crystal cruises, crystal serenity, casablanca

Grand Mosque Hassan II

This morning we've docked in Casablanca, Morocco. The port is very busy with cranes and containers nearly as far as you can see. Since this is our first time to Casablanca, we've signed up for the "Casablanca Kaleidoscope" tour that departs the ship at about 8:30. Our first stop is the huge Hassan II Grand Mosque. This mosque is said to be the 2nd largest in the world, after the Grand Mosque in Mecca. The building accommodates up to 2,500 worshippers with another 80,000 on the outdoor courtyard. The 650 foot high minaret is the tallest in the world.

After the mosque we're back on the bus and bound for a refreshment stop at the Hyatt Regency. Maybe this is the only spot in the city that is "safe" for this level of tourist - but it seems a bit contrived to stand around the pool at a Hyatt in Casablanca sipping juices and eating cookies. A waste of time in my opinion. After departing the Hyatt we're shuttled off to a carpet store. According to Crystal this is never included in the planned itinerary but almost always happens: we make an unplanned stop for review of "Berber Art" - otherwise known as the carpet shop. The shop keepers are fairly easy on our group and we're back on the bus in about 30 minutes bound for the Mahkama Law Court. Unfortunately, because of planning, or possibly lack of time due to our carpet shop stop, we don't see any of the interior. The next and final stop is at the King's Palace. Again, only an exterior visit to view the large courtyards and beautiful gardens. Arriving back at the ship, it feels like we've spent about 1 hour touring local sites, 1 hour between the Hyatt and the carpet shop and 2 hours negotiating traffic. Casablanca is certainly a place that will require more than our allotted 8 hours to enjoy.

The ship sails at 6pm from Casablanca. We enjoy the 2nd of 4 production shows, "Standing Room Only" and have a light dinner at Tastes, around the Neptune pool. The production cast with a two lead singers and the group of 8 in the "Crystal Ensemble of Singers & Dancers" does an excellent job. Tonight's performance highlights Broadway-type shows with exceptional numbers from Wicked, The Producers, Jesus Christ Superstar and others. The costumes are amazing and the 10 cast members sing and dance their way through a wonderful show.

Tomorrow we'll spend a relaxing (and much anticipated) day at sea, enroute to the Canary Islands. More from Gran Canaria!