Keith1010

Thank you very much for the good wishes and for the recommendations. Many thanks, Keith

Julia, this reenforced my view of don't give up. I am glad that you, myself and others who tried so hard to get to Liverpool either for their first visit or a chance to revisit can do so. See you soon. Keith

Thank you. We did visit there in 2003. We did the tour that stopped there and then we saw several other areas in and outside the city. Friends went in the Blue Lagoon and one of them had a glow for the rest of the cruise. Amazing how things changed. Your analogy of the tent is similar to mine the first of two times I went to the Great Wall in China. First time was early 1990's when you had very few westerners there and we felt like it was just a few of us there compared to now when there are tourists upon tourists. Keith

Muriel you know us well. We did go last time but that was pre-Covid but this time we would avoid packed places. We do have the nice photos of the statues. Keith

Thank you for the suggestion. We visited there on our first visit and yes band was loud. This is not the original Cavern Club as that was taken down. We did a great tour which included meeting two of the members of the Quarrymen, visiting the Casbah where the Beatles also performed and meeting with Pete Best's brother. We visited the area where Paul met John, Penny Land, Strawberry Fields and even met with Freda who was head of their Fan Club. We are using the same tour guide again. Now if she could arrange a meeting with Paul McCartney that would be great but since he doesn't live there that is unlikely. We will revisit some sites and explore new ones. Many thanks, Keith

I just wanted you to know I've now asked someone to followup on this one. Keith

Thank you Ioriva for the good wishes and for the detailed information you provided. Keith

Julia, we look forward to seeing you Whipsnade and any others on-board and will do our best to attend the informal "meet and mingle". Keith

On the road again, or should I say on another Crystal cruise again. After a brief stay at home, Anne Marie and I will shortly begin another new adventure. We begin with a pre-cruise stay in Reykjavik, Iceland, before boarding Crystal Symphony on September 8 for two back-to-back cruises, starting in Reykjavik and ending in Dover, England. We last visited this beautiful city in 2021 prior to embarking Endeavor. We booked these two cruises for several reasons: A return to Liverpool, which we visited for the first and only time on Crystal Serenity in 2015. We enjoyed a “Magical Mystery Tour”. Yes, it was magical, with everything related to The Beatles. It’s not like we didn’t attempt a return to Liverpool. We booked a cruise on Symphony for 2021, which included Liverpool, but old Crystal replaced this one due to the Covid pandemic. We didn’t give up and booked a similar cruise on Serenity for 2022, but the cruise got cancelled when the former owner went bankrupt. In many ways, it’s been “A Long and Winding Road” to figure out a way to “Get Back” to Liverpool. First time visits to Ijmuiden, Belgium & Amsterdam, Netherlands. A return to Normandy on the 80th anniversary year of D-Day. On our first Symphony cruise in 2003, we had an overnight in Rouen, France and visited Normandy. We will do the same this time to pay our respects to the brave soldiers, many who lost their lives, who were part of this battle. A return to Crystal Symphony. Our last cruise on Symphony was in 2018. We had an amazing time. In fact, it was so great while on-board we added a cruise for the latter part of 2019 just to return to Symphony. Unfortunately, we had to cancel because of medical reasons. As they say, the third time is a charm. This applies to returning to Symphony and to Liverpool. To get in the spirit of this new adventure, I created a short video trailer. This includes photos from London where we will spend a few days post-cruise. The same guide who took us on a Beatles tour of London before a previous Crystal Cruise will take us on a tour of the countryside. The Beatles tour included a photo stop at the same location where the Beatles had walked for the Abbey Road album cover. Both the album and the photo stop seem like a memory from “Yesterday”. 2024 Crystal Symphony.mp4 Anne Marie and I look forward to sailing with those of you who will be on board for one or both voyages. I see already that Julia and Whipsnade will be on board. For those of you who are on this voyage, you are very welcome to post here if you would like. Bags are packed…..Ready to go…….Can’t wait…. Cheers, Keith

