Saturday, February 14, 2009~~~En Route to Miami Happy Valentine's Day!

Our stop in Tortola yesterday was terrific! We researched the beaches and the general consensus was that Brewer's Bay Beach had the best snorkeling and was quieter and more private than the others. We took a taxi over the island to Brewer's and the ride over was a bit of an E ride at Disneyland. Narrow roads, sheer drop-offs, hair-pin turns and everyone driving on the opposite side of the road (for us)! But there were also magnificent views of the island and the Symphony at dock. There were probably only a half dozen people at the beach and we were able to rent lounge chairs. The water was crystal clear and turquoise with a soft, white sandy bottom. It was the quintessential tropical beach with white, white sand, palm trees and other trees for shade and even some beach glass and shells. We stayed for about 4 hours and then our taxi came back to pick us up. I think we really could have stayed longer.

Last night Jane Self, the Crystal Society Hostess, entertained David and I and Jim Frazier (also from Memphis) for dinner in Prego. It was a lovely dinner with lots of wine and good conversation. Jane is leaving Symphony and will be based on Serenity very soon. I'll miss her when we sail Symphony. This morning we received a photo from Jane of all of us posed at the table.

After dinner we went to the show. Mark Merchant was hot, hot, hot last night! Zelda Rose was his puppet for the evening and the audience just loved Zelda and him! In one of his jokes, he mentioned cabin 7116--our cabin, as an inside joke. This morning he is proudly wearing a Valentine's
Day button that he says is from his wife--"This button is sent by the World's Greatest Lover"--but I think it's really from his dog, Nixy!

Michel Bell performed for the second half of the show and he was wonderful, as usual. His voice is amazing and he did songs from "Porgy and Bess." He's an all-round nice guy, too, as is his wife, Catherine.

This is our next to the last day of this cruise, so I guess we are on day 69 of our wonderful, wonderful voyage! It is going to be so difficult to say goodbye to Symphony and our friends on board. These are just a few of the people who made our stay so wonderfully special: Our stewardesses Veronica and Sonja; our crazy, crazy waiters, and my 2nd and 3rd sons: Goren and Darko; our great head waiters: Pietrv, Ivo and Vlada, our Maitre d' Remy, Seiji, the Chef de Cuisine of Silk Road; Slavka and Willy, the wonderful head waiters of Prego and Silk Road; Norbert and Paolo, the Maitre d's of Prego and Silk Road; Thomas the bar tender in Starlite; Scott Mitchell, the pianist in Crystal Cove and Trivia host extradordinaire; Scott Peterson, the best Cruise Director in the business; Jasmine, the lovely, lovely librarian and my friend; Jane Self, the Crystal Society Hostess; all the Lido Deck waiters: Allen, Lester, Joseph, Clarry, Chester, Charlie, Jeoffry, Sherwyn, Leo, Jonathan, Inan, and others I
know I am forgetting; Arnold, the Trident Grill Chef who shows grace under pressure and is one great guy; Gene, Micheal, Julie and Crimena, the wine stewards; Eva and Florent, the Bar Managers who did a fantastic job with the Cruise Critic Cocktail Party; Gareth, Benita and Anne Marie
from the reception desk; my wonderful Art at Sea Instructor--Kristina Nugent, Ryan in the Casino and so many others. Service is what makes Crystal stand out above all other cruise lines!

I did manage to pack 4 suitcases, so I feel like I've got a handle on packing. I hate this job, partially because it represents the end of the cruise.and partially because it is a drag. As I look at the souvenirs from South America, it seems like so very long ago.

This morning we went on a Bridge Tour. There were only 4 of us and Maro, the First Officer, explained all the controls and equipment. They do have an excellent view up there.

We took a break and entered the Slot Tournament where I came in 4th and won a t-shirt and a $10 slot coupon. I couldn't repeat my lucky win!

This afternoon was a special Valentine's Day Chocolate Tea and we stopped by to take a few photos and sample some goodies---and we actually only sampled! Afterwards we chatted with Jay and Carol Wolff. Jay's lectures are always excellent. Last year they sailed for 9 months and Jay
lectured on Crystal and Holland America.

Tonight is the Captain's Cocktail Party and the last formal night. It's so hard to say good-bye!

All for now,
Sad to Leave Symphony