4 Sea Days + Hawaii + 7 Sea Days = Guam

88 degrees. Today is Saturday. Guam on Monday.

What do we do with soooooo many sea days you might ask? Actually I think this is the most days at sea in one sitting we have ever had to date. I am finally feeling at 'home'. It takes about a week to get used to the flow on board. The first few days, I find we try to do it all. The rocking of the ship makes me sleepy for a few days until I get used to that too. After a while I learn what I like, what I want to do, and what is important to me. It changes. It stays the same .... Every night we get a daily schedule of activities. We go through the list and make decisions.

There are 3 lectures daily, games, exercise classes, occasional wine tasting, ship galley tours, dance classes, art classes, card and games, bridge, (tried that a few cruises ago) computer classes..... Do as much or as little as you want. We make plans. We don't always stick to a plan. David and I have different interests. He does his thing. I do mine. Sometimes we meet for a lecture, sometimes not. One day I did not see him till dinner! I spent the day at the pool listening to my first Audio Book. Absolutely loved it. Finished a book in one sitting. I am thinking I didn't download enough books. Will do some more in Guam. If we don't do the show at night, there is a movie in the theater with popcorn... :)

A New Day

 3,000 miles to Guam.

 A new day begins.... and this is what it looks like today. Grey and overcast ..... whitecaps ....no one walks a straight line. Last night we hit a rogue wave. The ship lurched up, and slammed down with a huge bang. David talked about rogue waves and tsunami waves and what could topple this ship. All reassuring I say with sarcasm. David says the sea is UGLY. I actually like when I wake up and the day is heavy and overcast. I love the rain. Somehow it gives me permission to lay low. We lost a day. 

We skipped Monday, Ian's Birthday, and headed right into Tuesday :) by crossing the International Dateline. So does this mean Ian was NOT a year older? I think so. I can not believe the Captain chose this day to skip. Sorry, Ian. Happy Birthday.

I actually stayed up to participate in the LU WOW Deck Party. My favorite, besides the blown up palm trees around the deck, was the little seven year old fire dancer. I love watching the dancers and the way they move. I love that the young ones keep an interest in preserving their culture.

 



 For fun yesterday, I braved taking the bathroom scale out of the drawer in the bathroom. I know there is a reason they hide it in there. I have been feeling guilty eating three meals a day on some days.... even eating deserts with dinner....and wine? Oh geez..... not my norm on a daily basis but when they come around each day and ask, red or white? I don't want to hurt the wine steward's feelings so I make a choice. When I got on the scale the numbers and lines were so small from where I stood it was hard to see. I got the gist of the where the lines matched up... not bad! Then it went up 7 pounds and down down 7 pounds, up 5, down 6. I watched patiently for a few seconds then gave up. Maybe this is a good thing? Why put a scale on a ship?, I ask. No one REALLY wants to know. I put it back where I found it, closed the drawer.... making the decision I must weigh the same as the day I got on the ship. All is good. :)


Computer class really had me frustrated yesterday. I wanted to take my toys and go home. I got lost and never recovered. Most of the class learned how to send photos through Airdrop. We are on Chapter 1 ..... this does not feel good. Next class is chapter 2 .. Oi.

Last night was formal, again. We ate at Prego. We both had beef capriccio, my favorite. I had the Caprese Salad and tried their special pasta dish. David had lasagna. Afterwards there was another meet and greet the Captain party. Most on the ship turned up for the 'free drink' when all drinks are free anyway :). I guess everyone shows up for a party. Dancing on board is popular. We turned the clocks back an hour again.

We remain impressed with the speakers Crystal hires. General Anthony C Zinni talked about World Affairs, comparing WWII to contemporary conflicts. He was spot on and up to date. Spoke without notes. He has been in the military for 39 years, two tours of Vietnam. His list of accomplishments far surpasses what I can do justice to here. Another speaker I really like onboard now is Clint Van Zandt, he is a former FBI profiler and hostage negotiator. His talk was on what motivates serial killers. He also talks about recent mysteries like Natalie Holloway, Jon Bennet, and Amanda Knox to name a few. You know, we all deep down love gossip and sit on the edge of our seats wanting to know what he knows or thinks so we could feel these crimes are solved and we become in the know.

