Crystal vs Seabourn

Hi Olympic,

 

Food and service are very subjective matters but having been fortunate enough to sail on both Crystal and Seabourn in the last 18 months and I'm happy to give you my humble opinion ;-)

 

First let me say that overall both cruiselines are fabulous and I am splitting hairs when asked to rate one above the other. However, in terms of service both my partner and I thought that the service on Seabourn was "friendlier" than on Crystal. That's not to say that the service on Crystal was not excellent or any less professional we just found it a little cold. I think this is probably a product of the size of the ships as being much larger ships and having more crew, it is not realistic to expect them to be able to recognise their guests and address them by name (something which always astounds us on Seabourn ... I don't know how they do it).

 

With regards food, again I'm splitting hairs but comparing the main dining rooms I would give Seabour a slight edge over Crystal. However where Crystal really excels and beats Seabourn by a large margin is its speciality restaurants which I would rate as the best that I have experienced at sea. Silk Road is great if you like Asian fusion type cuisine and make sure you try the Black Miso Cod. Prego serves more traditional Italian fare and as I'm typing I'm salivating at the thought of their signature Mushroom Soup.

 

I'm sure if you approach things with an open mind you will love Crystal, both lines have their strengths and weaknesses but when I'm onboard either I continually have to remind myself how lucky we are to be able share an experience like this.

This is another matter that varies from ship to ship. On my last 4 Carnival cruises, my room steward has remembered my name after meeting me only once - called me by name the rest of the trip.

I don't know how they do it either....but it has nothing to do with whether the cruise line is upscale or mass market. If the training staff insists that the crew have this skill, they will have it.

Hello all,

My partner and I are doing Crystal Symphony crossing Fall 2014 and Seabourn Quest crossing spring 2015. It's our first time on both cruiselines and we are very excited. I have no doubt we'll love both an can't wait to see the differences if any.:). We used to do a lot of Azamara but are not thrilled with their new all inclusive vs price increase.

There are big differences between Crystal and Seabourn. mostly in ship size and dining policies. But both are wonderful and you'll enjoy each. Bon voyage!

My Partner and I are loyal Celebrity cruisers and want to try a luxury cruise soon. We've read quite a bit about Azmara, how does it compare to Seabourn or Crystal? Would love to hear others thoughts!

My Partner and I are loyal Celebrity cruisers and want to try a luxury cruise soon. We've read quite a bit about Azmara, how does it compare to Seabourn or Crystal? Would love to hear others thoughts!

It's a step up from Celebrity(mostly due to smaller ships)Azamara is still considered "premium" as opposed to luxury.

It's a step up from Celebrity(mostly due to smaller ships)Azamara is still considered "premium" as opposed to luxury.

How does Azmara compare to Crystal and Seabourn?

How does Azmara compare to Crystal and Seabourn?

My husband and I have done two transatlantics on AZ and just finished 68 days on Seabourn. Both are gay-friendly. AZ set up an FOD meet-up on most evenings at cocktail hour in the observation bar. On Seabourn, no need since the ship is so small, gay folks hooked up easily, although some gay folks were stand-offish. The ships are the same size, but Seabourn carries only 450 passengers max, so the cabins are substantially larger and the public spaces, especially Seabourn Sq., are more spacious and luxurious. Service on Seabourn is outstanding, lots and lots of staff who are very well trained. IMO, the food quality on Seabourn was lacking and did not live up to the luxury hype, while food in the main dining room on AZ was always just fine, and in the speciality restos was quite good. Buffets comparable. Entertainment and enrichment comparable, not of a very high level. The small number of passengers on Seabourn means that you make acquaintances quickly and bump into the same people over and over. This can be very sweet, but can also be overbearing, depending. On the whole, I found AZ to be a better buy, IMO. BUT and this is a big BUT, AZ is NOT a luxury line. Don't you love those big buts?

Just back from Crystal Serenity cruise out of Barcelona. Enjoyed the Crystal experience however I would have to vote Seabourn as my favorite. It was a tooth and nail fight with Crystal to be able to reserve first seating in the dining room. I told them I was a diabetic and needed to eat early, however that did not satisfy the Crystal rep. They insisted on a doctor's note, which was not possible to give since we'd just moved to another city and I didn't have a new doctor. Finally I told them I would mail my blood lab work, if that would serve as 'proof' of my medical condition. They finally, at the last minute, gave us first seating. The service, food, and entertainment, however, were excellent. There was one FOD get together and we made friends with a lovely young lesbian couple. Everyone else stayed to themselves. When all was said and done, I believe we preferred Seabourn or even Cunard (in the grill) as opposed to Crystal because of the dining flexibility, although I wouldn't count out Crystal. We just booked another Azamara cruise out of Rio in December and are looking forward to that cruise. All of the smaller ships are great in my opinion.