Crystal versus Oceania -- Guess who wins??

[PaulMCO]

I thought I would do a comparison on Crystal versus Oceania, as this was our first Crystal cruise and we have done 8 O voyages on both O and R class ships, plus a few on Silversea to also compare.

 

The cruise was a rather simple one – pretty much a western Caribbean with stops in Cozumel, Costa Maya, Belize and Key West. I will not spend much time talking about the ports. Both my DW and me had bronchitis as it seemed to being going around the ship so our off ship activity was limited to 2 ports (and we had been to these ports many times)

 

 

Embarkation:

 

First impressions were not good. We departed from Terminal B (same as Norwegian uses). The line was long. The hold time was unacceptable. This is at 1:30pm. Took almost 45 minutes from the entrance to the Terminal until we had our room card. The blame was attributed to guest who overstayed their last cruise delaying clearance. Still not well organized.

 

 

The Ship - Serenity:

Serenity is similar to the O class, with a similar layout. Buffet for lunch and breakfast in what they call the Lido Café. A grill called the Trident Grill similar to Waves. Two specialties –Prego (Italia) and Silk Road (mix of Japanese and Japanese fusion with menus from Chef Nobu) and of course the MDR with two seating’s - main and late. It has several lounges, a movie theater, and a Barista coffee bar.

 

The ship was built in 2005 and recently refurbished. It did looked new – sharp style and not a blemish anywhere. Very well maintained.

Room classes are Ocean View, Veranda with balcony, Penthouse with veranda (367 sq ft), Penthouse Suite (similar to a OC), Crystal PH (similar to a Vista/OS)

 

 

The Stateroom:

 

Where Crystal really fails BADLY are their staterooms in Veranda class. Since most guests travel this way – I will do the comparison here. Size is 246 sq feet which includes the veranda. Excluding the veranda you have the about the same size as an R class veranda. What makes this feel smaller is the fact that the bathroom is large, including a tub and a double sink. This makes the room extra small. Closet space was good. TV was actually better with more choices including the NFL Playoffs and the NCAA Football Final. Bed for me was comfortable. My DW preferred the O mattress. The stateroom service was well below par as room was NEVER made up when we returned at 8pm from dinner.

 

 

The food:

The best part of Crystal is its food. If O’s food is good, then Crystal’s is great. Especially in the MDR. Some very unique menus are offered, plus also a classic menu. The classic menu also has a steak entrée nightly (whether Filet, Rib Eye or Sirloin strip). I suppose you can ask for any of the three, nightly -- just ask as they were very accommodating to our table mates, who did a special order on some nights. MDR has main and late seating – you can also op for dining by reservation. Service was prompt and well executed but generally was at least a 90 minute seating.

Specialties – Prego very similar menu to Toscana and food quality about same. The Osso Buco was excellent. Silk Road had a fusion Japanese menu plus excellent Sushi/Sashimi. In fact the Sashimi was so good as a starter, I could make a meal out that alone – but I had the pepper Lobster which was excellent. Specialties are included. But additional bookings are $30 pp – done in order to make sure everyone has a chance to book a least once. On a 7 day cruise I found many guests only could do 1 at the time they wanted.

They do not have an evening buffet like Terrace – a big negative in our routine. Their light meal is by reservation but we saw many on the last night come without a reservation. Place is called Tastes – but they should rename it Tasteless. The style is a Tapas menu where you can order many small items, Maybe the chef had a bad night – but the fish, chicken and lamb we had were all dry and overdone. The Ahi Tuna was done properly – raw. We left hungry on the last night.

Trident Grill – is similar to Waves and serves the same fare. Exception is no lobster. Burgers were better than O, but the Fries on O are much better. They also have an ice cream/shake/smoothie bar next to the Grill.

Bistro – a coffee bar. Good coffee plus food (fruits, cookies, cakes, cold cuts, sandwiches) throughout the day - late breakfast through late lunch. Wish O would do this – as it was a great place to have a late breakfast or late lunch.

