Wellington, the Capital of NZ -新西兰首都 惠灵顿
Feb 23, 2020 (Day 33) - Wellington is the capital of New Zealand. We docked in the morning and then went on a shore excursion with ……
Day 33 – Feb 23
Wellington is the capital of New Zealand. We docked in the morning and then went on a shore excursion with Wellington Harbor & Sheep Station Visit. The coach bus took us along the coast line. We stopped at the oldest lighthouse in New Zealand. We visited a sheep station to see sheepdog demonstration. However, two sheepdogs there were in training so the demonstration was a bit disappointing.
After the tour, we strolled around the downtown area by ourselves. Wellington is beautiful and the weather was perfect in the afternoon after a windy morning. We visited the Parliament Buildings and the guided tour was full so we didn’t go inside the buildings. The famous Beehive building has an interesting architecture. We also saw the Government Building, one of the largest wood building in the world. Finally, we rode the cable car up to the hill to view the panoramic Wellington city.
Wellington, NZ
Art Deco Festival at Napier, NZ - 新西兰纳皮尔装饰艺术节
Feb 21-22, 2020 (Day 31-32) - Crystal Serenity arrived at Napier at 6:30 PM today. We were the first few in line to get off the ship. Napier was ……
Day 31-32– Feb 21-22
Crystal Serenity arrived at Napier at 6:30 PM today. We were the first few in line to get off the ship. Napier was destroyed by a devastating 1931 earthquake. It was rebuilt with art deco landmarks. The Art Deco Festival was held this weekend. The moment we got off the shuttle bus, we were fascinated by the hundreds vintage cars lined up along the waterfront and by the people dressed in Art Deco attires. Some of the people were also enjoying picnics on the lawn next to their cars. An airshow was also happening. People over there just know how to have fun. The city is well maintained and designed. We had a great time over there. We walked back from downtown to the ship.
Air show at Art Deco Festival at Napier
We stayed overnight at Napier. The next day, we joined a shore excursion to see a Gannet colony at Hawkes Bay over Cape Kidnappers. It was quite a long distance and a rough drive over rugged mountains. There were thousands of birds in the colony. The parent birds have golden heads while the baby birds have grey heads. Since the young ones can’t fly, they are fed by their parents. Some youths are the same size as their parents or even bigger. We took a lot of pictures.
After the tour, we went to the ship to have lunch and then went out to the town again. The town was filled with joy and festival air.
At Tauranga, NZ - 新西兰陶朗加
Feb 20, 2020 (Day 30) - Tauranga, New Zealand is a beautiful small resort town in the north island. It is also a birthplace of kiwifruit…….
Day 30 (Feb 20)
Tauranga, New Zealand is a beautiful small resort town in the north island. It is also a birthplace of kiwifruit. We also learned something about “kiwi” in New Zealand. The kiwi is the national bird. It can’t fly and it comes out at night. The Kiwi is the people of New Zealand. The fruit of the kiwi is called kiwi fruit. We had a wonderful shore excursion of “Redwoods Treewalk, Geothermal Reserve & Maori Home Visit”. California Redwoods were introduced to Tauranga 100 years ago. Redwoods are too soft to have any practical use so someone had the great idea to build a treewalk suspended high in the ancient redwoods. It is about 700 meter long and 20-40 meters high in air. It is a popular tourist place. It is our first time to do treewalk. We had a great time.
Redwoods Treewalk
Then we went to the Whakarewarewa Thermal Reserve to watch the soaring Pohutu Geysers. The geysers were wonderful but can’t compare to our own Yellowstone geysers. We also saw a kiwi living in a dark room within the conservation center.
The tour also took us to a Maori village to have a lunch in a Maori home. The village is located within the geothermal area. The steaming was everywhere. At some locations, they fenced out the boiling waters inside the holes on the ground. It was just fascinating. They prepared lunch on the steamers from the geothermal. After lunch, they had a traditional dance in the church for us. The Maori home visit definitely is one of the best experiences we have had so far.
AT A MAORI VILLAGE
We went out again after a quick late lunch. We did a walk around Maungatapu mountain. Tauranga also has impressive beach front houses. We also saw two stingrays.
