Another sea day and a card trick that goes horribly wrong!

Another glorious day at sea in the Pacific Ocean!  Today, we started off our day with a light breakfast and a long walk around the promenade deck.  The weather is warming up as we make our way to Hawaii.
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With some exercise complete, we worked on the blog together.  Before lunch, I decided to sample another gin and tonic from the new menu.  I chose the Springtime in Positano.  Very refreshing.  ​

Veronica and I decided that we should give trivia a go today.  We did not team up with anyone, but did pretty respectable with a score of 10/15.  
For lunch, we chose Waterside today.  We both chose the spring rolls, but Veronica had the BBQ pork sandwich and really enjoyed it.  I had the stir-fried veggies with tofu.  We skipped dessert even though it sounded delicious.  

Even though the weather isn’t too warm, the hot tub is very hot, and the pool is heated. We had a relaxing swim after lunch.  The quartet was playing music right above the pool as we bobbed and floated with the motion of the seas.

At 3pm, I attended Magic Castle at Sea.  If you do not know about the Magic Castle, it is a private club for magicians in Hollywood.  You can attend shows and have dinner there, but only if you are invited by a magician. Chris introduced me to this years ago.  It is a truly fantastic experience that I highly recommend.  Crystal cruises hosts magicians from there to perform close up magic in intimate venues.  The show was in the Avenue Saloon with about 20 passengers.  You must be 18 to attend.  Bob Sheets is the magician on board.  The show started strong but his closing trick went pretty wrong.  It seemed like it was going to be great but alas he lost the trick somewhere along the way.  He did say you can watch it on You Tube.  Maybe at home, Bob.

After a rather lackluster ending, I met up with Veronica to attend art class.  Today, we both painted a canvas bag with acrylics.  Some passengers are very talented.  Then there is me.  I still enjoy my attempts.  Veronica stayed to paint another card, and I left to dress for dinner.

We decided to try Silk for dinner.  Silk is the Chinese restaurant on board.  We did not have a reservation, but I asked the maitre d if there was any availability when I saw him at six.  He told us seven would work.  Perfect!  Time for a cocktail in the Silk lounge.  They have a very extensive cocktail menu.  In addition to the Gin and Tonics, there is also a martini menu.  I tried the Grapefruit martini which is made with juice and gin.   Very nice.  They also have a non-alcoholic cocktail section.  Veronica tried a drink from there and really enjoyed it.  It’s a wonderful space before dinner.  As we sipped our drinks, I saw the magician.  I approached him and talked about magic until our reservation.  He offered for me to pop in to another show to see the trick one more time.  He said I could even bring Veronica.
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Now, it was time for dinner.  Silk has been getting mixed reviews on Cruise Critic.  I was excited to form my own opinion as I really enjoy Asian cuisine.  It is prepared family style for we shared a variety of dishes.  For starters, we selected the dim sum sampler, spring roll of the day, and the fried shrimp dumpling.  

I enjoyed the small size of spring rolls and dumplings, because it allows you to try more things.  I thought all the starters were amazing.  Veronica did slightly agree with some of the reviews about the dim sum that said they were slightly gummy.  I didn’t notice, but maybe it was the wonderful Gruner Veltliner that was being poured by the sommelier.  It paired very nicely.  For our mains, we chose the char siu pork, lobster and scallop wok, and vegetable of the day, which was garlic cabbage.  Our waiter suggested we add the sea bass as well.  The portions are close to tapa size for two, so I think he made a good recommendation.  Also, the sea bass ended up my favorite selection.  It was perfection

The other entrees were fabulous as well.  I switched to a red selection since there was a Bordeaux from St. Emilion.  Another excellent wine!  For dessert, we both wanted the tropical fruit plate with sorbet.  Our waiter said we could not order the same thing, so he recommended we try the 5 spice chocolate cake and share.  The cake was good but we both preferred the fruit plate.  There were very exotic fruits that Veronica had to identify for me!  ​

After dinner, we went to the late showing of ”Broadway to Hollywood” starring Aaron Lazar.  He is a talented singer, and the show was enjoyable.  He has starred on Broadway and is originally from Cherry Hill (South Jersey represent!!).  Right after his performance was Liars Club.  The gentlemen were very entertaining trying to fool us.  To keep score, you get a handheld device to key your answer within the time limit.  We did OK getting 2 out of 4 correct.  We second guessed ourselves on the other two thanks to the wonderful lies.  We popped into the Starlite for a few spins around the dance floor.  The clock went back another hour, so we popped into the Avenue to hear the pianist but he was on break. We decided to return to the cabin.  Another delightful day aboard Crystal Symphony.