Finding a New Home - Should it be Crystal?

[Cruisecyp]

13 hours ago, AtA said:

Actually it very much is luxury right now. 

We are also on Symphony at the moment and totally agree with ‘Old Sea Dog’.

 

The ship is ultra luxury primarily because of the immaculate service and attention to detail.
 

‘Missing reservations on board for restaurants and shore excursions.  No record of transfers.  Etc.  Bring all your paperwork and back up on Board’

My tickets didn’t arrive so I contacted my TA and they popped up a few hours later.  This didn’t put me off. Minor glitches happen all the time in every walk of life.  You do something about them and carry on.  
 

Are your clients totally hopeless that they cannot sort out minor issues themselves?

 

[Keith1010]

Cruisecyp's post reminds me what I always do.

 

I do print out copies of my reservations for cruise spa/salon, specialty restaurant and tours as I do for any private restaurant, shore excursion tours and for all car transfers, hotels, and airline reservations and the cruise ticket.   Or if you don't want to print it out save it to your smart advice. I have done this for all of our trips regardless of land or trips by vessel.  Why? Because things happen.  I also make sure in my smart phone I have key phone numbers including for car transfers should my ride not be there.  A good TA should be able to give this sort of advice to their clients as well and be pro-active.  

 

Keith 

[AtA]

17 hours ago, Cruisecyp said:

We are also on Symphony at the moment and totally agree with ‘Old Sea Dog’.

 

The ship is ultra luxury primarily because of the immaculate service and attention to detail.
 

‘Missing reservations on board for restaurants and shore excursions.  No record of transfers.  Etc.  Bring all your paperwork and back up on Board’

My tickets didn’t arrive so I contacted my TA and they popped up a few hours later.  This didn’t put me off. Minor glitches happen all the time in every walk of life.  You do something about them and carry on.  
 

Are your clients totally hopeless that they cannot sort out minor issues themselves?

 

Did we have glitches on our Symphony cruise? Yes we did. However Crystal more than made up for it with their service. 

[Emdee]

On 10/18/2023 at 2:01 PM, AtA said:

We too will be on the Athens to Rome cruise so hope to see you then. You picked a great itinerary.

I will tell you we did 21 days on Whisper last September with 3 friends and none of us will do SS and Whisper again based on that cruise. There was a huge lack of service, etc. I have heard that the newer SS ships are better

 

For example, I mentioned to our butler one day that there was no place to get a chocolate chip cookie after 2 PM. His response? On the other ships you can get it at the cafe. (There is no cafe on Whisper) He didn't offer to go find one for me and just walked out of the room. Note that if I had mentioned about not being able to get something on Crystal, they would have gone out of their way to get it for me, even if they had to bake it for me!

 

Another example is another time at lunch time, I went upstairs to get a cookie. They had none out so I asked if they had any. The waiter outside found the platter, opened it and reached in with his bare hand to hand me a cookie. Obviously I refused.

 

Additionally now SS is all-inclusive and their tours, unless you pay for the upgraded ones, are no better than mass market tours. The upgraded ones are very good.

 

I have not been on Viking but hear wonderful things about them.

We used to be Regent cruisers until they went all inclusive. Then their tours went downhill, so in 2014 we decided to try Crystal. We never looked back. The difference was obvious from day one. And as good as Crystal was back in 2014, the NC is even better with better food.

 

See you in 

We too had a similar trajectory Regent until 2014 then Crystal. After the demise of OC tried the other lines. Regent was the only consistent product. We managed to squeeze in the TA Serenity sailing in September and wallowed in Crystal TLC and luxury. Now recovering from knee surgery but given myself a recovery goal of two Crystal cruises in December…something to work towards.

 

Regent itineraries have improved over the years so we will be on their ships next year. SSea has good itineraries but lacks food quality, execution and service. We do enjoy the Silversea expedition product especially the Endeavour. Cannot wait for the Crystal Expedition ships to be built.

[feist]

Hi all,

I too am on the Athens to Rome cruise next April/May.

I cannot wait!

