Crystal Refusee - Looking for a new luxury cruise line & have some questions please

[Princess Calee]

Thinking about booking a cruise in May 2022 on Silver Cloud on a New England-Canada itinerary.   What is life on board the "expedition ship" different than on the ships that are "non expedition ships"?  Do they have evening entertainment?  Is the entire atmosphere more casual?  We are Crystal refugees and are trying to find a good comparable cruise with a luxury feel to it.

[QueSeraSera]

Welcome Princess!  Having never sailed on an Expedition ship, I cannot offer anything useful except a welcome & if I may, say your dog looks super cute 🙂

[alithecat]

The food, service and suites are comparable but the atmosphere is much more relaxed. The dress code for most dinners is casual, a couple are informal, no formal. All/most of the excursions are free. There are usually at least 2 a day, morning and afternoon, sometimes more. There are lectures usually done late afternoon given by the expedition staff about the next day's activities, and this is where you sign up for limited count activities like kayaking. Most of the time the ship does not dock but uses zodiacs to get you to shore. There will be some wet landings. These cruises are designed for those who are reasonably fit and like to hike and keep active. There is not much in the way of evening entertainment because most people are tired after dinner. Crystal is definitely like a classic cruise not an expedition cruise.

[Princess Calee]

QueSera Sera - thank you for your reply about my little girl Westie.  Her name is Calee, short for Calendar Girl.  We were fortunate to get her about 6 years ago.  She is a Retired Grand Champion and is the first "disciplined" dog we have ever had and we are just trying to keep her that way. Thanks for such a nice compliment and welcome.

 

Alithecar - thank you immensely for the long reply and advice.  We have an airline credit we need to use by the end of June or lose it so our choices are limited.  I think we would rather not go on an expedition ship so we might try a Seabourn cruise in 2022 and go on a Silversea cruise in 2023.  We are both in our mid 70's and most likely wouldn't utilize the offerings on an expedition ship.  We are anxious to try out both lines as I hear good things about both.  We are just really sad about the situation with Crystal but realize that we need to be grateful for the privileges and choices we do have.

 

Thanks again to both replies!