Live from the stunning Crystal Bach

[goldengatecruisers]

Hi Anne. I didn't see any ice cream or gelato station. I'm sure they would get some if a passenger wanted it.

 

 

 

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[JohnKen3]

Hi Anne. I didn't see any ice cream or gelato station. I'm sure they would get some if a passenger wanted it.

 

 

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There is a selection of ten different ice cream types with various topping in a cone or a ceramic bowl available on the Mozart. The ice cream counter is at the Bistro as Anne said. Both my father and I love the rum and raisin.

 

 

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[Jayayeff]

There is a selection of ten different ice cream types with various topping in a cone or a ceramic bowl available on the Mozart. The ice cream counter is at the Bistro as Anne said. Both my father and I love the rum and raisin.

 

 

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Thanks Ken. After your comments from your earlier Mozart cruise, and Ashley's recent cruise on the Bach, I was beginning to think I'd imagined an ice-cream bar!!!!😀

 

Anne...

[2SailingNomads]

As we will be on the Mahler next year really appreciate this analysis! Thank you!

[Sirgym]

As we will be on the Mahler next year really appreciate this analysis! Thank you!

 

 

 

I’d love to read more reviews of the Crystal Bach, looks like a terrific ship. Except for one three star review on cruise critic (the reviewer wasn’t fond of the front desk) I can’t seem to find any.

 

 

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[Jayayeff]

I’d love to read more reviews of the Crystal Bach, looks like a terrific ship. Except for one three star review on cruise critic (the reviewer wasn’t fond of the front desk) I can’t seem to find any.

 

 

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The Bach has only completed three cruises so far so I wouldn't expect to see many reviews for some time yet..

 

Anne

[Sirgym]

The Bach has only completed three cruises so far so I wouldn't expect to see many reviews for some time yet..

 

 

 

Anne

 

 

 

Perhaps you’re right Anne, it’s a bit soon to expect reviews. Btw, did you review your Crystal Mozart cruise from Sept. 2016?

 

 

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[Jayayeff]

Perhaps you’re right Anne, it’s a bit soon to expect reviews. Btw, did you review your Crystal Mozart cruise from Sept. 2016?

 

 

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I didn't do a review as I did a blog of the cruise however, the blog hosting site that I used closed earlier this year so that's no longer available and I didn't back it up!!!!

 

Anne..

[Sirgym]

I didn't do a review as I did a blog of the cruise however, the blog hosting site that I used closed earlier this year so that's no longer available and I didn't back it up!!!!

 

 

 

Anne..

 

 

 

I’m sure Ms. Edi must have copy of your blog on her hard drive! I’ll text her and ask. (winks)

 

 

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[petlover]

Hello Ashley , I sure enjoyed reading your excellent reporting from the Bach. Thank you.

 

Two question please....

If you had it to do over again, would you choose the same suite on deck 3 or would you choose the same suite on deck 2 ? I'm curious as to which deck might be the most convenient, quiet... or maybe it's 6 of one, 1/2 dozen of another.

 

Also, do you recall the price for massages? (probably outrageous like all cruise lines).

 

Thank you.

[goldengatecruisers]

Marcie, we liked the location of our suite. Quite honestly the ship is so intimate and nothing is too far I don't think it really matters which location or deck you decide upon.

 

I did not pay attention to the price of the massages offered on board. There is one treatment room and a wonderful massage therapist who participated in Liar's Club and provided a lot of laughs! From my understanding she was kept busy each day. I would suspect pricing is similar to the ocean vessels but I can't be sure - so in a word, outrageous like you suspect :)

[Texas Tillie]

Marcie, we liked the location of our suite. Quite honestly the ship is so intimate and nothing is too far I don't think it really matters which location or deck you decide upon.