Another day in Auckland - 在奥克兰的第二天
Feb 19, 2020 (Day 29) - The ship stayed overnight at Auckland. On the second day, we took a ferry to Waiheke Island, a beautiful wine ……
Day 29 - Feb 19
The ship stayed overnight at Auckland. On the second day, we took a ferry to Waiheke Island, a beautiful wine country. We bought the tickets for Explorer Hop on/off bus. We started the trip earlier. When we got off the ferry, the first Explorer Bus was still 30 mins away. We were told that the first stop, Oneroa Village, was 13 mins walking distance away. Instead of waiting for the bus to come, we decided to walk to the village. After about 13 mins walking, there was no sight of the village. We asked a local woman again and were told the village was just on the top of the road, another 15 mins away. Once we got to the village, the Explorer Bus stop was not clearly marked. After checking with several people, we finally found the bus stop. Fortunately, the bus was late and we were just in time to get on the bus. We rode the bus to Onetangi Beach.
The morning at the beach was beautiful. We walked on the beach little and took a few pictures. Then we ordered a latte from a restaurant on the beach. There was a lot of people there for breakfast and the service was slow. When the latte showed up, the next bus was already there. We hopped on the bus and got off at a seafood market to have a dozen oysters and a cup of raw fish salad. The oysters were very good. After a quick taste of seafood, we got on the bus again to visit an winery. The winery had a nice wine tasting room and a restaurant with a beautiful panoramic view of the bay. Instead of riding the bus back to the terminal this time, we walked back to the terminal following a hiking trail. The Waiheke Island was very beautiful and we wish we could spend more time there.
After back to the city, we went out again to see if we could buy a pair of Allbirds shoes in New Zealand since Allbirds shoes use New Zealand’s wool. Unfortunately, we didn’t buy one since the price is more expensive than in the States. We did have a coffee and pastry in the city.
At Onetangi Beach
Waiteke Island
Crystal Serenity at Auckland’s “the land of long cloud” terminal
Winery
Auckland, New Zealand - 新西兰奥克兰
Feb 18, 2020 (Day 28) - We docked at Auckland at 8:00 am today (Feb 18). After breakfast, we joined a free walking tour at 10:00 AM……
Day 28 - Feb 18
We docked at Auckland at 8:00 am today (Feb 18). After breakfast, we joined a free walking tour at 10:00 AM. Typically, the walking tour is free but they accepted tips or donations. Liz was our tour guide. She communicated well with a large group in a very noisy environment. She took us around the downtown area and talked about the culture and history of New Zealand. The walking tour lasted about three hours. We had done free walking tours in Chile before and found them informative and inexpensive. We really liked them. After the walking tour, we went back to the ship to have lunch.
After lunch, we hopped took an Uber to visit Auckland War Memorial Museum. Then we went to Mt Eden, the highest hill in the downtown area to have a panoramic view of Auckland. Again, we took an Uber to see the Yacht Club. There are hundreds of Yachts there. Many of them are on sale. It is the best season to buy boats in Auckland. We had dinner at Prego.
Mt Eden
After dinner, we went out again to experience night life near Princess Wharf. There are a lot of restaurants and bars. Then we went back to the ship to see the show. After all the activities today, we were exhausted and slept soundly.
Bay of Islands - 新西兰岛屿湾
Feb 17, 2020 (Day 27) - After two days at sea, we arrived at Waitangi, Bay of Islands. We did Waitangi Estuary by Kayak excursion. …..
Day 27(Feb 17)
After two days at sea, we arrived at Waitangi, Bay of Islands. We did Waitangi Estuary by Kayak excursion. One way kayaking adventure was fun. We saw flying penguins from a distance. We were not very good at kayaking and we were always behind the group.
Waiting Estuary by Kayak
After kayaking, we took the ferry to Russel Island, the first permanent European Settlement in New Zealand. We had Fish and Chips. Both fish and fries were fabulous. We visited Russel Museum and Pompallier Mission Print house. We also did a hike up to Flagstaff Hill. It has a stunning view of the bay. Russel is worth of visiting. The town is well organized and maintained. New Zealand is beautiful and the people is very nice. Speaking English there makes things little easier.
