Anybody onboard currently?

[travelberlin]

Hi, we are very glad that the Serenity is sailing again and we have been reading Keiths reports about his impressions of the inaugural sailing. It looks good and we are thankful about those impressions. We would also like to hear from other guests how they are experiencing the new company, the offerings, the pre cruise experience, the onboard experience, etc. I remember some Cruise critic members offered to write unbiased reports. Are any of those guests on board ?

 

Ivi

[Keith1010]

I know of at least one CC member who will be writing a review of the first cruise. 
 

Many more people were on board who post on another site in comparison to those on board who are CC members. 

 

Keith

 

[CruisePfan]

This is our 6th Crystal cruise and so far only a few minor glitches. We arrived on Thursday and there were 3 Crystal reps to meet us at airport and escort to us to small van for hotel.  We stayed at the pre cruise hotel Tivoli Avenida Liberdade. It was one and half blocks down from the original announced Sofitel Hotel in a great section of town. Letters were waiting for us with instructions on time to meet and when they would pickup luggage from room. A Crystal desk was manned where you could pick up luggage tags if you had not receive them before  you left home. 15 minute ride to cruise terminal. Arrived about 12:40.  A little bit of confusion on baggage handling at dock. Rep on bus told us we had to point out our bags to waiting porters, but someone else advised to just get on ship and baggage would be delivered to rooms.

Check in was easy, they took pictures of each passenger, and then you could go directly to your suite where you key was waiting in room. A bottle of Charles Heidsieck champagne was chilling on ice in our Sapphire veranda suite. All the Sapphire suites on 9 are the 2023 redesigned ones with fabulous walk in showers. Tons of storage in the bathroom! Had to ask for toiletries. First night small tubes, but on second day new bottles were delivered. We are still waiting for the new Lenovo tablets, but the daily Reflections is being delivered so we are managing fine. 
Paddle tennis courts are in great shape, and we’ve managed to take 2 golf lessons already! Instructor is a PGA Teaching Pro, Joe Herbert, and he is excellent.

More info to come, but Crystal is back and the experience so far has been great. 
 

[gaspari]

Yes, we are on board at the moment, and enjoying our cruise. Some very brief first impressions, just a few days in.

 

Our 2018 refurbed Aquamarine Suite is looking great, modern spacious and comfortable with a lovely bathroom, shower only. Beds and linens are super. Our Butler  and stewardesses are super too.

 

Food so far good, and nicely presented, although our meals to date in Waterside were as good as last night’s Osteria. Not a great fan of the rather limited Italian menu or the over fussy presentation there, and won’t revisit on this cruise. Not tried Umi yet.

 

Staff mostly very pleasant and helpful, but service quite impersonal compared with our recent experience on Seabourn and other cruise lines where it felt warm, personal, and intuitive. Management mostly cool/distant and don’t interact much with us.

No one ever asks for a name, so one feels a bit anonymous. Many long-standing mature male senior and waiting staff, and surprised at how few female staff are employed in these positions.

 

Shuttle services provided when needed have been excellent.

 

Musicians and evening entertainment universally excellent, with plenty of options.

 

Just a word on the refurbishment, it is partial, not full. Some public rooms and staterooms are looking super smart, and some areas are much as we remember from many years ago. Palm Court and most dining venues looking great. Bistro very utilitarian. We would have been disappointed with a classic aquamarine stateroom, which are in the majority, particularly their very dated bathrooms, and cluttered furnishings. However, seen a couple of the brand new rooms which look really nice.

 

First impression is this is clearly a quality cruising experience, albeit on an older ship, which we are enjoying, but question whether it would be worth any price uplift over the smarter, newer, more stylish ships of Seabourn / Silversea etc

[Texas Tillie]

I mostly agree with gaspari above except the comment about impersonal service. I’ve found it to be quite the opposite. I’m a longtime Crystal cruiser but mostly Symphony, so I don’t know the crew on Serenity. Almost to a person they have been warm and friendly. 
 

Patty

[Princess Calee]

4 hours ago, gaspari said:

Yes, we are on board at the moment, and enjoying our cruise. Some very brief first impressions, just a few days in.

