ak1004

But that means eliminating regular sized cabins at all? And if they take even 2 regular cabins and merge them, then the minimal size will be over 400 sqft. If they do it this way, then cabins without verandas are not an issue - they just merge them and each cabin will have two windows instead of one. But it's hard to believe that they will do it and entry level cabins will be over 400 sqft. Turning 3 cabins into 2 makes more sense, but this might be much more difficult. We will see.

Excellent comment, and most "expert" reviews would put those 4 lines very close in terms of overall quality. My question is how can they change the cabin size? Wouldn't it require some serious structural changes, like re positioning all windows, verandas, doors, plumbing etc?

Well, obviously they will have to stay competitive and have the pricing significantly lower than SS, at least for the entry level cabins - otherwise who would book a 210 sqft cabin if they can book 310 sqft for the same price (and get butler and unlimited caviar as an added bonus)? Everything has its price.

I didn't sail on SS yet (will be my first next month), but our Crystal sailing was as luxury as it gets. Besides of the cabin size, everything else was outstanding. In terms of passenger space ratio, Crystal Serenity was actually ranked #7 if you look at the link I shared, very close to the Spirit and Muse. The ability to go to smaller ports is obviously a big advantage, but this is not necessarily what defines luxury. Azamara ships have 700 passengers, but I don't think anyone would put them in the same category as SS. Of course nobody knows at this point how the new Crystal will look, but they succeed to keep the same level of service, food, entertainment etc. then they will definitely be in the same class as Silversea, RSSC or Seabourn.

Most people are very loud about their negative experiences and very silent about their positive experiences, so I thought I would share some very positive experience with Oceania. We had to cancel one of our cruises with Oceania for family reasons (still booked on 4 more). Oceania refunded our deposit and the money paid for excursions ON THE SAME DAY! I don't think I have ever seen anything like this from any company, so thought it's worth sharing.

This is the exact quote from SS agent: "you are fine with the 2 doses being considered fully vaccinated for embarkation of our ship". Here is the link that confirms it: https://www.silversea.com/what-vaccines.html?cid_email=em_USA_EM2201124258_OTHER_AGN_DEM_LINK&utm_campaign=USA_EM2201124258&utm_source=USA&utm_medium=Email&cid=94512&mid=242906033 ) To embark a Silversea vessel all guests aged 12 and older must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 at least two weeks before embarking on the vessel. A guest is considered fully vaccinated 14 days after the required number of doses in their vaccine series have been fully administered (e.g. 2 shots of Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, etc., or 1 shot of Johnson & Johnson). But another link says otherwise: https://www.silversea.com/lp-silversea-hrts-consumer.html You will need to be fully up to date with your vaccine status. Quite simply, the vaccine will no longer be considered up to date unless an additional dose has been received after a certain time has elapsed from the completion of the primary series. So while the booster (or an additional dose) is not necessarily a requirement to sail with us, an up to date vaccination series is. Clear as mud?

But decent size definition varies among different people. I call 160 sqft small but 210 decent. You would probably call 210 small but 300 decent while I would consider 300 huge. In fact, I would consider 300 sqft more than I need, which means I'm paying for something I don't really need. In the same way, many people consider an all inclusive line a big advantage, but if you don't drink and don't use the ship excursions, then with SS you are paying for something you don't use or need.

This is a very good point, but I assume you are referring to the older and smaller SS ships? The newer ships are larger and almost the same size as Crystal. Can newer SS ships go to the ports you mentioned? On a related point, many people say they prefer smaller ships in terms of number of passengers, but to me what really matters is passenger to space ratio. Oceania Riviera with 1,250 passengers felt more spacious than Oceania Regatta with 700 passengers. Crystal had one of the highest ratios - https://www2.cruisewatch.com/top-10/ships-space-ratio/

It's better to be rich, young and handsome than broke, old and ugly.. Obviously I would prefer to have Oceania food, Crystal entertainment and enrichment and SS cabins (and pay Royal Caribbean prices..) but in reality we have to prioritize. And lets be real.. Crystal cabins are not as spacious as SS but 99% of people would find them perfectly adequate and definitely wouldn't call them tiny and cramped.

Luxury means different things to different people. To me, there are three main pillars that define a cruise experience: Service. Food Entertainment/enrichment programs. Crystal was the only line that exceeded in all three those pillars. This is why it had such huge following, and this is why many of Crystal fans didn't really care about those "tiny" 210 sqft cabins. This is why it was always ranked among the top 3 cruise lines, despite the "tiny" cabins. And this is why SS and other luxury lines should be concerned.

Everyone has their own preferences I guess.. but a 210 sqft cabin has plenty of room between the bed and the far wall. Personally the cabin is my last priority when booking a cruise - I would prefer the smallest cabin on Oceania or Azamara (or Crystal when it's back) over a suite on Celebrity. But then again, to each their own. I would agree that Azamara 160 sqft cabins can be called cramped, but definitely not Crystal. Smaller than SS - obviously. Not cramped. To me my retreat is my house. Not my cruise ship cabin. If I want to be alone, plenty of places besides the cabin. The pool, the library, the spa etc.

