Some thoughts and notes from our recent Symphony Sailing

[DaisyUK]

 

Here are a few notes/comments relating to our recent, 8-day sailing on Symphony from Venice to Rome, Sept 18-26. For context, we cruise several times a year and have sailed previously with (old) Crystal, and also with Regent and Cunard (QG).

 

Transfers, Embarkation & Debarkation

Arrival transfers and embarkation were not great. Not really Crystal’s fault, other than that communication about what to expect could have been better. I’d be inclined to avoid Venice embarkations until the port has things better organised. Despite being told we would have a private transfer, we were transported to the ship by bus which is apparently a requirement of the Port. Not a big deal, other than that the bus broke down so we had to wait in a hot stuffy coach for a replacement. Upon arrival at the ship, we were supposed to have been met by a Concierge/Butler and escorted through check-in to our suite but this didn’t happen so we just went with the flow and waited in line. I mention this because it was a pain at the time, but in the scheme of things it was not important. We did receive an apology and a small OBC to compensate which we thought was a nice (and completely spontaneous) gesture from Crystal.

 

Debarkation, by contrast, was a finely tuned exercise in excellence. Our private, included transfer to the airport was arranged by Crystal and we were met at the agreed time in Crystal Cove by a Concierge, who escorted us to our luggage where a porter was waiting for us, put our luggage onto a trolley and escorted us to our waiting car. On arrival at the airport, again a porter was waiting for us, luggage was taken into the terminal building and we were escorted to the check-in line. Perfect.

 

Food

Much has been written about the food over the last few weeks. On the whole we found it to be excellent throughout the ship. 

 

We ate at all the dining venues and despite our extremely critical nature, found it difficult to fault any of them. Umi Uma remains our favourite, and we ate there on 3 of the 8 nights – and it was excellent on each occasion. Wilfredo, our server, was a joy to be around. We also enjoyed Osteria, but only ate there once. Tastes was great; we ate there on 2 evenings and 2 lunchtimes. We experimented a bit with the menu and so, inevitably, there were some dishes we liked better than others but on the whole it was very good. We ate most breakfasts and a couple of lunches in the buffet and were very pleased with the presentation, freshness and selections. We also enjoyed the Bistro from time to time. We had 2 dinners in Waterside, both of which were very enjoyable (in terms of the food), but we found the service to be slow and somewhat impersonal. I think this was because the servers were just so busy that they were focusing on getting the food to the table as quickly as they could. Perhaps this is something which could be improved upon on future sailings.

 

Entertainment/Enrichment

We didn’t get around to seeing many shows, but those we did see we enjoyed. We missed having a Casino; we’re not big gamblers, but we do like to play a little from time to time. This was a port intensive cruise with no full sea days, but if there had been some sea days I think we would have felt its absence more.

I believe there were 2 speakers onboard, but we only managed to get to one of the lectures, which was very interesting and engaging (the subject matter being the Mafia).

 

Accommodation

We stayed in one of the new Junior Crystal Penthouses, and it was very comfortable and had everything we needed. We'd definitely book the same suite again. We had a few comedy moments each evening when trying to turn the TV and/or lighting on or off. Basically, hit as many buttons as you can in a random order and eventually you get what you want! I think some labelling or a short, written ‘how to use’ guide would be helpful.

 

Excursions

Excursions were hit and miss but this has been our experience across the board on every single cruise we have been on. We went on 2 Crystal organised excursions and (in our opinion) one was excellent and one was dreadful which seems to be par for the course. 

 

Service

What can I say that has not been said already? Service was universally excellent throughout the ship. Our butler (Raj) was outstanding and helped us out on several occasions. A memorable evening in Umi Uma started with me asking 'would it be possible...' and before I could finish, was told 'the answer is yes'.

 

Conclusions

This was a very enjoyable trip, and I’m sure we will be back on a Crystal ship soon. It’s not my intention to compare ships/lines within this review but inevitably it tends to happen, at least in our own minds. We very much enjoy Cunard, Regent and Crystal and will most likely continue to sail on all 3 lines depending upon itinerary, timing and perceived value. Each has pros and cons and, for us, there is no clear winner between the 3 lines, although for the suites we book, Cunard and Crystal seem to offer the best value for money.

 

The only real criticism we had for this particular sailing was that for our suite category we were supposed to have unlimited dining in both specialty restaurants, but on 2 occasions we could not get a reservation. We concluded that it was probably because it was an 8-night sailing and so there were many people to accommodate but it was disappointing nevertheless and it would be a dealbreaker for us if it were to happen again. We don’t want to eat in the specialty restaurants all the time, but do expect to be accommodated as and when we choose as per the suite benefits listed on the website and enjoyed previously on (old) Crystal.

 

All in all, we had a really great time and I'm looking forward to planning our next Crystal cruise.

 

[USCAdventurer]

thank you for your review of Symphony.  i thought it was very well balanced and i'm happy that you enjoyed your cruise on the new Crystal.  i'll be sailing on Symphony next May and i'm looking forward to it very much.

[Keith1010]

Thank you for sharing the very well written review.  

 

I am glad you both had a great time.

 

I think your hit the nail on the head about the specialty restaurants.  It is more of a challenge on an eight day cruise for sure than say one 12 or more days.

 

Question.  I saw the Junior CP's on Serenity and they are beautiful.  I was wondering if you took one of the Junior ones all the way forward or all the way in the stern of the ship. If at the bow was wondering if you were bothered at all by the seas?

 

Best to you both.

 

Keith 

[DaisyUK]

28 minutes ago, Keith1010 said:

Thank you for sharing the very well written review.  

