World Cruise Itinerary Change

[FLcruiser2011]

I notice that Viking -- on its world cruise -- has recently swapped out Salalah (Oman) for Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Wondering if New Crystal might do the same on its 2024 world cruise?  I would certainly be more interested in seeing Saudi Arabia.

[wearesiamese]

3 minutes ago, FLcruiser2011 said:

I notice that Viking -- on its world cruise -- has recently swapped out Salalah (Oman) for Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Wondering if New Crystal might do the same on its 2024 world cruise?  I would certainly be more interested in seeing Saudi Arabia.

your title is a bit misleading, as Crystal has not made any changes to the itinerary for the WC except what is known.-LOS ANGELES stops are now in San Diego

[Keith1010]

I doubt they would change and drop off this stop in Oman unless there was a security risk.  Changing itineraries sometime unavoidable but not something cruise lines prefer to do.

 

Keith

[History&Wine]

I agree with @wearesiamesethat your title is misleading. 

Everyone is going to have some issues with a world cruise itinerary.  I wonder why there are so many days in French Polynesia and only seven hours in Istanbul?

I also wonder why Crystal is not marketing the WC.  The segments are there on the website, but no mention of a world cruise. 

[Roel94]

On 3/23/2023 at 8:14 PM, History&Wine said:

I agree with @wearesiamesethat your title is misleading. 

Everyone is going to have some issues with a world cruise itinerary.  I wonder why there are so many days in French Polynesia and only seven hours in Istanbul?

I also wonder why Crystal is not marketing the WC.  The segments are there on the website, but no mention of a world cruise. 

Personally rhe term WC and Crystal is scary for most of us, firstbcovid and four flights home from Perth. Second the ferry from hell to FLL with all out suitcases dump everywhere. Took a group of six to collect our bags while one s

tood there while we rolled bags to him. No way will I get back on that ship for now. Got crew going back k but I will settle for safety first.

[wearesiamese]

3 hours ago, Roel94 said:

Personally rhe term WC and Crystal is scary for most of us, firstbcovid and four flights home from Perth. Second the ferry from hell to FLL with all out suitcases dump everywhere. Took a group of six to collect our bags while one s

tood there while we rolled bags to him. No way will I get back on that ship for now. Got crew going back k but I will settle for safety first.

I am sorry you had that experience but frankly it could have happened with any cruise line(remember Diamond Princess et al)or  airline and since when  are any flights the fault of a cruise line? Or a ferry for that matter?

Edited March 24, 2023 by wearesiamese

[bayonejoe]

We were on Serenity’s last cruise. And granted there was chaos in Ft. Lauderdale it was not Crystal’s fault. The luggage was handled by the Ft Lauderdale terminal.

Anyway, we are looking forward to the launch of the NC and will be on Serenity’s inaugural cruise. Can’t wait

[Mr Luxury]

3 hours ago, bayonejoe said:

We were on Serenity’s last cruise. And granted there was chaos in Ft. Lauderdale it was not Crystal’s fault. The luggage was handled by the Ft Lauderdale terminal.

Anyway, we are looking forward to the launch of the NC and will be on Serenity’s inaugural cruise. Can’t wait

I can't wait to read about it.

[Keith1010]

Back to the original post.  Unless  there was a necessity they won’t change the port nor should they.

 

Keith. 

[FLcruiser2011]

Well with all due respect, Keith, I disagree.  Replacing a port that most who have visited seem to say offers very little (Salalah) with a port that is for the first time opening up Saudi Arabia to the outside world would strike me as an extremely positive move.

[bayonejoe]

Mr. Luxury,

you can count on it. Also we are Currently on a SS cruise and one of the crew quietly told me that he would see me on the inaugural cruise.

HAPPY DAYS.

[Keith1010]

1 hour ago, FLcruiser2011 said:

Well with all due respect, Keith, I disagree.  Replacing a port that most who have visited seem to say offers very little (Salalah) with a port that is for the first time opening up Saudi Arabia to the outside world would strike me as an extremely positive move.

 

I hear you but I still say unless there is a necessity the cruise line won't change the itinerary.  Anytime they change they get criticized for this. At the same time there are sometimes logistical reasons they select what they do. I don't see them changing it.

 

As an FYI this is not the first time Jeddah has opened their doors to a cruise ship.  I know this as this was part of WC 2010 and we visited there on March 22, 2010.  I believe we were the first cruise ship to visit but I could be wrong.

