Trip Report: September 22 to October 19, 2003
by Ted & Sylvia Blishak
Fall Colors Coast to Coast - by Land and Sea
ABOARD THE "CRYSTAL SYMPHONY"
September 27, 2003: Sailing towards Martha's Vineyard.
The Crystal Symphony is proving to be the most elegant ship we've ever sailed on. Our guest capacity is 940, and there are 545 crew numbers to take care of us. This means that our crew never seems hurried or overworked, and they are happy in their jobs. The vessel is kept in a beautifully clean condition.
At one minute before midnight last night, we stood on deck to observe our dramatic departure from New York City. Brilliantly illuminated skyscrapers, including the familiar and classic Chrysler and Empire State buildings, were visible as we headed out to sea past the Statue of Liberty and under the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge. Some passengers attempt to guess at the site of the World Trade Center Towers, but there is nothing to mark the location.
Our cabin attendants and dining room staff are mostly Eastern European. They are delightfully friendly and conversational, and we are learning about places like Romania (they still have wolves there). And we're learning about Polish views on American politics: "Ronald Reagan was your greatest president he was very supportive of Poland and sent us lots of aid which helped us to overthrow the Communists."
What to do on board today? There are lectures by former Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger and former NASA rocket scientist Tom Logsdon. The library offers videos and audio tapes as well as a fine selection of books. Gamblers can enjoy Caesars Palace at Sea, while exercise enthusiasts enjoy the swimming pool, the spa and gym, or doing laps around the one quarter mile promenade deck. Bridge lessons, computer lessons, dance lessons, gaming lessons, and yoga lessons are just a sample of the many activities available. Or one may just sit quietly on the private veranda.
We are able to connect our laptop to a satellite internet system which enables us to collect our email even when at sea. Crystal charges a $25.00 setup fee, then 75 cents per minute when on line. The connection in our cabin is via the telephone jack. So we are never out of touch with our clients, even on the high seas. The last weak link out here is voice telephone service, cell phones are often out of range even on a coastal cruise, and ship to shore telephone charges are $9.95 per minute. We must look into internet telephone service for our next cruise.
Tomorrow we arrive at the island of Martha's Vineyard.
