New Crystal - the Good, the Bad and the Indifferent

[claudiaYVR]

There are so many recent threads with a lot of miscellaneous info and chatter that I'm having a hard time keeping up. I thought I'd start a new clean thread focused on what we learn from Crystal and our TAs as details are nailed down and communicated. I would propose that we list things we know with a reasonable degree of certainty and how we feel about them. For example, I wouldn't discuss shore excursions as at this time we have no information on this topic at all. Comparisons to other lux lines are fair as it serves to inform everyone about what we're getting for our money. 

 

My first ones:

Tastes - Good. Always loved it on Serenity and happy it will now be on both ships

Bathtubs - Bad. Only available on Jr. CP and above. Both Seabourn and Silversea have nice bathtubs on all categories

[bitob]

2 hours ago, claudiaYVR said:

There are so many recent threads with a lot of miscellaneous info and chatter that I'm having a hard time keeping up. I thought I'd start a new clean thread focused on what we learn from Crystal and our TAs as details are nailed down and communicated. I would propose that we list things we know with a reasonable degree of certainty and how we feel about them. For example, I wouldn't discuss shore excursions as at this time we have no information on this topic at all. Comparisons to other lux lines are fair as it serves to inform everyone about what we're getting for our money. 

 

My first ones:

Tastes - Good. Always loved it on Serenity and happy it will now be on both ships

Bathtubs - Bad. Only available on Jr. CP and above. Both Seabourn and Silversea have nice bathtubs on all categories

Brilliant!

[Worldtraveler22]

1. Paddle Tennis courts are dual purpose with Pickleball now.  

2. Updated GYM and SPA

3. Higher cost per night pricing which may now exclude previous Crystal Cruisers who were able to try Crystal in the past couple of years.  Living in Canada with a unfavorable exchange rate, it does not make Crystal affordable for most cruisers.

[travelberlin]

Good updated Gym

 

Bad: designated areas for solo cruisers. And not the most desirable areas

[skybluewaters]

The vast majority of veranda guest rooms have been eliminated in favor of suites. 

Additionally, these few remaining veranda guest rooms are poorly located (at the extremes of the ship or at the elevators).  

I suspect many potential passengers will be faced with having to upgrade to a suite at a price differential that will drive them away from Crystal. 

 

[BWIVince]

My only BAD items so far are things are things that I UNIVERSALLY can't stand as trends across the entire travel industry right now...  Like few-to-no drawers in the regular rooms.  I'm 0-2 for hotel rooms this month with drawers.  The elimination of the desk drawers in the rendering for the regular rooms, if true, is on-point for where the industry is going, but is a real 👎 for me.  The renderings show a shallow desk drawer like the previous desk, but assuming the two door handles in the symphony rendering are the safe and the fridge, that leaves a loss of 8 drawers and the corner cabinet.  😒

 

I'll post some random good points for me because I'm sure everyone will cover the "real" ones quickly...  😄  (All points below for Symphony)

 

GOOD - They seem to have flipped Symphony's Tastes so the bar and dining space combine on one side, leaving the Trident seating on the other (where Silk's lunch/dinner window seating was).  I appreciated the attempt to create a lounge and bar space that wasn't overwhelmed with table waiter service and galleys, but the awkward zig of the tables for Trident being on the opposite side was disjointed. 

 

GOOD - BUH BYE to the original bathroom tiles in the standard rooms.  Finally.  Finally.  Seriously.  Finally.

 

GOOD - The renderings seem to keep the a similar color-coding of the previous bedside lamps.  That would be kind of cool if actually true, for absolutely no functional reason.

 

Again, I'm trying to post fun random points...  🙂 

 

Vince

Edited February 1, 2023 by BWIVince

[BWIVince]

7 minutes ago, skybluewaters said:

The vast majority of veranda guest rooms have been eliminated in favor of suites. 

