krb1000

41 minutes ago, ryndam said:

We are pleased with the continued updates to the Crystal website. The daily listing of casual vs. formal/optional suggested evening attire in My Account is a very helpful advance planning tool.

 

The advance listings of guest entertainers and special interest lecturers is also much appreciated. I am not familiar with any other cruise line that offers this type of advance information to its guests.

 

Rob

Yes! I was just checking our upcoming sailing and noted that we had an Umi reservation for a “formal” evening…quickly and easily changed it🩵

12 hours ago, Whipsnade said:

I have been told by on board reps no decisions have yet been made regarding milestone awards. A work in progress. Like to hear if anyone knows different. 

 We completed our 15th milestone on the first leg of a b2b in September 2023. While we were on our November cruise, Paula Jean, (Crystal rep) booked our California and Alaska cruises … we were awarded the following 15th milestone credits: $250.00 per person cruise discount and $220.00 per person private transfer allowance. Crystal applied $940.00 as a credit to our June/July 2024 cruises.  
 

3 hours ago, FlyerTalker said:

 

And when you left your nicer balcony room, which was also cheaper.....you were still on Princess.

 

 

This!!!!

5 hours ago, ak1004 said:

I checked the website, the prices were up 10-15% compared to last time I checked, so they raised prices first and now the discounts are applied to the new elevated prices. 

 

So now the prices for European cruises are in the $650-700 USD range for a 210 sqft cabin with no veranda, and you get a whopping 10% discount, or 20% for a full payment. SB has many sailings under $500, SS under $600 including excursions. And their entry level cabins are 50% larger.

 

Just a slightly different perspective, I know I will be crucified by the cheerleaders..

Your perspective is purely quantitative … mine is qualitative in the sense that I take into account (and weigh heavily) the outstanding service provided by the crew. The way I “feel” when on board a Crystal ship is priceless, intangible and well worth any premium that Crystal charges over her competitors. 
 

We debarked Serenity on December 2, after 19 days, which included two Formal nights…few tuxedos…more dark suits…many blazers with slacks…with and without ties. Keep in mind we were in the Caribbean … I suspect the formal nights on the Holiday cruise will see more suits.

Timmy and I have so many things to be thankful for - among these many things: we are celebrating Thanksgiving aboard Serenity. Here’s a photo I took this morning shortly after we docked in San Juan

I’ve been blogging since we boarded on November 13, and hope to continue until we debark on December 2…however we have several snorkeling and deep sea fishing excursions planned over the next several days…at present, I’m only two days behind…hopefully I’ll be able to keep up 😍

http://travelingwithtimmy.com

Keith and Roy set the blogging bar so very high…I honestly do not know how they do it…    #goals 

We are currently on board..and certainly did not feel disadvantaged by any visitors.
Additionally, we spent some time ashore, and had several interactions with residents of Santo Domingo … to a person, these folks were kind and friendly…we certainly did not at any point feel uneasy or unsafe. 

On 11/12/2023 at 12:26 PM, swimmerboy said:

Thank you. Will await news about Marco. Great guys.

Hi there @swimmerboy , I am happy to report that Marco is indeed on board..: and he’s been promoted to Front Office Manager 😊

1 hour ago, swimmerboy said:

Hi,

Would like to know if Marco- Concierge & John ? Sena Sommelier from Colombia is on board and whether they will be there for the 2 Dec sailing.

Thanks

If you mean John Arias (Sommelier Extraordinaire) from Columbia…yes, he will be joining Serenity in Puerto Rico on November 23. We board tomorrow, so if no one else has replied regarding Marco…I’ll come back and let you know😊

We were on Serenity 9/18-10/6…can’t speak to hairdryer…I’d bring a sweater or wrap…the Cove usually felt pretty temperate, Galaxy lounge - usually cool, Waterside…hit or miss. 

Roy, thanks so much for sharing this adventure. I loved every minute of it! Especially your photos ♥️ Wishing you an easy and safe trip home. 

September 29, Symphony 

White Party

As Timmy and I were heading to the elevator, we encountered two couples…beautifully dressed…nothing white. As we waited for the elevator, here comes another couple, again no white.

