Blog - Crystal Mozart July 23 Sailing

[5waldos]

The garden may look better when things fill in (are they annuals?)but at the moment it looks suspiciously like the weed patch on the back alley.

Edited July 25, 2016 by 5waldos

[claudiaYVR]

Are the passengers having to walk through or over the Tauck boat to exit the Mozart? Sure looks like it. This is one reason where even the posh rooms at the top will not have a view from time to time.

 

 

 

Yes we had to go up to the Sun deck, over the Tauck's top deck and down the other side, seemed like they didn't want us all trudging through their boat even though they have aweful fake flowers right by the door. Funny, we walked right through the reception area of the Bolero yesterday, reminded me of the Love Boat decor.

 

BTW, we chatted with Mark and of course I had forgotten exactly what you told me to say to him but he immediately said: "you mean my Elton John pool boys????" He was very happy :)

 

 

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[claudiaYVR]

The garden may look better when things fill in (are they annuals?)but at the moment it looks suspiciously like the weed patch on the back alley.

 

 

 

They are mostly succulents and a few herbs for now, it is supposed to grow in but between you and I, I think it's mostly for show.

 

 

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[nancygp]

Enjoying your blog and pictures.

 

Thanks,

 

Nancy

[5waldos]

They are mostly succulents and a few herbs for now, it is supposed to grow in but between you and I, I think it's mostly for show.

 

 

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They aren't going a wonderful job of showing it off but something for them to work on.

[SuzCruise]

Thank you so much for sharing your blog with all of us who are planning on following in your footsteps on the Mozart! Could you share some more photos of the menus when you get a chance? I'm food obsessed!

[changejobs]

thank you for the blog.

 

how good is the internet signal on the boat. are you able to access it from anywhere on the boat or just certain areas? does it work quickly and does it stay connected.

 

thank you again

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today we woke up to almost total darkness as we were docked next to a Tauck ship. Yesterday we faced the river side.

 

 

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[claudiaYVR]

Thank you so much for sharing your blog with all of us who are planning on following in your footsteps on the Mozart! Could you share some more photos of the menus when you get a chance? I'm food obsessed!

 

 

 

Hi SuzCruise, I've lost track of them but here is one I don't think I've posted here or on the blog before. I'll talk more pictures tonight. By the way, the menu on The Blue doesn't change, only the soup, salad and pasta of the day.

 

 

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[claudiaYVR]

thank you for the blog.

 

how good is the internet signal on the boat. are you able to access it from anywhere on the boat or just certain areas? does it work quickly and does it stay connected.

 

thank you again

 

 

 

Hi there, they internet signal is good all throughout the boat and you can access it from anywhere. The speed is good too BUT on day 2 it crashed big time, we couldn't get on most of the day. It has it bugs, like last night I logged off but this morning it seemed like I'd been logged in for a few hours overnight. It told me I had used up all my time (NOT!) so they will reinstate my hours (they said I'm not the first nor the last one to have it happen too.

 

 

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[Jayayeff]

Hi there, they internet signal is good all throughout the boat and you can access it from anywhere. The speed is good too BUT on day 2 it crashed big time, we couldn't get on most of the day. It has it bugs, like last night I logged off but this morning it seemed like I'd been logged in for a few hours overnight. It told me I had used up all my time (NOT!) so they will reinstate my hours (they said I'm not the first nor the last one to have it happen too.

 

 

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They seem to have a problem with this across the fleet as several of my group (and others too) on the Symphony in December had exactly the same issue. I started making a note of my remaining time each time I logged off and then checking it still showed the same (or otherwise) when I next logged on...

 

Anne..

[claudiaYVR]

A few quick observations.

 

1. Dress code definitely dumbed down on the Mozart, even a cocktail dress feels like over the top. Too bad so sad, I like to dress up a bit so I still do.

 

2. The warmth of the Philipino crew is absent, most of the crew is Eastern European and the majority of them are as we know them to be on the S & S but not all. I think it will be improve as time goes on (at least I hope so).

 

3. With very few exceptions (namely the faces we recognize from S & S) no one seems to care to learn our names and we've heard very few "my pleasure's".