Us too. And I could never understand those comments about cramped cabins.. What people do in their cabins that they need more than 210 sqft?? We come to a cruise not to spend time in our cabins.. those are for sleep and shower (and couple more activities that I won't mention here..)

Well, my logic says good to go on the ship. If they are not good to go on the ship, then obviously they cannot visit the countries. All the countries on this itinerary either don't require vaccinations at all or don't require boosters. So again, my logic says that SS goes by the counties visited. But some members here implied that it's by your home country, hence the confusion.

What is exactly clear as mud? Is "up to date vaccination" definition based on your home country or the country that you visit? On related note, one of the couples who don't have the booster contacted SS agent directly, and she advised them that they are good to go. They have it in written.

We are traveling with 5 couples and 2 of them are in a similar situation. They called SS and the agent told them that no booster is required. But our TA claims that if more than 270 days passed since the second dose, they do need the booster. SS says: "So while the booster (or an additional dose) is not necessarily a requirement to sail with us, an up to date vaccination series is." But then they also say: You will need to be fully up to date with your vaccine status (“up to date” means a person has received all recommended COVID-19 vaccines, including any booster dose(s) when eligible), in accordance with each of the countries you plan to visit on your respective itinerary." So what's the definition of up to date vaccination? According to the above, it's based on the definition of the countries you visit. Very confusing. They say they will be sending us updated documents 15 days before sailing, but it will be too late to do the booster by then.

Yes, but Silversea defines "up to date" as: ""Up to Date Vaccinated Guests: You will need to be fully up to date with your vaccine status (“up to date” means a person has received all recommended COVID-19 vaccines, including any booster dose(s) when eligible), in accordance with each of the countries you plan to visit on your respective itinerary." My understanding is that they go by the requirement of the countries you visit, not your home country.

What is not completely clear is the definition of "fully vaccinated". For example: Passengers travelling to Dubai from all countries, including the Gulf Cooperation Council countries (GCC), must fulfil one of the below requirements at the airport of departure: present a valid COVID-19 vaccination certificate, reflecting that the passenger is fully vaccinated with a vaccine approved by the World Health Organisation (WHO) or the UAE. The certificate must contain a QR code. https://u.ae/en/information-and-services/justice-safety-and-the-law/handling-the-covid-19-outbreak/travelling-amid-covid-19/travelling-to-the-uae I have no idea what they mean by fully vaccinated. 2 doses? 2 doses plus booster? When it has to be taken? Last 270 days? Silversea does not mention it in their travel confirmation.

My apologies if it was discussed before, but what are the updated Covid requirements on Silversea? I found this - https://www.silversea.com/lp-silversea-hrts-consumer.html Specifically: "Up to Date Vaccinated Guests: You will need to be fully up to date with your vaccine status (“up to date” means a person has received all recommended COVID-19 vaccines, including any booster dose(s) when eligible), in accordance with each of the countries you plan to visit on your respective itinerary." Does it mean that if for example someone has only 2 doses, and one of the countries on the itinerary requires a booster, this person will be denied boarding?

Exactly my thoughts. Many lines offer cruise only or cruise plus flights fares, but typically both fares are refundable and you can get the same incentives with both fares, so it's up to the guest to decide. In case of SS, they basically punish people who select P2P, and charge hefty premium for D2D.

Crystal cabins were not big, but I would definitely not call them claustrophobic. 205 sqft is more than 99% of entry levels cabins on most non luxury lines, including Azamara and Oceania. As for feeling miserable - matter of attitude I guess.. Our first cruise on Oceania was in inside cabin (160 sqft), we had a fabulous time. Hardly spent any time in the cabin anyway. Who cares? Apparently a lot of people, when you are required to pay $2-3k per person for the privilege to have a refundable deposit, while it's refundable by default on all other lines.

What's the alternative? Regent has the same all inclusive model. SB is not cheaper for cruise only - in fact, when you add the cost of excursions and flights, it can become even more expensive.

Here is one example: The air credit is $1,150 which is consistent with economy flight prices from Toronto to Athens. So they basically ask around $2,500 for the privilege to have a refundable deposit (which is refundable on most other lines anyway, maybe with a small admin fee). Plus you pay a deviation fee if you want to arrive early.

We sailed on Crystal only once, but were very happy. It was the only line that had a perfect combination of food, service, entertainment and enrichment program. We don't care much about the cabin size since we don't spend much time in the cabin, but the relatively small size of the entry cabins also meant that those entry cabins were significantly cheaper than entry level cabins on SS or SB. Of course if the cabin is important, it's a different story. To us, 205 sqft was more than adequate. The ship was very well maintained, and you couldn't really feel its age. The ships are larger, but passenger to space ratios were excellent, almost as high as SS. To me, it really depends what they will charge for those entry level cabins, but being able to sail on a 6 star ship for less than $400 USD per day would be huge.

Our cruises also depart and arrive to/from different ports usually, we always buy multi city tickets (unless buying with Aeroplan points, in which case it doesn't matter). But one way tickets are completely crazy, especially in business.

One way is often significantly more expensive than return return flights. Air Canada business from LHR to Toronto is around $10k CAD, but two way is under $5k CAD. Why are you looking for one way tickets?