 

I did not pay attention to the price of the massages offered on board. There is one treatment room and a wonderful massage therapist who participated in Liar's Club and provided a lot of laughs! From my understanding she was kept busy each day. I would suspect pricing is similar to the ocean vessels but I can't be sure - so in a word, outrageous like you suspect :)

 

I had a massage on the Mozart and it was much less than a comparable one on Serenity/Symphony. I was told that the reason is the spa on the ocean ships is operated by Steiner, but the spa on the Mozart (and I will assume the other river boats as they come on line) are operated directly by Crystal. Also, the river boats charge in euros. If you get a dollar denominated OBC from your travel agent, the conversion rate is terrible, so you won't get as much as you expect!

 

Patty

[petlover]

Thank you Ashley and Patty :)

[Wirral Girlie]

In August we were on the Mozart, I had a facial which cost €249, my partner had 2 massages at €199.

I seem to recall a pedicure was €69.

All prices on board are in Euros.

Hope this helps

 

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[Wirral Girlie]

That was 199 Euros for each massage not both!!!

[radar246]

"Holding Area" venue?

 

Thank you very much for these very helpful posts! The new ship and S1 suite look better than we hoped. The Mozart was such a lovely river ship. Like many, we were also trawling for reviews of the Crystal Bach before an early November sailing. May I please ask - does anyone know where passengers are taken to after they are transferred from the airport, and before they board the ship?

 

When we sailed on the Mozart, we were brought to a cruise terminal on the edge of Amsterdam city centre, and waited for several long, mind numbing hours before boarding. This was dangerously snooze-inducing after a 14-hour flight, although refreshments were thoughtfully provided. Our similar 14-hour flight this time, lands at 06.45am in Amsterdam and I fear we will have a lengthy wait before being allowed to board. Does anyone know where the "holding" venue is please? If it's the same cruise terminal, we might have to download some entertainment and a pillow for a softer seat experience!

 

Would anyone know the earliest time we might board the ship?

 

Am hoping that Mark Farris will continue to be on board for our November cruise. We just missed him on the Mozart.

Thank you again for the fab pictures and your impressions :D

 

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.

[giustot]

Hi Ashley. Thanks for such a comprehensive posting on the cruise. I have a question please.

 

From your observations, do you think someone with limited mobility, who can walk a few steps but uses a wheelchair most of the time, could do this cruise and its port tours?

 

Thanks so much.

 

Tom.

[goldengatecruisers]

Good morning Giustot - firstly someone with limited mobility can enjoy Bach as there is an elevator onboard although it does not go to the open top deck. If you can manage with assistance to walk up the stairs to the open deck I think you will enjoy being on the river vessel. There were passengers on my sailing who used wheelchairs and walkers and they had no problems getting around - plenty of space and people to assist. I would not let that worry you. As far as the tours are concerned that would have to be a personal decision for someone with mobility challenges. I think the primary issue would be the nature of the walking surfaces in some of these old towns. You have remember the history of the region and the style of roads, sidewalks etc. Lots of cobble stones and uneven surfaces which might make walking or using a wheelchair challenging. In saying that Crystal will be able to tell you which of the walking tours would be better suited to a person in a wheelchair. We did several walking tours and one of the guests, who we befriended, traveled with her own super mini scooter. It enabled her to join the walking tours and not only keep up but usually be ahead of the crowd. She had no issue at all. In some of the other ports this lady would organize a car and driver to tour her and her travel companion around. Basically you can participate on tours in all of the stops and if for some reason you feel the Crystal tours would not be suitable to your particular needs then you can organize a car and driver and do something privately. If you don't use a scooter but have a traditional wheel chair then I think the same would apply - check with Crystal as to the best tours for a wheelchair. In some towns we had tours with lots of stairs so obviously those may not be the best ones to choose. Other towns it was all on the same level and the sidewalk surfaces were smooth and easier to navigate. There are also coach tours offered in most ports where you could enjoy the scenery without actually getting off and walking around. The coaches travel with us and meet us at each stop to take guests on excursions. My best advice would be to engage Crystal in this decision making process. The shore excursion department is very experienced and thoughtful and would be your best resource in such matters. I hope that this helps.

