Keith1010

Very well said Adrian. In the end, no cruise line is for everyone just like no hotel brand, automobile, computer, tv, place to live, etc.....and lots of them is for everyone. As you said we all have different reasons for cruising. I would add to this that our reasons for cruising can change overtime and even what we like and dislike can change overtime. Some of this has to do with age. Some of this has to do with our financial situation. I also agree with you 100% that who you travel with can often (not always but often) could make the overall experience different. Can anyone show me one product where the view is always the same? In fact, you can take 10 people who are on the same cruise and the evaluation can vary a great deal. Take service as an example. Part of the service one experiences could be impacted by their room attendant(s), and butler. Take food as an example. Part of their experience could be impacted by the items they eat from the restaurant menus. Even take the internet as an example. Even sometimes one experience can be impacted by the device they carry with them and even the web browser they use. And while most companies strive to make sure the product is the same each and every time my experience is it does not always work out. We have some favorite restaurants and while most time the dining experience has been great on occasion it is not. Same goes for favorite hotel properties and I do believe that not all cruise experiences are the same for the same person. There are so many factors that impact that. Anyway, each cruise line has people who sail it once and realize it is not for them, people who sail with the line and might sail again, and others who think the line is the best they have sailed and make it their go to line. And finally has anyone been on a cruise when one person says it's too cold on board, another says it's too hot, and another one says the temperature is just right? I have. And why is that? Reasons include our body chemistry, our size, our age, and our weight. Who is right? In the end the only opinion that counts is our own. Of course for products to be successful they need a sufficient number of people to like them. Keith

Remember, there was no company to buy. The new owner bought assets; two vessels, a customer list including some data and the naming rights. I am also reminded that there is a saying use it or lose it. Years ago when the program changed (and it changed several times) some would complain that they could have used a milestone but chose to wait. I know all of that doesn't apply to this conversation but it is a reminder for those who have just achieved a new milestone or will soon to use them. Things change. I am just happy that we have a cruise line that kept most of what made Crystal special that way and has made it even better. There was a time when many didn't think this would ring true. Keith

Let me add that all Crystal cruises regardless of length have a white party. This wasn't your question but length of cruise determines whether a formal night is held and how many on a cruise. Seven days and less no formal nights. When you are able to make reservations on the Crystal site for your cruise 120 days or less from the sailing there is a fairly new feature that shows what night(s) are formal and those that are casual. Also on board guest services can confirm this as well. Keith

I hope those of you who live in South Florida are safe. Keith

Flo, I just noticed that no one answered your question. Yes the answer is yes. And you don't have to wait till day 10. You can use this one time on whatever day you want. Keith

https://travel.usnews.com/features/crystal-symphony-review?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR1ARp5qn3aDkg8V6Xghw4Gu4tSI8koVnzUQvWCIbWwHuwRwiL-B-C3ygGg_aem_AUYcYR7L3_lDKFaV2z-Da6G5crONuLAh95YApKTxOB6ytqqRuq8mcQ7aOaq5TL95QY78pNhs12Sh8wGsIAAjF7xP Keith

Thank you very much Laura. We do have cruising plans for this year. I am in the second year of a very big two year volunteer commitment which is why there has been a large gap this year from our last cruise ending in January of this year and now. The good news is we have booked cruises which largely avoid conflicts with my volunteer responsibilities. I do plan to blog and will also post here before the start of each cruise and during each cruise. Keith

Glad to see that several of you are on-board. Enjoy every minute and there is a lot to enjoy rain or shine. Keith

I am glad it worked out for you. For some questions like this one, there are others to go to who are not the sales agents and that includes on board guest services. Again, glad this one is resolved and an example of the benefit of having a travel agent who can run down these types of things. Keith

I would be sure the TA contacted either guest relations or on board guest services. Also, I would post a question under Florida Ports Of Call asking if they provide assistance at the port. Someone will know. And I might call Port Everglades too. Keith

