ak1004

Well, O has been in business for 20 years, with 7 very successful ships and one more on its way. Must be doing something right. But obviously you cannot please everyone. What some people view as a great value others view as N&D.

All true. We expect more too - this is why sail on O/SS/SB etc and not on Celebrity/Princess. But at some point, the improvement becomes very marginal and not worth the price difference. At least not for us. The jump in the overall experience from Celebrity to Oceania is huge, but the improvement is only marginal from O to SS or Crystal. Is it worth it? Depends on the price difference. Yes, Oceania price excludes gratuities - but a good TA will usually cover them. We paid gratuities only once out of 4 cruises on O. And they are included once you reach 10 credits (two segments of the Oceania world cruise would probably get you there, or pretty close). We don't drink so this aspect is not important to us, but my understanding is that 20% is added only to individual drinks, not to drink packages. Starting from October, WiFi on O will include 2 devices per cabin. Before Crystal inauguration sailing, I looked at Crystal prices and could not justify paying 20-25% more than SS. Reading the latest comments, I'm even more convinced that the value is not there, and there are many better choices in terms of value for money. But obviously many people will disagree. The old Crystal was 20-25% cheaper than other luxury lines for entry level cabins (don't know about higher suites), and for a good reason. If they could charge more, they would. Now they are 20-25% more expensive. Yes, the ships are renovated, but they are still 21-28 years old, and they don't get any younger, and the entry level cabins are still 30% smaller than rest of the luxury lines. Time will tell if people will pay those prices or Crystal will need to adjust. In any case, I really wish them luck. More competition is always good, even if at this point I don't consider Crystal a viable option.

Cuisine on Oceania might not be Michelin level, but it's still better than 80% of the restaurants in Toronto. But people like to complaint. Don't pay too much attention to negative reviews. The only opinion that matters is yours. personally, I still find O food the best at sea, better than SS and the old Crystal.

Well, for some people showing a card each time you order a drink (even if you have the drinks package) is annoying. Some people don't want to show their card at all, so even non included excursions on Crystal or SB can be annoying, and those people might prefer SS (but then they will need to show their card when booking 2 out of 8 restaurants). We all have some insignificant things that annoy us, the question is how the majority of people feels? No line will ever satisfy everyone (as other things in life). We were happy on all small ships we sailed on (SS, O, C and Azamara) and tried not to get the small things to annoy us.

Yes, but with the current dress code, I don't believe it's enforced. I have seen many people without jackets on the Spirit in the theater on formal nights.

Not even on formal nights? I thought they were "one step below", so informal on formal nights and casual on informal nights. Also, does the new dress code applies to restaurants only? Or they might deny entry to the theater without a jacket on formal nights?

On the formal nights, can men dine in the Grill or the Pizza place without a jacket? if so, it means you don't need a jacket on SS cruises anymore if you don't want to. Definitely positive development, hopefully other ships will follow.

I find this system very fair (instead of charging for 2 out of 8 restaurants like SS does). We know people who sailed on O, tried Crystal and came back to O because they considered food better on O and didn't care much about the entertainment. Everyone has an opinion, but there are facts that are hard to dispute. O has weaknesses like every line, but it is definitely NOT nickel and diming.

I'm pretty sure that self laundry and self pressing is included. If you want them to do it, you pay, but suites get 3 bags free. In any case, I wouldn't call it nickel and diming. I believe on SS laundry is also not free (except for self laundry). No line is truly all inclusive. You can always find items that are not free on any line. btw, how specialty restaurants work on Crystal? Someone mentioned that you get one visit for free and pay if you want more?

Absolutely! And we all have to respect other people's choices and preferences. At the end of the day, most people that I know, consider a ship just a floating hotel that helps them to see the world. Nothing more, nothing less. Except for the inclusions and the cabin size, most people won't probably even see much difference between SS, NC, SB, O, Viking etc. P.S. Not sure what they meant by nickel and diming on Oceania. The only thing not included on Oceania is the alcohol. Even SS charges for 2 out of 8 dining venues while on O all specialty restaurants are free.

I'm not a cheerleader of any line. We sailed on 11 different lines and will continues sailing on lines that will offer the best combination of itinerary, price, food, service and the overall package. Oceania is very weak in entertainment and activities, but their food in my opinion is the best, with SS and Crystal coming very close. But then again, food is very subjective. I'm very specific with my food preferences, and O fits them the best.

We actually like the food better on Oceania. In fact, we find it the best at sea. Matter of personal choice I guess. Service was slightly better on OC, maybe slightly more personal, but no complaints on Oceania service at all. Excursions not as good as luxury lines. To us, Oceania offers the best value for money, but yes, it is slightly below luxury lines as an overall package.

