August 3,2024 on board Crystal Symphony
Coffee and croissants in our room…
…then I hit the gym instead of second breakfast…
…I did enjoy a yummy salad in Marketplace at lunchtime…
Timmy had a salad and some rice and seafood…
After lunch we enjoyed some ice cream then stopped by the Tastes bar to checkin with Petar…
Then back in the room, I spent several hours planning our winter 2025 travels. We’ve never been to Asia and are really looking forward to our Crystal cruise next winter. We choose to cruise because our focus in going to South East Asia is to visit Angkor Wat…Angkor, (much like Machu Picchu was) …has long been a beacon calling me…Since this might be our only opportunity to visit that part of the world …we need to get it right. Initially I thought we’d take a land vacation… maybe 3 weeks long…spending time in Thailand, Viet Nam and Cambodia, Hong Kong, etc. …with several days in Siem Reap…However when we began planning last November…I realized all the flying we’d have to do …all the hotels, all the transfers…yikes…my head was splitting…and normally I love planning our trips…but a land vacation in Asia to multiple countries just felt so daunting…even with help from experts. So I found a Crystal cruise to most of the countries and decided to add a land visit to Angkor Wat to the end of the cruise. Then I contacted Ralph Crawford, VP of Bespoke Sales at Tully. We had several conversations about our hopes for Asia, including that we are “slow travelers”…we like leisurely breakfasts, half day tours…you know. Anyway, Ralph sent me a 23 page PDF … “Asia Reimagined”.
In addition to building in 3 days in Singapore before we sail- because traveling from NY in winter -…and jet lag… – Tully will be arranging private tours for us – before, during and after the cruise…including most importantly…our stay in Siem Reap. When we cruise we usually engage our own guides, take an occasional Crystal Shorex, or just wing it…especially if we’ve visited the port before. But with this trip we decided to let Ralph secure all our tours and guides. And let me tell you …some of these experiences sound amazing. So I spent the afternoon reviewing the proposal and emailing with Ralph. It was a fun way to spend a sea day on ship…planning shore excursions for an upcoming cruise😊
Tully did something similar for our post cruise travels in Australia and then our post Covid land vacation in Portugal. …and Ralph is the person who suggested Sonora Resort.
I love working with Tully Luxury Travel because their attention to detail is unmatched, they always find the coolest things for us to do and their “Partners” around the world are equally professional.
Anyway…after short naps…hello we are old…we got ready for dinner…
We can’t seem to manage these pics in the full length mirror…because of its awkward location. Whatever.
We are loving Neil Fullerton so much that we popped into the Avenue for the last half of his pre dinner show. Then…
…we settled in with Viktor Luzin in the Cove…
We had the salad entree …Lamb chops, quinoa and teeny tiny pita bread…really delicious.
Tim couldn’t decide, so he had both the sorbet and cheese cake.
It was a bittersweet night because it was our last evening with Ramazan…he left for home today. We will sorely miss him, but are so happy that he will be with his three sons and wife. Ramazan is the embodiment of the intangible ideal that is Crystal. 🩵
The Galaxy Theater featured a return performance of Tom Ball. He is very talented.
…and we finished off the night with Neil in the Avenue Saloon..I ran from the theater to secure seats…good thing because there were only 4 left and then when the after theater crowd showed up it was really nutty. People love this guy…his connection with the audience is so genuine and he really seems to love performing.
Oh, in addition to pizza, we also had a couple of cookies.
Another wonderful day on Symphony…yummy food and superb entertainment. We are so freaking lucky. Thanks for following along 🩵
