cruisun

Great review Paul.

 

We ceuised Crystal for the first time in December.

After many O cruises we were Crystalized after two days onboard Serenity.

 

Our cabin a PHS was so well laid out that we did not miss the extra size

of the OS except where the balcony was concerned and lack of powder room.

 

Food was more interesting,more varied, more beautifully presented and most of all better tasting.

Service was outstanding and much more professional throughout the ship.

The Butler was amazing and the many lectures we attended were on a significantly higher level.

We saw only two children and never smelled smoke anywhere on the ship.

 

Would we cruise on O again?? of course but Crystal is certainly a few steps up.

Very Well Said

We're just off Riviera too, first time on since her maiden year.

A very enjoyable cruise, great fellow passengers and I noticed very well dressed, lots of jackets in the evening.

Crew just seemed a bit "off" to us, disconnected from passengers and each other... management scarce.

Loved the PH cabin but found the butler to be a nuisance. He proclaimed on day three that it didn't seem we "needed" him and would we please have him bring canapés the next day. We ordered and waited, nothing arrived. When we called he blamed his helper for forgetting and proclaimed " I don't work 24 hours a day". We didn't care and preferred to see him infrequently.

Discovered and thoroughly enjoyed the spa terrace.

It is still served on Crystal

Are there special perks we should look for? What do people generally ask of the butler? We know about ordering from specialties but most likely will not take advantage of a full meal as we like to eat outside the cabin other than breakfast on the balcony. Can we order just a dessert or an appetizer from a specialty even when dining elsewhere?

What are your favorite perks?

I have found all the boards on CC to be very helpful when you are researching. Very helpful. :)

 

Now, if you happen to express some disenchantment with a cruise line justified or not, the cheerleaders abound (including this board) and you are often chastised :). I discovered that the hard way on a live thread when I was dumb enough to report Noro observations. C'est la vie, As was wisely pointed out anyone can have a bad cruise on any cruise line ;)

Especially that anyone can have a bad experience on any line....and that two sailings on the same ship just a week or so apart can vary greatly. I've noticed differences sometimes even on a b2b

Still licking my wounds from the Crystal CC forum, after I somehow failed to get "Crystalized", on their terms, after our two cruses. They are a tough crowd. :cool:

 

Though I forgot to add one thing that I did like very much, which still brings back fond memories - playing "What a wonderful world" by Louis Armstrong on deck when we sailed away from each port. That could get a tear from me. Seriously. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3yCcXgbKrE. Or maybe it was the final cost of the Crystal cruise or the size of the ocean view cheap seat. I dunno.

Sure there are some hot topics but I've always found friendly helpful people who are happy and grateful to be sailing on Crystal.

The OP did not ask for a comparison, just what they may like and if HAL did anything better.

And love your fun witty style, continue to enjoy!!

You cannot upgrade the decor or the plushness of the carpeting when comparing add-ons to HAL to the more premium lines. That was the primary difference we found between HAL and Crystal: decor.

 

However if you view the links in the prior showing the Crystal Serenity ocean view cabin and the similarly priced HAL Neptune suite cabin, you can start at least some basic cabin choice comparisons for approximately the same price.

Your analysis is so far off it makes no sense.... the only difference you found between HAL and Crystal was decor!?!????

I sail all three... Crystal, Oceania and Hal

Crystal IMO does everything very well. Service is top notch, ships are always immaculate, food is outstanding and presentation is beautiful. Special requests are always met. They will prepare anything you ask for if the ingredients are available. As someone else mentioned bar service is also wonderful and the all inclusive factor just makes it an even better experience. The open aft decks are a rarity today and they are beautiful open spaces and quite deep allowing for side views as well. The traditional promenade deck is also wonderful, lots of connection with the sea. Cabins are smallish but well laid out and comfortable. One pays a premium for all of this.

Oceania does a lot of things well too but is less refined. Food is excellent with endless choices but a notch below Crystal especially in presentation and service is good but not as friendly as on Crystal , the exception being breads and pastries which are irresistible, special French ingredients are used and it shows. Entertainment is lacking and there is much less connection with the sea. No promenade deck and most views of the sea are through glass other than on a private veranda. On Riviera and Marina cabins, especially PH category and higher are spacious and well appointed. Drinks are expensive and when adding a premium drink package often brings cost to almost as much as sailing Crystal.

Holland has fallen to last on my list. I have almost 200 days on Holland and Ten years ago the differences although obvious were much less drastic. I loved the Vista and Signature class ships but now with the additional cabins taking away precious public spaces, more cabanas, changes and reductions in entertainment and staffing the overall experience feels much less premium and much more mass market!!! The biggest most obvious change to me is the horrible decline in food quality and choices. Price being the obvious reason for this decline and with such reasonable fares it is worth paying for specialty dining which is still good but has also declined. Also what used to be " the spotless fleet", not true today although still well maintained.

