Monday, May 15, 2017 – At Sea – Atlantic Ocean – off the Florida Coast – Sunny – Warm – 80s

A beautiful day at sea...

After breakfast (the sour cream continues to come), I went to hear Louis Beres talk on “Israel’s Nuclear Strategy and U.S. Security” in the Galaxy Lounge.  A touchy subject and a talk I have heard before.

Ellen joined me at 11:00 AM for Jim Brochu’s talk on “Loving Lucy – The Life and Career of Lucille Ball”.  An interesting talk.

After lunch we decided to pass on all of the afternoon talks and instead go out on the back of Deck 8 and read.  I have given up on “Traces” for the time being (the hook took too long in coming) and started reading “Impact” by Lincoln Childs.  We stayed out there all afternoon and even ordered a beer.  Doesn’t get much better than that.

We changed for dinner and went to hear Rick Senat’s final talk on the history of Warner Brothers Studios. Rick picked up a cold or something and his voice is really raspy.  He did get through the talk but it ran over an hour.  I couldn’t stay for the end but people said he went past 6:15 PM.  Yikes.

Ellen Shooting Rick Senat

Zoltan, our "personal" Maitre D’ came through on our kosher dinner order .  Ellen had a wonderful looking veal chop and I had an all-American hamburger (with fries). The burger was really good and so were the fries.  We were running late so we passed on coffee and dessert and hustled to the theater.

Tonight’s headliner is Broadway Performer, Rachel York, star of “City of Angels”, “Les Miserables” and “Victor/Victoria”.  We’ve seen her around the ship so we were excited about seeing a more current Broadway performer. Her show consisted of several impressions of other singers (not bad for most of them).  She sang some standards as well including “Defying Gravity” and “I Dreamed a Dream”.  The best way to describe her is that she is a major belter. 

Instead of going up to the Palm Court, we went out on Deck 8 aft.  The back decks – smoking areas – have loungers.  The pads were gone but we found some in the wooden storage crates.  We also found a crate with clean towels.  We stayed out there reading and checking emails and Facebook until it was time to call it a day.  This was pretty much the nicest post show evening of the cruise.  We are going to do it again tomorrow night.

Sunday, May 14, 2017 – At Sea (Caribbean) – Warm, Humid – 80s

HAPPY MOTHER’s DAY

Up at 6:00 AM –

At 7:30 AM, I headed up for breakfast – some odd choices today – Special K with Skim Milk, cranberry and plain pancake with one egg over medium.  Today, the coffee kept coming – what’s up?

Spent a few minutes with Rick Senat in the Bistro before his talk.  He is very interesting to talk to.

Rick continued his Warner Brothers series at 10:00 AM in the Galaxy Lounge.

I stayed in the Lounge to take in the 11:00 AM presentation by Bill Miller – “Mr. Ocean Liner” – “Sailing to the Sun: Cruising History and Folklore”.  Bill is another long time Crystal Speaker (since the beginning in 1988) (450 cruises on 250 different ships).  The talk was interesting but I imagine he gives the same one every time changing only the last few slides to update things.  The lecture was amusing and the pictures of old cruise ships interesting.

Changed up the lunch a little by ordering a pizza with tomatoes and onions (along with standard salad bar and red pepper gazpacho).  A lovely lunch.

We both passed on the 1:30 PM lecture and instead spent some time on the nice lounges on the back of deck 8.  Probably caught a little nap back but eventually the heat and lack of any breeze sent us back in side.

At 3:30 PM, Steve Friedman presented his second lecture “Musicals based Upon the Silver Screen”.  He had a long list of these movies but he had to whiz through some of the major ones.  He had a good turnout including all of the theme folks.

We had to change for dinner because another theme performer, Kit Smythe, was scheduled for “Never Too Old – Everything Old is New Again”.  Kit is 76 years old and still hoofing and singing.

We had dinner with Steve – we ate off the menu tonight (nothing really to say about dinner – except that the spaghetti wrapped in eggplant was the best item tonight.

We rushed over to the Galaxy Lounge to catch the headliner, Sharon Owens, who performs a Barbra Streisand tribute show called “Legendary”.  I have mixed feelings about tribute shows because many of them are barely paying any tribute to the artists.  But this show was a WINNER.  Sharon has the most remarkable voice and when she morphs into Barbra it is so good, it is a bit creepy.  She came out of her Babs persona to do a small Q&A and sing “My Yiddisha Mama” (wonderful – Sharon is Jewish).  Back in character she did a marvelous version of “Papa, Can You Hear Me”.  It was a great evening and at the end, Sharon got a standing ovation even more powerful than Carter the other night.  Clearly, she was a fan favorite.  Too bad, she can’t put on another show as herself.

