DAY 43 - EN ROUTE TO NOUMEA, NEW CALEDONA

Paula asked a few questions which we will answer first.  


We were asked whether we go to the Bistro which serves various coffees, teas and other beverages along with a light breakfast, lunch and other snacks throughout the day.  It is also just a nice meeting place.   When we used to have late seating we were more apt to go to the Bistro for an afternoon snack (also to an Afternoon Tea), but since we now have early dining we go there less frequently.  Instead, we have a mid-afternoon snack in our room of some fruit.
We always loved the Bistro and Crystal was the first ship we had ever sailed on that offered this type of venue which in many ways is like going to a local coffee shop on land but one that offers a substantially wider array of foods items and beverages than one would find in similar venues.


We have met some people there on occasion and coincidentally today we are meeting there with two members of the crew. We also go there from time to time to get a coffee or bottled water to go and will go there before a lecture to pick up a beverage.


We were asked if they allow smoking in the Crystal Lounge.  Many venues do not permit smoking anymore such as the Palm Court.  There are a couple of lounges such as the Crystal Cove where smoking is permitted in a small dedicated section of the lounge.  If we sit on the furthest side, Anne Marie, who is also allergic to smoke is not bothered by the smoke except on only a few occasions and when that happens we move to another area of the cove.  There are also many other lounges that we can always go to where smoking is prohibited.


We were also asked if there are still World Cruise events since we have not yet mentioned one.  The answer is yes.  On the World Cruise there are some special events that are for everyone on the cruise such as the one in Hawaii around the pool which included a special buffet and entertainment.  In the next couple of days there will be a special event for those doing the full World Cruise.  These range from a cocktail function to a couple of dinners on the ship to a couple of shoreside events.

We want to remind those of you in the USA that we are day ahead of you so be sure to keep that in mind as you read our posts and look at the itinerary.

We wanted to begin today's Blog starting with late yesterday afternoon.  Yesterday was a reminder that we are sailing at sea.  We were very fortunate to have calmer than normal seas as we sailed from Los Angeles to Hawaii and as we began to sail from Hawaii towards our next port of call in New Caledona.  The reality though is when you sail at sea you have to expect some rough seas from time to time.  Overall, while the seas did worsen we have sailed in far worse situations and we are doing fine.  


We applaud the steps the crew has taken for the safety of the guests and we will provide some examples of this in a moment.  We also want to compliment Captain Glenn.  The Captain took another route which although longer allows us to bypass some very stormy weather and rough seas and also the Captain has communicated with all of us about the weather situation in the morning and the afternoon and we have found his talks to be quite informative.  Throughout the cruise Captain Glenn has talked about the advantage of getting ahead of schedule so as he put it he had something in the "pocket" should we encounter any delays and twice he has used what is in the pocket and this included the other evening when they needed to slow down to almost 5 knots per hour to do some service in the middle of the night and in this situation when a more lengthly route was required.  


As an example of the sea conditions, we were notified yesterday afternoon that the party that we were invited to at the Captain's Quarters was cancelled due to rough seas and that it would be rescheduled for another date. By late yesterday afternoon the seas became fairly choppy as Captain Glenn had forecasted and we had moments of heavy rain.


Before dinner last evening Captain Glenn made an announcement about the weather situation.  He advised that we would have periods of rough seas during the evening but that the weather should improve at around Midnight.  As usual, the Captain was correct. We did have some moments when the ship shook so it was good that the Captain warned everyone about this.  It had some of the same shaking that one might encounter with turbulence on an airplane.  In fact, after the Sommelier opened our bottle of red wine for us at dinner, we had him keep it at his station rather than on the table just to be on the safe side should it fall.  He did have a moment that required a little extra attention on his part as he was pouring the wine last evening.  Also when one was walking it had that feeling of having one glass to many of wine or some other item with alcohol.  


The good news is that there were no mishaps.  


Because of the sea conditions the location of some events were changed or cancelled and replaced with something else.  For example, the production shows (an early and a late show) scheduled for last evening were cancelled as it can be too challenging and even dangerous for the dancers and it was replaced with a pianist.  The afternoon tea which is located very forward on Deck 12 where one can really fell the movement of the ship was moved to the Crystal Dining Room.


In spite of the weather situation, we enjoyed dinner last evening at the Prego Italian Restaurant with friends Linda and John.  Our waiter was Costa who we normally have when we dine at Prego.  We first met John and Linda in 2007 and have sailed with them several times since that time including on the 2008 and 2010 World Cruises.  Their dining room table is the next one over from ours in the Crystal Dining Room.

Anne Marie had the Caesar Salad and Keith had his standing order salad.  


We each had the fish entree that was in addition to the normal menu and it was a beautifully prepared swordfish entree.  It was very tasty and cooked to perfection.  Keith also had a side order of vegetables.  The vegetables that accompanied the swordfish were terrific as well.  Most times when we dine at Prego we listed to the two additional entree items that the waiter describes and if one is a fish entree we usually go for that one as our experience is that they are "out of this world".    We have never gone wrong with this approach.


This photo shows the swordfish entree.

