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Younger end of Gen X here. We sailed old Crystal twice with our kids. We were looking for upscale coupled with kid-friendly, akin to what Four Seasons Resorts offers on land, and we very much enjoyed old Crystal. We'll give new Crystal a try next year. Yes, I know it's a new company, but we're hopeful they will provide a great experience.

Wow -- that's a big change from old Crystal.

As a data point, for a 7-day Alaska cruise on Serenity in July 2024, the pricing for Deck 10 (including Crystal Society discount) was quoted as follows (total for both pax): Seabreeze forward $9,940 Classic PH midship $10,890 Seabreeze aft $10,890 Veranda room connecting to Classic PH $7,800 Thus, Seabreeze aft is priced the same as Classic PH midship, but Seabreeze forward is significantly cheaper. We went for Seabreeze forward to save the money.

That is actually a fantastic idea IMO.

Thank you for the reassurance. I am thinking of going for a far aft pair, both for the larger balcony and to have the rear deck nearby.

Thank you. Yes, we seem to be looking for the same information. My concern is that if I choose the Seabreeze connectors on the hope and expectation that they remain that way, and it turns out Crystal is actually ripping out the connectors, by the time we find that out, we will have missed our opportunity to book one of the very few existing PH+Veranda connectors. (At the moment, those are available, but who knows how long that will last.) Sigh.

Are you sure that on Serenity there will be a "new" Aquamarine cabin style? On the website they don't seem to mention one. They only refer to "Classic" (which I take to mean the old PH) and "Redesigned 2018" (which I take to mean the old Seabreeze Penthouse). There is no mention of a third style of Aquamarine that is new, whereas there is a new, third style for Sapphire suites. What I am pulling my hair out trying to determine is whether the old Seabreeze Penthouses on Deck 10 of Serenity will remain unchanged in terms of the shared entryway that allows two adjacent SB rooms to be connected (e.g., rooms 10002 & 10006). We want two connecting rooms, and I would prefer the old Seabreeze style. But if Crystal is tearing out that connection option for whatever reason, then I'll go with something like 10074 & 10076, but that option is inferior because one of the rooms is smaller (i.e., not a penthouse size). My TA can't seem to get an answer from Crystal on this. My suspicion is that Deck 10 is being kept unchanged in this regard, but the TA's Crystal rep thinks it's the opposite. 🤔

Are we confident that the old Seabreeze PH on Serenity Deck 10 forward have KEPT the external connector feature (like 10002 & 10006)? (I.e., the shared entryway with a second set of front doors, if you get both suites.) The Crystal rep is telling my TA that feature was ripped out in 2018. That is obviously wrong since it was ADDED in 2018. But we can't get any confirmation from Crystal that the feature still exists, and obviously it is not indicated on the current deck plan.

On the Nobu cruise I was on in 2018, he was there with his kids, grandkids, etc. Truly a down-to-earth guy, and it was obvious during the sushi-bar dinner I had with him that he loves his craft and isn't merely a shallow marketing machine. During lunch at Tastes some days later, he was sitting a few tables over with his family, and apparently having remembered me from the special dinner, he waved me over to meet them all. My wife and kids were stunned. 🤣

Ah, my bad. I didn't realize you were referring to Saudi there. Much different culture there. Actually, my first time to the Middle East was this past November, as my family went to Qatar for the World Cup. There were tourists there from a number of Muslim countries, many of whom of course were supporting their teams. I was surprised by the significant differences in how the people (not the government, but regular people) acted/behaved, even from one Arab country to another, including in terms of male/female relationships, dress, attitude, etc. Was very enlightening.

As an Iranian-American, I find that behavior quite surprising, even for this evil regime. (Granted, I've never been to Iran, so I am envious of your trip.) Could have been just some government agents gone rogue. Again, this regime is hated by a huge number of citizens, as the current protests demonstrate. And let's face it, you weren't exactly docking in Tehran, which would have been a far more cosmopolitan experience (like docking in Alabama and thinking you're in NYC, no offense). But still, IMO your experience is certainly not reflective of Iranian culture. Let's hope for regime change someday, and things there will be much different.

I don’t follow. Did they do something improper with the women?

That's not how I read it. Point 2 says: 2. Must book MIA to MIA Jan 18 - Jun 6, 2024 142 days/141 nights; or LAX to LAX, starting Feb 3, to count as WC. You seem to be reading out those last few words.

Has anyone received information about: 1. Third berth availability and pricing? The old Crystal put a * on third berth-capable rooms (PH and above were all third berth-capable), and pricing was 1/2 the adult fare (and sometimes free). The new floor plan does not show any * rooms and there is no mention of third berth pricing. 2. Whether any rooms will have "exterior" connectors like the Seabreeze suites did on old Crystal? Again, the website doesn't seem to indicate it, and there are surprisingly few inside connectors on the new layout maps.

Where does it say segment bookings won't be allowed? The OP didn't seem to indicate either way.

My wife would agree. She prefers a non-rainshower for when she wants to keep her hair dry.

Is there a rationale for guests 3 & 4 getting free booze if 21+ but zilch of anything if under 21?

I'm thinking of staying on the MSC Europa during the World Cup. But I can't seem to figure out if MSC will be running all (or nearly all) venues as if this were a real cruise, or will it be a curtailed experience just to provide some rooms and restaurants? For example, will the entertainment, water slides, etc., be running in full? Anyone heard anything either way?