Post Covid and before NC, I experienced a very disappointing cruise on a competing “luxury line” and was consequently so happy to book on NC.

My last OC was late 2019 and I am eager to get back on board Symphony.

[vistaman]

I will be on Symphony late May 2024  sailing   from Toulon , actually La Seyne   a smaller village aside Toulon 

I could not book an earlier cruise as I was "fully booked"   for 2023 including a recent disaster on Explora. 

The included wines on C are indeed better as on other luxury companies , maybe an exeption for som French white wines on Regent but the Champagne is better on C 

said that, the wine list is not cheap on C ,  the wine list on SS is far cheaper !

 

[Emdee]

4 hours ago, vistaman said:

I will be on Symphony late May 2024  sailing   from Toulon , actually La Seyne   a smaller village aside Toulon 

I could not book an earlier cruise as I was "fully booked"   for 2023 including a recent disaster on Explora. 

The included wines on C are indeed better as on other luxury companies , maybe an exeption for som French white wines on Regent but the Champagne is better on C 

said that, the wine list is not cheap on C ,  the wine list on SS is far cheaper !

 

The reserve wine on SSea is definitely cheaper. They had some very good years as well.

[ak1004]

On 10/16/2023 at 11:34 PM, RLK33853 said:

Thanks everyone.  We pulled the trigger today and Crystal will be the first of our trial cruises next April/May.  We do the Athens to Rome on Symphony, disembark, get on the Silversea Whisper, disembark, and end with a Viking Jupiter cruise.  All of them look like they have things they do well - now we can see which suits our style best moving forward.  Like LouChamp said, we are done with the mainstream lines and hopefully we will find our new home on the oceans of the world!

 

I will say that the Crystal board is WAY more positive and helpful than some of the others on Cruise Critic.  That in itself is a plus.

 

So bear with us - we will no doubt have lots of specific questions before we sail in April.

 

Thank you

 

Ray and Ann

 

 

 

Good plan.

 

After sailing on mainstream lines for years, we tried Oceania 5 years ago and never looked back. We sailed since then on Oceania, Crystal, Silversea, Azamara and will try Seabourn next year. We don't have a new home - we have few new homes and find all of them excellent. Itinerary and pricing are the main factors for us. Variety is good. 

 

All premium/luxury lines have their hardcore fans, but they have more common things that people think. Personally I don't believe that Oceania is better than Azamara, Crystal is better than Silversea or Silversea is better than Seabourn. To me they are all comparable, and it's a matter of personal preference.

 

Of course someone who spend hundreds of nights on one specific line would disagree - to me, it would be boring, but that's just me.

[Keith1010]

We are all unique. A person can find a product better for them because of what they value in a product and what they like.  It's really OK for something to be better.    

So when it comes to cruising some people find one or more lines to be better than others and for another person the reverse might be true. Is that really a surprise?

 

And better can change for someone overtime.  When I was 20 better for me might have been a mainstream line than a luxury line. Today, the reverse is true.

 

Same goes for most things.

 

As to how much time one spends on a line whereas for someone it might be boring for someone else it might be just the opposite.

 

So it goes.

 

 

[Emdee]

On 10/27/2023 at 6:43 PM, ak1004 said:

 

Good plan.

 

After sailing on mainstream lines for years, we tried Oceania 5 years ago and never looked back. We sailed since then on Oceania, Crystal, Silversea, Azamara and will try Seabourn next year. We don't have a new home - we have few new homes and find all of them excellent. Itinerary and pricing are the main factors for us. Variety is good. 

 

All premium/luxury lines have their hardcore fans, but they have more common things that people think. Personally I don't believe that Oceania is better than Azamara, Crystal is better than Silversea or Silversea is better than Seabourn. To me they are all comparable, and it's a matter of personal preference.

 

Of course someone who spend hundreds of nights on one specific line would disagree - to me, it would be boring, but that's just me.

