ggo85

Day 1 at sea. The first thing I noticed is that there is much more opportunity to explore the ship. It’s hard to explain but sea days when there are lots of ports seem “rushed.” You’re tired from port days and just want to unwind. Thus, I at least, don’t do many activities. Today, I got the daily crossword. Going to walk for an hour on the deck. Sat on my deck. It’s relaxing knowing that, if I don’t go somewhere or do something today, I have tomorrow and the next day and the next . . . Today you could guess the miles we’d traveled since FLL. I guessed 265 and actual was 268, so I felt pretty good about that! Weather has been great. Today was definitely a pool day, though the pool itself was a bit rough. Singles — do have events for singles - there was one last night — and gentlemen hosts on this cruise. The hosts are also available for dinner reservations. Tonight is formal night and production number is British music.

Dinner tonight in Atlantide. We really like it. Always find many great options. We’re also not food snobs. Everything was great other than they didn’t have the hazelnut ice cream on the menu. It’s a personal favorite but I found something else that I enjoyed. Ship is 100% full - Every table was full at Atlantide. They still served food promptly. No hot water in shower. It was a cold shower! Butler indicates it’s been fixed. Feeling a few swells. Nothing serious. Someone posted about noise in cabins directly below pool deck. We’re there so will let folks know. Butler continues to impress. I am a sparking water drinker and he noticed and brought extra bottles without my asking. Huge change from prior cruise and on a par with Crystal butler (whom I considered uniformly superb).

Figured I’d get the party started. As background, this is our second SS cruise - we are Crystal “refugees” and also have sailed X in suite class along with a bunch of other lines. At least our 50th cruise, but our first TA. As others have posted, embarkation was awful and not a great start to the voyage. We arrived around 1:45. Someone took our bags promptly and security screening was a breeze. We filled out health forms and then . . . sat. And sat. As in 75 minutes before we could check in. The problem was they started late and had only 5 people doing check in. At about 5 minutes per person / couple, you can do the math. We boarded around 3:10. The slowest I’ve seen on any ship and any line in recent memory, including the days when we had to do COVID testing at the terminal. And no explanation as to the reason for the delay. On the plus side, our cabin was ready and our luggage was there when we arrived. Our butler arrived promptly and was a very refreshing change to the one on our prior cruise. I mentioned what we preferred to drink (minibar) and he was back with our preferences in less than 15 minutes. And brought wine glasses - we waited three days for them last SS cruise. So we’re very pleased on that front so far. A few points of interest. First, no one asked for or looked at our vaccine cards. We had uploaded them in advance, so that could be the reason. Certainly no need to print copies for SS purposes. Second, as of now, masks are recommended but optional at all times in all venues. Finally, the first, last and port days are all casual dress for dinner. Not surprised re first and last but on our summer cruise it was informal every port night. Wish I’d known that as I would have packed a bit differently. No main show tonight. There is an in-person muster drill. Will try to post at least daily, internet permitting. Happy to take questions.

This is the single worst boarding experience we’ve had in at least a decade. And that includes cruises where pierside testing was required. We’ve been here for an hour and have yet to check in. Really, really poor. Everyone is being patient but wondering why, for what we pay, they couldn’t hire a few more folks to do intake.

I’m bringing originals. If SS wants copies, they can take copy them while we wait.

