New Crystal - the Good, the Bad and the Indifferent

[Mr Luxury]

23 minutes ago, PaulMCO said:

Then compare the same on SS.  Just comparing the same on my Quebec - Florida trip.

 

Same price for equal space, both have butlers, SS is 16 versus 12 days on Crystal.  Crystal obviously was shut of of ports.  Alot of sea days.

The entry level suite on the Serenity and its size are not to be confused with a standard room at 215 sq ft on the Serenity.

You need to upgrade to a suite to get a comparable space to other real luxury lines.

Then there is the price point to fathom over and compare.🙄

Edited February 2, 2023 by Mr Luxury

[PaulMCO]

27 minutes ago, Mr Luxury said:

The entry level suite on the Serenity and its size are not to be confused with a standard room at 215 sq ft on the Serenity.

You need to upgrade to a suite to get a comparable space to other real luxury lines.

Then there is the price point to fathom over and compare.🙄

Agree and that is what I was comparing to.  Had to compare an Aquamarine Suite versus a Deluxe SS Veranda.  SS is a better value at least here plus it includes excursions.  The key here was same price for equal size suite but 25% more days on SS.  May still consider Crystal but only to try on a short one.

[Mr Luxury]

3 minutes ago, PaulMCO said:

Agree and that is what I was comparing to.  Had to compare an Aquamarine Suite versus a Deluxe SS Veranda.  SS is a better value at least here plus it includes excursions.  The key here was same price for equal size suite but 25% more days on SS.  May still consider Crystal but only to try on a short one.

We haven't mentioned the dining options yet for a comparison 

Give me your thoughts 

[skybluewaters]

1 hour ago, Mr Luxury said:

We haven't mentioned the dining options yet for a comparison 

Give me your thoughts 

 

Regarding dining...rumor has it that there won't be a Japanese restaurant at all.  Hope this is not true!

[AtA]

7 hours ago, Keith1010 said:

 

 

 

 

I like the removal of bath tubs although I realize some like them.  I felt it was unused space for most people.  I do like rain showers.

 

Ugh, I hope they have more than a rain shower. They are awful and if you ask most women, they would agree.

[AtA]

cExcursions.  Other lines include an excursion in every port.  I realize these are not premium excursions, but they are included in the fare.  Crystal thinks it can charge us more for an unproven shipboard product AND an unproven shore experience. 

 

Absolutely not true. Yes SS and Regent include them but SB does not. And they are awful. They pack the busses full and are so basic as to be not worth the thousands extra we pay for cruising. It was why we originally left Regent for Crystal.

In fact, we prefer doing our own private tours. So this is a positive.

I'm betting Crystal's shipboard experience will be well worth it. 

[skybluewaters]

5 minutes ago, AtA said:

Ugh, I hope they have more than a rain shower. They are awful and if you ask most women, they would agree.

 

I beg to differ!  When we were on a Crystal River cruise we were so pleased with the rain shower head that we asked the room attendant to find out the name of the manufacturer and the model of the the shower head so that we could order one for our home when we returned.  Later that day she brought us that information.

[Keith1010]

24 minutes ago, skybluewaters said:

 

Regarding dining...rumor has it that there won't be a Japanese restaurant at all.  Hope this is not true!

For now they do mention a sushi restaurant.

Keith

[Texas Tillie]

 

 

"Regarding dining...rumor has it that there won't be a Japanese restaurant at all.  Hope this is not true!

 

The ones we have had on Crystal had more than a rain shower."

 

 

 

Keith, you answered the wrong post from skybluewaters! 🤓 Although I think a combo of a Japanese restaurant with rain showers would certainly set Crystal apart from the competition!!!!!

 

Patty

[Keith1010]

Patty before I saw your post I caught it.  And yes it would make Crystal unique.  LOL.

 

Eating a rain shower.  

Keith

[ak1004]

6 minutes ago, AtA said:

cExcursions.  Other lines include an excursion in every port.  I realize these are not premium excursions, but they are included in the fare.  Crystal thinks it can charge us more for an unproven shipboard product AND an unproven shore experience. 

 

Absolutely not true. Yes SS and Regent include them but SB does not. And they are awful. They pack the busses full and are so basic as to be not worth the thousands extra we pay for cruising. It was why we originally left Regent for Crystal.

In fact, we prefer doing our own private tours. So this is a positive.

I'm betting Crystal's shipboard experience will be well worth it. 

 

Everyone has their own opinion, and many people prefer to book their own tours, but lets stick to the facts. On our last SS cruise, the average group size was 25-30, never more than 32. Oceania also has an average group size of around 30. 

[gwesq]

3 minutes ago, Texas Tillie said:

 

 

 

Keith, you answered the wrong post from skybluewaters! 🤓 Although I think a combo of a Japanese restaurant with rain showers would certainly set Crystal apart from the competition!!!!!

 

Patty

Well, usually you get a hot towel at most Japanese restaurants. So the rain shower instead would certainly make it stand out.  

[Keith1010]

14 minutes ago, AtA said:

Ugh, I hope they have more than a rain shower. They are awful and if you ask most women, they would agree.