Yesterday, we had gone up to Deck 13 (the top deck) to see stars. The sky was clean but with the lights on the ship, it is hard to see anything. At 10:30 pm, the captain had turned off the lights on the top deck to let us see stars. Once the lights off, the sky was seen with filled stars. The Southern Cross was hanged in the southern sky. It is the first time for us to see it. The Orion was easily identified. Our own Milky Way galaxy was seen as a pale strip cross the sky. Today, we went up to Deck 13 little earlier to see the international space station again. At 10 to 9 o’clock, the space station just was seen flying cross the sky. We also observed the Venus.
From Russell Island
Lautoka, Fiji, Valentine's day -在斐济劳托卡度过的情人节
Feb13-14, 2020 (Day 23-24 ) - After Tonga refused our ship, the captain decided to go to Fiji one day earlier. We added an extra tour on Feb 13……
Day 23-24 (Feb13-14)
After Tonga refused our ship, the captain decided to go to Fiji one day earlier. We added an extra tour on Feb 13 to see traditional a Fiji village in the inner island. When the ship arrived at Fiji on the morning of Feb 13, the ship stopped 20 miles outside Fiji port. We knew something was not right. The captain announced that anyone embarking at Tahiti would need to fill out the healthy form before anyone disembarked. After an additional health inspection by Fiji government, we got off the ship around 11:30 AM, two hours later than scheduled. Our original tour was cancelled but we were very happy to be on the land again.
Once on the shore, we booked snorkeling with a local company. With $30 each person, they took us to a beach next to Intercontinental Resort. We paid $10 each for the equipment. Since we were not used to snorkeling and scared of water, we paid another $20 each for a local guy to take us into the water. We felt we were rip off for that service but we were glad to have someone else with us in water. Finally, we did see FISHES in south pacific!
Next day (Feb 14), we were on the Garden of the Sleeping Giants tour. The garden is very nice, started by an American actor. We also did a quick walk up to two lookout views to have a panorama view of the island. The air temperature was 90 F with 95% humidity. It was hot and uncomfortable. Then we went to visit a Fiji village. We participated in a kava ceremony. Kava is a traditional drink made from a kava roots. After the ceremony, they offered us the drink. One of us tried it. This is not much taste and your mouth feels a little numb. The whole thing is very commercialized. After the tour, we went back to the ship to have a quick lunch and then took a shuttle provided Crystal to downtown.
Lautoka is the second largest city in Fiji. We visited a central marketplace selling vegetable, seafoods, fruits, etc. There is a large population of Indians in Fiji. They came there to help sugar plantation many years ago then they stayed.
The ship was decorated with Valentine’s Day theme today. There were several dance parties throughout the night. The ship left Lautoka at 5:30 pm. Once the ship was in open water, it met high waves and >40 kts wind. Both us felt seasick again. After dinner, we went to bed and skipped all the night activities.
Date and Time plus CoronaVirus -日期和时间与冠状病毒
Feb 11-12, 2020 (Day 22- 23) - It is hard to settle on a regular schedule on this world cruise. This is our first time sailing long distance on the ……
Feb 11
It is hard to settle on a regular schedule on this world cruise. This is our first time sailing long distance on the ocean. Today, we crossed the international dateline and skipped a day, Feb 10. For the most part, the international dateline is the line at the longitude of 0 degree. But the line was redrawn in Polynesia islands where we are headed towards. Tonga is at the longitude of 175 W but it is the west side of the date line. During the journey, we adjusted the ship time periodically. Sometimes, we rolled the clock back one hour; other times, we just adjusted by 30 mins. Adjusting the time on our iPhones to match with the ship time created another confusion to us. On iPhones, there are Chicago time, Mountain time, etc but no Tonga time zone. The only way to adjust the time on an iPhone is to adjust the time at Chicago time manually. Since we also track the time at Shanghai and the West coast, changing the time at Chicago time zone manually messed up the other time zones on our phones.
Feb 12
Today, we were scheduled to dock at Tonga in the morning. We have had 15 sea days out of 20 cruise days. Everyone was eager to set foot on the land today. Then, the captain’s morning announcement came. Tonga authority had refused cruise ships entry to the country this morning. There were four cruise ships turned away today. We were not happy about it but we also understand it would be hard for Tonga . We can imagine the financial impact on the people depending on tourist industry. We are ahead to towards Fiji. We were told that we would have extra day on Fiji. Again, we have our fingers crossed. We saw another cruise, CMV Columbus, sailing from a distance.
