KenzSailing

Viking seems to be doing OK.

Well, that's great, and happy for you. But since the Nobu Empire has some twenty plus restaurants in the US(plus hotels) and another twenty-five or so worldwide, I'm not going to really take notice until some city announces the first Nobu Drive-Thru. 😁 I imagine it will be kind of like this:

I do not know your origin story skybluewaters, but every time I see your screen name something I haven't seen since I was a kid pops into my head:

Why yes, it does. I fact, that reminds me of a story. Debbie Downer was a character originated and played by Rachel Dratch on Saturday Night Live, a few years ago. (Now, my story diverges at this point, but I'll get back to Debbie/Rachel, I promise.) The Kennedy Center here in DC runs a very well done series they call Broadway Center Stage. They team with a Broadway production company to bring top Broadway musical talent to DC for their own unique productions(as opposed to just booking a road show version of Hamilton, etc.) They can entice this top talent here with one clever wrinkle: it's only a four week commitment(Broadway contracts are typically for multi-month runs.) It's an abbreviated and compressed schedule: two weeks of rehearsal in NYC, down to DC for four days of technical rehearsal for integration with the KC orchestra, sets, costumes, and then eleven performances over ten days. Then poof, it's over, almost like it never happened. The shows are fully staged and tremendously good, it's been a huge success. So this past fall the production was "Guys and Dolls," an old chestnut and sure-fire crowd pleaser, and we were there. It was fantastic(the folks sitting next to us were theater culture-vultures down from NY to take it in.) Now, and you probably know this, but G&D revolves around a lot of NY gamblers/hustlers/low-lifes trying to get a craps game together. One of the key participants in the craps game is a character from out of town called "Big Julie." Big Julie is a domineering, comically menacing figure, typically played by a large man with a baritone voice. In this production Big Julie was played by, wait for it: Rachel Dratch. Now, understand Ms Dratch cannot be five feet tall. She is a diminutive person. And here she comes lumbering on stage in this padded suit, over sized fedora on her head, and cheesy fake mustache affixed to her upper lip. The crowd knew it was coming and still howled with delight. Needless to say she chewed the scenery, dominated her scenes, and left everyone laughing to tears. It was a great and grand evening. And that is my Debbie Downer/Rachel Dratch story. As the kids say, video or it didn't happen: Encore, encore:

Hey, thanks for asking. No major worries here(thank you vaccines) just a little worn down from some antibiotics I'm on and, as you may have noticed, a little cranky. 😁

OK, enough. This little backwater is for folks trying to stay off topic, and have some fun doing so. There are plenty of threads for you old bulls to lock horns with the same tired old fights. Please head back there.

DennyDeckPlan: sounds like the mess hall on an aircraft carrier. Yeah, that's not a very good comeback, but with this darn covid recovery, I may have lost a step(protip, don't catch this stuff.) Anyway, glad for the excitement of the last 48 hours or so, it's helped keep me going. Gonna be a little while before I man the stoves. Also, and while it's completely predictable, there is a WHOLE lot of "but this isn't the new Crystal I had in mind" consuming the board. I mean, of course it isn't. But there are turndown chocolates.

Roy, Yeah, rest up. And for gosh sakes ignore the rest of us for a while. It's a zoo over here(more than usual!)

Also, some positives that are so positive to me I kind of skipped over them: The Crystal Cove, and especially, The Avenue Saloon! I promise, I will never, ever complain about those columns in the Avenue on Serenity again.

Yeah, I think you're on to it about the specialty rez demarcation. As veranda double stateroom cruisers, my first thought was Aqua is now a reasonable step-up, price wise, but Sappy is still for the swells. That seems the more likely dividing line to me. Reminds me of when Crystal first went AI, and there was a huge uproar about crammed together deuces in W/Side. Eventually they backed off and introduced more 4 and 6 tops, spread farther apart. I'm convinced that back then their initial concern was lack of capacity in W/Side, pax lines spilling into the lobby, general chaos. Same here(and they remember what those specialties were like right after AI was introduced, pre the $30/pp charge.) Some memory scars can cross ownership groups, if you've got the right people at the operational level.

