Presidents Cruise review

i just posted my review of last year's President's cruise aboard the Mozart. I can try to post it here, but I'm sure it will be swept away. But if we had known what a Presidents Cruise was like, we might have changed our plans, so we wanted to help others avoid doing a Presidents Cruise thinking it was more of a special voyage than it turned out to be.

In short, if you are thinking of booking a President's Cruise for the sake of doing one, don't.

i just posted my review of last year's President's cruise aboard the Mozart. I can try to post it here, but I'm sure it will be swept away. But if we had known what a Presidents Cruise was like, we might have changed our plans, so we wanted to help others avoid doing a Presidents Cruise thinking it was more of a special voyage than it turned out to be.

 

In short, if you are thinking of booking a President's Cruise for the sake of doing one, don't.

Pretty much our experience with a President's Cruise on Symphony several years ago. Frankly, the only reason to book the PC is if you happen to like the itinerary, otherwise don't bother. Unless, of course, you REALLY want to meet Edie.

We booked it before it was made a President's cruise. But knowing what we know now we might have changed our plans. It definitely takes away quite a bit of the pleasure of a cruise. And Edie didn't seem interested in chatting with the non TAs. We had a laugh about it with some friends we met on board who were like us, younger than the average luxury cruiser. She didn't seem interested in talking to the people who should be the future of her business if it hopes to succeed. She was really enjoying all the sucking up the TAs were doing though.

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We booked it before it was made a President's cruise. But knowing what we know now we might have changed our plans. It definitely takes away quite a bit of the pleasure of a cruise. And Edie didn't seem interested in chatting with the non TAs. We had a laugh about it with some friends we met on board who were like us, younger than the average luxury cruiser. She didn't seem interested in talking to the people who should be the future of her business if it hopes to succeed. She was really enjoying all the sucking up the TAs were doing though.

 

 

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Our experience was the same a couple of years ago. Really nothing special about it. I will,say Thomas Mazoulum Sp? was very approachable to everyone. We enjoyed cocktails with him and his lovely wife.

Edie was busy with her favorite TA's and adoring guests. So 50 Crystal cruises did not warrant her attention to us who have sailed Crystal since day one on the Harmony. It's all about Edie, you need to adore her.

Other than more awesome marketing by Edie and Co., not sure what the expected experience would or should be for a regular passenger on a " President's Cruise"? Maybe Keith and the Crystal Reps can elaborate on what makes a President's cruise special to them...please do clue us in on this one?

In the spirit of Flyer Talk, maybe she could be convinced to be like a regular person CEO and climb up that radar tower. From up there she could do some great "ghost queen' photo shoots. She is just as pretty and has the most beautiful gowns as those brochure models whom she hires. Save some $ for Genting to boot!:confused:

i just posted my review of last year's President's cruise aboard the Mozart

Where did you post it? I'm interested in reading it

I cant see it among the 18 reviews in the Cruise Reviews @ http://www.cruisecritic.com.au/memberreviews/getreviews.cfm?action=ship&ShipID=1121

I don't usually post, more of a looky-loo. However this topic and the comments left me feeling a bit put off.

Our second ever sailing with Crystal was the Presidents Cruise to the Baltic's in 2014 and our next one will be this November, did I book them because they were Presidents Cruises? No, we booked them based on the same criteria we use for booking any cruise - itinerary, timing and a price we found acceptable on a line we really enjoy.

We enjoy a cruise based on our own experiences and not by how much or little we are fawned over by the President, we are there for the experience, the great treatment by the wonderful Crystal staff, who have treated us as valued guests since our very first cruise. That being said Edie was very present during our PC and had one on one meetings with any guest who wanted to sit down with her in the Bistro.

Each cruise is coloured by ones own experiences and expectations just like life, it's what you make of it that counts.

We are really looking forward to our 5th Crystal Cruise and all the changes to an already wonderful ship!

Brenda

This has gotten way off topic from the point of my original post, which was to share my review of a President's cruise. We researched what a President's cruise was and found little information shared here. So in my review I shared our experience so that someone else looking for that information in the future might be able to use it. In short, a "President's Cruise" seems to be a convention of travel agents. For some reason my review hasn't posted yet, so I'll share the pertinent part here.

The presidents cruise: This was announced as a presidents cruise after we had booked it. We researched what that meant and it sounded like there would be an added special excursion and maybe a few other touches. We were intrigued by this added bit of excitement on our sailing. But there was no added excursion, and there was only one added touch, which was a big of a laugh.

Have you ever been to a convention of a group of which you weren't a member? Like a Shriners convention, and you don't really understand what they do, or why? Or have you been conned into hearing a sales pitch for a time share? What we discovered is that the vast majority of our fellow cruisers were travel agents. I can count on one hand the people we met that were not travel agents, and even some of those might have been and just been quiet about it. Every "event" or cocktail party was a sales pitch about the upcoming Crystal products. It was made more uncomfortable by the fact that they were constantly talking about the fact the travel agents weren't supposed to be soliciting business on board. That made every TA you talk to on edge for fear that they were breaking the rules. In all it was creepy and uncomfortable and something I would never do again. I would not take a presidents cruise for free, or even if you pay me. Add to the convention factor that Edie and her entourage often held things up and were in the way. Just plain bad. Those people using the smokers lounge as their private office? Edie's entourage. There were LOTS of complaints about that from others on the cruise. I don't smoke and would never want to go in there, so I wasn't bothered, but lots of others were.

