Stickman1990

There is no iOS “App” available - however once you’re on board and connected to the Crystal wifi there is an intranet site you can access for material like Reflections and Menus. There will be instructions and a QR code link to set up access to it available onboard Heres the address for it - but you can’t access it until onboard - https://seweb01.crystal.fun:9460/webapp/#/webapp/

It’s the same on any luxury line (without exception in our experience) - sometimes they stuff up and need to be told - I always think the true measure is how they respond to that discussion

Exercise with a view if the weather cooperates

Crystal has announced their new loyalty programme for Crystal Society members. This one takes you right up to your 300th milestone! Hello Society Family! It is our pleasure to announce our updated Crystal Society Brochure. This updated brochure closely resembles the previous program with some minor changes to reflect our reduced fleet and capacity. As with all our programs, this is subject to revision and adjustments as needed. We are also excited to inform you that our partners at AKTG are working on a larger loyalty program that will encompass both Crystal and Abercrombie & Kent brands. We look forward to announcing more on this in the coming months. Thank you for your continued patience and loyalty as we value each and every member of our Crystal Society Family. If you have any questions please comment below, private message, or contact us directly at +1-888-615-2539 for further assistance.

I believe almost every cruise line provides complementary cruises to travel publications from time to time - so Explora is certainly not alone in that and thus it wouldn’t be the reason they were named first on the list Extra cost for a selected dining venue - again not unusual - Silversea and Crystal have that and Regent and others do wine pairing lunches at an additional cost We found plenty of acceptable choices on the included wine list, I can’t come t on whisky but there was a good range of gins available Seriously - you expected Rolexes to be handed out? Yeah like that’s ever going to happen Yes you did miss the outdoor fitness centre - it’s definitely there Having said that I do agree these industry awards are somewhat pointless - not just in the cruise industry but in others as well - they’re subjective or stacked with votes solicited by the companies. Hardly a critical assessment of the offerings. But then again if they’re going to persist with them then it’s better to come out on top of the list isn’t it

Travel & Leisure have Explora top of their list of new ships in 2023 - they had some pretty strong competition https://www.travelandleisure.com/best-new-cruise-ships-of-2023-8607522?

Wow talk about an interesting personal opinion/interpretation on what he actually said in the article

Happy to chat and share knowledge - you can email me on stickman “at symbol” exemail.com.au - my email should be visible in my signature if you're viewing the post on a PC. I look forward to hearing from you I live in Australia

Food is such a subjective topic but imho theres no comparison - Explora wins hands down - higher quality ingredients and more consistent preparation and service across the board I base this on having sailed Explora last September and Regent Explorer last November Of course you won’t starve on either line but if your making the decision based on dining then Explora wins

Not correct from later this month though - the Silversea dress code is changing to a more relaxed approach - even on what are effectively optional formal nights OCEANGOING ONBOARD ATTIRE Silver Dawn, Silver Spirit, Silver Muse, Silver Moon, and Silver Whisper, effective for sailings departing before the 21st of April 2024 Silver Shadow, effective for sailings departing before the 26th of May 2024. Silversea operates an onboard dress code after 6 pm. During the day, casual wear, similar to five-star resort sportswear, is suitable for daytime activities. It is recommended to wear flat or low-heeled shoes for deck activities. Evening wear falls into three categories: Elegant Casual: On casual evenings, ladies may opt for trousers, a blouse, skirt, or casual dress, while gentlemen may wear an open-collar shirts and slacks. A jacket is optional. Informal: On informal evenings, ladies may choose to wear a dress or pantsuit, while gentlemen must wear a jacket in all indoor spaces. The tie is optional. Formal: May choose a more formal attire, such as an evening gown or cocktail dress for ladies and a tuxedo, dinner jacket, or dark suit with a tie for gentlemen. Alternatively, adhering to Elegant Casual dress code is welcomed, but a jacket is still required for gentlemen in all indoor spaces. Regardless of the daily dress code: After 6 pm, indoor spaces prohibit jeans, shorts, sneakers, or flip-flop-type footwear. Casual wear is always suitable in outdoor venues. Gentlemen dining at La Dame restaurants are required to wear a jacket. The number of formal evenings will vary, depending on the voyage length: On sailings of 7 days or less, expect 1 formal night On sailings of 8-9 days, expect 1 formal night. On sailings of 10-14 days, expect 2 formal nights. On sailings of 15 days or more, expect 3 formal nights. https://www.silversea.com/travel-informations/what-to-pack.html

Really? So when Crystal went bankrupt in 2022 and Crystal Endeavor was put up for sale - Silversea had prior to the RCL acquisition already planned for that to happen and when it was sold by tender they knew just what to bid to win it over the competition. That being the case they're very good planners indeed! My point is that there has been money invested in the Silversea operation - so those complaining about the changes need to consider that element as well

