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Live from the stunning Crystal Bach


goldengatecruisers
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I thought I would share my thoughts and some photo images of this stunning river boat. This is my first river cruise and who better to start with than the very finest - Crystal. This is the second voyage of Crystal Bach and she has made a good first impression. There are a few friendly faces from Symphony and Serenity on board which makes you feel like you have 'come home'. We boarded yesterday in effortless style along the river in Mainz. Our start point of Frankfurt was changed a short while ago to nearby Mainz due to a very large festival in Frankfurt. Crystal offered a complimentary transfer from the city center but we chose to use a private car service so we could have more control over when we left Frankfurt. That arrangement worked for us and we are pleased we decided to do that. We arrived at Bach around 1.30pm and were greeted at the car then escorted on board to #320 where we were checked in.

 

The Bach is marketed as an all-suite vessel. The accommodations, while appearing quite small upon entering, suddenly becomes adequate and there is space for everything. Muted grey interiors and fabrics, dark wood veneers, burnished brass accents and subtle emerald green pillows add a little pop to our home for the next 14 nights. The bathrooms are well designed with double vanity, walk in shower and ample storage. It takes a little getting used to but everything is lower than one would find on the ocean ships of Crystal. Drawers are low, the safe is low but it doesn't take one long to adjust to the new surroundings and before long we were unpacked and off to have a welcome glass of champagne in Palm Court but not before there was a knock at the door. Mark Ferris, who is the Entertainment Host, came to welcome us and give us a personal tour of Crystal Bach. Then it was off to have a glass of champagne in Palm Court.

 

I will attempt to upload some photos for now and then report back later with more information on the Bach including the Waterside restaurant and other activities. If anyone has specific questions please feel free to leave them here and I will do my best to get answers for you during my 14 day journey.

 

Ashley

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I am having the hardest time uploading the images taken on my iPhone. They are 1.9MB jpg format. Resizing to comply with CruiseCritic sizing guidelines takes them down to tiny thumbnails and I have seen others who have been able to upload or embed a larger image. Any tips welcome to get these images to all of you. Thanks.

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I am having the hardest time uploading the images taken on my iPhone. They are 1.9MB jpg format. Resizing to comply with CruiseCritic sizing guidelines takes them down to tiny thumbnails and I have seen others who have been able to upload or embed a larger image. Any tips welcome to get these images to all of you. Thanks.

 

 

 

Hi Ashley,

 

Try using the Tapatalk App for posting when including pics as you can upload directly from your mobile and normal size not thumbnail. This is one of the ones you sent me and I selected the medium size...

8f17b83b7e50a0c4be9d60a6482ff170.jpg

 

Anne..

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

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We appreciate the time you've stolen from your trip to keep all of us informed. Now relax and enjoy! Although I'd love a photo of Bach's Reflections (I assume they have one).

 

A question - is 320 port or starboard? I was trying to match it up to the deckplan, and something doesn't match. http://legacy.crystalcruises.com/DeckPlans.aspx?SID=8&SD=3

 

All the best to both of you. Look forward to cruising again with you both soon.

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Keith and Nancy... thank you. SWN4 and Ronny1 you are in for a treat. Dear Crickette we both send our love to you both. Our suite is on the port side. We are pleased we went with this category for the extra space. I have not seen inside a smaller one yet but I will try to at some point. I would imagine any of the rooms on board would be lovely but the added space is welcome. For what it's worth I was also waiting for images and a review from the inaugural but nothing showed up. I felt I owed it to Cruise Critic and Crystal fans to attempt to post something from my trip.

 

Today we did two tours - one was a walking tour of Colmar, France and it was a lovely town. Then it was back on board for a quick lunch and then back out on our bikes for a 50km bike ride to the Black Forest. Let me say we had no idea it was to be such an adventure and when our guide told us it was 50km I thought "oh dear". But it was magnificent and we loved it although my legs and knees will not think so come tomorrow. We both felt a sense of accomplishment for having done this fabulous excursion. For those who don't already know this Crystal has three buses following our route. They are very comfortable inside and have a limited number of seats which affords extra space for all guests. Trust Crystal to excel in this area. Check out the detailing on the side of the buses. Cruise, River, Air etc. It is a constant reminder that we are on The Worlds Most Luxurious Travel and Hospitality Portfolio TM. My hat off to Edie Rodriguez and Crystal team - they have certainly delivered with the Crystal Bach. If any of you have any questions let me know.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Edited by goldengatecruisers
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Thanks so much for posting the pictures. We are on the same cruise leaving Frankfurt on October 22, and really looking forward to it.

 

Curious, though, as to when you were notified of the change in departure location. Did you know before you left for the trip, or were you notified once you were already in Frankfurt? I'm assuming that they told you before your departure, letting you know where the buses would be in the city center, times of departure, etc.

 

I ask because we are not arriving the day of the cruise but a few days early. I suppose we should notify our TA of where we are staying in Frankfurt just in case there are any last minute changes to departure, etc. I'm sure this would all work out, but it would be nice to know beforehand if possible, just in case.

 

Again, have a great cruise....the ship looks very nice!

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Just2Guys we were notified with plenty of time. Crystal provided a courtesy transfer at 12 noon from the Westin. We were staying elsewhere and chose to get to Bach independently. We knew a couple of weeks ago so it was not an inconvenience at all. You will thoroughly enjoy the river on Bach. We promise to leave the boat in excellent condition. No signs of early pains or mis steps. Everything is running smoothly and staff and crew are excellent. The Executive Chef on board is extremely talented and the food quality and presentation is above the norm.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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Thank you for the quick reply.....that puts our minds at ease. We were on the Mozart last year and thoroughly enjoyed it, so we thought we would try another river cruise ---- sounds like we will not be disappointed.

 

This time we are in the smaller cabin, however, which from the diagrams looks fairly tight. Oh well, in the scheme of things not a big problem --- we really can't complain given all that has been going on in the world of late. Just thankful to be able to enjoy the river cruise experience.

 

Thanks again.

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There's a little RED PORT LEFT in the bottle.

 

Ah ha! Then the deckplan on Crystal's website is incorrect. (Someone please confirm or correct me)

http://legacy.crystalcruises.com/DeckPlans.aspx?SID=8&SD=3

I thought convention said even numbered staterooms were portside.

 

Convention maybe does not apply to river boats?? I was on the Mozart last year in an even numbered stateroom and it was on the starboard side of the boat!!

 

Anne..

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This is a wonderful thread! Thank you, Ashley! and thank you, Anne, for telling us (and Keith for publishing the link).

 

Fwiw, I found it super duper easy to go to Cruise Critic in my iPhone, then when I clicked to Reply, or Post, or whatever it says, one option was a photo. What it meant, for me, was that I clicked on the Photo and then just -- took a photo! It gets posted to Cruise Critic, but not saved to my phone.

 

I guess if I ever want to look at it again, I'll have to find it in Cruise Critic!

 

Seriously, I was thrilled that it was so easy.

 

Keep enjoying, and I, for one, am thrilled to hear that you are having a great time.

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