Not impressed!

[allinthesameboat]

I am not impressed with the itineraries and NO CASINO.

I would like to see some reviews of sailings before I have anything to do with the resurrected Crystal. I loved cruising with Crystal and I am very sad about what happened but I have been taking a fair amount of cruises in 2022-23 and the new iteration would have to offer something comparable.

There was talk about the release of some money to those with claims filed with the law firm handling the bankruptcy. I know AK has nothing to do with that but they did offer the "Exceptional Initiative"  which doesn't seem all that exceptional.

Just show me the MONEY!

 

[Keith1010]

For some the exceptional initiative might not be exceptional but for others it is. I was owed a good amount  of money across Ocean, River and Expedition.  The exceptional initiative allowed me to get a significant credit related to what I was owed for the Ocean Vessel bookings that to date I have used on four bookings and I am certain I will use the fifth.  In my case it was a lot of credit so for me it is exceptional and unexpected and a "boat load" of money.

In the end we all have differing views on itineraries. Some of it has to do with places we enjoy while for others it has to do with sea days or wanting port as well as age and how long they have been traveling.  For close to 15 years when new itineraries were released some would be thrilled while others would say they don't like them.  I am very pleased with what we have booked also realizing that if there are port(s) I don't care for we will make the ship the destination.

 

Hopefully, between reading reviews and with the release of 2025 maybe you'll want to try out new Crystal.

 

Keith

 

[ak1004]

Keith, any idea when 2025 itineraries will be released?

[Keith1010]

23 minutes ago, ak1004 said:

Keith, any idea when 2025 itineraries will be released?

I had understood we'd start to see them before July 1 but not 100% sure if that is still the case. I'll try to ask.

 

Keith

[bumpershoot]

I, for one, am very impressed.

 

Crystal has risen like a Phoenix, and its lovely ships will be sailing again very soon!

[Host Jazzbeau]

8 hours ago, bumpershoot said:

I, for one, am very impressed.

 

Crystal has risen like a Phoenix, and its lovely ships will be sailing again very soon!

And they look lovelier than ever – especially with the very aggressive cabin changes this time around.  All the public spaces will feel so much more spacious with the reduced passenger loads!

[wearesiamese]

people need to keep in mimd that Crystal started late in the game re ports of call, which are often booked well over a year in advance if notmore so (Keith?) Many popular ports of call were already booked well before NC started operations  last year I would not take the sailings of 23 and 24 to necessarily be indicative of where NC plans to sail in 2025 and beyond..

[PaulMCO]

1 hour ago, wearesiamese said:

people need to keep in mimd that Crystal started late in the game re ports of call, which are often booked well over a year in advance if notmore so (Keith?) Many popular ports of call were already booked well before NC started operations  last year I would not take the sailings of 23 and 24 to necessarily be indicative of where NC plans to sail in 2025 and beyond..

Agree 100%.  Nothing in 2023/24 excites.  Same old ports.  So we have other cruises booked for 2023 to early 2025.  We have ventured to new lines like Regent, Seabourn and Explora.  SS is already and old friend.  Looking to see what Crystal has plans for in 2025.  A big negative for Crystal is only having two ships now, makes variety and innovation less easy.

 

I am glad others will try Crystal and look to see how the first cruises go.

[wearesiamese]

with any luck the 2025 cruises will be announced soon

[Shorex]

I'm curious about the dissatisfaction about itineraries. We've cruised enough over the years that most itineraries of most lines are "been there, done that." Doesn't mean we don't enjoy visiting the same ports and doing something different, or repeating an excursion that we consider worth repeating.

 

On one of the NC cruises we have booked, we will visit three new countries for us, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia. Maybe those countries are "old hat" to some. Last year we were on another cruise line that stopped in Senegal, The Gambia, Ghana, and Angola. Very new for almost everyone on board. I don't recommend going out of your way to visit any of them as a port stop. Especially Angola, where our tour was accompanied by police cars, in front of and behind our little van. I am guessing those would be brand new ports for Crystal. Hopefully they don't bother.

 

Of course, NC will have ports such as Lisbon, Barcelona, Civitavecchia for Rome, etc. Believe it or not there are many people who have never been to those places. Overall, the availability of desirable ports has shrunken -- the Black Sea is out, there goes Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, Sochi in Russia, Georgia and northern Turkey. No more St. Petersburg for the foreseeable future. No more North Sea cruises stopping in Murmansk, Solovetsky, Archangel, or crossings that visit the Kamchatka peninsula in Siberia.

 

Please do enlighten me about the ports you would like to have Crystal add in the 2025 itineraries.

[Txcotn]

For us, having sailed Crystal since 1995, the ship is our destination. We really don't care what the itinerary is.😎

[SnoBirdCruiser]

3 hours ago, suzeluvscruz said:

For us, having sailed Crystal since 1995, the ship is our destination. We really don't care what the itinerary is.😎

We also had our first Crystal Cruise back in 1995 and we were "Crystallized" .

Now, after 28 years of cruising with Crystal, the ship has become our destination, just as it is suzeluvscruz.

