Keith1010

When you say CC number do you mean the booking number? At this time you cannot access your booking via the website. Keith

No worries. They can use life boats to sleep or sleeping bags

Or it could be it will come in time. Ummm. Time will tell.

That's correct. New ones (at least mine don't show them). Only the ones from recent years before Crystal ceased operations show them Keith

You are comparing apples and oranges. Thankfully all cruise lines are not the same. Yes the luxury lines have similarities but at the same time many differences. That's great because not all of us desire the same things. Yes on average Silversea rooms are larger than Crystal's. That is not debatable. At the same time Crystal has several public areas which Silversea does not have. This includes a wrap around promenade deck where you can take long walks and even runs and one or two Paddle Tennis /Pickle Ball Courts depending on ship and even taking account passenger count larger fitness centers and the ability to offer a far larger set of classes. They have shuffleboard and table tennis. What I am saying is for some the size of the room is important while for others room size isn't so important and they prefer more diversity of public areas and areas outside. Because of size Crystal can offer more activities at once daytime and nighttime. My experience is SS restaurants were more intimate as they were smaller. My experience is service level on Crystal were better (subjective) and the wait staff in the main restaurant was more refined on Crystal. My experience is SS's La Terrazia (sp) for breakfast and lunch was a more intimate and formal dining area. My experience is the cuisine served was more appealing on Crystal. Unless it changed it seemed like a lot of cold cut trays on SS for that lunch. So I have given you some fact along with some subjective opinions. Now some people make their decisions strictly on price. Others make them on other factors with price being there but not number one. The good news is more than one cruise line can play in the luxury market. And the good news is what one person thinks is best another person does not. What's the best designer of clothes. Wha's the best auto maker? Best city to visit? Best computer? Best smart phone? Camera? And the answer is it depends. There is fact to all of them and their are all the human factors in deciding what is best or works better for someone. We all come at this differently. Thank goodness because if we didn't there would be maybe one luxury line, one premium and one mass market line. And why someone has to be right on this is always beyond me. Keith

Hi there. This thread was supposed to be about Crystal air and the Crystal hotel program. Would it be possible to keep to the topic? I was hoping that as time goes along people might share information about the Crystal program. And before someone tells me this is CC for the consideration of those of us who want to focus on the new Crystal I am asking kindly that we get back to the Crystal programs. bonnieg and Patty many thanks for the additional information about the program and Sofitel. I have not stayed at this Sofitel but my wife and I have been in there several times most recently in the Fall of 2018 when our back to back cruises on Serenity ended there. The lobby area looked nice and like a typical Sofitel. For those who wanting something more luxurious they are certainly available in Lisbon. The Sofitel is in a location were it is easy to get out to walk on your own and not very far from the cruise terminals although distance depends on which pier Crystal gets but either way by vehicle they are relatively close. In my case we walk it when we are there for turn around days or transiting through. I am glad to hear that the pricing is available for this as I knew they were working on this and the plan is to have pre-and-post hotels for the turn around locations. Keith

My thoughts. There are some people who would not book a cruise with Crystal until others try it out. That is their choice. I don't know anyone posting that you are making a mistake. There are others on this board who have made bookings with the new Crystal like myself and see no need to wait for reviews. Why is there a need for others to question that. In short, people need to do what they want but the constant need to question this or to say what a mistake it is to me doesn't add value. As to fact, there are many things we do know. For example, number of guest suites, most of the venues with the exception of what one specialty restaurant will be called and what the space from the casino will be used for. These are facts. And yes, we know many crew are returning and while some of you don't want to accept that or question the words being used for that this is fact. I just wonder why the continual questioning of those who are booking cruises without waiting continues. We are all adults and can make our decisions. Some of you do things I would never do such as flying in the day of a cruise. When I hear that I will give my own experience but IMHO best to state it one time and not keep saying it over and over. We certainly don't know everything about the new Crystal. One of the reasons is it is new. Another reason is they are still finalizing many details. With each passing day week we learn more. There will be some things we won't know until the sailings start but that was true of old Crystal each time it evolved and is true of most lines when changes are made. Personally, I find that existing. One of the things I enjoyed about the evolution of Crystal is that it changed. Sometimes it changed too slow from my point of view and on occasion maybe it go ahead of itself. In life if you make a decision to do so the continual questioning and comments about "I would never do that" I believe get old. You remember when parents would tell you I wouldn't do that or you are making a big mistake. At some point that does get old and at some point you just ignore it. The people I know who have made bookings are very excited about their cruises and people IMHO should be happy for that. You don't have to agree. As to the precise number of crew that does vary all the time as Vince said. This is something that I don't plan to ask about. Maybe while on-board that would be a question to ask. What I do expect is that the number of crew in various areas will change as it always has when changes were made such as when new dining venues were added. What I do know is a seasoned crew makes a big difference as I have experienced in all our years of cruising. Keith