Well, Celebrity is out of the question for me because of the size of the ship. We do sail on Oceania and find it comparable to SS or Crystal in terms of food and service. It's just less inclusive, and for many people this is a deal breaker. They consider all inclusive lines luxury and lines like Oceania "ultra premium", while to me they are comparable, and less inclusive might be actually an advantage for some people. We sail for destinations, but still want a premium experience in terms of food, service, no crowds, no lines etc. Based on reviews, I don't think that regent is FAR superior to other lines. Many people who sailed on Regent, SS and SB find them comparable. It's matter of personal preference. Based on our limited experience with SS and old Crystal, we found them comparable. Crystal was much better in terms of entertainment and enrichment (which is less important for port intensive itineraries), SS has much better cabins, unlimited black caviar and more dining options. To me, all four luxury lines are comparable and should be priced similarly. Of course every line has its loyalists who will pay any price, but for most people, it's value for money and itinerary.

Keith, your comments are highly appreciated! Did you take any ship excursions? What's the general feedback? Quality of the guides, excursions sizes (average number of people on each bus) etc? How are the prices?

He was referring to 2024 sailing when he said only 1-2 excursions - https://www.crystalcruises.com/cruises/none-cse-008-241018 Similar sailing in 2023 has 5-8 in each port, this why I assumed that 2024 might have more as we get closer to the sailing date.

Maybe it's too early? The old Crystal had at least 4-6 excursions in each port if I remember correctly. I don't see a reason 2024 sailings will have less excursions than 2023 sailings, they will probably add as we get closer to the sailing date.

Which sailing are you referring to?

And yet they were filling 5 ships (not even including the expedition ships) with prices 50-70% higher than the old Crystal.

Thank you Keith. Always enjoying your balanced and objective views and comprehensive reporting. We really want to come back and try Crystal, I just wish their pricing was more competitive. At this point we just feel that in the areas that are important to us, Crystal doesn't offer much more compared to SS and SB to justify 20-25% premium. But they do a unique and interesting itinerary.. who knows..

I couldn't agree with you more. Entertainment and enrichment is the only area where Crystal is in a different league. But then again, we cruise mostly to see the world, so longer port hours and less sea days are more important to us, and on European cruises we will be out of the ship most of the time anyway. But if the ship is the destination, then of course it's a different story.

Agree. I highly doubt he would pay close to $1,000 per day for the Sapphire suite.. And yes, I was surprised by the lack of disclaimer. btw, here is a SS review by the same points guy - https://thepointsguy.com/guide/first-look-silver-dawn/ I didn't see anything in Crystal review that indicates that Crystal is in a different league compared to SS. And I get it, every line has its loyalists. But their opinion is kind of predictable. I'm looking more for opinions from people like us who select a cruise based on itinerary and price. Personally there are things I couldn't care less about (like the track - there is a similar one on SS, or covered pools etc). But I do care about good itinerary and competitive prices. Right now Crystal doesn't have a competitive pricing and no exciting itineraries. An example: we book the following itinerary on SS for the next year: Only one sea day, one overnight and 4 late night stays. This sailing was $550 CAD per day for OV 305 sqft The closest I could find on Crystal is this one: 2 sea days, no overnights, and no late stays (only 2 stays till 8pm). Same ports (Dubrovnik and Split) SS stays till 10-11pm and Crystal till 6pm. The price starts at $690 CAD per night for a 215 sqft OV. So the price on Crystal is 25% higher for a cabin which is 30% smaller, and SS price includes excursions, plus much better itinerary.

For us the cabin size in on the bottom of our priorities list and 215 sqft is completely sufficient. But the 215 sqft on Crystal cost 10-20% more than entry level cabins on SS which are 305 sqft. And if you compare comparable cabins (AQUAMARINE), the difference becomes very significant. So I'm trying to understand what I'm paying for, not to mention a much older ship (even fully renovated).

I agree about Entertainment and Enrichment, but it's less important on port intensive sailings where you spend most of the day in the ports. We can only compare one cruise on the old Crystal with one cruise on SS in 2022, but I found the food comparable in terms of quality, with SS having more dining choices.

Well, Silversea was just an example. Searbourn prices are also significantly lower than Crystal, and the dress code on SB is much more relaxed.

There was no doubt that the new Crystal will be good. To me, the big question is - is it in a different league compared to Silversea (and other luxury lines)? Because based on prices, it should be. And if not, what's the reason to sail on Crystal and not SS (unless of course money is not an issue at all).