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.

Arrival and first day at sea

My flights were on time and I arrived at Miami airport at 12:20.  The priority sticker on my luggage actually worked too and I was off in the taxi in no time.  Just my luck, I thought to myself, the one time everything is on time or early is the time that I can’t board until 2 pm.  But I got to the port and walked straight on the ship.  I was told that the rooms wouldn’t be ready until 3 so that would give me time to have some lunch.   

The plan was to go to the gym after lunch but as I was sitting having some lunch, a fellow came around offering Champagne.  Who was I to refuse?  And the strange thing was that even though I was drinking it,  it didn’t seem to go down!  

Just before 3 I went to my room.  It was ready and my bags were there.  I unpacked and feeling like I really should try to get a work out in, I went to the gym and did 30 minutes on the treadmill.  The lunch of Grilled Cheese and champagne did the trick as it was actually a decent workout.  Who knew?

The muster drill was scheduled for 8pm, in between the two sittings for dinner.  While I waited, I wandered around the  ship and out on to the promenade deck where I saw 4 dolphins swimming leisurely  next to the ship!  That was a nice treat.

The muster drill went as scheduled at 8.  We assembled and listened to the thorough instructions for passenger safety.  I found it to be quite well organized despite having it late in the evening after people have been drinking which caused a few more jokes and laughs than you would normally get. From there I joined my table for dinner in the main dining room.  I’m at a table for 8, and there were 7 of us there last night.  Three people have been on for several weeks taking part in some segments of the world cruise.  It was a nice group, though it can be hard to hear everyone at a larger table in a busy restaurant.

Food was excellent I have to say.  One dish was a mushroom tart on a puff pastry crust.  Fantastic.  Nice wine part of the complementary list washed it down nicely.

I was up at 8 this morning and went for breakfast at the lido restaurant.  I went outside to eat and had the place to myself. 

 It’s a nice morning though windy.  The Captain gave his morning update at 9am and said it was 23 degrees out.  He didn’t give a long term forecast but today looks nice.  There are small waves in the 4-6 foot range so there is some motion on the ship though nothing severe. 

Storm in the North Atlantic

Currently there is a huge storm system covering most of the northern Atlantic.  It is powerful, apparently producing some serious waves into the 25+ foot range.  Luckily taking a southerly route from Miami to Lisbon I'm hoping that we can avoid most of it.  Here is a site with a wave forecast, very interesting.

Atlantic Waves

Will be listening carefully for the Captain's forecast later today.

Just got to Toronto and proceeded through the US customs pre-clearance.  It's been a few months since I've been through so it was my first time using the new process.  No need to wait for checked bags anymore which is nice.  Though there a strange step where you wait, looking up for your name to appear on a TV screen.  It didn't take too long before mine showed up and could proceed through.  It seems to be based on my bags making it through so it should mean by bags are guaranteed to show up in Miami.  I hope so anyway!

My 9:15am flight to Miami looks like it is on time so should be landing around 12:30.  Embarkation for the ship isn't scheduled to start until 2pm but I will go straight to the port from the airport.  Departure from Miami is late as well, at 9pm.  Not sure why exactly but it makes for a pretty low stress travel day.  As I look at the Miami webcam at 7:30 am, the ship is there waiting for me.   

Miami Webcam

These webcams are great for watching ships sail out of the harbour, but given that it will be dark when we leave, not sure how great the views will be.

3rd Annual Crossing

Ah spring. Temperatures get warmer, snow starts to melt, soon flowers will be sprouting.  It's great time of year.  For me, it also a great time of year to spend a few days at sea!   Yes it's time for another transatlantic crossing.  This year I've selected another eastbound crossing, this time from Miami to Lisbon on Crystal Serenity.

Crystal is a small cruise line, sailing only two ships, Serenity and Symphony.  They are regarded as a luxury line and have consistently won awards as the top cruise line in the world.  The ships are mid to small size, especially when compared to the modern ships.  Serenity carries approximately 1000 passengers and approximately 68,000 gross tonnes.  It was recently featured on the show "Mighty Ships".  You can see the video here:
http://watch.discoverychannel.ca/mighty-ships-/season-6/mighty-ships-6-crystal-serenity/

Because the video in on Discovery Channel Canada, I'm guessing that you have to be in Canada to see it.  Sorry for those of you trying to view it from elsewhere.  The show has some great views of the ship, as well as some of the locations it sailed to on its 2012 world cruise.  Personally I think they played up the wealth of the passengers a bit much.  I know I sure don't fall into the ultra-rich category the show depicts as traveling on Crystal.  Crystal prices will be higher than the mainstream lines for sure, but there are deals to be had, such as this repositioning cruise.  They have also changed to be all inclusive as of last year so I won't have much else to buy on board, aside from the internet which sadly is still expensive. This crossing will have one stop on the way to Lisbon, in Funchal, Madiera.  Looks like a beautiful island that will be nice to explore.  Hoping for nice spring weather.

If you that want to get a glimpse of what the weather and seas are like during the crossing, Crystal has a great set of live webcams.  I added a permanent link on the top of the blog, or you can access it here.

http://www.crystalcruises.com/home.aspx?REDIR=1&LVID=3.

You can see port, starboard views as well as the bridge cam.  You can also view the computer room where I might be from time to time.

Departure is March 31st...the countdown is on.