Keith1010

+1. My first reaction is a revised itinerary is coming soon and no point in selling more if you know it's subject to change. Keith

What I do remember about the 2020 World Cruise is: When we turned around. The fact that it was a guest we knew since 2007. Speaking with her husband the night we turned around. Going to Cabo where she was transferred to land. Going as fast as we could. And I believe getting back on schedule. What I wish I could forget is getting off the ship in Sydney. Arriving home to a nightmare. Food in the store. Almost nothing and we had nothing in the refrigerator other than the freezers. And the nightmare began. What I also remember is feeling very safe on the ship as event unfolded. I do remember about a year of all the discussion about when it would be safe to sail. Would we very get back to some sense of normalization? Would a vaccine be developed? Would it work? Not bad considering I don't remember what I ate for dinner last night. 🙃 Keith

No new updates. Keith

Agree. Like I said I've seen the best and the worst behavior when cruising. I'll just give one. Marketplace. Not open yet. So no serving pieces in place. More than once I've observed someone grabbing an item out of bowl or dish with hands. Another time a person taking it out and putting it back in. On the latter I told the Head Waiter and he removed the entire bowl for all that food to be discarded. Oh and I could list dozens and dozens of other examples. On a routine basis just not practical to police this IMHO. Keith

Ivi, While in the perfect world they would always have someone reminding guests it would require a lot of staffing to do this. My experience is if there is a health situation on the ship where they increase protocols they do exactly this. Norvirus comes to mind but they did it as well after the restarted cruises during Covid-19. I have seen the best of habits and the worst of habits when we sail. Keith

Oh that's too bad. As best I know most of the cruise lines do not require proof of vaccination but they'll note guests are required to have it if a locality requires it. But most places countries no longer require it. Keith

You are very welcome. Keith

No. Keith

I really don't like speculating which is why I've stayed out of the conversation, but with or without guests I don't see the ship sailing the Red Sea if guests were removed. What about the crew? Are they not people? And I suspect the insurance company will not allow this given the potential risk to the ship. Time will tell. My guess is it won't be too much more longer until we know something. No inside information. JMO because of the need to inform guest who have booked individual segments and those on board now who had planned to fly home from a location impacted plus the need to get everything finalized. Keith

Crystal's new brochure. The e-mail which provided the link to the on-line brochure said it is due to arrive to our mailbox this week highlighting 2024 and 2025 voyages with lots of additional information. https://e.issuu.com/embed.html?d=final_file_from_pci_314213_cc_cat_text_1_hr_&hideIssuuLogo=true&hideShareButton=true&u=crystal_cruises Some interesting write-ups in the brochure and for those booked for the full 2025 World Cruise they show the shoreside events (3 likes 2024) with some details. Keith

I found this Reflections from April 2019 which Rob was also referring to. This was our last time in Livorno. On this voyage this shows information about the shuttle. As I mentioned, I would check with on board guest services for your voyage. Keith

Bon Voyage. Karen, they will have luggage tags for you at the pier but good idea to use the plastic holder. Keith

Gary, I've experienced it both ways in Livorno. Sometimes as Rob said and other time just a shuttle to drop you off at the port gate. I would tell you more often port gate than to a central point. I would recommend checking with on board guest services to see if they know at this point in time and if not when they will know. On a related note give yourself plenty of time to return if you are using the train just in case there is a breakdown or some other delay. Lucca is a great place to visit. There are companies that will drop you off there, and meet you at a designated time to get you back to the port. You can get recommendation on the Italy Ports Board. Keith

Phyllis, I would feel comfortable with 2:15. As I mentioned on the other thread I would look for a flight 2:00 or after. On our August cruise there were group transfers from Southampton to Heathrow and Gatwick. While distances are longer I would expect the same. You could check with on board guest services Jeith