At Sea - 在海上
Feb 7-8, 2020 (Day 18-19) - Today is another day at sea. Crystal provides enrichment lectures when it is a sea day. Plus it also offers …...
Day 18-19 – Feb 7-8
Today is another day at sea. Crystal provides enrichment lectures when it is a sea day. Plus it also offers various classes like golf, piano, art, etc. We participated in some of the classes. However, what is in our mind and everyone’s mind is the Coronavirus. Crystal Symphony, a sister ship of Crystal Serenity, has been significantly impacted. Taiwan refused the ship to disembark at the port in Taiwan so it was routed to Singapore. So far there is no change to our itinerary. We have our fingers crossed.
On Feb 8, the ship was scheduled to anchor off Rarotonga, Cook Islands today. However, due to high sea, the captain couldn’t position the ship such that we could be tendered safely. He decided to cancel the port visit. We had another day at sea. We were disappointed to watch the ship sailing away from Rarotonga. Like people saying, it is a sea event and nothing is guaranteed .
watching the ship sailing away from Rarotonga without stepping on the land.
We went to Silk for dinner. It has new items on the menu and we had a good dinner. We went to another comedy show and laughed for 45 mins non-stop.
At Raiatea - 法属波利尼西亚
Feb 6, 2020 (Day 17) - The ship stopped at another island, Raiatea, in French Polynesia. We went out on a shore excursion to visit ……
Day 17 - Feb 6
The ship stopped at another island, Raiatea, in French Polynesia. We went out on a shore excursion to visit a pearl farm and do a little snorkeling. The pearl farm is located in the middle of the ocean inside the lagoon. We took a small boat to a small house, which is built on coral reef and used for the pearl farming process. They demonstrated the process including how to harvest pearl from an oyster. The water on one side of the house is 80 feet deep and oysters are hanging underwater. The other side of the house is only a few feet deep, where we can snorkel. Today’s weather wasn’t very good and the water wasn’t very clean. However, we jumped into the water anyway after the farm tour. One of us did see three fishes but the scene wasn’t anywhere close to what we saw online. The snorkeling was disappointing but at least we saw wild fish on this trip.
After lunch, we walked around town again. The town has paved sidewalks along the coastline. The chickens are everywhere in the islands. They are truly free range chickens.
Pearl Farm House
We had dinner at Waterside today, which doesn’t require reservation. It serves modern and classic cuisine. We eat there 2 or 3 times in a week.
On the Island of Tahiti - 大溪地岛
Feb 4-5, 2020 (Day 15-16 ) - Our ship arrived at Papeete yesterday night. Papeete, the capital of French Polynesia, is located on the island …..
Day 15-16 (Feb 4-5)
Our ship arrived at Papeete yesterday night. Papeete, the capital of French Polynesia, is located on the island of Tahiti, which is part of the Society Islands. We stayed overnight at Papeete for two nights. The port is a short distance from downtown Papeete. On the first day, we went on the Temple, Art, and Culture tour to learn a little more about the island. The first stop was the Tahiti Museum, which is under renovation for the most part. We thought the exhibit was well designed and that the artifacts were interesting. We also visited an ancient temple used by a royal family and then visited a private colonial home with a meticulous garden. The almost 100-year-old house was built by English writer Robert Keibel and is now owned and preserved by a Chinese Polynesia woman and her English husband. On the way back, we stopped by Vaipahi Garden. There is a walking trail marked with several displays of “the path of purification of souls” to paradise. It is one of the best water gardens we have ever visited. The lily pond with lotus was our favorite. Maraa Fern Grotto Caves was our final stop. The tour lasted more than five hours.
After lunch, we went out to walk around downtown, where we first bought a comb to replace the broken one. We visited the marketplace around the time it was being closed for the day so there were not many people there. We hope to visit it again tomorrow.
As we strolled in the downtown area, we walked into the government’s Assembly Building. It has a beautiful private garden and natural spring pool of Tahiti’s only Queen. We had a great time there with the whole garden for ourselves.
We had dinner at Prego. After ordering our food, we added another appetizer, Carpriocio of Angus Beef. The slices of beef were so tender that it melted in the mouth.
