New Crystal - the Good, the Bad and the Indifferent

[Leejnd4]

18 hours ago, History&Wine said:

I'm sure the reference is to only a few designated solo cabins and that those are very far forward.

Yes, but the prices for those SGRs are great! I booked one for my Nov. 2024 cruise. Fortunately I got one as far back from the bow as possible. And I don't mind the additional movement that you experience forward. I live on a sailboat, so I sleep better when it's moving! 😉 

[Sdancer]

On 2/18/2023 at 1:17 AM, HUNKY said:

TX Tillie - take a look at Gary Bembridge's Tips for Travellers on YouTube.  He's pretty balanced and his content often has good tips and advice.  He certainly has more impact on new cruisers than most CC posters.

 

Over 355 thousand subscribers, along with over 120 MILLION views on his channel.

 

Keith1010 - ask your grandkids about TikTok, they know what it is.

 

On 2/18/2023 at 7:51 AM, TER777 said:

That’s fantastic news. I’ll get out my dance shoes. 

The old Crystal had the names of all 4 ambassadors posted per each cruise (in the entertainment section if I remember correctly) and the names of two professional dance couples.

I checked the cruise which started today, Nov.23rd, 2023, and there was no information on entertainment. 

[Keith1010]

1 hour ago, Sdancer said:

 

The old Crystal had the names of all 4 ambassadors posted per each cruise (in the entertainment section if I remember correctly) and the names of two professional dance couples.

I checked the cruise which started today, Nov.23rd, 2023, and there was no information on entertainment. 

Details on enrichment and entertainment personnel will be added to the website but not sure precise timeframe.

 

Keith

[Sdancer]

1 hour ago, Keith1010 said:

Details on enrichment and entertainment personnel will be added to the website but not sure precise timeframe.

 

Keith

What a mess!

I could not find any information about the shows and port excursions either.

Gary Bembridge warned about companies not in business of cruising buying cruise lines/ships. 

Well ... I will have to wait until then to decide to book or not :).

 

I was fortunate to enjoy three Old Crystal cruises in a year, before the pandemic cancelled my other bookings.  

It looks like the New Crystal is still not aware what made the Old Crystal a success.

 

 

 

Edited November 23, 2023 by Sdancer

[ctjon]

39 minutes ago, Sdancer said:

What a mess!

I could not find any information about the shows and port excursions either.

Gary Bembridge warned about companies not in business of cruising buying cruise lines/ships. 

Well ... I will have to wait until then to decide to book or not :).

 

I was fortunate to enjoy three Old Crystal cruises in a year, before the pandemic cancelled my other bookings.  

It looks like the New Crystal is still not aware what made the Old Crystal a success.

 

 

 

Wow - it takes time and effort to get all the details done and made right.  You work on priorities

[Texas Tillie]

1 hour ago, Sdancer said:

What a mess!

I could not find any information about the shows and port excursions either.

Gary Bembridge warned about companies not in business of cruising buying cruise lines/ships. 

Well ... I will have to wait until then to decide to book or not :).

 

I was fortunate to enjoy three Old Crystal cruises in a year, before the pandemic cancelled my other bookings.  

It looks like the New Crystal is still not aware what made the Old Crystal a success.

 

 

 

 

Information about the excursions is on the website. 

 

New Crystal is hardly a mess. Those of us who have been on sailings can attest that it is every bit as good as Old Crystal and in a few places, even better. Just because the entertainment/enrichment hasn't been listed by cruise on the website seems like a petty complaint. Do any other luxury cruise lines include that information?

 

Patty

[bayonejoe]

1 hour ago, Sdancer said:

What a mess!

I could not find any information about the shows and port excursions either.

Gary Bembridge warned about companies not in business of cruising buying cruise lines/ships. 

Well ... I will have to wait until then to decide to book or not :).

 

I was fortunate to enjoy three Old Crystal cruises in a year, before the pandemic cancelled my other bookings.  

It looks like the New Crystal is still not aware what made the Old Crystal a success.

 

 

 

Currently booked on WC 2024. Interesting, I can make reservations for tours . Are you booked on a cruise? Or are you just suggesting that tours cannot be booked.

 

As far as entertainment is concerned . Do you book a cruise because of the entertainment or on the basis of ports and the experience you will have on Crystal?

 

Personally. I feel that if you liked the entertainment on old Crystal, you will enjoy what is offered on NC .And although I would like to know if John Joseph is on . I would not be disappointed if Steve Stevens was on instead.In other words, try a cruise and then make your own opinion.

 

[BWIVince]

2 hours ago, Sdancer said:

What a mess!

I could not find any information about the shows and port excursions either.

Gary Bembridge warned about companies not in business of cruising buying cruise lines/ships. 

Well ... I will have to wait until then to decide to book or not :).

