Pictures and video

Finally got around to sorting through my pictures of the trip.  You can find them here.

I also put a video together.  It's a bit long but I put everything into one so this is it.  I suggest watching in HD if possible.  The video is here.

So that's it.  A short update today.  Until next year, thanks for reading!

Done

Here's a picture of the sailaway from Madiera.  These are a few of the uninhabited islands just outside Funchal.

It was a relaxing day at sea yesterday.  It wasn't hot, but the sun came out from time to time and the wind was down so it was nice to sit out.  The seas looked calm but the ship was really moving, I'm not sure why.  Perhaps something to do with the slower speed?  I talked to people that put the motion sickness patch on for the first time yesterday.

Woke this morning docked in Lisbon.  It was grey and a bit of rain.  My bus left at 9 for the airport so it didn't feel too rushed.  And disembarking was a breeze, another benefit of the size of the ship.  The ship really is great, pretty much the perfect size.  Lots to do and enough room to have a large promenade deck to run or walk, but small enough to not feel at all crowded. It definitely beats the larger ships. Crystal too was better in many ways.  Food, accommodations, entertainment, the all inclusive nature was all excellent.  There were many people on the ship that only go on Crystal.  Not sure I would go that far but I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it.

 

Madiera

Yesterday morning, around 8 am, we docked in Funchal, Madiera.  It’s very odd to open the curtains and see lights and buildings after 7 days at sea.  It’s equally odd to try walking on land which I tried to in the morning.  I was sure the island was moving!  Funchal is a very nice town, clean, nice gardens and shops.   

I had a tour leaving at 1215 so came back to the ship to have a bite to eat before getting in the bus.  I probably wouldn’t have considered the bus tour but I had some shipboard credit that I figured I would use.  I chose a tour that would see some different scenic parts of the Island and it was worth it.  It’s a very diverse island, one moment tropical, and the next a forest. It’s also extremely hilly making for some tight fits for our bus.  There are no beaches, except for one very small man-made beach.  So tourism is more of the relaxing or hiking variety.

We stopped at a restaurant in the forest which is a national park.  And had a drink of Poncha, a rum, lemon drink.  Very strong!   

After 5 stops we went back to the ship for sailaway at 5.  I had dinner in Silk Road, the Asian restaurant.  Very good and a nice change of pace.

As a side note, I finished reading Steve Jobs biography the other day.  While I knew some of the story, I didn’t know what a jerk he was.  Really make you wonder if you have to be that way to be successful.  I hope not.

It’s the last day today as we sail to Lisbon.  I dread the packing and the early morning tomorrow but ready to head home. We are now heading north east and doing just 14 knots on two engines.  While there is some movement on the ship, when I look out, we are going so much slower than before it looks like we are hardly moving. 

Galley tour

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Yesterday I went on a tour of the galley which was very interesting.  It was in between lunch and dinner so it wasn't too busy yet. There were many people who attended so they broke us into groups of 10 or so.  I was in the last group which was led by the executive  chef, Franz Weiss.

When that was done, the Glenn Miller band was playing in the atrium.

 The seas got rougher as the day went on and I have to admit it got to me.  I left dinner early so I could lie down.  We lost the last of the 5 hours so it would have been an early night for me anyway.  This morning the winds are stronger and there is lot's of rolling and pitching on the ship.  It will be nice to get on firm land tomorrow.  It should be a nice day, though not hot tomorrow in Madiera with a forecast high of 16. As of 9 am we were less than 400 miles to the port.  We slowed down over the last two days from close to 21 knots down to 18.  I take that to mean that we were ahead of schedule and could pull back on the gas a little bit.

This morning they are setting up for a large sunday brunch in the atrium.  It's partly cloudy but quick beautiful when the sun is out.  Very windy though on the port side of the ship. And yes, google seems to have fixed the issue with uploading photos.

Saturday update

Yesterday was stunning weather.  Everyone was outside enjoying it, from the pool, to the promenade deck to the paddle tennis courts.  Paddle tennis is tennis but with a different racquet.  It’s smaller, and doesn’t have strings, more like a table tennis racquet.  I was invited to play with two of my table mates and soon got into a game of doubles when a tiny man joined us.  He was introduced as Mr T and I quickly found out how competitive he was when he made a hard shot directly at me when I came to the net.  Didn’t see that coming from him!  We ended up winning the set.

To use up some on board credit I booked a massage at 430.  They sold me on a “Thai Poultice” massage.  They heat up these herb bags and pound them on a part of your body before stretching and massaging the area.  At one point I think she was trying to tie my legs like a pretzel.  Not sure if was the herbs but I felt dazed for a couple of hours after that treatment!

Dinner in Prego was very good.  I sat next to a woman who is a sister of Meg Mallon.  Golfers will know who that is.  After dinner the show was called “Rocket Man”, a tribute to Elton John.  The fellow playing Elton not only sounded like him but looked like him.  It was well done.

We lost another hour overnight and I woke to cloudy skies again.  The Captain said we might have some clear spots today but I’m thinking it looks like another dreary day unfortunately.  But there is a galley tour at 430 which might be very interesting.  I’m sure it will be popular.

Sunshine at last!

The sun came out in full force yesterday around 3pm.  Finally.  It made for an idyllic setting.  I lied out in the sun for a bit but it was so nice I decided to walk again on the deck.  Along with the 5km I did in the morning, I did another 4.  I felt less guilty for eating all the cheese.