All of the unknowns are the reason that we're waiting to book until we hear back from those who have cruised the "new" Crystal. I'm very curious about the smoking policy. I respect the right of those who choose to smoke as long as it doesn't interfere with my right to breathe smoke-free air. Surprised about no casino. I always thought that was one of the bigger money-makers on a cruise ship. I don't like gambling enough for that to be a deal-breaker, but I will miss the opportunity to play a roll of quarters on occasion. So a minor negative for me. Also surprised re no ATM. I rarely used one (hated the $6 fee on principle) but it was handy if I was headed into port and didn't want to start my visit searching for an ATM. Also handy if I ran low on cash and wanted extra for tipping. Again, not a huge negative but not a plus. For me the keys will be: (1) Are the butlers as good as before? We've had butlers on several lines and hands down the ones on C were the best. (2) Do they have the unique and exceptional shore excursions? Some of the very best I've taken were on C. Costly but worth every penny. (3) Do they have the enrichment and entertainment that differentiated them from the other luxury lines? (4) Will we see the personalized service in which the crew remembered you (in a good way, hopefully) when you sailed with them again? Only time and experience will answer these questions. The current itineraries didn't excite us and the prices are high. If others come back and say it's worth the money (even if there are differences b/t old and new C), then we're a go. If not, we'll stick with the other lines we've used in the past 15 months.

We sail in a week out of FLL to Lisbon. Our check-in requirements only asked for last vaccination and to upload our vaccine cards. No email related to COVID testing and nothing I've seen that says we need to be tested if vaccinated. I'm going to double check but it sounds like requirements are a combination of SS requirements and embarkation / destination requirements.

Mine went to our TA. Received 14 days before cruise.

We opt out because, even though we live in one of the 15 largest cities in the US, the company doesn't serve our region. The "refund" is $100 per ride.

I think: 60% fewer people to get on / off the bus at every stop and 60% fewer people to hold up the rest of us because they refuse to return to the bus on time. 😀

I would also go with a car service. There are surprisingly few inter-FL flight options. One is Silver Airways but they aren't particularly reliable. You also have to add the cost of a car from FLL airport to the terminal. By the time you pay for 2 people to fly on Silver, plus baggage fees, plus the taxi to the terminal, you're almost at the cost of a car service. Driving across the state isn't fun (of note, it's much easier to go north/south than east/west). Thus, I wouldn't recommend it for someone not used to driving in a lot of traffic. And you have to return the car. I would be concerned re Uber / Lyft given the distance involved. A car service is $$ but it pales in comparison to the cost of a SS cruise. Your parents will have confidence someone will actually show up, they will ride in comfort, and be confident of arriving at their ship on time.

We did Norwegian fjords on SS last summer. I would rank the SS excursions from excellent to average. To be fair, some of the ports were very "small," meaning there were only a few things to do. Thus, whether you booked your own tour or took an included tour, you would probably end up in the same places. The amount of bus travel in the fjords is largely based on the distance from the ship to the attraction. One trip was to a glacier. The ride definitely 90 minutes or more each way. While a car would have been faster, the distance wouldn't have changed. That's where the glacier is and it's not going to move closer to the ship. Once at the glacier, there was PLENTY of opportunity to walk for those who wanted to. I don't recall the SS excursions as being particularly crowded. The ship isn't that big and not everyone wants the same excursion. Obviously, in ports with fewer "attractions," the excursions will be more crowded than in someplace like Oslo where there are many more things to do. Most included excursions are half-day. So, if you want a full day trip, you either have to book back-to-back or DIY. I thought SS's descriptions in terms of activity level were accurate or even underestimated the amount of walking. For example, one tour that indicated you only needed to walk "a few steps" actually involved more than 1/4 mile of walking. That was fine with me, but some were unpleasantly surprised. If you're at all mobility challenged, I suggest talking to someone on board regarding how much walking there will be on each tour. Finally, if you DIY, be sure to understand what happens if you need to cancel. We were unable to get into one port due to weather and instead had an extra sea day. Obviously not an issue if you had a SS excursion but could be a problem if you prepay your own tour.

Maybe they should limit the number of reservations any one cabin can make at any one restaurant (based on length of cruise) until a few days before the cruise. That lets everyone have a shot and, then, if there are open slots close to sailing, people can book more nights. It seems unfair that someone could book any restaurant every single night. Hasn't affected us (we're happy with Atlantide) but it certainly is annoying to some.