I don't believe that Crystal has stopped in Port Everglades for sometime. Your TA should be able to confirm this with either: On Board Guest Services at: obgs@crystalcruises.com or Guest Relations at: guestrelations@crystalcruises.com I would start with on-board guest services. I have seen wheelchairs on the ship. I do know though that most USA ports (maybe all) forbids Crystal crew from assisting guests such as pushing their wheelchairs at the port. And no one is trying to freeze anyone out. Keith

Crystal says that Osteria is Authentic Italian so I am quoting them. As to Prego I am also quoting Crystal but yes that is my view. And my wife is half Italian and she learned from her Italian Grandmother how to cook Italian so I am basing this on my own experience. Please don't get insulted because that is not my intent to put anyone down. And there is no reason we can't agree to disagree without taking it personally. I don't. We can each have our own views.

Yes, sounds like Symphony for sure. Makes sense. I think all of our memories are not what they used to be. Keith

Ivi, speaking for myself I am not discounting anyone's views. With that said what people say about food is subjective. Obviously, if everyone hates a dining venue that says something. But while some do not like Osteria and I have seen this on CC and on another forum, I have also seen that others do like it on CC and on another forum. While Crystal didn't bring back everything from Prego they did bring back some items to Osteria and others to Waterside. But IMHO a lot of this becomes moot given they have said they are bringing in a new dining venue to replace the existing one. With that said (I know second time on this post I am using these words) since in the Q&A when this was mentioned they said authentic Italian I am pretty sure it won't be like Prego. And just like NYK brought in what is now called Umi Uma which thankfully the new ownership did bring back, and the previous owner brought in Silk given the background of the senior executives in that they are from Italy in my eyes it is understandable that they would like to have something that is Authentic Italian versus Italian American. Now if I was the owner, you can bet we would have a Hamburger and French Fry specialty restaurant. Just kidding. Actually It would be a specialty restaurant specializing in all types of salads including Cobb Salad. 😃 Keith

I might be wrong, (won't be the first time) but in terms of location ballroom dancing on Serenity from what I remember has always been in the Palm Court other than when the seas were very rough so they had it in Stardust. My apologies if I am wrong about this but just don't remember it in Stardust. And I just went back to look at Reflections from 2018 thru 2020 and I it showed Palm Court. I do realize that some people are not happy that there are not happy that only a duo plays but when they old Crystal redid Palm Court in 2018 that they made the dance floor smaller. I am pretty sure if I go back to other years I will see Palm Court as well with very few exceptions. Keith

While size has its benefits because there are embedded costs that are the same or close to the same whether you have two ships or four ships growing slowly in the luxury market has its benefits over very high growth. I remember when Serenity was added to the fleet it took time before the service on the ship was similar to Harmony and Symphony and even they took a hit because I believe 2/3's of Serenity's crew came from Harmony and Symphony and 1/3 were new to the company. Some lines grow way too quickly and that has diluted their product. On land I think of Nordstrom. They were a big customer of the company I was with and we invited them to talk with us about customer service and how they provided it. They did three things that I consider unique. One.Customer always right even when they were wrong. Sometimes they would take back items that could not have been purchased at Nordstrom even though the customer said that is where they got t. Two. They empowered their sales people so they didn't have to check with a manager first on a return. Three. When they opened a new store they staffed it with all management and as many sales people as possible who were already working for Nordstrom. This way the culture remained in tact and when the new store opened the staff understood the Nordstrom culture. One of the things that dramatically impacted their business was growing way too fast where they no longer could staff stores with experienced Nordstrom staff and if you went to their new stores you could see the difference as we did. As long as Crystal grows and we see the start of it with the first new ship I will feel very good about it. I want to see them grow but not so fast that the on board experience is impacted and of course not so fast that they can't be profitable. There are a few major cruise lines out there that I wonder how things will work out. Some have borrowed vast sums of money and in the case of at least one they had to arranged for a large sum of money to get through COVID-19 at a very sub-optimal financial arrangement. So while large looks impressive there is no guarantee how that will look in the years to come. I am reminded that Sears and Kmart were very large but made some very poor decisions and look what happened. Walmart has actually learned from them addressing things that were problems rather than not trying to change. I often worried more when I was in business when things were going too well because that is a time that many companies let down their guard and sometimes with very poor results. Anyway, glad to see that we will learn a lot more next month and many thanks to those of you who are on the current segment of the World Cruise who have posted about the Q&A including what was said about a new ship(s). Keith