 

4. With a heavy heart (and stomach) I have to say the food here is unbelievable good, better than on S & S, though that may be due to the smaller ship and fewer passengers.

 

Claudia

 

 

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[TxnAquarian]

A few quick observations.

 

1. Dress code definitely dumbed down on the Mozart, even a cocktail dress feels like over the top. Too bad so sad, I like to dress up a bit so I still do.

 

2. The warmth of the Philipino crew is absent, most of the crew is Eastern European and the majority of them are as we know them to be on the S & S but not all. I think it will be improve as time goes on (at least I hope so).

 

3. With very few exceptions (namely the faces we recognize from S & S) no one seems to care to learn our names and we've heard very few "my pleasure's".

 

4. With a heavy heart (and stomach) I have to say the food here is unbelievable good, better than on S & S, though that may be due to the smaller ship and fewer passengers.

 

Claudia

 

 

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Thanks so much for this trip report! You are making a lot of people very happy with this! I have Mozart booked and want all the minute details =) Your report will help me to decide whether to keep my booking or go back to the ocean-going ships.

 

Too bad that the dress code is dumbed-down a bit, but with so much time in port I guess I'm not surprised.

 

I actually prefer European staff to the Filipino staff, so that definitely works for me.

 

Glad to hear the ship looks great and the food is so good!! Amazing pics, btw! Looking forward to your updates!

 

 

Michael

Edited July 26, 2016 by TxnAquarian

[claudiaYVR]

Went on epic 48 km bike ride along the Danube today, it was great! Dinner at Waterside was another outstanding meal and Christian brought Chef Dirk to our table. Brilliant young chef, only 28 years old. The world is so small, he told us he lived some years in BC in a resort in the Okanagan.

 

 

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[Suite Travels]

Claudia, the pictures are much better and we can read the menu with ease. Not sure I am wowed with the selections but the presentation is very nice. The photo of you and your DH is very nice.

 

Oh the learning curve of posting pictures is a challenge. Enjoy!

[claudiaYVR]

We're having a really good time. About halfway through I must admit that our feeling is that we'll continue to do mostly ocean cruising and perhaps a River cruise here and there for very specific and special itineraries. Last night was the first time I had a great sleep and I can tell you it's because it was the first night that felt a little like ocean cruising (we were going fast over night from Passau to Bratislava and there was a tiny bit of the familiar motion you get on an ocean cruise).

 

Service continues to improve and be more consistent and the food is spectacular despite the limited menus. Not one of us three has had a bad dish so far.

 

We have yet to experience a real WOW moment, we'll see if we get it with our dinner at Winekitchen tomorrow night or with the Special Event at Belvedere.

 

Mark is doing a great job entertaining us. Last night he had us participate in the Not So Newlywed show (we tied for the win) and after that, Disco Night! There were probably 10 or 12 of us left at that time and we really had a blast. We lasted till about midnight and then we crashed. Which leads me to the nature of river cruising.

 

Allowing for the fact that Crystal has created a 10 day itinerary where most others do it in 7. So we have a few morning and afternoons of cruising but it still feels like we've not had a lot of down time. I do miss our "days at sea".

 

Mark has another special local performance scheduled for tonight, we're just arriving in Bratislava (1 pm) and will immediately go off on another bike tour along the Danuve & Morava to Baroque Schlosshof.

 

Did laudndry today, there are four washers and four dryers, had to wait a bit for machines but not horrible.

[swn4]

I agree with you, I enjoy longer cruises with lots of sea days so for the river cruise, I booked the 14 day Grand Europe on the Mahler in Oct next year. I need to fly to Europe from Singapore so really shorter cruises don't make sense for me.

 

 

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[Tak]

for the wonderful posts and photos. It really allows us to see it from a passenger point of view.

Ralph Grizzle had posted some beautiful pictures from the pre inaugural presentation to invitees, and I got the impression that there's a fair bit of buffet style meals. This is a factor in whether I would do a river cruise. Does breakfast and lunch offer sit down a la carte service?

 

Thanks for taking the time to answer.

