BEAV Posted July 8 #76 Share Posted July 8 (edited) 3 hours ago, 360Guy said: Good Morning! We are sailing back to Vancouver and it is another beautiful day. Very grateful for the weather we have enjoyed this past week! Enclosing Reflections and the Waterside Lunch July 8.pdfWaterside Dinner July 8.pdfReflections July 8.pdflunch and dinner menus for today. It was a leisurely day in Ketchikan. We were docked about 10-15 minutes by the shuttles Crystal provided into town…where we encountered 5 very large cruise ships. We walked along the creek to the totem heritage center and then back to the ship for some lunch and a hike nearby. We did see a bald eagle overhead and that was a nice gift. We enjoyed Umi Uma so much the first night that we decided we would try last night. The restaurant is very popular and with a full ship all the reservations were taken, so we were prepared to wait to enjoy the sushi bar. We first went at 6 pm but all the seats outside the restaurant were taken. So we thought we will come back around 7:30 to see if seats would open. We were #3 & #4 and had a lovely conversation with the others before and after us. After 35 minutes we were seated and had a lovely dinner and front row witnesses to the great sushi masters at work. I plan to post later today some overall thoughts about the cruise. Fortunately tomorrow we do not have an early flight home and can savor the remaining time for breakfast. I do want to say how very grateful we are for the opportunity to meet so many of you in person on this first cruise, especially the kindness and deep sense of welcome we have felt! Our experience was greatly enhanced with your suggestions and knowledge. We thank you very much and know that it would be wonderful to find ourselves cruising with you again! Bob and Ray We’re going to employ your same strategy for the sushi bar tonite! We were extremely lucky to score two seats with no wait around 8:00pm the second night. Meanwhile, here’s a shot off our balcony last night around 10:30. Edited July 8 by BEAV 12 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moto_italia Posted July 8 #77 Share Posted July 8 Very informative and timely thread! My wife and I will be enjoying our first Crystal cruise beginning July 16 in Seward! Thank you for the info and updates! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BWIVince Posted July 8 #78 Share Posted July 8 I’ve always thought this image was something of a floating Rorschach test…. 99.9% of passengers look at this and see a picture of a beautiful sunset, but always look at it and wonder why Crystal uses a picture of a light stanchion with a burned out bulb to announce a time change. 🤷🏻♂️ 😊 Perception is a funny thing. Vince 2 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BEAV Posted July 8 #79 Share Posted July 8 1 hour ago, BEAV said: We’re going to employ your same strategy for the sushi bar tonite! We were extremely lucky to score two seats with no wait around 8:00pm the second night. Meanwhile, here’s a shot off our balcony last night around 10:30. Here’s two more, including one from our neighbor a few doors away. 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
360Guy Posted July 8 Author #80 Share Posted July 8 (edited) The arrival of the luggage bed cover this morning was a cruel reminder that this wonderful first Crystal cruise we have experienced was coming to an end. Background: Previous 20 Celebrity cruises most recently Millenium Best of Japan October 2023. We had booked what was to be our 1st Crystal cruise for September 2024 Quebec to NYC, but was impatient and wanted to cruise sooner so there was a promotion and we booked this Vancouver round trip…and are we glad we did! Summary: Condensed version….fantastic in every aspect from start to almost finish. Food quality, preparation, presentation and taste was excellent from our perspective. Entertainment and enrichment is among the best in all our cruises. Crew were friendly, engaged with you and were very knowledgeable in all the areas we went throughout the ship. When we are back in September (T-minus 78 days and counting) we will look forward to seeing the crew and experience Serenity again! I could go on and on but feel like I’d be writing for hours. We’ve been “Crystallized” as they say! We had very high expectations and they were met or exceeded certainly in terms of food, entertainment and the exceptional crew. Some other areas we can comment on and maybe one…yes one “nit”…. Laundry: Dare we even go there? There is another thread on this treacherous topic alone. We did a promotion for this booking that included “free” laundry. For us that was complimentary pressing…I think 5 items. And one bag of free laundry. I do the laundry in our home and I absolutely love the complimentary laundry facilities…everything you need! I was doing a small load of clothes from our pre cruise stay in Vancouver within a couple of hours on board. You meet the nicest people! Loved it. Also me: there are a number of clothes we don’t send out as I am too OCD about the wash temp, drying time, etc. On Celebrity our accrued status gave us a couple of bags per cruise and we never used more than one. On Crystal we loved the pressing of our dress shirts! They were done perfectly! Future cruises on Crystal we will do our own laundry, send out for pressing and pay for certain laundry items. Our cruise experience tells us nothing is “free”… it is factored into the price. We did send a small bag out Saturday morning