Additionally, these few remaining veranda guest rooms are poorly located (at the extremes of the ship or at the elevators).  

I suspect many potential passengers will be faced with having to upgrade to a suite at a price differential that will drive them away from Crystal. 

 

 

To be honest, I'm pleasantly surprised at the initial pricing of some of the new lower-end suites...  With all the new inventory, the price point may lower still, but even if it doesn't, I'm kind of pleased by the new pricing in this way.  Gone is that HUGE gap between staterooms and penthouses.

 

Vince

[claudiaYVR]

@BWIVinceand the gap between ocean view and balcony (at least on the sailings I've checked) has also narrowed!

[claudiaYVR]

@travelberlin and @Worldtraveler22 do you remember where you saw that the gyms have been updated on both ships? I can't find it on the Crystal website (the pictures are old ones) and I've always hated what they did with the Symphony's weight machines.

[gwesq]

10 minutes ago, BWIVince said:

My only BAD items so far are things are things that I UNIVERSALLY can't stand as trends across the entire travel industry right now...  Like few-to-no drawers in the regular rooms.  I'm 0-2 for hotel rooms this month with drawers.  The elimination of the desk drawers in the rendering for the regular rooms, if true, is on-point for where the industry is going, but is a real 👎 for me.  The renderings show a shallow desk drawer like the previous desk, but assuming the two door handles in the symphony rendering are the safe and the fridge, that leaves a loss of 8 drawers and the corner cabinet.  😒

 

 

 

Vince

One of the 1st things we noticed, also on Serenity.  Not surprising though, since they went in that direction when they added the newer Penthouses a few years ago.  Wondering how much hanging space there will be in the closet, and hard to tell how many drawers in the closet.      

[skybluewaters]

6 minutes ago, BWIVince said:

 

To be honest, I'm pleasantly surprised at the initial pricing of some of the new lower-end suites...  With all the new inventory, the price point may lower still, but even if it doesn't, I'm kind of pleased by the new pricing in this way.  Gone is that HUGE gap between staterooms and penthouses.

 

Vince

 

But the new entry level suite - the Aquamarine Veranda Suite - is just 323 sq ft.

For comparison, the standard veranda cabin on Seabourn is 300 sq ft.

You're correct that the huge gap is gone, but it still is substantial.  Plus, you're getting a cabin (sorry, a suite) that is only 8% larger than a much lower priced standard veranda cabin on Seabourn.

(Yes, there is a butler on Crystal, but how much is that butler really worth?) 

[KenzSailing]

9 minutes ago, BWIVince said:

My only BAD items so far are things are things that I UNIVERSALLY can't stand as trends across the entire travel industry right now...  Like few-to-no drawers in the regular rooms.  I'm 0-2 for hotel rooms this month with drawers.  The elimination of the desk drawers in the rendering for the regular rooms, if true, is on-point for where the industry is going, but is a real 👎 for me.  The renderings show a shallow desk drawer like the previous desk, but assuming the two door handles in the symphony rendering are the safe and the fridge, that leaves a loss of 8 drawers and the corner cabinet.  😒

 

I'll post some random good points for me because I'm sure everyone will cover the "real" ones quickly...  😄 

 

GOOD - They seem to have flipped Symphony's Tastes so the bar and dining space combine on one side, leaving the Trident on the other.  I appreciated the attempt to create a lounge and bar space that wasn't overwhelmed with table waiter service and galleys, but the awkward zig of the tables for Trident being on the opposite side was disjointed. 

 

GOOD - BUH BYE to the original bathroom tiles in the standard rooms.  Finally.  Finally.  Seriously.  Finally.

 

GOOD - The renderings seem to keep the a similar color-coding of the previous bedside lamps.  That would be kind of cool if actually true, for absolutely no functional reason.

