Symphony April 13 - 25/24

[Roland4]

We will be boarding Symphony in Athens on April 13/24 for a 12 night Greek Isles/Turkey voyage. When we originally booked this one, it was going to Israel and, of course, we all know how that turned out, but the addition of Kusadasi (and the concert at Ephesus), plus Istanbul, which we have never been to, turned this into a great itinerary. We are doing this B2B with a Tauck Tours Rhone River package and over four weeks we will only have two ports we have visited previously!

 

Our last time on Symphony was the famous (or maybe infamous) Trans-Atlantic From Hell in September 2012, and we are not hoping for a repeat. Given that there has been very little posted on CC about Symphony of late, I thought I would post our thoughts as we go along. This is a VERY port-intensive itinerary, so this will not be a "Live From", nor will I be posting daily menus/programs, (mostly because I don't have the patience), but if someone has questions, I will try to get answers. No promises, but I will try. 🙂

 

The bags are almost packed, and the limo arrives at 11:15 Thursday morning! See you onboard Symphony on Saturday!

[fisherboe]

Thanks so much @Roland4 really looking forward to seeing more from Symphony. Our first sailing on Crystal was on Symphony, and we can’t wait to be back onboard this summer in the Baltic. She holds a very special place for us.  

 

We weren’t sailing Crystal in 2012 - so curious as to happened on that transatlantic? Assuming a hurricane?
 

Bon voyage - Erik   
 

 

[oakridger]

Have a great trip @Roland4!  I would love to read along with anything you feel inspired to post.  On Crystal I have spent the most time on Symphony and like the Starlight Club situated midship!

 

Thank you,

~Nancy

[rafinmd]

Bon Voyage Larry and Monica.

 

Roy

[Roland4]

11 hours ago, fisherboe said:

Thanks so much @Roland4 really looking forward to seeing more from Symphony. Our first sailing on Crystal was on Symphony, and we can’t wait to be back onboard this summer in the Baltic. She holds a very special place for us.  

 

We weren’t sailing Crystal in 2012 - so curious as to happened on that transatlantic? Assuming a hurricane?
 

Bon voyage - Erik   
 

 

We got caught coming out of Reykjavik in the tail end of three dead/dying hurricanes. All you need to know is we were in a PH on Deck 10 and had solid water hit our balcony door, twice!!😁

[ryndam]

Bon Voyage Larry & Monica. Have a safe and stress-free journey!  🚢🛳️

 

Rob

[NWX]

17 hours ago, Roland4 said:

We will be boarding Symphony in Athens on April 13/24 for a 12 night Greek Isles/Turkey voyage. When we originally booked this one, it was going to Israel and, of course, we all know how that turned out, but the addition of Kusadasi (and the concert at Ephesus), plus Istanbul, which we have never been to, turned this into a great itinerary. We are doing this B2B with a Tauck Tours Rhone River package and over four weeks we will only have two ports we have visited previously!

 

Our last time on Symphony was the famous (or maybe infamous) Trans-Atlantic From Hell in September 2012, and we are not hoping for a repeat. Given that there has been very little posted on CC about Symphony of late, I thought I would post our thoughts as we go along. This is a VERY port-intensive itinerary, so this will not be a "Live From", nor will I be posting daily menus/programs, (mostly because I don't have the patience), but if someone has questions, I will try to get answers. No promises, but I will try. 🙂

 

The bags are almost packed, and the limo arrives at 11:15 Thursday morning! See you onboard Symphony on Saturday!

It will be so nice to hear news of Symphony and crew!

[May B]

Have a great trip, Roland4!

[TRIPACIAN]

How many passengers on your cruise?

[Roland4]

On 4/12/2024 at 11:58 AM, TRIPACIAN said:

How many passengers on your cruise?

We have been told something just over 400 guests this cruise, after having only 60 guests for the previous 7 nighter after the Red Sea. The next several cruises after this one are in the 500+ range apparently. 

 

We spoke to one of the crew who was onboard for the Red Sea crossing who said it was "interesting". They were part of a convoy escorted by three US Navy ships, and there were armed guards onboard. They were not allowed on any outside deck until they were well out on the Red Sea.