 

Our 2018 refurbed Aquamarine Suite is looking great, modern spacious and comfortable with a lovely bathroom, shower only. Beds and linens are super. Our Butler  and stewardesses are super too.

 

Food so far good, and nicely presented, although our meals to date in Waterside were as good as last night’s Osteria. Not a great fan of the rather limited Italian menu or the over fussy presentation there, and won’t revisit on this cruise. Not tried Umi yet.

 

Staff mostly very pleasant and helpful, but service quite impersonal compared with our recent experience on Seabourn and other cruise lines where it felt warm, personal, and intuitive. Management mostly cool/distant and don’t interact much with us.

No one ever asks for a name, so one feels a bit anonymous. Many long-standing mature male senior and waiting staff, and surprised at how few female staff are employed in these positions.

 

Shuttle services provided when needed have been excellent.

 

Musicians and evening entertainment universally excellent, with plenty of options.

 

Just a word on the refurbishment, it is partial, not full. Some public rooms and staterooms are looking super smart, and some areas are much as we remember from many years ago. Palm Court and most dining venues looking great. Bistro very utilitarian. We would have been disappointed with a classic aquamarine stateroom, which are in the majority, particularly their very dated bathrooms, and cluttered furnishings. However, seen a couple of the brand new rooms which look really nice.

 

First impression is this is clearly a quality cruising experience, albeit on an older ship, which we are enjoying, but question whether it would be worth any price uplift over the smarter, newer, more stylish ships of Seabourn / Silversea etc

Would you kindly go into a little further what you saw with the Classic Aquamarine Suite such as cluttered furnishings and dated bathrooms. We have this category on Symphony reserved. Thanks for your help.

[happy_bee]

We are in a Sapphire Veranda  suite on the 9th deck.

Cabin Positives:

We love this cabin. It’s roomy and the interior design makes it feel light and airy. Everything is new and fresh. There are plenty of chairs and places to store things. Furniture is comfortable. Closet is nice. The shower is big with 3 different spray heads. We can brighten and dim the lighting. Veranda is big. Afternoon Canapes are a nice surprise. The butler has been a big help and he is very likable. The bed is very comfy - hard not to fall asleep after eating all this food that is available.  The housekeeper is very stealth at getting in and keeping things tidy without me even seeing her. She always greets us when she sees us in the passageway and asks if we need anything. The cabin  gets cleaned twice a day. Lots of towels. Big TVs. Nespresso machine. Fridge is stocked. 
Some negatives but in no way does it change our enjoyment. 
The bathroom in the Sapphire suite has two doors. There is one solid bathroom door in the separate bedroom and one frosted glass door by the cabin entry. That frosted glass door is adjacent to the toilet. Big mistake. That should be the solid door so there is privacy while using the toilet. There is no door on the shower stall so water can get everywhere especially if you try the side shower heads on the wall. Closet is located by front entry and not close to the bedroom. 
Staff: They are so friendly and helpful. They want you to be happy. We haven’t had any bad experiences with the staff. 
Excursions: Some communication glitches. Shuttle driver took a 2 hour lunch break which was not communicated very well. Had to take a cab back to the ship. 
We didn’t use the Crystal preferred hotel. We stayed at the Ivens Hotel in Lisbon and when it came time to check in for embarkation that went smoothly. 

Food is plentiful and excellent. 

We have sailed twice before on Crystal but never on Serenity. We feel that things will get better. We are just so happy to be sailing with Crystal again. 

[rafinmd]

7 hours ago, Texas Tillie said:

I mostly agree with gaspari above except the comment about impersonal service. I’ve found it to be quite the opposite. I’m a longtime Crystal cruiser but mostly Symphony, so I don’t know the crew on Serenity. Almost to a person they have been warm and friendly. 
 

Patty

I think it's pretty much the same between the ships.  My recollection is that the crew seem to use my name somewhat less than my limited experience on other luxury lines but the big differences is their learning and anticipating my wishes, habits, and desires.  I have been on a luxury ship where Everyone used my name but it pretty much ended at that and even when I said there were things that could have been better they forgot what I said 5 minutes later.

