World Cruise - A Sunday at Sea

It was a Sunday to remember for sure. We began the day with church services after breakfast. We’ve become Lutherans for the cruise but Ed Voorsen is very personable and makes all faiths feel welcome. He’s a great guitarist, amazing historian for hymns and has a wife, Ruth, who plays a beautiful flute to accompany his guitar while we sing. We’re also getting together whenever we can for singing and Bible study. Pastor Ed has to compete with the Rabbi on board for the space in the Saloon where we meet. Bob’s been to one of the Rapping With The Rabbi sessions and enjoyed that too.

As a celebration of our World Cruise, Crystal arranged for a themed day. At midday there was a Paris-themed brunch buffet in the main atrium with all sorts of decorations including the Ark De Triumph and the Eiffel Tower. Cabaret singers belted French songs while guests filled their plates with all sorts of food. We went as light as possible knowing that dinner would be special as well.

Our afternoon was spent with paddle tennis, writing, reading and getting some walking in and the day passed quickly. All the days seem to be passing quickly which was exactly what I feared. We waited two years for this cruise and it seems to be flying by all ready. 

We took time out for tea in the afternoon since we were told of a special visit from King Neptune and his wife. They proclaimed safe passage for all Pollywogs on board the ship. A Pollywog is someone who has never crossed the equator before. It was estimated that we would cross around 2 AM. We weren’t staying up for it.

Dinner was excellent. Anytime Bob and I can enjoy perfectly cooked rack of lamb it is a treat. But the biggest treat was yet to come. Crystal had prepared a special evening of music by the artist Edith Piaf. Her music was performed mainly by Christine Andreas and Martin Silvestri. The orchestra and string quartet were combined to accompany the songs. The staging was spectacular and the bits of history that were presented all lent to a perfect combination of song, dance, and music. Let me tell you, Christine Andreas has a glorious voice. While we felt privileged to hear this special evening’s presentation, it was sad to know that it will not be continued as a regular production for Crystal. It was a wonderful show and will not be forgotten.

A couple of turns around the Promenade Deck finished our day and we turned in for the night eager to see what the next day would hold.

World Cruise - Panama Canal

Many guests aboard the Crystal Serenity were up and about by 6 AM on Saturday, January 24. The ship was awaiting its turn to enter the Gatun Locks and begin its journey through the Panama Canal from the Caribbean to the Pacific. Those in stateroom 7057 were not. Our alarm was not due to go off until 7:30. We’d been through the canal three times already and while it is always a treat, we weren’t going to get up early and worry about prime seating (or standing) for the best view.

Much to our chagrin, we could hear the canal commentator start up his talk just a little before seven even though it was only being piped to the outside decks and common areas. Our cabin is on the Promenade Deck so the speakers were right outside our window. We gave up and decided to start the day.

We could watch the progress on our room’s television as the ship neared the locks and the TV channel with the camera view also had the commentary running so it was almost like being outside only without the heat and humidity. The morning air wasn’t too bad yet so we ventured out on the back of the Lido Deck with our plates of food from the morning buffet. We had a prime view albeit from the back and not the front of the ship. Actually it is just as fascinating no matter what side you are on.

There are few places where gravity is truly appreciated. One of those is in the operation of the canal locks. We watched the locks close and saw the perspective of the landscape change as our ship was raised by the water that was gravity-fed into the lock where our ship was held in place by the “mules” on either side. The mules are mechanical train-like critters that hold the lines from the ship and move it from one lock to the other and finally out. There are several on each side of the ship and they follow a railroad track up and down the locks as the ship goes through each.

The Gatun Lake is 85 feet higher than the Caribbean or the Pacific so in order to cross the area ships need to be raised as they enter and then lowered as they exit. The area of Panama that is crossed while on the lake is a lush green jungle—a tribute to the challenges that were presented when the canal was originally built in the early 1900s. It is a fascinating story and well worth looking into if you are at all interested. Did you know that in the process they discovered how to get rid of malaria? And because of the way Panama is situated, to travel west to the Pacific you actually go southeast?