Our ship stayed at Papeete for another night. This is the end of the first segment of this world cruise. Total sailing distance is 4765 nautical miles and we stopped at four ports over the duration of 12 days.
Today, we don’t have any shore excursion. We had planned to go out walking around the city. However, the weather didn’t cooperate. It was raining on and off this morning. Once the rain stopped, we finally went out to visit the city marketplace again. This time there were a lot of people shopping there. Most stands were selling fruits and flowers. A few stands sold red snapper and tuna fish. There were quite a few fast food places inside the marketplace. The Chinese population in Tahiti is about 10% so the local food is Chinese fusion food. Chow mein is one of them. The other one is a sandwich with chow mein and chicken meat. We didn’t taste the food there.
At Moorea - 莫雷阿岛
Feb 3, 2020 (Day 14) - When we walked up to Deck 12 for breakfast this morning, the cruise ship was already surrounded by …..
Day 14
When we walked up to Deck 12 for breakfast this morning, the cruise ship was already surrounded by beautiful dramatic mountain peaks formed by volcano eruptions many millions years ago. We were tendered to the port and welcome by locals with live music and flowers. Moorea is one of the Society Islands discovered by James Cook.
We later went on a Dolphin Watch Expedition. Our tour guide was an American who came to the island to study dolphins, but after getting his PhD, he ended up staying there for good. The dolphins inside the lagoon are the smallest dolphins species. They like to swim against the waves underwater and surf. In order to watch them surf, he took us to the barrier reef where the waves are highest. We did see several dolphins riding the waves. However, several of us on the boat got seasick. We swore no more dolphin or whale watches for us. After the boat tour, we took a 2-hour land tour to see the crater and Opunohu Bay and Cook's Bay. We think Moorea is the most scenic place in French Polynesia we have visited so far.
Crystal is leaving Moorea
We went to Uma Umi for dinner again. We had ramen noodles and red bean mochi, both of which are special items not on the regular menu and needed to be requested one day in advance so that they could be prepared. The noodles and mochi were very good.
Chenggang took some art lessons during this segment of the cruise. Today, there was also an art show in Palm Court. At 6 PM, we left Moorea for Papeete, which is only 20+ miles away from Moorea. By 7:20 PM, the ship docked at Papeete. Chenggang went out after the ship docked and found a truck food court nearby.
Another Day at Bora Bora - 在波拉波拉岛上的第二天
Feb. 2, 2020 (Day 13) - We stayed overnight at Bora Bora. When we woke up this morning it was still cloudy with high winds. We went……
Day 13 – Feb. 2
We stayed overnight at Bora Bora. When we woke up this morning it was still cloudy with high winds. We went to have an early breakfast since we would have an 8 AM shore excursion, swimming with stingrays and riding on a glass bottom boat. Unfortunately, a few minutes after we sat down in Stardust Club (used as a waiting room for all shore excursions), we were told that the tour was canceled due to the weather. We were disappointed but hoped the afternoon excursion would go on. That was our last chance to see Bora Bora. As the time past, the sky was open up and the sun had come out. Our Mountain Safari by Land Rover tour started at around 1 PM. Four of us from the cruise sat on the truck bed of a Land Rover. There were five or six cars in the group. They took us to several viewpoints around the island. They drove on narrow rugged service roads with 10-15 degree incline up and down. When we looked up or down, we were a little scared, but we knew they had done this many times. We were in good hands. Our tour guide spoke English and was fun. The first stop was a viewpoint next to a water tower in the middle of the hill. As we climbed out the car, a beautiful panoramic view of the picture-perfect Bora Bora jumped into our eyes. We saw several overwater bungalows laid on the lighter aqua color ocean from a distance. We also visited the World War II site and Matira Beach again. Today, it turned out to be a beautiful day for sightseeing.
At Bora Bora
On the ship, the Super Bowl was played in Galaxy Lounge. The room was decorated with a Super Bowl theme. We watched the last 7 mins of the game to see Kansas City win the Super Bowl from behind.
We had a quick lunch at The Trident Grill and had dinner at Waterside. Both meals were delicious.