Yes and investing in new or acquired ships such as Silver Endeavour and Silver Nova and Ray - so if the have made “cut backs” they’ve also made investments in the brand

You could add Explora Journeys to that list of possibilities - and their inaugural CEO just left recently

Can’t tell you the dimensions but they’re huge and certainly felt like our King size at home - it’s not a snug fit

interesting to note that the terms and conditions are clear on some referrals that are ineligible Soliciting bookings on social media websites or otherwise making general solicitations to strangers such as to a wide, unknown audience, is prohibited. Any Crystal Society Members or travel advisors found to be engaging in such conduct will not be permitted to participate in the Crystal Referral Program and all Credits will be forfeited; furthermore, they may see some of the benefits from the Crystal Society program revoked

Looks like she’s through now

Not sure it’s actually a decision - more an unsubstantiated rumour at this stage as I’ve certainly seen nothing announced by Crystal Barring where physical limitations exist (eg Super club only on Serenity) they typically deliver a uniform offering on both ships

or Explora or Scenic - I think there’s a finite space on the stage/panel and therefore not every luxury line will be represented - I wouldn’t read anything into the absence of one line or another My questions to them are what is there view on the capacity coming into the luxury market? Where do they expect to get the additional guests to fill the ships? What trend do they see in the luxury market eg increased/decreased per diems, inclusions/exclusions?

It won’t be the TAs that do reviews - they will come from journalists from newspapers and magazines. If I come across any I’ll post links to them

If it worries you that much why don’t you email her and ask her - her email was at the bottom of the article - jrichards@fairfaxmedia.com.au Let us know what she says

Guess we’ll just have to agree to disagree on the ranking although they do have some nice things on some of their ships and we enjoyed our cruise on Explorer back in November although there were some things that needed a little coaching before they got them right - but to their credit they listened and did act to fix them I’d put a big caveat on that assessment as well as they have a variety of ships with a variety of features available on them Glad you like things like the Block Party - not our idea of fun but thankfully it is entirely optional Let me assure you they host TAs on their ships all the time - not sure if they’ve joined in the influencer strategy though For us Regent is #3 or 4 on our list - which is entirely subjective - and they’re perfectly acceptable for us to cruise with again but not as attractive as a package for us as Crystal & Explora

A review of Crystal Symphony from todays Sydney Morning Herald https://www.smh.com.au/traveller/reviews-and-advice/cruise-ship-review-a-new-owner-saved-this-luxury-ship-from-ruin-20240220-p5f6cg.html

Who is the pianist you’re referring to on Crystal Serenity - she’s certainly not on there now and hasn’t been on for at least 3-4 weeks. Maybe she came on as a guest entertainer as opposed to a resident artist in the Cove/Palm Court Anyway my point stands - Explora have excellent live pianists to take advantage of the Steinways - and they even had several Steinway pianists come on and play them on one of the cruises late last year

You know Explora’s business strategy? Interesting they would share that with you The rest is your opinion - which I don’t agree with so we will just have to agree to disagree All I ask is that you post factual information going forward - that will save me and others from having to correct your misstatements

Let me assure you Crystal has had plenty of TAs cruising with them since the restart We’ve all come across groups of TAs on cruises living it up in the Avenue and the restaurants - and I wasn’t impressed by that. That’s happened since the restart as well. Having said that I know TAs who don’t abuse the invite and used the opportunity to find out about the line and the options. Personally I want my TA to be we informed about the lines I want to consider so they can advise me on what might or might now suit me - and without having been on the ship that’s a lot harder for them to do I’ve also seen plenty of influencers posting from onboard or attending events on land promoting the line - these are often people who would not fit your typical Crystal guest profile - will their posts result in bookings from their followers? - well only time will tell. The luxury industry is afloat with influencers being used by many brands - it’s hardly surprising that the cruise industry should adopt the same strategy. Now just what influencers one would consider appropriate is open to debate but I suspect we’re not really aware of who actually does influence the target market for these cruise lines (and whether those targets are indeed the same although I suspect there’s considerable cross over) But I do believe Crystal need a substantial new wave of guests coming onboard - and lots of them to backfill the aging guest population, who are typically very loyal, and grow the occupancy rate Now Explora don’t have the old customer base to maintain but they’re faced with winning new customers from other lines and maybe those new to cruising - that new wave of cruisers that everyone wants. So why wouldn’t they do exactly the same as Crystal (and others) and enlist TAs and Influencers to try to get the word out? Does one seriously expect them not to? So are we debating whether they should do that or how they’ve done it? If it’s the latter I’m sure there will be varying positions on just what number per cruise is acceptable Let’s keep it in perspective - neither line is one year old yet! They have a big challenge ahead of them to win new customers in sufficient numbers to make them viable