travelberlin

That sounds very good. Mine is „just“ an Ocean Terrace Suite but looks also great. Have you booked for this year or next year? Ivi

Is this already the real ship or still a virtual version? Ivi

It would be nice to have a picture. Ivi

They are on Pursuit, I think. Ivi

I wonder who decides if the distance is short or long? How many kilometers was it? Ivi

Oh! Changes… every body who books onboard get 5%. Loyalty is not really necessary anymore… Ivi

I will try to post about Explora in the Explora forum. I have booked for the first quarter of 2024. Ivi

Please kindly post your review or impressions on this inaugural cruise of the A&K Crystal if you have the time? Ivi

I understand. The tuxedo is also not necessary unless you are cruising in Northern Europe. Ivi

Unfortunately in some cases this is true. Another problem I have is that with some TAs you have to do a permanently follow up because they do not react immediately. Or when there is something to clarify with the cruise line, they just forward my email to them and the email from the cruise line to me. Or when I ask a specific question for example about COVID tests, they answer with a link to the cruise line webpage without looking themselves into that link to see if my question is being answered. But fortunately not all TAs are like what I have described. So I do use a TA. Ivi

Since you are asking for advice, here is my opinion. I do not bring anything which is so valuable. This is MSC not Cunard or Hapag Lloyd. At MSC no one displays their jewelry because actually no one cares about it. You might see Starowsky stairs as part of the ship and as a matter of fact you my see my Starowsky pendants if I am in the same cruise with you (🫢). But MSC cruises are not the place to show off. Ivi

I have to say, I like your sense of humor. That is fun to me. Ivi

Be careful for what you are asking. Not all reminiscences from the original Crystal are positive. And then some will start again getting tired about being remembered that part of history. I guess we just have to accept that posters can post in this “off topic” thread what they wish as long as it does not contradict CC rules. Not every one has the same interest or taste on what they consider fun. For some it could be sunsets, for others, posts about food, for others, landscapes, etc. All have the same right to post in this thread. Ivi

Maybe it does depend of the embarkation port. Last time was last year embarking from Hamburg. We will see how it goes from Santos. Ivi

I understand. In my last cruise, the future cruise desk was occupied by a new person and the loyalty desk also. Both were friendly and still learning. I did not expect much but I was prepared. I knew the cruise I was interested had a solo discount because one of our fellow cruisers has posted here in Cruise Critic. I knew, I am entitled to 7 % discount, to OBC, to quarterly discount (if applicable). I have told this the future cruise officer and he was able to get my booking at a per diem acceptable to me. Ivi

We have got the diamond sparkling wine usually on embarkation day with the Macaroons. Only the chocolate ship came later. Ivi

As a discoverer plus member, I am satisfied with the perks we receive. I like the 7% discount when booking onboard, the 75% discount of internet and the free laundry bag every seven days. It is true that the difference between discoverer plus and platinum is too much. For me probably is the Platinum status unattainable. Ivi

In Safaga I took a ship’s excursion to visit Luxor and the Valley of the Kings because it mentioned that due to security reasons we had to be escorted by an armed guard. Our escort slept the whole time 😀. Ivi

Thanks for asking. At what time is the earliest to embark in Santos, Brazil? Ivi

Thanks for you impressions. My I ask why do you cruise with MSC? It seems you do not enjoy yourself… Ivi

I am holding it back because inaugural sailings or sailings immediately after a dry dock have usually unfinished venues, work onboard the ship continues, crew are still trying to learn, etc. I am also holding it back because I prefer to wait for honest reviews, which show the positive, negative and need for improvement aspects before we go for spending a lot of money on well known itineraries (been on those port of calls several times) which are quite competitive and where several cruise lines offer good deals (including solo deals). Ivi

Voila the menu from Nobu: https://www.noburestaurants.com/malibu/menus/ Ivi

Did they ever have a restaurant called Nobu on Crystal ships? Did this restaurant have the same menu than the Nobu restaurants on land? I have only experienced Umi Uma on Crystal and Nobu on land (Barcelona) and both had very different menus. Ivi

Is there a chain restaurant called Umi Uma? I thought Umi Uma was just on the Original Crystal ships and now in the New Crystal… Nobu is a restaurant in several places. But I would not call it a chain restaurant either. Ivi

I was able to get the E tickets today for the same cruise. German webpage. Ivi