BWIVince

The Bistro Since Serenity's launched, and through the various refits of both ships, I've always preferred the decor of Symphony's Bistro to Serenity's, though I think the flow of the Bistro on Serenity works better than Symphony's. I haven't seen Symphony's yet since it was refit, but I think the update to the Serenity's is a huge improvement. I love the decor and new chairs all the way around. I do have a few observations, for better or worse... First, the room on Serenity worked fine without being able to sit at the "bar", but I'm glad the bar seating stayed with Symphony's refit... That bar seating is really key to the vibe of Symphony's Bistro, unlike Serenity's. Second, it's a small thing, but the room felt really stark without the flowers on the tables. The quasi-winter garden/jungle theme wasn't enough to make up for the lack of life on the tables. This wasn't the only place that the lack of flowers or orchids was noticed, but it was one of the most impactful absences. Third, the room was set up in the CDC-compliant staff service mode, due to the US port calls and lack of a guest hand washing facility. I didn't think this was a big deal, but if you need silverware for something, be sure to ask for it because more often than not the crew working the buffet didn't ask you if you needed any. Most mornings I sat and had tea with a friend while he ate breakfast, and it was kind of amusing to watch people that (generally) hadn't had any coffee yet, have to get back up and go back to the buffet to ask for silverware after they had just sat down with their food a minute before. The crew shouldn't be expected to read minds (though MANY appear to!), but I think the pre-caffeinated state of the guests is a funny factor in play here. Lastly, I'm still very surprised they kicked the can down the road with the hand washing facility, especially knowing in the refit design stages that the ship was going to spend so much time in North America in its first few years. It's never idea to do redesign and refit work to a just refit area -- a waste of money and materials that are in real need elsewhere. Anyway, no real negatives, just observations... Love the new Bistro. New decor details in The Bistro. Vince

As promised, I’m going to slowly add installments of observations from my recent Alaska cruise, the July 2nd Vancouver roundtrip on Serenity. Everyone is more than welcome to chime in with their opinions and experiences, or to question/discuss/debate anything I post, as always. On many of these experiences I have some pretty strong opinions, but they are just that – opinions. My experiences or opinions may not match those of others, and everyone is welcome to disagree. Crew I’ll start off with something less controversial… The crew were outstanding, and seamlessly matched my experiences with Old Crystal as well as my expectations. That’s not surprising since the return rate of OC crew is ~90% at this point, and continues to slowly climb. Familiar faces abound, and the greetings from them are familiar, warm and sincere. Some of the newer crew members seemed to be less prepared for some of the requests that some of Crystal’s guests customarily make, but (with one exception) none of them struggled with them or resisted. Everyone seemed extremely well trained, even the ones that were new to Crystal. If I have one mixed observation, it would be around some of the butlers. Based on stories from other guests, and one unfortunate experience with the daytime coverage butlers, it seems like the service from some of the butlers is kind of uneven and some of them might not be in the right roles. That said, the section of rooms I was in was served by Sandeep, and he did an outstanding job. He quickly caught on that I’m a nibbler, and kept my stateroom stocked with various snacks like the fresh fruit, nuts/dry snacks, and often a cheese tray after turndown for nibbling at night. As I had a veranda double I wasn’t entitled to the daily afternoon hors d’oeuvres, but overall my room had a much higher degree of catering than ever before in Crystal’s history, setting aside things you have to actively request each time, like room service. The butlers who know how to personalize the experience for each guest truly elevate the product. Stewardess service in my room (by Puii and Leanne) was equally excellent, and the room was kept immaculate and well stocked as always. More to come soon… Vince

I think the bigger issue is that there is a real blur these days between what are considered casual shoes (like you’d wear with resort wear) and what most people would call sneakers…. I’m sure there is a certain demographic that would look at some of the casual resort wear shoes that a lot of people under 40 would wear, and call them sneakers even though they’re not. Not to say there aren’t also people that would wear white sneakers to dinner too, I’m sure that also has happened, but I think as a trend, there’s more to that story. Vince

IME they’re different than industry rates because anyone can use them without any particular credential — they’re tied to the employee extending it and not the user normally. Marriott is one of our biggest local employers here and the actual Marriott employees are usually loathe to acknowledge the program’s existence, while the family members of those same employees usually talk about the program constantly, to any random stranger on the street that will stop and listen to them. 🫤 F&F rates are an HR benefit, and like most restricted rates and HR benefits, I fall on the side that asking about their availability is kind of tacky, especially since it usually leads to people nagging their acquaintances at those travel suppliers for their codes, which is not how it’s supposed to work. It’s a free country, and you’re welcome to be as tacky as you like though. Vince

I recently was in a company training where the dress code was "business casual" and I was the only man who wasn't wearing jeans. I'm old enough to remember when khakis were the most casual pants you could wear in "business casual" before you dropped to "casual", but that hasn't been the case for years now... And if that's the case for business casual, then resort casual can't be too far behind it. Times change, we adapt... Vince