All the ones we had with Crystal were more than a rain shower.  For me that is an easy way to refer to it but it does have more than that.

 

Odd that you would say that most women would agree since we see rain showers in many high end places.

 

Keith

[Keith1010]

Just now, gwesq said:

Well, usually you get a hot towel at most Japanese restaurants. So the rain shower instead would certainly make it stand out.  

Maybe I've come up with a new trend.

 

For example, have a full lobster and in addition to the bib they bring out they bring over to the table a portable rain shower.  

Anything is possible.

 

Keith

[skybluewaters]

7 minutes ago, Texas Tillie said:

Keith, you answered the wrong post from skybluewaters! 🤓 Although I think a combo of a Japanese restaurant with rain showers would certainly set Crystal apart from the competition!!!!!

 

Patty

 

Did you say "shower"?

[nnn]

29 minutes ago, AtA said:

Ugh, I hope they have more than a rain shower. They are awful and if you ask most women, they would agree.

 

My wife would agree.  She prefers a non-rainshower for when she wants to keep her hair dry.

[BEAV]

31 minutes ago, Texas Tillie said:

 

 

"Regarding dining...rumor has it that there won't be a Japanese restaurant at all.  Hope this is not true!

 

The ones we have had on Crystal had more than a rain shower."

 

 

 

Keith, you answered the wrong post from skybluewaters! 🤓 Although I think a combo of a Japanese restaurant with rain showers would certainly set Crystal apart from the competition!!!!!

 

Patty

 

31 minutes ago, Keith1010 said:

Patty before I saw your post I caught it.  And yes it would make Crystal unique.  LOL.

 

Eating a rain shower.  

Keith

 

24 minutes ago, skybluewaters said:

 

Did you say "shower"?

This should put to rest the conundrum of how the Japanese achieve such clean cuisine…

[Camillus112]

51 minutes ago, skybluewaters said:

 

I beg to differ!  When we were on a Crystal River cruise we were so pleased with the rain shower head that we asked the room attendant to find out the name of the manufacturer and the model of the the shower head so that we could order one for our home when we returned.  Later that day she brought us that information.

 

And I beg to differ with you.  Difficult to bathe and not wet your hair.  Not all women wash their hair on a daily basis.  Glad it worked for you.

[Stickman1990]

3 hours ago, Mr Luxury said:

We haven't mentioned the dining options yet for a comparison 

Give me your thoughts 

I saw mention of 9 dining locations in the press release - anyone care to hazard a guess as to what they would be?

 

I can get to 8 with the inclusion of room service - maybe if you count the Vintage room you’d get nine? And I wonder if the Supper Club returns? - gee maybe there are 10 😂

 

Waterside

Marketplace

The Bistro

Tastes

The Grill 

Italian restaurant

Japanese (big maybe)

 

Supper club

Room service?

Vintage room 

 

It still leaves them short in comparison to some other lines 

 

[bitob]

Silversea has best variety of dining options of any cruise line I have sailed on, at least with respect to the newer ships 

 

they also have the dinearound menu and of course all that caviar

and real gelato that is awesome

 

There is good food on all the luxury lines. No one starves

 

explora is supposed to have 9 restaurants. Can’t wait for someone to report on that

[Keith1010]

36 minutes ago, bitob said:

Silversea has best variety of dining options of any cruise line I have sailed on, at least with respect to the newer ships 

 

they also have the dinearound menu and of course all that caviar

and real gelato that is awesome

 

There is good food on all the luxury lines. No one starves

 

explora is supposed to have 9 restaurants. Can’t wait for someone to report on that

The quality of Silversea dining does not compare to what the old Crystal offered in terms of quality or service. I would rather have quality rather than quantity. My opinion. 
 

by the way no one starves on Carnival or for that matter any cruise line. You can always find something to feed one’s face. 
 

 

[Stickman1990]

Just now, Keith1010 said:

The quality of Silversea dining does not compare to what the old Crystal offered in terms of quality or service. I would rather have quality rather than quantity. My opinion.

When was your last Silversea meal? Maybe things have changed since then? Are you suggesting that Silversea dining errs on quantity versus quality?

 

Guess I’ll be able to judge for myself next week - and yes my bags are packed for their door to door service 

[Keith1010]

1 minute ago, Stickman1990 said:

When was your last Silversea meal? Maybe things have changed since then? Are you suggesting that Silversea dining errs on quantity versus quality?

 

Guess I’ll be able to judge for myself next week - and yes my bags are packed for their door to door service 

Yes you go ahead and judge. 

[bitob]

4 minutes ago, Stickman1990 said:

When was your last Silversea meal? Maybe things have changed since then? Are you suggesting that Silversea dining errs on quantity versus quality?

 

Guess I’ll be able to judge for myself next week - and yes my bags are packed for their door to door service 

And you will love the food. Better than crystal

 

and the chef made me Portuguese tarts

Edited February 2, 2023 by bitob

[Stickman1990]

1 minute ago, bitob said:

And you will love the food. Better than crystal

Can a lettuce salad be that much different between lines? Hoping they’ll jazz it up a bit for me