Keith1010

I know where you read about not having a formal night as I had provided that information. And yes it should be available to everyone so they can plan. But there is a white party on every cruise regardless of length and at least on this board I don't remember anyone saying otherwise. Have a great time tonight and I am sure several people won't be in white. Keith

Agree about 24 days and the chart I posted (post 13) says cruises 39 days or less can be cancelled before at 120 days or less without a penalty. Have no idea why your invoice is wrong. My cruises are not 24 days but range from 20 to 23 days and the invoice matches what is supposed to be for those. Administrative fee is $250.00 ($125.00 per person) but is waived if another cruse is booked) As to it being an IT problem it could well be as the information would be auto generated based on the length of the cruises booked. While we haven't experienced this problem early on there were some issues with the invoices that had to be corrected by IT. Keith

A view of Serenity while in Malaga, Spain. Keith

Given one of the other threads I thought I would post a photo of some of the decorations for the white party.

Thank you for the reminder. I am a believer that there is always something new to be learned and Manchester was something new for me. Thank you for taking the time to explain this. Keith

No. It will be interesting to see how they sell. Maybe as combined cruises. But that is where it will be interesting if there are pre and post A&K programs. In my case, a one day visit to that country is one day more than I would need. Glad I went thought. One day confirmed some things to me and that is part of discovery. Keith

In terms of kinds. They have added the new category Junior Cps, augmented having 2 CP's on Deck 10 by adding new ones on Deck 8 and Creating new Sapphire Suites. No new Aquamarine Suites are on Deck 8. Everything else redone is not a suite but is a double room with and without verandahs. If you go to the deck plans on line and place a curser above each room it will show if it is new as of 2023, new as of 2017 or a classic meaning it was created or redone prior to 2017. Keith

Vince on Deck 7 on Serenity the ones being used for the entertainers/enrichment personnel were not redone. All the others were. Keith

I am a bit confused with some of what I am reading. Unless the cruise contact is wrong this is from the on line cruise contract which shows that a penalty kicks in on longer cruises earlier. So if I had something long booked I would have my TA get the facts on this and as part of that TA's should know who to go to. Given that people are hearing different things if it was me and it is something important I would have the TA double check and not rely on what you are being told here particularly if there is a disconnect as I am seeing in some of the posts between what one person was told and another on was. No one wants surprises when it comes to this. Keith C) Cancellation Fees. Except as otherwise expressly provided herein, no refunds will be made in the event of “no shows”, unused tickets, lost tickets, partially used tickets, or cancellations received late or after the start of the Cruise. Carrier strongly recommends the purchase of trip cancellation insurance that includes coverage for travel cancellation or interruptions related to public health concerns such as COVID-19. Cancellation charges for individual bookings will be assessed as listed below. For cancellation charges related to group bookings, partial ship charters or full ship charters refer to your charter contract or group booking agreement for terms and conditions. For Cruises of 39 days or less If cancellation is made Days prior to first date of service Cancellation fee 121+ days $250 Administration Fee* 120-91 days 25% Fee 90-76 days 50% Fee 75-51 days 75% Fee 50 days 100% Fee For Cruises of 40 days or longer If cancellation is made Days prior to first date of service Cancellation fee 151+ days $200 Administration Fee* 150-121 days 25% Fee 120-91 days 50% Fee 90-61 days 75% Fee 60 days 100% Fee These cancellation fees are subject to change without notice. In the event of any conflict between the cancellation fees described herein and those described on Carrier’s Website, the Website cancellation fees shall prevail. * Administration Fee can be used toward a future booking sailing within two (2) years of the cancellation date.

Just wanted to note it is the same as it was but now called the White Dress Party. Better description is that it was not an entire night of events. A good number of people wear white particularly those who are Crystal Society Members. No big deal if you do not. I think of it as a mixer which is done on certain cruises in the Crystal Plaza/Cove. In my case I now take a white pair of pants which I can wear more than once. Anne Marie always had white paints with her anyways. All optional of course. Keith

There is nothing firm on what a new program will look like. One way or the other I have been told they will continue to have a program. Keith

LInk to the article follows: Keith https://www.travelandleisure.com/crystal-cruises-crystal-serenity-ship-review-7967098

Right now Crystal uses the Crystal Society Benefits Program as of 2019. I've included information on the program from 2019. They know how many cruises you have taken. I don't know if they have the details as they used to which showed the voyages, room you were in and the number of milestones for that voyage(s). They can confirm that on the phone for sure. What they don't know is what milestones someone has used.So if you have an unused milestone you cannot use it but you can use new milestones going forward. Keith Crystal Society Benefits Program_effective Sept 1_2019-2.pdf