I agree. ATA's comments are spot-on. Each ship as we know them has very few changes in the public areas other than the removal of the casino. The changes to the guest rooms are simply less rooms with more suites. Unless someone is planning to try out each and every room we know the ships very well. And as to trying out a new room how is that any different than going on any ship for the first time and staying in a room you have never stay in before. We study deck plans and room plans and just like booking a room at at hotel we study the little photo they provide and make a difference. This is not rocket science at all. It is actually very simple. Keith

Excellent point. For us I want to be in control so I would book my own air. I am very particular about that. When it was included as part of the World Cruise I used the Crystal air but back then we could tell them what we wanted. A couple of times purchased it for the family but we were specific with the flights we wanted. I don't want surprise at the last minute plus if we change planes I like much longer times than the airlines say are safe. I do believe in Murphy's Law. Keith

10091.

You are welcome. The Aquamarine include the former PH rooms, the former SH (Seabreeze equivalents of the PH) and the new suites and a couple of new ones they are creating on 9. Similarly you have the Sapphire Veranda Suites which include the former PS, the former Seabreeze Equivalent and a bunch of new Sapphire Veranda Suites. Keith

Not sure what you are saying. Are you saying you have so little time so you can't wait till the restart. Have you cruised Crystal before? Just not following your point.

But for those who liked the old Crystal they know the ages of the ships and they also know the size of the rooms. i thought that was the question here rather than comparing to other lines. They have indicated they do plan to expand but that won' happen overnight. What I can say is on those Nassau Cruises and I know you did some I met several first timers to Crystal who were blown away and wanted to come back. I agree the challenge is getting people to take the plunge because of the age of the ships but that is for Crystal to figure out. In the meantime I just plan to enjoy them as I did in the past. Keith

They are the Aquamarine and the deck plan doesn't show what is tradition (old ph) and what is new but with the help of my old deck plan plus knowledge of what they are doing here goes. They are not converting the PH's to newer suites. For the Traditional PH. On Serenity they are: Deck 10 10036 to 10072 and 10035 to 10075 and 10078, 10082, 10081, 10083, 10086, 10090, 10087 and 1009. Deck 11 11018 to 11024 and 11015 to 11021 and 11052 to 11082 and 11047 to 11059 and 11006 and 11008. Keith

Yes on their web site. I am sure they are rounding up a tad. Something which has not been promoted as much is the space to guest and I know they have it on their site but both ships were designed for a much higher number of guests and that number came down before now as regular rooms were converted to suites and come down again with more conversions so the public areas will feel ever more spacious which is a nice plus. Keith

Terry, I am with Ivi. If you can I would spend three days there because you have to ask yourself will you be back. Some of the highlights are: Gardens By The Bay, Chinatown, Little India. believe it or not the Zoo (seems silly but it was really great), Botanical Gardens, experiencing the street food, some might say shopping but not on my list other than Jim Thompson, Sentosa, and a few other sites.d But I know you want to balance that with the length of cruise and what you do ahead of time in India. Tip, in India everyone wants to take you to their friends and relative stores. If you do a taxi be prepared for that. I was warned about it so the first time we were taking a taxi back to the pier in Mumbai. The driver said he wanted to take us shopping. We were just at the Taj Mahal Hotel. Full disclosure we didn't buy anything but I told the driver my wife bought so much clothing which they were going to deliver to the ship that I was out of money. It worked. I do know a crew member who almost did't get back in time as the driver would not accept no when it came to shopping. Keith

A friend of mine mentioned that you can know get quotes from Crystal about getting air through them so I wanted to pass that along. For those of you who are interested in pre and post hotel programs they are coming. TA's should know this but for those who didn't have their TA's ask wanted to pass that along. And yes many never use a Cruise Hotel Program but some people prefer it even if it costs more such as single travelers or those who just need a helping hand. Keith

