WELCOME TO LOS ANGELES - FINAL THOUGHTS - END OF THE LINE

Wonderful Dinner In The Crystal Dining Room ✔  Our Best Ever World Cruise Adventure  ✔  Final Thoughts  ✔

We have had over 41,000 visitors to this site since we first posted in December of last year.

We closed out a wonderful World Cruise adventure and journey on our last evening on the ship, starting with dinner in the Crystal Dining Room.

Before dinner we attend the variety show.  We sat with friends Bob and Glo. There were five acts and we enjoyed each of them.  The Crystal Dancers and Singers were one of the acts singing their traditional song to mark the end of the cruise; "Time To Say Goodbye".  Of course in our minds it is "Until We Meet Again."

Afterwards, we went to dinner in the Crystal Dining Room.  When we were seated, our Senior Waiter said "welcome to the last supper".  

We had pre-ordered a few items with Headwaiter, Augusto, as well as ordered some items from the menu.

We began the meal with salad.  For our next course we had Eggplant Parmigiana that Augusto made for us.  It was simply delicious but we ate less than half of it as it could have been an entree rather than an appetizer.

For our entree we had Veal Scallopini that Augusto also made for us.  This was also great and it was nice and light, especially in comparison to the Eggplant.

We each also had a dessert.  We gave our very best to the entire team including Maitre d' Leo, Headwaiter Augusto, Senior Waiter Salvatore and Waiter Marina as well as some of the other Crystal Dining Room Staff.   They took perfect care of us for the entire World Cruise.

After dinner, we attended the 2012 World Cruise Countdown.  This was held in the Crystal Plaza where the evening kickoff, including balloon and confetti drop was held to mark the kickoff of the World Cruise.  It was also the location where we celebrated New Years Eve and welcomed in the start of 2012.  This event was hosted by Captain Glenn Edvardsen, Cruise Director Rick Spath, and World Cruise Hostess Elise Ivy.  It also featured a Jam by The Galaxy Orchestra and Friends.

The event began with music and dancing and it provided a nice opportunity to talk with so many of our fellow guests and with so many members from the Crystal Crew.  We thanked Captain Glenn, Cruise Director Rick, Hotel Director Josef, and World Cruise Hostess Elise for  for making this an extraordinary adventure for us and for setting.  It has been a pleasure to sail with such professionals and all around good people.  We spoke with other members of the crew including on board booking consultant Nikki, both the Chief Concierge and the Concierge and too many others to name.  Likewise, we gave hugs to many of the guests we have come to know so well.

The Crystal Cove was filled with guests and so was the floor right above us.   

Cruise Director Rick kicked things off.

There was some singing.

We were standing just a few feet from the Captain, Rick and Elise.

Before not too long the Balloons and the Confetti Came Down.

After the countdown we wished many friends safe travels and all the best and then we went back to our room.  On our bed was a copy of the World Cruise 2012 Video that we saw earlier in the day.  We look forward to showing it to our family and friends and it will allow us to relive the World Cruise for years to come.

We placed the final items in our luggage and to then place each piece outside our door.  

During this last leg of the World Cruise we sailed from Osaka, Japan to Los Angeles, California with a total distance of 6,368 nautical miles or the equivalent of 7,323 land miles.  There is no question that our visits to Alaska, sailing Glacier Bay and our visit to San Francisco were major highlights not only of this leg of the World Cruise but some of the most memorably highlights from this adventure.

We slept well for the final time of this journey.

Unlike all other days, when we woke up there was no exercise and fitness center.  Keith did stop by to the Lido Cafe for coffee and spoke for the final time of this adventure to Lido Deck Stewards, Nat, Alvin and Martin.  He brought some coffee back to the room for Anne Marie.

We then got ready for breakfast and then got ready to depart our room for the final time.   Rao set up our breakfast for the final time of this adventure and as we mentioned we changed things up for breakfast.  Keith had smoked salmon and a bagel and Anne Marie had pancakes.

