COVER STORY
DINING DELIGHT
Crystal’s latest restaurant innovation is their Perfect Choice Dining system, an open-seating alternative that allows anytime dining in the main CRYSTAL DINING ROOM. Like many aspects of the Crystal experience, it can all be pre- booked in advance online, ensuring maximum flexibility for dinner each evening. But I have to confess, having enjoyed the traditional fixed dinner seating (the ‘classic’ experience, according to Crystal), I would be reluctant to eschew the ‘old’ for the ‘new.’ Dining with our regular table-for-8 each night was an undisguised pleas- ure, allowing good conversation with our new-found companions, and we never felt the need to change our dinner time at any stage. Of course, Crystal does offer the additional fine-dining alternatives of PREGO (Italian) and SILK ROAD (Asian-fusion cuisine inspired by Japanese master chef Nobu Matsuhisa).
An evening in each provided a suitable high-point to the onboard culinary adventure, with the Nobu Box main course in Silk Road offering easily one of the finest taste experiences at sea with its Black Cod and Wagyu Beef. But we never failed to find a memorable dish in the main dining room, where are waiters Chetan and Valli were a joy to be around and the desserts especially scaled new heights of sweet-toothed delight every night (the Peanut Butter Decadence alone was worth boarding for!).
lined at this time of year by the glittering clothing of its Fall foliage. It was easy to dissolve into a schedule of late rising, followed by a light breakfast at The Bistro (one of four morning meal venues, varying from 5-11.30am) and then a lazy perusal of the day’s activities, which included various programmes of the Computer University @ Sea, art auctions, health and fitness seminars, bridge and dance classes, and the inevitable bingo sessions. I especially enjoyed the enrichment lectures provided by golf legend Billy Casper and sports commentator Jim Huber, while Col (Ret) Ralf Vargas presented a series of fascinating talks on the past, present and future of the Arctic territory, a region that came as a major surprise in its potential for a new Cold War frontier. Arrival in Halifax brought with it a deep, dripping fog that all but obliterated the landscape and limited our self-guided excursions from the ship, but there was still plenty within walking distance and the easy retreat back to Symphony ensured we were still able to enjoy the afternoon hors d’oeuvres served up by
24 WORLD OF CRUISING I Spring 2011
Igor – an indulgent extra that quickly became a necessary treat.
Likewise, the short sail around to
St John failed to lift the atmospheric gloom and obscured a charming little port city that, like Halifax, afforded a surprising amount of maritime heritage. Another local brewery, complete with the ever-present menu of fresh seafood, provided a literal taste of the region in ultra-pleasing style. Portland managed to dawn bright and
sunny – a maiden call for the Symphony, hence with an extra element of welcome – and opened a tableau of autumn-infused shorelines, dotted by picture-postcard pretty lighthouses that re-opened the theme of rich and rewarding scenery. In Boston, the relative detachment from the city proper – which required a free shuttle service from the pier – was offset by our second overnight stay and a chance to soak up the immense array of Colonial period history. It remains an highly walkable conurbation but a real highlight here was our two-hour Segway tour with Boston Gliders, which succeeded in covering a huge amount of ground while also offering first-hand knowledge into
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