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SuzCruise,

Sorry I didn't mean to hijack the thread. IMHO that's perfectly valid of an observation to share -- I don't think any of us argue that. That's not news to a lot of us (which doesn't mean we disagree)... Crystal has always used it as a chance to host premium partners because it's one of the few times of year you have that degree of executive representation aboard to host your best sales people and important guests.

I've always avoided those cruises, because they take away more value than they add to me personally, so I agree.

Vince

SuzCruise,

 

Sorry I didn't mean to hijack the thread. IMHO that's perfectly valid of an observation to share -- I don't think any of us argue that. That's not news to a lot of us (which doesn't mean we disagree)... Crystal has always used it as a chance to host premium partners because it's one of the few times of year you have that degree of executive representation aboard to host your best sales people and important guests.

 

I've always avoided those cruises, because they take away more value than they add to me personally, so I agree.

 

Vince

It being on the Mozart would have made the presence of so many TAs that much more obvious than when it is held on Symphony/Serenity. The one we were on several years ago did have a number of TAs onboard (even me, but I wasn't invited :D ) and to be honest, I found out they were aboard mostly by accident. We had booked the cruise about 18 months out as part of a B2B before it became the President's Cruise. For the OP, on the ocean ships I do believe there is a special "President's Excursion" offered. Ours was in Boston and it was so badly run, and poorly executed, that everyone who was on it got a refund! I think it has a special place on the Shore Excursion Wall of Shame as Crystal's Worst Excursion Ever!!:D:D

I remember that the Mozart did 2 shorter cruises in late March for travel agents. This was before the cruises for the paying guests started. My understanding is that the Crystal senior team was there for those cruises. It would seem to me that if there were travel agents on a cruise soon after those cruises it was because the paying customers hadn't booked that cruise. Why would Crystal fill the ship with nonpaying people if the paying public wanted to cruise? Of course, what do I know?!?! :cool:;p:confused:

Patty

I remember that the Mozart did 2 shorter cruises in late March for travel agents. This was before the cruises for the paying guests started. My understanding is that the Crystal senior team was there for those cruises. It would seem to me that if there were travel agents on a cruise soon after those cruises it was because the paying customers hadn't booked that cruise. Why would Crystal fill the ship with nonpaying people if the paying public wanted to cruise? Of course, what do I know?!?! :cool:;p:confused:

 

Patty

Keep in mind the OP's review is of last year's President's Cruise. The sailing in March was for their top producers (of which I am most certainly not one) and not a regular revenue sailing. At least I don't think it was. :)

FWIW, aside from us full-fare paying guest-types, there are likely TAs on many sailings of every line, either as FAM (familiarization) trips, or on reduced agent rates. The lines do keep tabs on them and expect them to participate in onboard sales-related activities. The lines also have a pretty good idea when they have full-fare paying agents onboard as well. Kind of hard to miss the similarity between the booking agent's name and the guest name. They all have similar rules regarding soliciting that usually involve getting disembarked at the next port of call. While I don't mind talking about "the industry", I don't even carry business cards when I am onboard a ship.

Keep in mind the OP's review is of last year's President's Cruise. The sailing in March was for their top producers (of which I am most certainly not one) and not a regular revenue sailing. At least I don't think it was. :)

 

FWIW, aside from us full-fare paying guest-types, there are likely TAs on many sailings of every line, either as FAM (familiarization) trips, or on reduced agent rates. The lines do keep tabs on them and expect them to participate in onboard sales-related activities. The lines also have a pretty good idea when they have full-fare paying agents onboard as well. Kind of hard to miss the similarity between the booking agent's name and the guest name. They all have similar rules regarding soliciting that usually involve getting disembarked at the next port of call. While I don't mind talking about "the industry", I don't even carry business cards when I am onboard a ship.

I missed the part that this was a review of a long ago cruise. Wonder why the OP took so long to post it? Well, as Roseann Rosannadanna would say, "Never Mind!" :eek::eek::eek:

Patty

I posted earlier too about two President's Cruises I was on in 2010 and 2012, neither of which were populated by large groups of travel agents. The first was a Middle East cruise with special security arrangements and restricted use of all outside areas of the ship for several consecutive days, so hardly the environment you would be inviting TA's to promote your product. The second in 2012 was immediately prior to a dry dock and the only group I was aware of onboard that one were contractors and work teams who came onboard for the final few days before we reached the dry dock port. Again, not exactly the best environment to bring on TA's to promote your product.

Both voyages had special events onboard for all guests and a President's excursion in one of the ports on the itinerary.

I know when I was on the Mozart in early September last year there were two short cruises following mine that were for TA's and owners guests, who I believe were predominantly Asian, but there was always a gap in the cruise calendar for those 10 days so they were never sold to the public. Knowing the set up of the Mozart from my own trip, I can fully understand how disappointed the OP must have been with her own trip under those circumstances...

Anne..

Welcome Crystal Cruisers to the River Cruising forum. I know you are still getting used to the idea that Crystal's river ship threads will be here, while the ocean [and presumably yacht -- but who knows about the private jet?] threads will be in the Crystal forum [same as Scenic and Viking, by the way]. It would help if threads about Crystal river cruises mention 'Crystal' in the title, and if relevant the name of the particular itinerary as well -- that would prevent confusion, and get the attention of non-Crystal river cruisers who might have helpful information about rivers, itineraries and ports.