ChatKat in Ca.

I'm the one who said I felt Nickel and Dimed On Oceania.  We did not like the beverage packages because we did not like the wine offerings and the Alcohol was not top shelf.    We paid for better wine and paid corkage for bringing it onboard.   Some days there was NOTHING to do on board on Oceania and on our last Regent Cruise as well.  On Regent the All Inclusive Shore Excursions were just horrible and it reminded me why we stopped sailing with them.

46 minutes ago, tryber said:

I like seeing comparisons, as I it helps me make informed decisions.  But it's not particularly helpful to hear 10 different times that Crystal is better, but Oceania is cheaper and better value.  

45 minutes ago, tryber said:

Personally, I am very encouraged by the reviews of Crystal.  It seems to me that they have set their pricing to be able to provide the food and service that people expect, instead of skimping to keep the prices low.  I am willing to pay more not to be disappointed. 

I've sailed on Oceania and it's sister line, Regent (most recently).  Better value is relative. On Oceania, I felt nickel and dimed to death.  Quality varied - especially in food.  On Regent, we paid top dollar for things like excursions which were so bad, we only took 2 and cancelled the others. 

I can't wait until we sail the New Crystal. 

They make it easy.  Your stateroom attendant will move your stuff.  They do it early in the morning so they can make up the cabin for the next passenger.  They clean your 2nd cabin, and move your things.  You pack your valuables and toiletries.  You take your stuff to be put in the safe in the new cabin.

I came to supervise because I wanted to see that it was done to my satisfaction.

This thread reminds me of the scene from Five Easy Pieces

1 hour ago, Wendy The Wanderer said:

I don't remember our friend being told to stay in his cabin.  I remember him coming back to the Observation Lounge and telling us the tale.  The perp himself was in the highest-level cabin, and had a very entitled attitude, and seemed to be the abusive type to start with--I believe he was bullying his wife, for instance. He was confined to his cabin that night, which was packing night.  The next morning awaiting disembarkation, he was walking around free again.  Did not reflect well on Regent at the time, I thought.

Yes, he told us and then went to his stateroom.   So glad it was the last day of an amazing cruise.  The aggressor was I think banned from sailing on Regent too

We are sailing San Diego to Vancouver next year on Serenity.  Excited to sail on Crystal

12 minutes ago, Rothko1 said:

 

Why was your friend banned?   Did they have a verbal altercation that turned into fisticuffs?

No. It was an unprovoked attack. He was not banned.  It was the last night of the cruise and they requested he stay in his cabin for his own safety

We were on the Voyager many years ago (2007 i think) and there was a man on board who was full of himself.  At the end of the Cordon Bleu Course final dinner that he attended with his wife, out of the blue, he decked a friend of ours unprovoked and broke his glasses.  It was the final night of the cruise and our friend and the offender, were banned to their cabins.

3 hours ago, edgee said:

We love love love escaping New York winters in your community and spend many evenings (when not at the McCallum Theatre) enjoying your now non smoking (yea!) casinos.

We love the MacCallum Theater too!  I just heard about a casino that is more local players.  I might have to check it out.

We were talking about cruising and casinos this evening at dinner. 

We have several casinos in the area we live in.  We've lived here almost 6 years and I have gone to the tables less than 4-5 times.

Yet, on a ship I like to play onboard. I'm not a big gambler but I enjoy the play. After all, I am on vacation.  The local casinos are not my cup of tea. The rules are bent for the house. Our last cruise was on Regent, I enjoyed playing blackjack.  It's more a social activity and the Crystal Casinos offered "social" play. 

I guess I will take it as it comes but I will miss the fun part of playing.

I chose that cabin for one of my first Crystal Cruises so I could go out as we sailed by the Staute of Liberty. We were late and it was 2am and I was so happy to be close to my cabin.

I am a So Cal Baby and have gone so many times.  My Mom was dating (single) someone who loved children and he took all of us about 1963.  About 7 years ago, a group of my high school friends went together and then more of my high school friends joined us for dinner at Downtown Disney. We had a great time.  We're gathering again for our High School Reunion and some of my friends are going again. It's a lot more crowded and $$$ for a day. 

