CP's and Junior CP's & Sapphire Ocean Suites on Deck 7 on Crystal Symphony

[Keith1010]

I realize very few people book the CP's, and Junior CP's  but I know in the past year there have been questions about each one so I thought I would start this thread. I also wanted to make mention of the Sapphire Suites on Deck 7.

 

CP's

 

During last year's dry dock two new CP's were added to Crystal Symphony mid-ship on Deck 8.  

 

What I hadn't realized is that the original two CP's on Deck 10 had a makeover as well and look very close to the two new ones.  

 

There are just a few small differences. The ones on Deck 8 have two closets that are of equal size.  The ones on Deck 10 have two closets with one larger than the other but the total space looks very similar.  There are a few other subtle differences with some of the woodwork and a few other minor details.  

 

I think for anyone choosing which one to stay consider letting location of the CP guide you through this. For example, deck 10 versus deck 8.

 

Junior CP's

 

I think of the Junior CP's as Junior versions of the CP.  They have very similar looks in layout and color scheme but since they are smaller than the CP the rooms are smaller and in some cases the size of the furniture such as the dresser size in the bedrooms.

 

There are 8 Junior CP's. Four are located on Deck 8 and four on Deck 9.  They are towards the bow and stern of the ship.

 

In terms of location there is a slightly higher cruise fare for being located at the Aft of the ship than the Bow.

 

Deck 7 Sapphire Ocean View Suites

 

I hadn't realized they added 44 of these suites to Crystal Symphony on Deck 7.  The keyword is Sapphire "Ocean" Suite vs. Sapphire "Verandah" Suite.  The major difference is since they are located on Deck 7 they do not have a verandah.  They do offer advantages and that includes a lower cruise fare compared to the ones with the Verandah.  For some location is ideal as you are only one deck above Deck 6 where most of the public venues are located and only two decks above Deck 5. And for those who do not desire a verandah right at your door step is the Promenade Deck where you can step outside and get great views while at sea, and arriving to port or departing port.  We've been on some voyages where we didn't even use the verandah due to the weather conditions and the other benefit is for those who are bothered by rough seas you have less motion than say being on Deck 10 on Symphony or Deck 11 on Serenity.

 

Keith

 

 

[oakridger]

@Keith1010 I wonder how those Sapphire Ocean Suites are selling.  To me, if I were paying that fare, I would want to have the outdoor space of a balcony available.  

 

~Nancy

[Keith1010]

Nancy, that is a good question and I am not sure .

 

With that said I looked at the Crystal website and on the next voyage the Sappire Ocean Suites show waitlist while the Sapphire Verandah ones do not.

 

The same is true on the October 14 cruise.

 

On the two before that the entire ship is waitlisted.

 

So, it does appear they are selling well.

 

As I mentioned there are attractions including lower price point, and location but for some no verandah is a non-starter.  

 

A good example of choice is good.  😀

 

As I thought this through I suspect on the new ship we will see this as I remember the question about what people wanted a promenade deck but guests rooms on that desk without a verandah versus no promenade deck and a ship with all veradahs.

 

Keith

[goldengatecruisers]

My two cents: I am always surprised, when talking with other cruisers, how many people say they do not use their verandahs.  That said, I can see the attraction in booking a Sapphire Ocean vs Sapphire Verandah.   For some, the interior comfort and space is high on their priority list with little to no need for outside space.  For those who do not place as much importance on the verandah there is also a substantial cost savings to booking the Sapphire Ocean, especially when booking multiple segments. 

[nancygp]

37 minutes ago, goldengatecruisers said:

My two cents: I am always surprised, when talking with other cruisers, how many people say they do not use their verandah

My husband is one of those people but understands why we have to have one.   We typically take cooler weather cruises to escape the  dreaded summer heat where we live, I still enjoy just walking out of the suite and getting fresh air.  While I don’t spend lots of time on the verandah, I do like having one!

 

Nancy

[BWIVince]

10 hours ago, oakridger said:

@Keith1010 I wonder how those Sapphire Ocean Suites are selling.  To me, if I were paying that fare, I would want to have the outdoor space of a balcony available.  

 

~Nancy

 

I was kind of surprised when they created two-bay suites out of the rooms on deck 7 -- they seemed a little high end for its limitations...  Not just the lack of verandah, but also the obstructed views (especially midships).  I do think they made sense in Symphony's case given the overall targets, but they definitely have a niche audience.

