Crystal Debussy Review ...Tulips and Windmills

Just wanted to review our recent cruise on the Debussy. First and foremost, the staff on the ship could not have been more accommodating. Everyone was extremely friendly and professional.

Ship/ Suite...

The ship is brand new. We were on the second sailing. The decor is modern with a classic twist, making it very relaxing and peaceful. We were in # 319, a S1 Suite. There is a small walk in closet with plenty of hanging, shelf, and drawer storage space, including shoe shelves, a nice surprise to my wife! The top half of the large floor to ceiling window will slide down to allow for fresh air & a perfect view for picture taking, with a screen that can also be put up. The bathroom was a bit smaller than expected ( based on previous sailings with Uniworld ), but had two sinks, a good shower, and decent storage, so it worked out fine. There is a nice desk/vanity area with a Nepresso machine, small under-counter fridge, a vanity light, and desk chair. The suite was well appointed in the same modern-classic style and was very comfortable. The only issue was that although there is a nice sitting chair in the room, there is no ottoman/foot stool, which makes relaxing in the room a bit of a problem ( My wife pulled the desk chair over to create a makeshift foot stool. )

Lounge bar / Palm Court...

The lounge/bar is large with tons of seating options ... bar stools, tables, sofas and chairs. It was manned by Roland and Josef, both highly trained professional mixologists who can create anything you desire. They are friendly and will keep your cocktail requests met at all times ... including holding afternoon mixology classes several times each week. They really are a fantastic duo. The servers, Bence and Jena, were also very professional.

Dining / Waterside Cafe...

This is the main dining room. In every area, from ambiance to staff to food, it exceeded our expectations. All of the meals were 5 Star. Breakfast & lunch were elegant buffets ... breakfasts included made to order omelettes ... for lunch there were multiple hot entrees & veggies, a different soup every day, and a different pasta dish every day - individual orders prepared fresh right in front of you, NOT pre-made served from a casserole dish like on other river ships. The dinners for the entire trip were fantastic. Of special note were the soups and sauces - some of the best we’ve had anywhere. Crystal Cruise-line’s head chef, Magg Dirks, has created superb menus; each meal more delicious than the last. He has selected and trained the Debussy kitchen staff well; he was onboard for the first few days to personally oversee every aspect. Our server Kristina, and assistant Lenka, were amazing. Their job is to spoil you and they succeeded - from remembering every single preference and like/dislike, to anticipating your needs before you have time to ask, they are knowledgeable, professional, and made every meal a pleasure. The restaurant manager Aitor and head waiter Juris went above and beyond ... always there to monitor the staff to make sure everything was executed to perfection and to assure that any special requests were met and exceeded.

FYI - In addition to the great food & wonderful staff, we especially enjoyed the open seating concept. The dinner hours were 7:00-9:00, however, unlike many other river cruises where everyone is seated and served at the same time, Crystal staff encouraged us to dine at the time best for us. Even when we arrived at 8:00 or 8:30, we were served in a leisurely manner, no different than if we had we arrived right at 7:00.

Room Staff...

Our Butler was Ivo, who also happened to be the head Butler. He was always available, made note of all of our preferences ( ice delivered at specific time of day, certain type of sodas & coffee, request for fresh cream daily instead of those little peel-tops, etc. He made our trip special ... cannot say enough about how exemplary his service was.

Georgina was our cabin steward. She was always available to fill any special room needs and our cabin was always spotless. Such a pleasure to meet them both.

Bus/Coaches...

The Crystal coaches are new and very comfortable....plenty of leg room, with a WC on board.

Excursions...

A wide variety of both morning & afternoon options in each port are available to choose from. All were lead by knowledgeable and professional local guides. Our only issue was on one tour, the windmills of Kinderdjyk ... it left the ship a tad late ( not an issue in itself ) and instead of doing the agenda as planned and arriving back a few minutes late ( still in plenty of time for lunch on board ) OR omitting a portion of the agenda, the guide walked exceptionally fast the entire time, so much so that if you stopped to very quickly take a single picture, it was quite difficult to catch up. All the other excursions were great - the two highlights, for us, being Keukenhof Gardens and the day trip to Bruges.

Summary...

We had a fantastic time on this cruise. Crystal obviously spends the time to train their staff well. The river cruise industry is very competitive and in the luxury class Crystal does not disappoint.

We are looking forward to planning another trip on the Mozart in the near future. Thanks for a wonderful week of memories we won’t forget.

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Thank you so much for your comprehensive review. I'm so pleased to read that the new river boats seem to be operating in Crystal style from the beginning. I've done 2 cruises on the Mozart and I think you will find it to your liking.

Patty

Thank you so much for your comprehensive review. I'm so pleased to read that the new river boats seem to be operating in Crystal style from the beginning. I've done 2 cruises on the Mozart and I think you will find it to your liking.

 

 

 

Patty

You are more than welcome

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Thank you for your detailed review. I have been eyeing this route, and, as a Uniworld "regular" was curious about how Crystal compared. I'll definitely be speaking with my travel agent further.

Glad you had such a wonderful time!

Robin

Chef Magg Dirks was the original chef who set up the kitchen on the Crystal Mozart so he is very experienced. I believe he also set up the Bach or was it the Mahler. He has spent time previously on the ocean ships. His menus are fabulous and are reminiscent of old-school Crystal favourites with many "wow" dishes.

Thank you Stentplacer. I was on the Crystal Mozart last year and know they are a wonderful line. I am on the Debussy on the May 10 Amsterdam to Basel cruise and was a liitle nervous that the ship would still be having growing pains. Glad to hear that you had a Crystal Experince.

Great review!!!

Did Your servers in Waterside, Kristina and her assistant Lenka previously work on the Crystal Serenity? If so, I had the pleasure of sailing with them and they are terrific!!! Kristina told me last fall that she was going to work on one of the crystal River boats.

Can't wait to do a crystal River cruise.

Nancy

I am on the Debussy on the May 10 Amsterdam to Basel cruise and was a liitle nervous that the ship would still be having growing pains. Glad to hear that you had a Crystal Experince.

Your Entertainment Host will be Martin Kaye. He will have a few a days overlapping with Mark Farris to “learn the role”. He is a fantastic performer and played the role of Jerry Lee Lewis in The Million Dollar Quartet in Las Vegas and on US your. We saw him perform on the Serenity in March this year and I saw him do a great piano bar set in London a couple of weeks ago. You need to look out for his socks daily!

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

JohnKen3 - Thank you for the info. I really look forward to the predinner drinks and entertainment. So good to know I will be in capable hands.

JohnKen3 - Thank you for the info. I really look forward to the predinner drinks and entertainment. So good to know I will be in capable hands.

You have no idea. This guys are terrific. You are going to have a big time.

Sent from my iPad using Forums