Once through the Gatun Locks, we went on about the business of enjoying the ship’s venues during the day including tea time in the Palm Court which was probably the best attended tea that there will be the rest of the voyage since the Palm Court was prime seating to view the passage through the canal.

Something we hadn't noticed on our other trips through the canal was that there is a one lane road attached to the outside of the lock somehow. We didn't see it coming in but wondered why all the buses and cars were lining up. When the doors had closed as we were into the second lock, we saw the traffic coming up from the opposite side as if they'd gone through a tunnel and then realized that somehow there was a road behind the lock doors. Ah, next time we'll be more observant.

One of the things we were most interested in was the progress being made on the new locks that will hold larger ships. We could see some new structures near the Gatun Locks and as we neared the Mariflores Locks at the Pacific end, we could see lots of construction vehicles moving back and forth in the distance. It was difficult to actually see what was there but the commentator said they expected the new locks to be done in 2016.

It is always amazing to pass the visitors’ center and see the hundreds of people on the outside balconies waving and cheering as you pass by. It never gets old. Once through the Mariflores Locks in late afternoon, we stayed in the Palm Court as others began ending their long day and returning to their staterooms to dress for the evening. Even though it was beginning to rain it was still spectacular to view the huge skyscrapers of Panama City in the distance and pass under the Bridge of the Americas. Once through, we too ended our Canal Day and returned to our stateroom to get ready for an evening of dining and entertainment. Ah, tough life but someone’s gotta do it. Right?

 

[Note: For you American Idol fans, our night’s entertainment was Lou Gazzara, one of the youngest contestants to make it to the TV finals. I think he said it was the second season. Wow! What a voice! Who beat him?]

Through My Lens - Columbia

Wordless Wednesday

World Cruise - Cartagena, Columbia

When we began to book our excursions, we had to make some choices based on saving money. Since we’d been to Cartagena several times before, we opted out of any excursions. We had hoped that there might be a shuttle to the entrance to the old town area but there was no such luck. The shuttle took passengers to the cruise terminal gate which was a short distance from the ship. The reason for the shuttle was merely a matter of safety as we were docked in a container shipping area and it would have been hazardous to walk any distance from the ship.

We were comfortable with staying on the ship for the day. Somehow our first week just seemed really too busy. Too many people to meet, too many welcome parties, too many activities to do. It reminded me a lot of the first time we cruised and tried to do everything on the schedule. We came home exhausted.

Statue of Virgin Mary in harbor.

Instead of touring, we enjoyed the paddle tennis, the pool, and the lounge chairs and relaxed. We met up for lunch (Oh, did you think we were together all day?) and returned to our activities for the afternoon, paddle tennis and reading.

Three in the afternoon was sail away time and we enjoyed standing out on the Promenade Deck and watching the ship move away from the dock to the strains of “It’s a Wonderful World.” I think by the end of three months, we’ll know all the words.

Our evening began early and we enjoyed a beverage in the Palm Court which is at the front and near top deck of the ship. The sun was getting lower in the sky and shimmering on the water. I turned to Bob and smiled. “This is what I signed on for.”

A little later, we were in the Pulse Lounge (the disco on board which we’ll probably never enter for dancing) to watch a magic show. The Magic Castle in Los Angeles has provided a magician for each segment of the cruise and the shows are only for 25 people at a time. It is close up slight of hand and is fascinating. In deference to our grandson who says there is no such thing as magic, we can only call this slight of hand. But very entertaining.

World Cruise - Santa Marta, Columbia

The Sierra Mountains are a beautiful backdrop to Santa Marta

Blow the horn! Step on the gas! 

Blow the horn! Step on the gas! 

So went our bus tour of Santa Marta, Columbia. This was a new port for Crystal Cruise Lines so we were pioneering in a sense. The town was much larger than I expected from the information I’d gained online but it was still Columbia and all that goes with a Latino culture.

The hotel area of Santa Marta

Many of my pictures of the town itself had to be taken through the window of the bus which wasn’t always a clear shot through a window that may have been clean earlier in the morning but now was a bit spattered with dust. Everything looked dusty in Santa Marta. It was their dry season. The only thing really green was the cactus growing plentifully on the hillsides.