 

That said, they do sell at a discount vs. the verandah versions, and support the overall mission of lower occupancy, so they seem to be effective when viewed through that lens.  I wouldn't be as thrilled about the obstructed views at that price point, but I would GLADLY take a discount to not have the verandah...  So I'm definitely in that niche.  Well, I guess not technically, since I don't actually have enough money for one of those rooms.  😕  Details.  lol

 

Vince

Edited Thursday at 04:22 PM by BWIVince

[goldengatecruisers]

14 minutes ago, BWIVince said:

 

I don't actually have enough money for one of those rooms.  😕  Details.  lol

 

Vince

Ditto!!! You are in good company.

[mnocket]

10 hours ago, Keith1010 said:

Nancy, that is a good question and I am not sure .

 

With that said I looked at the Crystal website and on the next voyage the Sappire Ocean Suites show waitlist while the Sapphire Verandah ones do not.

 

The same is true on the October 14 cruise.

 

On the two before that the entire ship is waitlisted.

 

So, it does appear they are selling well.

 

As I mentioned there are attractions including lower price point, and location but for some no verandah is a non-starter.  

 

A good example of choice is good.  😀

 

As I thought this through I suspect on the new ship we will see this as I remember the question about what people wanted a promenade deck but guests rooms on that desk without a verandah versus no promenade deck and a ship with all veradahs.

 

Keith

I'm contemplating taking my first Crystal cruise in 3/26 (33-Night Singapore - Tokyo) and have been debating between ocean view and verandah.  The savings on this cruise are significant - $6K+.  Since the weather will start out warm, but turn colder as we sail north, I think I can forgo the verandah.  My chief concern is privacy.  It seems the promenade is right outside the cabin window. If the curtains are open, everyone walking the promenade is able to look right into your cabin.  Is this concern overblown, or is it a real problem?

[Txcotn]

26 minutes ago, mnocket said:

Is this concern overblown, or is it a real problem?

For me this is a real concern. You either have to keep your drapes closed or your lights off. This makes the room dark all the time which, for me, is depressing. Open drapes and lights on, people on the promenade can see everything - not that they do, just that they can.

[BWIVince]

27 minutes ago, mnocket said:

I'm contemplating taking my first Crystal cruise in 3/26 (33-Night Singapore - Tokyo) and have been debating between ocean view and verandah.  The savings on this cruise are significant - $6K+.  Since the weather will start out warm, but turn colder as we sail north, I think I can forgo the verandah.  My chief concern is privacy.  It seems the promenade is right outside the cabin window. If the curtains are open, everyone walking the promenade is able to look right into your cabin.  Is this concern overblown, or is it a real problem?

 

I'm really sensitive to this one, so I'll comment...

 

One of the big differences between Symphony and Serenity is that Symphony's promenade deck is recessed below deck 7, whereas the outdoor promenade on Serenity is level with the cabins.  So on Symphony, if you're sitting down or laying in bed, and look out the window, you mainly see the tops of heads bob by -- you're not face-to-face with them like on Serenity.

 

There is a reflective privacy tint on the glass, but it's light-directional...  You'll see through it more the brighter it is inside vs. outside.  That means most of the day it's pretty well obscured, but if you have a lot of lights on inside the cabin, or if it happens to be really dark outside, you can see more detail.  To me that's less of an issue though, and the main privacy benefit is the height offset.

 

Just my $.02...  YMMV.

Vince

[mnocket]

1 hour ago, Txcotn said:

For me this is a real concern. You either have to keep your drapes closed or your lights off. This makes the room dark all the time which, for me, is depressing. Open drapes and lights on, people on the promenade can see everything - not that they do, just that they can.

 

1 hour ago, BWIVince said:

 

I'm really sensitive to this one, so I'll comment...

 

One of the big differences between Symphony and Serenity is that Symphony's promenade deck is recessed below deck 7, whereas the outdoor promenade on Serenity is level with the cabins.  So on Symphony, if you're sitting down or laying in bed, and look out the window, you mainly see the tops of heads bob by -- you're not face-to-face with them like on Serenity.

 

There is a reflective privacy tint on the glass, but it's light-directional...  You'll see through it more the brighter it is inside vs. outside.  That means most of the day it's pretty well obscured, but if you have a lot of lights on inside the cabin, or if it happens to be really dark outside, you can see more detail.  To me that's less of an issue though, and the main privacy benefit is the height offset.

 

Just my $.02...  YMMV.

Vince

Thanks for the thoughtful replies.  I'm really struggling with this one given the cost difference.

 

@BWIVince Your comment about the promenade deck being recessed on the Symphony may be the difference maker, but it isn't clear from the photo on the Crystal website...

