Keith1010

This is who you can contact at Crystal. It is for on board guest services. E-Mail address: obgs@crystalcruises.com List out all three voyages and ask which nights are formal. Keith

Gary you could do this and I know of at least one person who posts on this board who boarded without the e-tickets. I bring mine though just in case there is an issue with phone. Keith

On our previous cruises with New Crystal I had not seen this before in "my account". For an upcoming cruise I now see under my reservations (this would be within 120 days of your cruise) a tab at the top that says "View Itinerary Dress Code". It provides the evening attire for each evening of the cruise. Keith

David, when the ticket information is added to "my account" you will find it under the tab titled reservation documents. As to luggage tags I was told but have not followed up that they were going back to mailing them to your home. That was the case early on but it stopped later last year. Has anyone who has recently sailed gotten them at home? Regardless, as Rob said they will be available at the pier. Keith

Yes. Keith

While they are permitted on most excursions, if there are restrictions they normally advise and that includes clothing and baseball caps. For example, if you went into a church a baseball cap wouldn't be appropriate in many places around the world. Keith

That's great Ivi. I still go with the motto, prepare for the worst and hope for the best. And when we cruise you just never know because Mother Nature is in charge. 😃 Hope you have another smooth crossing. Keith

Ivi, I've done three of them in September and one in May. You just never know. First one on Symphony in September of 2004 with several people from CC. A retired Crystal Captain on the ship for his complimentary cruise and he did one talk. The day and night before his talk it was very bad and this is an understatement. I remember during his talk which was mostly a Q&A most questions were about how rough the seas were and did he ever experience anything that bad. He said one time. Things happen. Two other times very nice weather and very little swells i September Another time which was on the QM2 and in May. One 12 hour period very rough seas. There was a CC meetup in the lounge all the way forward on the ship. Things got very bad mid-way through so we all left. For the entire cruise other than the last afternoon you couldn't walk outside and the sun never came out. You have to expect rough seas in September but maybe you will luck out as you have done two other times which is why I always say prepare for the worse and hope for the best. One final analogy. When you sail around Cape Horn one should expect high winds and strong sea swells. First time for us was on the former Seabourn Pride. A few hours before beautiful weather and they had done a drawing for those who would go out in a zodiac to drop off food and pick up mail. An hour later it turned very bad and the next 24 hours was horrendous. Next time we were there was 2007 on Serenity and although it was way too windy to go outside and it was choppy better than the earlier experience.It was also cloudy with some rain. Final time was a few years later on Serenity. Sunny, very little wind, calm seas and I was out there for awhile taking lots of photos. IMHO if things get bad on Symphony or Serenity during the day a great place to go is the Crystal Plaza as it is on a low deck, somewhat mid ship and I believe the high ceiling helps. Keith

Treasure Hunter, Patty gave you great information. Let me add that it is a short cruise such as a 7 day cruise with high occupancy where most reservations could be booked for Umi Uma and Osteria. But if occupancy is lower there can be times that they are not all booked up. In addition, on longer voyages there is likely more openings for people to book when they are on board. Butlers are very helpful and will save you time to see the specialty restaurant. Keith

These are the features. https://www.crystalcruises.com/cruises/none-csy-012-240413?menu=suites_and_guest_rooms Regardless of room you can make reservations 120 days before the cruise begins for the specialty restaurants. Keith

Correct and mentioned more than once.The original footprint was enormous to begin with and each ship is carrying far less guests than originally designed to carry. Another evolution which took place before NC came along was the reduction of sea days. There was a time even on a 7 days cruise which was rare years ago that a short cruise of seven days had three to four sea days. These days most of the cruises have one sea day so less time at sea and less time to operate the casino. Keith

Part of this discussion we had with Old Crystal, particularly in the summer months when fairly often Waterside was closed during port days. Over the years old Crystal was had moved to fewer sea days and that has continued with new Crystal. It's not just a matter of giving people off. The number of crew members on-board is less than it was because of fewer guests. On top of this some crew positions have been reallocated. For example, less waitstaff in Waterside due to increase in the number of butlers and runners. There are also regulations that govern how many hours crew can work. And as we've discussed over the years and on numerous threads part of the evolution of cruising is that there is less demand for lunch at Waterside versus other areas including The Trident Grill, Tastes and Marketplace on port days. Just like on land not everyone agrees with the evolution of a product or the evolution of trends. Remember when one got dressed up to go to a Broadway show? How about baseball games when fans would arrive all dressed up? Forma nights without the word optional. Semi-Formal nights? Land based restaurants requiring men in a tie and jacket? Assigned dining for breakfast, lunch and dinner on cruise lines? Life moves on. Keith

Pam, in almost all cases they come to your account. There are a few exceptions where they come via e-mail. Keith

We arrived to Bordeaux August 2023 on Serenity in the early evening Some views from the ship. Next morning we walked to many nearby sites. n Beautiful Park within a nice walk from the pier. And there was lots of time to visit chateau's as we have done several times. I never like to say the best because to me there are some other very nice places we have docked allowing us to walk right into cities. Sydney, San Francisco, Cape Town (the time we were docked in a location no longer used for the medium and larger ships, Barcelona when we've been there on the smaller ships rather than where the larger ships dock. And several more. And the sail away from Bordeaux. Keith

The two I am thinking of who didn't come back first initial is not an R. Of the two Senior Head Waiters on Serenity back in 2021 one retired and the one who swung into his position did come back and now is the Senior one with someone else swinging when he is on vacation. Several others whose first initial is A, F and C retired. The good news is it has opened up opportunities for others. And another Head Waiter from Serenity went over to Symphony as soon as new Crystal started up for a promotion which is great. We miss them all though. Keith