daleandrews

We are leaving on our first Crystal cruise in six days -- Serenity out of Quebec City. We booked the cruise over a year ago. Some general observations from someone who (as explained) has yet to board: 1. The excursions listed on the itinerary prior to the time that booking is possible sometimes change. A number of excursions we were interested in disappeared from the listing once the booking window opened. Others not previously listed were added. As suggested above, this is likely the result of negotiations by Crystal with on-site providers. 2. Some ports showed no excursions even when the booking window opened. But then later excursions were added. 3. Just because an excursion shows up on the general listing when you are searching for cruises does not mean that spaces will be available on that excursion. On our cruise certain excursions filled up very quickly after the booking window opened -- in those circumstances if you wish to book the excursion and all available spots are already reserved you are added to a "wait list." In our case we were on a wait list for a few weeks for one excursion and then a second identical excursion was added at a different time slot and we were automatically booked on it from the wait list. From my perspective these are just factors you are likely to encounter on any cruise line. Supply and demand and negotiations with local providers will always lead to some fluidity regarding the list and availability of excursions. Watching the website for changes and booking early minimizes the potential impacts.

Just an FYI -- We are boarding in Quebec City on October 26 and are flying in to Montreal (from Washington, D.C.) on the 25th. Staying overnight at the Elizabeth II hotel, directly over the train station, and then taking the 8:40 a.m. VIA train the next day, scheduled to arrive in Quebec City at 11:40 a.m. on boarding day. There were really no good airplane connections from D.C. to Quebec City and we like both Montreal and trains!

Apropos of all of this, today's (Oct. 6) Washington Post has a review of “Gobsmacked!,” in which writer and language commentator Ben Yagoda explores how British expressions are steadily creeiping into the American lexicon. I'd post a cite to the review but I don't think the WaPo will allow it. (Bother, that.)

An FYI -- The listing of dress codes on the reservation page is not always correct. Our upcoming Quebec City to Barbados cruise shows the entire 23 days as Casual Resort. But the cruise is actually two back to backs, and if you check out the dress codes lists for the individual segments of the longer cruise those lists show several Formal nights. I brought this to Crystal's attention in an email and they sent me the accurate schedule for the entire cruise (which also showed when Supper Clubs would occur). But the listing for the back to back cruise has never been updated and still does not show the Formal nights.

We will be on board and perhaps at the next table!

Thanks, Keith. Funny thing -- when I wrote my post yesterday Supper Club did not show up on our cruise. Today it does. Looks like maybe an IT problem was addressed in the interim! 🙂

A bit confused -- is the Supper Club reservable in advance? I was under the impression the earliest time to make reservation was on embarkation. In any event Supper Club, while offered several times according to a schedule provide to me by Crystal, does not appear to show up as an option on our Serenity cruise in a little over three weeks. Am I missing something?

A point that raises a more immediate concern for us. We are scheduled on Serenity's October 26 through November 18 run, Quebec City to Barbados. It now looks like the last week of the run Tastes will be gone but Beefbar will not be open, leaving us with only Waterside on nights when we do not have specialty reservations. I'm sure Waterside will be very nice (this is our first Crystal trip, previous 3 were cancelled due to Covid and then the bankruptcy) but I've never been on a cruise -- first class or otherwise -- where there was only one dinner locale that could be visited without reservations. (I know Tastes technically required reservations also but my understanding is that it has always been relatively easy to secure a table there.) Perhaps Crystal will make some sort of adjustment, and I realize this is just our "luck of the draw," but it still is troubling.

Thanks, all!

Greetings -- We are scheduled to embark from Quebec City in one month on the 23 day cruise down the east coast and then on to the Caribbean, ending up in Barbados. We (like you) are beginning the cruise by flying in to Montreal and then taking the train to Quebec City the next day for boarding. I am curious -- did you taxi from the train station in Quebec City to the cruise terminal or did you walk? From what I see on Google maps it looks like one of those awkward distances -- generally too short to taxi but possibly too long to drag suitcases packed for 23 days. Any guidance from your past experience would be greatly appreciated!

This is good information to have. My wife is allergic to hazelnuts. We noted this several years ago when we were taking an Azamara cruise and the practice they followed was similar to that outlined above. However the next cruise we took was on Oceania and they made a big deal of it -- requiring my wife to visit the health center and certify in writing that she had reviewed the menus before dining. So intrusive that we never filled out the information again and just asked in advance. But the Crystal approach sounds much better -- good to know in advance of our cruise in 6 weeks!