Pilates at 10! Going for the burn :) . Oh Man, FREEZING COLD in the States! Chicago is closing schools again?  Stay Warm.  Stay Safe.

Land Ho.....

Our first week at sea was adjustment time. I started pilates and my computer class. There are 24 people in the computer class, a sold out class. We meet every sea day for the next 3 months. I figure by the end of the cruise I will know EVERYTHING about Apple. This is good. By the time I know everything they will develop a new product and I will be lost again. Pilates is sold out too, five in this class so we do rotation. I will do this twice a week. Fun, right? Haven't had time to start reading or do my counted cross stitch. Now that I an zeroing in on what I enjoy doing, I will have time to fit these in during the day. Hard to explain. We plan, do, let go, adjust .... sort of like real life. Real life on a World Cruise. My view of my teacher in my computer class. I sit on the end with two people to my right.

 

The First Three Days

It was a whirlwind three days starting with the Gala at the Beverly Wilshire and ending three days later sitting on my bed in the cabin taking time to catch my breath. I definitely do NOT feel rested, rather I find I need to learn to balance Crystal activities with quality quiet time. The World Cruise offers jam-packed activities along with excellent guest lecturers. We are finding we want to do it all... :) The Gala was held At the Beverly Wilshire on Friday night. After we dressed to the nines in our finest, we passed our new favorite restaurant Cut and I wistfully said to myself, We should make a detour and just eat here. In hindsight, I was right. We were disappointed in the Gala and the food. Even though Kobe Steak was on the menu, it arrived lukewarm and nothing special. It was tender, cool, and you just chewed forever. There was an orchestra that played music so people could dance. That's it. Next year they are doing it on the boat which should be better. Next year, which we also signed up for is sold out. It is the 25th Anniversary of Crystal so we are guessing they will pull out all stops. The cruise stays south going to ALL of my favorite places including Machu Picchu and Easter Island so we only need to bring warm weather clothes. It begins and ends in Miami which is once to. After Breakfast at the Beverly Wilshire The Blvd, we checked out. Crystal covered our breakfast for two days which was about $100 per day. Ouch, right? Everyone was escorted in private limos to the ship. It was fun to see so many cars lined up as couples entered their own car and headed to the ship. It was a half hour ride. We had a red carpet to walk on and lines of greeters as well as security to pass through before we checked in for our 89 day cruise. Our cabin was ready for us. The ship has had a recent remodel and is beautiful. Our cabin is bright, warm and beautiful. It is called Penthouse, cabin 10057, midship, near the center elevators. We have a Queen bed, end tables, a couch, chair, one TV, a walk in closet, and a bathroom with a tub, twin sinks and a separate shower. It is smaller then we are used to being in, 403 square feet with verandah. There are two categories above us and ten below us. The smallest is a deluxe stateroom measuring 226 sq feet. All of our suitcases arrived and I sweated getting everything in and unpacked. Packing and unpacking are the curses of any cruise. They say the butler will unpack for you but that is not within my comfort level. The suitcases we shipped were encased in heavy plastic bags needing scissors to undo. Plastic overtook our room for a short time there... All together I unpacked 7 bags, lugged Davids on the bed so he could unpack first. I have to leave the room when he unpacks then I come back when he is done and I unpack. We have quite a few empty drawers left and plenty room in the closet for more which surprised me. We substituted their wood hangers for wire ones. The bathroom design takes a ton of storage too. Nice big shower. As David unpacked I checked out our assigned 6PM, first seating, dining table. We lucked out. We are mid ship, on the rotunda,(middle) against a rail, table for two. We can see the whole dining room, have space between tables, and no clatter of dishes at a service unit next to us. No need to hit up the Dining Captain to change our table. The ship is cozy and has a warm feeling about it. I will like it here! :) Our first night was casual dining, (I chose a salad and stuffed chicken) the second was formal, (Lobster) and the third night we did Speciality dining at Prego, (Beef Carpaccio, buffala and tomatoes, veal limone)an Italian restaurant on our third night. David had a huge fall while unpacking, hit his head and teeth on the marble vanity, and made his back worse as well as his knees so we are avoiding places he may have difficulty with mobility wise. Lunch has been in the dining room and we have not yet checked out the Lido, Tastes, or Scoops for ice cream. Food has been good. Drinks are complimentary. People are not as 'fancy' as I expected' more dressed down then up which makes me happy. There are a LOT of people who know each other from previous cruises so that can make one feel a bit like an outsider so far. After dinner was the Welcome party and the balloon drop where we all gathered around the lobby, listened to music, danced, and met a majority of the crew. A champaign toast for all. Now this one was fun..:) I started pilates and signed up for a college level All Apple computer class which lasts the whole cruise. We will learn about the iPad, iPhone and Apple... If I pass 7 of the 8 courses I will get half off the computer minutes we paid for. They are charging $1,640 for 267 hours which amounts to 3 hours a day for 89 days. I better pass!! David is in the chorus and on a trivia team. I went to two art classes and memoir writing. We attended some well done lectures, and shows at night. There are 3 speakers a day. I don't have time to take the Japanese class, knitting class, bridge, digital filmmaking yoga, movies, or dance classes. I find it frustrating to figure out my schedule and all we have signed up for. It is mass paperwork of slips and invitations. We go to a lot of things and miss a lot..... My goal today if to be one with the sea find my own patterns and what works for me to balance it all. :) Today is a perfect day ... sun is out...not too hot....not cold ......calm sea. I have my first Apple class today at 2:30. We meet every sea day during the World Cruise and we already have a class field trip in Honolulu.....to the APPLE STORE!! :) I sign off now where this day began....at the Cove, coffee and planning for my day while the sea is my inspiration...... What shall I do? What shall I do?