We met in the Hollywood Theatre at 8:00 AM (15 minutes before the departure time as requested) with the other guests who had the same designated ship departure time as we did.  We departed the ship at around 8:15 PM with a few other guests including Friends Bob and Glo.  Melanie, one of the two concierges walked us to an escalator where we took it down to the other level.  We were greeted by a Crystal representative and with the help of a porter we went to the area where our luggage was mainly grouped together and between some ladies helping find the luggage and the porter we easily had collected our pieces in no time.  We exchanged hugs with friends Bob and Glo.  We will miss them dearly.

Since we had already cleared customs in San Francisco we just had to walk through one area where there were about four customs officials who potentially might spot check some luggage.  We were sending our luggage home with Luggage Concierge and two of their executives saw Keith and immediately recognized us and greeted us by name.  All we had to do was to go outside the terminal, turn to our right and there were several Luggage Concierge Representatives by a truck to collect our luggage except for our carry-on pieces.

Once outside we said goodbyes to James and Daniel (Manager and Assistant Manager of Shore Excursions, and then a Crystal representative took us to our waiting car.  Coin

We were in the first group taken off the ship at approximately 8:30 AM.  We shipped all of our luggage home other than carry-on items so when we arrived to the pier we claimed our luggage and then handed it over to the company, Luggage Concierge, that is shipping our luggage to our home.  As part of the World Cruise Crystal Cruises arranged for a car to take us to the airport and then one to take us home from our home airport as they did when we began the journey so once outside the cruise ship terminal Crystal personnel assisted us into the car for the drive over to Los Angeles (LAX) airport.  As we were getting read to get into the car who do we see but Cruise Director Rick Spath who we each exchanged hugs with.

Everything had worked like clockwork and we arrived to LAX Airport by 8:45 AM, thirty minutes after walking off the ship.  That was certainly record time and we did benefit from it being a Saturday morning.

Our flight home left LAX about thirty minutes late but we recovered some of the time so we only arrived about fifteen minutes late.  Over the next few days we will get settled in at home and look forward to having our daughter, son-in-law, grand baby, son, daughter-in-law and new dog Kylie out to the house next weekend.

With the conclusion of this voyage we have now sailed to 205 unique ports of call, and visited 76 different countries over the course of 59 voyages.  We have sailed for the equivalent of more than two years.

For us this has been the best World Cruise yet and each time it gets better.  

We thoroughly enjoyed the itinerary, the people we met on land, along with the overall cruising experience.  The service, food, entertainment, enrichment and other related activities were better than ever and we enjoyed sharing this with so many wonderful people we met who were on for one leg, multiple legs, or this entire journey.  We have truly made many memories that will last a lifetime.

While Keith traveled extensively for business, and we both traveled together for pleasure, we have grown immeasurably from each of the World Cruises we have taken and the overall collective experience.

This has taken place not only from all of the places we have visited around the world on these adventures, but also from all of our experiences on the ship whether that was our interactions with fellow guests and crew or all of the enrichment and entertainment and other on board activities that we have been a part of.  

Seeing so many places in the world makes us realize how beautiful and special the world is but also makes us appreciate our own home that much more.

This is indeed a wonderful world. As we leave port a tradition of Crystal Cruises is to play the song What A Wonderful World with Louis Armstrong

We hope that you have felt part of this journey through this Blog.

Until next time.

SOME FINAL THOUGHTS........

"Twenty Years From Now You Will Be More Disappointed By The Things That You Didn't Do Than By The Ones You Did Do. So Throw Off The Bowlines. Sail Away From The Safe Harbor. Catch The Trade Winds In Your Sails. Explore, Dream, Discover." - Mark Twain

"If you want to have a great time you will and if you want to have a bad time you will". - Captain Glenn Edvardsen

"Travel allows us to see first hand the many wonders of the world and to create memories that will last a lifetime."- Keith and Anne Marie

Keith and Anne Marie

DAY 122 - CRUISING THE NORTH PACIFIC OCEAN

Wonderful Dinner At Silk Road With Friends Bob And Glo ✔  A Terrific Final Day At Sea ✔ A Very Sentimental World Cruise Video ✔

Thanks to those of you who have shared comments with us along the way. We hope that we have answered your questions and appreciated all of your kind thoughts.  We have been asked about future blogs and journeys and there will be both.  We will let you know all about those sometime soon.