 

 

The Drink:

Beer, house wines, and drinks (top shelf) are included. House wines were OK nothing special, no worse/better than O or Silversea. Drinks were strong and smooth – no water in these and they were large. No mini Martini’s like on O.

 

 

Service:

 

Outstanding. Even the officers are always visible and friendly and interacted with guests.

 

 

Enrichment:

 

Love the term and their lectures were really good. Bob Ray was one which gave talks on Motown and also the Beach Boys with little heard recording takes and items that belong on trivia.

 

 

Excursions:

We purchased 2 – as we needed to use up some OBC. Gratuities and drinks being included the only place to use it was the shops or excursions. They are contracted out of course, well organized and generally less expensive than O. A full day excursion was about $150 including lunch and ½ day ran $50-75 depending on the entrance fees.

 

 

Some negatives:

Wi-Fi was slow and not free. They give you 60 minutes free. Inclusive certainly does not apply to the wifi with Crystal. However they did have a promotion. Vote on Conde Nest and get free internet for the voyage. There was a hint – to score Crystal excellent (verbally stated by the staff) – but anyone who knows my DW know that she would do the opposite or different -- deciding to vote O as excellent :D

 

So overall –

Service – Crystal by a point

 

Food – Crystal by a point only because of the MDR.

Rooms – O has it by a long way especially on the O-class.

Enrichment - Crystal by several lengths

 

So was I Crystalized?? Maybe, with the right itinerary yes. But they really need to up their game with some new builds – cabins which are a big part of any cruise evaluation are definitely deficient

[LHT28]

Thanks Paul for the comparison

 

One question

What is the dress code for evenings? Do men require Jackets/ties ?

Edited January 23, 2017 by LHT28

[alexandra cruiser]

in veranda cabin?

Liked that a tub is inc.and since O is eliminating them,may have to find another cruiseline in future.

Did you notice big lines for anything,like buffet,excusions,etc.

Is smoking banned in room and veranda?

Are prices similar and what is inc.?

Thanks in advance.

[Flatbush Flyer]

in veranda cabin?

 

Liked that a tub is inc.and since O is eliminating them,may have to find another cruiseline in future.

 

Did you notice big lines for anything,like buffet,excusions,etc.

 

Is smoking banned in room and veranda?

 

Are prices similar and what is inc.?

 

Thanks in advance.

 

 

Yes- hopefully smoking on Crystal is at least as restricted as on O (?). What is the bottom line price difference (net daily cost of all amenities in an "apples to apples" comparison.

 

 

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[Paulchili]

Paul,

Thanks for the review and comparisons. Quite apropos as we have a Crystal booked for 2018.

Excellent questions above - would like to read the answers.

Crystal is known for their enrichment but I was surprised that you felt their food was better than O. That said, I would definitely miss the Terrace as we eat there often. Also, I am not a big fan of fixed dining or paying for extra dining in specialty (our cruise is 23 days long - most likely will want extra specialties).

OTOH, the Bistro sounds like a good idea.

Paul

[aquidneck1]

We are taking our first Oceania cruise next week but we have done Crystal once. We did anytime dining and we were unhappy with the service. See if you can find more information before you book that - maybe they have improved the service as this was a couple of years ago. We are not particularly fussy but we found the service in that area to be disorganized and we had to ask for things that we do not ordinarily worry about. We were not "crystallized" but we found the enrichment program amazing and some of the entertainment excellent. I will be interested to compare the food after our first Oceania cruise.

[PaulMCO]

in veranda cabin?

Liked that a tub is inc.and since O is eliminating them,may have to find another cruiseline in future.

Did you notice big lines for anything,like buffet,excusions,etc.

Is smoking banned in room and veranda?

Are prices similar and what is inc.?

Thanks in advance.

