cruisewmn

2 hours ago, 39august said:

Call 877- RETREAT

 

2 hours ago, Pennstatedj said:

My wife talked with Alex yesterday. She is Ascent concierge shoreside when you call. My wife told me who the concierge onboard is but I forgot, my age I guess. Sorry. Call Alex and she will take care whatever you wish. She is great. 

Thank you both for the information. So incredibly helpful!

If not an email, maybe the phone number for the shoreside concierge?

I’m sailing in an upper suite in February on the Ascent and am wondering if anyone has the email address for the concierge. Thanks!

This is fantastic news!  
We loved the Crystal ships (sailed the Bach on the Rhine). The cabins are really comfortable and feel larger than they are - nice bathrooms and walk-in closets. Great dining, lounge, coffee bar, and outdoor space.
 

We’re already booked on a Uniworld cruise on the Seine next summer. Hoping the 2025 itineraries include some others rivers. 

I forgot to add that they also had lactose free milk onboard for those with lactose intolerance.

I have a milk allergy and Silversea was fantastic. They offered both a soy and almond alternative (don’t know if options will be the same on every cruise). Food was delicious and safe to eat. Simply wonderful experience.

We have done four river cruises and frankly don't remember seeing any young children onboard.  Most people are over 50.

On our Crystal Rhine cruise last summer we had a few teens and children on board. One boy was about eight years old. Another family had two daughters, one in high school and the other in college. It was their second Crystal river cruise. It was a joy having both families on board. Ages on the cruise ranged from 8 to 80+.

Crystal would be a nice choice. Also has connecting cabins.

25 minutes ago, coevan said:

 

 

We now are narrowing our trip down to Ama and Cyrstal. The only thing we don't like about are the oxymoronic "balcony windows" We now have to choose double balconies or open seating

I was nervous about the “balcony windows” on Crystal, as well. So glad it didn’t keep me from booking. Turned out to be a fantastic feature. When lowered, the window can either be left fully open or with a screen. We had it open for picture taking and while sailing in the Rhine gorge.  It turned the whole room into a luxury balcony. We would use the screen at night. It was almost like camping on a river bank. You could hear the gentle flow of water and look at the twinkling lights of little towns as you floated by. Truly magical. 

I called Viking a couple of years ago to ask if they could accommodate my food allergies (dairy, gluten, shellfish).  They said no and hung up on me.
 

Uniworld was happy to accommodate me, as was Crystal. We ended up going on Crystal and loved it.

 

I suggest calling the cruise line and ask BEFORE you make a reservation. 

I highly recommend a Crystal river cruise on the Rhine.  We took our first river cruise on the Bach last summer and loved it.  

 

Unfortunately, I tripped on a cobblestone on day 2 and landed hard on my knee.  While I still did most excursions, one day I stayed back while my husband and adult son went off to Heidelberg.  I was disappointed to miss the sights, but knew I needed to rest and elevate my knee if I was going to enjoy the rest of the cruise and our following week in the Alps.  Turns out I had a wonderful day sleeping in, eating breakfast in bed, and then reading a book on the top deck.  Crystal has an amazing sun deck with sofas, comfy chairs, and sun loungers.  I was not alone up there -- I spent a few hours getting to know some of the other guests over mojitos.  It was a fabulous day.  The waiters were on duty and the pop up bar was open.  Crystal also offers massages and has a nice indoor pool.  The coffee bar is open all day for drinks and snacks, and of course, a full lunch is offered in the dining room. 

 

The cruise was so good that we booked another one on the Danube for this summer.  We picked a 10 day cruise so that we could spend more time just relaxing on the boat a few days to better balance out the sightseeing. 

We were in OS 943 on the Muse. Never heard any noise from above. Great suite!

Looking forward to hearing how you like Crystal Bach. We had a fantastic time on the same cruise this past summer. I’ve followed your travels on the Crystal Oceans board and enjoy living vicariously through your blog. Hope you have a wonderful trip!

Crystal’s ships have plenty of two tops!

On 8/9/2019 at 10:42 PM, AllisonJames said:

Cruise Wmn — would love to hear your review as we are on the Bach/Rhine next year (first-ever River Cruise).  We did a lot of research and think Crystal will be the best fit for us — any details you’d like to share would be appreciated!

 

   The cruise was wonderful from start to finish. Boarding was effortless. We were greeted at the ramp and immediately shown to our rooms and handed our keys. No lines, no waiting. This proved to be the rule, not the exception for the trip. Arrive for dinner and you’re shown to a table. Disembark for an excursion, and you simply walk off the ship and on to a bus. Sit down for a drink on the top deck/lounge/palm court and a server immediately approaches and takes your order. The staff know your name and preferences within a day. It’s mind blowing. Service was attentive without being intrusive. 