Brian, he was on board our back to backs but left after that one. Keith

Bon Voyage Julia and Whipsnade. Keith

You or your TA can write to on board guest services at: obgs@crystalcruises.com to get the number. I also use my cell phone. The ky is to keep it in airplane mode and set the settings so it uses wi-fi calling. You just have to be logged on. The computer university folks can help you do this if you are unsure. My cell phone does not get many bars inside my home so for years when I am home I have it set to use my wifi network which works so much better for us at home. Keith

I'll try to remember but if it's not open in two days please post and I will followup with the person who can get this fixed should it be a problem. Keith

RTP2914 is correct. Cruise starts 12/30 and today we are 121 days out. If it's a problem later tomorrow I know who to contact to get it addressed. Keith

Precisely my point. Some people like it. Others don't. Keith

We had him but I think he was leaving when our cruise ended. Keith

Adjustments have been made given that the ships now carry less guests. This includes the size of the band that played at the pool and for dancing. As to the pianists at the Cove and the Avenue Saloon, people always have different views on which ones they like or not like so much. A reminder that some of the favorites might have had other commitments when Crystal restarted so getting some back will take time. On our sailing we had Mark Farris who clearly is a favorite. I am reminded that some of the entertainment is adjusted based on specific sailings, time of year, etc. Back to former band at the pool. Personally, I liked it. I am not someone who sits at the pool as I am not a sitter other than eating. However, when I played Paddle Tennis it was motivating to hear music. With that said, some people, including some on this board, used to complain about the band playing at the pool So, you are not going to make all the people happy all of the time. However, I don't see a larger band on sailings given what I mentioned earlier Not to say never as things continually change which I think is always good. As part of the survey towards the end they ask if people would like to provide additional suggestions for certain categories so I would be sure to note any suggestions that one might have under entertainment or for that matter each of the categories. Keith

A very good evening. Close but stay tuned. I very much like the itinerary you are on Symphony for and the time of year is perfect. Keith

Stay tuned. The adventure begins shortly. Different ship. Still Crystal. Can’t wait. Bags are packed. Ready to go. Keith

There are differences. Some like one ship over the other while others like both. Major differences are a wider outdoor promenade deck, one more deck, two paddle tennis courts versus one, a larger galaxy showroom on Serenity. Symphony has startlite where they do more activities and is more visible and IMHO a more animate and better layout for the Avenue Saloon. Serenity has pods and to me a bit more stable than Symphony in rough seas. In both cases the entertainment, enrichment, service, cuisine, are very consistent across both ships. We enjoy both ships. We've sailed Serenity more because of the World Cruises we did for many years. Keith

A nice video to watch. Keith

I just answered your question on the specialty restaurant thread. You can make reservations when paid full 120 days prior to your sailing. Oner per each at Umi Uma (Nobo cuisine), Osteria (Italian) and right now on Serenity at Tastes which in a few months becomes Beef Bar. Let me add in that no fees for additional reservations at Tastes (Beef Bar soon). For Umi Uma and Osteria this is from the Crystal website: Up to 11 days: One complimentary reservation to each restaurant 12 to 22 days: Two complimentary reservations to each restaurant 23 or more days: Three complimentary reservations to each restaurant Reservations above the complimentary allotment will be $50 per person. Keith

You can make reservations when paid full 120 days prior to your sailing. Oner per each at Umi Uma (Nobo cuisine), Osteria (Italian) and right now on Serenity at Tastes which in a few months becomes Beef Bar. Keith

This is terrific. I hope you enjoy Crystal as much as we do. There are many people here who can answer questions for you. Keith

There are a couple of ways to get to this information. He is one. Go to the itinerary you are interested in. Click on Ship Overview Click on Deck Plan Click on the Deck of the room you are looking at. If using a computer put your cursor over the stateroom number and it will show if it is a classic and if not what year it was redesigned. Keith