Crystal does everything better, worth every penny!!!!!!!

Not my cup of tea either. Kind of reminds me of some of the art we saw on the Riviera - didn't care for it.

 

But art, like food is subjective and it may appeal to many.

You've made your distaste for Riviera quite clear, so clear you use every negative reference possible! I've never seen any art on Riviera that has any resemblance.

I'm really enjoying your review and pictures, thank you! Sailed Silhouette its maiden year and she still looks great judging from your pictures

I also received it and took the survey.

 

I've now taken at least 2 others and all were almost exactly the same questions.

 

Only difference was in my answers. Since I will no longer be cruising I answered with more negativity than in previous surveys.

 

Joanie

I'm so sorry you won't be cruising anymore!! I've always enjoyed your posts and you helped me find my first aft penthouse:)). As a former smoker I thoroughly enjoyed smoking on the aft balcony and especially when the ship was moving smoke blew aft too🙄

It was news to me, too. We took the opportunity to question our MDR waiter/appetizer delivery person, Kadek. Most passengers give them a tip and so the extra $$ they receive is a real boost to their income.

 

On a few occasions, we have forgotten to order something (butter, jam, etc.) and the delivery person went back to the kitchen for it. For such a small delivery staff, they deliver so many breakfasts and are always on time (late on only two occasions in all of our cruises).

 

Now if Room Service could just pick up the trays rather than forcing the Room Stewards to remove them so that the stateroom can be cleaned. Perhaps a colored tag to be placed on the door handle when the trays are ready for pickup since dialing #92 just puts you on hold.

 

One person does all of the Room Service cooking in this small area and truly deserves a lot of credit for cooking hundreds of breakfasts in such a small time window each morning:

 

Hard to believe it would be possible for one person to accomplish making that many breakfast orders!

Here's a link: Room Service Breakfast

The thread you posted is older and has no information regarding the new room service menu

If it's the same quality of what is provided in the cabin upon boarding, not much of a perk🙄

Is John Scott still with HAL? Had the pleasure of sailing with him on several Noordam cruises and he was very visible and so friendly, he always said hello and struck up conversation

Room service breakfast on the balcony is one of my favorite things......especially when cruising solo, and HAL did it well.

On recent cruises other than breakfast I've been dining exclusively in Pinnacle, Tamarind and Canaletto due to the major decline in quality and selection in the lido and MDR.

I've been sailing HAL much less recently and have been enjoying more luxury/all inclusive lines but still enjoyed some things exclusive to the HAL feeling. I think soon they will all be gone !

I think the waiter will remove the shell for you

I have seen them removing the shell for people not sure if it is the whole steamed lobster or not ...i do not order lobster very often

There is a photo on the Preismans blog of how it is served

http://www.thepreismans.com/riviera16_menus.htm#polo

 

escargot is on the menu in Polo & Jacques

What an amazing photo documentation of the food paired with the descriptions!!

We too like the NA. Agree food in the MDR was underwhelming at best and only went once but enjoyed Pinnacle and Tamarind most nights and had one very good meal at Canaletto and would try it again!

The sofa looks like something from K-Mart. Cheap cushions already with a slight sag, much too thin. Just a cursory glance around the room, from Lisa's photos all the furnishings look cheap. The TV is in a totally useless spot. And I could not find a Mini-bar or Fridge anywhere??

The sofa looks especially cheap, actually looks like a poor reupholstering job:eek:

Great picture! To me only Maasdam looks like a "ship"

It's a shame people are so resistant to a great energy saving idea! Why find "ways around it" or say " it's the stupidest idea ever".

Simply use any card and push it down when entering the room. It turns on the same lights that you had left on prior and is convenient especially in a Neptune suite where there are many switches.

Outlets TV and bed lamps still work. Our Stewards put the bed lamps on each evening at turn down.

I love the idea of the energy saving this provides. If everyone imbraced the idea the savings would be substantial.

We too thought the situation in Grand Cayman was strange. The " power issue " was never clarified and it seemed the captain over compensated in his explanation and then sent an apology letter and the $50 credit (we did not receive the additional $11). Water seemed VERY calm and some other ships were using their lifeboats as tenders. We have tendered with HAL in much rougher seas!! It was the first time on HAL that I ever felt deceived in that manner by the captain....when we discussed this with our bartender that evening he insinuated that we were correct that this was not an issue with power or weather but something to do with Noro on one of the other ships in port. We'll never know for sure:rolleyes:

Agree with your review. Love NA, beautiful ship still in great condition. After four years away from HAL thought the entertainment was worse than ever and aside from breakfast thought the food had declined drastically!! We ate all dinners in Pinnacle Tamarind and Canaletto except one and thought the specialty restaurants were excellent and well worth the up charge.

I think I would miss them! I wonder why they were eliminated. I haven't looked very closely at the rest of the plans.

I think the exterior although a bit "boxy" still looks more like s ship than most new builds IMO