Crystal Ravel 13-20 Dec 2018 ....kinda 'live'

[Kwaj girl]

We boarded Crystal Ravel 13 December....transfer from the airport was via one of their coaches - only 4 of us onboard!  Way too much traffic in Budapest as it seemed to take forever to go from the airport to the ship.  We arrived Budapest the day before (stayed at the Airport Hotel Budapest) & went back to the airport to meet the transfer.  

Embarkation was painless - enjoyed Champagne in the Palm Court while awaiting our suite to be available.  We have the smallest accommodation (petite suite) so maybe that's why it seemed to take longer than others who arrived after we did.  No big deal....

Had an afternoon tour which included the Christmas Markets ("Beautiful Budapest & Christmas Markets") - did not realize we needed to take the 'listening devices' with us so had to go back to the suite & retrieve them so we could hear the guide during the tour.  These are excellent tools to allow you to hear everything the guides are saying without having to be right next to them. Euros are easily accepted here even though the local currency is the Forint.

Service onboard is as expected - attentive but not in-your-face.  Vessel is small enough that you can get anywhere in 1-2 minutes.  Our suite is just a little too warm for our preference - we like it around 68F and could not get it below 71F on day 1 (but is getting better). 

Breakfast & lunch are buffets in the main restaurant. The dining room (Waterside) is a little more informal than I would have expected for Crystal but then again this is a river cruise and not an ocean voyage.  Service is mostly top-notch, though sometimes a bit difficult to get coffee service in the morning.

 

More later.....Champagne is calling.  

[puppycanducruise]

Sounds like an interesting cruise.

Looking forward to reading more.

Enjoy the champagne.

[Coral]

Just returned from the Mozart so I will be curious about your experience. I had the cheapest suite on Mozart (window suite) and it was ready at 10:30 in the morning when I arrived. I was surprised how much I liked the lunch buffet and I don't like buffets. I liked the variety of food.

 

I am sure you will be busy so report when you can.

 

Enjoy the rest of your trip!

[Texas Tillie]

Looking forward to your reports. I'll be on the Bach for a back to back (Amsterdam-Basel-Amsterdam) in April/May and will be in the smallest cabin, however, as a solo cruiser. I have been on the Mozart twice so know the Crystal river "drill". Know that the new boats are much smaller than the Mozart, but am hoping everything else will be about the same.

[Kwaj girl]

Temp is better now in the 'suite'- 68F - I can live with that.

Breakfast & lunch buffets are quite satisfactory.  Today I had plain yogurt, fresh berries (lovely huge blackberries - don't know where they get those at this time of year), micro-greens, smoked salmon and congee for breakfast (many Asians onboard this voyage) and for lunch roasted duck, red cabbage, a lentil salad&steamed purple cauliflower/carrots/zucchini for lunch.

Snowed all morning - enjoyed one of our in-suite bottles of wine (a Gruner Veltliner white) as we stood on the rather protected-from-the-elements aft deck area just 2 doors down from our tiny accommodations.  Afternoon tour was a "Bratislava culinary & walking tour" - enjoyed some traditional bakery treats as well as a wine tasting at the Wine Museum.  This place boasts 100 of Slovak 's best wines - we tasted 4 of them but could have tasted 75 for 2 Euros (I think) with a 100- minute maximum.  No, thanks!  We bought one of the white wines that we tasted...can't go home without the requisite souvenir!

Back to the ship - enjoying cocktails with our newfound friends - one has been on so many Crystal cruses that she will likely be the "most cruised" at tomorrows Crystal Society party. Yes, we are Regent 'cheerleaders' but have maybe found our river cruise niche with Crystal.  Yes, this 'suite' is extremely small but for a river boat maybe I can't complain. Seems as though everyone is treated the same outside the suite.

 

Questions?  Ask away!

[Coral]

My "window suite" on Mozart was quite large IMO compared to my previous river boat experience. Yes - you can't compare them to ocean ships.

 

Glad you are enjoying the trip!