We passed several large churches and a beautiful cathedral that would have been fun to look at from the inside if there had been time and if we had been brave enough to venture out on our own.  I had to chuckle as the guide explained that the bars on the windows were there so that they could open the windows and allow the homes to “refresh with clean air.” There was nothing mentioned about safety and the bars certainly wouldn’t have kept out birds or smaller animals.

Lots of stands selling all sorts of things from shoes to drinks dotted the streets. We drove past a nice boardwalk area that bordered the beach front and it looked like lots of people were enjoying themselves in the sun and surf.

Blow the horn! Step on the gas! Okay, the brakes worked too! ‘Nuf said.

About five miles up a small mountain to the other side, we found the hotel area where a whole new community had sprung up according to our guide. From a distance they looked very nice and once we were among them, we could see that they were busy with people who were obviously on holiday. Another nice beachfront area bordered the sea here and was full of all sorts of cabanas for those who could afford to pay $10 or so to keep out of the sun.

Originally our tour was to take us to a fishng village but for some reason our itinerary was changed. I’m guessing perhaps there were too many who were going to invade the little village and it would have been overwhelmed. So instead, we were taken to the Quinta de San Pedro Alejandrino. It is the place where Simon Bolivar, the great liberator, died on December 17, 1830.

Simon Bolivar was instrumental in winning freedom for Venezuela, Columbia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia from the Spanish Empire and is credited with helping to lay a foundation for democracy in much of Latin America.

The Hacienda has been made into a beautiful park area and furnishings and memorabilia can be seen in the rooms. It is also home to some good looking iguanas that scurried up trees to get a better view of us. 

One of the interesting pieces we saw in a large room was a press that at first I thought was for grapes. Our guide informed us it was used to squeeze juice from sugar cane and then the juice would be made into rum.

Blow the horn! Step on the gas! By the time we got back to the ship I felt like my neck had gotten a good workout. We opted to stay on the ship for the afternoon. There really wasn’t much we wanted to go back to see and our comfort zone along with the heat of the afternoon said “no.” 

World Cruise - Entertainment And Education

Michael Bacala

One of the best things about cruising is the nightly entertainment and it has been outstanding during our first week. It has included a violinist, Michael Bacala from Poland, who can make the most beautiful sounds come from his violin--notes I never knew a violin could make. Elio Pace, a pianist from Great Britain, woke things up with quite an energetic night of popular music. Marc Paul, a magician and mind reader from Great Britain, blew minds with the amazing act of mind reading he did. And believe it or not, I actually was able to sit through a whole evening of a comedian's performance and eagerly go back for a second night. John Joseph, from NYC, was a tremendous talent. He has the intelligence and quick wit to work an audience and be funny in his delivery without being crude. I'm sorry that he won't be on the whole cruise with us. Of course there was also a show of Billy Joel's music accompanied by the band and ship's singers and dancers. We saw the show a couple of years ago as they had just put it together and performed it for the first time during that cruise. I didn't like it back then but they have really updated it and made it much more entertaining than it first was.

Owen Ullman

The mornings and afternoons at sea are filled with the opportunity to listen to the guest lecturers on board. Jack McManus is giving several talks on social media, what it is and its role in our lives. Owen Ullman, a reporter with USA Today, is speaking on a variety of world affairs topics. Bill Miller, who we have heard speak before, is lecturing again on the history of cruise liners. Jay Wolfe is the destinations lecturer and after speaking about the history of the Caribbean, he has begun to talk about the history of the Panama Canal.

Add to all of this all the other activities associated with the spa (nutrition, skin care, exercise programs), the needlework/knitting classes, the bridge classes, the computer classes, the music classes. . .the list goes on. It can be overwhelming but we learned long ago that it's not a good idea to try to do it all. Pick and choose is the rule and leave time to relax and enjoy the views. As I write this, I'm in the Palm Court looking out at the harbor of Santa Marta in Columbia. It's peaceful and cool--outside is very hot and humid. I will have to put the computer away soon though. They're getting ready for tea time. Don't want to miss the scones.