[claudiaYVR]

Hi Tak,

 

Breakfast at Waterside from 7 to 9 am is buffet style with an eggs station as on the S & S. The difference is that the offerings are more limited, for example there is no French toast (which I love), nor the variety of sausages, etc. The Bistro opens from 9 to 11 (late risers) but the offerings are even more limited (like on the Bistro on S & S), such as smoked salmon, ham, cheese, salami, etc. (all delicious and fresh as we can't really get in North America). The coffee at the Bistro is also the best on board. There is no a la carte breakfast anywhere.

 

For lunch, the Waterside and the Blue are open. Waterside is buffet style only and, once again, there is just less variety than on the ocean ships (maybe a third or a quarter of the offerings?). The Blue has a menu (samples of which I've posted here and on my blog) which is limited but very very good. The Blue is our favourite for lunch by a mile.

 

Hope this helps.

 

 

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[Tak]

Claudia, your description of the meals has given me a nice visual as to what I can expect. Exactly the type of answer I'm looking for.

 

Thanks very much.

[Suite Travels]

Claudia, the pictures are impressive, but I am not so sure about the limited selections on the menu. Sounds to me this is similar to Tauck offering. Can you order special meals with 24hrs advanced notice?

[Kentucky Mockingbird]

This is the same concern Jim has. He is not impressed with the limited menu selections. For example could he order a steak as an alternative as he can on the S & S. Or is a steak too mundane for the Mozart.

 

We are booked on the Mozart next year despite his reservations about river cruises. We would never have booked a river cruise other than Crystal. But the menu does concern him.

[Suite Travels]

This is the same concern Jim has. He is not impressed with the limited menu selections. For example could he order a steak as an alternative as he can on the S & S. Or is a steak too mundane for the Mozart.

 

We are booked on the Mozart next year despite his reservations about river cruises. We would never have booked a river cruise other than Crystal. But the menu does concern him.

 

I also don't see to many healthy options on the menu. This is typical German/Austrian cuisine. Everything is either sauced or fried and laden with a cream sauce. I too like a filet once in awhile or a clean broiled fish with veggies or some poultry items not with a bunch of foo foo sauces. The pasta description sounds very mundane. No vegetarian options unless they can put one together at a moments notice.

 

The menu that appears above is not very inspiring to us. We can't live off of berries and salads for ten days. Perhaps have a good lunch and skip dinner might work.:eek:

Edited July 30, 2016 by Suite Travels

[BWIVince]

I'm sure if you had specific dietary needs, like any Crystal ship, they would be happy to cater to them... But river boats are ill equipped to publish a large menu with random options that people may or may not order, the way cruise ships have the luxury of. Crystal's ships have a premium space and crew ratio, but the reality is they still have very, very limited space and can only accommodate so many crew members. The galley isnt much larger than some people have in their homes.

 

It's also expected that the cuisine on river cruises has a local bend, since it's supposed to be an immersion experience.

 

Miles, I agree with you, this isn't a product that's for everyone... It can't be.

 

Vince

[JohnKen3]

ClaudiaYVR - how are you finding the various Austrian wines on the menu?

Are the "all-inclusive" wines just Austrian or are there some French/Italian/Spanish ones as well? Would like to understand the variety of wine on offer.

Edited July 30, 2016 by JohnKen3

[claudiaYVR]

I just asked Christian about special requests and he said "absolutely". Perhaps even easier than on the ocean ships, whenever they don't have the necessary ingredients onboard they will get them pretty much immediately in port and likely within the next day. For simple requests like a plain steak, just ask the server.

 

With respect to the wines, we've only had the included ones so far. A few but not all are Austrian and we've found them to be excellent. As on the S & S, if you don't like any particular offering they will bring you any other from a healthy variety of wines.

 

I must admit that the limited choices on the dinner menu worried me since Blake can be picky, but we've not had a problem so far, always finding something that he may not be sure about on paper but turns out great. Of course, you can always ask them to hold any particular components of a dish, like a sauce or braised cabbage, whatever you don't want.

 

I will blog in more detail about our Michelin dinner last night at Winekitchen in Budapest, but it was indeed an excellent experience. Wines were all Hungarian and outstanding.

 

 

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