DAY 17 - WELCOME TO GRAND CAYMAN

Enjoyed The Cruise Critic Party  ✔  Wonderful Captain's Welcome On Board Reception followed by Outstanding Cuisine and Dining in the Crystal Dining Room  ✔ Enjoyed another great day on the Crystal Serenity ✔ Played Lots Of Paddle Tennis   ✔





As mentioned we had a great time at the Cruise Critic Meet and Mingle Party yesterday morning.  Cruise Critic is a social network for those people who enjoy cruising.  If 10 people or more who are booked on a Crystal Cruises voyage sign up for this party then a party will be hosted for those who sign up by Crystal Cruises.  Complimentary drinks will be served as will canapes and it provides a nice opportunity to see people who you may have sailed with before and meet new people for the very first time.

We had over 40 of the 52 people who signed up attend and that was an excellent turnout given that some people may have had some other commitments.

Here are some photos from yesterday's Cruise Critic get together.  Far left, Gaylord and far Right Kelly and Ashley

Shore Excursions Manager Daniel Steyn  with Anne Marie and some of the Cruise Critic Members including far left Nan and to the left of Anne Marie Peggy, Fritz and Ginger.

Shore Excursions Manager Daniel Steyn with Keith, Ginger, Fritz and Peggy.

Food and Beverage Manager Victor Conceicao with a couple of our Cruise Critic Members who we sailed with on board the Crystal Symphony in November of 2010 and played Paddle Tennis with Keith on that voyage

A few more photos from the Meet and Mingle Party

Far Right Eddie and Vivian.

Last evening was formal night on the ship.  We began our evening by attending the Captain's Welcome Formal Reception.  We decided to change things up a bit and rather than sitting at one of the tables that are set up all around the dance floor that you see in the background we sat at the bar.

We were amazed at the pace in which the bartenders were making drinks and the collaborative team effort as the bartenders prepare the drinks and then the waiters and lido deck stewards who took the order in the first place add garnishments to certain drinks.

Anne Marie with Crystal Society Hostess Jaque Brown.  Eduardo is still the Crystal Society Hostess for the current cruise and Jaque will be on board for the entire World Cruise which begins with the next voyage.  This overlap provides here with more time so that she can do the planning for the world cruise where many Crystal Society milestones will be celebrated.

After the reception, we enjoyed a wonderful dinner in the Crystal Dining Room.  This was the Gala Welcome Dinner and the menu was filled with a wide array of delectable items to choose from.

This is Anne Marie's favorite formal meal as she loves the broiled fresh lobster from Maine.

We began our meal with salads.

Anne Marie had the Captain's Salad which featured garden greens, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, mushrooms, sprouts and those tasty sweet potato chips. Keith had the salad that he has on most nights.

We both had the lobster and it was prepared perfectly and very tender and tasty.  This was also accompanied by steamed vegetables that we ordered on the side.

Keith had mixed berries for dessert and Anne Marie had a sugar free dessert and Keith tried a little bit of it.

We have a new sommelier Maria who is from Valparaiso, Chile as the sommelier's are rotated from cruise to cruise.  This is her first contract in this position and we had heard good things about her from another passenger and she did wow us last night with her enthusiasm, smile and although the dining room was full she stayed on top of everything for us.

Our Headwaiter is Igor and this is the first time we have had him.  The Headwaiter is responsible for a large section of tables.  He will walk around to be sure that the guests are pleased with service and cuisine and he is the person who coordinates any special meal item that someone wants that is not on the menu.  Last evening we asked Igor if we could have a Caesar Salad this evening.  Often there is a bit of competition between the Headwaiters to see which one of them prepares the best Caesar Salad or other items such as those special desserts such as Cherries Jubilee.  Since we don't eat any of those desserts we will ask from time to time for some other item we prefer and the Headwaiters really enjoy preparing something table side.

We slept well last evening.  As we do on most mornings we each worked out and then enjoyed breakfast in our room as we get ready for the start of the day.

We anchored off of Grand Cayman by around 8:30 AM.  In recent years we have been here when many other cruise ships are in port with as many as six or more ships.  When we arrived today, there was one other ship anchored of the starboard (right) side of the ship.  A little while later, including us, there were five ships anchored off Grand Cayman.

This is the Princess Cruises Island Princess Ship

We took advantage of the ship for much of the day today as it was almost like being on a private yacht as many visiting Grand Cayman for the very first time were on tour.  A highlight of Grand Cayman is snorkeling with the stingrays.

Keith played paddle tennis in the morning with Ashley and Kelly and a couple of their friends.  Anne Marie worked on her needlepoint as she watched us play and later on our stateroom verandah.  The weather started off a little cool in the early morning but by 10:00 AM had warmed up considerably and was quite nice.

Keith and Kelly playing against Ashley and Kelly's friends.

After Ashley and Kelly's friends left, Ashley, Kelly and Keith rotated and played singles.  Ashley after returning the serve.

We enjoyed lunch up at the Lido Cafe.  We each had a nice salad entree and enjoyed our lunch dining outside.  We had nice views of Grand Cayman along with the passenger cruise ships.

In the afternoon, Keith returned to the Paddle Tennis Court and played for a couple of hours.  There were several passengers who had just boarded the ship the other day in Miami who Keith had met on previous cruises who were also playing.  Anne Marie did her one hour walk in the afternoon and also sat out at the pool.

This evening we will dine at the Crystal Dining Room and we will post about this tomorrow.

TODAY'S THOUGHT FOR THE DAY.....


“When you have exhausted all possibilities, remember this: you haven’t.”  -  Thomas Edison

Keith and Anne Marie