Over the last few days some of our fellow guests have disembarked the ship. This includes some guests who live in Canada and decided to leave the ship either in Vancouver or Victoria and some guests who live in places such as Northern California or in other adjacent areas and decided to leave yesterday in San Francisco.  While we depart tomorrow, there are several people staying on for the next voyage from Los Angeles to New York City with some getting off in Florida and others in New York City.  There are also some people who live in the United Kingdom or in areas in Europe who will continue on as the ship sails from New York City over to Dover, England.

We wanted to begin by saying how much we enjoyed our time in San Francisco.  We love this city and we were fortunate to have the best weather one could ask for.  It was great to have Ashley, Kelly, Patty and Michael on board with us and for us to walk around the city for a few hours on the morning and the afternoon.  

A view of Alcatraz and it just doesn't get clearer than this.

Before dinner we spoke with our stewardess and assistant stewardess.  They thanked us for a gift we had given to each of them and we thanked them for taking such good care of us for 120+ days.  Our stewardess will be going home from Los Angeles for a well deserved Holiday.  We were very happy to hear that our assistant stewardess (stewardess in training) will now become a stewardess. We hope to see them again.

Afterwards, we walked around for awhile and spoke with some of our fellow guests such as Elaine who we have sailed with for the first time during this journey.

We had dinner at Silk Road with good friends Bob and Glo.  It was nice for the four of us to have dinner together before the conclusion of this adventure.  It seems as if it was only yesterday when the four of us and their niece Becky had dinner in Miami before we boarded the Crystal Serenity on December 21.

Dinner was outstanding and that included not only the wonderful dinner and service but enjoying a nice evening with Bob and Glo.

Our waiter for the evening was Alberto who was assisted by Ruel and the two of them took wonderful care of us.  Alberto had pre-ordred several items for us and after we had those items we ordered sushi/sashimi and our entree.  We had both the sushi and sashimi and for our entree we each had the Hot Sobo Noodle Soup with Scallops added to it.  Everything was perfect.

These are photos of some of the appetizers.

When we arrived back to the room there was a nice letter from World Cruise Hostess to each of us and it also included a message from Cruise Director Rick Spath and a letter with all of the thoughts for the day from Captain Glenn.  This was another very nice touch for what was our favorite World Cruise.  

We slept very well last evening. The seas were relatively calm.

Keith woke up early for the final sea day of this adventure and for his final workout of this adventure.  He chatted with fellow guest Brian, and with Fitness Director Juli and with the Store Manager.    He did what he has done for over 120 days and that was to workout at the Fitness Center.  

Anne Marie also enjoyed a nice workout before we had breakfast in our room.

Keith stopped by the Lido Cafe for some coffee and spoke with some of the Lido Deck Stewards, Jun, Nat, and Martin and also to the member of the Night Crew.  He thanked them so very much for all they have done for us.  

Rao brought our breakfast and we chatted for awhile about San Francisco.  We also asked for an earlier breakfast tomorrow and as we normally do on our final morning we changed up the breakfast.  Instead of Oatmeal and a banana, Keith will have smokes salmon with a bagel and Anne Marie will have pancakes.

As we have done for each and every sea day we watched the final Daily Morning Show of World Cruise 2012 as we enjoyed breakfast.  One of the highlights of the show was that Rick Spath and Elise Ivy spoke by phone with Captain Glenn.  

During Captain Glenn's morning talk from the bridge he shared with us his final thought for the day.

"Don't cry because it's over but simply smile because it happened."

The major highlight of the morning was the viewing of the 2012 World Cruise DVD.  Before the video was shown Rick and Elise each spoke.  There words were very sentimental to us.