Frosting on the Cake.....

Leaving home for a long time is not easy. After all the work packing and cleaning, we reach the point where we finally say goodbye. I revisited every room in the house for a final check, locked the front door and got into our waiting limo. This is the first time David is taking a travel scoot along. We were both a bit nervous as to how this would work for us but discovered everyone was very helpful as we breezed (sort of) through security. This little gem will be so good for both of us on this trip. Happy we 

found it.

David loves being First on the plane, and we were... :) The flight was just over an hour into Los Angeles. We flew over a huge forest fire that 3 crazy kids started by building a 'fire to keep themselves warm'. In doing so homes were destroyed and forests burned to the ground. The smoke turned the sky an erie grey while the sun became surreal in the sky.

 

Crystal Cruise does a fantastic job meeting and greeting people. Davids scooter was perfect at the airport. We were met at baggage by Crystal Reps with clipboards, our suitcases were claimed, and then we were escorted to another limo. No waiting, we were on the way to the glamorous Beverly Wilshire where we were once again greeted by more Crystal reps. Our room wasn't ready at 10 Am. What's with that????? We waited for a bit in the lobby. I very nicely went back to the front desk after a while and as we chatted I found some magic fairy dust in the air. The receptionist found us another room, an upgrade, and low and behold it was ready for us... :) We lucked out with a two room Suite, king bed, huge living room, facing Rodeo Drive and breakfast included. How did that happen? :)

 

Our room:

 

Well, let me tell you. So far our day was 'so exhausting" :) we had to treat ourselves to a nice lunch. Ever hear of Mr Chows? Only 2 blocks from our hotel. We called ahead for a reservation and found the place relatively quiet, lucky us. We sat at a lovely 4 top. I asked for their signature cocktail. I was served a leeche martini....unusual, a bit sweet, perfect. I think I am going to like it here :).

 

We had a tough time deciding what to order. What do you do when everything sounds wonderful, is your favorite and you know you are doing a great dinner in 5 hours? Oh, the stress of it all ...:)

 

I had read up on this place and had some clues from reviews. We ended up ordering pot stickers, lobster shumai, Mr Chows spare ribs and Gamblers duck. I became an instant fan of this place and wanted to stay an additional week just so I could come back every day for more. I never cared for duck but THIS was outstanding....super ultra crispy skin and a sauce you just eat and say 'wow' for lack of any other descriptive words.  I wanted this moment and all those beautiful taste sensations to last forever.   The ribs were a blend of flavors that melted into one another,  hard to describe, perfection.... lobster..... Oh Man, are their words?   Definitely worth a visit. We will be back.

