TRIPACIAN

Better than ever!!

See you on board

Maria and I look forward to seeing you and Michael on board in November. We are starting in Quebec and staying on for the round trip with you.

we have found Blacklane to be very professional and expensive.

We attended the Q & A while on the last leg of the World Cruise and the menu at Osteria was a “hot” topic. The management team said they were bringing in a top Italian chef to “tweak” and modify the menu. They were very defensive about the menu but open to modifications. We found the menu to be odd at first but we enjoyed it much more on return visits. So far, between the cruises on the Symphony and Serenity we have eaten at the Osteria seven times and to be honest the only complaint is the menu needs to have more special dishes in order to provide more choices.

When we were on the Symphony in January, we were told by the hotel director that the work was completed and they could visit US ports.

Thanks, I had not checked on those dates, we booked Tastes for San Juan.

We are booked on the Serenity Ft Lauderdale/ Bridgetown, November 8th, round trip back to Ft. Lauderdale. We booked our dining reservations on the first cruise and Tastes was “not available.” I assume that the conversion to Beefebar is taking place at that time. Does anyone have any update on this conversion? the restaurant reservations are not yet available for the second cruise but hopefully the new restaurant will be open by then.

Having these documents on your phone will suffice.

Actually if you have completed all of the documents you don’t have to print the e ticket. On our last two cruises they didn’t even look at our documents . They just looked up our name and suite number when we arrived and checked us in. I know it is probably better to have them printed and available but it isn’t necessary.

Why not give the new version a try!

Have you cruised on Crystal lately?

The DJ was very accommodating and played music that was requested, almost any music is available via the internet. My wife requested a song and within minutes he had downloaded the song and was playing it for dancing. The DJ played music for most types of ballroom dancing. The three different duos that we experienced varied in ability. Two were excellent and varied while one duo (singer with guitar player) were limited and quite honestly not very good. The Symphony was limited in duo selection due to Australian rules on hiring entertainers because of visa problems. We were initially skeptical about the duos but we were very pleased with their performances. They did play the types of music you mentioned and more. It is amazing how the duos can use recorded background music for accompaniment.

We have cruised on both the Symphony and Serenity within the past six months and we had plenty of dancing opportunities. The Palm Court, Pulse and Luxe discos, Starlight and Stardust lounges and of course the atrium (The Cove) for special events like White Night Party were utilized. The duo, disc jockey and the ships band played where appropriate. All types of dancing from ballroom to disco and current styles were available (no country two step or square dancing, thank goodness). I think most guests were happy with what was available.

This hotel is also next to a great shopping center with several good restaurants.

One of our best cruises ever. The entertainment was over the top! Everything else was absolutely fantastic. Crystal is not “back” it is better than before.

We understand that 34 are continuing to San Diego with over 500 boarding in Miami.

Yes, we were on the Symphony in January and there was dancing sometimes in the Palm Court and often in the Starlight lounge.

I think there may be some confusion. The Starlight lounge on the Symphony is often used for dancing but the Stardust lounge on the Serenity is rarely used for dancing before or after dinner.

This has been a great cruise with almost perfect seas and weather. Entertainment, lectures, food and service have been over the top.

One more comment about the two new ships now under construction. I was told that they would operate under the A & K flag not Crystal. Also, they have been in the planning for A & K for a long time and are needed to fit into their business model.

Based upon what was discussed at the Q & A, we will have the answers to all of these questions by the end of June. Contracts may be signed, etc. We already know… all balconies, promenade deck, 650 passengers, casino and they are retaining most of our favorite features about the ships. They will not please everyone that is for sure but I think they are really trying. be patient for a few more weeks!

Let’s not forget that A & K are one of the leading tour operators and currently book many trips on the Amazon and Nile. They certainly know this market and I am sure they know the demand. We are not dealing with amateur operators.

They said at the Q & A that an announcement would be made by the end of June. Contract details are being finalized. They are building two ships now, one for the Amazon and the other for the Nile. This may be for A & K but could be sailing under the Crystal name. This was somewhat confusing and wasn’t really elaborated on in the Q & A.

The Symphony is qualified to be in the US and is scheduled to be in the US in 2026. This was discussed in our Q & A session.