Unlike you we tried Oceania in 2008 and hated it. It was a far cry from Regent. So stuck to Regent and tried Azamara until we booked Crystal. During the pandemic and after the demise of old Crystal we tried SSea, SB and Regent. Regent is the only one who performed consistently and delivered what they promised.  SSea Expeditions have amazing itineraries and that lovely Crystal ship. 
Unfortunately given one thing and another we have land trips and more Regent trips booked for next year but really enjoyed our return to Crystal Serenity in September so much so that  two weeks post knee surgery am hoping to do part of my recuperation on the Serenity.in December. The dr has given the Ok now I must just feel able to walk a straight line and up the gangplank with a cane. What better place to recuperate than on a Crystal ship where we feel the love of the staff and enjoy the fine dining. My DH thinks it is a win win incentive for me to work hard at my physio. I can even continue my recovery on board with the personal trainer. 

[ak1004]

13 minutes ago, Emdee said:

Unlike you we tried Oceania in 2008 and hated it. It was a far cry from Regent. So stuck to Regent and tried Azamara until we booked Crystal. During the pandemic and after the demise of old Crystal we tried SSea, SB and Regent. Regent is the only one who performed consistently and delivered what they promised.  SSea Expeditions have amazing itineraries and that lovely Crystal ship. 
Unfortunately given one thing and another we have land trips and more Regent trips booked for next year but really enjoyed our return to Crystal Serenity in September so much so that  two weeks post knee surgery am hoping to do part of my recuperation on the Serenity.in December. The dr has given the Ok now I must just feel able to walk a straight line and up the gangplank with a cane. What better place to recuperate than on a Crystal ship where we feel the love of the staff and enjoy the fine dining. My DH thinks it is a win win incentive for me to work hard at my physio. I can even continue my recovery on board with the personal trainer. 

 

As Keith said, we are all unique. For me, SS and Crystal were only a small step up compared to O, and not always worth the extra cost. I'm pretty sure that an "average" cruiser won't notice much difference (except for the all inclusive part). I know that some people sailed on SS, then tried Regent and went back to SS, and vice versa.

 

The main difference is that to me, the itinerary is king. The ship is not the destination, it's a floating hotel. And as a floating hotel, any of the premium/luxury lines is good enough because we spend most of the time in ports anyway.

 

Our last cruise in June was on O and we loved it! What's not to love? Excellent food, excellent service, spacious cabin, a lot of dining options etc. In the next 2 years we are booked on O, SS and SB. I'm sure we will enjoy all of them, and we would enjoy Crystal too if we could find a good itinerary at reasonable price. Right now Crystal prices are a fantasy land (for me), but I understand that they work for others.

 

This is just a different point of view, that's all. I don't expect everyone to agree. 

[Emdee]

16 minutes ago, ak1004 said:

 

As Keith said, we are all unique. For me, SS and Crystal were only a small step up compared to O, and not always worth the extra cost. I'm pretty sure that an "average" cruiser won't notice much difference (except for the all inclusive part). I know that some people sailed on SS, then tried Regent and went back to SS, and vice versa.

 

The main difference is that to me, the itinerary is king. The ship is not the destination, it's a floating hotel. And as a floating hotel, any of the premium/luxury lines is good enough because we spend most of the time in ports anyway.

 

Our last cruise in June was on O and we loved it! What's not to love? Excellent food, excellent service, spacious cabin, a lot of dining options etc. In the next 2 years we are booked on O, SS and SB. I'm sure we will enjoy all of them, and we would enjoy Crystal too if we could find a good itinerary at reasonable price. Right now Crystal prices are a fantasy land (for me), but I understand that they work for others.

 

This is just a different point of view, that's all. I don't expect everyone to agree. 

Absolutely. We are lucky to be in the sweet spot of a foot on itinerary driven trips and a foot on purely relaxing trips like our Serenity TA with a visit to Newfoundland. 

I would highly recommend the expedition cruises if you are itinerary driven they have very unique and special itineraries. 

 

[RLK33853]

A big thank you to everyone for their thoughts and viewpoints.  We really appreciate the differences, similarities, and the commonalities from each person's style of cruising.

 

Keep them coming!!!

 

Ray and Ann

[Keith1010]

As I read the posts it reenforces my view that in the end the only opinion that matters is our very own. One can do a lot of research but only you can decide.