 Mr Chows Spare Ribs

Pot stickers with a crispy fancy hat...... See them hiding???   Ha!  Not for long! 

 and the outstanding crispy Gamblers Duck with handmade pancakes  

 Service was efficient, personable, and professional. Thumbs up Mr Chow! We walked back to the hotel. David went up to the room to reminisce about all those delights he savored. I went for a healthy after lunch walk.....which happened to be Rodeo Drive. Magnificent shopping. Uber Wealthy...... Every luxury store is here as well as fine restaurants and spas galore. 

 The final topping of the day was having dinner at the Cut, a Wolfgang Puck restaurant. It has a very modern look to it, a steak house.  But, you may ask, is it as good as what you find in Chicago? Quick answer after a 3 1/2 hour dinner is YES, meets and exceeds. 

 We met up with my beautiful niece Lauren. We dined next to Movie Producers and Directors,they even sent a glass of wine over to our table. I am positive it was meant for me.... :) But, I let Lauren think it was for her. People really noticed her when she stood next to me. :) 

 Anyway, we ordered Steak Tartar with a quail egg AND Beef Carpaccio with white truffles because we could not pick just one.  David ordered Dover Sole and Lauren and I ordered bone in Filet Mignon. For the table we ordered their signature mac and cheese and creamed spinach. OMG. Perfection in every bite. We had their signature martini, pear, well maybe more then one, as well as a glass of Hocus Pocus Syrah wine. Oh no, please, we just can't eat any more...... three deserts appeared and then disappeared from our table: Banana Cream pie, Baked Alaska and their famous Beignets with ice cream. How do you spell Heaven?    Stuffed, very very stuffed.

At the end of our dinner, Wolf Gang made an appearance at our table to thank us for coming and to thank us for the new addition to his home..... :) Frosting on the cake and a twenty pound day..... 

What a memorable way to end the evening.

The Big Plan ......

Here is The Plan!  

We have 5 private tours planned as well as an overnight in Pattaya, overland in Shanghai, overland Safari in Singita,  a few cooking classes and of course, the frosting on the cake ..... a trip to Obama's old school.  

World Cruise 2014    PH #10057                                Crystal Cruise                        David & Susan

