travelberlin

Under this circumstances I wonder how much is the liability of the cruise line to give compensation to the clients if they are not willing to take an alternative route. In Germany we call it Force Majeure and under Force Majeure, there is not much the guests can become. Options are: take alternative route or cancel the rest with the corresponding refund. No additional compensation. Airlines for example can cancel flights without any compensation because of Force Majeure. And in some cases they would not even offer an alternative. Offering itinerary alternatives seem to be reasonable. Refunding the money to those who do not want to do the suggested itineraries seems also adequate. However, I believe the cruise line has the right to cancel ports of calls or change itineraries if the circumstances dictate so. I am sure many affected guests will not like to hear about the itinerary changes but it is not the fault of Crystal, right? Ivi

I feel very sorry that the Red Sea conflict is going to disturb so much the operations of the new Crystal. It is not easy for the company nor for the crew. I hope that guests affected will be able to get bookings in other itineraries of their choice. For example guests that have booked on Serenity for the Mediterranean could look at the Symphony itineraries there. I am confident the Symphony will cruise in the Mediterranean this year and it has very nice itineraries. Guests on the full world cruise, which apparently are less than 200, might just continue their cruise independently of which route the Serenity would take. At least if we were on the world cruise, we would just continue. And maybe in the new itineraries there will be interesting ports and overnights in ports. I hope that those itineraries also get the attention of other cruisers who could book them. For example if the ship will go from Cape Town to Brasil or Argentina, maybe South Americans and South Africans will book the new itineraries with a good marketing strategy. There are not many ships along the East South American coast around that time of the year and there could be a demand. I am not sure about the weather though. In any case it is a difficult situation and I wish Crystal sincerely that they manage to overcome the challenges. Ivi

I have one question in relation to diamond benefits. Do Diamond members can check in also only 45 days before cruise or are they able to check in earlier?

Due to the condition of your grandson, I believe you could get this service if you just ask nicely and explain the reason. People are not motivated only via tips. You can tip afterwards as a sign of gratitude but upfront tipping for every thing as if human beings could only be convinced through money?

I am not sure if this has been already posted but I have just learned that Azamara has been nominated for several categories in USA today readers. For example best ocean liner or best cruise line for solo travelers. People can vote for their favorite cruise line until February 5th apparently every day. This seems to be the web page in case someone is interested to vote. https://10best.usatoday.com/awards/travel/

Good press statement. 👍 It was necessary imho. Ivi

I find it a lovely idea 😍. I would like to meet Rover onboard.

Thanks Keith. I have not read the article properly. I have not met him on board. But due to my bookings in solo cabins, which are apparently the lowest category possible, and without belonging to the VIP guests, it is very unlikely that I would ever meet a senior head butler on board. Ivi

What I have read is that MSC has cancelled three itineraries for April. „Swiss-Italian operator MSC Cruises said on Wednesday it had cancelled three trips in April from South Africa and the United Arab Emirates to Europe due to the Red Sea crisis. "The safety of passengers and crew is the number one priority and as there was no viable alternative itinerary, the company has regrettably had to cancel the voyages," MSC Cruises said. "The three ships will transfer directly to Europe without any passengers on board and avoid transiting through the Red Sea."”

And it is also not too early for management of other cruise lines 😄. We could speculate if the conflict in that region will take long or not but no one really knows. Conflicts are taking longer than expected nowadays. I wonder if insurances cover costs associated with this situation 🧐 Ivi

Was he the head waiter in the sailing from 5th to 18th January? I do not recall meeting him onboard 🧐. Ivi

I am sorry to hear about this Dwight. It was my concern when I have booked the forward solo cabins. Fortunately during my cruise, the seas were calm and I did not have to worry about being sea sick. However, the location of those cabins would be for me a problem for a World Cruise. Try taking a fresh ginger tea (with chopped ginger), eating apples and looking at the horizon. I have read that this helps. Ivi

No, it did not have any logo or emblem there. But I guess it will get a sticker now to cover the holes 😊 Ivi

Do you have to give them your carry on? I guess one could just keep it and enjoy other perks?

Thanks for your answer Keith. Ivi

I have one more question in relation to the handling of luggage at debarkation. When I have retrieved my luggage at the port of Miami, my suitcase had two small wholes on it, as if someone has used a drill to do those wholes in the suitcase. The wholes are not large but it is the first time I have experienced something like that. My suitcase had a TSA approved lock. One time in the Miami airport they opened my suitcase and left a note inside saying it was inspected. But this time the lock does not seem as if it was touched at all. Just the two wholes there. Who does the inspection of the luggage at the port of Miami of our luggage with Crystal? And has anybody experienced something similar? Ivi

Last evening for me onboard. I have decided to have dinner at Tastes. It is kind of a tapas concept, not really a restaurant. I have had good gambas al ajillo. The wines were very good, specially the desert wine from Austria. I have also enjoyed the desert. Welcome to all those who are coming for the next cruises. I wish you a wonderful stay onboard the Crystal Serenity. For me it was a nice cruise and I have enjoyed meeting new people on board. I have also enjoyed talking to the crew members, some, I have recognized from the old Crystal and some were new. I will be back on Crystal ships this year, if God so wishes, in the Mediterranean onboard the Symphony and on the Serenity again in October. In between other cruise lines and our traditional hiking in Switzerland. Bye, bye 👋 Ivi

I went to the gym for the first time this morning trying to find a scale to weight my hand luggage. I couldn’t resist to weight myself. I have put on 2 kilograms in 2 weeks 😮 But no regrets here 😎 Ivi

In relation to internet, for those coming on board for the next cruise back up in the cloud before boarding. The internet speeds onboard do not allow to back up onboard. I have not been able to back up since I have boarded. The IT people confirmed to me that this was not possible while onboard. Ivi

Yesterday at San Juan. It has changed since the last time I visited. I guess the consequences of the hurricane Maria. Old San Juan is still eye catching though.

I have received only a thin knife for the osso buco. I have no idea if there is a special fork for it 🧐. But no problem to get the bone marrow out. Ivi

There is also a bottle of champagne in my room. 🍾 Ivi

Osobuco in the Waterside tonight. Nice…

Could you please confirm if the MDR is open for dinner at the evening of the white party? My experience was that the MDR and also the specialty restaurants are open at that evening for those who do not want to eat at the buffet of the white party. But on a thread in another cruise line, a fellow cruiser says that only the buffet is available. Thanks 😊

Sorry to hear about your experience. My last two cruises with Azamara were January 2023 and May 2023. All restaurants open including the specialty restaurants. Ivi