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I thought I should mention that if anyone is booked on the Paul Gauguin November 8 ten-day Society/Tuomotu cruise, they just completely changed the port schedule! I got an email yesterday that said this: "We are writing to you today to let you know that we have adjusted the itinerary of this cruise as we have been notified that a much larger cruise ship is now scheduled to call into Fakarava the day we had planned to visit there. We believe this would adversely impact your experience on the island and as such we have revised the order of our ports to preserve our unique offering." Every single port stop except for the final two (Motu Mahana and Moorea) has changed. Initially I was rather freaked out because I booked a couple of private tours MONTHS ago, and I didn't want to lose them. I know many FP cruisers are fans of H2O Bora Bora, and I'm pleased to say they were SUPER helpful! Aimee responded to my email within minutes, and shifted our group to the new date. I've been super impressed with their service so far, and I keep reading excellent reviews of them, so I'm very excited about this snorkel tour. I haven't heard back from Janou at Huahine-Private yet, but if she can't adjust then we'll find something else to do. I've had cruises shift the odd port stop in the past, but never the entire itinerary! That was a bit of a shock. But I will say I appreciate not having to share Fakarava with an enormous ship. So good on PG! One question to the PG experts in here: Fakarava is now a 2-day stop - instead of a sea day sailing there, it's the first port stop and we arrive at 1:30 pm, and then stay overnight. My question is: do you think they'll offer any PG tours, or maybe dives, that first afternoon? I believe it's unusual to have Fakarava be an overnighter. But since we're there, I'd love to take advantage of the amazing underwater world as much as possible! Oh, and if you're booked on this cruise, please come over to our roll call! 😁

The PG is eye-opening for MANY reasons! One of my favorite ships ever...and I've been on a lot. 😁 That's the main reason I refuse to cruise Cunard. The class system is just so...ugly. One of the things I love about the PG, as well as some other luxury cruise lines I've been on, is that you can sit down to dine with new people and nobody knows if you are in the biggest suite or the tiniest cabin. And usually, nobody cares.

Yay! Keeping my fingers crossed for your husband! And it makes me SO happy to see how we help and support each other here in Cruise Critic. I have learned so many valuable lessons in here, and I'm thrilled I was able to give back a bit to help some other cruisers. Let us know how it goes! I too will feel much better when I have documents in hand.

I have to agree with you about the walking poles. They are great for hiking on uneven surfaces, but they're not going to be of much help on a flat veranda. And if it's moving (as it will be when underway) the walking poles are not going to help with steadiness - they will actually create more of a hazard, especially for anyone else walking on the veranda. And yes, the Pacific can get rough. How rough it will feel for you will be completely dependent on the ship you are on, and how well its stabilizers work. Some ships move more than others. If you are not able to walk steadily without a pole or cane, walking on a veranda while underway is simply not a good idea.

I'm sorry to hear that! I do recall people lining up for formal photos, but we are fine taking our own photos and just never bothered. I'm glad that you are willing to give New Crystal a look. It does sound as if some nice enhancements are being made. I too am following all of this closely...as I mentioned in another thread, I have a cruise booked for 2024 but I am willing to cancel if I don't like what I read in these threads. I will be following them all closely! That cruise is a very personal one to me, and I'm going to do that itinerary at that time whether I do it on this or another line. But I'm hoping everything I read convinces me that I made the right choice in booking Crystal. Time will tell!

I too never found them to be even remotely intrusive. Perhaps my view is colored by the fact that I've been on more than my share of mass-market cruises, where the photographers are not only intrusive but can be downright persistent, but I remember finding it refreshing that the photographers on Crystal were so laid-back. I remember an RCL cruise where we had a hard time getting them to let us even board the ship without allowing them to take our picture under the welcome arch! They were just so insistent. As a life-long rebel who does not take kindly to being told I HAVE to do something I absolutely do not believe I have to do, that just rubbed me the wrong way. That was our first AND last RCL cruise. 😝

Are the chairs in this pic the ones people thought looked cheap and uncomfortable? Obviously it's hard to tell how comfortable they are without sitting in one, but the seats look well cushioned (I also suffer from bony-arse-syndrome) 😉 and the curvature looks like it would be comfortable. I dislike chairs that are ramrod-straight myself, not comfy for my back. It would be nice if there were some that had arms for people who might have mobility issues, but I think most chairs at dining tables don't have arms except for the head and foot. Anyway, thanks for the pics and HAPPY ANNIVERSARY! 🥳❤️

You must be new here. 😉 Welcome to Cruise Critic! I'm LOVING your updates! The excitement is palpable even just through the internet. Whatever else people might say about NC, they certainly have done a great job in stoking the flames of excitement. You are so fortunate to be right in thick of it!