Jan 18	Sat	Los Angeles
Jan 19	Sun	At Sea /Pacific Ocean
Jan 20*	Mon	At Sea				Prego 7
Jan 21	Tue	At Sea
Jan 22	Wed	At Sea
Jan 23*	Th	Hilo, HI	12-6			Silk 7
Jan 24	Fri	Honolulu, HI	8am
Jan 25	Sat	Honolulu	-12m
Jan 26	Sun	At Sea / Date Line
Jan 28	Tue	At Sea				Taste 6:30
Jan 29	Wed	At Sea
Jan 30	Th	At Sea
Jan 31	Fri	At Sea
Feb 1	Sat	At Sea
Feb 2	Sun	At Sea
Feb 3	Mon	Guam, Agama USA	8-6	9-12 Asan Overlook or Private Tour
Feb 4	Tue	Saipan, Mariana Island	8-5	Private Tour Walt Goodridge
Feb 5	Wed	At Sea / Philippine Sea
Feb 6	Th	At Sea
Feb 7	Fri	Okinawa/Naha, Japan	7-5	8-1 D-Scenes from Battle of Okinawa  / S -9-5 Aquarium & Ceramics
Feb 8	Sat	At Sea / Pacific Ocean
Feb 9	Sun	Tokyo /Yokohama Japan	1pm-
Feb 10	Mon	Tokyo
Feb 11	Tues	Tokyo	-10pm	9-6 Tokyo of Yesteryear
Feb 12	Wed	At Sea /East China Sea
Feb 13	Th	Osaka, Japan	7-	8:30-5 Kyoto Experience		Taste 6:30
Feb 14*	Fri	Osaka	-2pm			Prego 7
Feb 15	Sat	Nagasaki, Japan	8-6	8:45-4:15 Nagasaki in Depth
Feb 16*	Sun	At Sea				Silk 7
Feb 17	Mon	Shanghai, China	8-	5:30-10:30p Huang Pu River cruise and dinner
Feb 18	Tus	Shanghai	-7pm	Guillan & River Li Over land Tour
Feb 19	Wed	At Sea /Strait of Taiwan
Feb 20	Th	Hong Kong, China	6pm-	Back to Ship
Feb 21	Fri	Hong Kong		S // 12:45-5:45 Chinese Cooking Class
Feb 22	Sat	Hong Kong		World Cruise Event !
Feb 23	Sun	Hong Kong	-6pm	3:45-5:15 Agua Luna Cocktail cruise
Feb 24	Mon	At Sea /Hainan Strait
Feb 25	Tue	Halong Bay, Vietnam	8am-	Private Junk Cruise 6 hrs
Feb 26*	Wed	Halong Bay	-7am			Prego 6:30
Feb 27	Th	Chan May, Vietnam	8-9	Private Tour Hoi An
Feb 28	Fri	At Sea / South China Sea
Mar 1	Sat	Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam	11am-	6:30-10:30 Evening in Saigon
Mar 2	Sun	Ho Chi Minh City		Private Tour Mekong Deta		Taste 6:30
Mar 3	Mon	Ho Chi Minh City	-3pm	S // Vietnam Cooking Class
Mar 4*	Tue	At Sea / Gulf of Thailand				Silk 6:30
Mar 5	Wed	Bangkok/ Laem Chabang	8am-	Overnite  Royal Wing Suites & Spa Pataya
Mar 6	Th	Bangkok	-6pm
Mar 7	Fri	Sihanokville, Cambodia	8-10	8:30-8:30 Khmer Rough & Killing Fields
Mar 8	Sat	At Sea / South China Sea
Mar 9	Sun	Singapore	8am-	9-3 Cultural Revelations
Mar 10	Mon	Singapore		World Cruise Event !
Mar 11	Tue	Singapore	-6pm
Mar 12	Wed	At Sea / strait of Bangka
Mar 13	Thu	Jakarta, Indonesia	8-6	8:45-1:15 Obama’s school & Jakarta
Mar 14*	Fri	At Sea / Indian Ocean				Prego 7
Mar 15	Sat	At Sea
Mar 16	Sun	At Sea
Mar 17*	Mon	At Sea				Prego 7
Mar 18	Tue	At Sea
Mar 19	Wed	At Sea				Taste 6:30
Mar 20	Thu	Mauritius	8-6	S // Cooking at Escale Creole
Mar 21	Fri	At Sea
Mar 22	Sat	At Sea
Mar 23	Sun	At Sea
Mar 24	Mon	Durban South Africa	7am ??	Ebony Lodge Safari at Singita Sabi Sand – 3 nites
Mar 25	Tue	Safari
Mar 26	Wed	Safari
Mar 27	Thu	Cape Town, South Africa	6pm	Back to Ship
Mar 28	Fri	Cape Town
Mar 29	Sat	Cape Town	-6pm	8:45-4:45 Gourmet Delight
Mar 30	Sun	At Sea
Mar 31	Mon	Walvis Bay, Namibia	8-6	8:45-1:45 4x4 Desert Moon landing 4 wheel drive
Apr 1*	Tue	At Sea/ South Atlantic				Prego 6:30
Apr 2	Wed	At Sea
Apr 3	Thu	Luanda, Angola	9-6	9-4 Luanda Acquaintance & Slave Museum		Taste 6:30
Apr 4	Fri	At Sea
Apr 5	Sat	Bom Bom Island	8-9
Apr 6	Sun	At Sea / Gulf of Guinea
Apr 7	Mon	At Sea / Philippine Sea
Apr 8	Tue	Takoradi, Ghana	9-6	9:30-4:30 Nzulezu Stilt Village& Market
Apr 9	Wed	At Sea
Apr 10	Thu	Dakar, Senegal	8-6	8:30-5 Lake Retba & Village Center
Apr 11	Fri	At Sea
Apr 12	Sat	At Sea
Apr 13	Sun	Agadir, Morocco	8-6	S //  9:30-4 Moroccan Cooking  D // 9:30-1 Panoramic Tour
Apr 14	Mon	At Sea
Apr 15	Tue	Lisbon, Portugal	8-6	7 hrs Cruise Specialist- Obidos, wine tasting, lunch,, Belem
Apr 16	Wed	At Sea
Apr 17*	Th	At Sea / Bay of Biscay				Silk 6:30
Apr 18	Fri	Southampton, England	8am