Blog - Crystal Mozart July 23 Sailing

Dear friends,

This is the link to my blog for our 10 day "Treasures of the Danube" voyage:

http://claudiayvrmozartdanube.blogspot.ca/2016/07/from-wide-open-seas-to-meandering.html

I will try to post daily or at least every two days and cover things that may be useful or interesting to most. If you have specific questions (I've already received a few) I will try to answer them on this thread rather than on the blog.

Bon voyage to me!!! :)

Hi, Claudia,

Thanks so much for starting this thread and for access to your blog!

I am eagerly awaiting your reports since we are booked on B2Bs on the Mozart in 2017.

I would appreciate a description or pictures of the closet storage space. We will be onboard for 21 days, and I am a bit concerned as to where we will be able to store all our clothes and gear.

On the whole I am very much encouraged by the recent pictures of the Mozart and the descriptions of the activities and dining for the voyage.

I wish you a wonderful journey and can't wait to hear all the details! Thanks for sharing!

Rhonda

Thanks Rhonda, I will be happy to oblige! Which cabin category will you be on? We're on a "W" (fixed window) and that's probably the only type of cabin I'll be able to report on.

Claudia,

Thank you so much for the link to your blog ... Anxious to travel along with you.

We have also wanted to try a river cruise ... And having cruised with Crystal ...looking forward to your river cruise experience!

Safe travels ... Have a wonderful trip and again ... Thank you for sharing!

Karin

ClaudiaYVR, I will be following along as well. Have a great cruise.

Thanks Rhonda, I will be happy to oblige! Which cabin category will you be on? We're on a "W" (fixed window) and that's probably the only type of cabin I'll be able to report on.

We are in an S1, which is comparable in size and layout to your W.

Thanks so much!

Have a great time! Bon voyage!

Rhonda

Wishing you and Blake a wonderful journey, safe travels, thanks for the link to your blog...have a great time.

Enjoy Vienna...incredible and magical city.

Nancy

Oh so looking forward to reading your blog . We are sailing in one month in the same category -one of the forward cabins . Have a wonderful time and will read every word!

Eagerly following along - don't know whether I'm more excited to hear how everything is from you, or about being there myself in a few more weeks!!:D

Safe travels to you all...

Anne..

Claudia, looking forward to following your blog having Mozart and a couple of other Crystal River Cruises booked.

Bon Voyage.

Keith

I am looking forward to following your Mozart adventure, I am really eager to read how Crystal does "river cruising"!

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Thanks for taking the time to blog and allowing us to come along. Looking forward to it.

Nancy

Claudia, like everyone else, we have been reluctant to take a river cruise but now that Crystal has entered the field we are starting to consider it for next year. The big reservation we have is whether or not there are any activities on board in the evening. That has always been a great feature with Crystal cruising in that there is always something to do on board. Will we be bored in the evening or is there more entertainment other than Mark Farris. Looking forward to your comments about this inaugural voyage.

Claudia, like everyone else, we have been reluctant to take a river cruise but now that Crystal has entered the field we are starting to consider it for next year. The big reservation we have is whether or not there are any activities on board in the evening. That has always been a great feature with Crystal cruising in that there is always something to do on board. Will we be bored in the evening or is there more entertainment other than Mark Farris. Looking forward to your comments about this inaugural voyage.

your post echo's my husbands concerns.

Nancy

Nancy it's a major concern with us. Two friends of ours recently took river cruises on other lines and their major complaint was that there was nothing to do in the evening on board the ships. One of them said never again. Having been spoiled by Crystal I'm hoping that their tendency to provide activities on board will carry over to the river cruises. Otherwise it could be a deal breaker.

Nancy and Jssabs I'll be sure to report on the night-time entertainment, I don't know if they also have Reflections for the river cruises, I imagine they do and if so I will try to post pictures of one or two.

Nancy and Jssabs I'll be sure to report on the night-time entertainment, I don't know if they also have Reflections for the river cruises, I imagine they do and if so I will try to post pictures of one or two.

Thanks Claudia.

I suspect there will be more things happening on the Mozart due to the size. The Mozart looks phenomenal...have a great time.

Nancy

Nancy it's a major concern with us. Two friends of ours recently took river cruises on other lines and their major complaint was that there was nothing to do in the evening on board the ships. One of them said never again. Having been spoiled by Crystal I'm hoping that their tendency to provide activities on board will carry over to the river cruises. Otherwise it could be a deal breaker.

I also hope so.

We've never been on a river cruise but have thought about them...definitely considering a crystal river cruise in the future.

Nancy

Evening lectures? History of the area? Certainly a wealth of stories that can be told. WWII, art, composers, etc. I have no knowledge of what will be happening but this is what I am expecting. Local folklorica- dance troupes for example. But then I have not sailed on one of the ocean going cruises and my experience has been on small expedition ships.

Did just see this however " Entertainment options in the evenings include live band music performances, dance parties, cocktail parties, movie nights."

Nancy it's a major concern with us. Two friends of ours recently took river cruises on other lines and their major complaint was that there was nothing to do in the evening on board the ships. One of them said never again. Having been spoiled by Crystal I'm hoping that their tendency to provide activities on board will carry over to the river cruises. Otherwise it could be a deal breaker.