 

Yes has Tub -- but it was quite small

Excursions are all keyed by ticket. Meet in the Stardust lounge and then depart. No tender tickets for leaving on tender port (Belize). No lines on buffet.

 

Yes banned in Veranda and room. They have certain areas where smoking is allowed and never was bothered by any smoke and I am very sensitive to that.

 

Prices are variable depends on cruise. In this particular cruise it was lower than on what Riviera was offering was approx $325 per day per person plus $500 OBC from Travel agent. All included - select wines which were good and top shelf liquor.

 

Additional specialty bookings were $30 pp. Reasonable -- was done to make things fairer (good choice for spending any OBC)

 

Crystal plans on changing their MDR -- and getting rid of the fixed times. However you can also elect dine by reservation for the MDR.

 

Dress code varies cruise to cruise. We had no formal nights, all were smart casual with no jackets required (although some wore this).

 

One good point is that the excursions you reserve on line in advance and are paid when tickets are issued - onboard ship -- meaning OBC can be used for these without the games you have to play with O.

Edited January 23, 2017 by PaulMCO

[Paulchili]

Thank you.

One additional question.

I understand that Carib cruise demographics are somewhat skewed on all cruise lines. That said, what was the demographic on your cruise?

Any DYKWIA people (my unconfirmed prejudice of Crystal :D).

[bitob]

Paul

 

No one could tell Mindy how to vote. Lol

We too have a Crystal cruise booked for 2018, a transatlantic

 

On celebrity silhouette now in a top suite. Loving it

 

 

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[PaulMCO]

Thank you.

One additional question.

I understand that Carib cruise demographics are somewhat skewed on all cruise lines. That said, what was the demographic on your cruise?

Any DYKWIA people (my unconfirmed prejudice of Crystal :D).

 

It was ours to -- saw very few of those. mixed group as you find on most Carrib cruises. most in 60's some 70's -- a few youngsters in 40's. A few children (less than 10 and some belonging to senior crew)

 

Paul

 

No one could tell Mindy how to vote. Lol

 

Exactly..:D

Edited January 23, 2017 by PaulMCO

[Travelcat2]

It is interesting that Crystal still gives incentives for voting on Conde Nast which is why they typically come #1 as a luxury line.

[JVNYC]

Another Oceania enthusiast (can't remember who) was also on Crystal recently for the first time and commented how dated the ship is (which I've heard as well). It shows that everyone sees things differently.

[fred 15]

What makes enrichment so much better on Crystal? Style, Quality, subject matter?

[buggins0402]

Paul, was the set dining times also with set table assignments?

 

I have looked at Crystal itineraries from time to time, but the set dining thing is my biggest fear. We prefer to dine alone or choose our tablemates. Terrace is also a hard habit to give up.

 

That said, O is a small cruise line and sometimes another cruise line has a desired itinerary that fits when we can get away. Up to now we just do a land trip if O doesn't have something that interests us at the time we want to travel. Open dining is probably the most important thing we look for in a cruise line, even before itinerary and price.

[PaulMCO]

What makes enrichment so much better on Crystal? Style, Quality, subject matter?

 

They have a number of varied topics. Three speakers during this short 7 day cruise (with two sea days) each doing 2 presentations. Their speakers were top notch. One (Bob Ray) who dealt with the Motown sound and the Beach Boys with audio clips from recording sessions, plus live via phone call to DJ's who knew the groups.

 

Computer courses in a rather large computer lab. The large "bridge room" had maybe 15 tables.

 

The ship did recently go through a dry dock -- with new carpets throughout. Yes dated could mean the style, but if you look at the R ships their style is also dated.

 

Paul, was the set dining times also with set table assignments?

 

I have looked at Crystal itineraries from time to time, but the set dining thing is my biggest fear. We prefer to dine alone or choose our tablemates. Terrace is also a hard habit to give up.

