Keith1010

A few people have asked about the start times of shows. In general they will begin either 9:30 or 10:00 pm with one showing and on some nights you have two different completely shows. I did want to note that this evening has an earlier time with a 30 minute performance in the Palm Court by vocalist Bruce Hammond. This is something new as it is being held in Palm Court and in terms of time will start at 9:30 PM. At 9:45 pm there will be a peformance of Icons in Concert in the Galaxy Lounge. Keith

Canapé's which are offered in the suites. They change each day. Keith

Again not sure of the current pricing. It will be offered once or twice each sailing depending on the itinerary and length as will signups for group dinners. I know they have at least one group dinner on this sailing. Keith

Before a new observation my point on Sommelier's is that Crystal has Sommeliers who have completed their certification and I have yet to sail on a cruise line where all of the people pouring wine are certified in this profession. Some at Crystal have gone on beyond the certification. New observation. The new Tastes is very close to the original one. A few items have changed and that is nothing new as every few months they would. The subtle difference is the left side of the menu reflects what they refer to as appetizers and the right side entrees. It has more to do with the organization of the menu. For example, salad on the left side and steak on the right side and the menu is printed on card stock rather than on paper. Keith

Great thank you Dwight. Keith

I would just be prepared. You never know. The same can happen in Hotels. Anne Marie always tell me wherever we stay the thermostat is for decoration. It's not going to be very cold the entire day and evening. Right now early morning it is not. It does vary. I find certain stores in shopping malls to be very cold. And some of this varies by person. I can be cold and Anne Marie is hot. I think it is a good idea to have a light jacket so if you are cold you can put it on as I sometimes do. Keith

There are still a number of production shows. This evening is Icons in Concert and last evening was Sweet Soul Music both production shows. Keith

The butler in these rooms will assist in unpacking and packing (most guests do not have the butler perform this service, stock your refrigerator and fruit plate daily, make specialty restaurant reservations, and be the go-to person for you with any questions or assistance you need. Keith

Crystal provided this to me so I could share it on CC (which I did) and the other site (which I did) as I said people were asking for this. I have spoken to them about adding this type of thing to their website and hoping they will when they can do it. Keith

Dwight I agree with all you have said. This also includes the movies. We used to go to the movies on board and enjoyed many movies and these days we look what is offered to get ideas what to see when we get home and several we have seen and enjoyed. Keith

If it says request a quote either one or more suites/rooms are available or it is a guarantee meaning you will get that category or an upgrade but a specific room is not available. Keith

Got it. If it is 2024 it is way way too early for a complete list of excursions. Keith

It was so nice to meet you the other day. Keith

First I wanted to give a shout-out to the Fitness Director who was here for the 2020 World Cruise and to Antonio. For years Antonio who is the brother of Benjamin has worked in the Fitness, Salon and Spa area wiping down equipment, putting out towels & water, and making sure there is a sufficient amount of sanitizer wipes available for use by the guests. He is an example of the finest about the Crystal crew as is his brother. The sun came out after posting yesterday so I was able to play Paddle Tennis for quite a while with guests he has played with on prior cruise and some he first met on this cruise. Dinner was back at Waterside. We were taken excellent care of by Senior Waiter Ayhan who we have also known for many years. Ayhan is from Turkey, married with a young boy. Our waiter is Stephen and Sommelier Mariglen. Our sommelier studied and was certified as a Sommelier at home while waiting for the return of Crystal. He knows his wine very well. All three are on top of everything and are very warm and caring. We also enjoy some great laughs with them. Waterside and all the restaurants are led by Leo who is Restaurant Manager whom we have known for close to to twenty years and is a consummate professional. Our Head Waiter who is also the Senior Head Waiter for Waterside is Jaques and is very professional, caring, and thoughtful and also a consummate professional. Photo DJ Emotion who played 1960's and 1970's music in the Cove before we ate. I’ve included photos of some of the items from the Continental Breakfast which is available at Marketplace. With an arrival of 11:30 AM we enjoyed the morning and began with a nice walk on the outdoor promenade deck. When we first sailed Serenity in 2005 we really enjoyed this deck just as we did on Symphony. The difference is the location of the lifeboats as they are tucked away on Serenity. The deck is nice and wide. We have enjoyed arrivals and sail-aways from this location. Afterwards, it was Paddle Tennis for me with new friends and friends I have known for years. Lots of fun and always some good laughs. This port is known for its resorts and in the daytime for its beautiful beaches and at night for one big party island. I've included Reflections The shuttle is about a 30 minute ride and we will make the afternoon a sea day. Cheers

