December 14, 2025 – Cartagena des Indies, Colombia – Sunny, Hazy – 87F

December 14, 2025 – Cartagena des Indies, Colombia – Sunny, Hazy – 87F

Leg #2 Completed.

We are back here in Cartagena (umpteenth time).  We were joined later by the Serenade of the Seas (a ship built in 2001 and refurbed in 2011).  So another 3,000 people will be flooding Cartagena today.

Here's the summary of the last cruise.  

Topical Comment.  The good thing is that Serenity was not blown out of the water by mistake during the wack-a-mole thing going on with motorboats off the coast of Venezuela. We are now on the Western Coast of Colombia and out of range.

Kind of an up and down night with the time change (I never do well with those).  Finally up for good at 6:30 AM, another shower (a new and possibly never to be broken record for most showers on a cruise) and up to the Marketplace at 6:45 PM.  I stepped out on Deck 7 to get some shots of the port and Cartagena. That's La Popa Monastery up on the hill - a great spot for vista shots of Cartagena - but not on this cruise.

I also went to the Guest Services Desk to ask about getting some cash in case we go into the city today.  They said that there no ATM machines on board (I figured that) and, as a guest entertainer, I could not get a cash advance on my credit card.

The Marketplace was crowded for the first time since we boarded.  Probably just a timing thing.  I shook things up this morning – two pancakes with chocolate syrup and walnuts plus two eggs over medium (cereal as a starter).  

There was no line for the egg station and the egg cook is a very cheery guy - exactly what you need in the morning,  The coffee didn’t come as often due to the number of people up there and I did not get my usual third cup because I was actually feeling the crowd as people filled the table next to me (for the first time).

Our plan today was to take a cab to one of the many spas in Cartagena and get a nice massage for a reasonable price.  That plan was a little more complicated than I thought (I would have to do some more intel gathering on the logistics).  That said, we stayed on board and avoided the heat and humidity.  We are staying overnight here and not leaving until 6 PM tomorrow so we will try to get off the ship again.

We spend the morning in the Palm Court area (cool and quiet) and had lunch in the Trident Grill – gazpacho plus salmon sandwich plus a Blue Moon Ale (my favorite brew on the ship). 

Back up in Palm Court after lunch – we met the "smart phone instructor" on this leg.  He took a picture of Ellen and showed me how to improve some of the pictures taken on my phone. 

Turnaround day is a good day to do a load of laundry  – all the washers were free when I went to the Deck 7 Launderette.  Forty-five minutes later, I went back to put the clothes in the dryer and found them sopping wet.  The last time I did clothes the final spin removed most of the water from the load.  I put the clothes through another spin cycle – this time the spin wasn’t very fast and the clothes were still wet.  It took two cycles in the dryer (90 minutes) to get them dry. There was something wrong with that first washer - will not use that one next time.

Tonight is the first candle of Chanukah - we have had great Chanukahs on cruises before (several times on Crystal).  We went to the Hollywood Theater for the candle lighting.  Long story short, the Rabbi on board simply did not impart the Holiday Spirit to us - the service was brief and disorganized.  We will most likely not return.

Dinner tonight was in the Waterside Restaurant.  Even though it was on the menu just a few days ago, the entrée was Angel Hair Pasta Aglio e Olio.  I had a double Cesar Salad with that (the lettuce was not all Romaine – there was some iceberg in there also.  Ellen had the seared salmon.  We didn’t have dessert but instead had tea on in Crystal Cove.

We didn’t go to the Welcome Aboard Show tonight ("Crystal in Motion").  

Overnight in Cartagena.