Serenity Sep 8/23 - Reykjavik to Quebec City

[Roland4]

11 hours ago, koko's_mom said:

Larry,

Thank you for posting your thoughts about your time on the Serenity.

Although we will miss the mushroom soup and spaghetti carbonara that was served in Prego, we look forward to trying the new concept and menu in Osteria when we sail

this fall.  I noted in one of your earlier posts you mentioned Andres had not returned to overseeing Trident Grill…..do you happen to know if will be coming back to the Serenity?  We have always been impressed with how he never seems to write any orders down, and yet is spot on with his delivery 😊.    
We recognize many of the former Crystal Serenity crew mentioned in your posts and Keith’s, so it will be fun to reconnect.  But also meet new team members. 
Thank you for taking us along, and enjoy the balance of your vacation!

Caryn 

Thanks, Caryn. No word on if Andres will return, but the new guys are doing a pretty good job. They are not as fast as Andres was, but we have noticed an improvement over the last week we have been onboard. A few staff we know well have told us people are still drifting back after they finish contracts elsewhere.

[Roland4]

Today's interesting observation. The last three nights the show has been in Stardust. They made significant changes to this lounge. With the exception of the banquettes against the windows on both sides, and the seats inside the ring, all of the existing seating has been removed and replaced with  square tables for four. This will allow for a lot more seating capacity for the Supper Club I think. The new configuration seems to be working fairly well, and I think it has somewhat improved the sightlines. The other major change is they have blocked off the raised seating at the back of the room (where the spotlights are) by putting up a "portholed" wall on it. We are not totally happy with that change as we liked to sit there! 🙂

 

We are going to The Vintage Room tonight! The price has increased and it will be interesting to see if the wine quality has been upgraded as well. 

[BWIVince]

2 hours ago, Roland4 said:

Today's interesting observation. The last three nights the show has been in Stardust. They made significant changes to this lounge. With the exception of the banquettes against the windows on both sides, and the seats inside the ring, all of the existing seating has been removed and replaced with  square tables for four. This will allow for a lot more seating capacity for the Supper Club I think. The new configuration seems to be working fairly well, and I think it has somewhat improved the sightlines. The other major change is they have blocked off the raised seating at the back of the room (where the spotlights are) by putting up a "portholed" wall on it. We are not totally happy with that change as we liked to sit there! 🙂

 

We are going to The Vintage Room tonight! The price has increased and it will be interesting to see if the wine quality has been upgraded as well. 

 

Just curious since I haven't been able to picture this since the 2018 refit...  Is that walled off area where they stage the meals for the supper club?  I was trying to figure out how that worked logistically, considering how small that pantry is there.

 

Vince

[Keith1010]

40 minutes ago, BWIVince said:

 

Just curious since I haven't been able to picture this since the 2018 refit...  Is that walled off area where they stage the meals for the supper club?  I was trying to figure out how that worked logistically, considering how small that pantry is there.

 

Vince

Vince, they redid the area in the back of the Star Dust and eliminated the seats in the back (stools) and made it a staging area for the food.

 

Keith

[ChatKat in Ca.]

Regent closed their MDR at lunch on Port Days a long time ago.  These are things that keep costs for Crystal in check and keep fares reasonable. This way they don't waste food

[koko's_mom]

4 hours ago, Roland4 said:

Thanks, Caryn. No word on if Andres will return, but the new guys are doing a pretty good job. They are not as fast as Andres was, but we have noticed an improvement over the last week we have been onboard. A few staff we know well have told us people are still drifting back after they finish contracts elsewhere.

Thank You Larry. Andres always amazed us!  I figured there will be crew members coming back as they finished their contracts elsewhere as you mentioned, as well as a number who have moved on to other things.  It will certainly be nice to see some familiar faces as the crew had always been a major reason we enjoyed our cruise experiences on Crystal. And it will be enjoyable meeting new staff as well!  
Enjoy the balance of your cruise adventure, and thank you again for taking us along 😊

Caryn 

 

[koko's_mom]

12 hours ago, Keith1010 said:

Caryn,

 

Crystal responded to the Mushroom Soup requests and have added it to the Waterside Menu on the current cruise.  So when you are on board find out when it will be on the Waterside Menu so you could go that night for dinner if it's something you want to enjoy.

 

Also I see that they also served the Beef Carpaccio in Waterside last night and prepared it at the tables as they did at Prego.

 

Keith

Thank you Keith!

I have always enjoyed the soups in all the venues on our past Crystal cruises, so I look forward to trying whatever might be served when we are onboard!  I will definitely be on the lookout for the mushroom soup in Waterside! 
Stan and I send our best wishes to you and Anne Marie!