 

The promenade doesn't look to be lower.  Is this photo accurate, or does the website just use the same picture for both Symphony and Serenity?  This photo is what scared me😲

Edited Thursday at 06:27 PM by mnocket

[BWIVince]

2 minutes ago, mnocket said:

 

Thanks for the thoughtful replies.  I'm really struggling with this one given the cost difference.

 

@BWIVince Your comment about the promenade deck being recessed on the Symphony may be the difference maker, but it isn't clear from the photo on the Crystal website...

 

The promenade doesn't look to be lower.  Is this photo accurate, or does the website just use the same picture for both Symphony and Serenity?  This photo is what scared me😲

 

Yeah, that's a picture from Serenity...  Symphony's staterooms have different prints/frames, different windows, a recessed promenade, and different railings (among other things).

 

In fairness, when Crystal was finalizing the current website, only press photos from Serenity were yet available, and even those had to be updated a couple of times. For a short time using the pics from Serenity was actually more accurate than using the renderings, before new ones from Symphony were ready.  Hopefully they have updated press photos from Symphony by now, and can eventually swap those out.

 

Vince

[mnocket]

2 minutes ago, BWIVince said:

 

Yeah, that's a picture from Serenity...  Symphony's staterooms have different prints/frames, different windows, a recessed promenade, and different railings (among other things).

 

In fairness, when Crystal was finalizing the current website, only press photos from Serenity were yet available, and even those had to be updated a couple of times. For a short time using the pics from Serenity was actually more accurate than using the renderings, before new ones from Symphony were ready.  Hopefully they have updated press photos from Symphony by now, and can eventually swap those out.

 

Vince

Yep, thanks.  Just found this image posted from someone onboard the Symphony...

 

This looks better.  I also notice that the deck railing is open here and closed on the Serenity picture.  All-in-all a better design🙂

[Keith1010]

Hi I am with Vince.

 

My wife and I  looked closely at the Sapphire Ocean Room on Deck 7 on Symphony.  I would not be concerned about privacy. You will be fine.  We looked at it yesterday and remarked on Symphony no one is going to look in for the reasons Vince mentioned.

 

Keith

[BWIVince]

7 minutes ago, mnocket said:

Yep, thanks.  Just found this image posted from someone onboard the Symphony...

 

This looks better.  I also notice that the deck railing is open here and closed on the Serenity picture.  All-in-all a better design🙂

 

Yep..  This picture was taken after the 2021 refit but before the 2023 refit though, so except for the loveseat, table and print, everything else will be somewhat different/updated.  BUT for the purpose of this discussion, this definitely shows the promenade situation better.

 

The railing does vary by location, but it is generally less obtrusive than Serenity's.  In some spots the railings do have solid bulwark on them, but because of varying regulations in place when Serenity and Symphony were built, and the lifeboat orientation, Symphony's railings on deck 7 are generally lower and/or more open.  Check pics closely though to see what they look like outside your cabin for more specifics though.

 

Vince

[Texas Tillie]

Need to point out that Keith's post is about the Sapphire Ocean Views on Symphony and then there were photos of the Double/Single Ocean Views. People not familiar with Crystal might get confused. The discussion about privicy will be the same for all cabins on Symphony Deck 7, however. Having been in cabins on Symphony Deck 7 for around 15 cruises over the years, I can tell you from my perspective the only time I ever felt the need to have the drapes closed for privicy was getting ready in the evening if after dark. I never felt "exposed" during daylight no matter the number of lights on in the cabin. And, yes, more than once I checked on what you can see from outside looking in!!

 

Patty

[May B]

2 hours ago, Texas Tillie said:

Need to point out that Keith's post is about the Sapphire Ocean Views on Symphony and then there were photos of the Double/Single Ocean Views. People not familiar with Crystal might get confused. The discussion about privicy will be the same for all cabins on Symphony Deck 7, however. Having been in cabins on Symphony Deck 7 for around 15 cruises over the years, I can tell you from my perspective the only time I ever felt the need to have the drapes closed for privicy was getting ready in the evening if after dark. I never felt "exposed" during daylight no matter the number of lights on in the cabin. And, yes, more than once I checked on what you can see from outside looking in!!

 

Patty

I agree with Patty completely, except I’ve only been fortunate enough to do eight cruises on deck seven, total on both ships. We’ve also been fortunate to have had three verandahs on our eleven Crystal cruises.

Edited Thursday at 09:48 PM by May B

[BEAV]

Same here. I’ve never felt uncomfortable on Symphony Deck 7 with regard to privacy concerns. 

[Keith1010]

Thank you Patty for pointing out that this thread is about Sapphire and not the regular rooms so best not to post photos of the standard rooms. Otherwise it will be confusing for people.

