vistaman

sorry for the delay - i was in hospital as a single you must book very well in advance on Europa 2 - a few suites are reserved for singles at 50% however those cabins are in various degrees ... so also a grand suite and a PH are in that system not all lower degrees sometimes they are opening more suites when bookings are weak a grand suite is the same size as a PH on a lower floor without the butler service try to book a double and pay double is maybe the cheapest i think a single on your cruise is 32,000€ not for my wallet... i am afraid i had to cancel my cruise in September caused by my condition. but maybe i will visit her in my hometown next week. i will have a look to the wine list ...and pass some €€€

i am always in a standard ocean stateroom being single🤑 on board Europa 2 in September , I will report back - aware there is a small group of Belgians

in a PH - i think - you do receive a full bottle of Moet and luxus canapes and 5 half liters of different drinks I think the wodka is Absolut - you better play safe and take a Grey Goose from duty free airport if you like the caviar "plain" the best serving is in the Yacht Club with free wodka there is also a daily free apero for dinner in the Yacht Club - main entrance probably Hapag Lloyd will do something for the Philippine crew on the ship as well in the morning the butler will bring you a plate of sliced tropical fruits, ( if you want more just ask) something sweet after lunch and some taster before dinner the best German Rieslings are from area Rheingau and Rheinhessen , a good producer is Weill, Schneider is not so bad - Baden and Franken are easy to drink wines however announced as "dry" "trocken" the Mosel area is the sweetest but the Austrians are superb Wachau and Kamptal area - the best is a wine "Singerrieder" in Germany better wines are "grossen Gewachs " in Austria "Smaragd " if the Austrian sommelier ( Manfred ? ) is still on board he would be delighted to give information if you are mentionning " a Belgian repeater " both the general manager ( 4 stripes ) as the hotel director 3,5 stripes will know me 😄 if Lisa is there as international hostess , she will take good care of you !

Congratulations ! and I hope you will like her I was invited on board her sister ( the old Europa ) in my hometown 10 days ago and I had a brief look to the bar and wine lists. A cocktail is now 7,8€ and house Champagne 12 € A bottle of Dom Pérignon was 220 ( and not 500 dollar as on crystal😝) - the US wines are not the cheapest ( so no Far Niente for me on Hapag ) If you want your mineral water "cold" order ice with it they bring you a tall glass with ice and a spoon aside make the reservations for the speciality restaurants asap - especially for the French Tarragon and Italian Serenissima for lunch you do not need table reservations - in the Tarragon the famous steak tartare is prepared tableside during dinner ( there are some other carvings done as well ) , for lunch it is prepared in the galley the gin tasting is free, the wine or champagne tasting is worth the extra money the girls ( there are men as well ) doing your suite will like you as English speaking guests😄 - most are from Philippines - i do give extra something in the beginning of the cruise as well despite the buffet breakfast is extrememly elaborated ( egg dishes must be ordered at the table ), on the menu of the MDR Weltmeere there are specialities ranging from a small steak tartare to goose liver wit orange sauce and go for a late breakfast in Sansibar once ... If you are a wodka drinker : that is not a speciality by Hapag Lloyd ! wodka cocktails are made with Moskowskaia , and there is Absolut and Grey Goose , however they do charge 11,5 € for a shot of Grey Goose . I suggest you bring a bottle on board - duty free? or a Ketel 1 - martini's are not the speciality by HL , imho with 4 cl you cannot make a decent martini ...one of the differences with other more US ships . I never drink a martini on Hapag. If there is a problem go to see the hotel director . I am on Europa 2 in september : Rome Dubrovnik : full house . sold out

i am not an architect same size as basic suites on Regent , SS and Hapag and separate restrooms as done by Ponant and Hapag

a few days after my arrival I was invited on the ms Europa ( the old one ) as past pax in my hometown Dom P 220€ , Pol Roger Bl de Blancs 145 and Churchill some 230 € Baron de L by Ladoucette a superb Pouilly Fumé : 120€ I really cannot decide what to drink on Hapag Lloyd .... 🙃

I am a wine snob - so Regent has a far friendlier choice - I never eat Asian so Nobu is adding no single value for me on Crystal. I also was disappointed about the buffet on Symphony . IMHO the Encore is a SB ship...

