BWIVince

14 minutes ago, travelberlin said:

Different parent company Vince. I am not sure how valid it is to compare the scores of the Serenity under the Old Crystal, with the score under the New Crystal. Patterns are important ceteris paribus. But this is actually a new company. It has to make its own history and the starting point of a score of 89 can only lead to an improvement.

 

Ivi

Most of my message was speaking to the pattern you see of the scores than Serenity's specific history, BUT I will say this is one area where I think it doesn't matter as much that the ownership changed.  (...as much as you know I do call out where the ownership changes things! 🙂 )

Specifically, almost all of the hotel department officers and management that are responsible for nearly all of the compliance that the CDC is inspecting, were carryovers from old Crystal.  They were also the ones responsible for updating the written procedures that the CDC inspects when the ships reentered service, and most of them either wrote the initial procedures for Old Crystal or maintained the procedures for years.  That does count for a lot intros discussion.

FWIW though, the pattern works the same even if you just use NC scores.  Serenity's prior inspection post-relaunch under A&K was 97.

Vince

31 minutes ago, ryndam said:

Oh, Vince. That’s 565 days away. After all our discussions about credit card chargebacks…🤪😵‍💫🤣 Hope you used an Amex card…

 

Rob

I did.  😄  I explained the mitigation plan upthread (or maybe in a parallel thread?)...  I think.  😄 This is my first booking outside the chargeback window since January of 2020!   

Vince

1 hour ago, PaulMCO said:

@BWIVince  yes but TWENTY ships scored 100 percent.  It would have been nice to see Crystal do same. I do think familiarity of the process and rules are key to getting that 100 score. And Crystal has not spent any time in the US post bankruptcy. 

 

Twenty ships have scored a perfect 100 this year: 

◾ Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Spirit in September. 

◾ Celebrity Cruises’ Celebrity Ascent in January. 

◾ Celebrity Cruises’ Celebrity Equinox in February. 

◾ Disney Cruise Line’s Disney Fantasy in January

◾ Holland America Line’s Zuiderdam in August. 

◾ MSC Cruises’ Explore I in January. 

◾ MSC Cruises’ MSC Meraviglia in July. 

◾ MSC Cruises’ MSC Seashore in May. 

◾ Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Bliss in June.

◾ Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Breakaway in February. 

◾ Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Escape in January. 

◾ Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Gem in January. 

◾ Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Jewel in July. 

◾ Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Sky in May. 

◾ Oceania Cruises' Regatta in July. 

◾ Royal Caribbean International’s Brilliance of the Seas in May.

◾ Royal Caribbean International’s Radiance of the Seas in July. 

◾ Seabourn Cruise Line’s Seabourn Odyssey in August. 

◾ Viking Expeditions’ Viking Polaris in April. 

◾ Viking Ocean Cruises’ Viking Orion in August. 

I agree it would have been nice to get a 100, and Serenity HAS -- six times before.  But like all of these ships that have been inspected more than a few times, they have varying scores inspection-to-inspection.  

Serenity's last 10 scores were 89, 97, 93, 95, 100, 99, 100, 87, 100, 88.

And that's typical...  Regatta is on the 100 list currently, and her last 10 scores were 100, 100, 94, 89, 99, 84, 100, 95, 99, 97.  Great, it got a 100 two inspections in a row, but it also failed one.

Other ships that are most recently down have done well before too...  Norwegian Pearl got a 90 on its last inspection, but got a 100 on the inspection before.  

Some ships generally score fine, but never get 100 -- Silver Cloud has never gotten 100 before on any inspections since 1994, and Silver Whisper only got a hundred once in all of her 32 inspections.

I get it -- at the moment there are more hundreds on the board than usual, and it makes the lower passing average scores look worse...  But context, history, and trends are important.

Vince

I went ahead and booked Symphony's May 9, 2026, as I'd hinted about upthread.  It was calling to me.

