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Crystal Cruises ~ your gay friendly perspective


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My partner and I are considering the all inclusive sailing out of Miami in November 2013 on Crystal Symphony.

 

We have been on several cruises, but never on Crystal. If you could provide any feed back from previous experiences it would be appreciated. We are a couple in our early 40's.......just wondering if we would feel out of place or ?? :confused:

 

Thank you for any information or reply you provide! :)

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It's been nearly 20 years since my first cruise on the Harmony, but, at 29, I did feel a little out if place, as people kept asking if I was part if the crew or entertainment staff. One woman passenger actually had the chutzpah to ask how I afforded the trip. Nonetheless, we had a wonderful time, and my (previous) partnr and I sailed several more times on the Harmony. The Gay thing was a total non-issue, and there were always many gay men and fun straight folks.

 

I last sailed on Symphony about 10 years ago, and had the same experience, except I fit in age -wise a little better. The passengers do tend to skew older, but I found lots of people of all ages, orientations, etc., to hang out with on the ship. Even had rowdy late nights in the Disco a few times.

 

Have fun.

 

Andrew

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We've done over 40 cruises with Crystal. Top of the line. One of the things they do best is the lectures. They always have interesting speakers. Although the ships are large, the number of guests is not. Most ships that size would carry double the amount of passengers. Older clients? Yes, but you will meet and be accepted by everyone. There are always some fellow gay guests. The crew and staff are top notch. Remember also that Crystal clients like to dress up. Never done a Thanksgiving cruise, but they do a super job for Christmas and New Year's Eve. They also have more sea days then most lines which for us is a plus. Once you've sailed with Crystal, you'll be hooked so Go For It!

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Interesting question…and we’ll be interested to see what replies you get. Here’s our experience…

We’ve been cruising off-and-on since the early 90’s—always on Cunard and Radisson/Regent. Back then, we were in our 40s; most cruisers were much older, and very few gay couples sailed openly on non-gay-specific itineraries. So, even though we’re fairly "quiet" (we were both from management-level jobs in conservative environments), we were still pretty much of an odd bird to most people. But, even in those early years, we never felt out-of-place on either lines’ ships. And only once, on our very first cruise (Cunard in Alaska), did anyone look at us ‘funny’. Luckily, that passed after the first day…and it had been smooth sailing even since. Over the years we have interacted with scores of interesting people.

Recently, though, we felt that Cunard’s service had dropped to the point where it wasn’t worth the price point, and Regent’s rates were too high for things we didn’t want... so we thought we’d try Crystal. We took a Panama Canal sailing out of Los Angeles to Miami early this past year to give them a try. We had stayed away from Crystal over the years because of the early/late seating dining arrangement, which we weren’t crazy about.

Crystal itself is wonderful. Their ships are the perfect size to provide a balance between the intimacy of a smaller ship, plus the amenities of a larger one. It does tend to be a more “traditional” line, with dress codes and intellectually stimulating activity. The major downside (at least to some) is that the cabins are rather smallish…although the space is very well-utilized. The staff is amazing---they learn who you are very quickly, and don’t hesitate to offer their service. One area that Crystal excels at (the way Cunard used to many years ago) was that if anything is not “right”, they will do everything in their power to correct it. When you are on a Crystal ship you feel comfortable that everything will go without a hitch. And, there are all sorts of little extra touches that you usually don’t see anymore.

That being said, however, the customer mix on that particular sailing was quite a surprise. Continuously through the entire cruise we were pointed at and stared at. On several occasions comments were made loud enough for us to hear---such as “there’s two of them”. People would nudge each other at their tables when we walked into the dining room. We do need to be fair---not everyone was this way, and we did meet several folks who were quite fine with us as we were. In our day-to-day lives, neither of us is particularly attuned or overly sensitive to this sort of thing; and in all of our years of travel (and we do a lot of it, both with land arrangements and with cruises), this had never happened. But, it really was the strangest thing---and it made parts of the voyage a bit uncomfortable. As I said before, we’re fairly conservative; and oddly enough, now in our 60’s, we’re actually much closer to the general demographic of the passengers. Very odd…

We weren’t the only gay male couple on the cruise…although one of the other couples kept pretty much to themselves and were seldom seen, and the two other male couples appeared to be traveling with lesbians---maybe making them more opaque. Why we in particular were such a wonder to many of the passengers is still is beyond us. We thought perhaps that there was some sort of conservative group booked on this sailing that we weren’t aware of…but, the only group we were told about was a large party of retired Asians from California---and they were always very cordial. The crew couldn’t have been any more wonderful.

