ClefsDor

We've only ever sailed on Crystal (about 10 cruises) and have another 4 booked. We are considering cancelling one of our cruises in January of 2021 and booking a Caribbean cruise on either Splendor or Explorer. I'll be watching with interest as more information is released about Splendor especially videos/photos of suites, restaurants and public spaces before we decide on which ship. Sometimes newer doesn't necessarily mean better - we really like everything we've seen and read about Explorer so far and it will be interesting to see if passengers feel Splendor is as good or better.

7 hours ago, Travelcat2 said:

Chateaubriand is not on the CR menu but is generally served once during the cruise (of course, you can always special order it).

Sorry to go off topic, Bob. Just wanted to mention to Travelcat2 that as you're on for a 7 day cruise it might not appear on the menu so I highly recommend a special order and they do it so nicely with not just a slice served but the whole piece which they then carve as many pieces as you wish. We always order truffle fries and bernaise sauce to accompany it. One of our favourite special orders.

14 hours ago, boblerm said:

As to lounges, there are 3, a duo or trio in one of them for listening and dancing, in one will be a piano player, and the orchestra in the third.  There is nothing quite like Avenue Saloon, however.

Thank you, Bob - sounds like there will be more than enough to keep us occupied in the evenings. I love the fact that Regent has an available anytime menu and like you I'm very impressed that lobster and Dover sole are on that list. I know I can order this on Crystal at anytime but it does need 24 hours notice and I'm not usually that organised.

Bob, I've always so enjoyed your live blogs when you've sailed on Crystal and I'm enjoying your current Explorer narrative just as much - so much so that I'm looking at future itineraries that might work for us on Explorer, we've only ever cruised on Crystal but that may soon change 😁

Are there a number of bars open in the evenings to choose from that offer live music, similar say to the Cove or the Avenue on Crystal? Also is Compass Rose usually closed for lunch on Explorer? I think I read that on another thread. if it is, does that mean the only choices at lunch are the pool grill or the buffet? 

Thanks again for taking the time to post while you vacation and keep on enjoying!

I think this is very sad! I'm glad we had the chance to sail on her a couple of years ago. I'm interested to hear what Genting have in mind but it's a real loss for Crystal IMO

So sorry to hear your very sad news. Wishing you safe travels back home. Thoroughly enjoyed reading your impressions - great writing and pictures!

I don't think I've ever seen a beef carpaccio served with thick slices of raw onion or large croutons!! 

Stickman, sounds like you are finding your groove on the Encore - pleased to hear the service has improved, makes such a big difference to the overall enjoyment if service is as it should be. Looking forward to more instalments!

Thank you again, Stickman for taking the time post while you're on holiday. Very much enjoying reading about your daily activities and your impressions especially in comparison to Crystal. Sorry to hear about the service issues - sounds like they definitely have some sorting out to do in that department. Judging from the pictures the afternoon tea food presentation and even the tea cups and saucers appear very pedestrian and doesn't match the elegance and sense of occasion of afternoon tea on Crystal. I do like the sound of a deck party for sail away and this is one thing I wish Crystal would do more of. Looking forward to reading more whenever you have the time and bandwidth to post.

Stickman, how have you found the inclusive wine list so far and the other offerings in the bars? I am really liking all the menus and to be able to have sushi at lunch time is fabulous! Was your first meal in the dinging room up to par?

Thanks for posting all the menus - I'm loving the fact that lunch is served in various locations until later in the afternoon. I hate missing lunch in the Restaurant and then only having the option of burgers and the like from the grill.

Happy cruising, Stickman - really looking forward to hearing your observations on the Encore and the comparison to Crystal! 

Thanks mikjr - I will contact them.

Hi,

We'll be on a cruise in early January that stops at Santa Barbara for the day (10.00am - 4.00pm). We would love to do a wine tour that covers the Santa Ynez Valley and if possible, but not essential, some of the wineries in the Sideways movie, which we love. Can anyone recommend any tour companies that could pick us up from the harbour and return there too.

Thanks in advance.

So pleased that you are doing a live thread - throughly enjoyed your previous reviews and you played a large part in our booking the Mozart in April. Hope you find the ship and cruise as enjoyable as your first. Interested to see how the food compares with the new chef.

Oh and one more question. Have you sailed on MOZART? If so I'm curious if you prefer her over the new BACH. MOZART has that advantage of being quite a large vessel by European Riverboat standards, so more amenities, but of course she has itinerary limitations and she is an older refurbished vessel. Do those tradeoffs offset the fact she is not brand new?

Just in regard to the Mozart - one would never ever be able to tell that she is an older ship. When the Mozart was refurbished she was taken back to the steel which I think is as close to a new build as you can get. She looks and feels like a completely new ship.

Take my advice and skip the Michelin dinner. We were sorry we wasted an evening doing this in Budapest. As someone already mentioned, eating at a Michelin star restaurant catering for a large group is not the same experience at all as going as an individual. We were sequestered away from all the other diners and had a sub par experience with hardly any wine service. 1 Michelin star restaurants are plentiful in Europe and to me they indicate a restaurant is good but not necessarily amazing. We found the food, service and ambience on Mozart excelled the 1 Michelin star restaurant we went to. I found it almost embarrassing turning up in a coach at a restaurant with a bus load of people - ok only 16 of us but that's a lot of people for a small/medium size restaurant. I think they would be wise to remove this as an option and replace it with another experience - perhaps a complimentary ride on the speed boat?

While I appreciate whatever Paul posts, I do not find a comparison of a luxury cruise line and a premium plus cruise line of much value (other than it is interesting).