   Suites are small. We normally get larger rooms or suites and were nervous about the smaller size. However, Crystal’s suites are incredibly well designed. We had plenty of closet space and room for our luggage under the bed. The bathroom is perfect - more than enough counter/shelf space and fantastic under cabinet drawers. Nice size showers, too. If ocean cabins were this well designed, I’d never book a big suite again. 

   Food was outstanding. I have severe food allergies and they were able to accommodate me. 24 hour room service was always available, too. 

   The ports on the Rhine are pleasing, but the ship was the star for us. Strasbourg and Heidelberg were the only places that really stood out for us. Still, we had a great time each day and would sail the Rhine again in a heartbeat. 

   One thing we enjoyed more than we expected to was meeting the other guests. We all became friends and would chat on excursions, at pre-dinner cocktails, etc. I’ve already had lunch with people I met on the cruise who are from my hometown. You don’t have to socialize if you don’t want to, but it was one of the unexpected highlights for my family. 

  If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask!

Sailed on a sold out Rhine River cruise on Crystal Bach last month. Wowed us on every level. Booked a Danube cruise for next summer on the Mahler. Prices are not discounted one bit. I think it might depend on the time of year you’re looking at sailing? 

Keith-

I’ve so enjoyed reading about your time on the Mozart. We’re eagerly awaiting our upcoming cruise on Crystal Bach this summer (our second Crystal cruise, but first river cruise). We had already identified a cruise for next summer on the Mozart to book while onboard. You’re trip report confirmed our feelings that this would be an amazing ship and itinerary. With the recent news, we’ll have to start checking out other Crystal river itineraries. Still, you’re detailed recounting of your experiences have reaffirmed our decision to sail with Crystal this summer and in the future. 

 

I hope you and Anne Marie enjoy the remainder of your cruise. Honestly, with your positive attitude and joie de vivre, I can’t imagine you wouldn’t!

 

Safe and happy travels!

I think there are some excellent TA’s out there. Unfortunately, I’ve never met one. I’ve used TA’s three different times and always had difficulties. One took days to respond to calls and emails (although I did get a nice discount), and two messed up flight seats and hotel bookings. Never again. I’ve taken over 40 cruises and booked all but one myself. I call the cruise line directly. I’ve been able to negotiate $600 OBC on each of my recent bookings. I like having control of my reservation. 

Always enjoy your Live Blogs. Sorry you got an HA room at the Ritz. That’s where we always stay before a cruise and appreciate the regular bathroom. Also, that entry and hallway is pretty typical of all of their rooms - nice and big. Hope you were able to enjoy a drink at the hotel bar. Great bartenders and some tasty drinks. 

 

Wishing you a wonderful cruise on the Edge!

We’ve been lucky enough to stay in a PH on the S Class ships three times. My DH and I travel with our college age son. You couldn’t pay me to travel with another couple in the PH. It’s one thing to have my son on the sleeper sofa, but it’s completely different to have non-family members there. Your friends would have zero privacy. Just the normal things of getting ready in the morning, showering or changing clothes for dinner, blow drying hair and putting on makeup (no outlet or countertop in guest bathroom), would be difficult or done in the living room area. The closet barely fits the small amount of clothes my son brings on the cruise. If they stored things in the master closet, they would have to come in and out of your bedroom to access it. Plus, the sleeper sofa isn’t very comfortable (my son complains, but I tell him to suck it up for a vacation paid for by mom and dad). Your friends would not find it comfy for two people (or romantic). Obviously, it’s only my opinion, but I’d keep the rooms separate. 

Yes. Other forums are opening slowly, but do eventually open. The Celebrity forum often fails to load completely. This is the first time I’ve been able to load it in about 5 hours. 

I’m inside the building and have been waiting an hour and a half to board. 800 passengers have boarded, but the winds got so bad that they had to remove the gangway. The Coast Guard won’t let anyone board the ship and the building is at capacity, so no one else is allowed to enter. Ugh. 

Wonderful live blog. Thanks for taking the time to post!

Arrived at Heathrow T5 twice this summer on international flights. First flight landed mid-morning. The FastTrack line took over an hour. Second flight landed early evening. FastTrack took 5 minutes. Transit from gate to customs was 5-10 minutes. Luggage was immediately available for both flights.

 

We used BA Transfer and were very happy.

Following with interest. Enjoy your cruise!