So, we’re of a mixed mind on this. We posted a question similar to yours on this board immediately after we returned, asking if anyone else might have had a similar experience. The few responses we did receive related far more positive experiences than ours, so we are assuming that it was just an aberration of a particular mix of passengers/destination (Panama Canal maybe…with lots of sea days?). We do have a booking on Crystal again for next year---we’re willing to try again because the rest of the onboard experience is so stellar. But, if the same situation happens again, we’ll probably look to other lines.

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My partner and I are considering the all inclusive sailing out of Miami in November 2013 on Crystal Symphony.

 

We have been on several cruises, but never on Crystal. If you could provide any feed back from previous experiences it would be appreciated. We are a couple in our early 40's.......just wondering if we would feel out of place or ?? :confused:

 

Thank you for any information or reply you provide! :)

After seeing the voyages you've taken, what you'll find on Crystal is the following..Much better food, better personalized service,smaller crowds. The reasons are because of the ships being smaller, as well as the higher prices.It's the old "you get more if you pay more". You will find the ship style is more "dressy" than Carnival/RCCL/NCL. If you've not experienced the style definately check out the Crystal blogs for a feel of their pax.

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Interesting question…and we’ll be interested to see what replies you get. Here’s our experience…

We’ve been cruising off-and-on since the early 90’s—always on Cunard and Radisson/Regent. Back then, we were in our 40s; most cruisers were much older, and very few gay couples sailed openly on non-gay-specific itineraries. So, even though we’re fairly "quiet" (we were both from management-level jobs in conservative environments), we were still pretty much of an odd bird to most people. But, even in those early years, we never felt out-of-place on either lines’ ships. And only once, on our very first cruise (Cunard in Alaska), did anyone look at us ‘funny’. Luckily, that passed after the first day…and it had been smooth sailing even since. Over the years we have interacted with scores of interesting people.

Recently, though, we felt that Cunard’s service had dropped to the point where it wasn’t worth the price point, and Regent’s rates were too high for things we didn’t want... so we thought we’d try Crystal. We took a Panama Canal sailing out of Los Angeles to Miami early this past year to give them a try. We had stayed away from Crystal over the years because of the early/late seating dining arrangement, which we weren’t crazy about.

Crystal itself is wonderful. Their ships are the perfect size to provide a balance between the intimacy of a smaller ship, plus the amenities of a larger one. It does tend to be a more “traditional” line, with dress codes and intellectually stimulating activity. The major downside (at least to some) is that the cabins are rather smallish…although the space is very well-utilized. The staff is amazing---they learn who you are very quickly, and don’t hesitate to offer their service. One area that Crystal excels at (the way Cunard used to many years ago) was that if anything is not “right”, they will do everything in their power to correct it. When you are on a Crystal ship you feel comfortable that everything will go without a hitch. And, there are all sorts of little extra touches that you usually don’t see anymore.

That being said, however, the customer mix on that particular sailing was quite a surprise. Continuously through the entire cruise we were pointed at and stared at. On several occasions comments were made loud enough for us to hear---such as “there’s two of them”. People would nudge each other at their tables when we walked into the dining room. We do need to be fair---not everyone was this way, and we did meet several folks who were quite fine with us as we were. In our day-to-day lives, neither of us is particularly attuned or overly sensitive to this sort of thing; and in all of our years of travel (and we do a lot of it, both with land arrangements and with cruises), this had never happened. But, it really was the strangest thing---and it made parts of the voyage a bit uncomfortable. As I said before, we’re fairly conservative; and oddly enough, now in our 60’s, we’re actually much closer to the general demographic of the passengers. Very odd…

We weren’t the only gay male couple on the cruise…although one of the other couples kept pretty much to themselves and were seldom seen, and the two other male couples appeared to be traveling with lesbians---maybe making them more opaque. Why we in particular were such a wonder to many of the passengers is still is beyond us. We thought perhaps that there was some sort of conservative group booked on this sailing that we weren’t aware of…but, the only group we were told about was a large party of retired Asians from California---and they were always very cordial. The crew couldn’t have been any more wonderful.