IME, that's showing other voyages besides that one that the person is sailing on. When I go to the master list of entertainers under the main entertainment tab, I see the voyage listed under each speaker where I also saw that speaker listed originally. You might have a more specific example though where's showing in neither place? Vince

I just wanted to add that it's not always 514... I had a two digit number on my cruise this month, and my friends on the same sailing had different numbers from mine but also mostly two digit. I don't know if there is any significance to the value or not (like a booking order to help determine assignment order), because I wasn't able to tie to anything yet. Maybe after a few more cruises I'll be able to decipher it, or if we get an explanation from Crystal we'll know more. Vince

Just clarifying some of the above posts... The mini-beds in the doubles are all gone now, so only the full-size convertibles in the larger suites remain. (...At least on Serenity, so I assume on Symphony too.) Vince

I think the whole point of this exercise was to have a scaled-down facility that better matches demand, and can use very limited staffing to implement (usually one of the biggest challenges to small operators in reaching an agreement with an operator vendor.). With that in mind, I almost think I'd have an easier time designing Serenity's space than Symphony's, since Symphony's is even smaller overall but will need to waste some of that space delineating the squarer "blob". I walked Serenity's space while I was aboard this month, with this in mind... I have to admit the room isn't as narrow as I remember, and I can see this being exactly the scale they were thinking of for the new Casino. As soon as I get more time (probably this weekend) I'll start sharing other opinions on the subject based on my cruise though... Vince

I always thought this was sort of a strange spin on the problem, since the US is really lagging a lot of other regions of the world in terms of environmental restrictions on cruise ships. The challenge Symphony faced last time was related more to the ship being based in a region of the US that restricted the number of visits ship could do within a certain amount of time if it lacked certain environmental controls. California was one of those states that had restrictions (the 2007 regulations started in 2014, and the 2020 regulations took effect 1/1/23) where Crystal was having challenges. They don't require you to have shore power capabilities, but if you don't have it you have more hoops to jump through (like remediation funds, mitigation steps, or a limited number of violation "passes" to fight for (called VIE's)... So if a vessel is going to more than just pass through CA (which Crystal's ships have often done since the regulations started), it gets tricky. All that said, it doesn't look like Symphony is going to spend more time than they can secure VIE's for in 2026, so I wouldn't hesitate to book no matter what the status of shore power is... But obviously the US is the least of Symphony's problems, so it's a good thing she's been updated to meet the evolving standards more broadly. Vince

😁. While I agree in concept, I do have to say that on Serenity last week the duo at cocktail time was playing songs into the ‘00’s…. I don’t think I heard anything into the 2010’s, to your point, BUT I was only in the PC while the duo was playing a few times so I can’t rule that out. 😊 Vince

I would expect to pay a fee for a transfer like that. It would be nice if local authorities provided the transportation, since it was a unilateral decision impacting previously contracted business, but there is little Crystal can do to force them to provide it, especially since that's a market that they're exiting... Crystal has even less pull than usual. Vince

This is a funny discussion, so I just have to ask…. Is that really easier than the dishes? 😊 These days in the post-pre-rinse world, I’d argue that the dishes are easier than laundry — I’ve never to to press or fold the dishes once dry. 😁 Sadly, I want to make a joke about how it’s harder to break clothes than dishes, but I’ve probably ruined more clothes doing laundry over time than broken dishes cleaning them. Lol. Being a klutz transcends materials! Personally, I think which you find more tedious depends on your personality traits. 😊 Vince

What a great post, Ken! Early on in my career (NY transactions were still done in wampum), one of my clients doing an event at the Hilton (which back then was the only Hilton in NY referred to as THE Hilton) took me to dinner at Gallagher's one night to thank me for all I'd done to help modernize their event, because he was very traditional and Gallagher's was his favorite steakhouse in the city. It was a truly memorable meal, and a really personal and insightful experience I'll never forget. I also appreciate the Acela reports as well! They totally validate what I've been hearing, and that means a lot more coming from the executive chef and owner of the Chez! 😉 Also grateful for you sharing the amazing theatre experiences. Vince

I use wanted to underscore what others have said… I found he had good range and the “tone” in the lounge varied by the phase of the evening, which is often how the Avenue has worked. At 5:45 the sets were more subdued and very mush in the spirit of cocktail hour, but got more energetic later. I thought he was excellent. Vince

I’ve always thought this image was something of a floating Rorschach test…. 99.9% of passengers look at this and see a picture of a beautiful sunset, but always look at it and wonder why Crystal uses a picture of a light stanchion with a burned out bulb to announce a time change. 🤷🏻‍♂️ 😊 Perception is a funny thing. Vince

IME, this has always varied by night. In the 90’s and ‘00’s, my parents used to stick a glance into the opening and be like, “oh, it’s peanut night. 😔 “. So far this cruise we’ve had mixed nuts, salted peanuts and rice cracker snack mix, which is pretty much what we’ve had for the past 30 years, at least on “regular” cruises IME. YMMV though. Vince