So I pull Tim off the elevator, thinking I’d made a mistake on the date of the White Party (certainly would not be the first time) …quick check of the app…we had the correct date and the well attended party was fantastic. Anna Alonzo and the show band kept the dance floor energized.

x

x

7 hours ago, lovet2travel said:

We will be on the Sept 25th NYC to Quebec cruise. I emailed Onboard guest services to inquire-No White Night is planned for our cruise. Wish this information is readily available to its passengers.

I would take this information with a pinch of salt… some folks were told no White Party on Symphony Venice to Rome by guest services… and we experienced a super party 

Timmy in his white sneakers with the band ♥️

Bon voyage ♥️♥️♥️

8 hours ago, oakridger said:

@krb1000 I have been reading your posts here and on your blog.  Your pictures of Venice are some of the best I have seen!  Wow!  Your joie de vivre is so refreshing and inspiring!! 🙂  

 

Thank you for posting and I will be reading along and anticipating my next cruise on Crystal!

 

~Nancy

Nancy! You made my day! 
Every minute on this ship is a joy♥️

September 19,2023 After breakfast on our balcony, we headed off the ship to meet up with our guide, Darko. The tender ride to shore took about 20 minutes. An advantage of sailing on a small ship like Symphony, is that we can anchor in the harbor at the entrance to Old Town Dubrovnik. Symphony at anchor. We strolled around the old town, learning about the history of Dubrovnik, enjoying a leisurely pace with Darko....

I’ve updated our blog…very sorry to simply be posting a link… but it’s a lot to post everywhere… 

www.travelingwithtimmy.com

Here’s a pic taken at the tender port

22 hours ago, Gregrat said:

I have a pair of solid white sneakers that I could wear with the white pants and shirt if sneakers would be appropriate in the evening.

Comments?

Absolutely no problem! Timmy and at least 4 other guests had white sneakers on last evening …it’s all good… you will love Crystals’ hospitality ♥️

Once again, Keith is correct…We sailed on Serenity January 23, 2018, to Sydney…then transferred to Symphony on February 17…when both ships met in Sydney… The first time Crystal ships offered a white night experience. …it was magical sailing into Sydney and sailing out together; I forget if we followed Serenity or she followed us…Roy also made the transfer, I’m sure he remembers who was in the lead. Anyway…the White Night has certainly evolved since then…here’s a pic from last night onSymphony♥️♥️♥️ I took video too, and will upload it to our blog…hopefully before Christmas 😊

15 hours ago, Keith1010 said:

No idea what you are talking about.

 

The current VP of Entertainment came up with the idea for Crystal to go with this and it began on the night Symphony and Serenity were each dong World Cruises and were in Sydney.

 

Keith

So here is Theo… some of you may remember him… he left Crystal for a bit … we are thrilled that he is our butler 

I’ve posted to our blog about our first day on the ship

http://www.travelingwithtimmy.com

September 19, 2023
Symphony
So here is a quintessential Crystal story … in June 2015 we sailed Symphony from NYC to Dover…16 days of heaven.  On that sailing, Marli was our sommelier every evening…she was the brightest light ♥️ … It was her last Crystal contact, she had to leave for family reasons… fast forward to this morning and we walked into the Bistro- et voila… Marli! she recognized us and we fell into her arms and I began crying. Seriously? How can this be? 
Anyway, we head off for our tour of Dubrovnik (if you need an amazing guide, pm us) at dinner I start scrolling through my 700 million photos all the way back to 2015 and find a photo of Marli on her last evening… here she is with Timmy and our servers… I keep scrolling and oh my goodness… there I am in the e x a c t same dress and necklace… can you freaking believe it?? 

x

Marli, our servers and Tim … 2015

Tim, Marli and me…2023

And me in 2015…proof positive that what goes around…comes around♥️

6 hours ago, PaulMCO said:

Maybe some of the Genting people deserve to be Cons.

This post wins cruise critic today…hands down.

So. Freaking. Happy. Ramazan!

And Timmy’s sweetheart Alexandra

Loving the new Sapphire ♥️♥️

So happy to be listening to Carlos♥️

Timmy and I arrived in Venice this morning and we can’t wait to board Symphony on Monday. ♥️♥️♥️
I’m going to try my best to post here and to our blog:

http://www.travelingwithtimmy.com

Bags are packed…waiting for the driver♥️♥️♥️

Thanks @May B we are excited!