DaisyUK

Does anyone know whether there is a difference (other than location, obviously) between the aft and forward JCP? I'm assuming the reference to a 'mid' location within the suite description is a typo as there do not seem to be any JCPs in a midships location?

Thanks for this great review. We did the same itinerary last year in the same suite. Agree on all your comments regarding the suite, especially the lack of a second WC. Internet was slow last year, so good to hear that it has improved so significantly.

Thank you all again for the help and advice. I'm still wavering. I gave up on Qatar in the end. My 2 options now are a direct flight on BA first class, or still Emirates/Singapore. The problem for me with Emirates is that I would need to do cash plus miles (no first class award seats availability at present) and I would need to put miles into Emirates to find out the redemption value of the points and if I don't like it, then my points are stuck with Emirates and I'm not sure when we would next want to fly somewhere Emirates goes. BA seems like a good deal, but probably not as luxurious as Emirates/Singapore.

After disembarking from our recent Symphony cruise, my husband discovered that he had lost one of his (brand new, very expensive) hearing aids. Without much hope, I contacted Crystal to ask whether it had been found and handed in. A few days later, I was contacted and told that a member of staff had found the hearing aid and had indeed handed it in. Crystal returned the hearing aid by tracked mail and we received it safely this week. It might not sound like much, but we were absolutely thrilled to get it back and very pleasantly surprised that they went to the trouble. Just a nice story which gives us a nice warm feeling.

Yes you would. We routinely book with a US agent and Cunard links those cruises to our existing ones which we booked through a UK agent.

Also... I think I may be seriously indebted to you as it would seem that rather than pay for the very expensive Emirates flights, it may be possible to fly on airmiles with Qatar! Am getting my ducks lined up, but it's looking good. It would be business to and from the UK for the shorter part of the journey and first for the rest.

Thank you for coming back to me on this. First on Singapore is prohibitively expensive (for us) or I would probably choose that. We could, however, do First on Emirates and we would be on the A380. I will also take a look at Etihad and Qatar. Thanks again for your advice, very much appreciated!

Hi, wondering whether anyone can give advice about Emirates? From what I've read, it seems like a good airline. We are flying Lon-Sydney and our best options seem to be Emirates or Singapore Airlines,. We could fly First on Emirates or Business on Singapore.

Thank you for taking us along with you. Enjoying reading your blog.

Thank you again everyone for your help and ideas. We're 90% decided that we will do the 17 day sailing, rather than the 30 days so if there are any more 'must-see/must-do' suggestions please let me know! We will not be in Sydney for NYE unfortunately - it's all a bit last-minute and the earliest we can fly out from the UK is the 31st Dec so we plan to arrive late on the 1st Jan and then stay a couple of days after the cruise ends.

Wow, thank you Stickman and everyone else who has responded. Plenty of food for thought. We are still deliberating. If we decide to go ahead I'll take you up on your offer! Thanks again!

Thank you all for your very helpful and positive comments. And, yes, it is the Jan 4th sailing. Decisions, decisions…

Hi, we are considering a 30-day cruise on Symphony in January. Neither of us has ever visited Australia or New Zealand and I am trying to get a feel as to whether it's worth the very long journey or not. Wondering whether any of you who have experienced this part of the world on a cruise think it is unmissable, or whether there are better options closer to home? I realise as I'm typing this that it's very broad question, but nevertheless any insights/advice would be most welcome.

We booked a box one evening and thought it was well worth the cost. We received LP champagne on ice (cannot remember whether it was a half or full bottle) and a beautiful selection of petit fours. We thoroughly enjoyed our evening, and being in the box made it feel very special. We wouldn't do this lightly, but for a special occasion we thought it was lovely. We booked onboard, on the day if I remember correctly.

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!

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.

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

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.

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.

Host Hattie - I think it is the same Marli. I asked our wine server last night to ask if Marli was in the restaurant and she was and so I asked for her to drop by so I could ask. She didn't get around to it before we left and seemed to be very busy so I didn't want to interrupt. However, I heard her speaking to another guest and she did seem to have a South African accent so I think it is probably her, although if it is her she has a different hairstyle so can't be sure! If I see her again, I will ask but today is our last day 😊

I couldn’t agree more. As mentioned we are currently on Crystal and enjoying a wonderful cruise. Last night we ate at our favourite restaurant, Umi Uma and the food was absolutely fantastic. However… we had to make a reservation and turn up at their convenience, not ours. I’m not complaining, just agreeing with seasickphil that there is more to a great dining experience than the food alone.

Thanks Host Hattie. Also, I saw your question about Marli on the Crystal board. I will try and find out although I think one of the helpful folks over on Crystal might beat me to it. We have had a female sommelier who is just lovely but I'm afraid I didn't catch her name. I'll look out for her. She'll probably think I'm a bit weird as I peer at her chest area and try to make out the name on her badge! But, if the name is Marli, I will ask her if she used to be at Cunard 😊

We don't eat caviar, but our friends do and they were with us on one of our Cunard cruises and would concur!

I've just spent the last 5/10 minutes catching up on the Cunard forum and I'm flabbergasted by some of the comments in this thread stating that the food on Cunard (QG) is sub-standard and that the suites are small! I am currently on a Crystal cruise and enjoying it very much (in a Junior Crystal Penthouse Suite). We have also cruised with Regent several times, in either a Grand Suite or Master Suite and on Cunard (QM2 and QE2 in either a Q1 or a Q2). We enjoy all 3 cruise lines, but to say that the accommodations and food on Cunard is below the standard of that on Crystal or Regent is beyond my understanding. Obviously, food is subjective but I think that each of these 3 lines offer wonderful food and would not put one above another. Accommodations are not subjective (at least in terms of size) and the largest suites we have stayed in were on Cunard. Not really sure why I'm bothering to post this, other than that I don't like to see misinformation and would hate anyone to be put off by generalised comments. Rant over!

I certainly agree with avalon244 about Umi Uma - whilst we enjoyed the meal in Osetaria, I don't think it compared to UU. I used to like Prego also, but again much preferred UU. We feel a bit differently to Keith about the specialty restaurants. We don't like dining in big restaurants, so usually eat in the specialities or Tastes on Crystal and the specialities on Regent. On Cunard we love the QG restaurant - same table, same people serving us and has a nice, intimate feel to it.