 

Roy

Edited August 16, 2023 by rafinmd

[barefoot girl!]

We have been sailing with Crystal Cruises since 2002 and we found the rollout of new Crystal to be very well executed. There are definitely glitches in certain departments and on the tech side. We have no doubt these things will be ironed out. The change that concerns us most is the introduction of Osteria d’Ovidio at the expense of our beloved Prego. 

 

I agree with gaspari’s comments about the new Italian offering. The food is done very well and the waiters that we met were excellent. The issue we have is that the menu, for the most part, is not to our taste. It is a much more formal atmosphere and menu. Prego had a warm and welcoming atmosphere. The new restaurant is cold and formal by comparison. Prego had a fantastic diverse menu that appealed to a wide range of tastes. There were some outstanding and memorable favourites (carpaccio, mushroom soup, lasagna and vongole). The Prego dishes and atmosphere were so exceptional that it was one of the key factors that kept us looking forward to and coming back to Crystal. I remember a fellow Cruise Critic member once describing Prego as feeling like the best private club (paraphrasing). That description was spot on.

 

I think many regular Crystal guests consider the ship more than a ship. It is a second or third home. This is why we believe big changes are often not well received. It is often nice to know what to expect and feel this change has completely removed a key component of the Crystal experience. People are passionate about the former Prego and many had favourite go-to dishes that they liked and kept coming back for. It seems that with the new restaurant, management has told us … that’s not what you like … this concept is better and you should like this. I wish they could continue to give the guests what they like. I could accept some changes, but this is a very drastic departure.

 

We spoke to many long time guests onboard who had similar comments. We did not meet anyone who liked the new restaurant concept. Anecdotally, in years past, we noticed that it was often a lot harder to get a Prego reservation than an Umi Uma reservation. On the inaugural cruise, this trend had totally flipped and it was Umi Uma that was packed and there was no problem getting a table in Osteria d’Ovidio. 

Paolo is certainly in a tough spot and I feel for him. He has known many of his customers for over a decade and is handling everything wit a positive attitude and a smile as usual. We did, however overhear more than one group telling him that they were not impressed and that Crystal should simply bring Prego back. 

Crystal has done a great job providing a quality product, however it has done so at the expense of a Crystal Cruises staple. If we don’t see the return of Prego, perhaps they will listen to their customers and at least bring back some of the favourites to the new restaurant. 

[Stickman1990]

I just wanted to say that it is so nice to see new members posting about their experiences  - it's great to get some fresh perspective on the new Crystal experience

 

Thanks for taking the time to post

 

I'm sure Crystal will be listening to all guests feedback and if deemed appropriate they will fine tune their offerings

 

[gaspari]

12 hours ago, Princess Calee said:

Would you kindly go into a little further what you saw with the Classic Aquamarine Suite such as cluttered furnishings and dated bathrooms. We have this category on Symphony reserved. Thanks for your help.

I am sure you will be comfortable wherever you are on the ship, and it may just be a matter of taste. We like modern stylish interiors with space and a relatively simple design, which our suite provides. Our observation of the classic was that it has a large sofa and armchair, with a double desk area which protrudes into the room - just more furnishings. The bathroom looks dated and contain a bath which we do not need, and a smaller more traditional shower cubicle, whereas we have a large walk in shower with a super three way shower head, very stylish design, and no bath. Design wise the classic is traditional, warmer colours and a bit more fussy versus light and bright and modern. Some people may prefer it, but we were expecting renovated on the newly reimagined ship, which it is not. The classic locations are more midship though. There are a couple of comparison pics showing the classic and 2018 styles on the Crystal website.

[Keith1010]

14 hours ago, Princess Calee said:

Would you kindly go into a little further what you saw with the Classic Aquamarine Suite such as cluttered furnishings and dated bathrooms. We have this category on Symphony reserved. Thanks for your help.

I would recommend asking this when people are on board Symphony.

