JusttheTwoofUs

(Asking for a Friend) Hi, could someone who is currently on Symphony or has experience with the spa answer these questions for me? In the men's spa, how many showers are there, and do the showers have a ledge, cut-out, or rack in them for placing shampoo and body wash bottles? The reason I am asking is when we were on Serenity last September, the showers had no place to put the bottles other than on the floor of the shower. My husband mentioned this to the spa staff, and they said they knew this was a problem and were going to be fixing it on both Serenity and Symphony. Now we are booked for July on Symphony and wanted to know if this work had been done. Phyllis

Hi, I am looking at a B2B Alaska cruise May 2025 on Silver Nova (it would be first time w/Silversea). There are limited cabins available and most of them are right next to the elevator, or next to a large whited-out area of Decks 6 - 9. Does anyone have experience with being near the elevator (noise, traffic), and could you explain what the large blocks of white on the deck plans are? Thanks. Phyllis

The Librarian is the contact point for magic show tickets. We usually go to the Library the 1st day to get ours. It's a wonderful show if you enjoy magic! Phyllis

I asked Crystal about the Bordeaux docking for the 7/18 - 7/30 Symphony cruise and the address is: QUAI LOUIS XVIII, 33000, Bordeaux, France. Looking at a map, it appears to be the one right in the center of town. Phyllis

Will Crystal provide transfers to Heathrow from Dover (July cruise)? Anyone have experience with when they would arrive at Heathrow? We are looking at 2 flights, one at 2:10 pm and one at 2:50 pm (2nd choice). Is this still too early? Phyllis

Has anyone tried the Crystal-planned excursions. Apparently you pay a non-refundable $100 and Crystal will plan a private excursion for you. I'm sure it's not inexpensive, but was wondering if they are worth the extra $. I am thinking about this for our cruise this summer, and am just concerned that the cost might be prohibitive. Can you give them a $ range to stay within? Phyllis

We were on Serenity in September (Quebec to NYC). Very few men were in formalwear. My husband wore a sport coat and tie, and felt very much in place with the rest of the men in the dining room. Phyllis

Harmony 2000 (Alaska) and 2003 (Caribbean from New Orleans). Phyllis

I remember a long time ago my parents returned from a Transatlantic Cruise and he walked off the ship in his tuxedo. Apparently (although he never really explained it), he had packed all of his clothes except what he was wearing the night before. Phyllis

We were on a family cruise (not Crystal), and I mistakenly forgot to pack my husband's dress shoes (left on a shelf in his closet). Thankfully, one of my nephews was also on the cruise and had a pair of black sneakers which fit my DH. No one other than family members (of course!) called attention to his footwear. Phyllis

7034 should be a little quieter, although closer to elevators. 7024 is above the Galaxy Lounge which would probably mean more noise. Never had a problem being near the elevators. Phyllis

I don't remember the brand of hairdryer, but it was sufficient to dry my hair quickly. I have shorter hair (to top of neck). I always wear a light sweater during the day. However, even though we were in Canada and New England area, I was not particularly cold, and probably would have been OK without the sweater. I actually like the sweater for the pockets! Phyllis

Do you mean the Century Lounge?

Actually, the "Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World" medley is by an Hawaiian singer, Israel Kamakawiwo'ole. The story of his recording this song and his life and career is on Wikipedia at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel_Kamakawiwoʻole. He died in 1997 at age 38, and the song has become famous and in 2021 was placed in the National Recording Registry. It is a beautiful medley. I'm really glad Crystal added it to its sailaway. I heard it the one time I was on deck at sailaway on our September cruise. Don't know if they play it every time. Phyllis

I'm also not Keith, but we did the VR on Serenity Quebec to NYC 9/19 - 9/27. Great time! We asked one of the sommeliers in Bistro to let the Head Sommelier know our interest, and received a call a few hours later. We did the evening VR, but there were also 2 lunch VR's, announced in the Reflections, that featured certain wine regions. They looked very interesting, and we will consider on our cruise next year. Phyllis

Regarding the 3 tier caddy, it comes apart, so if you are only interested in the offerings on 1 or 2 tiers, they can just leave those trays, rather than the whole caddy. Phyllis

😀😀Now why would I look on the website in the "my account" area???😀😀 Thanks for the help, Keith

I'm packing for our 9/19 Quebec-NYC cruise. Noticed that I don't have any boarding documents. I did receive luggage tags. Should I be calling my TA about a boarding document? Phyllis

I have searched the forum for recent posts and couldn't find any definitive answers to the following. Can those who were on the ship (or those who definitely know) answer the following: 1. For formal nights, were they very strict about men's wear, or was a blazer/slacks sufficient to allow entry to the Main Dining Room and Specialty Restaurants? 2. I understand the Prego Mushroom Soup is available in Waterside (sans bowl). Is it available on request or just 1 or 2 evenings? 3. Can Osso Bucco, which is no longer available in the Italian Restaurant, be special-ordered in Waterside? We're on Serenity next month, and are trying to figure out packing, and my husband wants to set his expectations for his favorite foods. Thanks, Phyllis

Doing the "Happy Dance". Electronic cruise tickets just arrived for our 9/19 - 27 cruise from Quebec to NYC. Now it's real! Phyllis

Our July 2024 booking has a final payment date of March 2024, so 4 months for us. Phyllis

Well, I guess this won't work for us, since I'd like to have this all arranged prior to our cruise, rather than wait and perhaps not have a suitable private tour available and not have any self-booked tours available. Thanks, anyway.

Keith, you have often mentioned private tours from Crystal. How do you inquire about availability of these? We might be interested in one on our cruise next year. Does our TA just ask their regular Crystal contact, or is there some special group that either he or I can discuss this with?

You're probably right. I don't eat it, my husband does, so I don't keep track of whether it's tartare or carpaccio, just that it's RAW meat!

Keith, have you been able to find out if osso bucco is available at "OO"? Also it seems like there is a steak tartare available, but different from OC. Phyllis