With all due respect, I have to disagree. I feel the comparison is very valuable, especially as it is being done by someone who has sailed almost exclusively on luxury lines. The world of luxury cruising is getting very competitive and the main luxury lines such as Regent, SB, SS & Crystal need to be on top of their game to retain passengers. Personally I would rather try Viking Ocean than either Azamara or Oceania. I have tried neither but from the research I have done there seems to be a lot of negative comments about both lines. At this point the feedback on Viking Ocean is very positive. I am not interested in comparing Viking River and Ocean - apples and oranges.

Good morning:).....what a wonderful review. I took my first River Cruise last year on AMA and am looking for a cruise for

my 60th birthday (March 2018).......this cruise goes in April and now I am having to make more decisions;).....I was

thinking of AMA again or Uniworld but now I have to put Crystal in the running.

When you posted the picture of the Archway (Sound of Music)......well, oh my:D.........I love that movie too.

 

Everything (your photos) looks fantastic:D

Lois, thanks for your kind comments! I can't recommend the Mozart highly enough. It really was a wonderful trip and the ship itself is so beautifully appointed and enhanced by great service, entertainment and food that was beyond good. We saw many other river ships on this journey and walked through a couple of them when we were rafted - and quite simply none of them came even close to the Mozart in terms of decor. I think the fact that Crystal is the only river cruise that hires and trains all it's own staff (every other operator uses contractors) speaks volumes and is an indication of Crystal's focus on passengers having the best possible experience in every aspect. Regardless of who you choose to cruise with I hope you have a great time!

I am mulling about doing the exact same combination of the three excursions you mentioned on the first full day in Vienna (great minds!) and part of me is saying rest/sun-bathe in the afternoon.

 

What was the hike through the vineyards in the afternoon like? Did you get to stop in a Heurigen for some wine tasting or was the focus more on the hike?

Hi JohnKen3, Apologies for the delayed response. The hike was good but we had really bad weather - drizzling throughout, misty and pretty cold. I can imagine that on a nice day it would be even better. We did stop at the end of the hike at a heuriger for some wine, they also presented each person with a large platter of cold cuts and pretzels which was unexpected. We probably spent a good half hour in the heuriger so it was a nice amount of time. A silly bit of trivia but at the end of the tour, just as we left the heuriger, we saw a car drive past with the licence plate "Joel". Apparently Billy Joel's father lives in the same small village!

Exactly as Patty said. On the first full day onboard we actually did 3 excursions. A museum and treasury tour in the morning then a hike through the vineyards in the afternoon and in the evening the Belvedere Palace concert - I think I racked up about 20,000 steps! Still manageable though I probably wouldn't want to be doing that 2 days in a row but certainly 2 excursions a day should be fine

Thank you everyone for your kind comments and for following along. I'm glad that I was able to provide any useful information for all you lucky people with upcoming cruises on the Mozart.

Patty - it was so nice to meet you! I too hope our cruising paths cross again very shortly! Sorry to hear about Austrian airlines and happy that you got home safely.

We had a good experience on Emirates but regardless of what class you travel there comes a point where you just want to be home already!

I will do a summary of our experience in the next couple of days and provide details I didn't on the thread regarding such things as internet, gym, service and other amenities compared to Crystal ocean ships etc. In the meantime if you are thinking of doing a river cruise don't hesitate for a minute and book the Mozart - it really is a great experience in every way.

Thank you, JohnKen3. Not looking forward to the VERY long flight home but things could be worse - we are flying first class Emirates so in some ways it will feel like the holiday and pampering haven't quite finished.

Thanks, Keith. My posts and photos don't hold a candle up to the more professional writing and blogs of people like yourself and JohnKen3 so I appreciate your comments. I think you and Anne Marie would really love the Mozart!

Crystal Cove - the sun is finally out and setting

Menu from Blue

Love the presentation of the French Press coffee from the bistro and the little egg timer

Ebikes on the top deck with snow capped mountains in the distance (they weren't snow capped a few days ago!)

A gorgeous steak tartare and lobster strudel with bernaise sauce

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Our last full day on the Mozart was spent sailing to Vienna which we were due to reach at 6.00pm. So a sea day really, which meant we got to lie in a little before a late breakfast of fruit at the Bistro. The sun was shining so a lot of people were taking walks around the promenade deck and lounging on the top deck taking in the views.

At 11.15 we attended an excellent wine tasting with wine master Robert Bath. We've attended quite a few wine tastings/lectures on ships and on land and this was very informative and one of the best we've been to.

Lunch was a burger at Blue. I had to do a burger comparison between this and the Trident grill and happy to report they are definitely as good.

There was an apple strudel cooking demonstration at 2.30 which I didn't attend. The last round of trivia was at 3.30 with the questions being significantly harder and our team came in second. I really enjoyed trivia and it's something I will do more of on ocean cruises. I must say though that a lot of the enjoyment was from the way Mark hosted the sessions.

During the afternoon there was that certain vibe that comes along towards the end of a cruise. A lot of passengers were booked to go out for dinner for their Michelin restaurant event and this made the ship and dining room very quiet, which was a shame for the last night. All the Crystal Cove regulars were in attendance both before dinner, and the Michelin event, and after dinner too when everyone returned. Mark did an outstanding job farewelling us all with great songs and lots of laughs. He is an outstanding performer, an incredibly nice man and a great ambassador for Crystal. I wish they could clone him so he could be on every cruise!

We went to bed at around midnight. It was so nice to not have to have our bags packed and outside our room on the last night as one has to do on ocean cruises. We can wake up fairly leisurely tomorrow as we don't need to vacate our room until 10.00 am. The Emirates car is only picking us up at 12.30 and we can stay on board using the facilities until we need to leave. I will do a final write up and summary of my impressions when I get home. Thanks for following along!