and we are awaiting its return so we can pack. Word on the ship is a lot of people are using the “free” laundry promotion and it is stressing the laundry crew and turnaround time. OK enough! Internet: For us it worked fine about 95% of the time. We did not stream but mainly used for surfing and emails, etc. Faster speed available for additional $$$. Crystal App: After figuring it out we used our iPad and iPhone to access what we needed from it…mainly Waterside menus and Reflections. Lots of information on it. TV: Never watched other than a couple of White Lotus episodes. Nice quality monitor and easy remote. Bath Products: OK here it is…my “nit”…and can’t even believe I am bringing it up but…the Ortigia products are nice. But for me the shower gel and shampoo pump tops are very finicky and get stuck easily. Also the lettering is difficult to read so you have to position the bottles like remembering the gel on top tray and shampoo on bottom tray. Alright I’ve said it. Again just wonderful all around and we are looking at a possible Mar 1 2026 Sydney segment on Serenity if it works out. Thanks for the comments and questions along the way. If anyone has any questions in greater detail we are happy to share what we experienced. It has been a pleasure! Bob and Ray Edited July 8 by 360Guy 14 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Cruise Posted July 9 #81 Share Posted July 9 Agree with everything you said B&R, Have been on this cruise with you and its been great. 😀😀 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samurai Sago Posted July 9 #82 Share Posted July 9 8 hours ago, BEAV said: Here’s two more, including one from our neighbor a few doors away. Leave it to Beav ... I bet you get tired of hearing that! 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Keith1010 Posted July 9 #83 Share Posted July 9 Bob and Ray a great review/summary of your saying. Thank you for taking the time to write and share this and for your other posts. Happy Cruising. Keith 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KenzSailing Posted July 9 #84 Share Posted July 9 (edited) 21 hours ago, BWIVince said: I’ve always thought this image was something of a floating Rorschach test…. 99.9% of passengers look at this and see a picture of a beautiful sunset, but always look at it and wonder why Crystal uses a picture of a light stanchion with a burned out bulb to announce a time change. 🤷🏻♂️ 😊 Perception is a funny thing. Vince Some lucky Crystal employee has just won the longest running office pool in history. It spanned four management teams and one shutdown. It's title was "Pick the date @BWIvince mentions that burned out light." 😁 Edited July 9 by KenzSailing revision 1 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kool kruiser Posted July 9 #85 Share Posted July 9 Thanks again Bob, cannot wait to board in 14 days. Did you manage to form a view on the pianist in Avenue Saloon ? I know that a couple you met who have their own blog were not impressed and I wonder what you thought and whether he became more ''upbeat'' ? Sorry to be such a pest, but this is a real fave of our Crystal experience. Of course, would also welcome thoughts of others onboard. Safe journeys Colin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
360Guy Posted July 9 Author #86 Share Posted July 9 1 hour ago, kool kruiser said: Thanks again Bob, cannot wait to board in 14 days. Did you manage to form a view on the pianist in Avenue Saloon ? I know that a couple you met who have their own blog were not impressed and I wonder what you thought and whether he became more ''upbeat'' ? Sorry to be such a pest, but this is a real fave of our Crystal experience. Of course, would also welcome thoughts of others onboard. Safe journeys Colin Hi, We did stop in a couple more times and I think I would describe it as background music and it was definitely not upbeat. Pleasant for sure but he didn’t draw a crowd when we were there and it might have been off times. Definitely worth a visit as the crew there are awesome! Ali the cigar club manager also stops in to Avenue and is very friendly…just like all the crew! Hope this helps! It was an awesome cruise and our sadness at leaving is tempered by the fact that we will be back in 10 weeks for the Quebec to NYC sailing. Can’t wait but now must go back on my pre-Crystal diet…hot water and Melba toast…LOL. Have a fantastic cruise! Bob 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivyleaguegent Posted July 9 #87 Share Posted July 9 22 hours ago, 360Guy said: Bath Products: OK here it is…my “nit”…and can’t even believe I am bringing it up but…the Ortigia products are nice. But for me the shower gel and shampoo pump tops are very finicky and get stuck easily. Also the lettering is difficult to read so you have to position the bottles like remembering the gel on top tray and shampoo on bottom tray. Alright I’ve said it. I agree as I said in my recent review. I also would have preferred Moulton Brown or L'Occitane products but, of course, that is just personal preference. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TER777 Posted July 9 #88 Share Posted July 9 4 hours ago, kool kruiser said: Thanks again Bob, cannot wait to board in 14 days. Did you manage to form a view on the pianist in Avenue Saloon ? I know that a couple you met who have their own blog were not impressed and I wonder what you thought and whether he became more ''upbeat'' ? Sorry to be such a pest, but this is a real fave of our Crystal experience. Of course, would also welcome thoughts of others onboard. Safe journeys Colin By the end of the cruise, he was drawing quite a crowd and had a very upbeat presence. His voice had recovered and he was able to sing. His first week on board, he could not. He is a very talented musician. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare loriva Posted July 9 #89 Share Posted July 9 3 hours ago, 360Guy said: Hope this helps! It was an awesome cruise and our sadness at leaving is tempered by the fact that we will be back in 10 weeks for the Quebec to NYC sailing. Can’t wait but now must go back on my pre-Crystal diet…hot water and Melba toast…LOL. Thank you, Bob, for a wonderful thread. I enjoyed your thoughts as well as appreciate the effort of posting the menus and daily Reflections. I think you might be on the sailing just before ours, so hope to see your experiences on the QC to NYC trip. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
360Guy Posted July 9 Author #90 Share Posted July 9 59 minutes ago, loriva said: Thank you, Bob, for a wonderful thread. I enjoyed your thoughts as well as appreciate the effort of posting the menus and daily Reflections. I think you might be on the sailing just before ours, so hope to see your experiences on the QC to NYC trip. We look forward to it! Thank you! Wishing you a wonderful cruise as well! Bob and Ray Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare vino100 Posted July 10 #91 Share Posted July 10 Thank you for sharing your cruise. We will be on our first Crystal cruise in September. I’m thinking we might be on your Quebec to New York . 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
360Guy Posted July 10 Author #92 Share Posted July 10 1 hour ago, vino100 said: Thank you for sharing your cruise. We will be on our first Crystal cruise in September. I’m thinking we might be on your Quebec to New York . We are on the Quebec City to New York September 24-October 2 sailing. We start our diets tomorrow…. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kool kruiser Posted July 10 #93 Share Posted July 10 10 hours ago, TER777 said: By the end of the cruise, he was drawing quite a crowd and had a very upbeat presence. His voice had recovered and he was able to sing. His first week on board, he could not. He is a very talented musician. Thanks Tracey If my recollection is correct, you usually prefer to travel on Symphony ? If this is the case and I am not mistaken, you are definitely referring to Jon Barker, currently on Serenity ? Sorry to trouble you. Colin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BWIVince Posted July 10 #94 Share Posted July 10 19 hours ago, kool kruiser said: Thanks again Bob, cannot wait to board in 14 days. Did you manage to form a view on the pianist in Avenue Saloon ? I know that a couple you met who have their own blog were not impressed and I wonder what you thought and whether he became more ''upbeat'' ? Sorry to be such a pest, but this is a real fave of our Crystal experience. Of course, would also welcome thoughts of others onboard. Safe journeys Colin I use wanted to underscore what others have said… I found he had good range and the “tone” in the lounge varied by the phase of the evening, which is often how the Avenue has worked. At 5:45 the sets were more subdued and very mush in the spirit of cocktail hour, but got more energetic later. I thought he was excellent. Vince 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kool kruiser Posted July 10 #95 Share Posted July 10 24 minutes ago, BWIVince said: I use wanted to underscore what others have said… I found he had good range and the “tone” in the lounge varied by the phase of the evening, which is often how the Avenue has worked. At 5:45 the sets were more subdued and very mush in the spirit of cocktail hour, but got more energetic later. I thought he was excellent. Vince Thanks Vince Very much as usual. Maybe Bob popped in pre-dinner when, as you say, one would expect more of a background rendition. Looking forward to that first Jade Martini...it's been far too long🤩 Colin 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
360Guy Posted July 10 Author #96 Share Posted July 10 22 minutes ago, kool kruiser said: Thanks Vince Very much as usual. Maybe Bob popped in pre-dinner when, as you say, one would expect more of a background rendition. Looking forward to that first Jade Martini...it's been far too long🤩 Colin Yes to the above…we were early visitors. Have a great cruise! The entertainment is awesome! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TER777 Posted July 10 #97 Share Posted July 10 7 hours ago, kool kruiser said: Thanks Tracey If my recollection is correct, you usually prefer to travel on Symphony ? If this is the case and I am not mistaken, you are definitely referring to Jon Barker, currently on Serenity ? Sorry to trouble you. Colin Yes, I was on the Serenity. It’s back to the Symphony for my next cruises. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare vino100 Posted July 11 #98 Share Posted July 11 23 hours ago, 360Guy said: We are on the Quebec City to New York September 24-October 2 sailing. We start our diets tomorrow…. Well we will see you onboard. I’m really excited for my first Crystal experience. We were booked when they went bankrupt, but after all the great reviews decided to take a chance. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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