Mykonos. Keith

Roy that was a day I won''t forget as we knew the guest who was evacuated. Sadly she passed a few months later. That was also a World Cruise we won't forget because while on board Covid unfolded. We were scheduled to sail Miami to Sydney so we could visit our family and return home. If we were doing the full World Cruise we would have stayed but as it turned out it wouldn't have been for too much longer. Keith

Big drop depends on your reference point. Every World Cruise has carried a different guest count and numbers have ranged significantly. So many factors play into this including start and end ports, itinerary, economy, world issues, and so forth. One that is certainly unique this time around is that as discussed here often some people booked with other cruise lines before Crystal announced their itineraries, I know some of them who were locked in with other lines but plan to return for a future World Cruise. I do want to note that I've heard different numbers over the past few weeks. Sadly I know three people who had to cancel recently due to health issues. Keith

Correct. The full WC will still end in Miami for those who started in Miami and in San Diego for those who will begin there. The itinerary changes are key and are of a lot of interest by those taking individual voyage(s) on both ships to know if they will have any impact on their flights, hotels, transfer arrangements, etc. need to be updated. Keith

Safe travels and wishing you an early Bon Voyage. Keith

I'll also posted this as a stand-alone thread. Keith Press Statement: Crystal Cruises Navigates Red Sea Situation with Safety in Mind In light of the current situation in the Red Sea, Crystal remains committed to prioritizing the safety and well-being of our guests and crew. We understand the evolving dynamics and are actively monitoring the situation, maintaining open communication with relevant authorities and security firms to make informed decisions. Our team is diligently working to create alternate itineraries, recognizing the potential need to make adjustments should the need arise to cancel voyages that transit the Red Sea. Throughout this process, we will maintain an ongoing conversation with our guests to ensure their preferences are considered and addressed. For our World Cruise Guests, we will confirm that any adjustments will not impact Crystal Serenity’s ability to reach Miami by June 8, 2024. Once a final decision is made, we will immediately notify all guests who may be impacted. Guests and crew can rest assured that any necessary adjustments will be handled thoughtfully. Considerations such as adjusting ship provisions and the impact on containers in transit, adapting travel plans (including visas) for our dedicated crew members, and rebooking or, if necessary, canceling previously scheduled ports will be addressed with care. Any necessary modifications to itineraries will be carefully managed to prevent any cascading effects on our operational systems. We thank guests and crew for their understanding during this process.

I’ll drink to that. 😃🥰 Keith

Too bad you don't have enough Gin left. You could fill the pool. 🤣 Keith

Press Statement: Crystal Cruises Navigates Red Sea Situation with Safety in Mind In light of the current situation in the Red Sea, Crystal remains committed to prioritizing the safety and well-being of our guests and crew. We understand the evolving dynamics and are actively monitoring the situation, maintaining open communication with relevant authorities and security firms to make informed decisions. Our team is diligently working to create alternate itineraries, recognizing the potential need to make adjustments should the need arise to cancel voyages that transit the Red Sea. Throughout this process, we will maintain an ongoing conversation with our guests to ensure their preferences are considered and addressed. For our World Cruise Guests, we will confirm that any adjustments will not impact Crystal Serenity’s ability to reach Miami by June 8, 2024. Once a final decision is made, we will immediately notify all guests who may be impacted. Guests and crew can rest assured that any necessary adjustments will be handled thoughtfully. Considerations such as adjusting ship provisions and the impact on containers in transit, adapting travel plans (including visas) for our dedicated crew members, and rebooking or, if necessary, canceling previously scheduled ports will be addressed with care. Any necessary modifications to itineraries will be carefully managed to prevent any cascading effects on our operational systems. We thank guests and crew for their understanding during this process.

They definitely offload the holiday decorations and then bring them on board before they are needed again. Keith

Hope you feel better Dwight. It happened to me one time on the former Seabourn Pride. Firs and only time. I waited too long to take Bonine. I find that if seas are rough during the day the Crystal Plaza/Cove is a great location. Mid ship. Low deck. High ceiling. Glad you are all docked. Fresh air should help too. Keith