[goldengatecruisers]

radar246 - hopefully someone else can chime in and answer your question about where passengers are taken prior to embarkation. We never fly in the day of a sailing so we are always local and therefore I don't have the answer. In fact, its something I never even thought of until you brought it up. Now I am curious as to what happens. In Mainz where we boarded the Bach was literally tied up to the side of the river bank and we just walked on board. There was no 'terminal' or area to accommodate guests so I am curious as to what replies appear on the thread. Hopefully someone will see your post and inform us all.

[NJCruiserBoy]

"Holding Area" venue?

 

Thank you very much for these very helpful posts! The new ship and S1 suite look better than we hoped. The Mozart was such a lovely river ship. Like many, we were also trawling for reviews of the Crystal Bach before an early November sailing. May I please ask - does anyone know where passengers are taken to after they are transferred from the airport, and before they board the ship?

 

When we sailed on the Mozart, we were brought to a cruise terminal on the edge of Amsterdam city centre, and waited for several long, mind numbing hours before boarding. This was dangerously snooze-inducing after a 14-hour flight, although refreshments were thoughtfully provided. Our similar 14-hour flight this time, lands at 06.45am in Amsterdam and I fear we will have a lengthy wait before being allowed to board. Does anyone know where the "holding" venue is please? If it's the same cruise terminal, we might have to download some entertainment and a pillow for a softer seat experience!

 

Would anyone know the earliest time we might board the ship?

 

Am hoping that Mark Farris will continue to be on board for our November cruise. We just missed him on the Mozart.

Thank you again for the fab pictures and your impressions :D

 

The Mozart can't reach Amsterdam so how is it you were waiting in the Amsterdam terminal for a cruise on the Mozart? You must have been waiting a really long time! Mozart sails from Vienna and there is no cruise ship "terminal" in Vienna. When my family and I sailed on the ship in November we were taken from the airport straight to the ship.

[giustot]

Thank you Ashley. The information was very helpful. It seems like the cruise may be possible. The main reason I asked you about it was the Crystal river cruises website specifically discourages wheelchair guests from taking river cruises. But from what you've said there were wheelchair guests on board and they made the best of it. My wife uses the wheelchair and I push so we could probably make it work as long as we can get from the boat to the buses.

 

Thanks again.

 

Tom.

[Sirgym]

Thank you Ashley. The information was very helpful. It seems like the cruise may be possible. The main reason I asked you about it was the Crystal river cruises website specifically discourages wheelchair guests from taking river cruises. But from what you've said there were wheelchair guests on board and they made the best of it. My wife uses the wheelchair and I push so we could probably make it work as long as we can get from the boat to the buses.

 

Thanks again.

 

Tom.

 

 

 

Remember that sometimes river boats have to moor two and three abreast. Guests on board ships not moored alongside the quay, in order to get ashore, have to cross through and over other boats. This can’t be accomplished, unfortunately, in a wheelchair.

 

 

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[TER777]

Remember that sometimes river boats have to moor two and three abreast. Guests on board ships not moored alongside the quay, in order to get ashore, have to cross through and over other boats. This can’t be accomplished, unfortunately, in a wheelchair.

 

 

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When we boarded in Amsterdam the other day, we had to go up and over another boat. It was not wheelchair accessible.

[Mark_T]

When we boarded in Amsterdam the other day, we had to go up and over another boat. It was not wheelchair accessible.

 

... and since the ships do sometimes have to move position, or drop you off at one spot and collect from another, even if you leave the ship next to the dock. you may have to cross over another ship upon your return...

[giustot]

Thanks for your comments. For those who had to cross over another boat in order to board, what exactly is the procedure? Where and how do you cross? Does it involve a ramp or steps? I guess I wrongly assumed you would just walk through the other boat to get to yours.

 

Tom.