Keith1010

Yes and the other executives too and they will do the same things to kick off the inaugural. It will be very special. Keith

Vintage Room is exactly what it was. An amazing experience. Keith

When we did a lot of tours we evolved over the years. We began with ship tours but eventually went with a mix of private tours; some arranged on our own, some via TA and some via Crystal. In all cases doing a private tour on our own were lower in cost and part of the reason is simply there is no middle person(s) involved nor the extra costs such as the escort from the ship, insurance that they have etc. I do not believe one size fits all. In other words I look at these options as tools and for us would select the tool which we think makes the most sense. We determine what it is we want to see and see if one or all of these options satisfies this requirement. This applies for a group tour too. We have been on group Crystal tours where the only way we could experience a specific item at the time was that tour. We also consider other factors such as what we want to see, distances and when the ship is leaving. For example if we have a lot to see and the ship has an overnight we might go private on our own but if the ship is leaving and we are concerned about timing we would go with a Crystal group tour or Crystal private tour. So in the end, we consider what we want to do, what the cost is, and many other factors. For me when we were in Africa, even though it was higher cost for two years we did the Crystal overland Safari tour because we didn't want to have to worry about things if something changed. And it did. On one of them the ship couldn't get into the port we were supposed to return to and Crystal got us new flight reservations to another city and hotel and food. On another case the tour started late as the ship was not cleared for several hours. For those on the Crystal tour who couldn't make their first flight that was revised. In Egypt I would not do a private tour on my own and would go with Crystal for something such as Luxor. Now someone else might do a private tour but in my case I don't want to spend time worrying about getting back to the ship in time. But in my case we often arrive to the port of embarkation a few days in advance while some might fly in that day. As to A&K we've done tours organized through them and we did pay more than on my own but for what we wanted to do and see it was money well worth it. Bottom line, when we toured a lot we would take the time to look at all options. Choice is good. Keith

Nancy, I agree. We watched him on a webinar that our TA had. He went through the itineraries for 2023 across both ships and his passion for cruise travel showed. Even when he spoke about stops on a Panama Canal Cruise between Miami and Los Angeles in Mexico his enthusiasm and passion was amazing. He has be on board since we boarded and will be here until Bordeaux and it has been great speaking with him and seeing him around the ship. Keith

Not sure what you mean about not receiving anything. If you didn't receive an updated invoice I would followup. Otherwise no worries as you said. Keith

You are very welcome Pam. Keith

I did verify that the suites only get the binoculars. Keith

Roy I’m not sure. Hopefully someone can verify whether they hold them as they did before. Keith

I was totally wrong. Every room gets the new bath products. Sirry about the confusion Keith

Sue thanks for letting me know. We were told that it was for the suites. Now we know. Keith

Last night we enjoyed a pre-dinner drink with Patty a friend of ours who many of you know. Afterwards, we dined at Waterside. We enjoyed an amazing dinner. The highlight was the Covino. The presentation was awesome, and the taste of the entrée was truly amazing. One of the best entrees we have ever eaten. Congratulations to Executive Chef Werner, the wonderful culinary team and to Crystal. We learned today that this entrée at one time was on Crystal Harmony. A true keeper for sure. At 7:45 PM there was the captain’s welcome reception. The only negative was we had to forward the clocks an hour to get on Spain time. Ugh! LOL. We arrived to Ferrol, Spain on-time. This is our first time visiting this area. You can walk to the edge of town and continue further as we did instead of taking the shuttle bus. Weather was beautiful. We enjoyed the rest of the afternoon on-board Serenity doing all the things we love to do. Cheers, Keith

New bath products arrived yesterday. Same company but now in hand pumps and in the Aquamarine, Sapphire, Junior CP and CP Suites. It wouldn't really be practical for the double and solo rooms as it would be too large for the shower. Keith

Most of our gratuities are given through the ship board account but for some people who we give cash to we do it very discreetly so the only one knows is who we give it to. I agree that is not always the case for some but just want to say it can easily be done discreetly. Keith

People ask about Pickeball and Paddle Tennis. The courts are now set for both. Racquets and balls are provided for both sports although you can bring your own. A Paddle Tennis court is smaller than a regular tennis court so with a pin some air is removed from the tennis ball. The scoring is the same as tennis. The difference is if I serve both my partner and myself must be behind the line and cannot charge until the receiving team returns the ball. As to the receiving team, they must be behind the line and can only move up after the person receiving the ball returns it. If you are new to this the other thing to go over is where the ball must land on the serve as it can get confusing for some. I don’t play Pickleball but this is what I know. The Paddle Tennis court’s length is longer than the Pickleball court so with a blue strip they show where the out of bounds is. With a blue strip they have marked where the kitchen is. So far, I have seen just a few people playing Pickle Ball but certainly they can. I believe when out to sea and if it is windy, it would be tricky to play due to the lightness of the balls. I have added a photo and in blue you can see where the Pickleball Court Ends and behind that in white is where the Paddle Tennis court ends. Closer to the net there is blue stripe which is hard to see in this photo but that is the Kitchen for Pickleball. I hope this helps. Keith

