Noggins

Once again - and it happens most days - I'm reminded of how little I know..🙄

Well, Vince, to be honest I hadn't previously noticed that ceiling until you mentioned it. You're right - hideous! I was going to add to my list that dreadful fluted canopy on the pool deck which I have always disliked but took the chance to demonstrate an ability to read / remember / look - even at my age. Looking forward to reading your updated observations in due course. Adrian

Thanks Rob We too were very fond of QE2. We have even been known to search out older ships because of their characteristics. But as is often pointed out to me I am a long way from being 'normal'..... Adrian

Will look out for your comments - on both ships! I'm sure you'll be very happy with both although we too favour Symphony because we just prefer her version of Starlight and The Avenue. Otherwise we hardly notice the differences - except perhaps in future those extra passengers on Serenity will be important to the vibe?! (Symphony's passenger load at the moment sounds terrible. If only they had said I would have willingly stayed on to help out ..) Best to you and S Adrian

In case of interest to others, here is the separate vegetarian / vegan menu from the Osteria. Dishes are based on those on the main menu. The Impossible burger is also back in Trident 👍

Sorry for the wait but, in summary, we had a great time on a ship that has the feel, the quality, the history of what we had come to really enjoy in old Crystal. Bear this in mind in anything that follows! Trying to set things out with a degree of logic.... Hardware It’s strange how the passing of time can make you see things a little differently. Seeing Symphony again after such an enforced gap left me with slightly mixed feelings. Great pleasure to know that we were heading back into a safe, known, quality environment but also realizing that, crumbs, whilst Symphony does look elegant, yes, she also looks, well, a bit old fashioned…. Anyone new to Crystal could be forgiven for thinking that they would have to wait and see the quality of what is on board whereas there are many competing ships that externally look (are) new, ‘on trend’ and you just know are going to be fabulous inside when you see them. There is no doubt, and in many ways I am sorry to say it, but Crystal needs those new ships to survive. Longstanding, returning Crystal passengers will not be enough. On board, she is just as she was, quietly elegant in an understated way but with some glaring outdated parts (atrium, Starlight ceiling, to name two of the most obvious). And for the first time we were struck by the almost complete absence of artwork anywhere. This absence does leave several venues looking unfinished – especially the Osteria (Italian restaurant). Anyone out there with a large art collection that they don’t have enough walls for….?! Our room was brand new, spacious and lovely. But it was not necessarily entirely well thought out or fully snagged – all features of the refit being done in a huge and understandable hurry, I am sure. For instance, the luxurious shower is fitted with a handheld shower that has virtually no adjustment when in its bracket making it next to useless unless you use it handheld. The two wall jets are so powerful (and initially cold) that they could knock you over / drill holes through you! The rainfall is Amazonian in water quantity and great if are happy to be immersed head to toe. When it comes to the end of the bathing ritual, there is no towel rail – unless you were in our friends identical room where there was a towel rail – just where you expected there to be one! We had our fire alarm go off in the middle of the night one night, the lighting in the bathroom partly stopped working and the loo stopped working briefly. All new Crystal experiences. The public rooms remain spacious and beautifully furnished but as mentioned previously it is starting to feel as if there is just a bit too much space for the number of passengers. Spaces seemed to regularly feel empty of people and vibe – Starlight and Palm Court in particular. Software This bit is a little more complicated, so I’ll break it down a bit to food, service and entertainment. Food is just as we remembered it – quality fine dining in elegant surroundings, inventive menus with multiple choices. This goes for Marketplace and Waterside especially. Osteria needs a special mention in view of the apparent controversy over the menu. Make no mistake this is fine dining of Michelin standard. Perhaps it is not appealing to the masses in quite the same way as Prego did but it is certainly very high quality fare. Service is, on the whole, of that special Crystal standard that no-one else (that we have experienced) manages to achieve. The team in the Osteria were the best example of Crystal service – they were just brilliant. For the whole crew, it is partly the training, partly the selection of confident intelligent people, partly making sure they feel happy in their work and partly by empowering them to interact with the customer and make decisions. We were surprised there were so many new faces (to us) but most of them had ‘got’ new Crystal and delivered exceptionally. A few didn’t – service slightly marred a Waterside dinner experience and breakfast service in Waterside was off beam. Astonishingly we were recognized by some staff. This gives a very nice fuzzy feeling when it happens! When one is a sommelier you wonder whether a previous search for that other pleasant fuzzy feeling might have been a little too enthusiastic (how else would we have made such a mark that we seemed to be instantly recognizable…?!) Entertainment has been something that has always impressed us and new Crystal have maintained the standard. High quality professional and highly skilled entertainers wherever you looked. The Avenue, in particular, delivered (for us) with one evening the band joining to deliver an outstanding jazz / jamming session with contributions from other members of the entertainment team and from guests who were themselves professionals in the entertainment industry contributing. Truly an exceptional evening. What next? (after Explora...) Serenity, next year. To be honest our bags are unpacked right now – but we can’t wait to re-pack. Rest assured that this will be the only time I will feel the need to compare OC with NC - as far as we are concerned Crystal remains outstanding. Long may that last. (apologies if you hoped for more but it has been a bit of a whirl since coming home. A months worth of rain fell at the weekend and we’ve been busy with the consequences of that and the rivers that border us and run through the property. Goodness what a lot of water!) Adrian

