crickette

On Encore in January.  On the first port stop, the bottle we took ashore was very fishy/brackish and totally undrinkable.  We alerted our room host.  Never in the following 30 days did we have another and we went through about 3-4 bottles a day.

It also depends upon the state of mind of the individual customs/immigration officers on the day you arrive.  (Think security screenings at airports.)  Miami is my example - sometimes they were way more officious than other times.  When you get off, be sure to bring a credit card and your usual "going ashore" stuff.  You will probably want to buy coffee, and may need to buy lunch (ask me how I learned this tip!).

Interesting. Upon which topics do you lecture?  Could you give us some of your background education.

Thanks in advance, looking forward to hearing, on a cruise, what you have to say.

Thanks for a non 'issue' topic.

With respect to public space:

  - public space on either ship has not increased

  - as an individual, I will not enjoy additional public spaces.  There are no new public spaces nor enlarged public spaces.

  - the statement that on a per capita basis, there is more public space per cruiser is not relevant to me.  I could easily find lots of places to be, without crowds.  Think Palm Court throughout the day.  Even Bistro, except when lectures finished.  MDR.  Marketplace.  

  - when I leave my cabin, I have no more, nor less, public spaces than OC  (excluding what NC does with the casino)

  - public space per capita is a marketing ploy.  Likens back to "free air" and other marketing phrases that had no basis in reality.

  - now IF they increased the size of the dance floor -- that, I would agree, is increased public space for me!

21 hours ago, mcmarya said:

...The outlet by the table has very little clearance so any cord that goes down or to the side of the plug will not work due to the close quarters. 

 

Encore comment - my curling iron has a GFI socket with cord out the bottom.  Plug-ins near the mirrors (vanity and full length) didn't have the clearance needed so that item stayed in the suitcase.

Agree!  Encore penthouse suite on 11.  Ridiculous multiple narrow shelves adjacent to the walk in closet.  I have no idea what these shelves were intended to hold as they had no useful purpose for us.  And the shoe shelves always jammed with my shoes.  We don't use a tub, so that is where we storeed our toiletry items.  Lastly, did you ever figure out what to put in those cabinets behind the dining table?  We liked the location for its privacy and would probably book it again.  But the designer needs to spend a week in the penthouse!

6 hours ago, Keith1010 said:

Let me start with the easy question.  

...I don't think I asked this question, but thanks for repeating your thoughts.

...

And what of the future cruise thread that you maintained?

6 hours ago, Keith1010 said:

 

Speaking of roll calls - Keith you used to maintain a thread about participation on future cruises.  Will that be resurrected under NC?  Will meet and mingle be resurrected by CC?   Keith - will you be posting to roll calls?  How have your personal thoughts changed, under NC, about participating on roll calls?

24 minutes ago, ChatKat in Ca. said:

We were wondering where the port for Portland might be....

 

Maine?

We were on Encore recently  and because you asked we will stay on topic so we do not get a note of reprimand. A couple of the waiters, who were the best by far, recognized us as Crystal types. The service was good, particularly from our two room attendants.

Food was hit and miss, sometimes decent other times very poor. The quality of beef and pork in TK was awful, tough, lacked flavourful and had what I term a 'mealy' texture. In the restaurant meals were hit and miss. Jack was excellent as the waiter for his section.

Remember this flavour?

2 hours ago, May B said:

You don’t have any friends or family who would join you on that cruise and enjoy using one of your five credits? I haven’t seen that mentioned lately but I thought it was part of the offer. 

Remember CC used to have a thread where "new to Crystal" pax could post asking for STEX sponsors?  I wonder if they would allow a similar thread to find a friend to help use these credits?  

Another question to ask yourself - will you spend the entire cruise worrying about that final morning and making the flight?  Will all that worrying spoil the enjoyment of your cruise?

The value of a reward is judged more by the perceived motivation of the person giving the reward than its inherent value.  However desirable a reward may be, it is often resisted because it is seen as manipulative.

Officially, it now has to be "big" news.  CruiseCritic decided it was significant enough to send me an e-mail!  A nice change from "book your next cruise $99 per night" !!

On 3/6/2023 at 2:05 PM, suzeluvscruz said:

Sounds a bit more formal for daytime than old Crystal, also formal nights don't allow for sport jackets. I wonder who decides if a message on a T shirt is or is nor offensive? 🤣

I think the cruiseline sets the bar a bit high, knowing full well that pax will use every trick in the book to lower it as far as they possibly can.