During the course of this cruise Pianist John Mentis has been taking videos both on and off the ship.  Then Jeff Waters who puts together a lot of Videos for Crystal Cruises came on the ship around the time we were in Beijing and has been on the ship since then.  Jeff has also taken some video and then worked tirelessly to go through hundreds of hours of video to pull together a slightly under sixty minutes video on DVD which captured the essence of this World Cruise.  It was very sentimental as we relived all of the wonderful experiences that we have had since the World Cruise began.  As many guests as possible were in the video.  The video is perfect to watch from time to time and to share with friends and family.  At the end of the Video many members of the crew marched and filled the Galaxy Showroom.  It was a very touching experience and there were not many without tears in their eyes.  We had tears.  

After the video, we had lunch with friends Allan and Helen in the Crystal Dining Room.  We had a great time with them.  

Afterwards, Keith met up with friend Bob and Anne Marie did more packing.

Before dinner we will attend the final variety show of this cruise.

This evening we will dine in the Crystal Dining Room for our last meal there and after dinner we will attend the 2012 World Cruise Countdown held in the same area where the evening kickoff with the balloon and confetti drop was held to mark the beginning of the World Cruise.

We will post more about that along with final thoughts.

Keith and Anne Marie

DAY 121 - WELCOME TO SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA

Wonderful Dinner In The Crystal Dining Room ✔  AExcellent Time At The Captain's Farewell Reception ✔ The Best Ever Serenity Pops Concert  ✔

We wanted to give a shout-out to some of the other people and teams around the ship.

This includes:

World Cruise Hostess Elise Ivy.  We sailed with Elise last year as we did a portion of the 2011 World Cruise but since we she was the Pilates Instructor for the entire World Cruise and we didn't take Pilates (we now take Pilates at home) we didn't get to know her until this year in her new capacity as World Cruise Hostess.  We met her the very first day when she boarded the ship in Miami for the start of the World Cruise and she immediately knew our names.  We have really appreciated all that she has done in this position.  This includes all of the letters she sends to the room noting upcoming events and other information, coordinating various events, participating in some of the events/shows, being available to answer/followup on questions that we or other may have, and performing a variety of other items throughout each day.  We have also enjoyed watching her and Rick Spath on each day on the Daily Morning Show and we have greatly appreciated the way she has Hosted Team Trivia.  We have also enjoyed the dinners we have had and just conversing with Elise from time to time.

Jaque Brown, Crystal Society Hostess.  The Crystal Society Hostess takes care of a wide range of items for the guests.  Once you complete your first cruise with Crystal Cruises, you become a member of the Crystal Society.  There is an affinity program with rewards that vary based on reaching milestones based on the number of cruises you complete.  Jaque will keep track of all of this and then ensure that as milestones are being celebrated on the ship that those guests realize their respective milestone.  Certain milestones involve a range of dinners from dinner in one of the Specialty Restaurants in which some guests/crew can be invited, to a dinner at the Captain's Quarters, to a dinner in The VIntage Room.  Other milestones involve monetary shipboard credits while others involve upgrades in accommodations as well as even a free cruise.  On top of this Jaque makes sure that invitations go out for each Crystal Society Party and she recognizes certain people celebrating major milestones at these parties.  She also does a wide range of other activities from welcoming guests to various receptions including the ones held at the Captain's Quarters to giving tours and taking care of other related items while we are docked in many of the Ports Of Call around the World.  We first sailed with Jaque on the 2010 World  Cruise and we have sailed with her several other times including in Alaska last August.  We appreciate all she does.

Nikki and Paula Jean, Cruise Sales Consultant.  Paula Jean was the Cruise Sales Consultant for most of the time we have been on board and then when she went on Holiday in Hong Kong, Nikki came on board. We have known both of them for many years.  They are both very warm and personable individuals and it is always a pleasure talking with them.  They sit at a desk at the Crystal Cove which is located adjacent to the reception desk and have office hours on almost all days.  They are available for guests to book future cruises so that the guests can get an on board credit for those cruises and if the guest has a Travel Agent then the booking is sent to the agent who will then finalize the arrangements sometime after the guest returns home.  They are also available to answer any and all questions that a guest might have such as questions about accommodations, the other ship in the fleet if the guest has not sailed on both ships, and questions about the itinerary or a variety of other items.  