Vince

9 minutes ago, AussieKef said:

Thank you Vince 

Thats what I assumed, as our previous go to cruise line SS dinner always started at 7 pm. We might have to adjust our cocktail time - oh dear - what a first world problem ! 

As long as you start drinking earlier, you won’t notice that the music stops…. Or that the piano turned into a violin.  😁 

Vince

2 hours ago, AussieKef said:

Hi Tyler919

Our first trip on Crystal is coming up and reading your reflections I noticed that there is never any entertainment ( music ) being played between 6.30 pm and 7.30 pm ( which is normally our pre dinner drinks time ) except for the violinist which really isn’t our thing. 
Am I missing something or is this something which is the norm.

P.S. Have enjoyed reading your posts.

 

Both pianists have shifts from around 5:30 until at least midnight, and the lounges usually hit their biggest lull of the early evening as everyone pours into the four dinner venues at 6:30…. After that things stay at a steadier pace in each venue.  So Crystal uses that lull to give breaks, since the next measurable lull is when the show(s) loads in.  They do bring in the violinist to backfill the pianist in the Cove while they’re on their break, but you’re right, it’s a pretty quiet time around the ship.  Unfortunately that’s the least disruptive time to give the two pianists and the duo their breaks.

Vince

Cruise Critic added a banner today explaining there's an issue with adding photos and videos...  However blaming shipboard wifi is always a safe scapegoat anyway, since we all know that pain well.  😄 

Vince

7 minutes ago, mnocket said:

I agree.  It's also refreshing to see a CEO quickly, and publicly, respond to an issue, but I would have preferred if her message was more along the lines of "I'm disappointed by that score.  It doesn't reflect the standards we set for ourselves.....  Instead, her response seemed to attempt to downplay the significance of the report.  For me, that was more disappointing than the report itself.

I think some context on the score is missing here.  You always want your score to be as high as possible, but perfect scores are extremely rare most years and you hope the violations are the minor type (like all of these) that are of the oversight or maintenance adjustment nature, and not process issues or gross negligence.  

89 is an average, passing score.  Some seasons 89 will stand out as low, and other seasons you could have a whole quadrant in the passing 80's.  It's not something you brag about, but it's not something that needs an apology either.  Honestly, that part of her message was perfect -- acknowledge the score isn't where they aim, and explain it's being addressed.

Nothing in that report stood out to me as unusual or alarming, and I've literally been reading them since 1987.  They can still do better, and will...  Until the week that they don't again.

Vince

1 hour ago, Stickman1990 said:

It’s interesting and great that the Crystal CEO Cristina Levis commented on another social media forum about this report. She did so immediately someone raised it on there. I’m reposting her comments here so people understand the CEOs awareness and response 

 

“correct

they forgot to mention that we are one of very few cruise lines that never failed a USPH inspection in over a decade. And this is only the crew’s merit!! 

The point system is interesting to say the least but I found nothing in the report that made me jump on the chair and call the ship. 
The Captain proactively sent me a  very detailed report with all the corrective measures immediately put in place.

Should we always score very high? Certainly! but sometimes it takes very little to lose points. 

I can assure you that everything has been rectified the same day. 

Also, USPH is not only about cleanliness. It concerns also type of flooring in the galleys, type of lightining, temperature of the fridges, storage of food and many more”

 

I think it’s great we have a CEO who is engaged and active in monitoring her lines official guests group and providing feedback on issues such as this 

I absolutely agree about how freely she shares her take on things and how actively involved she is in operations — I often wish she participated here as well.  
 

I’m not sure I love her point trying to parse cleanliness from sanitation, though.  Both are critically important and go hand in hand.  You can sometimes make a whole lot of people seriously ill (or kill them) with a seemingly minor process or design problem — not just with something being “dirty”.  The takeaway should be that the CDC criteria is diverse and represents a comprehensive approach to sanitation across a spectrum of risks.