So, we’re of a mixed mind on this. We posted a question similar to yours on this board immediately after we returned, asking if anyone else might have had a similar experience. The few responses we did receive related far more positive experiences than ours, so we are assuming that it was just an aberration of a particular mix of passengers/destination (Panama Canal maybe…with lots of sea days?). We do have a booking on Crystal again for next year---we’re willing to try again because the rest of the onboard experience is so stellar. But, if the same situation happens again, we’ll probably look to other lines.

So far we've done Cunard(many friends do like Crystal)I do agree that rthe service has slipped somewhat on Cunard. The exception would be the Grills where we always had a superb time. I do hope that "Cruisehabits" checks out that Crystal is quite a bit more formal than the lines they've travelled so far. "Nothing worse than being in a room full of tuxedos and you're a pair of brown shoes"(quoted by George Gobel on the old Johnny Carson show)

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So far we've done Cunard(many friends do like Crystal)I do agree that rthe service has slipped somewhat on Cunard. The exception would be the Grills where we always had a superb time. I do hope that "Cruisehabits" checks out that Crystal is quite a bit more formal than the lines they've travelled so far. "Nothing worse than being in a room full of tuxedos and you're a pair of brown shoes"(quoted by George Gobel on the old Johnny Carson show)

 

 

Agreed that the OP needs to really be aware of the differences between the lines he’s already cruised on versus Crystal. We tried to allude to that with mention of the dress code, and of activities that were more intellectually stimulating. Overall, Crystal is a much quieter environment…even more so than Cunard, though the overall tone is similar. Not dull, by any means; just less hectic due to the number of guests…and with a greater variety of options than Regent or Seabourn due to the size of the ship. Hopefully, it’s not just the “all-inclusive” piece of the puzzle that is attracting him.

Our issues with Cunard (and it really used to be our favorite line) are varied---even in the Grills, where the cabins and the restaurants are indeed excellent. Once you step outside of that environment, however, the whole experience changes. It really has nothing to do with “first class/second class” as a lot of folks mention. It has more to do with the fact that there just isn’t any sort of “desire to please”, if you will, once you leave the Grill rooms. This has changed dramatically over the past few years…along with “nickel-and-diming” even at the Grill level. Our experience is probably a bit skewed since we started on Cunard when they had true traditional “cruise” ships (Royal Viking Sun, Vistafjord/Caronia, and the Sea Goddesses) on which the level of service was “Grill” throughout the entire ship, no matter what type of cabin you were in. But, even in the early days of the QM2 there was an intense “desire to please” on those ships (and in Cunard’s administrative offices as well) that we’ve found is lacking on the Queens today.

It is, however, still very much alive on Crystal…which is the reason we are giving them another shot. We can’t imagine that our recent experience is/was typical of Crystal; we had expected their passengers to be at least as sophisticated as those on Cunard. Still, we felt that we should mention the incident if for no other reason than to perhaps let folks know that this can happen on any given cruise…no matter what the line, or the price-point. What made this experience a bit more disconcerting to us was that given the smaller size of the ship, it was difficult to ignore.

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Hi,

 

I've been on five Crystal cruises since 2005. And I have had a fantastic experience every time. With those cruises, I've traveled as a solo, with a female, and with a male partner. I sensed absolutely no problem when I was with a male partner, or any other travel combination. In fact, when traveling with a male partner, a mother-daughter pair at our dinner table was genuinely interested in our 'story'. The whole table of 8 was great. We were never uncomfortable anywhere on the ship.