Cheers,

Pat and Ray

[tnm6217]

3 hours ago, suzeluvscruz said:

For us, having sailed Crystal since 1995, the ship is our destination. We really don't care what the itinerary is.😎

I’m currently docked in Bermuda onboard Celebrity Summit. It’s our second day docked here and I’ve only been off once for an excursion. The views are stunning, the staff are wonderful, and I’m totally at my leisure. I’m looking forward to more of the same plus miles and miles of sunrise walks along Serenity’s unique and uninterrupted promenade in the Caribbean in November!

[Zele]

Like suzeluvscruz and Pat & Ray the ship is our destination.

 

But that doesn't mean we don't go on excursions.   We are just particular about which ports and which excursions.

 

Some ports and some excursions are just not worth the bother and cost.

 

 

 

  

[May B]

Despite having done “tons” of Caribbean cruises, our Crystal Serenity in November managed to include two we’ve yet to visit. You may wonder what they are, so I’ll tell you: Road Town, BVI, and St John, USVI. Also, we’ve never docked at Paradise Island, although we’ve stayed in the Atlantis.

 

I would love to see Crystal’s 2025 schedule in the Mediterranean include Morrocco.

[krb1000]

2 hours ago, May B said:

 

 

I would love to see Crystal’s 2025 schedule in the Mediterranean include Morrocco.

This! 

[PaulMCO]

Too many cookie cutter ports.  Maybe we are jaded. But yes, we done East and West coasts of Africa.

No interest in cruising Bahrain, Jeddah, UAE or Qatar -- spent too much of my life living there.

 

What we wanted to see are more like small port Dalmatia coast or Turkish Riviera.

Med cruise that includes Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria.

Wanted to see a better Canada to Miami with more time in New York (SS had one and was significantly cheaper)

A Papeete to Sydney cruise with more stops in New Zealand

A Pacific crossing with stops in Easter Island and leaving Peru so we can do an overland to Machu Picchu

 

So yes right now the itineraries leave us not desiring to sail, but who knows what 2025/6 will bring.  For us the ship is not the destination.   Physical plant, there are a lot better ships out there (we are booked on some).  I'll leave a open part for the crew because there was nothing better than OC crew, they made up for the ship's deficiencies.  Food is subjective, but how many on this board have tasted the NC cuisine (ZERO).

 

Edited June 24, 2023 by PaulMCO

[travelberlin]

I would like to see intensive Japan and a Mediterranean cruise including several days in Israel (I had booked that cruise with Crystal and was one of the cancelled cruises).

Ivi 

[AtA]

We were supposed to do the cruise to the Hawaiian islands rt from CA. I know that's a trip many have done but we haven't and I'd love to see that back on the schedule too.

 

Ivi, I was hoping that C would have an intensive Japan cruise but since they don't we booked on another line. 😞

[bitob]

We did that Crystal cruise.

 

Silversea has an amazing cruise to the Hawaiian Islands LA to Vancouver in 2025.

We booked early to get the cabin we want

Tons of sea days.

[History&Wine]

On itineraries;

 

I agree with others here that I would like to see a Med cruise include multiple ports and days in Israel, and a different Med cruise which would include Morocco and other North Africa ports depending upon safety considerations.  Tunisia and Egypt come to mind.

 

I agree with @AtA Japan intensive is another cruise that I would like to see. 

 

 

[nancygp]

26 minutes ago, bitob said:

We did that Crystal cruise.

 

Silversea has an amazing cruise to the Hawaiian Islands LA to Vancouver in 2025.

We booked early to get the cabin we want

Tons of sea days.

We did the Hawaii rt San Francisco in 2016..loved it..was scheduled for 2022 on old crystal! 🥲

 

nancy 

[bitob]

If choose only to only cruise a line with 2 ships you are not likely to get a large variety of itineraries, much less those you really want.  When we cruised Crystal as our preferred line, we had difficult sticking only to Crystal because of those limitations.  It's not likely change unless there are some new builds.

[vistaman]

1 hour ago, bitob said:

If choose only to only cruise a line with 2 ships you are not likely to get a large variety of itineraries, much less those you really want.  When we cruised Crystal as our preferred line, we had difficult sticking only to Crystal because of those limitations.  It's not likely change unless there are some new builds.

I think for 2023 and also partly for 2024 , Crystal was too late for some ports  otherwise said no place 

 

[Keith1010]

Even with two ships, there are plenty o itineraries we love.

 

If not for some commitments we have, there are plenty of other cruises we would book for 2023 and 2024.

 

We love Australia. We love New Zealand. We love Europe. We love Canada just to name a few.

 

And we've been to most of these places before but you can't see it all even having visited areas numerous times plus when it comes to some of the areas there are ports we have not been to before.

I learned several years ago from one of the destination lecturers that you have to smell the roses. On one of the World Cruises we went into port with several people and then Anne Marie and the others took the shuttle back and he and I stayed for another few hours and walked back to the ship and we smelled those roses. In other words there is so much to take in. It's like going to the museum. Some want to go in and run around and then check it off their list.  Yet you could spend days in some museums and not see it all.

 

So yes I can be very happy sailing on the two wonderful ships and seeing places to me which are fascinating knowing that if there is someplace not of interest the ship is our destination such as when we did six sailings of the Bahamas and I got off five times and Anne Marie once and we had an amazing time.

 

Keith