Behind the scenes footage from Uni Uma, Osteria D’Ovidio and the Bistro

[Leejnd4]

31 minutes ago, Embowaf said:

There's kinda way too much attention being places in the the decor and the seating arrangements, which are going to have a tiny impact on the experience compared to the food and the service. As long as the room is functional and not horribly designed you probably will forget about it once you're there.

I can't say I agree with this. YES of course the food and service are the key factors in any dining experience, but the decor definitely has a huge impact on my enjoyment as well. I personally don't "forget" how lovely a place looks once I sit down. I find that a beautifully designed and decorated restaurant adds enormously to the pleasure. 

 

Ambiance matters to me. I personally wouldn't want to dine on exquisite fine cuisine in a dull, boring room.

[FlyerTalker]

3 hours ago, Leejnd4 said:

Ambiance matters to me. I personally wouldn't want to dine on exquisite fine cuisine in a dull, boring room.

 

Personal choice.  I've had many, many exquisite meals in just adequate surroundings.  Try some of the dishes at food centres in Singapore - where you dine at communal picnic tables, eating from trays.  Or some food trucks in US cities, where the food is out of this world, and you are eating with plastic forks. Or this one particular steakhouse in Buenos Aires that is deliberately in a disheveled condition.

 

For me, it's about the food.  The ambiance can add to the experience, but no amount of decor can compensate for so-so product on the plate.

 

Then again, as someone said (I think).....choice is good.  To each their own preference.

 

 

Edited July 13, 2023 by FlyerTalker

[Leejnd4]

2 hours ago, FlyerTalker said:

 

Personal choice.  I've had many, many exquisite meals in just adequate surroundings.  Try some of the dishes at food centres in Singapore - where you dine at communal picnic tables, eating from trays.  Or some food trucks in US cities, where the food is out of this world, and you are eating with plastic forks. Or this one particular steakhouse in Buenos Aires that is deliberately in a disheveled condition.

 

For me, it's about the food.  The ambiance can add to the experience, but no amount of decor can compensate for so-so product on the plate.

 

Then again, as someone said (I think).....choice is good.  To each their own preference.

 

 

I don't disagree with any of this. 🙂 I am currently living in Mexico, and some of the best food here is street food. In fact we had street tacos followed by elote from a cart last night for dinner. DELICIOUS! We sat on benches at a park to eat. It was our first time eating off this particular taco cart...we will be going there again for sure.

 

But that's a very different dining experience from gourmet cuisine in a beautifully decorated restaurant.

 

I enjoy both types of dining. My only point is, I don't forget about the beautiful decor the moment I sit down. It all adds to the experience. And I very much enjoy Crystal's upscale ambiance. I would be disappointed if their restaurants were not beautiful to look at while dining on their exquisite cuisine. That's part of what makes Crystal, Crystal. (To me, anyway.) 🙂 

 

All that being said: you are completely right in that it doesn't matter how lovely a dining venue is if the food sucks. 😉 

Edited July 13, 2023 by Leejnd4

[KenzSailing]

Interesting discussion about ambience vs decor/service.  Whey can't we have both? I'm personally comfortable with Crystal's ability to walk and chew gum at the same time.  I just wish they'd set sail so we can start kibitzing about what the cruise line IS rather than our hopes/fears of what it isn't.

[SnoBirdCruiser]

On 7/12/2023 at 12:06 AM, Keith1010 said:

Just an observation.

 

The venues are not eve complete and it seems that people don't like the look.

 

Speaking for myself it will be great to see the finished product and to dine there in person.  I am sure it will look great.  I have found over the years what one person thinks is a bad table another one loves. Waterside is a great example of that.  

 

Keith

I'm in agreement with you  Keith! In just over two weeks we will be able to see for ourselves the New Crystal.

First off, we will go to the Crystal Cove  Bar and send a Salute up to our buddies who introduced us to cruising back in 1991.As we went through the Panama Canal, the Harmony( I think) was going the other way and Col.Dick Steimle said to us, "this Crystal Cruise Line is where we are going on in the near future" and so we finally made it in December 1995 on the Symphony, Sydney to Auckland.

 

This was the start of all of us becoming "Crystalised".

July 31,2023 will be the start of cruising on the New Crystal Cruise Line.

May the forth coming cruises  be as wonderful as all the other ones were!

Cheers

Pat and. Ray

 

[Leejnd4]

1 hour ago, KenzSailing said:

Interesting discussion about ambience vs decor/service.  Whey can't we have both? I'm personally comfortable with Crystal's ability to walk and chew gum at the same time.  I just wish they'd set sail so we can start kibitzing about what the cruise line IS rather than our hopes/fears of what it isn't.

 

I'm with you! I think they did quite well at both before...I see no reason for them to fall down on either now. 🙂 And I am soooo looking forward to reading the first reports.

 

In the meantime, tho...I guess we gotta talk about something. Might as well be hopes, fears, and LOTSA speculation!

[ctjon]

My first Crystal cruise was Harmony in 1993 - it took less than an hour to get Crystalized - the crew is what has made this line fantastic

[Embowaf]

To be clear I'm not saying that design/ambiance/decor/etc doesn't matter. I'm saying, this doesn't look cheap or tacky. It's at worst, fine. And as long as it's fine, it's going to fade into the background even if it could have been better.

[May B]

19 hours ago, KenzSailing said:

ambience vs decor/service

I would’ve put ambience with decor, with a separate category for service and a third category for food. 

[Texas Tillie]

Thinking about decor/ambiance on the old Crystal, I thought Prego lacked a lot in those areas on Serenity, but was very nice on Symphony. The service and food was excellent on both. Never forget that we are "renting" on the ships, not "buying".

 

Patty

[AtA]

20 hours ago, SnoBirdCruiser said:

I'm in agreement with you  Keith! In just over two weeks we will be able to see for ourselves the New Crystal.

First off, we will go to the Crystal Cove  Bar and send a Salute up to our buddies who introduced us to cruising back in 1991.As we went through the Panama Canal, the Harmony( I think) was going the other way and Col.Dick Steimle said to us, "this Crystal Cruise Line is where we are going on in the near future" and so we finally made it in December 1995 on the Symphony, Sydney to Auckland.

 

This was the start of all of us becoming "Crystalised".

July 31,2023 will be the start of cruising on the New Crystal Cruise Line.

May the forth coming cruises  be as wonderful as all the other ones were!

Cheers

Pat and. Ray

 

I remember being on another cruise line that you and Ray were on too. You kept talking up Crystal. 4 years later we finally tried Crystal and haven't looked back. That other cruise line was/is very good but it just is not Crystal. Even with their newer ships, etc.