 

Again, I'm trying to post fun random points...  🙂 

 

Vince

 

Vince,

 

I knew you'd get to those bathroom tiles sooner than later. 😁

 

Good get on the Tastes layout.  I know Crystal was trying to serve a lot of masters in that area, but it always felt to me like a slightly more luxurious food court.  Hope that vibe is gone.

 

The price compression between standard veranda and Aqua jumped out at me.  Crystal seems to be aware they now have a lot fewer of one, and a lot more of the other that they need to move to make this work.  

 

Oh yeah, one fun thing for me(that will incite a lot of boos.)  There's still a Connie Club.   I can still indulge my infrequent but filthy habit.

 

 

 

 

[BWIVince]

12 minutes ago, KenzSailing said:

 

Vince,

 

I knew you'd get to those bathroom tiles sooner than later. 😁

 

Good get on the Tastes layout.  I know Crystal was trying to serve a lot of masters in that area, but it always felt to me like a slightly more luxurious food court.  Hope that vibe is gone.

 

The price compression between standard veranda and Aqua jumped out at me.  Crystal seems to be aware they now have a lot fewer of one, and a lot more of the other that they need to move to make this work.  

 

Oh yeah, one fun thing for me(that will incite a lot of boos.)  There's still a Connie Club.   I can still indulge my infrequent but filthy habit.

 

+1 to all of that, including the Connie Club...  I just hope they update the ventilation system for it -- on Symphony it had been getting kind of "leaky" the past 5 or so years if service, pushing the smoke out in the hallway and up the aft stairs a little sometimes before dissipating.

 

Vince

[JTor]

55 minutes ago, Worldtraveler22 said:

1. Paddle Tennis courts are dual purpose with Pickleball now.  

2. Updated GYM and SPA

3. Higher cost per night pricing which may now exclude previous Crystal Cruisers who were able to try Crystal in the past couple of years.  Living in Canada with an unfavorable exchange rate, it does not make Crystal affordable for most cruisers.

Agree! Price per person per night is way up and the US dollar exchange is very painful for Canadians right now. We need a Canadian dollars at par promotion 

[Texas Tillie]

Just noticed something when reading about dining, and it must be considered a negative, in suite dining from the specialty restaurants, only for the Crystal Penthouses.

 

Patty

[BWIVince]

14 minutes ago, JTor said:

Agree! Price per person per night is way up and the US dollar exchange is very painful for Canadians right now. We need a Canadian dollars at par promotion 

 

How is that supposed to work?  🙂  The Canadian Dollar isn't at par -- why should Crystal sell to Canadians at more of a loss than the rest of us?  🙂 

 

13 minutes ago, Texas Tillie said:

Just noticed something when reading about dining, and it must be considered a negative, in suite dining from the specialty restaurants, only for the Crystal Penthouses.

 

Patty

 

I'm afraid there's logistically going to need to be some kind of fence around that service...  There are just too many "Suites" now to be served by that galley, and it's not feasible for the room service galley to do the menus of the main two specialty venues (even if the others did their own).  THAT SAID, I wonder if that text wasn't just pasted together too quickly and not accurate updated?  It feels like that number needs to be more than the few rooms with Penthouse in their name now, but fewer than the almost the whole ship, that are now "suites"?

 

Vince

Edited February 2, 2023 by BWIVince

[travelberlin]

41 minutes ago, claudiaYVR said:

@travelberlin and @Worldtraveler22 do you remember where you saw that the gyms have been updated on both ships? I can't find it on the Crystal website (the pictures are old ones) and I've always hated what they did with the Symphony's weight machines.

Here:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/cruises/2023/02/01/crystal-cruises-relaunches-new-name-look/11161709002/

[Stickman1990]

1 hour ago, Worldtraveler22 said:

1. Paddle Tennis courts are dual purpose with Pickleball now.  

2. Updated GYM and SPA

Watch out you’ll get pulled up by the gym junkies - apparently gyms are now “fitness centres” 😉😂

 

Can those courts be multiple games - aren’t they different markings? There may be other differences but I think that’s more equipment related then the courts 

[KenzSailing]

52 minutes ago, Benny B. Goode said:

Bad: They're still using this notation as a cruise id: CSE-012-230731, for example. Already they have a Y2.1K problem!