 

I am certainly not a fan of Salalah and if someone asked me my option as input to the development of an itinerary I would say skip it.  I would also say the same for Jeddah.  Unless anything has changed those visiting this port had to take shore excursions, and what we saw was far from impressive and they made the women guests go through separate security to get back on the ship as if they were terrorists and that included a body check which they didn't do to the men.  

 

Keith

[FLcruiser2011]

BTW, thanks to the OC deck plans you posted some time back -- which alerted me to the fact that my Aquamarine booking on the new Serenity WC was a Seabreeze penthouse, which I did not want -- I have finally succeeded in swapping it for an old PH.  Do we get to meet you on that cruise to say thanks?

[Keith1010]

2 minutes ago, FLcruiser2011 said:

BTW, thanks to the OC deck plans you posted some time back -- which alerted me to the fact that my Aquamarine booking on the new Serenity WC was a Seabreeze penthouse, which I did not want -- I have finally succeeded in swapping it for an old PH.  Do we get to meet you on that cruise to say thanks?

I am so glad it worked out for you and you were able to get the PH. Congratulations on that.  Hopefully we will meet on a future cruise.  

 

You do have a lot to look forward to with several special ports. 

I was thinking about Salalah. The key for that one is to consider the overnight of Luxur.  That is much more special than say time in Jeddah IMHO.  Now if you ask people about Luxury you should get very positive comments.  However, if you ask about the local town the last time we were there it had nothing of interest. This was several years ago.  

 

One thing I have learned about a World Cruise is the need to pace one-self so once in awhile if the port turns out not to be one of a lot of interest sometime making it a day to relax is good because you will be likely doing lots of excursions and mid-way through the World Cruise sometimes a little break from them is needed.

 

Best to you.

 

Keith

[History&Wine]

As Keith pointed out one of the attractions of this cruise is the overnight for Luxor.   Rather than have a stop in Jeddah followed by many port days including Luxor, it is probably best to have multiple sea days prior to Luxor.  That is what this itinerary has.  Salalah is probably a stop just to break up all the sea days from Mumbai.  

[Roland4]

2 hours ago, Keith1010 said:

I am so glad it worked out for you and you were able to get the PH. Congratulations on that.  Hopefully we will meet on a future cruise.  

 

You do have a lot to look forward to with several special ports. 

I was thinking about Salalah. The key for that one is to consider the overnight of Luxur.  That is much more special than say time in Jeddah IMHO.  Now if you ask people about Luxury you should get very positive comments.  However, if you ask about the local town the last time we were there it had nothing of interest. This was several years ago.  

 

One thing I have learned about a World Cruise is the need to pace one-self so once in awhile if the port turns out not to be one of a lot of interest sometime making it a day to relax is good because you will be likely doing lots of excursions and mid-way through the World Cruise sometimes a little break from them is needed.

 

Best to you.

 

Keith

I think you are confusing Salalah, Oman and Saffaga, Egypt, the latter of which is the port for Luxor.

[Keith1010]

11 minutes ago, Roland4 said:

I think you are confusing Salalah, Oman and Saffaga, Egypt, the latter of which is the port for Luxor.

Yes. 
 

I figured it out when I went to the website.

 

Before that I assumed Oman.

[Keith1010]

15 hours ago, bayonejoe said:

 

you can count on it. Also we are Currently on a SS cruise and one of the crew quietly told me that he would see me on the inaugural cruise.

HAPPY DAYS.

Yes, Happy Days for sure.

 

Yes we will see a lot of crew returning many who have worked or are working on other lines. Right now it is estimated that 80% of the crew is returning.  That is an amazing number recognizing that there was always turnover in crew between retirements and crew wanting to do other things including land based jobs.  And we have known crew who left for a few years only to return another time so even those who are not returning could change their mind at a later time.

 

Keith

[Keith1010]

Speaking of Crew I remember all of the pushback about saying that the majority of the crew would be back or saying a lot of crew or a large number of crew.  Well, in my book 80% is a lot, a majority and represents a large number.  

 

It also says a lot about old Crystal and new Crystal.  

 

We also know that even if Crystal remained in business there is always attribution making this 80% number remarkable.

 

Looking forward to being reunited with the best crew at sea.

 

Keith