Jay,

I'm not sure what your friends expected from evenings onboard a river cruise. I have to admit that evening entertainment was the one thing I have had no concerns about in the lead up to my Crystal Mozart cruise, my expectations have never gone beyond there being an onboard entertainer (lounge pianist, singer, i.e. Mark Farris), early evening port and/or excursion options lecture, the odd cocktail party, local entertainers brought onboard in some ports, and maybe the odd movie under the stars (think I read that somewhere). Beyond that I expect any other evenings to consist of pre-dinner cocktails, dinner with friends and nightcap in the lounge....These are only 10 night itineraries and we have 3 of those evenings booked already with a late returning tour in one port, the Michelin star dining experience in another port and the Belvederre Palace event on one of the overnights in Vienna... I know one size doesn't fit all, but from a personal point of view I'm happy to leave the ocean ship 'entertainment' behind for this trip - for me it's all about the destination, the different daytime activities ( some of which overlap into evenings), a more 'local' experience and not production shows, headline entertainers, liars club and structured lectures or learning classes....

I hope the two of you will give it a try, having known you for so long, I feel sure you would enjoy one of the river cruises - especially a Crystal one...:)

Anne

Anne, thank you for your comments. Don't get me wrong, we're not looking for ocean cruise line type entertainment, it's just that one of our friends who just got back from a river cruise with one of the top lines said that there was absolutely nothing to do in the evening and they were bored out of their mind. I expect that Crystal will have some events scheduled in the evening and that's what I'll be looking for when others share their experience now that the river cruises have actually begun. I know that yours is coming up soon so I look forward to your comments. Have a great trip, we leave in less than 2 weeks for our Symphony cruise.

Jay

Anne, thank you for your comments. Don't get me wrong, we're not looking for ocean cruise line type entertainment, it's just that one of our friends who just got back from a river cruise with one of the top lines said that there was absolutely nothing to do in the evening and they were bored out of their mind. I expect that Crystal will have some events scheduled in the evening and that's what I'll be looking for when others share their experience now that the river cruises have actually begun. I know that yours is coming up soon so I look forward to your comments. Have a great trip, we leave in less than 2 weeks for our Symphony cruise.

 

Jay

I'll be sure to update you on the Mozart experience. Enjoy your Symphony cruise - love that itinerary. I did a very similar one in 2012 and it's a couple I first met on that trip that I will be on the Mozart with..

Anne...

Thanks for doing this, Claudia.

Clare and I are booked on the Mahler next year on a 16 day journey from Budapest to Amsterdam. Like many others, this will be our first river cruise. I share the concern that the evenings will be too quiet and your report should shed some needed light on that. I'm also interested to see and hear how the food compares to Serenity's and Symphony's.

Have a great trip!

Leo

We have three river cruises planned all with Crystal.

Many of our friends have taken river cruises and all have told us that it really is an entirely different experience than Ocean Ships. I guess that is part of what excites us. Obviously some of the differences are simply that when you get off the ship often you are right there or close to sites other than on an ocean cruise where you often have to drive distances to get to sites. We expect that the entertainment in the evening will be more low key than what we would have on an ocean cruise ship such as the size of Serenity or Symphony. i am reminded that when we sailed on the Seabourn 200 passengers triplets that a lot of the evening revolved around enjoying pre dinner drinks with fellow passenger that only met during the voyage and a leisurely dinner with often a husband and wife pianist and singer and maybe a comedian on one or two nights.

For us the driver is the itinerary as we will see places that you don't see on Ocean Voyages and prefer to do it on a river vessel rather than on a land trip where often you have to unpack and pack every day or two.

Keith

Don't get me wrong, we're not looking for ocean cruise line type entertainment, it's just that one of our friends who just got back from a river cruise with one of the top lines said that there was absolutely nothing to do in the evening and they were bored out of their mind.

I have done one river cruise so far and had to actively avoid the evening entertainment because it was so bad. Even the all inclusive alcohol did not help. Still it was summer and the top deck provided a suitable distraction. That cruise line definitely did not priority evening entertainment. Most river boats just have a electric Yamaha keyboard for the entertainer. The piano on the Mozart is impressive.

With Mark Farris on board, I know it would be the type of entertain we would absolutely love. We do spent all our nights in the Avenue Saloon after all. However, Mark will not be on our river cruise so I continue to keep my fingers crossed. Looks like Marcie Castro may have stopped doing cruises as well. Having a good experienced entertainment host is key to making a smaller vessels like the yatch or river boats. Their repertoire was sufficiently wide that you always heard new tunes most nights along with a couple of nightly favourites. I was on a non-Crystal Caribbean cruise last New Year's. While the performer at the piano bar was good, after a couple of nights, you could tell the time by the song that was being played.

Has there been any feedback on the entertainment host(s) while Mark has not been on the yacht?

It is interesting to see that is still no one listed in the Avenue Saloon on the Christmas/New Year cruises for the Symphony, Serenity, Esprit and Mozart.