Bora Bora - 在波拉波拉岛上
Feb 1, 2020 (Day 12) - After another sea day, we anchored at Bora Bora at around 9 o’clock on the morning of Feb 1, 2020……
Day 12
After another sea day, we anchored at Bora Bora at around 9 o’clock on the morning of Feb 1, 2020. The weather was rainy with very high winds. We canceled the shore excursion on the first day. As the first tendered boat was leaving, the weather got worse. It was raining heavily with wind gusts so strong that our anchored ship shifted. The tendered boat was struggling to sail towards the shore as we watched it. We were really worried. There was no way we would get on the boat under this condition. Instead of going to the shore, we went to the Hollywood Theater to watch a movie called “Going In Style”. The movie, which was about a retiree struggling financially, had the “perfect” audiences. After lunch, we went to shore. The boat was docked at Vaitape, a small town with many shopping art galleries and stores selling black pearl jewelries. Black Pearl is famous in French Polynesia. By all means, the town is not like what is shown in the pictures or postcards we saw. A paved road goes through the town, but even with nicely decorated stores selling expensive black pearls, the front parking spaces were muddy and not well maintained. Some houses along the road were flooded due to recent rain.
We paid $5 each to go to Marita Beach about 10 km away from the dock. The beach is beautiful, white sands with crystal clean water. One of us got into water with Osmo camera. We were enjoying the warm south Pacific Ocean. Then suddenly, the black cloud moved in from the west and everyone jumped out of the water to find a place to hide. The rain came down with gusty winds. Our good time was over. As the sky cleared up a little, we rode on the bed of a modified truck for tourists back to the dock. We walked around the town for a while and then headed back to the ship. We have two shore excursions tomorrow. Hope the weather will be better.
Brazil BBQ was our dinner. Tonight's show was another energetic piano performance by an Australian pianist, Ashley Carruthers. It was fun and energetic.
The First Port - 2020年环球之旅的第一个停靠港口
Jan 30, 2020 (Day 10) - Today is Jan 30, the 10th day of this world cruise. At 7:00 AM, our ship arrived at Nuku Hiva, French Polynesia……
Day 10
Today is Jan 30, the 10th day of this world cruise. At 7:00 AM, our ship arrived at Nuku Hiva, French Polynesia. Nuku Hiva is one of the Marguesas Islands. After eight sea days, everyone on board was excited to finally see land again. We went on a shore excursion with Crystal. Scenic Island Drive Excursion took us to the wood and stone Notre Dame cathedral, a small village, and the celebration festival ground. We also tasted the local fruits, which were very good. Mango, Coconut and YuZu are the local favorite. The tour took about 4 hours. The temperature was at high 70 F with high humidity. After the tour, we went back to the ship to have lunch then we were returned to the island again. This time we just walked along the coast line up to the hotel.
At 6:00 PM, we went to Umi Uma for dinner. The sushi bar was full, but they let us sit in the main dinning area without a reservation. The food was fantastic although there was too much. We also talked to the host and the Japanese Chef to order Mochi and Ramen noodle for our next visit.
Tonight we will turn our watches and phones back 30 mins. This is the second time we need to adjust the time by 30 mins. Before this trip, we never knew you could adjust time zones by minutes.
Crossing The Equator - 穿越赤道
Jan 27, 2020 (Day 7) - Today, we're crossing the equator to get to the other side of the earth. There was a commemoration of
Day 7
Today, we're crossing the equator to get to the other side of the earth. There was a commemoration of crossing the equator in Palm Court. The crew even dressed in costumes and performed the rite of passage. We don’t know the background of the commemoration but it was very funny and entertaining.
We had a kitchen tour in the afternoon. The kitchen is huge and clean. There are about 35 people working in the kitchen at a time.
Crystal Cruise typically has small scale shows like stand up comedy, "Magicians At Sea", and a piano solo concert. The shows are high quality. Some of the artists are even Grammy nominated! We've enjoyed the shows very much.
The ship was definitely rocking back and forth. Our last motion sickness patch was days old and expired. One of us did feel a little motion sickness this morning and skipped yoga class.
As we approached the equator late morning, the weather cleared up. The temperature was about 70 degrees. We did a few rounds of walking on Deck 7.
We went to the sushi bar yesterday. The sushi bar doesn’t require a reservation but is counted as a specialty restaurant. For regular cruisers, there is a two visit limit per segment per person. But as world cruisers, there is no limitation. The sushi and sashimi were very delicious. We ordered special Tora sushi.