 

The only inconsiderate cruise behavior I experienced was on an "Atlantis" cruise in January 2000 on NCL. Yet, I always manage to have a good time cruising. It does cost extra for the all gay cruises. I've decided that, for me, it's not worth it.

 

In the fall of 2006, I took 2 Crystal cruises, back to back. On the first segment, I attended a "Friends of Dorothy" gathering. I think it may have been one of the first on Crystal. There was a small group of gay travelers along with their gay travel agent/agency on board. ( I did not book through them. ) They requested an FOD party, and it happened! In the daily newsletter, I noticed the FOD listing to be held in the "Pulse" disco. At this FOD event, I chatted with the cruise director. He said he was going to report back to the corporate office and decide the fate of future FOD events. He asked my feelings on this and I suggested that they hold future FOD events if they are requested. It's just that simple! Also, since this happened at the end of the cruise, we suggested future FOD gatherings should be more toward the beginning of the cruise, so we could meet others sooner.

 

A nice Crystal touch at this FOD meeting was the male dancers from the entertainment staff! Yes!!!!!,... ..a few of the ships dancers showed up to mix and mingle with us. Oh sure,.. .. in theory, I was old enough to be their father. But it was still a nice touch. .. .. .. .. HA! I noticed that a couple other staff members ( gay ?? ) poked their head in the room to check us out.

 

On the second cruise segment, we also had an FOD event. This time, it was held more toward the beginning of the cruise, as was suggested on the previous segment.

 

Fast forward to January 2012....on Crystal. An FOD gathering was again listed in the daily newsletter. I almost missed it! This time it was held in the Palm Court, which is a much more public space than the disco. It was hosted by a gay staff member, who was exceptionally nice. So now, this seemed to be more of a routine event for Crystal. For me, it's always great to meet and greet new people,....gay or otherwise. It was a fun hour. Later in the cruise, I was invited to join a couple for dinner that I met at this event!

 

So, ultimately, it's what 'you' bring to the table. Crystal has been an exceptionally good cruise experience for me. It will probably be a good one for you too. I've met some amazing people on board ship, from many different worlds. Just remember that when you see a listing for an 80's party on Crystal, they are not talking about the 1980's. ;)

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Agreed that the OP needs to really be aware of the differences between the lines he’s already cruised on versus Crystal. We tried to allude to that with mention of the dress code, and of activities that were more intellectually stimulating. Overall, Crystal is a much quieter environment…even more so than Cunard, though the overall tone is similar. Not dull, by any means; just less hectic due to the number of guests…and with a greater variety of options than Regent or Seabourn due to the size of the ship. Hopefully, it’s not just the “all-inclusive” piece of the puzzle that is attracting him.

Our issues with Cunard (and it really used to be our favorite line) are varied---even in the Grills, where the cabins and the restaurants are indeed excellent. Once you step outside of that environment, however, the whole experience changes. It really has nothing to do with “first class/second class” as a lot of folks mention. It has more to do with the fact that there just isn’t any sort of “desire to please”, if you will, once you leave the Grill rooms. This has changed dramatically over the past few years…along with “nickel-and-diming” even at the Grill level. Our experience is probably a bit skewed since we started on Cunard when they had true traditional “cruise” ships (Royal Viking Sun, Vistafjord/Caronia, and the Sea Goddesses) on which the level of service was “Grill” throughout the entire ship, no matter what type of cabin you were in. But, even in the early days of the QM2 there was an intense “desire to please” on those ships (and in Cunard’s administrative offices as well) that we’ve found is lacking on the Queens today.

It is, however, still very much alive on Crystal…which is the reason we are giving them another shot. We can’t imagine that our recent experience is/was typical of Crystal; we had expected their passengers to be at least as sophisticated as those on Cunard. Still, we felt that we should mention the incident if for no other reason than to perhaps let folks know that this can happen on any given cruise…no matter what the line, or the price-point. What made this experience a bit more disconcerting to us was that given the smaller size of the ship, it was difficult to ignore.