We are on Serenity at least partially overlapping. We are on from October 26 (Quebec City) through November 18 (Barbados).

Every single maritime-related labor union. The laws are supposed to promote build-American and crew-American. Costs are so high for U.S. built and crewed ships that there still aren't many of them. Actually, many countries have similar cabotage laws -- the difference is that the U.S. has such a large number of coastal ports that the public is much more aware of the restrictions here.

We are on the October 26 23 day cruise from Quebec City to Barbados, so we overlap with your first segment, Ft. Lauderdale to Bridgeton. Strangely, Tastes shows as available for reservations on those days on our schedule. (You may be correct and this may be a glitch in the system since our schedule does not show formal nights, which show up on the schedules for the individual segments)

That is precisely what I did to check out the suggested dress code. On our cruise, even though some days overlap with yours, every night shows up as casual. So there must be a glitch on Crystal's part.

We are departing on a 23 day cruise -- Quebec City to Barbados -- on October 26. It's sold as one cruise but is actually 2 back to backs. Interestingly, the itinerary posted by Crystal shows no formal nights. This is fine with me -- haven't put on a tux in decades -- but it seems a bit inconsistent with the formal night scheduling reported by others. I'm wondering if this is an indication of Crystal stepping back from formal nights on its itineraries.

Hmm. . . Maybe Crystal should start program where they will do your laundry but, in return, after each meal you have to do your own dishes.

I fear construction on board when we cruise on Serenity, October 26 through November 18. Also -- no indication what will happen to the library on Serenity.

Yeah, I mean if we ended up going to war what would we do if we could not control the Staten Island Ferry???

This is the general rule in most countries. Restricting coastal trades to vessels (or aircraft) that are registered in that country is commonly referred to as "cabotage" restrictions. Historically these rules have been around a long time and are premised on not only providing an economic incentive to citizens of the host country but also (hopefully) assuring an available fleet of vessels and aircraft in case they are needed in times of military crisis. The restrictions are particularly difficult in the context of the United States -- where there is a huge market for transportation between cities that are often far apart -- particularly so in the airport context. On the ocean front, the requirement that U.S. built, registered, and crewed vessels are the only ones that can ply the domestic intercostal trades is particularly difficult given the economic reality that U.S. vessels are markedly more expensive to build and operate than are foreign vessels. Nonetheless, the laws persist. Ahh well, there we have it!

This does not show up on our page. I suspect that perhaps you need to be within 120 days of embarkation for the information to be loaded. We hit that mark next Friday . . . so I will try again then!

I have had the same thought (worry!). We are on for 23 days, Quebec City on the 26th of October through Barbados on the 18th of November. Hoping there will not be construction of the new restaurant and/or the casino during that time period!

I spent quite a few years practicing maritime law (first in private practice, then with the government). I'm happily retired now and try not to wade into these issues but I will at least put my foot a little into the water on this one. 🙂 The Passenger Vessel Services Act generally precludes transportation between points in the U.S. unless a "distant" foreign port is served on the route. A round trip leaving and returning to the same U.S. port and visiting one or more foreign ports on its itinerary is not deemed transportation since you leave and return from the same city. Similarly transportation from a foreign port (e.g. Quebec City) and terminating in a U.S. port (e.g. Fort Lauderdale) is okay because the transportation is not between U.S. ports. BUT combining two back-to-back cruises so that the passenger leaves from one U.S. port and returns to another presents a PVSA problem. Cruise Critic has a pretty good article on all of this (including the problems presented by back-to-backs) at the following site: https://www.cruisecritic.com/articles/jones-act-and-pvsa-whats-the-difference-and-how-do-they-affect-my-cruise#how-does-the-pvsa-affect-cruise-itineraries-and-ships? BTW -- we will be on portions of this cruise as well -- but we are departing from Quebec City on October 26 and disembarking on the 18th of November in Barbados.

Has anyone heard whether this is still going to happen? I note that the page with the original press release by Crystal now returns a "can't find" message.

Some of this seems to still be a "work in progress." We are booked for the 23 day Quebec City to Barbados cruise leaving Quebec City on October 26. If you pull up that cruise the description does not include any entertainers or speakers and does not mention that Gloria Gaynor will be on board and performing. However, if you pull up the shorter Quebec City to Ft. Lauderdale portion of that cruise (which can also be booked) all entertainers (including Gaynor) and the lecturers are listed. (The summary of the full cruise also references that it will include Phillipsburg even though St. Marten is not a scheduled stop.)