The Shore Excursion department has done a fantastic job this cruise.  This on board team is headed up by James Coughlin who has worked diligently on all of the programs offered on board the ship.  He is so very responsive, has been on top of everything and does this with a great sense of humor and passion.  The Beijing three day/two night land program was a major success and required very careful coordination to get approximately 800 guests from area to area and all of the work that James and his team put into this program made it a huge success.  This of course was on top of coordinating a wide range of shore excursions as well as many different overland programs in the 50 plus ports of call we visited.  We also wanted to  acknowledge Daniel Steyn who is currently performing the Assistant Shore Excursion Manager responsibilities but other times of the year when James Coughlin is not on board such as on our December 21 sailing was the Shore Excursion Manager.  Daniel is also a wonderful asset in his position and we appreciate all that he does.  The rest of the shore excursion team has been great and has been very responsive to any and all questions that we have had about the tours offered on the ship.

The Florist.  We do not know the florist except seeing the florist from time to time perform magic around the ship.  The floral arrangements that we have seen around all around the ship have been the best ever this year and that includes flowers on the Crystal Dining Room tables to those that can be found at the Front Desk.  The flowers that we sent to someone on the ship were stunning along with flowers that we received from our Butler and Stewardesses.  

The Enrichment Team.  There are too many people to mention in detail here.  The team includes some people who are on for the entire cruise such as the Jewish, Catholic and Protestant Clergy, along with many of the instructors from dance to yoga as well as to those who have been on for portions of the voyage.  We know some of these people very well from either attending services or from taking certain classes but we also know others very well from just talking with them and getting to know them along the way.  We have really enjoyed getting to know many of these people on this voyage as well as spending time with others that return year after year who we have known for quite along time.  All of this adds to the feeling of family on these cruises.  As we spend a lot of time in the Fitness Center we wanted to acknowledge the Fitness Directors and the other support.

On the technical side of the ship we wanted to acknowledge the teams that work in this area including sailors, engineers, maintenance and navigational personnel along with the other members of this team including the carpenters and computer university personnel.  Some of these people we have gotten to know personally including  many of the officers and we thank them for all that they do and for taking the time to answer our questions.  We also thank those that we do not know but who keep this ship running in tip top shape from the technical side of the ship to all of the items we see on the interior and exterior of the ship.  We do not believe there is a day that goes by when day to day maintenance is not being performed such as repairing a nick on the wall, replacing light bulbs, cleaning the exterior of the ship each and everyday, painting something around the ship and also varnishing wooden exterior areas.  To keep the ship looking as if it is one year new, which it does, is truly amazing.

The Medical Staff.  We wanted to acknowledge this team.  While we both have not had to see the current doctor on the ship who has been on board for the entire World Cruise, Keith has spoken to him several times and was very impressed with his professional skills as well as his personal/social skills.  We have watched this medical team in action as recently as the other day.

We also thank in particular the two nurses who assisted Keith with his choking accident on the Holiday Cruise.

In the end, we know that our cruising experience has been enhanced by both the personnel that we come into contact with as well as those who work diligently behind the scenes and we appreciate all that they do to make our cruising experience the best it can be.

Last night was a night to remember with many memories that will last a lifetime.

Last evening we dined in the Crystal DIning Room.  The dinner theme was the Captain's Gala Dinner and these are the dinner menus.

Before dinner, we sat at the Crystal Cove to enjoy pianist John Mentis.  We spoke with several guests  and also spoke briefly to Cruise Director Rick Spath and also spoke for awhile with John Mentis.

We then dined in the Crystal Dining Room.