 

I was fortunate to enjoy three Old Crystal cruises in a year, before the pandemic cancelled my other bookings.  

It looks like the New Crystal is still not aware what made the Old Crystal a success.

 

 

 

WOW, that’s a lot to unpack…. Let’s see…

 

Manfredi Lefebvre d’Ovidio and Christina Levis are two of most seasoned leaders in cruising, with more experience than the top execs that come to my mind at Crystal's competitors.  Similarly, almost all of the ops people under them also returned from old Crystal, so I’d hardly call them inexperienced.

 

Funny though, talk about inexperienced, when NYK launched Crystal, they hadn’t operated passenger service for GENERATIONS.  Similarly, when Carlson branded RSSC, they also had never touched a ship.

 

Lastly, for giggles, I was wondering about how I had missed what a “mess” Crystal’s website was in comparison with Regent’s (their biggest competitor)…. Imagine my shock when I didn’t find any more voyage-specific info in Regent’s voyage template than Crystal’s.  🙄 Same ship info, standard service info, excursions, itinerary, etc.  Shocker.

 

Vince

 

Edited November 24, 2023 by BWIVince

[Sdancer]

7 minutes ago, Texas Tillie said:

 

Information about the excursions is on the website. 

 

New Crystal is hardly a mess. Those of us who have been on sailings can attest that it is every bit as good as Old Crystal and in a few places, even better. Just because the entertainment/enrichment hasn't been listed by cruise on the website seems like a petty complaint. Do any other luxury cruise lines include that information?

 

Patty

It is not petty complaint to me since I enjoy ballroom dancing and dance lessons on board.

I checked FAQ and it looks like this program is not back yet. since it is not posted.

Posting names would be the assurance that the program exists. So far it is not according to FAQ on Crystal website.

"WHAT TYPE OF ENTERTAINMENT CAN I EXPECT ON MY CRUISE?

Several of the entertainment activities that were previously offered will return including dance lessons (e.g., ballroom dancing), production shows and more. As Crystal continues to build out our new entertainment programming, we will share updates via crystalcruises.com."

 

 

From my past experience on Crystal not every dance host is a good dancer and a few could not dance at all :). I met many dance hosts and know their names. I also have favorite dance instructors.

Since my DH does not dance, I rely on ambassador hosts (dance hosts) to dance with.

 

 

I liked the crew on OC and am glad that many are returning. Still, until the dance hosts program are back and the info is sorted out, we will continue to book on Oceania.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Sdancer]

25 minutes ago, BWIVince said:

WOW, that’s a lot to unpack…. Let’s see…

 

Manfredi Lefebvre d’Ovidio and Christina Levis are two of most seasoned leaders in cruising, with more experience than the top execs that come to my mind at Crystal's competitors.  Similarly, almost all of the ops people under them also returned from old Crystal, so I’d hardly call them inexperienced.

 

Funny though, talk about inexperienced, when NYK launched Crystal, they hadn’t operated passenger service for GENERATIONS.  Similarly, when Carlson branded RSSC, they also had never touched a ship.

 

Lastly, for giggles, I was wondering about how I had missed what a “mess” Crystal’s website was in comparison with Regent’s (their biggest competitor)…. Imagine my shock when I didn’t find any more voyage-specific info in Regent’s voyage template than Crystal’s.  🙄 Same ship info, standard service info, excursions, itinerary, etc.  Shocker.

 

Vince

 

Have your "giggles", please!

I am comparing NC website to OC website, not Regents' :).

FYI, Crystal competitor is Oceania now, after they became "all inclusive" in October.

 

Everyone has different expectations. Mine are to have the same experience as on OC - great service and ballroom dancing. Oceania is great for ports, top-notch service and cuisine. 

Unfortunately for me, Oceania does not have ballroom dancing :(.

 

My friend who used to be an ambassador host for 8 years, including on Crystal, is going to be a regular passenger on Crystal in a couple of months.

I am looking forward to his feedback. 

 

So, I am out of this thread and will not reply until I have his feedback to share ;).

 

 

 

Edited November 24, 2023 by Sdancer

[Texas Tillie]

1 hour ago, Sdancer said:

It is not petty complaint to me since I enjoy ballroom dancing and dance lessons on board.

I checked FAQ and it looks like this program is not back yet. since it is not posted.

Posting names would be the assurance that the program exists. So far it is not according to FAQ on Crystal website.

"WHAT TYPE OF ENTERTAINMENT CAN I EXPECT ON MY CRUISE?

Several of the entertainment activities that were previously offered will return including dance lessons (e.g., ballroom dancing), production shows and more. As Crystal continues to build out our new entertainment programming, we will share updates via crystalcruises.com."

 

 

From my past experience on Crystal not every dance host is a good dancer and a few could not dance at all :). I met many dance hosts and know their names. I also have favorite dance instructors.