Fair point about the notation: our booking is 867-53-09. I think our rez agent was Jennie. Point about those deep verandas on Regent, they are tempting(I think it was you who put me on to them.) But they are pricey. For all the kerfuffle about new Crystal price points, I'm keeping my powder dry until my TA gives me a firm Crystal quote to compare to my Regent booking.

Vince, I knew you'd get to those bathroom tiles sooner than later. 😁 Good get on the Tastes layout. I know Crystal was trying to serve a lot of masters in that area, but it always felt to me like a slightly more luxurious food court. Hope that vibe is gone. The price compression between standard veranda and Aqua jumped out at me. Crystal seems to be aware they now have a lot fewer of one, and a lot more of the other that they need to move to make this work. Oh yeah, one fun thing for me(that will incite a lot of boos.) There's still a Connie Club. I can still indulge my infrequent but filthy habit.

Oh my about Roy. Hadn't noticed over the last couple of days what with all the excitement. Small thing, but glad at least that he lives in a true nexus point in the US for quality medical care.

Thank you for enduring one hour of on-hold music so the rest of us don't have to. Unless they were playing "What a Wonderful World," that would be OK.

Ah, so that's how you bankrolled your luxury cruising lifestyle. 😁 As to the space, I've figured it out: art gallery/auctions. Profit! (I'm kidding.)

Interesting. Matters not to me(I have other dissolute habits), but I'm still surprised.

Um, me from yesterday: The old casino and Umi Uma spaces show up unaltered, so I'm going to guess that they're being left blank while branding deals are being worked out. Also, I was right about the bathtubs. Agree with you on photos. Those ships are construction sites, and anyone who's been responsible for a construction site knows the magic that occurs in the last 24 hours(and sometimes after.)

Guess it depends on how you look at things. I'm buying a cruise vacation, not renting office space.

We already know there will be sushi restaurants on both ships. The poles in the Serenity Avenue are structural, preferable to the deck above caving in on a performance. Little premature to make conclusions about the soft goods. In other words:

First blush: Solo cruises who don't need a veranda should be most pleased. I'd take a hard look. For couples, the step-up from veranda balcony to Aquamarine(old PH) is tempting. I can't tell if Crystal is now bundling port & taxes. Further analysis in the morning required. And yes, a lot of cruises on the "cheat sheets" are not on the website yet.

Oh, thank Neptune. Now we can return to complaining about concrete specifics, rather than our conjectures about them. It's the CC way!

Can't help if it's logoed, but in general: https://www.movaglobes.com/

Recommend you arrive Marseille no later than July 30.

Well, we've moved on from a verandah vs window cabin discussion to that oldie-but goodie: how much cabin is enough cabin? To which I say: toe-MAY-toe, toe-MAH-toe. We all have different wants and needs, and those can even vary by cruise. We've always said that two people who get along can do just fine in a Crystal standard cabin. Then, I recall that years ago there was a drop-in from the Regent board who concluded that she and her spouse could not possibly cruise Crystal again without being in CP. She's definitely a toe-MAH-toe. Fine, feel free to subsidize my cruise fare. This discussion is also why I'm completely comfortable that Crystal is going to preserve plenty of cabins at the old dimensions(note I said "plenty" not "as many as before.") Crystal, IMO, has a loyal set of customers who are more price sensitive than the folks on deck 10 and are traveling solo. In fact, while they may be underrepresented on this board, it's reasonable to argue that this is Crystal's most loyal passenger cohort. These folks are willing, anxious even, to trade sq footage and knowledge that they're stepping onto a 25 year old(impeccably maintained and updated) ship for a lower tariff and a genuinely lux experience once they step out their cabin door. I'd even argue that the category of cruise line Crystal fits into could be called "luxury where it counts." Of course, this all hinges on them delivering with the new product. As always, YMMV. TWT. XYZ, ETC.

That's logical, but I'm going to be the contrarian and predict Serenity sees paying pax first. Hey, I haven't been wrong yet!