Yes, you're right that Cunard has lowered their standards quite a bit. We remember 2004 on the QM2.We were in a B-4 room & he Britannia food was excellent. Some of that obviously had to do with the QM2 being in it's first year & being the flagship of the Carnival empire.We've done 2 trips in the Grills(princess & Queens) we found it to be superb, especially the Queens Grill. Our wost was in 2006 when the trip was a shorter 8 day trip. Quality was not bad but definatly a drop. Our last trip on the QV this past Jan. the food was very good, but the portions much smaller & less willingness to give extra in the Britannia mdr. We did find the "tasting" menus in Lido to be excellent & well worth the $100 charge. Being in the catering bus. We can usually only travel in the later fall through early spring(our slow season)With Cunard(for money reasons)cutting WAY back on the Caribbean area, we now have to look at other lines..Oceania/HAL/Celebrity are the ones we're looking at. This next year we'll probably do a longer Florida vacation..Disney/Universal/South beach, as Richard is getting bored with the Caribbean.We'd love to do Crystal, but the price range is pretty steep for us. The 2 Grill trips were kind of a wedding present to Richard. I certainly hope your upcoming Crystal trip is all it SHOULD be. Let me know how good it is.Might start banking those dollars.

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KeithM...LOL...well, I guess we're getting way off-topic dragging Cunard into what the OP was expecting to be a Crystal thread. Oh well. We do have an upcoming Cunard cruise booked (we haven't thrown them overboard yet) as well as Crystal...so it will be interesting to compare certain aspects one more time.

 

But we understand what you mean about price-point. We're retired now, so we need to try and stretch the cruise budget as much as possible. We're willing to pay a Crystal/Seabourn/Grill price-point if we feel that the experience is going to be worth it over the course of the voyage. From a service perspective, Crystal definitely is that. We're trying QM2 again in a couple of months---in Britannia this time around---so we'll see how it goes. Our previous cruise to Norway on the QV was the opposite of our Crystal experience---great passengers, but poor service. A new captain had just taken over the ship, and everything just seemed terribly unorganized. Additionally, there were issues of miscommunication between the ship and shore-side which added to the frustrations, and which were very difficult to get resolved. Maybe it was all just a "perfect storm", so to speak. We'll see...

 

But, we do love how so many folks on this board says the cruise depends on the attitude that "you" bring to it. We agree only about 50%. In any group setting, no matter how well-organized or set-up, the overall interaction of the people mix will make or break the entire situation. I'm sure you've experienced this in your catering business. And we've certainly been on cruises where the crew definitely had to work to bring some "life" to the situation. Our attitude going into our Crystal cruise was the excitement of seeing some places we hadn't been, and with the attitude of expecting stunning service. We got both---it was a great cruise in those respects. What we didn't expect was the Neanderthal actions of some of the passengers. If they would have just gotten it all out of their systems within the first couple of days and been done with it, the situation would have been very different. But it continued on for the full 13 days of the cruise. We're normally very friendly guys...if maybe a bit more reserved than some. And maybe less willing to compromise as we've gotten older. But, by the middle of this cruise we were tired of smiling and being nice...and just withdrew. As mentioned by the previous poster, Crystal does publicize an FOD meeting---they aren't shy about it; and the crew is VERY supportive (for us, they saved the day). However, on our cruise the FOD meeting was somewhere in the second half of the voyage...and by that time we had just had enough, so we didn't go.

 

We are still leaning toward the fact that there may have been a large "interest" group on board that perhaps was unusually unexposed, or just simply disdainful of, anything GLBT. We imagine that that is probably a possibility of cruise life these days...and a particular concern on a smaller ship where you can't fade into the woodwork the way you can on a sizeable ship like the QM2 or larger.

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I have taken two cruises on Crystal, a Baltic cruise in 2005 and a transatlantic in 2007. The experiences were different as I traveled with my husband and my parents the first time and we were by ourselves the second time. We did see some gay passengers the first time but since we spent a lot of time with my parents we didn't mingle so much. During the second cruise we were seated with a mother/daughter and another gay couple. There were a couple of FOD functions that were well attended and included passengers, crew and entertainment staff. WE had a great group that got together for meals as well. Overall it was a really good experience.

