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Everything posted by ryndam
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FOR ANYONE ON THE INITIAL CRYSTAL SAILING - JULY 31ST
ryndam replied to Fieldofdreams's topic in Crystal
The Crystal website may not reflect cabins held by agencies. Or Crystal may be holding back some inventory for contractors. Or some rooms may not be completely updated. No telling. According to our TA, there are rooms available in all categories for the July 31 sailing, except the designated single rooms and the Junior & Crystal penthouses. Rob -
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The new Crystal branding appears to be graphically consistent with Abercrombie & Kent's new, minimalistic logo (a big ampersand).
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Our certificate is for the full amount that we claimed with Moecker.
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Ours too. Credit on my Visa card 1 week after disembarking. Way more efficient than other suppliers or cruise lines.
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Star Pride Observations from a long-time Crystal Cruises guest
ryndam replied to ryndam's topic in Windstar Cruises
I wanted to provide an update. We returned from a 14-day b2b on Star Pride last month, r/t San Juan. We were so glad to be back onboard, in a warmer climate, where we could take advantage of everything the yacht offers in better weather. Swim platform- yes! Star Bar & Grille - yes! Pools and whirlpools - yes! Deck barbeque - yes! Beach picnics on private beaches/islands - yes! yes! Outdoor dining on the Verandah/Candles aft terrace - yes! Late night visits to the bridge - yes! Although we were last onboard in July 2022, so many of the officers and crew from last July were onboard last month. And we were greeted, high-fived, hugged, and welcomed back, even on the pier as we were checking in. Hotel manager Andreas was at the gangway and hauled our carry-ons himself up the gangway! So many staff, servers, housekeepers, the chef, maitre'd JP and others remembered us as soon as we were onboard. It really was returning "home" to an extended family. There were 210+/- pax onboard the first week. 30 pax, including us, stayed for week two. It was almost a full ship with 290+/- pax the second week. We opted for the all-inclusive package again. We really enjoy not having to sign any bar chits. The internet service has been changed to Starlink. Wow! What a difference. The satellite connection was faster and more reliable than our 5G connections ashore. And since it was a b2b Star Collection voyage, laundry was included, too. A most enjoyable, restful and thoroughly stress-free journey! Rob -
It's an interesting marketing gesture. My simple, non-actuary/mathematic-type brain did a quickie not-so-hypothetical calculation. It's a 20% discount off of A&K Cruises/Crystal's higher per diem rates. So one needs to spend $150K to "recover" $30K in lost/unreimbursed/bankrupt advance deposits with Genting/Crystal. This appears to be a generous initiative, especially for those booked on future, multi-segment WC's or Grand Journeys. For others, maybe not so much. There doesn't appear to be any downside to register for the credits by 6/1/23. Rob
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Starlink was the provider on a recent Windstar Caribbean cruise. The service exceeded our expectations. The connection was faster than land-based 5G connections. Rob
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We were onboard for two weeks in February. No a/c issues.
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If multiple dining opportunities are important to one’s vacation experience, there are many other opportunities other than the controlled dining environments of a cruise ship. Multiple dining choices are important to some and irrelevant to others. Over the years, we’ve had our most memorable dining experiences off ship and ashore than onboard any cruise ship.
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We’ve done private and group escorted land tours with A&K in Japan, Southeast Asia, African safaris and India/Nepal. Absolute luxury class. Seamless arrangements. This type of service does come with a price tag, but with A&K, the value (for us) has consistently exceeded expectations. Rob
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How the New Crystal is treating Old Crystal loyalists
ryndam replied to FLcruiser2011's topic in Crystal
I didn't quite know what thread to post this observation, so I chose this one (didn't want to start a new thread). A&K must have acquired quite a set of contact lists of former Crystal guests. There appears to have been another mass emailing recently. Three good friends of ours forwarded their copy of the stock email marketing message signed by Jack Anderson. The interesting commonality was that all three friends have not sailed Crystal for at least 17-20 years. And the email messages were sent to their deceased spouses (apparently the last email address on file). None had sailed Crystal in years, have had no marketing materials sent to them in over a decade, had no knowledge of the liquidation, didn't know of the acquisition by A&K, nor who Jack Anderson is/was. All were a bit disturbed that their deceased partners' email address was still hanging around in some outdated marketing database. None of the three indicated any interest in entertaining any offers from A&K Cruises, aka Crystal. Rob -
208 this week (2/18) 280 next week (2/25)
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Great to hear. We had an incredible voyage last summer on Star Pride and we are returning next week for 2 weeks' b2b island hopping in the Caribbean. Glad to hear JP is onboard; he is an awesome restaurant manager!
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On Star Pride last summer, as others have mentioned, we calculated the "break-even" at about 5 beverages/day. The all-inclusive package also includes anything in the cabin mini-bar; our mini-bar was meticulously restocked every day. For us, a glass of wine/beer at lunch, an occasional indulgence from the mini-bar, a pre-dinner cocktail, 2 glasses/wine at dinner, and 2 (or 3) libations after dinner more than paid for the all-inclusive package. The staff knows who is "on the package"; we never signed for any drinks, our wine glasses always remained filled, and the servers were all very attentive. Based on our casual/un-scientific observation of other guests, I would guesstimate that half the guests opted for the all-inclusive package and the other half of the guests did not.
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