 Vince

10 hours ago, travelberlin said:

As I have a cruise booked with the Azamara Journey, I have looked at the score of that ship. It is 97. It is also an old ship launched in 2000, so I guess it is possible to achieve high scores despite the age of the ship. Or the Allure of the Seas which got 99 points. Also not such a new ship. 
 

I remain confident that Crystal would not like for this lower score to happen again. 
 

Ivi

That’s been a big change in the arc of my career…. When I first started reading the CDC reports (which you used to have to write to get the paper detailed reports mailed to you) when I was a kid in the 80’s, the older converted liners from the 40’s and 50’s really struggled to be modernized enough to keep up with the 80’s health codes.  While the rules do continue to evolve, most ships in service now have been built since the vast majority of the standards have been in place, and have been renovated to meet MOST of the changes.  

There are still cases where older ships can’t feasibly be retrofitted (as determined by their owners), but they’re rare…. The Bistro on both ships not meeting the handwashing regulations for self-service are a perfect example.  If I had to guess though, lighting levels for work surfaces in bars probably hasn’t changed measurably since almost every ship currently in service was launched (though I haven’t researched that yet and might be wrong), but in the 80’s this appeared monthly in violations for most major lines.

Id also point out Crystal Harmony got a failing score when she’d only been in service for a few years, but Symphony got a perfect score when she’d been in service for decades.

My main point though, is watch the trends…. One month an Azamara ship can get a 97 and a Crystal ship can get an 89, and the next month they can (and usually do) flip.  When a ship always tracks in the 80s, year after year, or fails twice in a row with a score in the low 80’s, that’s what you focus on.  That’s the meaningful data.

Vince

8 hours ago, Tyler919 said:

Not unexpectedly but curiously we are not able to download PDFs from Cruise critic this morning. Can you just verify that what I loaded for menus was readable this morning? Thank you Tillie

CC had a big maintenance outage this morning (in/around their regular maintenance window), so there may be something they didn’t get completed in time and might be having some knock-on effects.  I wouldn’t be surprised if these start working again in the coming days, hopefully.

Vince

8 hours ago, mnocket said:

I would honestly have expected Crystal's ships to be among those with perfect scores - so kind of disappointing☹️

They have, many times over the years.  Crystal’s ships have also failed before... As have most ships, if they e been in service long enough.  No one always gets a perfect score.  People mess up eventually no matter how careful they are, machines break at inopportune times, etc..  It’s more important to pay attention to averages and trends.

Vince

7 hours ago, travelberlin said:

This surprised me. After reading that report, I was concerned about the quality of water and some higiene issues in the restaurants. But I understand that everything has been corrected. Thus no further reason for concern and I am sure that Crystal will not allow this to happen again. 
 

Ivi

They will happen again…. They always do.  There are binders and binders (GBs of pdfs?) of procedures that are carefully followed in meticulous detail, but humans being humans, we know how that goes.  Most common violations are minor, and only ding a few points at a time, so that’s the reason you only have to score an 86 to pass.  The serious violations carry a hefty penalty, and when I started cruising in the 80’s they were a lot more common, but nowadays most ships pass in the high 80’s to mid 90’s.

Vince

5 hours ago, Tyler919 said:

Somewhat off topic, but here nonetheless.  If you do not know, Montreal Smoked Meat is a wonderful cured product which is between corned beef and pastrami. Most Notably from Schwartz’s deli in Montreal but of course available throughout Quebec. They drop the Montreal moniker here however. 
 

My Dad loved it and we enjoyed it in both cities.  Below, my brother and I honor his memory today with this tender treat, adding the famous local Maple Pie, decadently sweet and rich. And finally a photo I took of Dad here on another trip, same restaurant in Quebec City: La Fabrique du Smoked Meat. 
 

Thanks for allowing this momentary diversion.

 

 

 

I treasure familial food memories — your post has made my week!

Vince

It’s certainly an option…. At some points in Crystal’s history (and other lines) it has been operated by the cruise staff using the casino’s license, so there are lots of options to execute it.  We shall see!

