Enjoyed Another Wonderful Dinner At The Crystal Dining Room Last Evening ✔ Thoroughly Enjoyed The Opening Flag Ceremony Marking The Start Of The 2012 Crystal Cruises World Games ✔
Ricki and David, thank you so much for your nice comments. You had asked about which World Game events we are signed up for. Anne Marie is signed up for solitaire, and we are both signed up for solitaire and basketball foul shooting. Keith has also signed up for a range of activities including paddle tennis and family paddle tennis where you are paired with a crew member along with table tennis, darts, golf putting, and a fast walk. It will be a lot of fun and it's a great way to get to know others.
Ricki, you had asked about the photo of the Giraffe. In this photo there are two Giraffes with no other animals.
We enjoyed dinner in the Crystal Dining Room last evening.
These are the dinner menus.
From Left to Right - Headwaiter Frantz who takes care of another section of the Crystal Dining Room adjacent to ours, Anne Marie, our Senior Waiter Solvatore, our Sommelier Raphael and Keith
We began our meal with salads.
This is Keith's standard salad and the shape of the lettuce almost looked like an animal.
This is the salad that Anne Marie ordered.
We each had ordered a special order the night before with Augusto of Veal Oscar. This Veal Oscar was prepared a bit differently than the one we had the last time around and Augusto had a feeling after he saw it that we might not care for it. Anne Marie had a portion of it and Keith had the whole thing. The great news is that there are always other options and just like Superman there was Augusto to the rescue. More on that in a moment.
Augusto said that he had made Eggplant Parmigiana as a special order for a couple in late dining (we later found out it was for Celeste and Bill) but he had made a lot more of it. He made it himself and we know that Augusto is not only a great cook but understands the keys to making great Italian dishes. Unfortunately, we didn't get a photo of the Eggplant Parmigiana.
It was absolutely delicious. Keith thought it was the best Eggplant Parmigiana that he has had other than Anne Maries' which she has not made for many years. Anne Marie's way of cooking it is similar to Augusto's and she learned this from her Italian Grandmother. One of the secrets to making it is to slice the Eggplant very thin and to soak it in salt water for about three hours to remove the bitter taste. Augusta's sauce was also delicious. We liked it so much that after we finished eating it he could see how much we liked it and brought out another small portion for us to have. We will likely try this again sometime during the cruise.
For dessert, Keith had mixed berries and Anne Marie had a very small portion of non-fat simple vanilla yogurt.
At around 9:45 PM we attended the opening flag ceremony for the World Games.
For those who wanted to participate in the program they were asked to arrive by 9:45 PM and we waited in the Casino area. For all others they could arrive by 10:15 PM around the time the ceremony began and this was held in the Galaxy theater which is used for lectures in the daytime and for the evening entertainment. Complimentary champagne and other items were provided but we passed on that.
We spoke for awhile with Peggy, Elaine and Becky and some other people as we waited for the ceremony to begin.
Eventually guests were asked to choose a flag to enter with. The flags represented the nationalities of many of the crew members on the ship. In some cases a crew member from that country marched with the guests. There was already a large crowd around the United States flag so we decided to go with Argentina since this is where our Son-In-Law was born. As it turned out this was the first flag so when we marched in Keith held the flag and Anne Marie walked with Keith and we were the first to kickoff the ceremony.
The turnout was great considering the hour of the evening. After we march in with the flag we proceeded to the first row and after making a left turn and arriving to the end of the row we gave a member of the crew our flag so that it could be placed up front. This went on until all flags had been marched into the ceremony. The festivities included performances by some of the Crystal Entertainers, speeches by Danny who is the drummer in the Orchestra and is also in charge of the World Cruise Games along with speeches by Cruise Director Rick Spath and Captain Glenn. Rick noted in his remarks to show good sportsmanship in the games which most people do. The two Olympians on board also made an appearance. Yesterday, was Captain Glenn's Birthday so there was a surprise performance for him. It was a wonderful way to cap off the day and to kickoff the World Cruise Games.
These are some of the highlights of the ceremony from photos Keith took. We didn't have a seat in the middle of the showroom so it was hard to take some of the shots from the angle in which we were seated.
