Stickman1990

I feel fine with it - as many of us benefit from rebates of part of that commission. I think the UK may be a bit different as you have some interesting consumer protection laws that need to be considered against the costs of doing business I also believe TAs need to earn a living and receive fair compensation for the value they add. I also believe a TA offers a wider range of services and options than just booking a cruise - a good one can save you dollars, time and heartache in other ways with access to deals and rates than say the cruise line or booking directly might do. They can and do go into bat for you when things go wrong The reality is when one books directly with Crystal you don’t receive any rebate so the margin from that booking is considerably higher to the cruise line

I suspect they’re referring to cases where someone want to use a milestone for a category upgrade or use the credit to pay towards the fare as opposed to using a few hundred as OBC

Like I said you can’t actually reserve tables in Waterside You can reserve tables in Umi Uma, OdO and Tastes

You can’t reserve tables in Waterside What you can do is let the Restaurant Manager know that you have a large group and what time you’d like to dine so he’s aware of your plans

Yes it was the one I used last month on Serenity - no great surprise they’d use a unique address for each ship Its unlikely people would be typing the address in - more likely they’ll use the QR code and embedded link

Here’s a PDF version of the 2024 Crystal Society programme brochure Crystal Society Benefits Brochure 2024.pdf

If you received the 2.5% discount then it’s already included with your reservation Is there a reason you want to have it shown in your online account? If you want to resolve it once onboard just stop by the Crystal,Society/Future Cruises desk and ask them to confirm it’s in the system

There is no iOS “App” available - however once you’re on board and connected to the Crystal wifi there is an intranet site you can access for material like Reflections and Menus. There will be instructions and a QR code link to set up access to it available onboard Heres the address for it - but you can’t access it until onboard - https://seweb01.crystal.fun:9460/webapp/#/webapp/

It’s the same on any luxury line (without exception in our experience) - sometimes they stuff up and need to be told - I always think the true measure is how they respond to that discussion

Exercise with a view if the weather cooperates

Crystal has announced their new loyalty programme for Crystal Society members. This one takes you right up to your 300th milestone! Hello Society Family! It is our pleasure to announce our updated Crystal Society Brochure. This updated brochure closely resembles the previous program with some minor changes to reflect our reduced fleet and capacity. As with all our programs, this is subject to revision and adjustments as needed. We are also excited to inform you that our partners at AKTG are working on a larger loyalty program that will encompass both Crystal and Abercrombie & Kent brands. We look forward to announcing more on this in the coming months. Thank you for your continued patience and loyalty as we value each and every member of our Crystal Society Family. If you have any questions please comment below, private message, or contact us directly at +1-888-615-2539 for further assistance.

I believe almost every cruise line provides complementary cruises to travel publications from time to time - so Explora is certainly not alone in that and thus it wouldn’t be the reason they were named first on the list Extra cost for a selected dining venue - again not unusual - Silversea and Crystal have that and Regent and others do wine pairing lunches at an additional cost We found plenty of acceptable choices on the included wine list, I can’t come t on whisky but there was a good range of gins available Seriously - you expected Rolexes to be handed out? Yeah like that’s ever going to happen Yes you did miss the outdoor fitness centre - it’s definitely there Having said that I do agree these industry awards are somewhat pointless - not just in the cruise industry but in others as well - they’re subjective or stacked with votes solicited by the companies. Hardly a critical assessment of the offerings. But then again if they’re going to persist with them then it’s better to come out on top of the list isn’t it

Travel & Leisure have Explora top of their list of new ships in 2023 - they had some pretty strong competition https://www.travelandleisure.com/best-new-cruise-ships-of-2023-8607522?

Wow talk about an interesting personal opinion/interpretation on what he actually said in the article

Happy to chat and share knowledge - you can email me on stickman “at symbol” exemail.com.au - my email should be visible in my signature if you're viewing the post on a PC. I look forward to hearing from you I live in Australia