Off cruise topic. I have three favorite NBA teams: Celtics since I followed the NBA starting in the 1960's. Mavericks since we lived in North Texas. Golden State since Steve Kerr became coach. With the Celtics and Mavericks in the Championship I will be happy whoever wins. Now if you think a cruise costs too much try getting tickets for some of those games and how much you will spend on food and beverages. I know. We have to support the athletes who make millions annually because they need our help so they can purchase $5,000.00 suits that a few wear only one time. Life is tough for some people. 😃 Keith

Interesting about comments about Osteria. First some people love it, some like it and some don't like it. Everyone is different. Some love Trident for lunch, some love Tastes, some Marketplace and some Waterside. I would encourage people to try each one and then decide. And if you've tried it once and are on another cruise try it again. Why? Because I find that one visit is often not enough to figure out what you like unless you try everything the first time around. I can assure you that Manfredi has very little involvement with Osteria so not sure why his name has been thrown out other than it was named after him. Yes initially there were no changes to the menu. However, some changes were made. But when some say no change I don't get it since they did announce that they have plans to replace the cosine with a Michelin 3 star dining venue. What will be in common is that it will be Italian authentic and not USA centric as Prego was. Every dining venue has people who like it and people who don't. That even included Silk and Churrascaria. Some people liked each of these venues. Others did not. As to the owner. Without him we wouldn't have this board and we would still be on the old board if it still existed. I am reminded that when NYK owned Crystal they had Kyoto on Harmony a Japanese restaurant. Some liked it. Others did not. Same went for Jade Garden on Symphony. When what is now Umi Uma but was called Silk Road debuted on Serenity some didn't like it or for some it took years before they would try it. Why? In some cases they thought it would be all sashimi. Genting took Tastes away and named it Silk. Yes, another owner's decision. There fore It is not surprising that under the new Ownership that they have an Italian restaurant. As to listening or being stubborn two comments. They have listened a great deal and examples are bringing back a casino, placing a few items from Prego on the Waterside menu, brining back a few items to Osteria, and providing a promenade deck on the new ship (not a full wrap around but close). There will always be a few things that some will like and some won't like. My experience is that you will not please all of the customers all of the time. I don't make use of each and every item on the ship. But my view has always been if there is a sufficient number of items that I like then I am a happy camper. And when it comes to things that are subjective I always believe that ones view varies by person. This is why I've learned over the years that if someone asks me about a recommendation for a land based restaurant, hotel, or even cruise line if it's one I like I preface my answer by saying I like it or it works for me, but that does not mean you will feel the same way. Keith

I can't speak for all River Cruise lines but it is hard for me to believe that Viking is the only one making money. The problem Crystal had with their vessels was the number of guests they carried which was lower than other companies including Viking so they couldn't realize as much revenue as needed to be profitable given all of the fixed costs. Keith

My understanding is that they are to go with what is on the menu and not change it up. I think the reasoning is if they let you do it before long people are asking for other changes saying I know you did this for another guest. Also, it's because people might start asking for their favorite former Prego dishes I think we are all spoiled to some extent by Waterside where one can change things up on the spot and with notice of 12 to 24 hours make requests. The specialty restaurants are really a different animal. The galleys are very small which limits what they can store in them and cook concurrently. I am amazed at how they are able to just accommodate what is on the menu. Keith

The good news is this thread is supposed to be about just about anything. Yes and a few of the people who are part of Riverside came from Crystal including a former Hotel Director at Crystal who we adored and even the Captain of Mozart. And you are right they changed nothing and that is good. We would like to sail Mozart again hoping we can tie it together with a Crystal Cruise in Europe. Keith