that was the same on the defunct Royal Viking Line , bought by Cunard in 1994 and Cunard itself was also in trouble you started with 2 aquavit glasses , then wine glasses, a silver plated beaker, a decanter ... all sent to your home address with a bill by the customs😄

i started in 2002 on Crystal , doing one cruise every year on C i remember after a fifth there used to be a small credit for every cruise in those days - times are changing I was still doing Cunard and SB ( i did receive a one week free cruise ) in those days before i moved to Hapag in 2007 there was also something as some upgrades - by booking a "better" balcony one could reach the cheapest 🤑 PH on old C - what i also missed I know 21 C cruises is not a lot in the US - in Europe it is something else SS is having a poor reward system - I got a match on MSC - diamond you do receive cheap bottles fruits candies and chocolates and a souvenir ( in Yacht Club )

I was not entirely happy on my first "new" Crystal Symphony cruise i am a single and the single cabins are small comparing to the entrance level on the new Regent ships bar service is maybe superior during daytime on Crystal - and choice of spirits as well non complimentary wines are very expensive on Crystal especially the special Champagnes daily closure of the MDR for lunch when a ship is in port , on Regent there are other possibilities as a buffet the Bistro is of course a plus on Crystal on Regent there is a menu "always available classics" for dinner - so if you are in the mood you can go for a Dover sole every evening

those "lower" milestones are not the problem ... but suppose you did finish your 25 th ??? i did my 20th on the Esprit in 2019 and that was the highest level during that cruise- nearly all the other pax were first timers exception made for a couple in the owner's

i hope the single cabins are somewhat larger - i am not searching for a PH like but some more space should be appropriate

I remember it very well - and before all in some pax were "hanging around" in the casino as the basic drinks were free -

i will join the Voyager in my hometown Antwerp on 12 th July . I am said to be a very strict guy concerning F&B operations : so far my 3 Splendor and my one and only Grandeur were very good. it is off the tread however last week 2 youngsters climbed up to the 123 meter high tower of the Cathedral and even were hanging on the top cross just go to youtube : antwerp cathedral - the police is looking for those 2

I liked the martini's in that place....🙃

you easily can do that on your own : take the circumvesuviana train : calling both at herculaneum and pompei but mind the heat !!!

i also have greaat memories on the 3 seabourn triplets and then the Odyssey came together with the cutbacks that Radisson Diamond was once in Antwerp - everybody found it "weird"

sorry to hear you were enable to cruise in 2021 I was diagnosed with a medical condition and I prefer to do 7 days cruises and unfortunately some HL cruises are too long or in the full summer - i can stand + 30° C at all I got 5 vouchers " special initiative" for Crystal after the bankrupcy - I did execute one - my experience onboard the Symphony was of such a kind i simply cannot do all the other 4 next year. 2 will be enough I did 4 cruises on the Silver Dawn , 3 were very good the last one was a disaster and last year I was on new Explora - one of my greatest cruise disillusionment ever. Concerning new Crystalcruises :the history does repeat itself : the slightest critic you are making here you are countered ...

Not everybody is liking the Piper H Rare - sometimes you must have luck on First Class I do fly on the Lufthansa group First with miles - once Laurent Perrier Alexandra Rosé was served at 300 € a month later after the holidays Duval Leroy Blnc de Blans Millsime at 75 €🤑

yes I am moving to the Regent Voyager where my ice cream for lunch is served in a chilled metal cup not in carton and to the ms Europa where I have to pay 230€ for a Dom Pérignon instead of 500 $ - 😍

that is very true but Krug is in another price level ....

premium Champagnes are Roederer , Bollinger , Veuve Clicquot , Ruinart , Gosset , and maybe Taittinger and Philipponat , Deutz .

it is duval leroy not "david leroy" Duval Leroy simply is producing too much it used to be better

Duval Leroy is not a premium champagne - a very average medium level brut !

reading all the above : did old Crystal not file for bankrupcy too early ?? years ago there was the case of AA airline - they called for a particular article or chapter : some protection ? and mr manfredi d' ovidio already made his interests somewhat clear before the bankrupcy? in my offices we had to deal with so called fraudulent bankrupcies - owners of companies took the money and made huge debts ...and filed for bankrupcy