We finished off the evening up in the Palm Court listening to Shoresounds.  I requested “Let it Go” from “Frozen”.  They gave it a try even though they admitted it was a tough song to sing.  It turned out to be great.

The seas are a little more evident tonight but not enough to be a factor.

(this apparently was a no-photo day).

Saturday, May 13, 2017 – At Sea – Caribbean Sea – Warm, Humid – mid 80s

It’s a lecture marathon aboard Crystal Symphony with six speakers going at it – some head to head.

After breakfast, I went to hear Louis Beres talk about “Cold War 2” in the Galaxy Lounge – a lot of talk about Trump and Putin (I wonder how the audience will take all of the Trump references especially the segment on Russian hacking and the 2016 election).

I stayed put and listed to Glenn Rosenblum present “Broadway Musicals: A Theatrical Smorgasbord from Bye Bye Birdie to Hamilton”.  Glenn was his usually flamboyantly funny self.

After lunch in the Lido Café (the usual) along with the really good Mango Iced Tea (will be ordered for the remainder of the cruise), I got ready for my second talk at 1:30 PM – “Forensics and History:  The Search for the Unknown Titanic Child” in the Starlite Club.  I was opposite Rick Senat in the Hollywood Theater.  As would be expected, I did not have that great a turnout and Rick told me later than he only had an 80 percent turnout – so we cannibalized each other’s audiences.  The good news was that I finished five minutes early (because I really rushed through the material).

Unknown Titanic Child

I chatted with passengers after the talk - nice.

I continued reading Casey Hill’s “Trace” - in the afternoon and we both had some drinks in the Crystal Cove (mojito and apricot sour). 

Ellen went to one of the theme talks and during the talk, Sharon Owens, who will do a show as Barbra Streisand walked in in character. 

Faux Babs

We attended a Q and A with Carter Calvert at 5:30 PM in the Starlite Club.  She talked about her career and training.  She was joined by husband, Roger Cohen, at the end talking about their CDs.

Dinner tonight was off the regular menu in the Crystal Dining Room – after the Mushroom Soup with a green cube, the rest of the dinner included Wahoo and Veggie Crepes.  It was all balanced by a sugar free lemon éclair along with a scoop of Coffee Buzz Buzz Ice Cream.

At 8:00 AM, the Crystal Ensemble Singers and Dancers put on their second Production Show – “5,6,7,8” – we stayed for a while and then went to the Palm Court.  We stayed there for the whole first set of Shoresounds – they told us earlier that they would do music from musicals and movies.  They were in absolutely terrific voice tonight (the best performance of this cruise) and also had an appreciative audience.  I could see they were pleased to have people there.

We went out on the very pleasant deck for a bit, where I captured the moon reflecting off the water.

The ship continues to be smooth. 

Friday, May 12, 2017 – Cartagena, Colombia – Day 2 – Cloudy – Rainy – 87F

A sea day on the ship.

I tried to do my laundry this morning (the third time this trip – so nice to have clean clothes) before I went up for breakfast but all the washers were full including some that had been finished and were slowly air drying.  I would try again later.  I should mention that I really like doing the laundry on the ship.

Still have to ask for coffee in the Lido Café – maybe it’s the table location.  Maybe it’s just me - I'm just a big morning coffee drinker.

The laundry did get done after breakfast.

I went to the Lido Café with Ellen for the “Late Riser’s Breakfast” – she had the French Toast and I had a bagel with lox and cream cheese. 

I started a new book – another CSI Reilly Steel Novel by Casey Hill called "Trace".  Most of the day was spent reading or checking email or Facebook. 

Lunch was in the Lido Café – in addition to the salad bar, I tried the salmon piccata with tomato relish and the sautéed and creamed mushrooms.  Pretty good – we ate with Steve, who filled us in on the latest.

We didn’t make the Shabbat Services today because the ship scheduled Jim Brochu at 5:00 PM.  He gave a great talk on Joan Crawford – he knew her personally and set the record straight on some of the nasty things that her daughter Christina revealed in her book.  Joan Crawford might have been a little odd but she was not the person described in the book.