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KeithM...LOL...well, I guess we're getting way off-topic dragging Cunard into what the OP was expecting to be a Crystal thread. Oh well. We do have an upcoming Cunard cruise booked (we haven't thrown them overboard yet) as well as Crystal...so it will be interesting to compare certain aspects one more time.

 

But we understand what you mean about price-point. We're retired now, so we need to try and stretch the cruise budget as much as possible. We're willing to pay a Crystal/Seabourn/Grill price-point if we feel that the experience is going to be worth it over the course of the voyage. From a service perspective, Crystal definitely is that. We're trying QM2 again in a couple of months---in Britannia this time around---so we'll see how it goes. Our previous cruise to Norway on the QV was the opposite of our Crystal experience---great passengers, but poor service. A new captain had just taken over the ship, and everything just seemed terribly unorganized. Additionally, there were issues of miscommunication between the ship and shore-side which added to the frustrations, and which were very difficult to get resolved. Maybe it was all just a "perfect storm", so to speak. We'll see...

 

But, we do love how so many folks on this board says the cruise depends on the attitude that "you" bring to it. We agree only about 50%. In any group setting, no matter how well-organized or set-up, the overall interaction of the people mix will make or break the entire situation. I'm sure you've experienced this in your catering business. And we've certainly been on cruises where the crew definitely had to work to bring some "life" to the situation. Our attitude going into our Crystal cruise was the excitement of seeing some places we hadn't been, and with the attitude of expecting stunning service. We got both---it was a great cruise in those respects. What we didn't expect was the Neanderthal actions of some of the passengers. If they would have just gotten it all out of their systems within the first couple of days and been done with it, the situation would have been very different. But it continued on for the full 13 days of the cruise. We're normally very friendly guys...if maybe a bit more reserved than some. And maybe less willing to compromise as we've gotten older. But, by the middle of this cruise we were tired of smiling and being nice...and just withdrew. As mentioned by the previous poster, Crystal does publicize an FOD meeting---they aren't shy about it; and the crew is VERY supportive (for us, they saved the day). However, on our cruise the FOD meeting was somewhere in the second half of the voyage...and by that time we had just had enough, so we didn't go.

 

We are still leaning toward the fact that there may have been a large "interest" group on board that perhaps was unusually unexposed, or just simply disdainful of, anything GLBT. We imagine that that is probably a possibility of cruise life these days...and a particular concern on a smaller ship where you can't fade into the woodwork the way you can on a sizeable ship like the QM2 or larger.

One would hope that with the higher cost overall with Crystal, you would have more "worldly"pax that would match that.It's a shame that's not always the case. I feel that the staff is(or should be)higher paid on a line like Crystal & their service should definately be higher than Cunard or many others.I guess where no extra tipping is encouraged then you know you're on a luxury line. The "true" luxury lines are: Crystal/Seaborne/Regent/SeaDream/Silversea & a few smaller lines. Europa gets the highest levels, but it caters to mostly the German market. Many feel that other lines are luxury & I'm not about to dispute that. I use the Berlitz cruise guide & feel they do a good job in rating ships & cruiselines.

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Thank you all for your replies!! I really do appreciate all of the input! I am pleased to read that so many people are as passionate about cruising as I am.

 

Thank you all again!

 

Continued responses are encouraged and also appreciated!

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Thank you all for your replies!! I really do appreciate all of the input! I am pleased to read that so many people are as passionate about cruising as I am.

 

Thank you all again!

 

Continued responses are encouraged and also appreciated!

Have a ball! That's what it's all about!

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Thank you all for your replies!! I really do appreciate all of the input! I am pleased to read that so many people are as passionate about cruising as I am.

 

Thank you all again!

 

Continued responses are encouraged and also appreciated!

Have a ball! That's what it's all about!

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Thank you all for your replies!! I really do appreciate all of the input! I am pleased to read that so many people are as passionate about cruising as I am.

 

Thank you all again!

 

Continued responses are encouraged and also appreciated!

Sorry about the double post.In a past reference(post 9) the Lido charge is $10(not $100,a big difference)

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  • 4 weeks later...