Before the Flag Ceremony.
From L-R Becky, Anne Marie, Elaine and Peggy
Before we marched in with the flag of Argentina. The flag was missing its symbol. When we did march in Keith held the flag and they announced Argentina. When we were first waiting at the entrance one of the members who serves drinks came up to us to say she is from Argentina.
Danny who is not only the drummer but also the alternate Bandleader when Raphael is not on the ship opened the ceremony. Danny is also the Chairman of the World Cruise Games.
We were then entertained by dancers Beverly and Curtis. They are truly amazing.
Vocalist Karen Jeffreys sang a beautiful song for all of us to enjoy.
Cruise Director and Rick Spath and Captain Glenn Edvardsen each gave remarks. Captain Glenn is the President of the World Games and Cruise Director Rick Spath is the President of the World Cruise Games Movement.
There was a surprise for Captain's Glenn birthday with Avenue Saloon Pianist and Vocalist Colin Salter popping out from the Cake and he sang Happy Birthday to the Captain in the manner in which Marilyn Monroe had sung for President John Fitzgerald Kennedy.
While Colin sang very well he certainly does not have the legs of Marilyn Monroe.
The ceremony also included an appearance by Olympaians Cathy Rigby and Peter Vidmar
When Peter Vidmar was introduced he came onto the stage and proceeded to do a flip. When Cathy Rigby and Peter Vidmar were leaving the stage Cathy Rigby did a flip.
Towards the end of the ceremony World Cruise Hostess Elise Ivy and Singer David Spiecker entered the room to light the torch. They did a comedy routine by walking in slow motion and then trying to prevent each other from getting onto the stage and over to the area so only one of them could be the first to light the torch.
The wonderful Crystal Ensemble of Singers and Dancers who are part of the performers that perform in all of the Production Shows and other times performed for all of us.
It was a wonderful evening.
The good news is that we set the clocks back another thirty minutes.
We left port at 11:00 PM and are now sailing towards Perth, Australia.
Keith was up bright and early and began his day in the Fitness Center. As he always does later on he had coffee at the Lido Cafe and a short while later Anne Marie worked out for one hour. There were very few people up early in the morning in spite of turning the clocks back thirty minutes but that is likely because today is the start of three consecutive sea days and people were just tired from their day in port.
We then had breakfast in our room. We watched the daily morning show as we ate breakfast. They showed some video clips from yesterday and the day before as well as some highlights from the World Games kickoff ceremony.
During Captain Glenn's morning talk from the bridge he noted that the weather forecast looked very promising. The area we are now sailing can bring some rough seas but so far so good. Let's hope that continues.
Captain Glenn's thought for the day was:
"Appreciation is a wonderful thing. It makes what is excellent in others belong to us, too."
Keith's big decision was whether to take the Spin (indoor) Cycling Class or to participate in the Men's Singles Shuffleboard World Cruise Games competition. Since Keith know from previous games that the singles tournament can go on for several hours he decided to pass on this one and to take the Spin Class. Today, was the most challenging of the spin classes we have had so far.
Reaching for the stars, or is that for the ceiling.
A photo with us with the help of the mirror.
Today was the three amigos. We lost a few of the other spinners.
There were also two interesting morning lectures. One was on Australia and the United States and why Australians and Americans get along so well. It was given by Joseph Snyder. The next one was given by Harm de Blij and he spoke about the Geography Behind World News.
Team Trivia resumed at Noon since today was a sea day. Our team didn't do very well but it's a fun team and there is always tomorrow. We mean this literally because they are skipping Team Trivia as there is a special Valentine's Day function at the same time tomorrow.
We both enjoyed Salad Entrees for our lunch. Today was a nice Chef's salad.
In the afternoon, it was back to the Paddle Tennis court for Keith, and a one hour walk for Anne Marie on the Promenade Deck.
The afternoon included one final lecture which was presented by Karen Dickson on the History of Pearls.
This evening we will dine in the Crystal Dining Room. Before dinner we plan to see the Matinee Production Show and then there is another show later in the evening featuring a ventriloquist.
Tomorrow is Valentines' Day.
Keith and Anne Marie
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