xrvlcruiser Posted January 4, 2016 #101 Share Posted January 4, 2016 (edited) Crystal has 2 seatings - 6pm and 8:30pm. If you want a different - but specific - time, you need to go with DBR. As for the table for 2, that would depend on what's available when you make your reservation. Or what you can work out once you are on the ship. Peggy Edited January 4, 2016 by xrvlcruiser Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Travelcat2 Posted January 4, 2016 #102 Share Posted January 4, 2016 As Kathy mentioned you just tell your TA to make it a two top table and it should be confirmed. Now if you want to join friends just ask the Maitre d. The good news is and I am sure it is true with Rgent the dining room is never full because people are dining at other venues. As a courtesy we always tell the Maitre d when we will not be in the MDR which is most of the time. We enjoy the specialty restaurants much more. So, this means that you are paying $30/person to dine in a specialty restaurant more than once? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ededmd Posted January 4, 2016 #103 Share Posted January 4, 2016 We enjoy the specialty restaurants much more. Why? Or more directly - is it a commentary on the quality / inventiveness of the MDR that you choose not to dine there? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChatKat in Ca. Posted January 4, 2016 #104 Share Posted January 4, 2016 We found the MDR exceptional. Loved Silk Road and Prego too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunprince Posted January 4, 2016 #105 Share Posted January 4, 2016 Sorry to hear that Crystal, with only two ships, is still not running full. I always wonder why this is the case. Sorry TC, but I don't think this is a fair comment for you to make. For example: the Dec 21 Regent Mariner holiday cruise was heavily promoted and discounted. I received an offer from my TA at less than half off the Regent website price as they were selling it off. Might I add this was all after final payment so anyone who had booked prior was out of luck so to speak. Not sure if the ship sailed full or not....but there are various tricks used by the different lines. So I would not be too quick to judge Crystal sailing less than full as there are many factors involved...timing, itinerary, pricing policies, marketing tricks etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fizzy Posted January 5, 2016 #106 Share Posted January 5, 2016 I have customers who are Crystal crazed. Depending on schedules, sometimes they sail together and sometimes she goes alone. I asked about the cabin sizes as we have been so spoiled by Regent and Silversea and she says that they are done so beautifully and perfectly laid out that it is not a problem. They feel that the overall experience of everything is superior to any other line that they have tried. I'm sure that it is much more pleasant sailing on a ship that isn't packed to the max. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Travelcat2 Posted January 5, 2016 #107 Share Posted January 5, 2016 Sorry TC, but I don't think this is a fair comment for you to make. For example: the Dec 21 Regent Mariner holiday cruise was heavily promoted and discounted. I received an offer from my TA at less than half off the Regent website price as they were selling it off. Might I add this was all after final payment so anyone who had booked prior was out of luck so to speak. Not sure if the ship sailed full or not....but there are various tricks used by the different lines. So I would not be too quick to judge Crystal sailing less than full as there are many factors involved...timing, itinerary, pricing policies, marketing tricks etc. I respect your opinion - even though we do not agree. I do agree that sailing on a less than full sailing is wonderful ...... that is how Regent used to be before it was purchased by PCH. Regent does promote their cruises and, even though they may discount a few, what we have seen is giving guests already booked on cruises heavily discounted prices to extend their cruises. We were on the Cape Town to Cape Town itinerary on the Mariner and were offered a 50% discount to continue our cruise to Rio. This seems to be typical for Regent but may not be typical for Crystal. In terms of the Christmas cruise, some of us that have sailed during Christmas would never do so again. These are not "normal" cruises (some officers and crew agree with us on this point). Note "not normal" to me means that there are many more families (some of whom have received the cruise as a gift and are not necessarily that interested in sailing on a particular cruise line.) There are also children on these cruises. fizzy: it sounds as if you are a TA since you have "customers" that are "Crystal crazed". While I am not a TA, we have several friends that sail on Crystal and will not hear one word against them. While they do not sail nearly full on some itineraries, we would not trade our Regent benefits for a cruise line that isn't full but has small suites and "sort of" open seating! On the other hand, I saw a video last night discussing the future of Crystal. It sounds quite lovely but they provide few details other than the fact that they are marketing in China. This does not appeal to us - even if their new ships have larger suites and open seating. We will learn this year how the Explorer handles a full ship as I have no doubt that our booked cruises will be full. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddie Posted January 5, 2016 #108 Share Posted January 5, 2016 Although this seems to be devolving into a comparison of Regent vs. Crystal in some respects and therefore off-topic, I will participate in this off-topicality and make a couple of comments. After all, threads going off-topic are often more interesting than those which stay the course, no? As those of you unfortunate readers who were subjected to my thread of last May entitled "Reflections of a Regent Cruiser re: Crystal Symphony" might recall, my partner & I did not find the very small Crystal cabins to be at all comparable to the standard cabins on Voyager and Navigator. I wrote at that time, "All things considered, 202 sq.ft. just is not very big, irrespective of how efficiently it may be designed. Most Regent cruisers will miss the walk-in closet, the full-size sofa, and the large bathroom. The Symphony bathrooms are very well fitted-out, with good storage and fabulous water-pressure in the shower-over-tub (no separate shower) in the standard cabins. However, they are “one-person” bathrooms, with very little space for a second occupant. It is a bit peculiar that Crystal chose to install two sinks on a counter that is relatively difficult for more than one person to use." I remain steadfast in the opinions stated. Similarly, the subject of dining remains for us a total deal-breaker until the new Crystal ships are launched. While ChatKat had the luxury of cruising on a ship that was only about 60% full and thereby offered much more flexibility in Dining by Reservation, when one is on a full Crystal ship, as we were, the situation is not remotely as salubrious. As for TC2's toss-away comment (post #89) regarding why Crystal does not sail full, it was our observation when we made our reservations and when our traveling companions made on-board reservations for future cruises that Crystal is doing quite well at filling their two ships for most of their cruises. This is not intended to be a blind defense of Crystal (on which we will not cruise again until the new ships are in service) but rather a modest counterpoint to a question that was clearly meant to be a slam at Crystal without any particular statistical evidence to support the "question". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Travelcat2 Posted January 5, 2016 #109 Share Posted January 5, 2016 (edited) My comment about Crystal not sailing full was based on friends that regularly sail on Crystal and was not meant as a "toss away" comment. Obviously, I do not know how full Crystal ships typically are but am surprised to hear of any luxury ship that is sailing 60% full (probably because Regent goes through such extraordinary lengths to sail as full as possible). This was not meant as a slam against Crystal anymore than your post about not sailing them again in the future until they introduce their new ships was probably not meant as a slam.. While Crystal and Seabourn are not for us, there are many people that love them. I would never slam a cruise line but do give reasons why we do not sail on them. Edited January 5, 2016 by Travelcat2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fizzy Posted January 5, 2016 #110 Share Posted January 5, 2016 I'll take the bait because you are too funny. A travel agent? me? Over the years, people have mentioned their professions so here goes. I am a horse and house pet caretaker in a very tight area of North Shore, Long Island, N.Y. As a matter of fact, I am just a stones throw away from Kevin Sheehan's former address. I do this 362 days a year, have 2 four wheel drives because I have to get out to each house....no matter what.....and I do. And when it is time for my yearly cruise, people make their plans around my schedule....and that is very flattering. Husband is hotel chef. A cruise is the ideal vacation for us to relax and do nothing. Love it. One of my customers has been begging us for years to be their guests at Makweti, a luxury safari lodge in South Africa. It looks magnificent but I don't have the time right now....nor would I care to leave my own pets for the amount of time a trip like that would take. So while I can't imagine why you would make such a tricky little comment just because I related a positive Crystal comment , you, of course, are aware that many, many people wonder if you are an agent. My customers travel extensively year round and that is why I hear so much high end travel talk. OK? here goes...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Travelcat2 Posted January 5, 2016 #111 Share Posted January 5, 2016 (edited) fizzy: My comment was neither meant as "tricky" or in response to a positive Crystal comment (I am inundated by positive Crystal comments frequently and am happy for the people that enjoy their experience on Crystal). I was responding to the part of your post "I have customers who are Crystal crazed". Hope that clears up any confusion. P.S. Love the fact that you are a horse and house pet caretaker. We make plans around the schedule of our pet caretaker - completely adore her and could not travel as much as we do without her. I have the highest respect in the world for anyone who takes care of animals! As wonderful as she is, we will not take another vacation that takes away from our kitties for over a month - it was as hard on us as it was on them! Edited January 5, 2016 by Travelcat2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ededmd Posted January 5, 2016 #112 Share Posted January 5, 2016 Although this seems to be devolving into a comparison of Regent vs. Crystal in some respects and therefore off-topic, I will participate in this off-topicality and make a couple of comments. After all, threads going off-topic are often more interesting than those which stay the course, no? As those of you unfortunate readers who were subjected to my thread of last May entitled "Reflections of a Regent Cruiser re: Crystal Symphony" might recall". Agree the whole thread is now OT. Had hesitated to post my question above but the thread has been off topic so long it seemed strangely on topic. Also agree that I've enjoyed this part of the thread more than the earlier disappointment. Wanted to thank you for the reminder about your excellent prior comparison. I had read it studiously at the time and forgotten. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suite Travels Posted January 5, 2016 #113 Share Posted January 5, 2016 Why? Or more directly - is it a commentary on the quality / inventiveness of the MDR that you choose not to dine there? The food in the MDR is excellent bur we enjoy the quieter speciality venues better. You get a total of four visits to the speciality restaurants without charge for a fourteen day cruise and if it is longer you get another four. If you want more it is $30.00 but you can use your OBC for that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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