 

Serenity and Symphony Classic rooms are different. I love the classic on Serenity. It is has lovely features including makeup desk and another desk and lots of storage space.  I like it a lot more than Symphony where we go with a Classic Sapphire or where we loved the Sapphire which was created in 2017 whereas we didn't like the Sapphire on Serenity created in 2018 but think the new Sapphire looks great.

 

Anyway, I recommend getting some feedback after Symphony launches.

 

Keith

[May B]

Prego has consistently been our biggest disappointment in dinners on our nine Crystal cruises. We will miss the octopus carpaccio and the mushroom soup, although the soup we can have once in Waterside. We barely touched the bread bowl. Hopefully the octopus will show up someplace.

 

I would love the classic Aquamarine, for the bathtub. I’ve never much understood the concept of a large shower versus a traditional shower cubicle. An armchair plus a large sofa sounds useful to me. 
 

This is all meant to remind everyone that it’s not a one-size-fits-all world. Which you already knew, anyway. Thank you very much and have a nice day.

[ctjon]

To each -- Prego was our favorite place to eat on Crystal and honestly the new OO menu (and name we can't remember or spell) doesn't really interest us  It is almost as if thoughts are that fancy = luxury and Prego wasn't fancy enough.  We are also maybe the only people in the world who aren't interested in UMI UMA - just not the kind of food we like.   So not sure where we will eat.

Does anyone know - the old days you got 2 restaurant credits for short cruise - even though stated as 1 per each restaurant you could actually use both at one of them - so we used to use both at Prego.  Is that still doable?

[May B]

7 minutes ago, ctjon said:

To each -- Prego was our favorite place to eat on Crystal and honestly the new OO menu (and name we can't remember or spell) doesn't really interest us  It is almost as if thoughts are that fancy = luxury and Prego wasn't fancy enough.  We are also maybe the only people in the world who aren't interested in UMI UMA - just not the kind of food we like.   So not sure where we will eat.

Does anyone know - the old days you got 2 restaurant credits for short cruise - even though stated as 1 per each restaurant you could actually use both at one of them - so we used to use both at Prego.  Is that still doable?

On our first Crystal, we weren’t planning to go to Umi Uma (which was Silk Road then, but same menu). Luckily friends we met onboard said we absolutely should try it. It’s now our favorite restaurant, not only onboard but maybe any place. We never … as in, not ever … go out for sushi. We love it at Umi Uma. And many other menu items.
 

I was curious about your “is that still doable” question as well, although I think we’ll be happy at Osteria d’Ovidio, too. Certainly we’ll reserve judgment until we’ve tried it.

 

 

Edited August 16, 2023 by May B

[CruisePfan]

Yes it is still doable to do two visits to OdO, UU, the Sushi Bar, or any combination thereof without charge. The third visit is a fee of $50 per person.  

[Lady Dinero]

2 hours ago, May B said:

I would love the classic Aquamarine, for the bathtub. I’ve never much understood the concept of a large shower versus a traditional shower cubicle. An armchair plus a large sofa sounds useful to me. 

 

Am armchair in the shower is a fantastic idea!

[tryber]

11 hours ago, barefoot girl! said:

We have been sailing with Crystal Cruises since 2002 and we found the rollout of new Crystal to be very well executed. There are definitely glitches in certain departments and on the tech side. We have no doubt these things will be ironed out. The change that concerns us most is the introduction of Osteria d’Ovidio at the expense of our beloved Prego. 

 

I agree with gaspari’s comments about the new Italian offering. The food is done very well and the waiters that we met were excellent. The issue we have is that the menu, for the most part, is not to our taste. It is a much more formal atmosphere and menu. Prego had a warm and welcoming atmosphere. The new restaurant is cold and formal by comparison. Prego had a fantastic diverse menu that appealed to a wide range of tastes. There were some outstanding and memorable favourites (carpaccio, mushroom soup, lasagna and vongole). The Prego dishes and atmosphere were so exceptional that it was one of the key factors that kept us looking forward to and coming back to Crystal. I remember a fellow Cruise Critic member once describing Prego as feeling like the best private club (paraphrasing). That description was spot on.

