Emdee

1 hour ago, ak1004 said:

 

We didn't do SB yet, but I agree that SS service can be inconsistent. And with the recent price increase, I don't find value in SS anymore.

 

However, we enjoy Oceania very much, and can book it around $400. I find food on O excellent and service very good too. To me there was nothing on SS or Crystal that made them more luxurious than O when we look at things that are important to us.

 

Crystal might feel like family if you did dozens of cruises on their ships, know the crew and they know you. On our cruise on C in 2019 we felt like outsiders. Doesn't mean the service wasn't good, on the contrary. But part of the family? Not really, at least this was not our feeling. To some people it's worth the extra cost. To others it's not. Especially if you sail for destinations and not see the ship as a destination.

All of us have our hot buttons and price points as someone on the Crystal Board says choice is good. 
We tried Oceania in 2008 and it wasn’t our cup of tea at all. Have not tried them since then. We are still somewhat itinerary driven so Regent whom we have been cruising with since 2003 and Crystal and the SSea Endeavour cover our needs.  Seabourn has very good Caribbean itineraries so may sail them in order to break up our winter. 

39 minutes ago, ak1004 said:

 

Yes, I'm well aware of it. But for those bigger cabins, the prices are even crazier.

 

I just looked at few sailings for summer 2025.

 

SB has many sailings around $500-550 USD per night. Crystal starts around $600-650 for standard OV room (210 sqft) while AQUAMARINE suites (323 sqft) are around $900. 

 

To me, those prices are crazy. I don't mind being in a 210 sqft room, but the price should reflect it. I would try Crystal even if the price was similar to entry level cabin on SB, but paying 20-25% more for a smaller cabin on a much older ship just doesn't make sense to me.

Both Seabourn and SSea staff are inconsistent in service and food in my opinion is nowhere near the new Crystal. In my opinion the new Crystal service and food are amazing….I personally believe better than before. Our butlers on Crystal definitely went above and beyond ….much better than any we had on other lines including SSea. My last Crystal cruise in December was when I was recuperating from knee surgery and the concern I received from the staff makes me tear up. The staff really make you feel part of the Crystal family and that is priceless and worth the higher costs. I would rather go on three cruises on Crystal instead of four on SSea and Seabourn. The only SSea we are likely to go on are the Expeditions and we are currently booked on The Endeavour as the ship ( built by Crystal) is technically amazing.  

On 2/28/2024 at 1:17 PM, ak1004 said:

 

But Crystal excursions are not managed by A & K. I believe in most ports all cruise lines use the same operators. 

 

So what exactly am I paying for? To cover Manfredi's hundreds of millions investment in Crystal refurbishment (which some describe as putting a lipstick on a pig compared to SS new ships)? 

Have you been on the new Crystal? I tried all of the competition in the last few years but Crystal is way better than the rest. The only one that comes close is Regent which I continue to sail on due to itineraries. 
 

You bring back memories of our not so great Silversea experience.

Since then we have avoided the classic cruises and sailed on their expedition cruises.

On 3/27/2024 at 11:37 PM, Treasure Hunter said:

I have never been on Crystal. I will try the one cruise and see if the amenities out weigh the lack of a casino. I tried Viking and hated it. Perhaps the fact that we don’t drink alcohol ( so cocktail hour holds little charm) has something to do with it. We have been on many land tours ( Safaris and touring exotic locales ) where casinos just weren’t important. But casinos are fun for days at sea and long evenings. I don’t know the layout of the ship but they had what I hear was a large casino for the size of the ship, so perhaps they can use part of that space again.

Crystal has a huge selection of non alcoholic cocktails, some non alcoholic wine and beer. When my DH ran through the non alcoholic wine they picked some up for him at the next port. He would get them to make a spritzer with the non alcoholic sparkling and a little lemon juice.

8 hours ago, vistaman said:

I do not like that - on every day -  on old C it was not on every day ...

One of the several reasons  I left SB  , however the lunch buffets on SB were far inferior on those on C. 