Edited December 15, 2018 by Coral

[robertmartha]

Thanks so much for posting and taking us along on your trip.

Post when you can. Would love to hear about the tours and your evening meals and everything Crystal in between!

Thinking about a Crystal River cruise in '19!

 

Enjoy the markets!

Bob

Edited December 16, 2018 by robertmartha
correct spelling

[Kwaj girl]

Slept in this morning as we dock at noon in Melk.  Very chilly outside but the sun is shining and the sky is blue.  No snow today!

Deck 4 (the top open deck) has been closed as they had to clear the snow and melt the residual ice.  Today it's open so we went topside for some great views as we sailed.  Docked on time and enjoyed a quick lunch in the main restaurant.  As previously mentioned the breakfast & lunch menus are buffet-style - today we enjoyed Salmon Coulibiac, grilled trout, German meatballs, a variety of freshly-prepared hot veggies as well as a small salad bar with higher-end offerings.

Earlier this morning there were 2 (30-min) exercise classes in the Palm Court, a challenging Trivia session followed by the Pastry Chef demonstrating how to make a gingerbread house.  Quite fun!

 

More later....again, ask away if you have any specific questions.  

[Coral]

1 hour ago, robertmartha said:

Thanks so much for posting and taking us along on your trip.

Post when you can. Would love to hear about the tours and your evening meals and everything Crystal in between!

Thinking about a Crystal River cruise in '19!

 

Enjoy the markets!

Bob

When researching my Crystal river cruise I found this website (from John Ken) with evening menus. While they were not exact to my cruise - they were pretty close - sometimes all the same things appeared just on different nights:

 

https://johnken3.blogspot.com/2016/12/dinner-on-board-crystal-mozart.html

 

I also have pictures of the breakfast and lunch buffet - if you want to email me, I can forward them to you. It is very clean and very nicely done. I am not a buffet person but was impressed. For breakfast there was always eggs to order (omelette and choose your fixings) or other types of eggs to order, sausage, bacon, some type of vegetables, breakfast potatoes, there was always plenty of fruit, yogurt, breads, etc... The muffins were to die for.

 

Lunch usually had several items to choose from including a carving station that ranged from meatloaf, roast beef, pork, duck, bbq ribs, etc..  (one each day). They always had a pasta that they made when you ordered it, plus a dozen other items at the hot items area. Examples include Turkey cordon blue, fish, warm vegetables, soup. They had a full salad bar, fruit bar, lunch rolls to die for (I liked the cheese ones) and a dessert bar with with a warm dessert and then plenty of other desserts. They had enough variety that I don't think anyone would not find something to eat. It was also spotless as for as clean.

 

I also took pictures of all of our evening menus and can forward them to you. One area where I did think they fell short was that there was a Vegetarian Menu that I didn't know existed until mid trip. Sometimes there was a soup or item on that that sounded good.

 

Just email me (email in my signature line) if you want pictures of my buffet  pictures of breakfast or lunch, and menus.

 

 

Edited December 16, 2018 by Coral

[robertmartha]

Kwaj Girl - thanks again for posting. Would love to hear about daily exercise, workout, yoga, etc classes / offerings. On our AMA sailing last Christmas they had the small gym which I did utilize each morning but no classes of any type were offered. Understand AMA is starting to offer classes now on sailings which is a nice option.

 

Coral - thank you so much for the link to the menu postings. Feel like each menu got more interesting as the week progressed!. Interesting that you posted you dined off ship some evenings - it is something we would definitely consider on our next sailing if we have a late sailing time. Since last Christmas was our first River cruise - we did not know what to expect - after doing one we now have a better sense of options we would have in grabbing a dinner "locally" in port.. but then again with Crystals flexibility in dining time (open seating and arrival time) - not having to rush back to the ship for that 7pm mad rush to the dining room gives one the option of staying ashore a bit later. (Sorry AMA.... a nitpick I know but not a fan of that set 7pm dinner time).

 

thanks again!

