We had an uneventful flight to New York City on Monday afternoon.  That’s always a good thing.  We spent the night at an airport hotel in Newark and boarded the beautiful Crystal Serenity on Tuesday at noon.  The ship is somewhat similar to the Symphony but slightly larger.  It is the newest of the two Crystal ships.  The staterooms are about the same size just a different decor.  The staff is equally attentive and the liquor is flowing freely!  On our return from dinner last night we found a bottle of Canadian Club, a bottle of Vodka and two bottles of wine.  It was quite a surprise.  The stewardess had asked me what we drink but we didn’t realize it was so she could deliver it to our stateroom!  This is Crystal’s first voyage with liquor included in the fare.    

We stayed in New York overnight on the ship so today is an excursion day in the city.  Since it is raining, and we have seen so much of New York on our last two voyages, we decided to stay on-board and explore.  We have already met some very nice people.  In particular, one couple from Boston and another from Seattle.  Tonight we will meet our dinner table mates.  Last night was open seating.  We sail away at 6:00 p.m. today so we will be up top taking in the New York skyline and the Statue of Liberty.  I love the New York City harbor.  It gives me goosebumps to sail by the Statue, Ellis Island and the World Trade Center.  Tomorrow we will be in Newport, Rhode Island for about five hours then it’s on to Boston.  Internet time is at a premium on the ship so we will check in when we can.  I plan to be an expert on “cut and pasting” to the blog before long.