Our Headwaiter Augusto made us each Caesar Salad.  He made a less spicy salad for Anne Marie and one a little more spicy for Keith.  Both were delicious.

For our entree Anne Marie had the Broiled South African Lobster Tail and Keith had the Broiled Fresh Rock Fish.  We both enjoyed each entree.  We also had some side dishes of cooked vegetables.

For Dessert, Anne Marie had the Freshly Frozen Nonfat New York Cheesecake Yogurt and Keith had mixed berries.

The dining room was busier than the night before as it was a formal night.  We will be back in the dining room on the final night of the cruise.  This evening we will be in Silk Road.

Following dinner,, we attended Captain Glenn's Farewell Reception.  This time it is the real thing.  We spoke with the Crystal Society Hostess, Captain, both Hotel Managers, and Cruise Director and let them all know that for us this has been the best World Cruise ever.

Afterwards, we attended the Serenity Pops concert.  This concert has become a tradition of the World Cruise and is held a few days before the end of the cruise.  It had to been the best concert performance we have ever seen on stage. The concert is for all guests and there were two shows; 8:30 and 10:30 PM.

This featured a wide range of performers from on board the ship, plus the Vice President of Entertainment for Crystal Cruise, Bret Bullock and several other  musicians who were brought on board the ship exclusively for this concert including several musicians from Canada and others from around the world  The concert also included members of the World Cruise Chorus  including various guests on for one or more legs of the World Cruise.

Two showings were performed; one at 8:30 PM and the other at 10:30 PM.

Out of respect for the audience, Keith used a camera without a flash so the photos are not as good as we normally take.

The Serenity POPs was developed by Galaxy Orchestra Bandleader Raphael Derkson and throughout the World Cruise he has worked long hours to pull this together.  He gets assistance from a wide range of performers.

The Conductor was the very talented Bret Bullock who is Vice President Of Crystal Cruises Entertainment.

Karen Jeffries who is a sensational vocalist.  She has performed in a wide range of events and has helped out in so many other ways along the way from assisting at Team Trivia, to her work at the World Games to hosting Karaoke.  She is a true professional and we have enjoyed seeing her perform in a wider range of show displaying her very strong voice throughout this World Cruise.

Dancers Curits and Beverly Dazzled the Audience

Three of the members of the World Cruise Chorus.  This includes fellow guest Vincent who we have known for many years, destination lecturer Ken Rees, and vocalist David Spieker.

David Spiker often performs with Karen Jeffries.  He is a wonderful vocalist and he also has acted in some of the skits that have been performed along the way.  Like Karen, David has performed in a wide range of events and has helped out in so many other ways including Team Trivia, the World Games,and as a co-host of Karaoke.  He is also a true professional and it has been fun to watch his role expand when he has been on the ship.

The audience gave several standing ovations.  About 45 minutes after the show ended it was time for them to perform again.

We slept very well as the ship headed to San Francisco.

Keith was back up early and enjoyed another nice workout.  Anne Marie did likewise and then we had breakfast in our room.

At around 7:00 AM we passed under the Golden Gate Bridge.  Anne Marie had a nice view from the Fitness Center and Keith captured some photos from both ends of the ship.  As you can see, one side was foggy and the other side was bright with clear skies and sunshine.  This reminds us about life.  There are some who focus on the glass being half empty.  We prefer the glass being half full.

A view of Alcatraz.

Later in the morning we met at the designated area to clear United States customs. The customs process was a breeze.

We then took a walk for about 90 minutes.  The weather was picture perfect and we couldn't have asked for any better weather.

Scoma's is a restaurant that is very sentimental for us as we took our children there several times over the years.

We met friends Ashley and Kelly (they were on the Holiday and Panama Canal Voyages) and Patty and Michael who all live in the Bay Area as we had invited them onto the ship for lunch. It was so great to catch up with them.

After lunch, we went back outside and walked for a couple of hours.  The weather continued to be great.  We saw several guests and crew members out and about.

This evening we dine at Silk Road with friends Bob and Glo.

Keith and Anne Marie