Blue Ocean, Fresh Breeze, Clean Sea Air. Heavenly!

 

Our first two days out of Miami on the Crystal Serenity are sea days. We love them especially this time after all we have gone through and worried over to come to this point in time. The previous evening was a wonderful dinner of a seared ahi tuna appetizer followed by coconut crusted chicken, mashed potatoes (shaped like a log) with white and green asparagus lined up on it. I chuckled as it reminded me of "ants on a log" the celery with peanut butter and raisins. Fresh fruit for dessert and then we were off to listen to music in the Cove and on to a spectacular show in the Galaxy.

There are only a little over 300 guests aboard on a ship that normally carries 900. Lots of opportunity to space yourself apart in the theater. For the most part people are wearing masks although some carry a drink with them to use as an excuse to not wear one. We are all wearing trackers that look like watches (see my earlier post about these). It's required to enter any venue. Temperatures are taken each night before entering the main dining room. For the most part the precautions do not take away from the cruising experience.

Our show the first night featured the singers and dancers that are still onboard. Many of the crew who were in quarantine from the last voyage when there was an outbreak have been left in Miami. Hopefully the cruise line is taking good care of them there. The dancers did an Irish River Dance number that was

absolutely amazing. High energy and precision. 

We slept well. Who wouldn't after the relief from all the stress of getting here? Our day at sea was filled with great activity including our daily 3 1/3 times around the Promenade Deck (one mile). There is a tennis pro onboard who gave Paddle Tennis lessons. There may be some good tips there to apply to Pickleball as well. 

Thankful for a veranda, I spent time out on it with my computer blogging and even managing to write a whole three lines for my new novel. Lunch was terrific with steamed mussels and a small piece of roast lamb with a small salad. We looked forward to a dinner of caviar and lobster that did not disappoint.

The afternoon for me offered a chance to be creative at a watercolor art class while Bob played more Paddle Tennis. Normally the lecturers would attract us but they seemed to have some heavy topics this time and we were enjoying the opportunity to be outdoors with the sunny skies and fresh breezes. 

Our show for the evening was one we had missed on our November cruise. James Fox is a frequent entertainer onboard and did a Billy Joel program called "My Life". I'm so glad we didn't miss it this time although with all the outdoor activity and the satisfying meals, we were both a little  sleepy. After a short walk around the Promenade Deck in our evening clothes (did I mention it was black tie night?) we slipped into bed, smiling and sighing. It had been a great day. Sadly there are only 127 of those left to enjoy on this cruise.