 

For example, before we book a hotel, even one I've stayed at before, I read the reviews.  Some might say the hotel was glowing and others didn't care for it. Even on the same cruise some people have a great time and others not as good.

 

When I read the comment about Oceania food I think back to there couples we know personally; one from cruising and two who live in our community. One couple took their first Oceania cruise in June and disliked it and left before their second back to back cruise started and boarded Serenity. They didn't care for Oceania. And the two couples who live here who used to like Oceania said the crew was overworked, not like they used to be and the food which they say used to be great was not longer what it was and they were don't sailing Oceania.

 

So in the end, one can ask for as much input as possible and try to make the most informed decision but until they see for themselves they just can't be sure.

 

Even those who like a cruise line don't always agree on all aspects of it.

 

In my case I just consider us to be fortunate to have sailed on several different cruise lines over the years and found one that truly works for us.  At this stage of our lives we see no need to sail another one unless it was itinerary driven because for us Crystal is ideal. 

 

Keith

[ak1004]

1 hour ago, Keith1010 said:

 

When I read the comment about Oceania food I think back to there couples we know personally; one from cruising and two who live in our community. One couple took their first Oceania cruise in June and disliked it and left before their second back to back cruise started and boarded Serenity. They didn't care for Oceania. And the two couples who live here who used to like Oceania said the crew was overworked, not like they used to be and the food which they say used to be great was not longer what it was and they were don't sailing Oceania.

 

 

We must have very different friends.. all friends that we have love O food and the line in general. We did not see any difference between our first sailing on O in 2018 and our last few sailings. But people like to complaint.

 

O has 7 ships and the ships sail at 80-100% capacity most of the time, so they must be doing something right..

[Keith1010]

15 minutes ago, ak1004 said:

 

We must have very different friends.. all friends that we have love O food and the line in general. We did not see any difference between our first sailing on O in 2018 and our last few sailings. But people like to complaint.

 

O has 7 ships and the ships sail at 80-100% capacity most of the time, so they must be doing something right..

This is the point I was trying to make in my post.

 

People don't aways see things in the same way.

 

In the end, the only opinion that matters is your own one and opinions vary and sometimes things change.

[Emdee]

5 hours ago, ak1004 said:

 

We must have very different friends.. all friends that we have love O food and the line in general. We did not see any difference between our first sailing on O in 2018 and our last few sailings. But people like to complaint.

 

O has 7 ships and the ships sail at 80-100% capacity most of the time, so they must be doing something right..

I too have friends who disliked Oceania ….so there are a few of us out there.

However some friends like you love it. 
Between the two my choice is Regent as I feel more comfortable with the Regent passengers in general. Now that Regent has expanded their itineraries and excursions it meets our needs. Crystal for us is pure luxury knowing we will have exceptional service and exceptional food. 
 

As someone on this board regularly says : choice is good. I don’t dis anyone else’s choice because it suits them. 

 

[ak1004]

1 hour ago, Emdee said:

I too have friends who disliked Oceania ….so there are a few of us out there.

However some friends like you love it. 
Between the two my choice is Regent as I feel more comfortable with the Regent passengers in general. Now that Regent has expanded their itineraries and excursions it meets our needs. Crystal for us is pure luxury knowing we will have exceptional service and exceptional food. 
 

As someone on this board regularly says : choice is good. I don’t dis anyone else’s choice because it suits them. 

 

 

What is rarely mentioned on this board is the cost. For some people it might not be an issue, but for many it's an important part of the equation.

 

Regent is almost double price compared to O (yes I accounted for air credit). While I would love to try Regent, their prices just don't make sense to me. I could sail 4 times a year with O or 2 times a year with Regent. To me it's an obvious choice. Same with Explora and Crystal. But we will be sailing on SS and SB because we found good itineraries at prices only slightly higher than O.

 

Whoever gives us the best combination of itinerary and price gets our business. It's that simple. Zero loyalty to any brand.

[Emdee]

1 hour ago, ak1004 said:

 

What is rarely mentioned on this board is the cost. For some people it might not be an issue, but for many it's an important part of the equation.