Caryn

[Keith1010]

13 hours ago, Roland4 said:

Today's interesting observation. The last three nights the show has been in Stardust. They made significant changes to this lounge. With the exception of the banquettes against the windows on both sides, and the seats inside the ring, all of the existing seating has been removed and replaced with  square tables for four. This will allow for a lot more seating capacity for the Supper Club I think. The new configuration seems to be working fairly well, and I think it has somewhat improved the sightlines. The other major change is they have blocked off the raised seating at the back of the room (where the spotlights are) by putting up a "portholed" wall on it. We are not totally happy with that change as we liked to sit there! 🙂

 

We are going to The Vintage Room tonight! The price has increased and it will be interesting to see if the wine quality has been upgraded as well. 

Larry, in the most recent dry dock two changes were made.This is the addition of the culinary service station. and having spotlights projected out of the culinary station as you noted.

 

The tables and chairs were changed in the 2018 dry dock.

The supper club seating is no greater now than it was post 2018 dry dock.  In fact, on the first two voyages they reduced the maximum number of people attending each each Supper Club taking into account staffing for both the Supper Club and Waterside.

 

Keith 

[Roland4]

7 hours ago, Keith1010 said:

Larry, in the most recent dry dock two changes were made.This is the addition of the culinary service station. and having spotlights projected out of the culinary station as you noted.

 

The tables and chairs were changed in the 2018 dry dock.

The supper club seating is no greater now than it was post 2018 dry dock.  In fact, on the first two voyages they reduced the maximum number of people attending each each Supper Club taking into account staffing for both the Supper Club and Waterside.

 

Keith 

Not sure you are entirely correct on that. I do not recall that the tables were on the upper-most level on the port and starboard sides when we were on for the 2020 WC. I also think they may have reduced the number of tables in the centre area. One of the things we did not like about the Supper Club the few times we went was that it felt very cramped and crowded. That is not the case know, at least when in use as a show room.

[Keith1010]

11 minutes ago, Roland4 said:

Not sure you are entirely correct on that. I do not recall that the tables were on the upper-most level on the port and starboard sides when we were on for the 2020 WC. I also think they may have reduced the number of tables in the centre area. One of the things we did not like about the Supper Club the few times we went was that it felt very cramped and crowded. That is not the case know, at least when in use as a show room.

Larry, I'll have to go back and look at my photos in terms of the placement of the tables but I do know there are no more tables in the room today than there were after the dry dock.  I was told no new tables were bought.

 

Keith

[Roland4]

We had a great time at The Vintage Room last night, A great meal, interesting wines and an informative presentation from Jiri! There were five couples, all longtime guests and some who have been on a World Cruise. At one point I asked how they liked the Osterria, and of the ten people present, six disliked it, two liked it and we are "on the fence". What surprised me was the intensity of the reaction of those who did not like it, saying they "hated it", was a "deal breaker" and that they would never go back. If that negativity is a common response to the Osterria, Crystal may have to give this a more serious re-think than adding the mushroom soup and the carpaccio to the Waterside menu! We have now passed by it three evenings when both it and Umi Uma were open, and while UU was very busy, the Osterria had maybe half a dozen tables occupied.

Edited September 16, 2023 by Roland4

[TER777]

On Symphony staff reported OO lightly occupied and UU heavily booked nightly. 

[BWIVince]

1 hour ago, Roland4 said:

Crystal may have to give this a more serious re-think than adding the mushroom soup and the carpaccio to the Waterside menu!

I wouldn’t expect anything less.  Concept tweaking is a Crystal tradition.  Symphony’s Asian venue has only had a few names, but it’s had more concepts than I’ve had job titles in my entire life.

 

Vince

[BEAV]

2 hours ago, BWIVince said:

I wouldn’t expect anything less.  Concept tweaking is a Crystal tradition.  Symphony’s Asian venue has only had a few names, but it’s had more concepts than I’ve had job titles in my entire life.

 

Vince

Good point. 
 

And it all started with Kyoto on Harmony. What a huge leap from that to UU…

 

[Roland4]

On 9/16/2023 at 11:29 AM, Roland4 said:

We have only been in Waterside three times so far. Formal night it was quite busy, but the other two times it was very quiet. I don't think they are even using the upper ring tables. 

I looked when we were leaving Waterside last night, and other than folded napkins, I guess so it is not obvious, the upper ring tables were not set.

 

Waterside seemed busier last night, but the simple fact is, unless you slow them down, you are literally in and out in about an hour. We didn't mind as we were later eating and we wanted to make sure we got to the 9:00 show. Speaking of which, the show was a new one to us, The Crystal Showband and Friends with Karen Kochakova and Bruce Hammond, the guest entertainer. It featured the brass section of the band and was quite well done!