[Coral]

47 minutes ago, robertmartha said:

 

Coral - thank you so much for the link to the menu postings. Feel like each menu got more interesting as the week progressed!. Interesting that you posted you dined off ship some evenings - it is something we would definitely consider on our next sailing if we have a late sailing time.

 

I actually ate every dinner meal on the ship (and breakfast). Sorry if I implied elsewhere - I can't seem to find it. 

 

We did have several overnights in ports which would allow for dining off the ship. I did dine off the ship for lunch when we had all day excursions.

 

I found the food to be very good on Crystal. I had one or two nights which I wish I had ordered something else but the food was really good.

 

I have the menus from my sailing (what I posted was from someone from this board who posted his from a few years ago - I was so glad to find that when researching my Crystal river cruise). If anyone wants them or pics from breakfast and lunch buffets - just email me. I work this week but have Christmas week off so can email them out.

[Kwaj girl]

Coral has posted plenty about the menus/food so no need to rehash here. Obviously menus will change from time to time and may be dependent on regional availability.  The Pot au Feu did not impress me last night - should have had the osso buco. But agree with Coral that most has been quite good.

 

Exercise classes: We embarked Thursday around noon. No classes offered that day. Overnight on board the ship in Budapest.

Friday 8am (30 min) yoga class in Palm Court.  Sailed at 7pm

Saturday 9am (30  min) Pilates class in Palm Court. Arrived Bratislava 12 noon, sailed at 6pm.

Sunday 830am (30 min) Abs class followed by 900am (30 min) stretching in Palm Court.  Arrived Melk 1pm.

 

There is also a small gym on board.  Will try to post a photo if I can figure out how to do it.  I planned to hit the gym regularly like I do at home but somehow sleep (and a little too much wine?) seem to get in the way of my motivation.

[Kwaj girl]

Just went down to get the laundry started so checked out the Gym - a good amount of free weights, one incline bench, 1 rowing machine, an upright stationary bike and a recumbent stationary bike.  And you can always use the open deck 4 for walking in the absence of a treadmill.

[robertmartha]

thank you so much for the information Kwaj Girl.

Odd no treadmill in the gym - but that may be a noise issue depending on location of cabins so that is understandable. Nice variety of classes though at a reasonable hour. And completely understand gym time on vacation when one may over-indulge at dinner and after dinner. I discovered the regional Gruner Veltliner on our sailing last year - enough said .

 

Enjoy your sailing and the ports and all they have to offer at this time of the year!

[Coral]

Which Christmas markets have been the best on your trip?

 

I just looked up your trip:

http://www.crystalcruises.com/voyage/details/budapest-to-vienna-8f21r

 

It was similar to my trip except for Budapest. Hope the ports have been good so far for you!

Edited December 17, 2018 by Coral

[Netta7]

Can you send some information on the current spa prices and services?  

 

Thank you!

[Kwaj girl]

40 minutes ago, Netta7 said:

Can you send some information on the current spa prices and services?  

 

Thank you!

The brochure places in the suites has no pricing information.  Let me see what I can find.

[Kwaj girl]

15 hours ago, Coral said:

Which Christmas markets have been the best on your trip?

 

I just looked up your trip:

http://www.crystalcruises.com/voyage/details/budapest-to-vienna-8f21r

 

It was similar to my trip except for Budapest. Hope the ports have been good so far for you!

 

Christmas Markets - IMO the best one so far was Budapest.  We did enjoy a smaller one in Linz and apparently those that went to Salzburg today said that one was the best.  Today's tour for us was a 1.5-hr bus ride from Linz to Cesky Krumlov.  Lovely castle & cobblestoned walking tour.  We has about 2.5 hrs on our own to wander the streets, shop & see the small Christmas market there before heading back to the ship.  Enjoyed some local cuisine - their version of gulyas ("goulash") was different than that wee had in Hungary but variety is what it's all about.  Had a more scenic ride back on a different route.