In many ways, it's been nice not to look at dining menus in advance. Tonight we go to Tastes for first time this cruise. Haven't asked to look at the menu. For Waterside we just show up and look at the dinner menu when the Senior Waiter brings it out to us. A little surprise is nice. Why not? Friends of ours have done this for years. Special orders. Why? Haven't ask. So much great food to choose from. The menu last night had so many choices; even three different types of seafood. And speaking of food something that Crystal really does well is consistency which some cruise lines grapple with. This was not always the case years ago but I have found it to be the case in the last few years we sailed Crystal and on this cruise. Consistency amongst the choice cuts of beef and seafood and preparation. Keith

I know they are aware. I didn't mention this only because it's only been mentioned by one or two people I spoke with. Keith

So I don't get accused as being Mr. Positive what are the top items that are being sorted out and guests might mention. Telephones. There are still some rooms where phones are not working and this is a work in progress. Televisions. Some freezing of the channels although far less now than before. Internet. First off overall the internet is better than it's ever been IMHO. It is expected to get even faster. In time additional packages at a cost will be offered but the one we are experiencing which will get even better is inclusive. iPads. These are not yet in the room and this is why we don't have things like paper restaurant menus delivered to the room. I suppose you could ask for one. Cold on the ship. Some will say it is cold but I would say it's been like this the last few years. As my wife reminds me it is better from a health perspective for it to be on the cooler side. With that said we are all shaped differently so if you are on the lighter side you are more apt to be cold than if you are on the larger side and as we've been doing in past years just bring a light jacket with us. Osteria d"Ovidio or should I say Prego. Some like us are very pleased that there is a new restaurant while more people wish Prego was back. Shore excursion maps. There will be a new design of maps and port information but that is not yet available. Near term and possibly as soon as today there will be maps from the past that they will have available. But if you take this list and say what are the top items that people will say are issues for them. Telephones (if your rooms telephone is not working), television, Prego. At the same time even with a few issues the people will say they are having a wonderful time and this is Crystal as they remember it. And many won't even mention any issues. Keith

Let's talk wine. Inclusive wine is the same type of wine as we know from previous Crystal Cruises. So are the Sommeliers. Only one new Sommelier on-board. If you enjoy wine and that includes learning and/or drinking wine what you will remember about your previous Crystal cruises has not changed. The experience continues to be outstanding. Keith

Here's an example of another difference and this is in the area of wine. On most cruise lines you don't have trained Sommeliers as we find with Crystal. You have a waiter pouring the wine or a wine steward which is essentially a waiter pouring wine but in a different uniform. Whether you order an inclusive wine or a connoisseur wine you can if you ask (or other times you don't even ask) a full explanation of the wine. I also find the inclusive wines to be terrific options but realize this one is subjective. Bartenders are equally amazing and many returned who worked on other cruise lines. In fact, that is true of most of the crew. Keith

Yes indeed. For some of the wines I have found pricing to be what I could pay at the store and some of the wine I've been enjoying I couldn't even get these days very easily. Keith

These are 2023 sailings or at least the ones I looked at but there were quite a few of them listed. Keith

In some of these ports it is easy to do things on your own plus many people do private excursions. Boston and Quebec City are perfect examples of this. Boston you can do Freedom Trail on your own, or walk around the downtown area, or take a taxi out to the JFK library. So much more you can do on your own. If you offer too many things you run the risk of having to cancel them because not enough people sign up for them. Also, overall bookings is a factor. Keith

They are trying out different things at the Cove. As they have done awhile back in additional to pianist you have performances by others such as Violinist and Guitarist. Last night before dinner we had DJ Emotion playing 60's and 70's music. It was truly background music so you can carry on a conversation. Keith

Miss Umi Uma. So glad it's back and we're back. Keith

I'm looking at the Crystal Website and see the following in terms of number of excursions. Boston 6 Halifax 8 Sydney 9 Quebec CIty 5 This is for the first New England/Canada Cruise in September. Keith