 

Interesting announcement in today's Reflections. A small "sidebar" article announcing that the mushroom soup would be on the Waterside menu for this evening's second Formal night dinner. There is also a Supper Club tonight, we are not attending, and it will be interesting to see if mushroom soup is on that menu too! Another interesting sidenote, is that even though it is a Formal night/Supper Club, it is the Osterria that will be closed.

Edited September 17, 2023 by Roland4

[brescan]

I was on the cruise previous to this one (Reykjavik to Reykjavik). If I had known; I would have booked back-to-back.

 

I am a big foodie, and I absolutely LOVED Umi Uma.  Just spectacular food.  In particular, I enjoyed the "new style" sashimi; they did a sampler of all three fish options for me.  And the black cod is to die for. A warning about the seaweed salad; it is not the usual Wakame that we are all used to in most sushi restaurants. It is a mixture of seaweeds that I would think challenging, unless you have a very adventurous palate.

 

I liked Osteria.  In my opinion, it's better than Prego since I don't care for the American Style Italian. They kinda had two sub-menus, Southern and Northern (although you could get some of each).   I did the Northern and it was delicious.  Next cruise, I will try the Southern. 

 

Tastes was also quite good.  The octopus was the highlight.

 

Do the Supper Club night!  We had lobster thermidor and prime rib.  Of course, I had to only ask and they did a lobster appetizer and prime rib main course for me. And a great floor show.  And dancing afterwards! I loved it.  

[ctjon]

You guys getting any big waves or wind form Lee  blew through here in Maine and looked as if remnants were going to blow through where you should have been

[Roland4]

4 hours ago, ctjon said:

You guys getting any big waves or wind form Lee  blew through here in Maine and looked as if remnants were going to blow through where you should have been

We left Havre St, Pierre at 6:00 last night and it looked like it might be rough, but the winds, running counter-clock-wise around the centre of the low, meant they were dead astern, so it was a quiet night. We ran out from under the cloud shield about 1:00 PM and sailed in cloudless blue skies the rest of the day. We are getting a bit more movement now as we are running into the current, and the river is beginning to narrow, but it is very comfortable. We are running at 10 knots, as per Canadian regulations in the St. Lawrence, and will arrive in Quebec City early tomorrow morning.

[Roland4]

Had a chat with Leo, the Matre'd, during dinner this evening. He said they have removed tables from the centre area of Stardust for the Supper Club, and have reduced the maximum capacity to 80 guests to make the experience more comfortable for everyone. He also confirmed that the tables on the upper level on the port and starboard side, other than two two-tops, were not there before.

[KenzSailing]

1 hour ago, Roland4 said:

Had a chat with Leo, the Matre'd, during dinner this evening. He said they have removed tables from the centre area of Stardust for the Supper Club, and have reduced the maximum capacity to 80 guests to make the experience more comfortable for everyone. He also confirmed that the tables on the upper level on the port and starboard side, other than two two-tops, were not there before.

 

Apologies for my confusion(I have to say that a lot.)  Is it now possible to sit at a table for two in the Supper Club?

[Roland4]

And now we are in our room, the suitcases have been picked up, and we prepare to leave the ship tomorrow!

 

We did a great "foodie tour" this afternoon in Old Quebec. Four different restaurants over four hours! Started with Heirloom Tomatoe salad in one, followed by French Onion Soup in another, followed by table-side sauteed jumbo shrimp in a third, and wild boar ribs and dessert in a fourth!!! Back on the ship, we still had room for dinner with Jim and Steve!!!!

 

We are now packed up, the big suitcases are gone, and we are ABSOLUTELY NOT ready to leave Serenity tomorrow!! You know you are a "regular" when all of the bar staff give you a hug and ask when you are coming back!

[Roland4]

Home again! Left the ship just before 8:00 AM in pouring rain, and arrived home to brilliant sunshine and 20 C/70 F warmth!

 

This was a great trip, as I am sure you have figured out by now. I can best describe it as the exception to that old saying "You can never go home again." Yes you can! 😃😃😃

[indigosea]

Thank you Roland4 for your great info about your cruise. Makes me hungry for mushroom soup. Tomorrow we board Explorer in Vancouver and sail to Japan. Greetings to Monica. Cheers!

[Roland4]

5 hours ago, indigosea said:

Thank you Roland4 for your great info about your cruise. Makes me hungry for mushroom soup. Tomorrow we board Explorer in Vancouver and sail to Japan. Greetings to Monica. Cheers!

Have a great trip!!!

[Stickman1990]

13 hours ago, indigosea said:

Tomorrow we board Explorer in Vancouver and sail to Japan

Excellent - Bon Voyage 

 

Please look after her as we are looking forward to boarding her in Tokyo in November 

Are you posting about your voyage anywhere as I’d love to hear how the trans Pacific goes