show performed by the Crystal Singers, dancers, and show band in the Stardust Club one night, and the Mozart Tea in the Palm Court (see the photos below).

There are six alternative restaurants on Crystal Serenity, to supplement the Main Dining Room, which is open three meals a day. We often eat breakfast or lunch on the Lido Deck buffet line. We stop by The Bistro occasionally for breakfast, lunch, a snack, or specialty coffee. We’ve also eaten at Prego (fantastic Italian food) and Tastes (international tapas). Tomorrow night we will be at Silk Road (Japanese specialties). For lunch, there’s also the Trident Grill for hot dogs, hamburgers, soup, and other small servings. Ben & Jerry’s Ice cream stand is always busy.

This past Thursday (Feb 1st), Jim participated in the “Mixed Relay Walking” event for the World Cruise Games. There were about 30 people signed up, and they were randomly assigned to 2-person teams (one male and one female on each team). The competition was how fast the team could walk around the Promenade Deck of the ship four times (2 for each person) - a total of 1.2 miles. There were four more women than men signed up, so Jim (and three other men) had to compete twice on different teams. Speed walking can be very tiring in a competition, as everyone found out. Jim survived and did well, but he didn’t win with either partner. The winning teams were clearly much younger in age.

Today was the Equator crossing ceremony, including a visit by King Neptune and His Mermaid Queen, along with appearances by lead singers Tom Lowe, Sarah Combs and dancers Curtis & Beverly. It was great fun –

We have one more sea day before reaching Pago Pago on Monday, February 5^th

Jim & Ginny