 

Good: Most everything else. I'm very happy to see the return of Tastes. Coincidentally, the original concept was based on a Laguna Beach restaurant named Sapphire, and now there are Sapphire suites.

 

However, I still prefer the new ships of Regent and Oceania. I'm surprised that no one who tried Regent recently comment - at least not that I've seen - about the luxuriously deep balconies from Cat F1 and above. (Even below F1, they are deeper than you will find on Crystal.) 

 

Fair point about the notation: our booking is 867-53-09.  I think our rez agent was Jennie.

 

Point about those deep verandas on Regent, they are tempting(I think it was you who put me on to them.)  But they are pricey.  For all the kerfuffle about new Crystal price points, I'm keeping my powder dry until my TA gives me a firm Crystal quote to compare to my Regent booking.

[AtA]

1 hour ago, Texas Tillie said:

Just noticed something when reading about dining, and it must be considered a negative, in suite dining from the specialty restaurants, only for the Crystal Penthouses.

 

Patty

Yes we noticed that too. In the past it was for PH and above.

Also a negative is now only the Jr. CP and above get unlimited in the specialty restaurant(s). In the past it was for anyone in a PH or above.

And the lack of drawers is a negative.

Positive is they're keeping the movie theater, the computer room, etc. 

[AtA]

1 hour ago, BWIVince said:

 

 It feels like that number needs to be more than the few rooms with Penthouse in their name now, but fewer than the almost the whole ship, that are now "suites"?

 

Vince

Maybe it should be the Sapphire suites and above which would be slightly more than it was when it was PH and above?

[KenzSailing]

1 hour ago, BWIVince said:

 

How is that supposed to work?  🙂  The Canadian Dollar isn't at par -- why should Crystal sell to Canadians at more of a loss than the rest of us?  🙂 

 

 

I'm afraid there's logistically going to need to be some kind of fence around that service...  There are just too many "Suites" now to be served by that galley, and it's not feasible for the room service galley to do the menus of the main two specialty venues (even if the others did their own).  THAT SAID, I wonder if that text wasn't just pasted together too quickly and not accurate updated?  It feels like that number needs to be more than the few rooms with Penthouse in their name now, but fewer than the almost the whole ship, that are now "suites"?

 

Vince

 

Yeah, I think you're on to it about the specialty rez demarcation.  As veranda double stateroom cruisers, my first thought was Aqua is now a reasonable step-up, price wise, but Sappy is still for the swells.  That seems the more likely dividing line to me.  Reminds me of when Crystal first went AI, and there was a huge uproar about crammed together deuces in W/Side.  Eventually they backed off and introduced more 4 and 6 tops, spread farther apart.  I'm convinced that back then their initial concern was lack of capacity in W/Side, pax lines spilling into the lobby, general chaos.  Same here(and they remember what those specialties were like right after AI was introduced, pre the $30/pp charge.)  Some memory scars can cross ownership groups, if you've got the right people at the operational level.   

[KenzSailing]

Also, some positives that are so positive to me I kind of skipped over them:

 

The Crystal Cove, and especially,

 

The Avenue Saloon!

 

I promise, I will never, ever complain about those columns in the Avenue on Serenity again.  

 

[Worldtraveler22]

1 hour ago, JTor said:

Agree! Price per person per night is way up and the US dollar exchange is very painful for Canadians right now. We need a Canadian dollars at par promotion 

Never going to happen.  

[Roland4]

1 hour ago, JTor said:

Agree! Price per person per night is way up and the US dollar exchange is very painful for Canadians right now. We need a Canadian dollars at par promotion 

As a fellow Canadian, be thankful that you can now book in CAD$. That was never an option before.