Through My Lens - Curacao

World Cruise -- Curacao

How many times have we been to Curacao? I’ve lost count but we love the port even though some on board made fun of it. It is not nearly as chaotic as St. Thomas (Charlotte Amalie) and you aren’t overwhelmed with insistent hawkers of goods and services like at St. Lucia and other places. The architecture is quaint. It’s Dutch and colorful and reminds me of the Netherlands a little.

There are several canals running through the town and the main one has a pedestrian bridge that connects one side with the other. It floats and moves back and forth to allow for ship traffic to pass through. There is also a ferry that makes a quick two minute trip back and forth in case you don’t want to wait for the bridge if it’s open.

We chose to explore a different section along the main canal and one side canal and were excited to find the local market. We didn’t venture into the large building that I’m sure housed many more stands but preferred to check out the ones that were out in the sunshine and fresh air—fresh except for the scent of fresh fish being scaled and cleaned.

The fruits and vegetables which we found out later came from Venezuela (about 40 miles away by boat) were beautiful. I don’t think I’ve seen more perfect bananas in a long time. We asked what the long root vegetable was and found out it was cassava, a staple of the Caribbean diet. Apparently it can be made many different ways including grated and dried to use in bread.

The boats that lined the canal must have gone to Venezuela and then returned with their cargo. The stands were set up in front of each boat lining the street.

We wandered about some more and crossed the bridge again to get back to the side where our ship was docked. On a previous visit we were docked near a nice mall area with some lovely restaurants and shops and we headed in that direction. Enjoying the shade, we strolled and window shopped and people watched.

All in all our morning walk was about three miles according to my Map My Walk app. Of course it took longer than the hour and fifteen minutes the app recorded because I paused it each time we stopped to look at something or rest from the heat.

Back on the ship in time for lunch and an afternoon of paddle tennis. This guy of mine is going to be in some great shape by the time he gets home again. I prefer to get my exercise “promenading” on the Promenade Deck and turning pages on my Kindle.

World Cruise - Safety At Sea

On one of our early days at sea, the captain came up with a great idea. He proposed showing the guests what the crew experiences when they first come on board and need to learn about safety aboard the ship. I’m sure there is lots more training that goes on but we got to see several demonstrations and the film that is shown to new crew members.

The film gave an overall view of things from a crew perspective and what they were to do should there be an emergency at sea. Once we viewed the twenty minute film which reminded many of us of those safety films on airplanes but this was much more specific covering things like reporting a man overboard, using a fire extinguisher, reporting emergencies, etc.

When the film was finished, the doctors (we have three on board) went over again the importance of hand washing and the symptoms of the Noro virus. They stressed the importance of catching it quickly and staying in isolation for a couple of days to assure it has less chance to spread. The doctor said that at least on a world cruise you are only missing a few days of a long voyage. Many cruisers complain about isolation if they are on a shorter cruise. The captain pointed out that if the virus is not quickly contained to the few who might get it, the whole ship would have to be emptied and wiped down. A process none of us would appreciate.

Captain Egil Giske oversees safety demonstration

From the movie theater, we moved to a back corridor of the ship where it was closed off and there was theatrical smoke they filled the corridor with as you walked through. The crewman kept telling us we needed to get low as if we were in a real situation. I said if it was real I’d crawl but there was no way I was going to do it this time around. While it got very dark and was nearly impossible to see, the comforting part was that you could clearly see the line of lights to follow and the crewman showed us how they go up the wall to indicate an escape door.

Out of the smoke, we headed for the back of the ship where they were demonstrating the fire equipment. We watched two of the three types of extinguishers they used for fires. 

There is one that is a fine water spray, one that is CO2 for electrical, and a fine powder spray that was for flaming liquids and of course, the fire hose. The crewman in charge of the demonstration was very detailed and pointed out that should anyone ever need to use one of the fire extinguishers they needed to keep their face away from the top when they pulled the plug and popped the button. Sure enough when another crewman demonstrated, the fire extinguisher jumped about six inches in the air.