Someone asked me about this somewhere else so I thought I would comment on it and it is the cancellation policy for tours. If your tour is on the 22nd you need to cancel by 7:00 PM on the 20th. Keith

If you apply your sub credits to any cruise and get money back from Moecker whatever you applied does not change. The only thing that would change are those sub credits you haven't used and they would be reduced by whatever you got back from Moecker. Keith

WC 2025 details soon and we might see a portion before the full (such as Symphony portion) but by mid-September we should have the full one for both vessels. Keith

Right now you can use them for each cruise and even if you have somehow gotten a refund from a CC company since Moecker verified what they show as owed to you. However, once Moecker completes their work and should guests receive some for of payment from them then Crystal will go to them to determine how much you got back and the remaining sub credits will be reduced accordingly. Keith

Thanks for updating the title. The tablet is off to a good start. There are things that will be really nice with it including being able to call various personnel easily. There are a couple of things I think they will need to think through when it's functional such as scheduling appointments with the future cruise consultant/loyalty program people and how that will work. A fellow guest who has 50 years in computers tells me he believes for this to be on the tablet it is technically an app that would relate to android. If so, hopefully it will be made available for that and IOS for the smart phones. But let's see. Keith

Pam, What we do know is the classic Aquamarine on Serenity) were not redone. I knew this before as we asked on a webinar that was held prior to the cruise but that was specific to Symphony. No walls were moved, etc. I am pretty sure that will be the case with Symphony. So assuming it is like Serenity then changes will not be made in terms or replacing furniture, changing design etc. Things that might be updated are soft items and that depends. If like Serenity it would be bed linen and cover, etc. I have stayed in these rooms on Symphony but not in one with the wider verandah. If just a normal PH then you don't have the solid bottom and if there is one just like other categories I've seen this with while solid you can easily see above it and that would not be a factor in my decision. Keith

When we use the word inclusive tips that just means that in the days where tips were not included there were recommended tips of a certain amount per diem for certain positions; senior waiter, waiter, stateroom attendant and butler if you had one. Now that these are inclusive you don't see them on your account. You can go to the front desk and as for one or more former that say supplemental gratuities and allows you to fill out the name of each person and the amount you wish to give them. Whatever you fill in will show up on the statement for the cruise where the form is turn in for. As in the past they will send up to your room a card showing the name of the person and the amount you are giving . You can get envelopes at the desk to put each card in if you would like to give them to each person but they will know about it when it shows up on their crew account which is called a folio. Right now they can't print the cards but hopefully soon. If you are on for more than one segment these and all other transactions carry from one segment to the next until you leave when you are billed. If you are on for more than one segment my advice is to tip at the end of each segment because you can never be 100% sure when the person is leaving. JMO. In the end, just do what you want to do and should you wish to fill out the supplemental gratuities card and/or give cash do just that and don't worry about what anyone else things. While I have no idea what percentage of people do this I can assure you that this is most appreciated by each member of the crew who received this and not looked at in any negative way by the person receiving it. I never concern myself with what people do on this. It wouldn't affect what I do. Keith

You are very welcome. It's a great Itinerary for sure. Keith

We enjoyed a wonderful dinner last evening at Umi Uma and were taken excellent care of by Albert and other members of the Umi Uma waitstaff team. Some people ask who are the senior officers presently on-board so we are posting a photo of them. I’ve also included the daily Reflections Program. Today we are in Oporto, Portugal. Oporto also known as Porto is the second largest city in all of Portugal. Oporto is one of the oldest European Centers. Port wine is named after Porto. Its historical center was recognized in 1996 as a World Heritage Site. As you find in Portugal and in selected cities such as Rio de Janeiro, Brazil with its Portuguese influence you will see facades of some of the buildings with mosaic tiles including the outside of the train station. And yes, they have some nice bakeries for the lover of tasty desserts including pastries. In addition, we enjoyed the ship between walks, Paddle Tennis for me, and nice discussions and great laughs with the crew and fellow guests. Cheers, Keith

We did a great one with Crystal years ago of Normandy from Rouen. Keith

Just ask for a paper copy when all tablets deployed. Keith