It is the other way around. Crystal went under because of Genting. Genting didn't go under because of Crystal. And yes you can blame some for recommending that NYK accept Genting's offer although none of us were privy to any of the discussions related to the acquisition so we really don't know. I really don't understand why people continually put down someone who is long gone and blame every woe on the one person. Even Genting I try to forget about. And it was them who made the decisions to go into the River market and Expeditions. Like some owners they made almost every decision. The same seems to be happening with another luxury line too whose owner has centralized most of the decision making. That is the prerogative of the owner. An example of this was the ridiculous amount of money spend on Endeavor which was one of the last things they did. This is why I try to just put this out of my system because life is too short. Keith

It is formal optional. If you are on a cruise of 7 or less days there are no formal nights. On occasion even an 8 day cruise that is all ports might not have a formal but most cruises 8 days or above have them. I am pasting below how Crystal defines both casual and formal nights on the ship with respect to recommended evening attire. Now you will see for a gent sports jackets not mentioned but you will find people wearing them particularly if there is only one formal night on the cruise. And even though they don't highlight this on a formal night you will find some who go to Tastes in casual attire but they do kindly ask if you go to other venues after dinner that you not be in casual attire. There are no Police who will make you go back to your room but it is more festive when people follow the guidelines. If you go to other dining venues depending on who is at the door you could be turned away. Not always but I have seen this done. Following comes from the Crystal site and if you have questions I would also call the number listed below. Keith WHAT IS THE DRESS CODE ONBOARD? At Crystal, we want guests to feel confident and relaxed throughout their stay, so we have compiled the following guide to the different dress codes on board. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us by calling 1.888.616.9615 or +1.786.464.4420. Day Casual A less formal look allows guests to feel comfortable during the day; Day Casual attire may be worn everywhere, including our restaurants, until 18:00. Suggestions for a Day Casual look: Women Sundresses Elegant shorts Jeans T-shirts or blouses Linen clothing Swimsuits with cover-ups (when not poolside) Men Shorts Jeans T-shirts or polo shirts Linen clothing Swim shorts with a T-shirt or polo (when not poolside) NOTE: Swimwear on its own, wet swimwear, revealing clothing, bathrobes, bare feet, tank tops, baseball caps, and clothes bearing any offensive messaging are not permitted. Covered swimsuits may only be worn at Trident Grill, Tastes, and Marketplace. Evening Resort A step up from Day Casual, after 18:00, we ask that guests adopt the more refined Evening Resort dress code. Suggestions for an Evening Resort look: Women Dress Skirts Pants Blouses or sweaters Dark-wash jeans with no rips Tailored dress shorts Men Shirts Collared polo shirt Sweaters or smart designer sweatshirts Dark-wash jeans with no rips (only when accompanied with a jacket) Chinos Sports jacket or blazer (optional) Tailored shorts (these may only be worn in the Tastes restaurant) NOTE: Please avoid flip-flops/sliders, swimwear, and hats. Formal Evening On sailings over seven days, there will be at least one optional ship-wide formal night (depending on the length of the segment), which will require more formal cocktail chic attire. These special events will be defined in your personal pre-sailing guide. Suggestions for a Formal Evening look: Women Cocktail dresses or gowns Suits Evening skirts or pants with an elegant top Evening shoes Men Suits or tuxedos Shirts Dress shoes Ties (optional)

sea bright, In terms of expectations, on the sailings we have been on since the restart last year Waterside is closed on all port days except when you arrive to port in the afternoon or in the evening as these are treated like a sea day. Embarkation day seems to vary. On the cruises we have been on it has been open but I have noticed a few times when Reflections have been posted that it has been closed. I am not sure when you sailed Crystal last as even before it went belly up some changes were made such as open dining introduced for dinner in the 2017/2018 time frame. New Crystal is very similar to old Crystal. Enhancements have been made and a new Italian Restaurant, has replaced Prego. Some additional changes coming with an even newer Italian dining concept and a new concept to replace Tastes. I hope you will try out new Crystal to see what you think. I am glad there is a lot of choice in the luxury market. Just like luxury cars there are similarities with the products but lots of differences. I also believe the same is true of most cruise lines. Happy Cruising. Keith

Thank you. I had thought you had posted about this. I also thought the same about the A&K ships. Keith