avalon244

Agree with everything in the review, especially the part about Osteria.

I'm only speaking for myself here, but I'm getting a little insulted by your continued Authentic Italian vs Italian American comparison. Not all Americans go to Olive Garden for their Italian food. I've been traveling the world for more than 50 years, including many trips to Italy, where I ate Authentic Italian food. I would venture to say the majority of Crystal cruisers fall into this same category. And at this point in my life, I know the difference between a good Authentic Italian menu and a bad one.

Perfectly stated!!!!

Wise decision. Have cruised on Crystal since the mid-1990s. Big fan. Was on Symphony last September. My wife and I tried Osteria for the first time. It was the worst dinner ever on land or sea. Horrible menu. We vowed never to return until the menu significantly changed. This past February we were on Symphony again. Checked the menu at Osteria and found that it was basically the same. So we ate our dinners at Waterside and Umi Uma. Both excellent. What we came to realize is that Osteria is named after the owner and is his passion project. He's not going to change anything no matter how many complaints are made. Imho, this stubbornness will come back to bite (no pun intended) the cruise line when competitors are offering more specialty dining options. But I guess it's his money to spend as he sees fit.

Prices also went up across the board.

Has the restaurant made any additions or subtractions from the menu over the past 2 months?

Point taken! Actually I had and have no problem with any of the verbiage in Keith's post. It was the 18 photos that followed which seemed like overkill to me.

Don't understand why you need to super- promote this restaurant. Sounds like the natives behind this enterprise are getting restless. Let people decide for themselves. My own single experience was extremely negative, but of course we didn't try everything on the menu. We would never return under any circumstances with the current menu intact. Just our opinion.

See Post#36 on the Any news/comments from Symphony.

Vince, I was never in love with the old Prego either. I liked it and did think it had a lot of options. I tend to be adventurous when it comes to trying new foods. My wife not so much. So when I first read the menu online a month or so ago, I too thought it looked interesting. Buy when your waiter has difficulty explaining what's in a particular dish, it's a sure sign of trouble ahead. To each his own, but if someone about to board the Symphony in the next month asked for my opinion, I would tell them to use all of their specialty restaurant comps at Umi Uma.

My wife and I are also on this cruise. Having a wonderful time, except for 1 issue (which I'll get to later). The service is excellent as always. Lots of familiar crew faces, many of whom recognized our faces. Food at Waterside is better than ever. Umi Uma is still spectacular. And I think the entertainment is a notch better than I remember. There are a few slightly annoying design flaws with closets and drawers, but these are minor. However (and, remember, I am one of Crystal’s biggest supporters), the menu at the new Italian restaurant is a COMPLETE DISASTER. We had a horrible meal there a couple of nights ago. My wife and I are not from Northern Italy nor are any of our families, so I can't judge whether the food is authentic Northern Italian cuisine, but the concept from start to finish is totally ill conceived. Americans, in particular, will never get onboard with it. I predict the entire menu will go down in flames within 3 to 6 months.

Now I'm confused. The price IS $9100 pp.

You just made my point. It's common industry knowledge, but a novice cruiser wouldn't know that. And that's why you need to rely on an experienced cruise TA who knows the ins and outs of the business. No need to get snippy. I will be sailing on the Symphony soon and can't wait. Have a nice day.

Of course you are free to do what you want and complain to Crystal, but imho most of the blame for this misunderstanding falls squarely on the shoulders of your cruise TA who should understand basic cruise pricing. This is a common practice to combine 2 segments into 1 longer cruise and frankly, it's ridiculous that a cruise TA doesn't know that.

Let me add a couple of points that may lessen your angst. I've been sailing on Crystal since 1998 and pricing can be very tricky. For example, various discounts only come off the cruise portion of the fare, not the port charges and fees. I don’t believe Crystal is charging you a fee for being on a waitlist or has raised the price for the 2 segments. They are simply presenting the cruise in 2 different ways ($9600 with discount and $9100 without discount). In the end, the final price is pretty much the same. Now a savvy TA should understand this. But in my experience, that is often not the case.

I agree that Crystal should be explaining the situation better, but I'm fairly certain that the $9100 price you're seeing includes the 5% discount from the actual $9600 price. Now if you have another cruise booked directly after the 20-day cruise, you should get a 5% discount on that segment.

It looks that way, but there's probably a few extra dollars gained on the society discount at the higher rate and perhaps port charges. Either way, the difference is pretty negligible.

Here's what happened. When you originally booked, it was booked as 2 btb segments. Segment 1 is $5,300. Segment 2 is $4,300. That equals $9,600. So you received the 5% btb discount. However what you're looking at on the website is a 20- day cruise at $9,100. But there is no 5% btb discount. Crystal isn't trying to scam you. Glad to be of help.

Better start preparing that apology post you'll owe to Keith now.

Don't believe this is true. NC raised 2023 prices a couple of weeks ago when they introduced the $1000 air credit. However, all 2024 prices appear to be the same.

Where did you hear that NC is raising its prices on all their itineraries?

First of all, I think your travel plan is a wonderful way to honor your mother and keep those special memories you shared with her close to your heart. Regarding the two itineraries you're considering, you can't go wrong with either one. The earlier cruise has overnights in Barcelona and Tuscany. The later one has overnights in Naples and Venice. For me, overnights in Barcelona and Tuscany are very appealing. Imo, you could avoid Naples and not miss much. I like Mallorca. Dubrovnik is a very interesting city. If pressed, I would probably choose the Oct 28 to Nov 5 cruise and spend an extra day or two in Rome at the end of the trip. You mentioned that special castle 60 miles north of Rome. There is also Tivoli Gardens, about 20 miles northeast of Rome, definitely worth a visit. Hope this helps. Wishing you all the best.

I had to chuckle when I read your request. Where have you been for the past 16 months? This forum has beat to death the good, bad and ugly aspects of OC and NC non-stop with no winner or loser emerging. Nearly everyone is dug into their positions on the topic and not about to change. So imho what you're asking will only lead to more confusion in your mind. My suggestion is simple. Book one short cruise on NC this fall that doesn't break the bank and see for yourself. If the cruise meets or exceeds your expectations, you can book more. If it doesn't, you'll know to begin exploring other cruising options.

No one is telling you to book anything on the new Crystal. Please don't tell me or anyone else not to.