Food rations.

From the back of the ship we went starboard to look inside one of the lifeboats and see all the equipment that was stored in them. Medical kits, all sorts of ways to signal for a rescue, water, and then with a smile, the crewman held up a small box that was about nine inches square and maybe three inches thick. He told us how many kilograms of energy it held (calories) and that it would last a few days at least. “But not as tasty as the dining room food.”

Our last stop was at the pool on Deck 12. The crew had inflated one of the rafts that are used as well. The outside said it could hold 25 people but it would be cozy I think. The idea was to show us how if the raft was overturned, it would right itself. The problem was, try as they may, the crewmen in the water couldn’t get it to turn upside down. That was comforting enough.

It was a really great morning and if we had ever needed a confidence booster for our safety that was it. Those in charge obviously know what they’re doing. It would be a great activity to continue on other cruise ships. 

Wordless Wednesday

Through My Lens -- Santa Domingo Gardens

World Cruise - Santa Domingo, Dominican Republic

We’ve been to the Dominican Republic on another cruise. I remembered getting off the ship to explore and getting right back on the ship. I don’t remember the name of the port but it was nothing like what we found in Santa Domingo.

On our way to breakfast, we stopped for a picture of the city. The Spanish style architecture punctuated the skyline above the wall that surrounded the old part of the city directly across from where we were docked.

Christopher Columbus discovered the island in 1492 (when he was out sailing the ocean blue). Actually the little rhyme I learned in school wasn’t far off. The Atlantic Ocean was called the Ocean Sea then. He named the island La Isla Espanola for the Spanish monarch who financed the Italian’s explorations. The island of Hispaniola, as it is now known, is occupied by both the Dominican Republic and Haiti. It was Columbus’ brother, Bartholomew, who actually settled Santo Domingo and it remains the oldest continuously inhabited European settlement in the Americas.

There were lots of old historic buildings to explore if you were a mind to but we chose to take an excursion that would get us out in the open and walking—at least that’s what we hoped. We didn’t read the fine print, I guess. The panoramic part of our tour took us past several historic buildings and many of the newer ones all described aptly by our guide who spoke very good English.

Arriving at the National Botanical Gardens that we were to explore, we discovered that it would be by an open air tram that ran through the park. It took several tries to get people situated and then we ended up taking a different train that held more people to accommodate our group. A few were exasperated with the organization and opted to do a little exploring on their own. I wish we’d joined them but then we would have missed the fun.

People are a hoot if you don’t take them too seriously. One lady just kept tapping her iPhone at all the “glorious vegetation.” To me it looked like the jungle with lots of palm trees, bamboo trees and vines everywhere clamoring to get more sun. A muddy stream that looked polluted was declared to be a beautiful brook. I looked twice to be sure I hadn’t missed something.

Then the driver warned us that the train would begin to move fast. A siren sounded and we took off at a dizzying speed of probably 20 mph for about three minutes then slowed as our guide kept naming the different trees we passed.

The highlight was to be a Japanese garden which was very nicely planted and trimmed and dotted with appropriate Japanese statuary as well as the token bridge. As one man said, there weren’t any original Japanese plants there.

The most beautiful part of the park was actually the entrance where a stone design in the paving made a nice pattern and the water fountains and plantings that were blooming created a pastoral area where you could sit and enjoy the lovely cool breeze that chased the heat.

On our way back to the ship, much to our chagrin, the guide took us to a shopping mall for “immersion into the culture.” The mall was very upscale. Cartier, Louis Vuitton, Nike, and other familiar names graced the six floors of the mall. It was quite a contrast to the mostly poor areas we had driven through and continued on through as we caught a glimpse of Chinatown. People were hanging their laundry from the bars that covered their windows. The bars we were assured were not because of crime but were there to allow fresh air to flow through the homes as the windows were kept open.

It was a very interesting morning. We arrived back at the ship just in time to grab some lunch and meet some new friends that we seemed to be running into at the same table each afternoon. The afternoon ahead would be spent at paddle tennis and blogging. I needed to catch up on some work while the ship was stationary and the internet not as busy.