[Texas Tillie]

45 minutes ago, Roland4 said:

We have been told something just over 400 guests this cruise, after having only 60 guests for the previous 7 nighter after the Red Sea. The next several cruises after this one are in the 500+ range apparently. 

 

We spoke to one of the crew who was onboard for the Red Sea crossing who said it was "interesting". They were part of a convoy escorted by three US Navy ships, and there were armed guards onboard. They were not allowed on any outside deck until they were well out on the Red Sea.

 

I heard from someone on board now that the guest count is 380. I've often wondered when we hear different numbers if the guest entertainers and enrichment are included in the larger number and the revenue passengers only are included in the smaller number. The larger number is important for the ambiance around the ship.

 

Patty

[Roland4]

On 4/14/2024 at 8:06 AM, Texas Tillie said:

 

I heard from someone on board now that the guest count is 380. I've often wondered when we hear different numbers if the guest entertainers and enrichment are included in the larger number and the revenue passengers only are included in the smaller number. The larger number is important for the ambiance around the ship.

 

Patty

The person who told me 400 later revised that number down to 380. The ship feels comfortably occupied, and with the reduced number they can accommodate a single show at 9:15. We had forgotten how much "smaller" Symphony is compared to Serenity!

 

We are just finishing up our first (of only two) sea days and will be in Istanbul for the next two days, with a L-O-N-G tour booked for tomorrow. I will try and post some pictures and observations sometime in the next few days.

[Whipsnade]

Sounds like a perfect cruise. Now that both ships have reduced number of cabins we can always feel cozier on both. 380 seems like a perfect number. 

[Roland4]

Well, after a very busy first six days, I finally have a chance to post a few pictures of the changes to Symphony. Keep in mind that the last time we onboard was September of 2012, so while some things, Starlite, have not changed, others have to us, so if I post something "old" as something "new".........🙂

 

I stared at front of Deck 6 and worked my way back.

 

The Lounge

IMG_0122.HEIC

IMG_0123.HEIC

 

I have to admit this space does seem to be any better used than Serenity, and it is also very cool, verging on cold! One advantage it has on Serenity is the windows down both side.

 

The Bistro

IMG_0119.HEIC

IMG_0120.HEIC

IMG_0121.HEIC

 

We have not had a chance to visit The Bistro as yet, but it always seems as busy as we remember it being on Serenity. It does a lot brighter than I remember it, and the tables against the outside railing give the space a bit of "sidewalk cafe" feel!

 

The Shops

IMG_0116.HEIC

IMG_0117.HEIC

IMG_0118.HEIC

 

My wife made a purchase in Apropos the first night, but other than that, we have walked by every evening.

 

Umi Uma and Osterria

IMG_0124.HEIC

IMG_0125.HEIC

 

We had dinner The Sushi Bar on night one, and again at a table last night, and both meals were great as usual. We are at the Osterria tomorrow night and will report back. After our one experience with it on Serenity last September, we remain firmly "on the fence" about the change.

 

We unfortunately missed the Suite Open House on Tuesday, so I have no pictures. If they offer another one I will make a point of getting some.

 

I know some asked about staff onboard. Remi id the Maitre D', and while we had not met him previously, he has taken good care of us so far. Bruno is The Specialty Maitre D' and we had a nice "catch up" chat with him last night after many years. Society Hosts/Future Cruise are Beate Zaderer and Andrew Triplow, who we have known since Harmony in 2005!

 

While Serenity is usually "home" for us, we have been having a great time on Symphony. We have been welcomed home/welcomed back numerous times by staff we have never met before, and everyone seems to "know our names"!!

 

Any questions, I will try to get answers, but after tomorrow's sea day, it is a post stop a day until next Thursday!!

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 18 by Roland4

[KbFebruary]

Thanks Roland4.  How is Istanbul?  What excursion(s) did you book?  

[USCAdventurer]

i wasn't able to open any of your pictures.  but thats ok since i will on symphony in three weeks.

[Texas Tillie]

7 minutes ago, USCAdventurer said:

i wasn't able to open any of your pictures.  but thats ok since i will on symphony in three weeks.