Since my DH does not dance, I rely on ambassador hosts (dance hosts) to dance with.

 

 

I liked the crew on OC and am glad that many are returning. Still, until the dance hosts program are back and the info is sorted out, we will continue to book on Oceania.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There were 4 dance hosts on my Serenity cruise in July. I am not a dancer but one of the hosts had been a table mate (back with fixed seatings) at least 10 years ago.

[Roland4]

2 hours ago, Sdancer said:

Have your "giggles", please!

I am comparing NC website to OC website, not Regents' :).

FYI, Crystal competitor is Oceania now, after they became "all inclusive" in October.

 

We are on Oceania Vista at the moment, and if it is "all inclusive" then someone forgot to tell the staff onboard. You can get a basic beverage package that includes beer, wine and soft drinks only in the dining room/specialty restaurants for $39.95/person/day. After that you can upgrade to the $69.95/person/day premium package, which includes everything up to $18.00/drink, which includes almost everything except the high end single malts. The alternative is a la carte. And the $18.00/person/day gratuities are still getting charged to our onboard account. If that is your idea of "all inclusive" ............

[BWIVince]

4 hours ago, Sdancer said:

Have your "giggles", please!

I am comparing NC website to OC website, not Regents' :).

FYI, Crystal competitor is Oceania now, after they became "all inclusive" in October.

 

Everyone has different expectations. Mine are to have the same experience as on OC - great service and ballroom dancing. Oceania is great for ports, top-notch service and cuisine. 

Unfortunately for me, Oceania does not have ballroom dancing :(.

 

My friend who used to be an ambassador host for 8 years, including on Crystal, is going to be a regular passenger on Crystal in a couple of months.

I am looking forward to his feedback. 

 

So, I am out of this thread and will not reply until I have his feedback to share ;).

 

 

 

In cruising there are direct competitors and indirect competitors…. A direct competitor is someone in your market segment that offers a product similar in quality, price and features, whereas an indirect competitor is literally any different product that people are buying instead, including different forms of vacations.  There is nothing wrong with preferring Oceania — I can make plenty of arguments on certain people sailing Oceania over Crystal, but Oceania is definitely not a direct competitor to Crystal.  Oceania selling drink packages, like most lines, definitely doesn’t make them a direct competitor either, even though it may be the perfect blend to meet certain needs of some of Crystal’s target audience.

 

I understood your reply to Patty’s a lot more than your original message since you had specific complaints that made a lot of sense…. But my reply was to your previous generalizations.

 

Vince

[TER777]

I’m currently on board the Symphony. We have the standard 4 Ambassador Hosts (3 previously with OC and 1 new) plus the one couple dance team. There is dancing every evening and complimentary dance classes on sea days. Private lessons continue to be available for a fee. 

[Keith1010]

10 hours ago, Sdancer said:

What a mess!

I could not find any information about the shows and port excursions either.

Gary Bembridge warned about companies not in business of cruising buying cruise lines/ships. 

Well ... I will have to wait until then to decide to book or not :).

 

I was fortunate to enjoy three Old Crystal cruises in a year, before the pandemic cancelled my other bookings.  

It looks like the New Crystal is still not aware what made the Old Crystal a success.

 

 

 

Not a mess at all.

 

It is called work in progress.

 

If you have been keeping up with this board you would have learned that the new Crystal is being built from the ground floor up since NC didn't purchase a company but bought two ships and the Crystal name and customer base.

 

With each passing week the web site is getting better and better with more information added to it.

 

As noted shore excursions are up.  The ability to make reservations has recently gone from 60 to 90 days reflecting more things being added sooner rather than later. We can download our boarding documents directly from the site 30 days prior to the cruise which by the way we could not do with OC.

 

If you have taken the time to read reviews many (not all but many) say NC is like OC but better.

 

The ability to see enrichment and entertainment which I don't believe other cruise lines do is coming soon. This required an enhancement to the website and someone to provide the data.  It will happen.  It is in the works.

 

Personally, I like the look of the new website.  And the ability to search new voyages is far superior to OC and one of the easiest to use compared to any other cruise line website.

 

The speed in which new Crystal was launched is amazing since all they got ws vessels and names. Not one system. 

 

Keith

 

 

[Keith1010]

10 hours ago, Sdancer said:

It is not petty complaint to me since I enjoy ballroom dancing and dance lessons on board.

I checked FAQ and it looks like this program is not back yet. since it is not posted.

Posting names would be the assurance that the program exists. So far it is not according to FAQ on Crystal website.

"WHAT TYPE OF ENTERTAINMENT CAN I EXPECT ON MY CRUISE?

Several of the entertainment activities that were previously offered will return including dance lessons (e.g., ballroom dancing), production shows and more. As Crystal continues to build out our new entertainment programming, we will share updates via crystalcruises.com."