 

I think many regular Crystal guests consider the ship more than a ship. It is a second or third home. This is why we believe big changes are often not well received. It is often nice to know what to expect and feel this change has completely removed a key component of the Crystal experience. People are passionate about the former Prego and many had favourite go-to dishes that they liked and kept coming back for. It seems that with the new restaurant, management has told us … that’s not what you like … this concept is better and you should like this. I wish they could continue to give the guests what they like. I could accept some changes, but this is a very drastic departure.

 

We spoke to many long time guests onboard who had similar comments. We did not meet anyone who liked the new restaurant concept. Anecdotally, in years past, we noticed that it was often a lot harder to get a Prego reservation than an Umi Uma reservation. On the inaugural cruise, this trend had totally flipped and it was Umi Uma that was packed and there was no problem getting a table in Osteria d’Ovidio. 

Paolo is certainly in a tough spot and I feel for him. He has known many of his customers for over a decade and is handling everything wit a positive attitude and a smile as usual. We did, however overhear more than one group telling him that they were not impressed and that Crystal should simply bring Prego back. 

Crystal has done a great job providing a quality product, however it has done so at the expense of a Crystal Cruises staple. If we don’t see the return of Prego, perhaps they will listen to their customers and at least bring back some of the favourites to the new restaurant. 

 

I can understand the nostalgia for the old Prego, though it was always our least favorite (we would go mainly because they would make an eggplant parmesan on request, which was my wife's favorite).  But the one dish I always read people loved was the soup in a bread bowl.  I had it once and it was good, but very rich and not the kind of thing you would expect from a fine dining restaurant (I understand you can still get it wat Waterside). 

 

It seems like the new Crystal (probably in part for competitive reasons and perhaps because of the taste of the new owner) wanted to have a specialty restaurant that was more like a classic Michelin star quality restaurant.  As great as Nobu restaurants are, you are not going to have that kind of experience at a sushi restaurant.  And no matter how good the food is in Waterside, you aren't going to have that experience in such a big dining room.  Personally, I'm excited about what I hear about Osteria d’Ovidio.  I completely understand that a more formal restaurant is not every one's cup of tea, but I don't know that it's really the case that the majority of Crystal customers will be unhappy with such a restaurant.

 

As for the popularity of the Umi Uma restaurant over Osteria d’Ovidio, I found that the Nobu restaurant was much harder to get a reservation than Prego on all of the cruises I took over the last several years.  The popularity of both sushi and Nobu's own interpretation of Peruvian/Japanese food (which is now ubiquitous) has grown exponentially from the time that restaurant first opened on Crystal (my first cruise was right after Nobu replaced Silk Road, and I agree that it was much easier to get reservations then).  As a resident of LA, we were fortunate to eat many times at his first restaurant Matsuhisa, which was only in LA for the late 80's and early 90s.  The fact that he had a restaurant on Crystal was one of the reasons our first luxury cruise was on Crystal.  Now he has restaurants and hotels throughout the world.  I very much doubt the old Prego would have been more popular on your cruise.  

[Princess Calee]

8 hours ago, Keith1010 said:

I would recommend asking this when people are on board Symphony.

 

Serenity and Symphony Classic rooms are different. I love the classic on Serenity. It is has lovely features including makeup desk and another desk and lots of storage space.  I like it a lot more than Symphony where we go with a Classic Sapphire or where we loved the Sapphire which was created in 2017 whereas we didn't like the Sapphire on Serenity created in 2018 but think the new Sapphire looks great.

 

Anyway, I recommend getting some feedback after Symphony launches.

 

Keith

Great information and advice as always Keith!  

[StoryMag]

I boarded Serenity in Lisbon after  horrific fall at the Sofitel and also after having lost my luggage due to late reroute due to unstable weather in Northeast U.S. Good news is I seem to have recovered and a lovely gentleman who’s name I did not catch advised me as I was checking out and he was checking in that I should immediately go to Crystal concierge and let them know my luggage was not recovered and I had made no progress finding it. So I did that. Long story short my luggage arrived in my cabin at our 2nd port. And THAT is Crystal service. Our lovely Leo, Batman and Robin as well as countless others are all on board. Service is just so fantastic and we even have a butler in our double verandah cabin. Next time though, we need to go bigger. room is beautiful. I have found the dancing to be disappointing. But that is all! 