 

Supposedly the Vienna markets 'will be the best'.  Will let you know. Our tour departs at 1030am tomorrow so we can sleep a little later or maybe get up early & enjoy the heated indoor pool before our excursion.

 

Some notes about the excursions - we LOVE the coaches that are used - the seat rows are really quite far apart so plenty of legroom and the local guides are knowledgeable & entertaining.  But note that the website description of a tour and what really happens may be different.  One of our tours in Budapest was to include a carriage ride...no such thing, though we did get to the stables to see the horses after the arena show.  And today we were supposed to participate in a gingerbread cookie workshop to design our own cookies - nope - but the samples were tasty.  Let's see if tomorrow's visit to Gottweig Abbey really does include a wine tasting..... 

[Coral]

6 hours ago, Kwaj girl said:

 

Some notes about the excursions - we LOVE the coaches that are used - the seat rows are really quite far apart so plenty of legroom and the local guides are knowledgeable & entertaining.  But note that the website description of a tour and what really happens may be different.  One of our tours in Budapest was to include a carriage ride...no such thing, though we did get to the stables to see the horses after the arena show.  And today we were supposed to participate in a gingerbread cookie workshop to design our own cookies - nope - but the samples were tasty.  Let's see if tomorrow's visit to Gottweig Abbey really does include a wine tasting..... 

I agree the buses are the best!

 

I read a very good blog of someone who did a Mozart trip a few months before I did. When I read what they did in Munich - it did not match my trip there at all! I think it is purely due to a different guide??? We had the same thing happen also - the descriptions didn't match entirely. For example - we had our mention Christmas markets in towns where they were not open yet. The Vienna one is good - I wish I could have handled the night time temps to get pics at night but it was cold and I had to pack.

 

Enjoying your blog!

[JohnKen3]

Crystal tends to provide congee for breakfast for all river and ocean cruises, irrespective of passenger composition.

 

Who did you have as Entertainment Host?

 

[robertmartha]

Kwaj Girl

 

Question on evening dining times - understand Crystal is open seating - what time is the latest one can arrive for dinner?

What is /was your experience currently? (and for those who have sailed - what was your experience)

 

thanks all

[Kwaj girl]

22 hours ago, JohnKen3 said:

Crystal tends to provide congee for breakfast for all river and ocean cruises, irrespective of passenger composition.

 

Who did you have as Entertainment Host?

 

If you mean the entertainer - it is Bruno on the piano and occasionally accompanied by singer Rita.  They both do a great job with late-night recorded dance entertainment - he cues the songs & she's on the dance floor with the guests

[Kwaj girl]

14 hours ago, robertmartha said:

Kwaj Girl

 

Question on evening dining times - understand Crystal is open seating - what time is the latest one can arrive for dinner?

What is /was your experience currently? (and for those who have sailed - what was your experience)

 

thanks all

Dinner is open seating 7-9pm in Waterside and by reservation for a tapas meal in thee Bistro.  For Waterside it seems most go early.  We absolutely despise noise (acoustics are not so great there) so we have routinely arrived 830pm or so after most have finished their meals.  Much quieter and no rush.

[Kwaj girl]

On 12/17/2018 at 7:16 PM, Kwaj girl said:

  Let's see if tomorrow's visit to Gottweig Abbey really does include a wine tasting..... 

 

Yes...we did enjoy a 3-choice wine tasting at the Abbey...and such beautiful hillside views.  That day (Tues) had absolutely perfect weather....cool but not windy or damp.  Could not have asked for a better day.  Today in Vienna was chilly and windy but that's what the Gluhwine is for :-).  Today's walking tour was great fun but we could not see ourselves going back for a late-afternoon stroll among the many Christmas Markets - just too cold....

Tonite is our last night on board - Dover Sole is on the menu so I will dig into that.

[robertmartha]

Kwaj Girl - thank you so much for the information while on board. The thought have not having to punch that 7pm dinner time clock is very appealing! Enjoy your remaining time on board and the upcoming Holidays!

 

Bob