Buzz’s comments on his cruise from
Valparaiso to Auckland on the Crystal Symphony February-March 2019
Before the cruise, I spent
4 nights in Santiago. This was my
longest cruise so far – 32 nights on the ship – consisting of two 16-day
legs. The jewel port on the first leg
was Rapa Nui (Easter Island). Before we
arrived, four ships had failed to get their tender operations going due to
rough seas. Our ship managed to conduct
tender operations even if it was a bit of a rough ride. It was well worth the delayed start of the
day and a little bit of a challenge boarding the tenders. I was very pleased with the entire day’s
tour. Pitcairn Island was the next stop
and most of the fifty residence of the island came on board
to present information on the island and sell their wares. Unfortunately, the island does not have the
infrastructure to host the 575 passengers we had onboard. The Society Islands were pretty and most
beach and water activities. I did learn
some more about the evolution of the habitation of Polynesia. The Cook Islands were another great learning
opportunity about the expansion west from Tahiti. New Zealand was fantastic. In addition to learning a lot about the
indigenous population, their customs, their arrival in the 13th
century, and the history of their interaction and conflicts with
Europeans. I also had a great white
water rafting trip there featuring a 21 foot water
fall (click here to see the white water
rafting pictures). I am the one in
the red helmet.
Food onboard was very good; better than on my other Crystal voyages. I continued to like the specialty restaurants
including the two new ones.
We had many sea days so the
lectures and entertainers were a very important part of making this a great
cruise. For a listing of the
Itinerary, Staff, Entertainment, Lectures and programs click here.
More information on Crystal Cruises click
here.