January 18, 2025

We rarely eat breakfast on embarkation mornings…but we couldn’t pass up a final opportunity to say good bye to the morning staff at Fiamma.

Truffle goat cheese again!

Timmy had a special request omelet: Duck breast and bell pepper …he loved it!

We checked out and Jamie and Tan drove us to the cruise terminal…less than 15 minutes drive from Capella.

We were surprised to encounter a shopping mall rather than the typical port operations. There was one porter standing by and he took our luggage, we followed him through the mall to checkin. It’s a good thing I could see Symphony when we arrived or I might have thought we were in the wrong location.

Anyway, we were among the first to arrive at 11:15. We chatted with some lovely folks from Tampa, FL and next thing…we were on the ship.

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I wish I could describe the excitement I feel every time we board the ship.

We popped into the Bistro for a Portuguese tart…then it was off to our deck 9 Aquamarine suite.

I failed to take photos while the room was freshly made up. When I expressed my dismay, Timmy said “take them anyway”…here’s his reaction to me not wanting to photograph the “mess” …you do see why it’s so much fun traveling with this guy.

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A one time photo credit to Timmy for this panorama …We rested after unpacking…still in recovery mode from all that touring.

We were the first passengers at our muster station.

A mirror selfie before dinner at Beef Bar. Beef Bar is a new dining offering on both Crystal ships. Beef Bar was conceived by chef Ricardo Giraudi in Monte Carlo in 2005.

There are several Beef Bar locations around the world, including Paris and New York.

This is Mili…a true Crystal treasure. She stepped us through the menu…making suggestions.

Yummy Kobe beef tacos…

Korean bao buns with smoked Wagyu beef…oh my goodness!

Steaks-Frites with black truffled butter sauce…perfectly cooked, melted in our mouths.

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I knew we should have shared one dessert…although this is perhaps the best gelato I’ve ever tasted…I could not finish even one scoop.

After dinner we enjoyed another great Crystal in Motion show. We might have skipped the show, because this is the ninth time we’ve seen it since Crystals re-launch under Manfredi..however we will never pass up an opportunity to hear Alex Privato shred on guitar…

…and listen to Anna Alonso…this beautiful young woman is beyond talented.

Frenc and Alexa are wonderful too. We skipped the Avenue saloon and were asleep by 10:30…this being old is truly awful…the mind says “let’s do this!” …and the poor tired body says “oh no, not tonight. Tonight we sleep”. Whatever…tomorrow’s another day.

January 19, 2025

We woke to clouds and rough seas.

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Milind brought us coffee, then we popped up to Trident grill for late risers breakfast.

At some point during breakfast, I really began to feel the motion of the ship. Like really feel it. For the first time ever, I became seasick…and these seas were nothing compared to some trans- Atlantic crossings …and certainly nothing like the time in 2018 when we spent days out running a typhoon in the South Pacific. Anyway… I felt awful and after being sick, I spent the day sleeping.

I woke up starving and Milind brought me tea, salt sticks and frozen yogurt.

Perked me right up.

We may stop taking these mirror selfies…the mirror is in an awkward position and although Timmy indulged me last summer…I don’t need to tax his tolerance level …and I really hate the way I look…so there’s that…also too close…whatever…

We attended the Captain’s Welcome reception, shook hands with his officers, took a photo with the Captain, thoroughly enjoyed Anna Alonso and the Showband Quartet.

There seems to more tuxedos than in recent memory.

Then we headed to the Cove and met Dan Davies, who was delightful on piano. It’s not his usual gig…but he swapped out his late night Avenue Saloon session to give his voice a rest.
We prefer to dine later…especially on Formal Night…let things settle down…it’s more relaxed. It’s also easier for Remi to accommodate our request to be seated in Ramazan’s section.

Caviar presented in the traditional way…Timmy had the Oxtail soup

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So tonight I hit the trifecta- plus one…all my favorites: Caviar, lobster, risotto and asparagus. 😊

Timmy loved his quail with porcini stuffing and that honey braised cabbage was perfect with his side of truffle leek risotto.

Ramazan is the consummate Crystal waiter ♥️

Something new…a different elevated bread offering each evening.

Remi sets the tone for excellence.

Please note…a completely clean plate

Apple pie a la mode for the win.

Another perk of dining late…old friends have time to stop by for a chat. Santana is the senior Head Waiter. He’s always so charming and welcoming .♥️♥️♥️

So there you have it…our first two days back on board our home away from home.
The dream continues. Thanks for following along. 🩵