skybluewaters

The saddest place on a Crystal ship is Waterside during a port day at lunchtime. Maybe three tables occupied, passengers whispering so that their voices don’t echo across the room, multiple servers standing around staring forward, no energy, no vibe.

I do understand the desire for luxury white tablecloth meals, but once daily at dinner suffices for me. 
 

Better to let the crew have some time off

8 hours ago, shark b8 said:

Will happily give a food review.

Are we allowed to choose what you get to eat?

If so, I'd be interested in your opinion of the branzino 🐟

1....we received an e-mail from Seabourn notifying us that this excursion would not be offered "due to operational reasons."

    Operational reasons is the standard jargon SB uses when they cancel. Can mean anything.

2. I called Seabourn's excursion department and asked the representative for some additional information as to what was going on, and why.  It was news to the person I was speaking with...

    This is quite commonly the situation with the well-meaning but uninformed staff on the phone.

3....they would reach out to Expeditions and get back to me.  Since some time has now passed and that hasn't happened

    Once again, all too common.

I find that the employees initially answering the phones are not the ones who can solve your issues, except for the most straight-forward issues. Politely asking to speak to someone more directly involved in the situation can be helpful.  Often you will be put on hold briefly while the person on the phone consults with someone higher up.

I know this doesn't help you out, but at least you know you're not alone, fwiw.

And things get much better once onboard!

You can't know with certainty, but it's never the first night, it's not on a port day, but it is often the first sea day of a 7-day cruise.

22 hours ago, lincslady said:

Put fewer items on the menu, and change it more often, perhaps.

And while they're at it, separate the appetizers from the side dishes and from the entrees more distinctly so you can tell which is which.  Currently they're all over the place.

I'm sure much time is wasted by the waiters explaining the menu.

It's good to hear that Crystal has decided not to keep the dining room open for lunch on port days.  This is a wise choice in the allocation of resources, both regarding manpower and the wastage of food. 

10 minutes ago, lincslady said:

Wow!  I would want to study that menu and wine list for some time during the day before setting foot in Solis.  Otherwise  we would be there for hours just digesting the menu, never mind the food.

And don't forget to bring a dictionary (in several languages).

The menu seems unnecessarily obtuse. 

There are standard dishes and rotating specials.

This menu is typical.

8 hours ago, shark b8 said:

I’m so there. 
 

I hate to break it to you, but...😁

4 hours ago, Ilovebreakfast said:

recommendations for packing for a 7 day Alaska cruise

You might want to bring some shorts and tee shirts.  Last time we were on Crystal in Alaska, the temperatures hit into the low 80s in two of the stops. 

On 2/24/2024 at 7:59 AM, johng75370 said:

We’ve had a similar situation (returning to SFO from MIA on an 8pm flight booked through FlightEase).

I'm wondering why you had an 8PM flight when there are several earlier ones.  Was this your preference or did FlightEase schedule this despite an earlier preference on your part?  I'm trying to get a handle on how flexible FE is.  Thanks

5 hours ago, claranda said:

Thanks! Mine is still showing TK with no content…I’ll re-boot!

If your next cruise is on Odyssey (or on a ship that doesn't have Solis yet), your app will still show TK Grill.

Otherwise, if you open the app and then click on the "Experiences" tab at the bottom of the page, and then go to "Dining & Drinks," it should re-populate with Solis instead of TK Grill (key word here is "should").

34 minutes ago, Robisan said:

This and the wait staff can be overly taxed handling both drinks and sushi, especially during the pre-dinner cocktail hour. If you're going to have sushi as a meal your experience will likely be better if you wait until the pre-dinner cocktail crowd has moved on to the dining venues.

Excellent point 

5 hours ago, skybluewaters said:

Yes, 6:00 - 9:00 PM.

 

Most people pop in for pre-dinner bites, although you certainly can make it a full meal. 

But you'll just be eating sushi (nigiri and maki) without any salads, side dishes, etc.