My spouse and I took a cruise to Alaska on Crystal Symphony several years ago out of San Francisco and enjoyed it a lot. We were however, only one of two gay couples on board, and there was only one other out gay man we knew of (entertainment staff). I don't recollect any rudeness on the part of other pax, although the average age was 76 (they announced it on the intercom). We were in our early 50's at the time. There was no FOD.

 

I really appreciated the quality of the food, the service, and the ship itself. We were however, in the midst of the 2004 Presidential campaign and we were surrounded by those supporting the incumbent, GWB. It seems that the line attracts a lot of political conservatives, perhaps due to its cost.

 

In discussing the possibility of taking Crystal transatlantic next year, the issue of possibly not having any progressive folks in the mix is weighing in our decision. For those who don't have the same concerns as we do, it's a fine company to do business with. We took Azamara transatlantic this year and found a lot of progressive folks on board among the mix, including Canadians and French.

 

We've had some horrible experiences on Cunard sitting at tables with raving right-wing lunatics sharing their views (somehow on Cunard, it's always a rant about immigrants in the UK), but only some of the time. We've also met very nice people of all political stripes and apart from Carnival's mismanagement, QM2 is a very beautiful ship.

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I have avoided this line for years having sailed almost every other line out there. Now have set my eyes on Crystal for a late fall 2014 cruise. Although its way off...I have already booked other ships between now and then....so the planning window is moving further out. I requested a brochure and it arrived very quickly...followed by a call from "my cruise consultant" . Annie was wonderful on the phone and answered my questions. Having seen all the changes in the industry (not positive in my opinion), it looks like I have grown into the Crystal style and am now willing to try them. My concern is the potential snooty attitude of passengers which I experienced on the Seabourn Sun.

My question....which would be best for my first Crystal experience

1. A west bound transatlantic late in the year...or

2. A Caribbean cruise round trip out of Miami

 

The advantage to a crossing would be the ability to really get saturated with the Crystal experience......negative would be lack of ports should the atmosphere be totally dead. I am not a party animal, but want a bit of life.

Thanks

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RMS Olympic...we'll defer to the poster above who has been on "over 40" Crystal cruises as being more of an "expert" on the subject than ourselves...but, in our opinion, in depends a great deal on what sort of experience you are looking for.

 

It is a given that the food and service will be great on either sailing (and administratively, as you've found in your dealings with them so far)...that's what they are known for, and they do take that reputation seriously. The other area in which they excel in is their enrichment programs, including a very good library. That being said, Crystal does cater more to the intellectual side of life rather than the physical. A day aboard their ships is more relaxing/interesting rather than exciting. It is a very traditional type of cruise on a traditional (though updated) type of ship.

 

And, because of this, many Crystal regulars (as well as ourselves, we now find) prefer a voyage with more "at sea" days (your Transatlantic selection) in order to take advantage of all that the ship offers...if, indeed, these types of amenities are what you are looking for. Noting that, if you read the Crystal boards, you'll find that many of the Crystal stalwarts are not pleased with the future itineraries now that they are more port-intensive than in the past. As a result, what this type of cruise also DOES bring onboard is what could laughingly be called "the Club"---that group of people who sail on Crystal regularly and know everyone else who does as well. This can be either an upside for you (if you're admitted, you appear to have friends for life)...or a downside (your politics may not quite mesh, a la Francophile above). We wouldn't call them "snooty" (although there are a few of those)...but it makes for a different tone than what you are probably used to on the other ships that you've sailed on. It is definitely an "American" experience...there are not as many international passengers as on other lines we've sailed on.

 

Overall, due to the size of their ships and the passenger/space ratio, there are a lot of places on board to get away and be by yourself outside of your cabin...as well as places to be be with the general daily flow. It's up to you. The ship never seems "full", even if it is. From the perspective of your past cruises, the overall ship feel is probably closest to the Seabourn Sun---the ships are/were close in size and amenities. We sailed on the Sun when it was still part of Royal Viking/Cunard, and doubt that it changed much when it was first given to Seabourn. The biggest differences are that the cabins on Crystal are a bit smaller, and the dining is two-seating (although you can ask for Dining by Reservation, which sort of gets around that issue).

