LNugent

My husband and I have sailed on many cruises. Our favorite is Crystal and we have also sailed many Seabourn cruises. We have a couple of upcoming cruises on Crystal that are probably getting cancelled….one through Suez in December and the other in March 2025 that is two legs of a their World Cruise in which it looks like they are rerouting. We can’t find an itinerary we like to substitute in December on Crystal so we are looking at Regent Voyager cruise. Thoughts? Comparisons?  

I know they used to have Karaoke but not sure anymore. They usually had it about once a week. The songs offered were old and new. The Karaoke nights could be hit or miss depending on the demographic of the specific cruise. 

Finally paid. 

Hmmm….looks like this may be cancelled.  I hope they let us know soon as I would most likely book whatever alternative they offer. Otherwise I may look at other cruise line itineraries during that time as I need time to sort out flights, etc.  

I agree. I will post when I hear from Crystal. 

Oh, yep. That’s where I saw the proposed changes. 

Thanks!

Hello. I see that Crystal is looking at drastic changes to the 2025 World Cruise. These changes would result in my March 2025 cruise to be cancelled. Bummer.  It looks like my December 2024 will probably be cancelled or drastically changed. Wondering when Crystal will let me know. What alternatives?  How will refunds be handled? I have always been a big fan ofCrystal. I know these things happen but how it is handled can make or break how I feel about Crystal. 

Has anyone heard anything about this cruise?  Thanks. 

My husband and I cruised on the Venture. It was a very good experience and it felt like a luxury expedition cruise. The submarine was awesome. The one issue was there were excursions and zodiac trips in which people participated that were not physically able. If created problems/delays for the other guests. Tough situation for Seabourn. 

The latest is they wouldn’t accept just the form (that they provided) with my wire instructions. They wanted a letter verifying account and wire Instructions from my bank. More stalling tactics. I sent them the letter which was difficult and time consuming to get. I told them if the funds were not promptly wired I would be reporting them to the Florida Bar.  I am giving them 10 days. We will see. 
 

Received this email today after asking many times when my check would be mailed

“

I followed up with Moecker about a week ago. No response and no check yet. Bummer. 

Email I received from Moecker

During the holiday season our bank account was fraudulently compromised.  We have stopped issuing checks at the moment in order to fix the issue at hand.  We estimate the next round of checks to go out in February.

By the way, big fan of Crystal. Ship, service and food great. A few other hiccups on this cruise besides overnight . In Jamaica our VIP Beach Club excursion was to an abandoned, falling down hotel where local tour company was using lobby and small beach as a so called beach club. The building was unsafe, bathrooms had no running water, and appeared unsanitary for preparing lunch that was included. We left and went back to ship. Many people very upset.  We have received apology and refund.  Home office needs to vet excursions better. Let’s just say Crystal still has some kinks to sort out. They will get there but I do believe feedback is productive in helping them to do so. 

No problem with courting agents or bringing them on board just not at the expense of passengers. Overnighting at a dumpy and unsafe city to do so is what is unacceptable. 

On Crystal Serenity in the Caribbean. We had an overnight in Santo Domingo. Not sure why they would stop at all at this port as nothing to do and unsafe according to many. Well, maybe they were going to have a party on deck….nope. We discovered last night that they overnighted to bring on a large group of travel agents. They dined, went to show and were in the lounges. Not cool Crystal. 

The Edition is an excellent hotel. It has a rooftop bar perfect for spotting the northern lights. If you stay, book the rooftop bar/restaurant in advance as it books out. 

1 minute ago, Roland4 said:

You are dreaming if you think you will get an explanation, beyond "for operational reasons", which is cruiseline-speak for "because". FWIW, not every line sends out change notifications for every small change in the itinerary. As May B said in another post Regent is there that day, and I suspect they booked their slot long before NC came along.

When in St Barts last December there were four cruise ships in port. All tendering. 

8 hours ago, Keith1010 said:

Don't just complain here.

 

Ask you TA(s) to followup with Crystal if this change(s) was made and no notification was provided to the TA's and/or yourself.

 

They should find out if this was a recent change and notification was planned to be made or if it was a change and someone dropped the ball with respect to notification.

 

They can and should provide feedback to Marketing that when a change is made that both the TA and guest should be notified.

 

Please do this.

 

Keith

 

 

Hmmmm….”don’t just complain”. I would call this a critique. Is this site not called Cruise Critic. I am a huge fan of Crystal and know they would want feedback when a guest is unhappy. In addition, I have contacted my TA as I am a seasoned cruiser and traveler 

15 hours ago, FlyerTalker said:

If you really want to go to St Barths, take the Winair flight from St Maarten.  Not only can you see the island, but you'll get the great experience of landing at the SBH airport, which is known for its amazing approach.  IIRC, Winair has over 20 flights a day in each direction using Twin Otters.  Or there is St Barth Commuter, which usually runs 3 flights a day in a Cessna Grand Caravan.  Flight is about 15 minutes, block to block.

 

Plus, there are rent a car offices at the airport, so getting a car can be easy.

 

 

I have been to St Barth several times. I was just there past December on Ritz Carlton Yacht and in the past on Crystal. Again, not the point. I expected a notice with explanation from Crystal. 

I have been to St Martin. That’s not the point. I should have received notice from Crystal. 

Not wanting to wait until next year to get back on Crystal, i booked a Caribbean cruise for this November.  I have done Caribbean many times but thought this would be an easy way to check out NC  (easy to get to from Florida). I was checking Crystal site today and it showed my booked cruise with a stop in St Martin in lieu of St Barths (part of reason I booked).  I got no notice from Crystal. I hope it is just a mistake on the website. Bummer if not. Not a good start. 

hmmm….I knew they would. Glad to hear. I am on Seabourn at the moment and their. small casino has been packed most nights. Will be on Crystal in a few months. So ready!

I was on the submersible last September. The pilot goes through all the steps with someone at the surface confirming he completes all steps. Very professional. I felt very safe and plan to go again next June.