On SS and Regent some non - buffet restaurants  are open for lunch ! 

Yes I wish they would open the Italian and Japanese restaurants for lunch sometimes too. Always a pleasure to dine in Chartreuse and Prime 7 at lunch.

To be fair to C  the marketplace lunch is definitely the best at sea, Bistro, Tastes and Grill are also open as well. 

Under Rao’s training the new butlers are doing an excellent job anticipating your every need.

4 hours ago, PaulMCO said:

I will jump...

 

SS does not require payment for its premium (added cost) excursions.  They are posted to your account once on board.

 

Seabourn does require prepayment, but will refund (without cancelling) those cruises against both non refundable and refundable OBC. 

To add to above…Regent requires prepayment at time of booking but will first use the OBC noted on your reservation. We find this very convenient. 

In the Arctic the daily recap was before dinner with drinks and apps. Dinner was depending on where one booked. We were able to switch reservations if needed. 
I think there was Trivia post dinner. 

1 hour ago, grandma*knows*best said:

There is no need to bring boots or buy your own.  The Bogs boots provided are perfectly comfortable.  If you are on the Pursuit, boots are provided for free.

Thank you. I have boots but won’t bother carrying them.

What about trekking poles?

Did you have to rent the boots or were they included? What about trekking poles?

It looks like they are tightening up clothing choices on their expedition ships. Sad I booked the Endeavour now though I love the ship. 

We did the Endeavour itinerary you mentioned last year and it was great. The ship is the main star…beautifully designed. Also the 2 storey tall windows in the Grill were great when we went to Prince Christian Sound.

9 hours ago, Mrs. Claypool said:

I just finished booking the specialty restaurants online for our Serenity June 24 sailing, and there was no Beefbar option. 

The options will form part of Tastes.

Interesting…I have a 2025 cruise booked. Will have to check if the payment of the cruise 1 year in advance is non refundable to get the 20% off! 
 

Serenity in Monte Carlo.

Earlier this month taken from the Serenity.

Crystal Serenity taken from the Regent Explorer.

So happy you were able to highlight the wonderful Crystal Team. It is the staff that draws us back again and again. It is amazing to see them so happy to be back on Crystal. 
Glad you had a great cruise. 

4 hours ago, Keith1010 said:

Many thanks to you for taking us along on your Serenity voyages.  Great commentary and photos.  Travel safely.  Wishing you the best as you recover.  Happy Holidays.

 

Keith

The same to you and Anne Marie.

It was a very different cruise for us. No ports, shows or lectures. 
But great to feel the Crystal love.

Au revoir Crystal…till we meet again

What an uneventful but satisfying two weeks it has been. Pure and absolute relaxation and recuperation. The staff and service were amazing and today were remarking to DH that I was steady on my feet and walking confidently without a cane. Crystal was the perfect venue to achieve this …. Evian on tap, excellent cuisine and a caring staff. Now home for a few weeks before our travels continue.

We are in beautiful Jost Van Dyck today. Crystal arranged a shuttle to White’s Bay. As luck would have it has been pouring rain all morning so not sure whether we will go ashore.

The two sunny pictures of the Bay and the famous Soggy Dollar bar are from our visit in 2019 when we took an excursion from Tortola while on the Serenity.

Northern lights seen over Greenland….to continue Keith’s Arctic theme.

Personally I cannot wait for the new expedition ship. I hope it is something like the Endeavour. Unfortunately we didn’t go on the Endeavor when it was under Crystal but totally in love with the hard product, The first thing my DD asked the butler was where are the under counter lights. He didn’t know how to access them whereupon she said to him that Crystal built this ship so it has to have under counter lights. 

17 minutes ago, bitob said:

In terms of taking care of passengers, my husband has mobility issues. In the recent grandeur crossing the crew virtually held onto him when the ship was rocking so he would not fall

 

we have had so many acts of extreme kindness from crew on regent ss and seabourn 

 

 

 

it is not unique to crystal 

Good to know, we are on Splendour next year a few months after my next surgery so hope they will take good care of me too!