Vince

10 hours ago, crickette said:

Is it your understanding that we are going to loose Trident and Scoops only during construction, or is Beefbar going to incorporate their space into its dining/kitchen operation? 

 

For both Symphony and Serenity?

One doesn’t think of it as much when the ship is out of service for a refit and they have more options, but they need a nearby area for staging and prepping the materials being installed (besides storage/refuse areas that can be further away)…. In Serenity’s case we see this both with Beefbar using the Trident and Scoops areas and the Casino using the CU@Sea for staging.  I fully expect they’re being honest when they say they’re temporary closures, based on logistic needs for the refits.

Vince

4 hours ago, KenzSailing said:

OK, so here's one off topic, especially for @BWIVince

 

We dined at minibar(that's the correct spelling) last night. (Anniversary.) First time there since before the pandemic.  It was still top notch.

 

Some highlights(as you're well aware, these descriptions do not do the courses justice):

 

Amuse bouche:

 

several but I'll call out

 

Beet Blini (beets rule! Yeah!)

Jamon Croquetta (would you have expected anything else from Jose?)

 

More substantial:

 

Anori taco(I think you would have liked that)

 

Scallop and miso:

 

Ok, I'm going into detail on this one, my favorite course.  It was one perfect sea scallop served on a miso puree(OLoPP thinks it was pureed black truffles, I'm not clarifying.)  I've cooked a lot of scallops.  I've eaten a lot of scallops at places that know what they're doing.  This was one perfect scallop, best I've ever had. It was barely warmed, reminded me of Le Bernardin. They sliced it 3/4 of the way thru and served with chop sticks. That made sense when I asked them how they prepared it.  Grilled lightly on a robata using binchotan(I've toyed with getting some for a while.)  I was stunned at the delicacy of cooking they achieved using a grill. We dine like this for the occasional moment when a perfectly cooked scallop will bring a tear to your eye.  IYKYK.

 

OK, after that there was black cod, yummy

 

Next up, three course of squab:

 

(Funny aside: when they said "squab" OLoPP heard "squid." She later told me she thought "well, this will be interesting."  Sense of adventure she has.)

 

Anyway:

 

Chawanmushi

Squab and huckleberry(squab breast,perfectly cooked, the huckleberries were spherified.)

Leg and foie

 

Dinner wound down from there.  I'll just mention the "KK donut."  I assume that stands for Krispy Kreme.  It was cream filled and satisfying.

 

Also, we're going to Chicago in a couple of weeks. Much dining. Trip report to follow.

 

Happy Anniversary to you and OLoPP!!  minibar has to be my favorite of Jose Andres’s concepts here, and I’m really glad it’s endured.  He’s also one of my favorite people in food, and I ❤️ and support WCK.

What an amazing dinner!  I can’t wait to hear the Chicago trip report…. I used to go every couple of months for work and I haven’t been back downtown since the pandemic.  😢 

3 hours ago, oakridger said:

 

I thought I "knew stuff" about cooking but had to google this term!  So now I will spend the next 20 minutes or so educating myself on the process!

 

Thanks @KenzSailing....I think!!  😁

 

~Nancy

I learned to cook from my mother first, and spherification didn’t exist in her world.  😆 My only knowledge of it comes from Top Chef I think, and at the rate I cook it will probably stay that way.  Haha

Vince

4 hours ago, AveSaloon said:

 

You are right...2100.  Old brain now working.

 

 

That was closer than my brain gets most days!  The only reason I remember it so well was because of Harmony’s cheeky L.A. theming on deck 6…. The Avenue of the Stars shopping corridor feeding the 2100 Club was a play on Crystal’s original headquarters at the time in Fox Plaza, at 2121 Avenue of the Stars.  The adjacent Century Lounge was of course named for the neighborhood, Century City…. And so on.  🙂

Vince

1 hour ago, AveSaloon said:

 

Any votes for Club 2000?

