We started our day at around 7:00 AM this morning since the original schedule called for us to dock in Maputo, Mozambique at 12:00 Noon. We first had breakfast in the Lido Café and enjoyed it. We really have enjoyed all of the fruit that has been brought on board the ship from South Africa. So, in addition to cereal for Anne Marie and Oatmeal for Keith, each of us also enjoyed the grapefruit and Keith also enjoyed the wonderful strawberries, which tasted great. Some of the fruit that we have had is by far the best we have ever tasted. After our breakfast we worked out in the Fitness Center. Anne Marie worked out on the treadmill and Keith worked out on the elliptical machine for one hour and then we each spent some time on the weight lifting machines. While we were in the Fitness Center the Captain gave his regular 9:00 AM update from the bridge and we learned that the ship would not arrive in Maputo until around 2:00 PM. We believe the delay is two-fold. Last evening, those passengers who first boarded the ship in Cape Town and those passengers who rejoined the ship in Durban from Safari needed to bring their passports to the local authorities on board the ship. This needed to be done before we sailed at our scheduled time of 6:00 PM. Unfortunately, there were a few passengers who ignored this request until their names were repeatedly read over the speaker by the front desk so we did not leave until around 6:45 PM. In addition, even though we did not seem to feel it, some of our fellow passengers told us that the seas were very rough for a few hours last night. Those who told us this had gone to the Palm Court to dance and this venue is located on the top deck at the stern (forward position) of the ship, which tends to be the most affected when in rough seas. They had to stop dancing after awhile. We spoke with the captain after we arrived in port, and he did confirm these as the two major reasons for he delay.
As we mentioned, this is the first time any Crystal ship has visited Maputo. It is a developing port and at this time only had one shore excursion that met Crystal’s rigid safety guidelines which is an overview of the city. We had decided to pass on this tour and due to safety reasons did not go into town on our own. So, we just got off the ship for a little while at the pier.
The Portuguese first planted their flag here in 1498. This area remained a slave-trading center until the mid-1800s. Today, the population of this country reflects the indigenous peoples who called this nation their home before it was first settled by the Europeans. They comprise 99% of the total population of this country. Maputo is the capital of Mozambique. This country won its independence from Portugal in 1975 after a nasty war. This country has gone through a good deal of conflict after winning its independence including a civil war and a disastrous famine, which accounted for the deaths of one million people.
Today, the country is trying to build its economy primarily in the areas of tourism, agriculture, and manufacturing of various items from shoes to furniture. Hopefully, in time, this country will grow economically along with improved standards of living for its people.
At Noon we went to the main dining room for lunch and we had a wonderful salad entrée. This is one that we had not had before and we can’t say enough about the quality of all of the food served in the dining room. This salad was outstanding as are all of the other ones that we order each day for lunch.
While we waited for the ship after lunch to dock we sat out near the pool area under some shade. The Lido Deck Stewards came over and moved two chairs for us into a very nice area. These folks are so very nice to us and to the other passenger’s and always know our names and likes. They are so funny as they always help us with breakfast. Since we arrive up at the Lido Café very early sometimes some items are not yet available the first thing such as bananas.. But, since they know that we like bananas they always have two for us in the back. And, they know that one of us takes caffeinated coffee while the other takes the first cup as caffeinated coffee and they know that Anne Marie likes a certain type of coffee that they make in the back for her in a special machine. So, they were kidding around with us this afternoon about getting us two bananas along with one regular and one decaffeinated coffee. We can’t say enough about how wonderful their work ethic is, and how committed they are to make each persons experience as wonderful as possible. We go out of our way to make sure we learn their names as soon as possible as we know how much they appreciate that. They treat us with kindness and we are always sure to do likewise for them.
A little while after the local authorities cleared the ship we got off the ship and took a complimentary shuttle from the dock to the downtown square. We saw the Railway Station (pictured on the Blog), which was built in the early 1900’s. It was designed by the maker of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France; M. Eiffel. It was renovated in recent years and also has some old steam engines inside.
After a short stay we took the shuttle back to the ship where we then walked for a while on the promenade deck of the ship. As we have mentioned, the promenade deck is the best on any ship we have ever sailed on as it has a full wrap-around deck which provides an excellent venue for taking long walks.
We went to dinner in the Main Dining Room and all of our tablemates were at dinner (three couples including us) for the first time this segment since one of the couples returned to the ship late yesterday from Safari. We enjoyed a wonderful dinner.
This evening we will be going to the movie theatre to see the movie Bobby.
Keith & Anne Marie
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