Keith1010

I enjoyed your first post of this thread and look forward to your upcoming posts. It is very nice to hear the experience from a first time Crystal Cruiser. I remember earlier in the year when you were asking great questions to prepared for your first Crystal Cruise. Keith

David, for that one it shows join the waitlist for all voyages so that might be an indication it will get cancelled and a revised itinerary. I'm editing this to note when I posed then I saw Patty's post. Otherwise, I wouldn't have posted this. Keith

David, I too was told that the cruises on Symphony after the one ending on May 21 won't be cancelled/revised. This information is current as it is as of yesterday. This is not based on rumor. Keith

For our next few upcoming cruises (could be more I didn't look) under Travel Documents it includes write-ups on the shore excursions by port. You find these under My (your) Account and then Click on Travel Documents. Keith

As youngster, we looked up to many figures in sports. One of them was Willie Mays aka the Say Hey Kid. He was an amazing player who was known for power, speed and defense. He missed 266 major league games due to his military service. The year he returned he was the Most Valuable Player of the National League. I wonder what his home run stats would have been if he didn't miss close to two seasons and also if he didn't play a good portion of his career in chilly and windy Candlestick Park. He won the golden glove award for defensive play in the outfield more than any other outfielder in Major League Baseball history. And the award was not rolled out until I believe his fifth or sixth season. He was only 5 feet 11 inches tall. He had many iconic moments and one of those was catching the ball over his shoulder in the 1954 World Series. He also was known for the basket catch. He began his career with the New York Giants and played in San Francisco when the Giants moved there. He would finish his career back in New York with the New York Mets. I remember his years in San Francisco and when it came to a conclusion with the Mets. There was a time when each of the New York teams had three exceptional center fielders; Willie Mays - New York Giants, Duke Snider - Brooklyn Dodgers and Mickey Mantle - New York Yankees. All three are back together again. Keith

Crystal has now added to their website Luggage Forward. I know since we sailed last year that when we were on board they indicated they were now working with Luggage Forward. At the time they were still working out an agreement with them. They now show if you are a Crystal Society member you receive a 15% discount. You can go to the Crystal website and scroll down to the bottom and in the bottom towards the right you will see Luggage Forward and can click on that or you can use this link to get to the Luggage Forward page. https://app.luggageforward.com/cobrands/DTZVGDNDCECH?cpn=GACFEGQKD3RQ&utm_campaign=crystal%2Fxr34dxa44k6xqndx&utm_id=GACFEGQKD3RQ&utm_medium=strategic_partner&utm_source=crystal As we've seen when the shipping of luggage comes up some ship, others do not, etc., etc. etc.. I am only posting this to share information and not stir a debate about the pros/cons of shipping luggage or if you ship who you prefer. 😃 Keith

I thought that might be the case. We stayed at the Grand Hyatt Santiago and I tried looking it up and couldn't fine it. We enjoyed the location and the hotel. Keith

We do not know the firm date for when it goes live. As to the menu. All I can say is try it and in the end decide whether or not it is for you. And this is coming from someone who has very little beef and french fries. I've looked at the menus and found several items I would try. Full disclosure. We go to Tastes once per voyage. When we do I would have a little beef. I can adjust well. We sailed a few years ago with a couple we have known for year. About two days before we were going to go to Umi Uma they were nervous saying they didn't want sashimi and they didn't want the fish. I said no problems but take a close look at the menu and I think you can find enough items to enjoy. They decided to go and enjoyed very much enjoyed the experience. I believe the menu and from what I've read about Beefbar is an upgrade over Tases. But we won't know for sure until we try it. Keith

Have a great time Ivi. Keith

On a related note just posted about the new Beefbar including a link to take you to the Crystal website to view menus and it notes reservations required. Keith

We just received the e-mail about the new Beefbar Dining Venue with a link to the website for menus. https://crystalcruises.com/beefbar?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=cta&utm_campaign=Beefbar_18Jun24_SMUS&utm_individual=4710023769419c Keith

Ivi, I am assuming you are on Symphony. I had posted about Symphony and Serenity in post number 2. Keith

Happy Birthday Sir Paul McCartney. 82 years young and still rocking. Keith

They recommend reservations for dinner which is how it's always been even with former Crystal. For Serenity you can make one 120 days or less prior to the cruise on line. For Symphony you can't and have to wait till you are on board. While they both will take walk ins I always recommend making them for two reasons. First, so you know you have it booked. Second, so they can better plan their staffing for the evening. Keith

Ivi, I am not sure. We were on several cruises ending there but always continued on. My guess is yes but best to check with Crystal. Keith

You are very welcome. Looks like of the four listed only one is for Santiago. If this is your first visit, getting from Santiago to Valparaiso is about a 90 minute drive. A portion of the drive is very scenic when you go through the wine country. Keith

They list four hotels on the Crystal website: https://www.crystalcruises.com/cruises/none-cse-019-250203?menu=land_experiences&ldm=pre-post-hotels I would have your TA contact Crystal to see if they are using all four of them or some of them. Keith

It's always challenging to predict the weather since weather often is not the same year over year so it's really hard to predict what it will be like. It could be sunny, cloudy, rainy, windy or a combination and the seas could be calm or rough or in between. I like this cruise and have sailed New York to Quebec that time of year and we had a blast and sailed from there down to Florida at a similar time as yours and enjoyed it as well. Not everyday was great from a weather perspective but enough were to make it a great cruise and if weather is bad on a port day we can make the ship the destination. Another time we did a cruise to Bermuda R/T New York City in October and were pleasantly surprised how calm the Ocean was. But the next week it could have been rough. As to where to stay depends on a lot of factors and that includes when are you arriving? If you have a few days in New York City I wouldn't stay too close to the port but rather we would stay in locations where we can walk around. The other factor is price. The price is all over the place so it depends on the amount you want to spend. With so many hotels to choose from more information would be very helpful. On our last visit we stayed at the New York Palace Hotel for the very first time and loved it. We used to walk by the hotel on many visits to NYC and told ourselves we would check it out. But we had a few days in the CIty and enjoyed its location including taking a long walk to and from Central Park along with several other walks. But not knowing your price and how long you want to stay it might not be what you want. Keith

Brian I love it. And I love Silverado having gone to the resort twice when we lived in California and had some business meetings there. Keith

On our last Crystal Cruise it was nice to sail with the Buss Family including Dad (Rainer) Buss who is the Chef de Cuisine at Osterio, and both his sons; Frederick Buss who is one of the amazing Butlers and Thomas, who works the front desk, who we first met last year. This is amother example of the extended Crystal Family. Happy Farther's Day to all of the Dads including team Crystal members on land and at sea and to those who post here. A very nice story follows: https://www.crystalcruises.com/story/meet-the-crew-the-buss-family Keith

Excellent review. Great that you have another Crystal Cruise to look forward to in 2025. Keith

That's correct Patty. And the list in Waterside will change based on availability of wine and what region the ocean vessels are sailing. Umi Uma, Osteria and Tastes feature other wines that they each carry respectively. Keith

Vince as usual you are Correct. It was caused by Genting and there is a lot to the story that may never be written. On another note if the former Chancellor of Germany stayed on it is possible Genting would have gotten more money. In the end just glad Crystal has the exact ownership they needed. Keith.

Good move. There was two pieces of critical information you didn't provide and that is do you have TSA Precheck and what date in the year are you flying. Both are key factors. While noon probably would have been OK if you don't like stress it's nice not to have to rush. Enjoy your cruise.

Correct. I do want to note that when you contact Crystal it's not always right either. Things can change when they finalize the plan for a specific cruise. Keith