 

 

Club 2100 on Harmony?  It wasn’t my favorite Crystal lounge, but I could probably make a case of it being my favorite of the three, as built.

Vince

18 minutes ago, bluestocking7 said:

Back to the original question, which is my question too.

 

Looking at the Reflections that  CCers have considerately posted, it looks like once you're onboard there is one night per cruise designated for Solos at UU and at OO.  I haven't been able to find a way to know this in advance, so I just picked random sea days to make dinner reervations at the specialty restaurants for my Jan-Feb cruises.  I'd like a sharing table, or "table for 8" or whatever it's called, but I didn't see a way to indicate that when making the reservation.  

I assume I'll be able to change my specialty dining  reservations once on board, so I don't end up eating alone.

 

I do know that every night there's a sharing table for Solos in Waterside.  

 

IME, the dates/times are not usually confirmed in advance because they depend on a lot of variables that are in flux up until right before sailing.  

That said, it doesn't hurt to book a reservation at each at the time/date you'd most prefer to eat at the venue, just so you have a reservation at each that works on your schedule.  Then, once you board, talk with the specialty dining maitre d'/manager and explain you are holding a reservation but are interested in joining the table for 8 for each venue instead.  They will either change your reservation to the table for 8 (if they have it arranged by then), collect your info to contact you once it's been finalized, or if for some reason the table for 8 date/time doesn't work for you, they will discuss options to possibly add people/someone to your existing reservation if they have any.  Just my two cents.

Vince

43 minutes ago, ryndam said:

Vince, I'm not so sure that the windowless corridor, aka "The Lounge" is any less architecturally appealing than the Stardust on Serenity. That dated, windowless lounge was used for bridge players during our Panama Canal cruise in September. The dedicated bridge players didn't seem to mind the windowless venue. 

 

Rob 

Yeah, don't get me started on Serenity's Stardust -- that was my previous least favorite Crystal public space* (overall)...  To me, the former Casino space still wins the prize though, since even though it's not to my personal taste, at least the Stardust has proper and updated cohesive decor, function-designed lighting, and Serenity (unlike Symphony or Harmony) was purpose designed with two "cabaret venues" (secondary staged showrooms) -- one with panoramic windows and one interior-facing... It's sort of come off the rails in more recent times as the Palm Court's function has morphed to work more like Symphony's (though not completely) and the Stardust has been used for more/other daytime activities not originally intended.  So yeah, I definitely agree.

* - I say "public space (overall)" here because most people know my single least favorite Crystal design element is Symphony's leftover Starlite saucer. lol

Vince

20 minutes ago, PaulaJK said:

I am delighted that the library will remain in its home..great place.

 

Am I reading this correctly? The cavernous former  casino property will remain such 1 in the evenings and 2 will remain empty unless there is a bridge tournament scheduled? It was so empty during our Sept cruise…

In the case of Serenity, I would sure hope so.  That windowless cave/corridor combo is truly one of the least pleasant daytime hangouts I've ever experienced in my ~38 years of cruising -- let alone up to the level of any other Crystal facility.  If I had to play bridge there, I'm pretty sure I'd take up a new hobby instead.

Vince

29 minutes ago, Txcotn said:

 

This from an email I just received from Crystal. Sorry the format is not reflected correctly, maybe someone else got the same email? Rob? Anyway, here will be choices and unlimited res at the specialty restaurants! This also applies to Bridgetown to Ft L.    Below you will find the area closures in place during your client’s sailing, Fort Lauderdate to Bridgetown:

t

PROJECT

OUTLET(S) AFFECTED

LOCATION

NEW TEMPORARY OUTLET

NEW OUTLET LOCATION

REVISED OFFERINGS

Beefbar

Tastes Kitchen & Bar

Deck 12 MID

Marketplace

Deck 12 AFT

· Extended hours and offerings   · Churrascaria concept for dinner

Beefbar

Trident Grill

Deck 12 MID

Waterside Grill

Deck 5 MID

· Open daily for lunch   · Include items such as burgers, hot sandwiches, soups, salads and pasta

