Txcotn

27 minutes ago, happy cruising said:

We called Crystal directly yesterday to see if they had our crystal society numbers. They asked for our phone number

amd then were able to identify us as crystal

Society people - they even had the correct number of past cruises .  We were given a new crystal society number (not 5 digits) that will correlate to our new bookings. 

They have me as 2 different people.🙄

Looks like there is no Japanese restaurants on either ship! And unless they've reconfigured and updated Avenue on Serenity, it still shows those 🤯🤯🤯🤯poles that everyone hates, as well as the filthy "white" chairs in the Cove.......did they just cut and paste? 

If your budget permits, go for a verandah. Yes you will regret not having one, it’s hard to go back once you’ve had one. 

37 minutes ago, 9stilton said:

 

 

Furthermore I did pay for the deposits by Amex but my agent rang back to tell me they only accepted Visa or Mastercard.

Having earlier been through the debacle of trying to recover monies from the old Crystal Inc (US Company why on earth would I want to repeat the situation.    Unless anyone can tell me I am missing something I am likely to be cancelling immediately & seeking a refund

 

Regards

We took a couple and paid with Amex Platinum. No issues at all.

16 hours ago, Jimmycruiser said:

Shoreside operations lack of communication should not be a surprise since all the cruise lines have had many complaints about shoreside operations and lack of communication including the old Crystal. I am not letting that influence or detract from what I believe will be an excellent on board experience and if by some slim chance I am disappointed then there are many other cruise lines to choose from.
 

I am sure they are working overtime and have their hands full. Building a complex operation from scratch has many more unexpected surprises and timing delays than managing a going operation, so I will cut them some slack and patiently wait for the release of the itineraries.

 

Poor communication was the hallmark of old Crystal, one would reasonable think the new Crystal would know this and make some effort to be better.

16 hours ago, johng75370 said:

Thanks for hitting the nail on the head!  They have an email list from the open deposit program which is the same as a list of their most interested/excited pent-up-demand-filled future customers - yet no contact other than confirmation of the deposit. Sharing some of the design details (arch drawings, for example) would be a good first step to fill the awkward silence.

 

Happy we did the open booking and looking forward to the relaunch - just surprised about this part of it,   

Even a best guess on when ships will be ready would be nice! A plus would be a list of enhancements. 

1 hour ago, KenzSailing said:

I have some Celebrity questions.  Am I in the right place?

Which celebrities?😜

3 hours ago, Eli_6 said:

I looked on Costa's website and it appears that her last sailing is January 21, 2024. How long do yall think the conversion will take?  (I would guess the Venezia would give us an idea--anyone know how long she is in dry dock?) Do you think there will be a transatlantic and/or panama canal transit to get the ship from Europe to Long Beach after the conversion?  

Aren't you on the wrong board?

2 hours ago, ctjon said:

A couple of issues that Crystal will face the longer the wait:  People are doing cruises on other lines and enjoying them from posting here and elsewhere  - so now they know they have a choice.  Second people who cruise probably have made their 2023 plans and some 2024 plans and when Crystal opens will they change plans or??

Hopefully, we'll all know soon

It seems to me that Crystal could send out an email to a couple hundred thousand Society members and save themselves the trouble of answering thousands of phone calls from TAs. Just MHO.

5 minutes ago, Stickman1990 said:

Care to share the news?

 

So do I start packing my bags? - Although ours are already packed for all the other cruises we have booked - I’m certainly not waiting around for new Crystal to start sailing

Qtr1 2023, by end of March

25 minutes ago, ak1004 said:

 

Well, when they cancelled cruises back in 2020 due to Covid, they promised refunds within 6-8 weeks. It took 8 months.. Now it's a new management, but looks like they continue the same tradition..

Since they've rehired so many former Crystal people, that makes sense.....but hope not, we're itching to get on with it! Time (and age) marches on.

Now they are saying Q1 2023. So you know that means March 31🙄  Almost getting late for an end of the year cruise, I hope they hurry up.

Not all is roses. Our TA who has booked MANY Crystal cruises for us in the last 10 years is not to be found by the new system. She's been on the phone (mostly holding) all day trying to get us 2 open bookings and they still can't find her in the system. Go figure. And don't ask if she has changed agencies, she has not.🤯

1 hour ago, TER777 said:

Also all 4 HDs are returning as is the bridge program and Ambassador Hosts. 

Even Joseph L?

Catlover, Your pictures are just wonderful! Thank you!

The hair has to go!🤣🤣🤣

And what is TODDLE LOO??????? I always thought it was TOODLE-OO🤪

LOVED  your video - Friday night entertainment in our house! Thanks😎

Thank you! I searched for your review but must have searched just before you posted. You have certainly covered the gamut of questions, much appreciated! I'm not on FB so wouldn't have seen it there. Many thanks.

On 4/3/2022 at 11:03 AM, AtA said:

Yes he and I were one of the 40 wearing masks. Thankfully on our excursions people masked in the busses.

We did go to shows masked but also made it a point to sit away from others.

Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play? 😉 Will you be posting a review of the other aspects of your SB cruise?

I think we'll cross SB off our list!

Thanks. But to clarify, it’s a CDC order not a law, Federal laws can only be made by Congress. I don’t think they passed such a law. 

7 minutes ago, 2SailingNomads said:

Even in the terminal there were, despite it being a Federal law, people who thought mask rules only apply to others;

Federal law? Really? Because it is a port facility?

I remember that on our former now defunct cruise line, there was an obvious and active response to a Noro outbreak. I'm not bothered by the non testing but I am bothered by the rather secretive non responses to Covid questions when people are really concerned. Of course there was always that respiratory bug but that went around....that was never publicized and I caught it every time!

On 2/10/2022 at 12:04 PM, gwesq said:

I'm in the same boat as you (Sorry - pun not intended).   I walked that  deck on Serenity/Symphony a lot - Seabourn Ovaiton does not seem to have an equivalent.  But that's where I'll be doing my walking next month!

When you get home, please tell us what you think about this!!!

Fun! I remember that dining room, look so dated now but it was beautiful back then! And those tiny little rooms and the round bathtub - impossible!

11 minutes ago, Roland4 said:

 

That's interesting. Around here the first answer is "Yes" even though those of us who have to live with the noise and interruption to our lives are screaming "Not only NO, but HELL NO!!" 😁

Well that’s about the size of it! And they also say the same to cruise ships!