skybluewaters

You are correct that some other cruise lines, such as Seabourn, start assessing penalties prior to the final payment date. But in this case, the Crystal representative agreed it was a mistake and said they would send a new invoice with the correction, but they have failed to do so. The original invoice stated, "All Crystal cruises may be cancelled prior to the final payment date with only an administration fee being assessed." But having corrected the final payment date to 120 days, they have neglected to change the date at which penalties are assessed to also be 120 days. On the phone they agree that this is the case, but when asked to send a corrected invoice they just ignore us despite repeated contacts by our persistent TA.

There's also a garbage bin in the corner of the room, to be used for clothes that remain in the washer or dryer for over 24 hours.

We've also been going through this with Crystal for well over one month. The initial invoice said our Final Payment was due 6 months prior to the cruise. We eventually got that corrected to 4 months (120 days). But the revised invoice had the date for initial penalties (25%) still at 6 months (180 days) prior to the cruise. That was several weeks ago and we're still waiting for them to correct this. They say they'll respond, but they don't unless called several times, and even then they still haven't corrected this simple error. I remember with OC we would often say that the shoreside experience was not reflective of the onboard experience. I sure hope that's still the case.

Useless. Many people with severe, asymptomatic heart disease have a totally normal EKG. Ponant may be trying to reassure its passengers, but a normal EKG does not rule out underlying coronary heart disease.

Thanks, Keith, for the link to the 2025 cruises. 🙏 Looking around the website, I stumbled upon this... https://www.crystalcruises.com/story/meet-the-guests-anne-marie-and-keith-steiner

https://www.cruisemapper.com/ports/miami-port-40?tab=schedule&month=2024-01#schedule

How did this happen? Did you choose to accept the upgrade without knowing the exact cabin you would be receiving?

1. What is the current passenger total on Sojourn? 2. Any Covid onboard (blocked off rooms, announcements from the captain, crew members suddenly disappearing, etc.)? Thanks and have a great cruise!

If your itinerary states "all smart casual," then that's probably what it will be. If memory serves, in general, any formal night will not be on the day of embarkation or debarkation, and will only be on a sea day. In my experience, formal night was frequently on the first sea day of a cruise, but that may or may not be the case with OC.

I, too, have a cruise that departs in October and I received the very same email today, but for the first time. I didn't interpret it to mean that there are any new excursions, just a reminder to check out whatever currently is being offered. I doubt you're going to see any new or missing excursions. These seem to be boilerplate advertisements targeted to passengers with upcoming cruises. Overall, I'm not thrilled with the excursions and I'm certainly not thrilled with the prices, but for the convenience they offer I'll be going on quite a few of them.

I agree, he's a top-notch author, historian and speaker, and I would be thrilled to hear him speak. However, just as we've all be cautioned on this board that you shouldn't book a cruise exclusively because you want to visit a single port (because it can be cancelled for a variety of reasons), I would apply this same logic to going on a cruise to hear a certain speaker. But if you love the ship and and the itinerary, all the better!

Could you clarify what it is that the guests are doing directly into the buffet line? From your first sentence, there are two possibilities.

Warren Buffett, of course. That's how he became rich. (Sorry, couldn't help myself)

Your chances of getting Covid from the buffet utensils are very much less than from breathing the air.

Was this an issue specific to your cabin or was it ship-wide? I also wonder if the problem was with the attendant and not with the water supply.

Perfectly said.

We, too, discovered the Jade Martini on Crystal (there are various recipes, but the Crystal one was made with Absolut Vanilla vodka and Midori liqueur). When we went on our first Seabourn cruise last year, none of the bartenders knew what it was...except for Chris in the Observation Lounge, because he was formerly on Crystal! Now each time we go on Seabourn we have to educate the different bartenders how to make a Jade Martini. Several times other passengers have asked us what we were drinking and they all seemed to enjoy ordering them, also.

I've noticed that once you have completed the Preferences, it will automatically be repeated on future cruises. So after you have completed them for your initial cruise, you only need to visit that page if you wish to make changes.

Try a different browser. Clear cache. Ask your kid or grandkid.

The state of the Odyssey is excellent. Last fall we did the exact same 14-day Alaska cruise that you listed above and loved the multiple stops in small ports. The ship itself is in excellent condition, with good-sized and well-designed standard veranda cabins, service was very good (keeping in mind that there were a number of new post-Covid hires that were learning the Seabourn way), food was excellent, and the ambiance on the ship was very congenial and pleasant. Couldn't ask for a better experience. We're going back on the Odyssey in October for 32 days, if that gives some credence to how much we enjoyed that cruise.

Yes, that has been know to happen, and they can also reappear. It's a good idea to keep the email that SB emails you after you make the reservations (They're titled "Confirmation of Your Seabourn Purchases," even though you don't pay for the reservations) and also to take a screenshot of your confirmation on the website.

This would be a good place to start. Although the talk focuses on solo rooms, I believe the closet and storage will be identical to the double rooms. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2959811-solo-rooms-on-crystal-serenity/

1. Most important: selection of cabin location and category 2. Signing up for excursions 3. Specialty restaurant reservations 4. More time to enjoy the anticipation (perhaps more important than #1 above)

Although you make a good point, does the Panama Canal Authority care about the needs of cruise lines?

Although I agree that a good TA is valuable, there is something to be said for the ability to directly speak to the cruiseline without having to go through an intercessor. For one thing, it's usually a faster process, and more importantly, you are able to go back and forth multiple times in one interaction if you are your own advocate.