I see this forum is now labelled CRYSTAL.  Wasn't it formerly NEW Crystal?  I also looked for the old forum, and I don't see it.  Am I just missing it?  Can't see for looking?

Another OC offering that I hope returns “YOU CARE. WE CARE.” CRYSTAL VOLUNTOURISM ADVENTURES.  We participated whenever they were offered, and felt these were some of the best excursions we took.

1 hour ago, goldengatecruisers said:

The press release quotes "nine dining options" which is in line with the way other cruise lines promote their dining options in their marketing.  I read to the end of the release and notice the descriptor changes to state "nine restaurants" under the "Food & Beverage" header.  You are correct, that is rather misleading especially to new guests looking to book. I wonder whether this is another example of an inexperienced person doing the write-up and nobody is proof reading.  In any case, I am sure they will eventually correct that but good catch!

It is also evidence that those writing the content have never been on the ships.  Same as the agents selling the cruises.  NC office staff (including those working from home and/or offshore) are inexperienced.  I think corporate offices thousands of miles apart also contribute - little opportunity to walk down the hall and run something by a colleague.  We are going to see this again and again - e.g. shorex.  Despite NC bringing back senior officials and (hopefully) ships' crews returning.  Staff without experience is now common throughout the tourism industry in post-Covid times.

Recently off Encore, 32 days; TK twice and we gave up on the restaurant. Beef and pork very tough and the mass of meat was off putting. There were empty tables  both times were there and they managed to cancel our on-line booking booking but after much discussion, once on board, we managed to get a reservation.

Over all under whelmed.  

I believe the problem with the quality of the meat is where it is sourced, but it probably is aimed at the target market and from what I read on CC it seems to work for that group.

1 hour ago, ak1004 said:

Everyone has different definitions of waste of money. We book the cheapest cabins but fly business class. Sometimes our flight costs more than the cruise. 
 

we all need to respect other people’s choices and priorities.

Fits our profile.  Flying economy is agony.  Taking a small Crystal cabin is not agony.

7 hours ago, ak1004 said:

Here are the numbers from our bookings. All prices are for the lowest category (OV).

...

All prices include taxes and are before Crystal Society discounts. Old Crystal sailings were booked in 2019-2020 (before Covid). The sailing seasons are comparable.

Very interesting thanks.  Just double checking - did your pre-Covid sailings include port fees?  

1 hour ago, comparto said:

florisdekort and any Aussies on board:

we are joining Bali to Barcelona. Received an email from Seabourn stating we had to obtain our own visa's.

Speaking to Seabourn (Aust ) yesterday on another matter, they advised that visa's would be issued onboard ship where required.

Do you any clarification on that please for Australians?

Based on our experience on Seabourn in December, a lot depends on your nationality, and/or country of residence.  One of our fellow pax was forced to leave the ship at the first port because onboard visas could not be arranged for one or both of them, yet Seabourn was able to arrange visas for us.  To add to the injury, he had a e-mail from the Seattle office indicating the visas would be arranged onboard.

33 minutes ago, History&Wine said:

This is from Melissa Nightingale, Crystal's Regional Sales director replying to a TA:

 

"Wanted to get back to you regarding smoking.

 

We will have designated areas throughout the ship for guests who wish to smoke. There is no smoking in rooms or on the verandas and only cigar and pipe in the connoisseur club!"

 

Designated areas throughout the ship???   To me, this sounds as if Crystal is trying to have it both ways.  i want a definitive answer that there will be no smoking in any indoor environment besides the connoisseur club. 

 

 

Old Crystal allowed smoking in the Connoisseur Club, on port side of the pool, and on the aft of Promenade deck on deck 7.  My guess is they will do the same.

Non-USA residents should be somewhat cautious about the services offered by Luggage Forward and other luggage services common in the US.  In Canada, DHL is not one of our major couriers.  We had a disappointing experience - DHL would not deliver outside the city, and had no idea where we lived, or where our bags were.  They finally confirmed they were at our nearest airport, but beyond that - they were more prepared to return our bags to the departure port than to allow us to come and pick them up.  Our expedition ship offered the luggage services for the parkas, boots, etc.  We used that amenity, but never again.