 

The Caribbean cruise may bring a different mix. Crystal seems to be trying to attract a larger (younger?) customer base at their end of the market what with making the voyages more port-intensive as well as all-inclusive with the drinks. On a warm-water cruise, their pool area is beautiful---and there are always enough lounges (either in the sun or in the shade) so that you don't have to worry about chair-hogs and such. Impeccable service in a refined atmosphere is what you get here. The Crystal land excursions are comparable to other upscale lines. But, if you elect to stay aboard, the ship is an oasis. You may find a more active and mixed group of folks on this sailing, but you may miss many of the enrichment activities.

 

So, it's kind of a trade-off. Your main concern seems to be the passengers. As you've probably seen in our previous post, we did not have a good experience in that regard. Still, the overall experience of the ship itself was worth the sailing. In the end, we just ignored those folks and focused on the ship and the service.

Edited by Just2guys
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  • 5 weeks later...

Thank you all for the great replies!

 

Considering all said, our decision is to wait on booking a Crystal cruise.

 

Although what was being offered for the cruise was a great deal. We feel for now that RCCL will be our choice for cruising over the next few years. We have done many caribbean cruises and look forward to the day of cruising aboard a Crystal ship. Given our ages, although we are far from heavy partiers, we feel that a Crystal cruise may be a bit reserved for us.

 

Thank you all again for your replies....and keep the thread going. Perhaps we could always reconsider! :)

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Based on what I have read here I have decided to plan on a Crystal Cruise in 2014. As 2013 is spoken for with the NCL Breakaway inaugural transatlantic crossing and then the first 7 night Caribbean sailing of the new Royal Princess in Nov ....that means 2014. Already booked on Princess for Feb 2014....that leaves the late fall for Crysta. Will do either a Caribbean sailing on Symphony or a fall crossing on Serenity. The 25% surcharge for a single is a pretty good deal in my book.....

I ordered a brochure and it arrived in just a few days...folowed by a call from A Crystal Cruise consultant to answer any questions. All I have to say is if the treatment on the phone is indicative of the overall product....fantastic. Now all I have to do is wait for the schedule to come out to choose my sailing.

So thank you for this thread...it helped me decide to give it a try.

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I noticed that the original post was done awhile back. The Symphony did an over night here in New York last week and we were invited for dinner and to see the new renovations. First, the food was beautifully presented and tasted even better then it looked. The house wine that was served was quite good also. The service was outstanding, as it always has been. And the ship is quite beautiful. We were given a warm welcome from the Hotel Manager, the Maitre d', several waiters, some of the entertainers and even some passengers booked on the sailing with whom we have cruised before. I guess what I want say is that it is still a wonderful line which is well worth trying.

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  • 6 months later...

We've done a couple of Crystal cruises and more than a couple of TA's on various lines. We were quite pleased with everything about Crystal. We've been on cruises and TA's on various lines and our experience has been that on ANY line, the personality of the trip is somewhat different when being on a cruise compared to a TA. We've not done a Crystal TA, but would not hesitate to do one. We're in our mid/late 50's and our first Crystal was about 10 yrs ago. Because of our specific personalities and interests, we would have enjoyed Crystal when we were in our 20's, but I could see it not appealing to many younger GLBT folks.

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  • 2 years later...

quote=Blazerboy;34604545]It's been nearly 20 years since my first cruise on the Harmony, but, at 29, I did feel a little out if place, as people kept asking if I was part if the crew or entertainment staff. One woman passenger actually had the chutzpah to ask how I afforded the trip. Nonetheless, we had a wonderful time, and my (previous) partnr and I sailed several more times on the Harmony. The Gay thing was a total non-issue, and there were always many gay men and fun straight folks.

 

I last sailed on Symphony about 10 years ago, and had the same experience, except I fit in age -wise a little better. The passengers do tend to skew older, but I found lots of people of all ages, orientations, etc., to hang out with on the ship. Even had rowdy late nights in the Disco a few times.

 

Have fun.

 

Andrew

 

I'm taking my first Crystal Cruise in November solo. Any suggestions. FOD?

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