We have a friend with access to Club 33 and went many times.  The rules changed that you must go with the members now so that's limited our visits.  We had lunch when Christian Bale there and I hosted a group of friends from Australia. 

On 5/11/2023 at 11:39 AM, bitob said:

That’s because entertainment on Oceania is utterly forgettable. Awful is a good adjective

I had a few Oceania Cruises back before OC.  One night there was a comic that was so bad.  He kept turning his  back to the audience and every time he did, the people would quickly leave.  Everyone was outside the theater watching the people leave.  That was the most fun awful show ever.

There were a few winners but with the heavy port itineraries and the group private tours we took, earlier to bed.

This was one reason I stopped sailing Regent when they added All Inclusive Excursions.

When you book your own excursions with outside operators, you are not competing with 100's of people for the same seat on a bus. 

Even on a private tour, things happen.  We had a guide hungover in Portugal on a holiday and he forgot he was booked.  We hopped into a cab and did the tour mostly on our own. It cost less and we were free to come and go.  Always mindful that the ship departs and plan to be back with time to spare.

There is a hotel which allows day spa guests to use the pool. The chairs are numbered and when a locker is assigned, you also are asked if you use the pool and get a numbered card which is for a lounge chair.  If you leave the pool, the card is turned into the attendant with your towel.

Easy peasy.

It hought Shane was on Seabourn

My bags are packed.

I'm Ready to Go.

Time Will Tell.

There is only one way to know.

Personally,  I do like the casino. 

My Travel Agent was very happy to hear from me with my credit card number. (Which was not Amex as they have no more benefit for booking with Crystal).

4 hours ago, Bellaggio Cruisers said:

 

Question… how did they look? Were they updated? Or old looking?

sheila

In our case, the furniture was worn - threads from seams and stains on the sofa and the carpet. They took the covers off the sofa pillows and seats. It was not luxurious and while the cabin size was great. It was actually disgusting.  This was our first post covid sailing and while the outside the cabin experience was ok, they should have replaced the sofa.

7 hours ago, Bellaggio Cruisers said:

 

Which suites did you have? We are booked on Mariner and are hoping they are in good shape!

sheila

We were in 923 on the Mariner

7 minutes ago, Wendy The Wanderer said:

Kathy, I'm betting you'd love Splendor (and therefore probably Grandeur.) 

 

When did you last sail Mariner?  We were on her in 2017 and she was in fine shape then.

We sailed Mariner in October.  Our PH had stained upholstery and carpet. They took the covers off the sofa and cleaned them but they were stained. The room was in need of a refresh.

17 hours ago, juicyjuju said:

Oh he has quite the sock collection! He will be chuffed you noticed 🙂

Well, Julie, will the sock collection be on display in June 2024?

I was a huge Regent cheerleader until they went all inclusive.  The excursions were okay for people who had not traveled as the included excursions were mostly "panoramic" overviews.  We sailed a while on Oceania because we could book private tours in ports and via the roll calls found companions to share. But the Oceania product was a step down from Regent in Food and experience. 

Crystal was a perfect fit for us but their financial issues and shutdown sent us back to Regent.  The Mariner was in poor condition and the tours for our sailing left much to be desired. It was very sad for us as the Mariner was our first Regent cruise on the inaugural sailing.

10 hours ago, FlyerTalker said:

 

Maybe.  Depends on which terminal Crystal will be using for their stop.  If they get Pier 66, then yes, you are right downtown.  If Pier 91, then you aren't walkable unless you like traversing an industrial port area, plus other obstacles.

I've done 6 West Coast Cruises and never had the opportunity to be at Pier 91.  Unless they change the next one, It won't matter because Seattle is not on the itinerary anyway

One of the things I have loved about West Coast Itineraries is the ability to walk off the ship and go wherever your feet want to take you.  In SF, you walk off and are at the Embarcadero, In Seattle, you can walk to Pikes Market or even the Space Needle or to Nordstrom;'s Flagship. In Astoria, you can walk to the Downtown area. Victoria, you can also walk to downtown.  It's great if you want to go for lunch at a local place and there is no pressure to do a tour.  I know some of the areas are not as "safe" as they were Prepandemic, but still possible.