Kosher dinners once again in the Crystal Dining Room – I had the Polish Sausages again (even checked on the buns – OK? Yes).  They came with more fries than I ate all last year – I don’t understand the things with the fries.  The dogs were delicious.  We also ordered a challah (delicious) and chopped chicken liver (also delicious).

I went out on the deck to get a picture of our scenic sail away.

After Dinner, we went to the Galaxy Lounge to hear Broadway Performer, Carter Calvert doing her only show of the cruise – “Viva La Diva”.  She put on a high energy show featuring music by Carol King, Barbra Streisand, Bette Midler, and others.  She had a cheering section (including her mom) in the audience who stood after all of her songs.  Her husband, Roger Cohen, was the drummer and musical director for this show. 

Carter Calvert

After the show, we went up to the Palm Court, where, for most of the evening, we were the audience for Shoresounds.  They did some great numbers tonight that people would have enjoyed.

The seas are smooth.

Thursday, May 11, 2017 – Cartagena, Colombia – Mostly Cloudy, humid – 87F

Distance from Panama City to Cartagena, Colombia – 271 Nautical Miles

Cartagena from the Ship

We are on an essentially excursion-free cruise.  But we have the day covered.

After breakfast today, we plan to take a local taxi to Cartagena’s Old City. 

We took the complimentary shuttle to the Terminal/Visitor’s Center

Cartagena Cruise Terminal Center

and then checked out the taxi prices.  In the taxi queue, the price was $20 to go to the old city gates.  The last time we took a taxi, the price was only $5.  And there was no negotiating.  My plan was to get outside the terminal area and onto the street, where another whole squad of taxis was sitting.  The first one we approached started out at $20, then $15, and finally at $5 (I found out later that was per person).  Still better than the $20 the uninformed masses were paying.  The driver spoke no English but he did try to point out some sites along the way.  The route is circuitous and the neighborhood along the way is on the way to being ruins.  As you leave the island of Manga (where the port is), you start to encounter condos and nicer office buildings.  The driver let us off at the gates to the old city and pre-arranged a pickup in two hours at 1 PM.

Just Inside the City Gate

We found our way to the Plaza Bolivar – the equestrian statue was under repair. 

Plaza Bolivar

Surrounding the Square was the Palace of the Inquisition (containing some fun stuff) and the Museum of Gold.  We were looking for the restaurant that has all of the Miss Colombia’s (Miss Universe Contest) images on the sidewalk but couldn’t find it.  We did find some of the narrow streets of the Old City as well as our old friend, Subway.

The Old City and Subway

We were about to go back to the port but instead decided to find a spa in the old city.  We were directed by a hotel clerk to the Health Cartagena Spa just a couple of blocks away.  The storefront for the Spa was exactly the width of the door.  The spa itself was at the top of a long flight of stairs.  The spa itself was clean and manned by sea-foam green uniformed therapists.  Unfortunately, no one spoke English but the girl in charge used her cellphone translator program to communicate.  Our problem was that we had only brought $65 with us to the city.  The hour massages were 130,000 COP or $43.  Eventually, we went with the 45 minute sessions, which were 100,000 COP or about $34.  The sessions were fantastic – clean rooms, expert techs, and soothing music.  It was great.  I checked them out on Facebook and found universal 5 star ratings.  The Health Cartagena Spa will go on our list of Spas around the world.

We were hustled into another cab for our ride home – the taxi biz is a cottage industry of its own.  Another roundabout ride and we were back on the ship in time for a late lunch.

While we were gone, another ship pulled up next to us - again, I could be wrong but I don't remember being in Cartagena with another ship.  The ship, Pullmantur Monarch, actually had some significance.  This Spanish ship, formerly known as the Monarch of the Seas, is just about the same size as the Titanic and I used to mention it in my talk.  I thought the Monarch OTS was turned into paperweights but she continues to live.

Pullmantur Monarch

We spent most of the afternoon on the couches at the stern (Deck 7).  There was a healthy breeze that cooled things off.

Another Kosher night at the Crystal Dining Room – Ribeye Steak and fries for me and Lamb Chop for Ellen.  I also had the Cream of Artichoke Soup, which was very good. 

We were planning to go hear Broadway Diva, Carter Calvert, do her show but she was replaced at the last minute by a classical violinist.  We had watched her do laps and singing while we were reading on Deck 7 so I don’t think it was a health issue (it was actually but indirectly – her sound mixer was under quarantine).

The evening was spent reading in the Crystal Plaza listening to the terrific piano of Gordon Porth and then to the smooth violin of Lana Gasparyan.

