May B

Very sad. I hesitated to post it, but I thought this time, they need to see a few of us, being appalled.

Actually, Keith, I disagree. Contacting just the TA allows the TA to explain it to the guest better. Sometimes, the TA might want to look into some of the specifics, before communicating with the guest. In this case, the email mentions Phillipsburg, which was never in our itinerary. That’s something the TA might want to look at, before the guest gets more confused. In my case, I understood the email completely, but my husband and my friend were more confused by it. I also was just informed by a friend that my June 24th Serenity has had a schedule change. I’m excited about the change! But any of my co-cruisers who were hoping to enjoy Portland, OR, will probably be disappointed.

Today we received notification of the itinerary change. Before Crystal sends out an email, I wish they’d proof it. Perhaps I should volunteer! Plus, in all actuality, I’m not sure anybody could’ve had shore excursions booked for the eliminated ports. For me and my Nov. 2nd cruise, I believe the change was made well in advance of the time we could book excursions. Perhaps I’m wrong about that. “Thank you for choosing Crystal for your upcoming voyage. “Due to operational reasons, we have made the difficult decision to change our deployment, with Marigot, Saint Martin replacing Philipsburg, St Marteen, and Gustavia, St Barthelemy, which will impact some voyages, including your Marigot is a charming town on the French side of the dual-nation island of St. Martin. You will find the revised itinerary and shore experiences in “My Account” on the Crystal Website. “While we understand the adjustment may not align with your original vision, rest assured we have orchestrated alternatives to ensure their voyage remains exceptional. “Please note any excursions that have been reserved and prepaid will be refunded. “We sincerely hope that you will find our solution to their liking. Thank you for your understanding, and we look forward to welcoming you aboard soon. “Sincerely, Crystal Guest Relations”

Well, I did wonder if I should’ve said, 1-that’s legal 2-thats approved by your travel mate

There’s no right or wrong. It’s your vacation! You get to do whatever you want!

It will be abundantly clear that you are getting in the spirit of things. One thing we do know: the white party will never be on a formal night. Or whatever they are called.

I think there are two statins you can stay on, as well.

Focused1, thank you for posting, and I am so sad to hear of what happened on what could/should have been a wonderful celebratory cruise! I am appalled to hear what the doctor said, on many levels. Not any better than ATA’s inaccurate medical opinion. Just FYI, to everyone, a patient should take Paxlovid within five days of experiencing symptoms. Sooner is almost definitely better. And my last thing I can’t resist saying is there may NOT have been any Covid onboard, until you brought it on from your exposure on the day prior to embarkation! Or, there may have been. And you certainly didn’t do it willingly, that’s for darn sure! I hope you’ve made a complete recovery.

This is a new spa and the prices have only been in effect since July 31st. Somebody’s attention to detail in the spa is clearly lacking. That’s such a shame!

Bon voyage! Have a blast! Which classes do you mean? Pretty soon, you’ll be able to tell us!

Condolences on the loss of your husband, and congratulations on such a successful first trip alone. I was so happy to see how well most of the cruise went. I hope (and expect) Crystal will pay attention to your critique of the dance hosts’ group exodus from dinner, and the inadequate welcome you received at the Supper Club. Bon voyage to you in the future!

The Bistro HAS no topic. Every post can be its own fun topic.

More interesting than the usual interesting question? That’s actually a paraphrase of an amusing occurrence from around 50 years ago. Thank you for reminding me!

Why?

Bon voyage! And to Kathie and both of your wonderful spouses.

I believe Tastes is full table service. If I were hungry earlier than 1 pm, and I didn’t want to go to the actual buffet serving areas at Marketplace, I would sit down and, when a server asked for my drink order, I’d ask him if he could please tell me what soups were being offered, and would he please get me the one I prefer, with a roll and butter. Then I’d go out to Tastes and wait until they opened at 1 pm, for the rest of my lunch! But I love Marketplace and Trident, so I wouldn’t have this challenge. I think you’re on a TA so soon you’ll have a few at-sea days. Enjoy!

Many of us have seen it on social media. A guest even showed a wonderful video of her husband and their server.

I like the format of the review. Glad to see their negatives are not things that are important to me! Looking forward to my own review, in November. I’ll try to remember this format.

Did you hit the Refresh button? I found all the ones I was missing when they first got released. I was looking for the repositioning down the eastern seaboard, and the Caribbean season.

I have no idea! They're not preprinted. You have to write in your name and room or suite number. Perhaps you should ask your TA if they received yours.

I received my email, but alas, nothing jumps out at me right now. There are a few that are quite appealing, but not to Mr B! Actually, many of the itineraries are lovely, just not for us. After the NYC round trip from October 31st to November 8th, I don’t see the NYC to Florida listed, nor any Caribbean after that, until December 7th from Bridgetown. On a different note, we received our baggage tags and beautiful welcome letter for November 2nd, Miami to Miami in just a few short weeks. Excitement mounts for our return to Crystal! I hope everybody finds something that appeals to them in the new itineraries. I definitely recommend the Baltic, and the Adriatic. There are quite a few ports I’ve never heard of at Greek isles. There’s even an overnight at a place in The Netherlands I’ve never heard of!

Now it’s Crystal clear! I see verandas are wait-listed again.

I don’t know why it took me to post #64 to understand what is going on here, but now I do see your frustration. I hit the Like button for Vince’s post #65, but honestly, I didn’t even follow every word of it! What I absolutely like is the key for us to figure out if a cruise is already a B2B … by looking at the itinerary! And also, sometimes we see two cruises starting or ending on the same day, but one cruise is shorter than the other. The old Crystal web site was easier for this, and I think the old Crystal TA site was, as well. When I just ask for Dec. 2024, it’s pretty easy as well. And the most confusing part to me is that it looks like an ocean view is $8200 pp, and a veranda is $8500 pp. Those fares include port charges etc. So where did the $9100/$9600 pp fare come into the equation? Availability is limited now to the preferred locations?

I had forgotten about that! Indeed, it was our second Crystal cruise, it was a six-night, and our first cruise on Serenity.

I think you are jumping to a big conclusion here. While the OP’s TA wasn’t able to explain it to the OP’s satisfaction, s/he may understand it, perfectly. If you and I had been a fly on the wall during the phone conversation, we might be better qualified to assess the situation. In the meantime, I think we all are very happy the OP got the exact stateroom they wanted.