 

Yes they were -- tables for 2, 4, 6, 8 early and late seating. Maybe we lucked out but table mates were interesting. You could do a fixed seating for two. They do have dining by reservation. As mentioned in the future they will switch to an open dining format - my guess in 2018.

 

It is interesting that Crystal still gives incentives for voting on Conde Nast which is why they typically come #1 as a luxury line.

 

It is also quite tacky to bribe their way to the top :)

Edited January 23, 2017 by PaulMCO

[globevest]

Thank you for the review Paul...we are considering a Crystal cruise next year.

 

Any comments about the entertainment/shows? Thank you

[PaulMCO]

Thank you for the review Paul...we are considering a Crystal cruise next year.

 

Any comments about the entertainment/shows? Thank you

 

We skipped them. Both our tablemates enjoyed them.

[orchestrapal]

Great review Paul.

 

We ceuised Crystal for the first time in December.

After many O cruises we were Crystalized after two days onboard Serenity.

 

Our cabin a PHS was so well laid out that we did not miss the extra size

of the OS except where the balcony was concerned and lack of powder room.

 

Food was more interesting,more varied, more beautifully presented and most of all better tasting.

Service was outstanding and much more professional throughout the ship.

The Butler was amazing and the many lectures we attended were on a significantly higher level.

We saw only two children and never smelled smoke anywhere on the ship.

 

Would we cruise on O again?? of course but Crystal is certainly a few steps up.

Edited January 24, 2017 by orchestrapal

[cruisun]

Great review Paul.

 

We ceuised Crystal for the first time in December.

After many O cruises we were Crystalized after two days onboard Serenity.

 

Our cabin a PHS was so well laid out that we did not miss the extra size

of the OS except where the balcony was concerned and lack of powder room.

 

Food was more interesting,more varied, more beautifully presented and most of all better tasting.

Service was outstanding and much more professional throughout the ship.

The Butler was amazing and the many lectures we attended were on a significantly higher level.

We saw only two children and never smelled smoke anywhere on the ship.

 

Would we cruise on O again?? of course but Crystal is certainly a few steps up.

 

Very Well Said

[alexandra cruiser]

and because of a few responses, like dining options, and cost of extra rest.,,,may hold off on them till possible changes made.Also, see the veranda size if small. BUt one to keep up with in future.If they had an itinerary I loved,would go for it.

[orchestrapal]

and because of a few responses, like dining options, and cost of extra rest.,,,may hold off on them till possible changes made.Also, see the veranda size if small. BUt one to keep up with in future.If they had an itinerary I loved,would go for it.

 

The veranda of the PHS was not small just smaller than in an OS on Oceania.

[RachelG]

Interesting. The fixed dining is a deal breaker for us. My husband is way too social for that.

[Paulchili]

The veranda of the PHS was not small just smaller than in an OS on Oceania.

 

I could be wrong but I believe that the OP was referring to the small size of veranda cabins rather than the size of the veranda itself.

[PaulMCO]

I could be wrong but I believe that the OP was referring to the small size of veranda cabins rather than the size of the veranda itself.

 

Yes I was. Veranda interior cabin is same size as R class Veranda (living plus bath) -- but Crystal bath size is twice as large as the R class -- with near full size bath and amazing double vanity. This makes the interior living space definitely smaller. Not really complaining here -- just stating facts and it did not bother me terribly but did my DW.

 

Yes we could do a PH on Crystal but the price factor is a significant X2.

 

There are a number of people on the Crystal CC section that complained to Edie the CEO during her Q&A of the need of new builds with larger cabins like Silversea Muse and the new Regent's new builds.

 

 

Interesting. The fixed dining is a deal breaker for us. My husband is way too social for that.

Agree with the negatives. But they do plan on changing this in the future.

Edited January 26, 2017 by PaulMCO

[Paulchili]

Agree with the negatives. But they do plan on changing this in the future.

 

Re: fixed dining/seating - any idea of when this may change to open seating?