Still can't find a way to upload photos.  I think that blogger has a bug at the moment.  I found some errors are generated by the browser. Here is a link to a few photos:

https://picasaweb.google.com/106300797497387605663/April52013?authkey=Gv1sRgCO3BuPG_hIuXoQE

Going to the Prego for dinner tonight.  It's an Italian restaurant that everyone is saying great things about.  I've been enjoying the food in the main dining room but a change of scenery will be nice.

As I mentioned, Crystal is all inclusive.  But there could be a wide variance in terms of how they make the all inclusive.  I have to say that Crystal is very generous.  Spirits for example, include high end brands, Grey Goose vodka, McCallan scotch for example.  The wine with dinner last night was a very nice Bordeaux.  I certainly haven't had any desire to pay for something better than what is already included.

As a result, I still have lots of on board credit to use.  I booked a massage for later today to use some of it up.

We lose our 4th hour tonight.

April 4

The sun came out for only an hour or so.  I ate lunch outside during that time which was very pleasant.  It was an  Asian themed lunch and it was very good.  By the time I changed to go out and lie in the sun, it was again cloudy.  Still, I stayed outside and read for a while.  I started to realize I was getting covered in salt from the spray even though I was in a sheltered area.  I went for a jog which was a real workout on the windy side of the ship…really hard to make progress.  It’s really humid too so I felt like I had a good workout.

I sat in an Adobe photoshop class yesterday.  I have played around with some photo editing tools but never felt like purchasing this product so I thought it would be a chance to play around with it.  It was a very beginner class.  I knew it when the instructor was saying things like “Ok, now RELEASE the mouse button!”  I’m sure it was very useful for some and only took 45 minutes.

One thing I have got to stop doing though is indulging in a late afternoon snack of cheese.  The Bistro is a small coffee bar that has pastries and cheese out every day.  The cheeses are some of the best I've had but very rich.   Couple that with the gnocchi in Gorgonzola sauce I had for dinner last night and I really should be running for an hour today!

An interesting thing happened yesterday.  I was sitting just off the atrium having a glass of wine around 6pm.  I had brought my camera and was taking photos of the atrium and the bar area.  A woman walks over to me and asks if I had sailed on Azamara Journey’s transatlantic  last year because she remembered me taking pictures.  I said I had but did not recognize her at all.  Now I might feel self conscious taking pictures!

Seas are slightly calmer this morning so it's quite comfortable on board.  

Wednesday update

We had rain and thunderstorms most of the day yesterday so it was in indoors day for the most part though I did walk for half an hour later in the day when it was just drizzling.  The promenade deck on Crystal Serenity is very wide allowing walkers and joggers to coexist.  Part of it is covered so it is possible to walk when it is raining without getting soaked.  One lap on the deck is surprisingly long given the smallish size of the ship.  2.09 laps for one km compared to 1.9 laps on the QM2 which is more than twice the size.  It doesn’t quite add up to me except that the deck here really goes right out the edges of the ship whereas the QM2 has larger decks below it.  There are no deck chairs either on this promenade deck.  A bit of a shame for those that like to sit out and watch the sea go by.  On the plus side though, the deck is uncluttered and open for everyone.

Last night there was a comedian who performed before dinner.  He was very good.  As I walked back towards the restaurant there was a Dixie land band playing in the main lobby.  They were fantastic and drew a huge crowd.  I listened to a bit more of the Glenn Miller orchestra last night.  Again it was packed with people dancing.   The music on the ship is definitely bringing the energy level up.  And while none of it would be my first choice of music, when the musicians are good, it is very enjoyable.  When the people are in to it, it’s even more fun.

Our table at dinner is getting along well.  Two of us had spoken with the same lady throughout the ship who wasn’t enjoying her table.  We actually have 7 at a table for 8 so she joined us last night and I think she had a much better time.

We lost another hour so we are now two hours ahead of eastern time.  Unfortunately we lose one more again tonight.  It’s a major drawback of sailing east.  The weather started to clear around 10am and now at noon it’s partly cloudy and much brighter.  It’s warming up nicely too Seas are similar, some whitecaps and waves that give the ship some movement.  It’s been like this for most of the trip.

Day 2

I tried to upload some photos but I can’t get it to work for some reason.  And it’s too expensive to try to figure this out so will have to wait until I’m on land again.

Yesterday was a nice warm day.  I spent some time lying outside and manage to get a bit of a sunburn.  The aft of the ship has chairs out on most decks which turn out to be almost like private balconies, sheltered from the wind.  In the afternoon they were a perfect place to relax and lie out.    I don’t think most people know about this area, I hope it stays that way.  But today I won’t be using it.  Woke to thunder and lightning and now heavy rain.  I haven’t experienced that at sea before.  The seas look calmer but the Captain said they are now 6-7 which is slightly rougher than yesterday.  We are currently roughly between Bermuda to the north and Grand Turk to the south.  We are doing just over 20 knots.

This cruise is a big band theme cruise.  I went to a lecture yesterday on the “Battle of the Bands” which was an introductory talk about Duke Ellington, Count Basie and Glenn Miller.  This music was written for dancing, which I never really thought of but makes total sense.  Today’s version of the Glenn Miller band is on this cruise and played last night.  It was a big band, 15 pieces with 2 vocalists.  In general I’m not a big fan but they were great, and there was plenty of dancing.  I have met several people so far that have come on this trip for the dancing.  

Last night was also the first of two “black tie optional” evenings.  Crystal was considered a formal line but this is the first cruise on this ship that has started to change to a slightly less formal dress code.  But clearly people weren’t listening because most people were dressed formally, as did I.  It definitely adds a sense of occasion to the night, especially when you add in the music.