Of course we won't know. And the same was true year after year. Inclusive what would that be like? A major change. Open dining what would that be like? A major change. Additional dining option what would that be like? A major change. So of course there will be changes because there always were. I am willing to find out without hesitation. How can it be bad with spruced up ships, less guests on board, the same crew and if you look at the ratio of guests to crew I have no fears of service being degraded and with so many returning crew you know what to expect. We always had new crew as well so I have no fears of any new ones as well. You have the same people planning entertainment and excursions with the latter benefiting from A&K. I have taken A&K tours through our travel agency and never disappointed. One will never know until they experience it for themselves. I have seen nothing that tells me anything will be "dumbed down" and I guess as someone who welcomes change I am open to that as well. I can understand those who want to wait but for those of us who are ready to go I don't see any downside to that. Will everything be perfect? No. But it never was nor is any cruise line perfect. I guess for me I would prefer to experience something myself. And the good news is we will sail with so many people we know and that in itself for me is a major plus or simple 1+++++++++++++++ Keith

Terry I wouldn't want to venture on anyone's stability. Personally I am not concerned but I would never ever give advice on this because at the end of the day even with disclosure I have seen some situations even with what we thought was full transparency where it was not as people thought. What I would say is as many learned Travel Insurance is your friend but the key is to get the right insurance. I also feel that American Express Card was also a friend. In terms of the itinerary I know this will be part of your research but be sure to look at the weather. I also know that often you like to do pre and post cruise stays so look at that as well as you factor in whether or not you do a 13 day or 19 day cruise. Consider do you want to see more of India via ship on the 19 day itinerary or do you want to see more with a land program before you board. I would extend your time at the end in Singapore as there is a good deal to see as well. Due your due diligence as I know you will. Keith

So here we are once again. We have each given our opinions. This topic comes up every few weeks. No minds changed from those posting. And this doesn't change anything. Time won't tel on this. Each person will decide for themselves whether or not they expect anything more from the new owner. So it goes. Keith

Roy, you get well. Health is the number one priority. Thinking of you and look forward to sailing with you again. Keith.

Yes and they will have a dance instructor couple. There is only one person doing all of the work right now doing entertainment and enrichment. I would rather they focus 100 percent of their energies on this. In time it will all get posted. Keith.

Terry, The first thing to remember is when Crystal ended in 2022 it was very much different than the Crystal you sailed and I think mainly for the good. It is inclusive. Not as inclusive as SS (no included excursions and a few other differences) but it does include items which were not included in 2008. There is open dining. There is more dining choice than in 2008. Some of the venues were updated. So please keep that in mind. Some seem to think it will be radically different and that you can't make a decision until it sails. I totally disagree. As you look at the web site and look at the date that is in place with a lot more to come I see lots of similarities to Crystal. Name of restaurants are the same other than one. Bringing back Tastes which you didn't experience but many of us did an loved to replace the Asian restaurant which got mixed reviews. The crew will be very much Crystal. They are not robots. They won't change. The person running entertainment is not the person from 2008 but the person who has been there the past several years and is busy working on enrichment and entertainment. Ambassador Hosts return as do a couple offering dance instruction. The person who developed the shore excursion program has returned. So has the President.. And many of the society members are returning too. So while there is a minority of people saying I have to know exactly what it will be like most of us expect it to have a lot in common with the old Crystal. Will it be the same? Of course not but as I am saying it was already different than 2008. It evolved and will continue to do so. I have asked some questions of Crystal that come up on tihis forum and another one and it's interesting that often the answer is we are doing this in the same manner as old Crystal. As information is added to the website that will become very apparent. Similarly there was the fear when Crystal came back after COVID that the experience would be a lot different. Having been on six of those sailings it was not. I can't compare it to SS as I've done two of their cruises. I have my views and everyone has there own. The other thing you do know is he size of the ships. For some they prefer smaller while others prefer larger so you need to figure that out. Larger means more options from my experience across all cruise lines. Good luck with your decision but I do not believe you need to wait for the restart to decide. Keith

Time will tell. Let's see what happens. Speakers don't have full employment. Most I know come on a few times in a year. Only a few go longer. And as to entertainers it depends who they are. Crystal had a couple of them on enough that they didn't need other gigs at sea and supplemented them on land. Others of course went from ship to ship. Again time will tell. It always does.

It's funny Ivi. In the one suite where it included laundry that was something we didn't need. We don't sent our wash out for many reasons. One is particular how it is washed and some items not dried and others dried and we do things a certain way. When we didn't have pressing Anne Marie was happy to press items but we sent my suits out and other items where it makes sense not to press them. Dry cleaning we don't use anymore or less whether or not it is included. In the end nothing is free. You pay for it either in the cruise fare or as an add on. We did like the washer/dryer combo in our Seabreeeze on Symphony just for the convenience. Personally I am up early and happy to do the wash. And over the years we met a lot of nice people in the laundry rooms on Crystal. But whether or not any of those features is included or not will have no impact on where we travel or who we book with. Keith