For dessert, Anne Marie enjoyed a decaffeinated cappuccino while Keith had a fruit plate.


It was a fun night with lots of great conversation with friends John and Linda.  They will be getting off the ship in Sydney and then they will go to Maui where they will spend close to three weeks.  


Prego was not too busy which was nice so it was even quieter than if a larger crowd was there.   That was probably a good thing for the waitstaff given the additional challenges of serving a meal and for those in the kitchen in preparing the meals given the rocking of the ship.


Although we did not dine in the Crystal Dining Room these are the dinner menus from last evening.  The theme was Neptune Dinner.

When we arrived back to our room there were two World Cruise shirts on our bed for the each of us along with a nice card from World Cruise Hostess Elise Levy.  The shirts coordinate perfectly with the beautiful jackets that we received the first day of the cruise. Each of us also received a certificate for crossing the Equator.

These shirts are beautiful and we look forward to wearing them.

Before going to bed last night we set the clocks back one hour and will do that again this evening as we continue to travel into new time zones.

We slept very well last evening in spite of the movement of the ship.  While not as rocky as last evening, each of us did awake to more movement of the ship than usual.

As usual Keith was up first and when he arrived to the Fitness Center there was a sign outside the door that noted that the center was closed until further notice due to the weather conditions.  While disappointed, we fully understand this given that the risk of someone hurting oneself on one of the machines due to the choppy seas.

When he got back to the room he did the laundry and then checked again to see if the Center was open.  It was still closed.  Keith then read and wrote and as they say the third time is a charm so when he went back up to the Center at around 5:30 AM it was open.  Great news!

Keith was able to get in his normal workout and with a later workout start he saw the sun rise and saw and spoke with several other guests.  He called down to the room so that Anne Marie could wake up and come up for her workout.

As we do on sea days we enjoyed breakfast in the room as we watched the daily show.  Cruise Director Rick Spath mentioned that he has added a Liar's Club to this leg since so many guests were asking about it.  He also reminded everyone that the Super Bowl would be shown on a special feed and that it will begin at around 10:00 AM ship time on Monday morning when we are in New Castle, Australia.  Kickoff time will be at around 10:35 AM.   It will be shown not only on the stateroom television sets but also in the Hollywood Theatre and that there will be popcorn, hotdogs and whatever else the chef's can whip up.

During Captain Glenn's morning talk he mentioned that because of the route we took that we were about 2 hours behind schedule for our arrival to Noumea, New Caledona.  The Captain mentioned that he was looking into alternatives to try to improve on the schedule and he would be back in communication with everyone.  He noted that the wind speed had been 55 knots or 65 miles per hour and if we had not taken the alternative route that the winds would have been close to double those that we encountered.  We are very glad that the Captain chose the alternative route and we really appreciate all of the guidance that Captain Glenn provided to all of us with his updates from the bridge.

Captain Glenn concluded his morning talk with his thought of the day:

"Nobody made a greater mistake than a person who did nothing because he could only do a little bit."

There were many activities on the schedule as we continue to make our way to Noumea, New Caledona

We normally would have attended Rap With The Rabbi but we had a meeting with two members of the crew.  We did learn that the discussion was quite good and included a discussion about Kosher in the Jewish Religion.

From time to time Crystal will bring on celebrity chefs to do special cooking demonstrations and that is always interesting.  Today they mixed it up and had a couple of the on board chefs including Christian Kliche from Prego do a cooking demonstration showcasing food items from Prego and Executive Pastry Chef Harald Neufang.  We know both of them very well.  We always love the special fish items created by Christian along with some of those very special items created by the Pastry Chef.  If we could only prepare and cook fish the way they can. Wow!

Before joining Crystal Cruises Christian worked on other cruise lines including Seabourn and SeaDream.  Harald Neufang began work on land in 1981 and in 1989 became an executive chef at Royal Viking.  He began his career on the inaugural sailing of the Crystal Symphony in 1995.  Both chefs reside in Austria.

From Left to Right, Chef de Cuisine Prego, Christian Kliche and Executive Pastry Chef, Harald Neufang

A master at work creating scrumptious delicacies for us to enjoy

A photo of Anne Marie before the cooking demonstration began.

We had Team Trivia.  We answered eleven of fifteen questions correctly.

Captain Glenn updated everyone about our arrival into Noumea.  The good news is that he received approval to take an alternative route into Noumea and this will allow us to arrive on schedule tomorrow morning.  This was met with applause.

For lunch, we enjoyed another delicious salad entree.

In the afternoon, Keith returned to the Paddle Tennis Court and enjoyed games with several guests and also some members from the crew. He also got together with friend Bob and also read, and wrote.  Anne Marie walked the Promenade Deck for an hour, she did needlepoint up at the Palm Court with some of the other ladies and then sat out at the pool.  The weather is now quite nice.  It was just a little windy outside.

This evening we dine at the Crystal Dining Room.

Tomorrow we will visit Noumea for the very first time and after several days at sea we are looking forward to spending a little time on land.


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


“Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people.” – Eleanor Roosevelt


Keith and Anne Marie