 

 

Yes, there's of course sashimi, plus warm nuts and saketinis, as well as the usual full bar.

The only issue I've had there is that the tables are tiny (they were meant for drinks and not for eating).  I wonder if they'll get around to replacing them with larger ones.

Yes, 6:00 - 9:00 PM.

Most people pop in for pre-dinner bites, although you certainly can make it a full meal. 

But you'll just be eating sushi (nigiri and maki) without any salads, side dishes, etc.

On 3/23/2024 at 3:32 PM, Capri73 said:

It is sad they they have to throw so many out.

Sad?  Are there lots of sober children in some third-world country who need alcohol?

It may be a financial loss, but not sure it qualifies as a sad event.

And this comes from someone who was near tears when they spilled a Negroni. 😢

4 hours ago, robertmartha said:

Hoping that on May 1st when this current promo ends the prices will return to what they were 

That may be similar to waiting for Microsoft stock to return to 2010 values.

If the current price is at all "reasonable" to you, you might be best off just booking it now and not getting aggravated as the price continues to increase.  It might be hard to swallow at first, but at least you'll have more time to enjoy the anticipation phase of your trip.

On 3/3/2024 at 6:57 AM, jdk-atlga said:

...you can always (up until a specific time) change your mind on a reservation. You can continue to compare/shop around within Flight Ease

Are you (or anyone else) saying that in addition to checking the airline's website for better independent prices, one can also check to see if Flight Ease has lowered its price on a specific flight that one has already booked (but not yet paid for)?

When I go to the Flight Ease page to look for any changes in price, my current flight shows up with the original price and I don't know how to search for changes in price.

Thanks

56 minutes ago, jjs217 said:

The menu is a jumbled mess.

And while they're at it, they could make the Solis menu more comprehensible.  The haughty descriptions of the food require multiple internet searches to figure out what the heck you're ordering.  Apparently every vegetable needs to be annotated with the name of the farm that grew it, and you need to have a working knowledge of multiple languages to interpret the menu. 

But there do appear to be some intriguing items on the menu.

Under these conditions I doubt I'd be ordering the osso bucco. I'd probably go up to the restaurant entrance podium, grab a handful of candied ginger, and turn around without entering.

3 hours ago, May B said:

Are you going to the lavender farm? 
 

And British tea at Butchart really appeals to me, too. We could rent a car and book separately, to save money. But a year later, I certainly won’t miss the extra dollars. I’m more into ease and avoiding hassles/worries.

No, we're not going to the lavender farm or to the tea at Butchart Gardens.

But an interesting note, two of the excursions I signed up for have dropped their prices since I booked.  Dynamic pricing?  I hadn't heard of that for excursions before.

And you are entirely correct, avoiding hassles/worries is worth a million in prizes.

4 hours ago, rock detective said:

You can't find this on the Crystal website yet, but I cheated and just typed in what I thought would be the address.

 

https://crystalcruises.com/cruises/none-cse-w135-260111?menu=itinerary

 

😀

Thanks! 

Btw, all categories show as "Join the Waitlist" except for Sapphire Veranda Suite, which is "Request a Quote."  So, I guess I can't nab the Crystal Penthouse at $471,100 for myself as a solo, or $550,000 if I bring the GF along.

Thank you @artbcpa

But I can’t agree with you regarding the reasonableness of the pricing of their excursions. The price on quite a few of them on my upcoming June 24 - July 9 cruise on Serenity can best be described as outrageous or absurd (that varies by specific excursion). But Crystal must know what it’s doing, because we signed up for four excursions nonetheless.

This was also done on one of our cruises within the past year.

I wasn't sold on the idea of it, but it worked out ok (at best). 

My preference would be for them not to make this a regular occurrence, although I applaud them for trying something new.

1 hour ago, artbcpa said:

They are much more flexible with regard to pricing.

Thanks for your review!

Could you explain what you mean by Crystal being more flexible with regard to pricing.