Texas Tillie

Muriel, Where are you? Hope you are having such a good time you haven't had been able to get back here to make a report!! Patty

😱 I didn't notice the difference when I was on in July. Will try to pay attention when I'm back on in January.🤪 Patty

It will vary by cruise for all lines. It isn't unusual for 4 cruises in a row to be 450, 525, 375, 425 (just examples) but the crew will remain more or less the same as they can't send crew home for just a few cruises.

I have added the email address that old Crystal had for me at least 5 times on the new Crystal website with no luck whatsoever. I added another email address and I don't get any correspondence on it from them but I did notice that is the email address listed on a booking I made this week. So, they are more than happy to take my deposit money but don't send me anything. 😱😵😉 That being said, I figure between this site and Facebook, I'll know anything happening. Patty P.S. I've had 469 nights on assorted Crystal, old and new.

Men are no longer required to wear ties, just a jacket with nice slacks. It is no longer "formal". I've cruised Crystal since 2007 and have never worn a formal gown or a cocktail dress. My last formal gown was the senior prom! 🤪😉😱 Patty

Enjoy reading all the historical information. I go back to "just" 2007, so the Harmony was gone and the wall had already been removed for the Starlite. Patty

Just a small correction to a typo on Keith's post, he has been sailing Crystal since 2002 not 2022. I agree with him 100% on all of Crystal's qualities. Patty

It's also interesting how many people here that you'd expect to know better call it Starlight. Patty

Based on his posts here over the years, Vince seems to understand more about the travel industry than the rest of us put together. Patty

Credit Card incur a fee. The fee would reduce the amount available to be paid out by 2 to 3 percent.

Kate, interesting. I looked at my Jan. cruise and there aren't excursion prices listed for it either. I remember when my July cruise finally had excursions listed, prices were included. Wonder if Crystal is repricing excursions? Call them? Patty

And the caddy at tea is not new to the new Crystal. It was being used on the old Crystal. Think it might have started after the return from the Covid shut down, but not 100% sure to that as I'm not a tea person. Patty

He moved over to the Crystal Serenity and it doesn't leave Quebec until tomorrow.

You do understand this will not happen from either Houston airport? It is over 40 miles from HOU (Hobby) to the port at Galveston and 70 miles from IAH (Bush Intercontinental) to the port at Galveston?

If you check a few cruises you will notice that the single cabins have about a 20% supplement to the per person charge for the double windows. The old Crystal had a 25% single supplement increased to 30% toward the end based on the double occupancy per person fare for the window cabins. So, the new fares are not in line to the old way of calculating a single supplement. There's no doubt that the new Crystal is not as single friendly as the old Crystal. As an FYI, some of the other "luxury" cruise lines have a 50% single supplement with 25% on a selection of cruises. Patty

He flew into Houston Bush Intercontinental (aka The Big Airport) and stayed at the Marriott within the airport complex. If you stay at a hotel like the Doubletree or others that have food at the hotel near Hobby and take their shuttle to the hotel and then back to the airport and take the cruise line's shuttle to the port, it's probably easiest and cheapest.

So, as long as the money from the credit card came through AFTER the cruiser applied for the EI, they are in high cotton? I understood that any EI credits applied before any monies came through from the bankruptcy (or whatever it was called) didn't reduce those credits but did on any credits not used. Since none of this applied to me, I wasn't too informed

It was my understanding that if you were made whole by your credit card before the EI credits were issued, you were not eligible for the EI credits. What don't I understand?

I can't believe I'm writing this, but drink whatever they have, pee in a container and drink that. It probably tastes about the same as Lone Star! 😵🤣

The 2;25PM flight arrival from the UK to IAH is the Singapore Airlines nonstop from Manchester

I got it for a 2024 cruise but it might have had a book by date. I was hoping it would last for the ocean view doubles. I certainly don't like the idea of paying double for the exact same cabin as the single. Patty

Remembering fondly what has been come to be known as the Flying Dutchman cruise. We missed the first port due to seas that didn't allow us into the port. After that we floated around the South China Sea looking for someone to take us. Thank you Singapore. Little did we know at the time what Covid would do to all kinds of plans going forward. The vast majority of the passengers just rolled with the punches and had a grand old time! Patty

I know on at least some of the cruises Crystal has been booking the Ocean View Doubles to singles for 150%. That's 50% of the double fare and since the single cabins have been averaging a little over 20% single supplement to the doubles, so actually not 50% on the single fare. Suppose this depends on how well the particular cruise is selling. Patty

I've read the Terms and Conditions. Crystal can take you anywhere or nowhere on a cruise. My philosophy is that if you absolutely have to get to a specific place, don't try doing it on a cruise. Most of the time it works, on occasion it doesn't. Same with weather. You can check the "average" for a specific date, but you pay your money and take your chances. Patty

First, I love liver, if it's cooked like my mother cooked it!! Used to go to an open house every Christmas Eve, the husband was Catholic and the wife Methodist, but they lived in a neighborhood that was at least 50% Jewish. Looked forward to it every year as one of the neighbors always brought the best chopped liver ever! And, yes, she was originally from New York. As to the restaurants on Crystal, I expect OO to become more popular as people experience it. I don't expect it to change much as the "money" wants it the way it is now. And, never forget, you can't please all of the people all of the time. Patty