 

What Patty, Vince, Brian and others have said about privacy reenforces what we saw and have seen over the years with respect to the deck 7 rooms. I don't see it as an issue. I do want to point out than if you are one an upper deck room, depending on yourself and if you are not fully clothed some would clothes the drapes.  🙂

 

Keith

[Keith1010]

One of the nice things we realized are the beds.

 

They went back to beds with bed skirts so if you place luggage underneath it won't be seen.

 

Also in other rooms we have stayed on we had to lift the bed to get 28" luggage underneath and if I am remembering correctly couldn't get our 29" pieces underneath.

 

With these beds we could just slide our 29" pieces underneath and we didn't need to lift up the bed frame.

 

Keith

[mnocket]

13 hours ago, Keith1010 said:

Thank you Patty for pointing out that this thread is about Sapphire and not the regular rooms so best not to post photos of the standard rooms. Otherwise it will be confusing for people.

 

 

20 hours ago, Texas Tillie said:

Need to point out that Keith's post is about the Sapphire Ocean Views on Symphony and then there were photos of the Double/Single Ocean Views. People not familiar with Crystal might get confused. The discussion about privicy will be the same for all cabins on Symphony Deck 7

 

I'm sorry if the pictures I posted are causing confusion.  As I mentioned, I am looking to book my first Crystal cruise, and I was concerned about privacy in the ocean view cabins.  The distinction between Sapphire and Double cabins wasn't something I was focused on.  My apologies.  I do appreciate all the feedback which has relieved my concerns about booking an ocean view cabin, regardless of the category I choose🙂

[Keith1010]

mnocket...While I was walking the Promenade Deck today with my darling wife, I took another look at the windows for you.  I also looked at them last night. No need to be concerned with any of the ones on Deck 7 regardless of room type.  I do want to note even on higher decks, there could be times when someone might want to close the shades/drapes too.

 

Keith

[Noggins]

14 hours ago, Keith1010 said:

mnocket...While I was walking the Promenade Deck today with my darling wife, I took another look at the windows for you.  I also looked at them last night. No need to be concerned with any of the ones on Deck 7 regardless of room type.  I do want to note even on higher decks, there could be times when someone might want to close the shades/drapes too.

 

Keith

Goodness, Keith, do be careful.

You know what social media can be like. In an instant deck 7 occupants might launch a vigilante group looking for 'a slender man in sneakers seen at various times of the day and night apparently trying to peer into deck 7 rooms'. Taking Anne-Marie on one of your reconnaissances helped mitigate the risk for sure - wise move.

I'm sure none of us (well, possibly with the exception of Stickman) want to find you're updates are coming from Symphony's brig. No doubt it is located on a deck level starting with a minus sign, is firmly in the 'restricted views ' category, features a toilet / shower combo with a plastic curtain that insists on behaving like cling film, has a towel that is formerly a napkin with the faded words 'Jade Garden' embroidered in one corner, 'room service' is obligatory with  a novel take on course by course dining whereby all courses are served together in a metal bowl. Afternoon canapes are definitely absent.

Thanks for all you do - and take care, Keith.

Adrian 

[Keith1010]

On a related note I remember when there were comments about the name of Junior CP's and a few people didn't understand why Junior CP. I never really understood the issue as Hotels have used for years the name a Junior Suite to describe a suite that is smaller than a regular sized suite.Of course, many hotels have a variety of names and suite offerings.

Same is true of ships. You know, owner's suite, and so forth.

 

The Junior Suite description on Symphony really tells the story.

 

On Symphony the two original CP's on Deck 10 have been updated so they look very close to the two new ones on Deck 8. There are a few differences such as the closet configuration, along with the bed and a few other items including art work but they are very similar.

 

The Junior CP's look very similar to the CP between the finish out, furniture, etc.  It's just that it is smaller so items such as the living area, bedroom, bathroom look very similar with their size being the major difference and their location.

 

The Junior CP's no Symphony look the same or very similar to those on Serenity including the size of the suite and the verandah.

 

The CP on the Serenity and the CP on Symphony have different styles and their size is different. The Serenity CP is larger, while both include a guest bathroom Serenity's incudes a shower and has a room with a sofa bed to accommodate a third person.  The Serenity CP also has a butler's pantry with cabinets for glasses, a large coffee maker using coffee grounds, an ice maker, a sink and counter space, and refrigerator.  

 

Keith

[Keith1010]

Adrian, your post is a classic (not to be confused with classic suites 😀) in more ways than one.

 

You know when I say I walk the ship I don't want to be confused with some who walk the streets in major cities selling..........well maybe TMI.

 

Keith