Thank you. This one is a couple of years out so was just looking at options. I have to say I didn't pick up on Manchester location. I had done a google search about alternativeairports and it mentioned Manchester but not distance and then I looked a map and couldn't even find it. I know.Look harder. Definitely closer to when we lived in North Texas to DFW and from where we lived in Bay Area to SFO and even where we live today to the airport. Now I will look at Manchester. Keith

As I have gone through the 2025 itineraries I see some ports of embarkation/debarkation that seem new or if not new I haven't seen them in many years. One jumped out to me is Liverpool. The upside for people like myself it opens up more time to explore the city than one gets to do with one day stop. The only challenge is flying in and out of the city but there are some option although limited and the train between London and Liverpool is an option. Other places which seem to be new for starting and ending a cruise are Jeddah and Doha, Tarragona, Genoa and Cartagena and a couple of more. Does anyone remember a Crystal Cruise starting or ending in any of these ports? It will be interesting to see what A&K pre and post land programs might be offered. Keith

This was one of the most amazing seafood entrees I have ever had. Covina. I learned the next day that the recipe was first featured on Crystal Harmony. I wish I had taken a photo of the menu from that night so I would know exactly how they described the entree. Next time if it is available again. Keith

Terrific review and many thanks for not only taking the time to post it but to share it with all of us. Keith

Bistro is about getting off topic. Pretty much everything goes. I am relaxed but this thread is about 2025 itineraries not about Explora Journey which a better place for that discussion is on the Explora Journey Board unless people are asking for a comparison between EJ and Crystal and in that case just take the time to start a new thread IMHO. I have read the Explora Journey Board so those who are interested in that cruise line or any cruise line just have to go to the board they are interested in. I do know before someone slams me that I have taken threads off topic usually after someone has done that but in general try to start new threads wherever possible. Keith

Thank you. Really folks. I know this is CC and we get off topic but we really can keep it Crystal. I can read about other lines on other boards. Keith

Bon Voyage and enjoy every minute. Keith

Go to my account Go to my bookings and then your booking and you will see a tab that would have the cruise ticket when it is populated. You should see it a week or two before the cruise. Maybe earlier than that. Keith

I know your comments were directed at ctjon and not at me but I thought I would chime in. This is one of those cases where fewer ships does make Crystal more unique. And yes, I know the down-side of too few ships. The positive of having only two ships is that most of the crew has been on one of the two ships for years. A few have moved but most of stayed so they have a strong bond with one another. And while some guests sail on both ships equally many guests sail one ship most of the time and often it is to see the crew members they know so well. No one should think this means I don't think the fleet should grow. It should and has to for Crystal to be successful but IMHO those lines who grow to quickly dilute the crew and sometimes this results in an inconsistent experience for guests. This happens on land. I have followed Nordtstrom for many years as they were a great model for customer service including empowering their people who work the floor to make most decisions without going to management. We even had them come in and speak with our management team about how they did this. They were very successful because when the opened a new store they largely staffed it with people who worked at other Nordstrom stores so they new the culture very well. However, at one point they grew way too quickly opening a lot of stores each year and they had to change the approach and hire in a lot of new people. I believe this was an example of how growing too quickly can hurt the business in the long run. I do think for many who sail Crystal regularly the bond with the crew is special as the bond among many guests and the bond among the crew amongst themselves is special. All I know is when we meet crew who we don't know from before either because we never met them before or because they are new we engage them in conversation and in a course of a cruise feel like we have known them for a much longer time than one cruise. As to the word special, for us the crew is very special and the relationships we have with them are very special. And no, I don't consider myself to be "special" but my wife is very special to me. Keith

The typical way pilots arrive although on our last cruise one of the pilots arrived by helicopter and he was not a "helicopter pilot". Keith

It takes two to tangle. Officers engage. I know lots of guests who sail Crystal and it is special to them. And it's a lot so don't get your point. And I fully realize ther are others who have two or more cruise lines they sail and some have no loyalty to any of them. I know what is typical and what is not. This is not my first rodeo and I have sailed much more than 30 years and on a lot of ships and cruise lines. Next.

So glad to hear your experience and that four hosts were on board. I remember years ago those who would dance would tell us some of the Ambassador Hosts were better dancers than others. Keith