Emdee

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! 

20 minutes ago, Stickman1990 said:

Talking about passenger demographics depends on the region where the cruise is taking place and the cruise itinerary and your comment is a sweeping generalisation - which I don’t think is accurate 

 

On a very recent Regent cruise in Asia we had 200 US guests and 200 Australian guests plus an assortment of other nationalities including a good number from the UK - so how does that equate to Regent being North American? 
 

I don’t think Crystal is anymore (or less) international in terms of guest makeup than Regent and Silversea 

Point taken. We have never cruised Regent in the far east. Just Europe a few times, North America a few times and French Polynesia numerous times.On all these cruises there were a few Europeans and Australians but a largely North American clientele. Most of these cruises were taken pre Covid. 

We have cruised Crystal in the far east, Africa, Europe and North America. We found people from all over the world. It seemed to us to have an international flair in style as well. 
 

5 hours ago, bitob said:

the crew on regent and silversea are family too. there is no discernible difference 

same with passengers

identical demographic

I disagree about demographic. Regent is very North American Crystal is very international. 
We are long time Regent cruisers and are comfortable with the crew style. 
I have only been on three SSea cruises and IMO it is hit and miss. I prefer the expedition experiences here to the classic. 
I am totally amazed with the care the staff on Serenity have been taking of me post knee surgery. They really watch over me like family. 

I have often wondered whether this is a relic of when smoking was allowed everywhere.

View of St.Kitts this morning from the Serenity.

3 minutes ago, BWIVince said:

 

That's definitely a significant change to the Crystal (WP) recipe...  It used to have chopped pickled ginger in it.

 

Vince

Maybe it was so minuscule I didn’t taste it? 

2 minutes ago, Texas Tillie said:

 

I was introduced to the Chinois Chicken Salad at the Grill on Symphony years ago. Always enjoyed watching the guys make it in the stainless steel bowl. When I went to Serenity back during the days of Silk, it tasted the same but was about half the size as the one from Symphony. When on the Serenity this past August, I thought the dressing had changed, similar but something was different. It will definitely be on my lunchtime menu in January on the Serenity.

 

Patty

I think WP’s recipe includes ginger in the dressing. The Crystal one doesn’t. Yesterday decided to have a quarter helping and still couldn’t finish it. 

I will eat my hat!

Two new desserts today one of which is a reinvention of an old fave. The Mississippi mud pie is a new and improved version. This is what I was expecting of Crystal. 
 

The lobster was perfectly cooked and the tenderloin a work of art and cooked to perfection.

13 minutes ago, May B said:

That’s what we did. Many really good serving teams. 

 

One night we asked for the server from the previous night but it turned out he didn’t have anything available.

I think like many passengers we tend to get attached to our servers. We have had two different teams on the cruise in September and on this b2b. We came to this cruise already deciding who we would request. One of our choices was on holiday….the other was a recent promotion to Head Waiter so we didn’t get either! However, service is always excellent on Crystal and we are happy to be in Piotr’s station. 
 

Apparently the same applies to room stewardesses. I remember the chief housekeeper on  symphony telling my DD that they had one passenger who would come on board only when her favourite room stewardess was there. 
 

It has been pointed out to me that the ability to look after the foibles and eccentricities…..only in the nicest way possible….of its passengers is what makes Crystal stand out from the rest. That is what luxury is to me…not a $200,000 mattress. 
 

1 hour ago, fisherboe said:

We thought the desserts in Waterside were all so refined and elegant. They definitely felt more European than American in style - smaller, composed dishes, not super sugary - just how we like it. I certainly wouldn't describe them as underwhelming for us. I can understand that others would want more 'traditional' choices, but they were perfect for us. 

Actually my comment was that while the dining menus have been changed and enhanced the desserts were the same the last few years. Glad you enjoy the desserts. 

You ask they listen….

In the serious matter of the jello served at marketplace they replaced the ersatz stuff with the real thing! Apple jello made with juice. I just happened to have mentioned it to the Executive Pastry Chef last night and today was rewarded with a made from scratch jello. 
Yeah! Go Crystal. 

