Stickman1990

Thanks - well that’s certainly different - Emirates doing it differently once again - I wonder if other airlines will follow suit?

The December 2024 Symphony cruise from Athens to Mumbai is the one we’re discussing as to the cancellation decision and final payment dates etc I don’t believe you’re booked on this cruise so understand why you aren’t aware of the facts - for this cruise (which is effectively a back to back combo of 33 days duration (certainly not 40 days)) it’s 180 days (not 120 days) - as stated on the guests ticket Interestingly if Crickette is booked on the B2B Athens to Mumbai then the screen shot she posted which is apparently for her B2B cruise suggests that Crystal have varying (120/180 days) periods for penalties to kick in on this same B2B! That’s very strange

Got a screen shot of that (with personal info redacted)? I’m interested to see how it’s stated I know Singapore Airlines, Qatar, Virgin Australia and Qantas definitely don’t have a check in time on their tickets (issued in the last month or two)

Different cruise… The current conversation is about the 6 December Athens to Mumbai back to back cruise on Crystal Symphony - that is not cancelled

How do you get early August? Isn’t 180 days (when 25% penalty kicks in) before 6 Dec going to be early June?

I'm happy to wait until close to final payment due date to allow them more time to assess the situation - that’s around 4 months more time Obviously if they did decide to make a change or cancel it would make sense for them to simultaneously release the alternative so people could move across - or cancel and do something different So I’d say standby until late May/early June

An interview with Nobu on his relationship with Crystal In an exclusive interview, star chef Nobu Matsuhisa shares the secrets behind his innovative Peruvian-Japanese cuisine, and reveals what he loves about his restaurants aboard Crystal https://www.crystalcruises.com/story/the-master-in-conversation-with-chef-nobu

You MUST ask Silversea NO ONE on here can answer the question with any authority - get your TA to ask them There are dependencies on what the authorities will allow in terms of availability of Indian officials and other staff to do clearances etc

Thanks Dwight - it’s been a long wait to get back on board I look forward to meeting you and other CC members - you never have to ask me twice to be in the Palm Court for a drink in the late afternoon. That will follow on from afternoon tea for me. See you on Sunday at 4.30pm in Palm Court - if we don’t run into each other beforehand

Crystal Serenity arrives in Papeete on Tuesday evening for a two night stay before departing on Thursday. We board on Wednesday and I dare say we’ll be at the dock bright and early ready to get onboard and meet our friends This will be our return to Crystal after 4 years. We did a similar cruise on Crystal Serenity in February 2020 - hoping for a different outcome than we ended up with back then 😉 - although the World Cruisers have already got a major itinerary change to deal with Hopefully others on this leg will chip in with their contributions as we cross the Pacific and then drop down to Auckland and yes we will be posting Reflections and menus as well as lots of photos from onboard

But Mumbai is not in Europe is it? You may be confusing when checkin counters open rather than when they close which is a lot closer to the flight and can depend on the class you are flying https://csmia.adaniairports.com/domestic-departures.aspx#:~:text=The check-in commencement time,airline at departure kerbside signage.

Totally disagree - keep everything related to a voyage together - makes far more sense Simple solution if you don’t like reading the menus and Reflections then just scroll on by those posts - they’re very clear as to what they are and it’s not a requirement to read them to see the other posts Taking the opportunity to thank @seasak and the others who have posted them in the past for their diligence in doing so - I’ll be happy to do so from Wednesday when we board

We’re on the back to back Athens to Mumbai too - the reality is no one knows what the situation will be by then - all we can do is hope for the best. We’re planning on it happening so making flight bookings etc (all refundable of course) Then the challenge is when do Crystal make a call on it - should it be late to allow more time or early so we can make alternate choices?

Is that confirmed? Or rumour?

Thanks @TLCOhio - yes very good - I’ve booked a Golden Triangle land tour for later this year - as well as the usual Agra and Jaipur stops I’ll also be visiting Ranthambore National Park to spot some tigers. I think it’s fair to say India has some unique and diverse sights

Bon Voyage, that’s a nice itinerary to enjoy - have you done a blog on your Golden Triangle tour at all? If so could you share a link to it?

But those local tour boats wont take you into the other two sounds, Doubtful and Dusky, that cruise ships usually visit in addition to Milford But I agree with your general observation that there is a lot to see in New Zealand and day trips off a cruise ship won't cover a lot of them - so a land tour is a good idea - but I wouldn't rule out a cruise as well

Silversea do offer the true guarantee option on some classes/cruises. They don’t offer what you experienced on those mass market lines Of you have a TA they can explain the differences to you - if you don’t use a TA experienced with this I suggest you consider getting one who does have the knowledge

Guarantees are not for you Were talking about two different things - what you’ve had in the past was different as it just allowed them to select the cabin for you at a discount to you selecting it - but in that scenario you always got the same category you had booked - just the location within would vary

I don’t think it’s correct to say most lines assign guarantees at the time of booking - that would defeat the purpose of the guarantee system and the flexibility it gives to the cruise line First rule of booking a guarantee is always be prepared to be allocated anywhere within the category you book the guarantee in - it may be better but that is by no means guaranteed If you’re nervous about specific cabin location then I’d say a guarantee booking is not for you

Booked Panorama (no veranda) got Superior Veranda Suite

We sail on Silver Muse on 1 May and our guarantee cabin, along with ones for 3 other friends, was assigned today - and we’re all very happy with the outcome

#1 for sure I am still trying to figure out why ANYONE in their right mind would want to sail to New Plymouth! - that whole itinerary is just weird…

You as likely to see that at ANY buffet regardless of brand of line - some people have no idea on the most basic hygiene Certainly not my preferred approach We enjoyed the style on Explora Journeys at the various stations in the Emporium Market Place where the food (which was excellent I might add) was served to your plate by staff and it was located behind perspex displays. This is hopefully the way of the future

It’s Regent but only on the Explorer class newer ships Have to say I didn’t see a lot of food wasted on the couple of occasions we saw the “grand buffet” which was actually a brunch timed affair