I knew, after your prior comments expressing your disappointment with the disappeared casinos, that this news would make you happy. That's an infectious smile ya got there! 😁

For the record (and since this conversation was likely inspired by my comments about snarky digs at certain members here): I do not take negatives about the cruise line to be a "personal attack". I take actual digs directed at the MEMBER to be "personal attacks". And there have been many of those. Many. In fact, calling someone who focuses only on the positive a "cheerleader" is not a particularly nice thing to say, as it's an attempt to invalidate their opinions by implying that they are not a credible source due to bias or an agenda. Someone's positive and optimistic nature does not mean they are a "cheerleader". I think we all know that word has pretty negative connotations here on CC. I too am interested in hearing ALL perspectives, good AND bad. I've got a cruise on Symphony booked for next year, and I am eager to hear how close it will come to my prior Crystal experiences. If reports indicate it's not, I will cancel. But I definitely also want to hear the glowing reviews from those who are focused on the positive! As for being snubbed - let me tell you my story. Years ago I posted a comment about a really awful experience I had with Crystal's land-based service. I got roundly vilified in here...to the point where some members actually said they were leaving CC because they were so mortified that I had the nerve to criticize their beloved cruise line. One member went so far as to call a crew member she knew onboard, telling him to "watch out" for me because I was going to be "trouble" on the ship. I went on that cruise, and had the BEST CRUISE OF MY LIFE, partly due to the wonderful people I met on our roll-call, as well as many other cruisers, some of whom I am still friends with today. And the crew member who was "warned" about me made a point of getting to know me, and we too bonded (which is how I found out about that ridiculous phone call - we had a few good laughs over it). And let's not forget that the percentage of cruisers onboard who are members of CC, and who might be inclined to "snub" you, is tiny. Point being, you really can just toss out any concerns you have over being "snubbed" onboard due to what happens in here. This is the internet. People often behave very differently from behind their keyboard than they do in person. 😉

I have not been on Viking myself, but I have a dear friend who recently tried her first Viking cruise and was complaining about almost the exact same things. So it would seem you are not alone here...your experience was not a one-off. I'm at the point now where I'm reluctant to try an unknown cruise line. I've been on enough cruises to know which lines I like, and which ones I didn't like, and why. I can't cruise nearly as often as I like, so I'm limiting myself to known entities. (Although, strictly speaking, Crystal is now an unknown entity! But I have a year to watch the reports coming out to see if it really will be the same cruise experience I loved so much.) 🙂

Nope, I never have! Save some for me, please! 🙂

Worms in Tequila is not actually a thing. 😉 It's actually illegal in Mexico to put insects of any form in Tequila. Worms do sometimes end up in Mezcal (also made from agave), but only if it's homemade. For the record, I don't personally have a problem consuming insects. I'm currently traveling in Southern Mexico, and a popular snack down here is chapulines, which are tiny grasshoppers that are fried until crispy and seasoned with chili and lime. They sell them in huge buckets in every mercado. I love 'em! Something tells me I'll need to bring my own onboard Crystal, tho...I can't imagine we'll see them as a snack food offering. 😝

Well they looked awesome! And I have a hard time imagining that they only had decent desserts on the first night. They do have a pastry chef. And of course, as others have pointed out, there's always ice cream. 😉

It is! We have Starlink on our boat, and we get excellent service even when we are many miles offshore. It's been a major development in the live-aboard cruiser's world. We used to rely on clunky sat phone services such as IridiumGo or Inreach when we were in transit. Now we have full internet connectivity no matter where we are. I may not be much of a Musk fan, but I'm definitely all in for Starlink!

It's hard to FIND decent Scotch down here in Mexico! 😝 We seem to have no trouble finding plenty of Tequila, tho...

I gotta agree about the caps - it doesn't look like they would be standing up for very long once the ship is at sea! 😉

Awesome! They have a nice selection of Single Malt Scotch, which is my favorite thing to sip after a wonderful dinner. Thank you for this! I'm SO enjoying all the photos and info coming out now. It's making me feel like I'm a part of this, even though I won't be on a Crystal ship until next year.

Amazing photos! Thanks for posting! Someone earlier mentioned (possibly in another thread?) that their TA onboard was complaining that the dessert offerings were not very good. I just perused these menus and they look incredible to me! I cannot imagine what more someone would want in the dessert offerings.

We've spent a lot of time sailing Baja and the Sea of Cortez, but it's hurricane season right now so our boat is in a hurricane-safe marina in Nuevo Vallarta. But we'll be back sailing Baja again next season for sure. 🙂 Yes, I'm sure I can find a doc in PV. It's just a pain that I have to! And I won't have a lot of time to do it.

I wish I could get to San Diego! Unfortunately that's not in the cards. We are currently in San Luis Potosí, which is pretty far south in Mexico, and we will be visiting a few more towns in the Southern interior before we return to our boat in Puerto Vallarta, in mid October. I will have 3 weeks in Puerto Vallarta before I leave for the cruise. I'm going to start looking now for an English speaking doc there, who will be willing to sign this form. I should be able to do it. PV is a heavily touristed area, and tourists sometimes need to see doctors, so I think it'll all work out. 🙂

YAAAY! Now I'm super glad I posted this. I hate to think of all the divers who aren't on Cruise Critic who might board the PG thinking they are about to experience the diving of their lives, and learn that they won't be allowed. 😞 I'm hoping the PG is flexible about allowing the on-board doc to sign off, considering these are new requirements. Wishing you the best of luck! I still need to find a doc in Mexico who will sign my forms, but we're currently traveling inland during hurricane season so we're nowhere near the coast, where I would be more likely to find an English-speaking doc. My cruise isn't until November so I've got time.

I love your attitude! Hopefully we'll bump into each other at Scoops someday. 🙂

Whiskey tastings? I'm in! 😁 Did they offer Single Malt Scotch tastings?

I feel ya! I'm 63, but I sure don't feel like I remember 63-yr-old people looked to me when I was young. 😉 I have zero health issues and run 5 miles a day. Which is why I was so sure I wouldn't have to get that damn form signed. UGH!