Expecting a smooth night tonight since we are docked – I also finished “The Affair”.  Jack Reacher never bothers with any arrests – he handles everything in a much quicker way.

Wednesday, May 10, 2017 - Panama Canal Transit - Warm, Humid, Mostly Cloudy - mid 80s

Even though the ship didn’t start for the canal until 5:00 AM, I still didn’t get a good night’s sleep – maybe it was all the reading.  A mystery, for sure.

I didn't get up quite early enough to catch the start of the transit but I did get a picture of the cargo loading docks and the Bridge of the Americas, which essentially is the first sight coming in from the Pacific Side.

Transit Under Way

Bridge of the Americas

I had breakfast in the Lido Café as the Symphony was approaching the Miraflores Locks.  From the port side, I got a great view of the new locks and a ship getting ready to be guided in my the new tugs.

New Locks from the Miraflores Locks

Throughout the day, we watched the transit from several locations.  The entire passage took about eight hours.  The weather, while hot and humid, cooperated with no rain.

Canal Tug

Gatun Lake

Centennial Bridge

At 2:15 PM, we went to the Avenue Saloon to hear Master Photographer, Dr. Paul Wilkinson combine comedy and photography in his presentation –“Flash Bang, Wallop (What a Picture)”.  He was very entertaining and had a full house – unfortunately, he was interrupted by the Canal Narrator, which caused a number of people to leave the talk.  Still a funny experience.

We had dinner with Steve in the Crystal Dining Room – a Kosher Duck and four Polish Sausages (really four).  I only ate one and half and don’t know the fate of the other two dogs.  I started off with Cream of Tomato soup containing ginger strips.

Fruit for dessert along with a decaf soy latte finished off the meal.

We had to run to get the last seats in the back for Ty Barnett, a comic from LA.  He was funny in a subtle way but he had the first full house and more audience of the cruise.

Continued reading “The Affair” up in the Palm Court, stopping only to listen and enjoy Shoresounds version of “I Dreamed a Dream”.

Seems smooth on the Caribbean side.

Tuesday, May 9, 2017 – Anchored off Panama City, Panama – Drizzle, Rain – 86F

Distance from San Juan Del Sur to Panama City – 636 Nautical Miles

We are in our holding position in the waters off Panama City – we will be here until 5:00 AM tomorrow morning so people can go see Panama City (passengers have been warned about eating and drinking off ship but I doubt that will stop some people from giving it a try).  The problem today is the weather.  Intermittent showers (with lots of rain) are probable.

Fuerte Amador from the ship

I had my normal breakfast in the Lido Café this morning – before heading up to Deck 11, I first started my laundry (I love the Guest Laundry on Deck 8) so that got me to the Café around 7:45 AM, a time when most of the excursion folks had already finished their breakfast.  I brought Ellen her breakfast (fruit, two soft boiled eggs, lox with cucumbers and tomatoes, and a slice of French Toast).  I did not spill the tea in front of the 11^th deck elevator this time (did I forget to mention that).

With somewhat low expectations, we took the tender (a very short ride) to the shopping area at Fuerte Amador.

Symphony From the Tender

Tendering to Shore

Symphony From Pier at Fuerte Amador

A new city sign graced the tender pier area.  The trend toward signs continues.

The Symphony is really close

Not much had changed there with the exception of a new ice cream parlor – “Dulce Idea”.  The heat and humidity drove us back to the ship pretty quickly.

Back on the ship, we visited the Pursers Desk to inquire about transportation from NY to the airport.  Rather than dealing with cabs and shuttles from Manhattan Seaport to La Guardia, we purchased Crystal Transfers (for Speakers).

After lunch in the Lido Café (scoop of tuna and salad bar), we spent the whole afternoon reading in the Palm Court.  I started a new book – Jack Reacher’s “The Affair” (number 16 in Lee Child’s series).  Like a lot of his books, there is a familiarity to this book which makes you wonder if you haven’t already read it.  Pretty sure I haven’t.

I stepped outside to get a picture of Panama City - which still doesn't look like a real city - too new and white.

We passed on Jamila’s 5 PM concert then went to dinner at the Crystal Dining Room.  The best part of the meal was the Potato Soup on the Modern Menu.

It was very pleasant on the open deck so we walked a bit after dinner.  Also got some great pictures of Ellen and Panama City at night.

The ship is putting on a Folkloric Show but we opted to go to the Palm Court and read again – it was very quiet and calm up there – trying to avoid the commotion overload near the end of the day.