 

I can't open them either and am not computer savvy enough to know if it's me or Larry! 🤪

 

Patty

[Roland4]

12 minutes ago, USCAdventurer said:

i wasn't able to open any of your pictures.  but thats ok since i will on symphony in three weeks.

It's me Patty!!!!!😮

 

I am still learning how to use my iPhone and the pictures saved in an HEIC format. Had to figure out how to change them to jpeg. I tried replacing them, but now I am getting download errors. Turkey is partially blocking Starlink, they are still "evaluating it", and I think that may be the problem. Since I have passed the allowed time to edit, I will try reposting the pictures either later this evening or tomorrow.

 

I did discover that if you download the individual HEIC files, you can then open the pictures, or at least I could on my Surface tablet.

Edited April 18 by Roland4

[Roland4]

34 minutes ago, KbFebruary said:

Thanks Roland4.  How is Istanbul?  What excursion(s) did you book?  

We did the V-E-R-Y L-O-N-G all day Legacy of The Ottomans yesterday that went to the Sulieman Mosque (Blue Mosque was closed), Top Kapi Palace, lunch at a Michelin Star restaurant, and the  Grand Bazaar. Today was Asian Istanbul and Bosphorous Cruise, which had us back on board by 1:30.

 

There is new cruise port facility in Istanbul that makes getting in and out for tours very easy! We depart Istanbul at 8:00 this evening.

Edited April 18 by Roland4
Typo

[May B]

16 minutes ago, Roland4 said:

It's me Patty!!!!!😮

 

I am still learning how to use my iPhone and the pictures saved in an HEIC format. Had to figure out how to change them to jpeg. I tried replacing them, but now I am getting download errors. Turkey is partially blocking Starlink, they are still "evaluating it", and I think that may be the problem. Since I have passed the allowed time to edit, I will try reposting the pictures either later this evening or tomorrow.

 

I did discover that if you download the individual HEIC files, you can then open the pictures, or at least I could on my Surface tablet.

I could open all the photos on my iPad. I love them! Thank you for posting, and keep enjoying.

 

Pretty amazing, how long you’ve known a few of the staff.

[cruise_loverinlaval]

35 minutes ago, Roland4 said:

It's me Patty!!!!!😮

 

I am still learning how to use my iPhone and the pictures saved in an HEIC format. Had to figure out how to change them to jpeg. I tried replacing them, but now I am getting download errors. Turkey is partially blocking Starlink, they are still "evaluating it", and I think that may be the problem. Since I have passed the allowed time to edit, I will try reposting the pictures either later this evening or tomorrow.

 

I did discover that if you download the individual HEIC files, you can then open the pictures, or at least I could on my Surface tablet.

Hello, let me help you post your pictures.  I was able to load them on my iPad.

Edited April 18 by cruise_loverinlaval

[travelberlin]

3 hours ago, Roland4 said:

We did the V-E-R-Y L-O-N-G all day Legacy of The Ottomans yesterday that went to the Sulieman Mosque (Blue Mosque was closed), Top Kapi Palace, lunch at a Michelin Star restaurant, and the  Grand Bazaar. Today was Asian Istanbul and Bosphorous Cruise, which had us back on board by 1:30.

 

There is new cruise port facility in Istanbul that makes getting in and out for tours very easy! We depart Istanbul at 8:00 this evening.

Would you recommend those excursions? 

[BWIVince]

Thanks for taking and sharing the photos, Larry!

 

Random question that is totally unimportant if you don't have time to respond to it...  Is the water feature still there inside the Umi Uma entrance?  I was just curious, since the half of it that's remained in recent years is pretty much the only original feature left in the room, and it's had quite a run.  haha

 

I'm glad to hear Andrew is back!  I was glad to see him again on our 2021 Bermuda sailing, and have known him around as long as you two have.  He's a great asset to Crystal.

 

Vince

[Whipsnade]

Bridge and water gone in Umi. It is quite elegant. 

[BWIVince]

32 minutes ago, Whipsnade said:

Bridge and water gone in Umi. It is quite elegant. 

 

Thanks...  The bridge has been gone since the late 90's though, so at least that's not recent.  🙂 

 

Vince