[Amber14]

16 minutes ago, StoryMag said:

I boarded Serenity in Lisbon after  horrific fall at the Sofitel and also after having lost my luggage due to late reroute due to unstable weather in Northeast U.S. Good news is I seem to have recovered and a lovely gentleman who’s name I did not catch advised me as I was checking out and he was checking in that I should immediately go to Crystal concierge and let them know my luggage was not recovered and I had made no progress finding it. So I did that. Long story short my luggage arrived in my cabin at our 2nd port. And THAT is Crystal service. Our lovely Leo, Batman and Robin as well as countless others are all on board. Service is just so fantastic and we even have a butler in our double verandah cabin. Next time though, we need to go bigger. room is beautiful. I have found the dancing to be disappointing. But that is all! 

Wow, I am impressed that Crystal was able to recover your luggage so quickly and happy for you that they did! Just wondering if you could expand upon your dancing disappointment. Was it because of a particular type of music or dancing you were looking for or because there wasn't enough of it? Thanks!

[StoryMag]

4 minutes ago, Amber14 said:

Wow, I am impressed that Crystal was able to recover your luggage so quickly and happy for you that they did! Just wondering if you could expand upon your dancing disappointment. Was it because of a particular type of music or dancing you were looking for or because there wasn't enough of it? Thanks!

Dancing seems so far to be limited to Palm Court. Small floor. Fine for pre dinner, but not for late night. and i think ends at 930. Good news is there do appear to be a number of dancers so even though one may not get a chance to dance, the host program does seem to still be popular, which is good. do wish they would use the stardust (starlight) though.

 

[Amber14]

34 minutes ago, StoryMag said:

Dancing seems so far to be limited to Palm Court. Small floor. Fine for pre dinner, but not for late night. and i think ends at 930. Good news is there do appear to be a number of dancers so even though one may not get a chance to dance, the host program does seem to still be popular, which is good. do wish they would use the stardust (starlight) though.

 

Thanks for the quick reply. I guess it was ballroom dancing that you were talking about. Although I would love to say we could dance like that, sadly we don't. We love to just do our own thing to all kinds of music especially old 60's & 70's. Did you see any of this while you were onboard?

[Texas Tillie]

7 minutes ago, Amber14 said:

Thanks for the quick reply. I guess it was ballroom dancing that you were talking about. Although I would love to say we could dance like that, sadly we don't. We love to just do our own thing to all kinds of music especially old 60's & 70's. Did you see any of this while you were onboard?

I haven’t been up that late but have seen on the schedule in Reflections that there’s a DJ most evenings after 10 in Pulse. 
 

Patty

[travelberlin]

2 hours ago, StoryMag said:

I boarded Serenity in Lisbon after  horrific fall at the Sofitel and also after having lost my luggage due to late reroute due to unstable weather in Northeast U.S. Good news is I seem to have recovered and a lovely gentleman who’s name I did not catch advised me as I was checking out and he was checking in that I should immediately go to Crystal concierge and let them know my luggage was not recovered and I had made no progress finding it. So I did that. Long story short my luggage arrived in my cabin at our 2nd port. And THAT is Crystal service. Our lovely Leo, Batman and Robin as well as countless others are all on board. Service is just so fantastic and we even have a butler in our double verandah cabin. Next time though, we need to go bigger. room is beautiful. I have found the dancing to be disappointing. But that is all! 

I am sorry to hear about your fall but glad to hear you are feeling better. After a fall I had in the Frankfurt airport a couple of years ago, which included me being transported by ambulance to the University Hospital in Frankfurt, now I am much more conscious of being very careful specially when I am traveling.

 

I am also very glad to hear that Crystal has helped you to recover your luggage so quickly. This is very good from them and it contributes to our expectations of having exceptional service.

 

Ivi

 

 

Edited August 17, 2023 by travelberlin