 

I am glad you both had a great time.

 

I think your hit the nail on the head about the specialty restaurants.  It is more of a challenge on an eight day cruise for sure than say one 12 or more days.

 

Question.  I saw the Junior CP's on Serenity and they are beautiful.  I was wondering if you took one of the Junior ones all the way forward or all the way in the stern of the ship. If at the bow was wondering if you were bothered at all by the seas?

 

Best to you both.

 

Keith 

Hi Keith, thanks and yes we really did have a great time. We were all the way forward (8003). We booked pretty last minute and it was the only one available. We were not at all bothered by the seas, even though we did have some choppy weather. Having said that, we don't mind a bit of rock 'n roll! I would highly recommend the suite. 

[HUNKY]

Thank you for your review!

 

Did you have any experience with room service?

[DaisyUK]

1 hour ago, HUNKY said:

Thank you for your review!

 

Did you have any experience with room service?

We didn't order any food, but we did have a standing order for coffee each morning which arrived promptly, hot and as ordered.

[DaisyUK]

I forgot to mention the Spa!

It was great. I had hair, nail and facial treatments and all were excellent. Everyone was very helpful and friendly. Thoroughly enjoyed my time spent there.

[travelberlin]

Thanks a lot for posting your experience. It sounds very nice. I am glad you had a wonderful cruise 👌

 

Ivi

[May B]

I just read your review to Mr B!

 

We were disappointed for you that you couldn’t get into Umi Uma or O d’O, quite as much as you would have liked. But Mr B wondered, could you have had dinner from those specialties, delivered to your suite, if you wished?

 

Happy cruising!

[TER777]

There were 3 lecturers on the cruise. Besides the 2 morning lectures during the mornings at sea, they had some 4pm lectures on days when we weren’t sailing late. 

[travelberlin]

2 hours ago, May B said:

I just read your review to Mr B!

 

We were disappointed for you that you couldn’t get into Umi Uma or O d’O, quite as much as you would have liked. But Mr B wondered, could you have had dinner from those specialties, delivered to your suite, if you wished?

 

Happy cruising!

Good question 🤔

Ivi

[DaisyUK]

I think we could have had room service from either restaurant but we decided to eat elsewhere instead. It was fine; we ended up having a delicious meal both evenings. We were just surprised and disappointed to be told it wasn't possible to get reservations, when we had understood that unlimited reservations were a given in the suite we had booked. 

As for the lecturers - yes, I thought we had probably missed out on some lectures. We need to get more organised in future and read Reflections properly!

 

[AtA]

9 hours ago, DaisyUK said:

I think we could have had room service from either restaurant but we decided to eat elsewhere instead. It was fine; we ended up having a delicious meal both evenings. We were just surprised and disappointed to be told it wasn't possible to get reservations, when we had understood that unlimited reservations were a given in the suite we had booked. 

As for the lecturers - yes, I thought we had probably missed out on some lectures. We need to get more organised in future and read Reflections properly!

 

Unlimited reservations are available IF there is room. The other choice when tables are full is sometimes the sushi bar is available. In fact, that is our favorite seats in the house. 

[Keith1010]

Just want to add that you can have dinner from one or both specialty restaurants plus Waterside in the Junior CP and the CP but it sounds like in the end it worked out very well for DaisyUK.

 

Keith

[Wheetie_C]

What is the port in Venice, where the ship is docked? We will be disembarking in Venice this June and are trying to figure out where the port is and the best way to get to the port for a few nights stay in Venice.

[DaisyUK]

Our ship was docked in Fusina, about 30 mins drive from Venice centre. 

[Wheetie_C]

8 minutes ago, DaisyUK said:

Our ship was docked in Fusina, about 30 mins drive from Venice centre. 

Did Crystal provide transportation to the port in Venice?

[TER777]

16 minutes ago, Wheetie_C said:

Did Crystal provide transportation to the port in Venice?

Yes. Embark/debark was at the Maritime terminal. Bus transportation to/from the ship was provided from there. 

[Wheetie_C]

On 9/27/2023 at 3:56 AM, DaisyUK said:

Excursions were hit and miss but this has been our experience across the board on every single cruise we have been on. We went on 2 Crystal organised excursions and (in our opinion) one was excellent and one was dreadful which seems to be par for the course. 

Would you mind sharing which excursions you took ( including the ones you liked vs didn’t). Thanks

[DaisyUK]

2 hours ago, Wheetie_C said:

Would you mind sharing which excursions you took ( including the ones you liked vs didn’t). Thanks

Honestly, I can't remember, and I didn't keep a note. I do remember that one we enjoyed was the island of Capri - that was great. Can't remember the one we didn't enjoy, nor the reason why. Sorry not to be more helpful. 

[Texas Tillie]

5 hours ago, DaisyUK said:

Honestly, I can't remember, and I didn't keep a note. I do remember that one we enjoyed was the island of Capri - that was great. Can't remember the one we didn't enjoy, nor the reason why. Sorry not to be more helpful. 

 

That's a great way to approach travel, move on and look forward to your next trip. 💖 Do you have future Crystal cruises booked?

 

Patty

[DaisyUK]

7 hours ago, Texas Tillie said:

 

That's a great way to approach travel, move on and look forward to your next trip. 💖 Do you have future Crystal cruises booked?

 

Patty

Well, we are currently onboard Symphony but nothing further booked at the moment. We are looking at a couple of sailings this year, but if we go ahead we would to have to cancel bookings we have already made with other lines so are weighing up the pros and cons of that - we would be into cancellation penalties.