I like the paper copies. One of the joys of being on a cruise is NOT having my cellphone or iPad "surgically attached." My DH doesn't even take his cellphone on the cruise and doesn't own an iPad. And we don't want to have to turn the TV on just to see what's happening when we can simply glance at a piece of paper. SS's daily rags are much more streamlined than on most lines -- probably b/c they don't have nearly as many ads. 😀 If they want to offer folks the option of "opting out" of a paper version, I'm fine with that. But leave it available for those of us who enjoy it.

No way are we starting dinner at 8 pm no matter how great it might be. 7 pm is late for us. Hard to eat a large meal so close in time to bedtime. I don’t know why one of the venues can’t offer dinner earlier.

Is La Dame really worth it? We did SS last year and thought Atlantique was terrific. We paid for the Japanese restaurant at dinner - it was ok but I wouldn’t do it again. I just can’t see spending $120 extra for a meal We don’t eat caviar or escargot. Please tell me what makes it great (DH doesn’t drink alcohol, if that matters). BTW, I’m not arguing - just asking.

The prices seem high to me. We were anxious to book but now reconsidering. We’ve recently paid less on SS for similar length cruise in Silver Suite with included excursions in every port. And less on X for huge suite and most everything included. I realize I’m comparing apples to oranges, but I’m not signing up for Crystal just out of loyalty. Might hold off until 2024 — and until we hear from those on the early cruises re how things are going.

On formal night, my DH wore a dark blazer with grey or black slacks and tie with dress loafers (the tassel kind). On formal nights, men who don’t have a jacket and tie will be turned away from some venues. On informal nights, khakis, a polo shirt and jacket are fine. My DH is a minimalist packer and he had no issues. Have yours bring one dark jacket, 2 pair of pressed trousers (at least one dark), 2 dress shirts, 2-3 polo shirts, one tie and one pair of dressier shoes for a 10-night cruise. You can do laundry and dry cleaning. Women have more flexibility. Everything from slacks with a dressy top to a ball gown works for formal nights. What you’d wear on most lines for “formal night” works for informal on SS. SS is definitely dressier than most lines.

As a former Crystal cruiser who has done SS and will do SS twice this year, I do understand the Crystal mystique. The service on C was better and more personal. The butler was 100% better. The enrichment is great. Entertainment is FAR better. The ships have been modernized and, while the cabins are smaller, they use space efficiently. I would absolutely do C again. We might sadly have to wait due to their itineraries and our SS bookings. C may not be the same (you can’t go home again) but there are reasons to be hopeful. I also understand why some may not want to go back. There is a cruise line for everyone. We aren’t total loyalists to any line. But don’t knock those who love C.

We also paid the $500. Many cruises are in Asia. We’ve already booked that on SS for late 2023 and don’t want to do 2 trips within a year. Not interested in Alaska or NE. So not too excited. We really want to do Crystal but won’t cruise if the itinerary isn’t interesting.

If every listed ship was in imminent danger of being sold / not sailing, there would be almost no ships / cruises left.

Luminae was our assigned DR but I ate off the MDR menu many times. Overall, I found the MDR food to be very good. One night the steak wasn’t great - I didn’t care for the sauce or garnishments. But that was the clear exception. We ate at Tuscan Grille and weren’t that impressed. It was free to us and we still didn’t go back. I tend to agree that any decrease in food quality is about saving money. The specialty restaurants have limited capacity, so they can’t have everyone eating there.

We were on this cruise. I developed a cold, not COVID. My DH got nothing. Our neighbors, who both stayed home for the holidays, both got COVID. So, yes, you can get it on a cruise - or in your neighborhood.

My understanding is that you can get a lower price until you make final payment. Once final payment is made, you’re out of luck.

No worries. 😀. In the past we’d only done tips with cash. But, as noted, on this cruise we had more OBC than we could use. So we wanted to give it back to the crew and didn’t really understand the process. Assuming others might be in the same position, want to inform. Cash is clearly and always the most reliable.