100% to what Keith said…. The decision of whether there is a charge or not simply depends on the item. If they could end up with stores of a non-standard item that would be challenging to liquidate, or don’t fit into the cost structure of their standard offerings (not from our perception but from the actual cost from the corresponding distributor for those ports). All lines play a similar risk assessment, and even if you compared the same items across lines, you’d likely get different results based on the purveyors the lines used in that port on that date. Vince

I’ve noticed a significant parade of crew joining the ship this morning in Ketchikan, being greeted by officers and other crew at the gangway with big hugs and paperwork. It always speaks volumes to see the camaraderie between the crew, and also with their management, especially when they’ve been apart for a while. It speaks volumes to Crystal’s culture. Vince

Ivi, trust me, if Symphony was an option for me, I’d be on it in a heartbeat. 😁 Service overall has been fantastic, I’m definitely not complaining about the crew…. There are just some obvious and natural challenge when you have THIS many people onboard so infrequently. If this happens more consistently, they’ll make some further tweaks so things run smoother, these are more teething issues than anything due to the shift in load. Funny you mentioned the Japanese Breakfast — that’s exactly what I ordered yesterday, figuring it would be hard to screw up. 😁 And it was — everything on it was fine, it was just the service yesterday that was quirky. That’s been the only Waterside meal that’s been like that, generally the service has been better than the food. The photo isn’t uploading correctly as an in-line upload for some reason right now, so I will post more on that later. Vince

I suspect that this is exactly what Ken was referring to. That curdled, cooked mess has been a decades-long gripe of mine, all the way back to my first Crystal cruises. I have no idea what that’s supposed to achieve, but it not only curdles the hollandaise, it more often than not cooks the yolks too. I’ve always recommended everyone order the hollandaise on the side (just like you figured out), and I think Ken assumed I’d do that out of reflex at this point (which he’d be right, I did), and he wanted to see if the new org might be doing something differently, finally. Watch this space. 😊 Vince

I will try — I may need to enlist some help in order to complete the project. Yesterday was bene day for me, and it didn’t go well, so with so few breakfasts on this itinerary, I’m not sure I want to experiment again.. Once bitten, twice shy. I’ll try though — you know I love a good research project! Just a quick observation about service vs. occupancy… First, the crew have been incredible everywhere, as always. Everyone is bending over backwards to please, and they are working hard to fulfill every request I’ve heard, no matter how big or small. Just want to make sure I call that out as plainly as I can. Within that, though, there is a noticeable difference between a “typical” Crystal cruise (500-ish or less) and one this full. This morning in Waterside was one of those examples. I arrived around 8:00, and all of the window tables were full, but they were just starting to seat people in interior tables…. So not “busy” yet, but a healthy chunk to be seated quickly. - First, it took 4-5 minutes to get a menu, but no beverage order was taken. - Then, about 8 minutes later he came back and pulled my coffee cup without ever asking if I wanted coffee. - A couple of minutes after that he took my food order, but still never asked about beverages. I had to stop him as he was walking away to ask him for orange juice. - There was another long gap before my fruit plate arrived, during which I tried to catch someone’s attention to see the pastry tray, but no luck. Someone finally dropped my fruit plate off, but they were gone before I could ask about the pastry tray. - After they picked up my fruit plate, I was finally able to ask about the pastry tray, and the assistant waiter said he’d be right back with it. About this time my entree came (galley timing was back on track by now), so the assistant waiter shifted (rightfully) to getting the table prepped for the entree to be dropped and proactively acknowledged that he was going to get the pastry tray after the entree dropped, to reassure me he he hadn’t forgotten. As he was talking, the waiter came along and snagged the side plate I was planning on using for my pastry — the second time a service item had been removed before he even knew if I wanted or didn’t want something. Once the entree was delivered, things got back on track quickly. Not the biggest deal, but as small as those glitches were, I can’t ever remember a Waterside breakfast that was that uncoordinated, so I think that speaks a little to the challenges of being busier. Onward and upward — Waterside lunch day! 🎉 Vince

Prior to the cruise, the hottest odds in Vegas (aka between Beav and I) were whether or not an arrival DURING lunch service was considered a port day or sea day for Waterside lunch status. I was quite relieved to see Waterside would be open today When they delivered Reflections last night. 👍 Vince

Small steps in the right direction. 🙂. I look forward to further enhancements. Vince

This isn’t a huge shift. I’ve taken several other Crystal cruises where dinner started at 6:30, and dinner has most frequently started at 6:15 across all of my Crystal cruises. If anything, this is just a rounder, easier to manage number than 6:15. Honestly, I could have even used 15 minutes more in the Palm Court last night — I left a few drops of my martini (voluntarily) to go get my preferred table in Waterside. 😳 (Just to tie a bow on the story, fear not, it was replaced with another cocktail and copious amounts of wine at dinner. 😇) Vince