 

 

From my past experience on Crystal not every dance host is a good dancer and a few could not dance at all :). I met many dance hosts and know their names. I also have favorite dance instructors.

Since my DH does not dance, I rely on ambassador hosts (dance hosts) to dance with.

 

 

I liked the crew on OC and am glad that many are returning. Still, until the dance hosts program are back and the info is sorted out, we will continue to book on Oceania.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

First the program does exist.  When they start to post the enrichment and entertainers (and they do plan to do this) it will be there. Glad you are just comparing NC with OC site because you know that pretty much no one does this.

 

If this is what is preventing you from booking you are missing the boat.

 

As to wanting more information this is a good source to read.

 

Page 14 discusses Ambassador Hosts.

 

Before You Sail Guide V2-338ebdab-f145-45f0-871f-8b35bdd79999.pdf

 

Finally, as I mentioned in earlier post a common view shared by many people who enjoyed OC goes like this.

 

NC is like OC but better.

 

These six words say it all IMHO.

 

Cheers.

[Roland4]

9 hours ago, Roland4 said:

We are on Oceania Vista at the moment, and if it is "all inclusive" then someone forgot to tell the staff onboard. You can get a basic beverage package that includes beer, wine and soft drinks only in the dining room/specialty restaurants for $39.95/person/day. After that you can upgrade to the $69.95/person/day premium package, which includes everything up to $18.00/drink, which includes almost everything except the high end single malts. The alternative is a la carte. And the $18.00/person/day gratuities are still getting charged to our onboard account. If that is your idea of "all inclusive" ............

A slight correction if I may. Under the Simply More pricing programme Oceania does include the basic beverage package and the internet package, but not gratuities. It may be a bit more inclusive, but it is certainly not "all inclusive".

[History&Wine]

How difficult is it to update an itinerary?  The Crystal website has had this description for many months in regard to the May 14 to May 25 Serenity cruise:

 

"A true Mediterranean immersion, this voyage starts in Athens and travels to an incredible array of islands and cities alike. Heading south, the first stop is the ancient walled town of Monemvasia. Next is the Island nation of Malta, followed by a tour of Italy's boot, visiting Palermo, Naples, and Civitavecchia, close to Rome. Glitzy Saint Tropez follows Ajaccio before disembarking in the heart of pretty Provence, La Seyne-sur-Mer."

 

Note the promise of "the island nation of Malta"...indeed the photo in the "photo view" for this cruise is the iconic photo from Malta.  Yet Malta is no where to be found on the day by day itinerary....

[Txcotn]

I agree it would be very nice to see who will be on the ship on each segment. If I am waffling between two itineraries, who the entertainers and lecturers will be on each would play a big part in which segment I choose to book. I wish the info was available on the web site for all to see, like it used to be, not locked behind an already made booking.

[History&Wine]

Unless I am missing something shore excursions are unavailable for booking for the entire world cruise...even the dates in January.  They were previously available all the way through May, but when the itinerary changes were made due to the war in the Middle East the excursions were greyed out and have remained so for the entire 141 days. 

[PaulaJK]

We debarked Nov 13 th. Cruise had 4 dance ambassadors who were in Palm Court every evening and at dance classes (& dinner tables). These classes were directed by the 

the dance duo, accompanied by the production staff. 
 

While the enrichment speakers and guest entertainers were not pre listed, they were excellent

and very well received. I found the enrichment more eclectic and, perhaps, more contemporary than some university style lectures of old. This was a cruise to the Caribbean so I am unsure and interested as to the offerings on other itineraries such as the WC.

 

Hope that this assuages some worries.

[FlyerTalker]

17 hours ago, bayonejoe said:

And although I would like to know if John Joseph is on

 

You can see John's schedule on his website.

 

 

[FlyerTalker]

17 hours ago, Sdancer said:

I liked the crew on OC and am glad that many are returning. Still, until the dance hosts program are back and the info is sorted out, we will continue to book on Oceania.

 

Makes perfect sense to me.  Since Crystal isn't supplying information on dance hosts, let's cruise on a cruiseline that doesn't have them.

 

 

[FlyerTalker]

17 hours ago, Sdancer said:

FYI, Crystal competitor is Oceania now, after they became "all inclusive" in October.

 

If you think that Oceania is Crystal's main competitor right now, well.....let's just say that I believe few would hold that some comparison.

 

 

[FlyerTalker]

9 hours ago, Keith1010 said:

If you have been keeping up with this board you would have learned that the new Crystal is being built from the ground floor up since NC didn't purchase a company but bought two ships and the Crystal name and customer base.

 

 

So true.  Even though some of the "burned by OC" crowd still thinks it's the same company.  And thus, they need to be "made whole".