Beefbar

Scoops Gelato Bar

Deck 12 MID

Waterside Grill

Deck 5 MID

· Open daily   · Include Scoops offerings

For more options, we have also included additional outlet offerings as follows:

PROJECT

OUTLET

LOCATION

NEW OFFERING(S)

Beefbar

The Bistro

Deck 6 MID

Hot soup option for lunch/snack

Beefbar

Osteria d'Ovidio

Deck 7 AFT

Unlimited Reservations Waived specialty dining fee*

Beefbar

Umi Uma

Deck 7 AFT

Unlimited Reservations Waived specialty dining fee*

*Unlimited Reservations/Specialty dining fee only waived for voyages impacted by Beefbar during the time period for affected segment. Offering will not apply for those on Grand Journey, Combo voyages, or back-to-back sailings for segments not impacted.

During this time the pool deck will remain open, and our guests may enjoy uninterrupted beverage service in the surrounding areas. Please note that certain areas may experience minor noise and activity from the enhancements. As our guest experience is of the highest importance to us, we will do our best to mitigate any disturbances during this transitional time.   Thank you for your partnership and we look forward to welcoming your guests aboard soon!   With gratitude, Crystal

So if I read all that correctly, to make up for the Tastes/Beefbar closure, they're making the following adjustments:

• No Fees on additional alternative dining reservations
• Churrascaria returning to Marketplace for dinner
• Hot soup option being added to the Bistro during the day
• "Waterside Grill" downstairs emulating the Trident and Scoops for lunch daily

Hopefully if I missed something someone can point it out, I was struggling a little with the format so I thought I'd try to summarize.

Overall, I think that's a good plan...  Given what they had to work with they're at least trying to backfill some of what's missing.  I had a feeling they were going to pull Marketplace back into the dinner business temporarily to offset the lost capacity.

Vince

2 hours ago, KenzSailing said:

 

OK, not to pick on our own great @BEAV but I have noticed this development for some time.  When did the American "while"  morph into the English "whilst.  This genuinely puzzles me.

I thought that was his clever ode to Cunard.  😊  It takes Americans a lot to use whilst in a sentence, so I applaud the effort!

Vince

9 hours ago, Stickman1990 said:

Ivi - the correct information, at the time, was discussed. The intent to charge and the systems of Crystal reflected a plan to charge $50 for subsequent visits

 

If it had not been the case Crystal would have corrected it immediately - and they did not. Crystal simply changed their position on this after a few days when they reviewed the issue following feedback

 

I am glad they changed their position 

+1… I wasn’t sure the policy was even meant to be permanent anyway, and I thought it might just to be to help with the “launch rush”, but either way, as they’ve done several times recently, they quickly listened to feedback and adjusted their plans accordingly.  This is definitely trend at this point, and one that continues to give me a good feeling.

5 hours ago, Txcotn said:

 

Eggs Benedict have been available in Waterside for as long as I have been cruising Crystal, which is since 1995. In recent years, somebody with no taste decided to add the sauce and run it under the broiler! ACH!!!! So I order sauce on the side. Poached eggs have always been available.

IME they’d used the broiler on the Benedicts for as long as I can remember — at least since the early 90’s.  😡 I have no idea what what that was about, but it was plain and simple culinary malpractice.

@KenzSailing recently tasked me with trying to find out if they continued to broil them, but I failed in that mission.  On my cruise this summer, I ordered a smoked salmon Benedict the first morning (with the sauce on the side to avoid the broiler problem) and the hollandaise was so out of whack, and the cruise was so short, that I didn’t order it again the rest of the cruise to limit my frustration.  There have been reports (especially from Symphony, of course) recently that the broiling may have stopped.  🤞 Hope springs eternal.

Vince