40 minutes ago, LewiLewi said:

Still looking for answers, I board in one week.

There are loungers available in the shade. If your cruise is not too full shouldn’t have a problem. The Lido staff are amazing. They will even set you up with towels and bring you iced water and your favorite drink. 
Regarding favorite dishes…the Waterside dinner menu is interesting and innovative. There is always a choice of old favourites and modern dishes. More than anything the food is served hot and tastes great. Enjoy the food on board.

Tastes Chinois salad is my favorite along with the Marketplace salad bar.

The Crystal waffles are the best crispy outside and light inside. 
 

Just a taste teaser……enjoy your time on board and feel the Crystal Love.

9 minutes ago, Txcotn said:

I remember once there was a major fusspot at table next to us. She ordered dessert after dessert after dessert and sent them all back with a cringe. Then out came the jello and she was in heaven. We were shocked!

Lol. It was definitely not me….as I order desserts only  if they pique my interest . And would never order more than one even if I didn’t enjoy the first offering.  Never seen Jello at waterside in any case. They have those little glasses in Marketplace. 

52 minutes ago, Amber14 said:

Thanks to all of you who shared your Crystal cruise with us. I really enjoyed looking over the daily programs, seeing the food and reading the comments. 

 

I am looking forward to eating at Waterside. On other cruiselines they will try and sit you in the same place with the same wait staff if possible each night. Do they do that on Serenity automatically or do you have to ask? And if you have to ask would you suggest we do or is it better to experience as many of the wonderful staff as we can? Thanks!

We knew which section we wanted to be in so requested it. Got a fledgling waiter but everyone has to learn sometimes. 
if you have any preferences like location suggest you tell the Maitre.

6 hours ago, ryndam said:

If you’re a fan of sorbets, we enjoyed them in Waterside, Tastes, and OO. Fresh, light and different every evening. Also the cheese selections in Waterside, with a glass of port, was the right ending for a few dinners. 

 

Food preferences are very personal. Glad that there were always options.

 

Almost forgot, our waiter tempted us with a plateful of just-out-of-the-oven chocolate chip cookies in Waterside last night. We succumbed. 
 

Returned home to a 50 deg., 25 mph north wind Houston December. Ah, the Caribbean. 😄😄

 

Rob

I love the Sorbets and had them a few times. The only disappointment was the Lychee. This is great in Umi Uma but was flavourless in waterside.

The Crystal cheese selection is stellar. DH enjoyes his cheese daily. On Silversea Endeavour for example they have started to use fake Gouda and fake Emmental. By that I mean sourced from other than the original places of origin and tasting subtly different. This type of cheaper cheese is ok for a grilled cheese sandwich but not by itself. 
I feel that the food offerings in Waterside really wow so it is time to upgrade the desserts. Not many changes to their dessert menu since 2018 or 2019. 
Other than this we have been enjoying a great cruise food wise. 
Crystal staff and service are in a class by themselves. It feels like one is warmly welcomed into the collective bosom of the Crystal family. The Crystal love just cannot be matched and we have tried all the other three luxury lines in the last three years. 
 

6 hours ago, May B said:

I loved every dessert I had in Waterside. I can’t say I ever noticed jello. Seriously, that was on the menu? Perhaps I didn’t notice it b/c I would never order it.

The jello was in Marketplace. I love a light dessert after lunch and then enjoy a small scoop of their amazing gelato.

I didn’t have the Grand Marnier souffle in waterside but DH told me it was excellent.

My point is that the menu in Waterside is so innovative that I feel the desserts are unchanged and kind of left behind. 

Looking overall across the week I was a bit underwhelmed by the desserts in Waterside. I think Crystal needs to up their game here. It is ok to have apple pie and rhubarb crumble but I think some innovation is needed. The  rest of the Waterside offerings are so excellent that this is a definite down.

Also I noticed that in September the jello served was handmade….meaning made with fresh or unique ingredients like ginger, lychee etc. On this cruise the offerings of jello are grocery store jello. 
 

The gelato is beyond amazing. The expresso is very yummy. Love the fact that they will serve me just a half scoop….perfect to end my marketplace lunch.