Lectures - 讲座
Jan 26, 2020 (Day 6) - Unlike other big cruise lines, Crystal Cruise provides educational lectures during sea days. Typically there are …..
Day 5
Unlike other big cruise lines, Crystal Cruise provides educational lectures during sea days. Typically there are three or four lectures presented by experts in the field on various topics from politics, science, entertainment, etc, each sea day. Yesterday, Cheri Steinkellner, a writer for the tv show Cheers gave a presentation on Cheers: Behind the Scenes, which was very entertaining. On the serious side, Brigadier General Nick Halley talked about war stories from Vietnam to Iraq. Today, Owen Ullmann, a managing editor at USA Today presented “The 2020 Financial Outlook”. Each presenter would give two to three lectures during the segment. We are really enjoying those lectures and learn a lot.
Today, the ship had Sunday brunch in Crystal Plaza. There is so much food there, but CG just had a simple salad from the brunch then went to Silk to have the noodle soup and a bun with BBQ pork. Both soup and bun were delicious. When he was about to leave, the waiter brought another special Chinese authentic short rib soup sent by the chef. The soup was very good too.
Today’s dinner was in Prego, an Italian restaurant. We ordered appetizer, soup, salad, and a main course. All of them were delicious. We definitely will go back to try different dishes. We had cheese as dessert. After today, we have now finished visiting all the restaurants on this ship.
Chinese New Year Day - 春节
Jan 25, 2020 (Day 5) - Today is Chinese New Year Day. We woke up early morning to find out our ship arrived at Cabo San Lucas……
Day 4
Today is Chinese New Year Day. We woke up early morning to find out our ship arrived at Cabo San Lucas. This is the second time that we’ve seen Mexico from a distance but never visited it. After dropping the patient there, Crystal Serenity is on the way to Nuku Hiva.
Silk Restaurant prepared a special menu to celebrate Chinese New Year. We ordered all items on the menu. The food was fantastic, especially the seafood soup and dessert. We also took a picture with executive chef and Chinese chef.
We took a few picture of early morning at Cabo San Luges. The lifeboat was seen to leave the ship to drop the patient and return.
Emergency Evacuation - 紧急医疗疏散
Jan 24, 2020 (Day 4) - Today is Jan. 24, Chinese New Years Eve. More detail about the medical emergency emerged this morning……
Today is Jan. 24, Chinese New Years Eve. More detail about the medical emergency emerged this morning. A woman had a serious medical issue that required immediate medical attention. The closest hospital was Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. The captain decided to drop her there then continue our journey. The ship will take a detour and most likely we will lose one port call. However, it is also nice to know that the cruise line would do whatever necessary for the safety of passengers in case of emergency.
Today, there were three very good lectures from Prof. in University of Australian, an American Astronaut who flew three space shuttle, and a Professional Photographer. We took yoga together at 9:00 AM. In the afternoon, we attended Watercolor and Piano lesson on board separately.
Today we had breakfast, lunch and dinner all in Market Place, which provides buffet type food. The dinner was served with Brazilian grill. The food was terrific.
After dinner, we went to the concert by Tommy Proulx, Grammy nominated Saxophonist.
At Sea - 在海上
Today is the first full sea day of next six consecutive sea days. The ocean was rough. We definitely felt the ship
Today is the first full sea day of next six consecutive sea days. The ocean was rough. We definitely felt the ship movement. Luckily, we had put the patch yesterday. However we also had dry mouth due to the side effect of the medicine. We drank a lot of water. Although it was a sea day, we were very busy. We went to two lectures by Jenifer Chandler, the Gold Medalist in Women’s 3-meter Springboard Diving and Bill Toone, a conservation biologist. We also took Golf, Watercolor and Piano lessons separately for each.
We got two backpacks, a gift from Virtuoso group, a parent company of Cruise Specialist (our travel agent) and t-shirts from Crystal Cruise to sigh up in World Cruise Game.
We had dinner at Umi Uma, a Japanese Restaurant. We had a few new style sashimi dishes, and Black Cod and Nobu style Lobster as the main entries for each of us. The dishes were pretty delicious. We definitely will go back there many times during world cruise.
We were told there was medical emergency and the ship was being routed to Mexico to drop the patient there. We don’t know how it impact on the rest of the itinerary.