 

Regent is almost double price compared to O (yes I accounted for air credit). While I would love to try Regent, their prices just don't make sense to me. I could sail 4 times a year with O or 2 times a year with Regent. To me it's an obvious choice. Same with Explora and Crystal. But we will be sailing on SS and SB because we found good itineraries at prices only slightly higher than O.

 

Whoever gives us the best combination of itinerary and price gets our business. It's that simple. Zero loyalty to any brand.

Most of us have budgets and money is always part of the equation. Both of us worked and kept money aside for our retirement travels. 

We very seldom go in large suites as it has no value for us. We choose what we consider to be the value proposition. This value is very personal and money is only part of the equation. So we often stay in very nice hotels and resorts, Belmond, Aman, Fairmont for example however I stay in a 60 year old house and don’t need anything fancier or larger.

 

We stay with certain brands because we feel comfortable with them. Loyalty we feel to staff not the brand. 

 

Money is the value you ascribe to it…otherwise it is paper. 
 

Yup my two cents which after last two weeks beating in the market is just 1.5 cent! 

 

[Keith1010]

8 hours ago, ak1004 said:

 

What is rarely mentioned on this board is the cost. For some people it might not be an issue, but for many it's an important part of the equation.

 

Regent is almost double price compared to O (yes I accounted for air credit). While I would love to try Regent, their prices just don't make sense to me. I could sail 4 times a year with O or 2 times a year with Regent. To me it's an obvious choice. Same with Explora and Crystal. But we will be sailing on SS and SB because we found good itineraries at prices only slightly higher than O.

 

Whoever gives us the best combination of itinerary and price gets our business. It's that simple. Zero loyalty to any brand.

Cost is one of many factors that people factor into their cruising decisions not only who they cruise with, but the itinerary (flights have costs too) length of cruise, accommodations, etc., etc. ,etc.

 

It is easy to figure out what the cost of a trip will be.

 

As to who provides the overall value that is in the eyes of the beholder and that is because while one lines bottom line cost might be higher it comes down to how one values each product.  No two products are created equally when it comes to cruising or for that matter most things.

 

Keith

[Cruisius Maximus]

So O over C?

 

If I were so wealthy that cost was not a factor, I probably wouldn't be sailing on either of those lines.

[May B]

11 hours ago, Cruisius Maximus said:

So O over C?

 

If I were so wealthy that cost was not a factor, I probably wouldn't be sailing on either of those lines.

Or you’d cruise in the highest category on every cruise.

[Keith1010]

There are many different definitions of wealth.  Certainly if you were on the Forbes list you likely will travel on your own aircraft and on your own yacht or lease something similar.

 

Others with more moderate wealth which total many millions who cruise select the line they most enjoy and that doesn't have to be a luxury line. A couple we know well in the last town we live in who can easily take a top suite on any luxury line prefer Royal Caribbean.  For them it works.  

 

Like all things this comes down to personal preference and how they want to spend their disposable income or for that matter for some they might take a cruse of a lifetime.  

 

The good new is there is lots of choice out there and how much choice an individual has depends on various factors and one if how much they want to spend.

 

Same goes for who one sails with. Some have no go-to line and will sail a wide range of lines for various reasons whether that is for itinerary or even to change things up and sail a range of lines and/or vessels.

 

Others sail one line or evolve to one line.

 

And back to value. Value is in the eyes of the beholder.  In our case I believe we get a lot of value from cruising over a land based vacation and for us the Crystal product provides us with the value we consider important.  I know some who would say there is on way they will take a cruise and be in the same room with their spouse for that length of time saying they will go stir crazy and this would lead to too many fights.  

 

Choice is good although once in a while can be overwhelming if one is looking for a product on Amazon.Com and is faced with 100's of choices.  🤣

 

Keith

[May B]

I love it, Keith! The last two sentences gave me great big smiles!

 

 

[Emdee]

14 minutes ago, May B said:

I love it, Keith! The last two sentences gave me great big smiles!

 

 

Me too!