Oh, I don't recall reading that. I'm ambivalent about casinos but one observation I would make (sorry we're still in Venice and wider comments will take a little longer yet to pull together) is that we were 500 souls (to use the old fashioned expression!) - about the typical number I think Vince has told us to expect? With so much public space it does mean that several venues feel deserted and lacking in appeal for lack of atmosphere. The key exceptions being the Cove and the Avenue which become crowded because that's where the vibe and the action is. The ship certainly felt empty at times. And that's not necessarily a good thing? A casino would not draw off many folk, I suspect, so wouldn't affect the situation. Adrian

I think you may need to search for treasure elsewhere - I can't see there being any chance of an about turn on a casino anytime soon.

Symphony has arrived in Venice this morning (Fusina) and is being readied for a 3 day charter (for a wedding - wow, that's some wedding party!). I'll post some thoughts on how we found things shortly but suffice to say that NC is very hard to differentiate from OC (in a good way). Adrian

Do it! They are both wonderful countries to visit whether by ship or overland - or both! You can expect some rocky seas if you cross between the two. If it's not obvious fly biz - ideally on a ME airline wioth a stopover there - Abu Dhabi ideally. If you require a Passepartout I can make myself available - given some notice (10 minutes would be adequate). Enjoy!

Goodness me, Roy... It is great to see you travelling again - and to have you entertain us, as you have for years. But you are a bit of a worry! Whilst you are clearly not one to overplay any niggles for goodness sake do take things easy. Obviously there is nowhere quite like a cruise ship - pardon me, ocean liner - to relax and I hope you will do just that. Have a wonderful time. Adrian

sorry to correct you there, old chap, but English for an umbrella is actually 'brolly' - don't you know..... (you need a plum in your mouth to articulate this correctly)

Maybe not just formal nights, Colin.... And we have had an incrdible hot and dry Summer - believe it or not. I'm sure the world of CC is gagging to hear of our two upcoming EJ experiences! Wishing you both a fab time and am looking forward to a good read. Adrian

Hi Colin - are we due to hear some pearls of wisdom from you guys very soon? EJ trip still coming up? Hope you enjoy as much as Stickman is currently enjoying his experience. Adrian

could someone possibly ask whether one might take along one's own 'roll' and have it filled....?

When you think about it a luggage tag has a lifespan of around an hour, maybe two if you're unlucky. Pierside to your room.

We too received an impressive looking package yesterday. It had been couriered from the US and had to be signed for. It contained non personalised luggage tags and a one page letter contained within a folder with a picture of OC Symphony in Sydney harbour. Overall NOT impressive - especially given that the personlised cruise ticket has to be downloaded and printed! (but early days - hopefully this approach can be improved upon.....)

you know, you can do something about that........

end in Venice on the 6/10 - or 10/6 if you are left handed.

Funny the twists and turns that life takes...... Who would have thought OC could go belly-up in such a spectacular way? Who could have predicted the whole Noggins clan would, post COVID, move to Scotland to start a new life? And not even Noggins could have predicted that he would find himself shortly to be checking out that Symphony was truly shipshape AND have a Serenity cruise in '24 lined up (with the Panama transit that had been part of our last - but not achieved - OC cruise). Explora was to be the '24 highlight but if some of the early comments are anything to go by it may fall short - we'll see.... Choosing a room on Symphony was an interesting experience - I didn't immediately notice the variety of tabs for the suites. And even now I am not entirely sure if we have 'classic', '2018' or '2023'. It'll be a surprise! If there is anything useful to report on from Symphony I will be sure to do so. But please remember that I have never been known to post anything that was actually useful..... Adrian ps with thanks to our London TA, without whom none of this would be happening.

Me too - and I won't be going back to SS. Nothing to do with dress code - it just got nowhere near OC standards across the board - oh, OK a standard Crystal room does not compare but a room is just a room for me / us. Back to NC in a few weeks. Can't wait.

340 you're welcome! (enjoyed the trip from the start)

Muriel - I think Mr B may have been rather cleverly mashing together two separate words - gymnasium (where you go to get fit) and sanatorium (where you got sent when sick to get you fit again!). All schools of a certain type had both. Adrian

I find it amazing that this cruise gets remembered so often - especially as it was 10 years ago almost to the day. There were so many CC members on board I wonder whether we can we ask for a show of hands for anyone that WAS NOT on that cruise?! Our abiding memory was having metal plates bolted onto our deck 5 (OV) window and getting ushered upstairs to a balcony cabin on deck 8. And then wondered whether, from a motion of the ocean point of view, it had been a good move! Adrian

No, we never made it to the Vintage Room either for the reasons you describe. Yes, we are booked on Explora for a Caribbean trip in Spring 2024. I see you will be ahead of us - we'll be looking out for your review! It all seems a long way off but the way time flies by it will soon come round. Best to you both Adrian