What Regent cruisers may want to know about Crystal

[Keith1010]

20 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

Very strange that  Crystal have the Ocean view cabins on Deck 7  at 213 sq ft ??

 

I was quoting from a brochure that I have in my office of the 2018/2019 voyages.

 

Evidently they have revised it downward in their 2020 brochure and more recently on line.

I guess the rooms shrunk.  😀  LOL.  Well I guess after all these years (it has been listed at 226 square feet going back as far as I can remember) they remeasured the room and reduced the overall square footage by 13 square feet.

 

Keith

[xrvlcruiser]

I will bow to the people who clearly have far more specifics than I do!

Peggy

[nancygp]

8 hours ago, AtA said:

Correct me if I'm wrong Nancy but those on deck 5 SYMPHONY are used for passengers?

 

I see that your question has been answered and then some!!! 

 

Nancy

[TrulyBlonde]

10 hours ago, LHT28 said:

OH NO

 WE are booked in one of those  & we  do not entertain   I better  start practicing  my singing  & DH can bring a guitar 😅

We will look forward to your review and comparison when you return from a non-suite cabin. It will make for a good balance. The cabin size seems very similar to a river cruise.

[LHT28]

8 hours ago, Keith1010 said:

I guess the rooms shrunk.  😀  LOL.  Well I guess after all these years (it has been listed at 226 square feet going back as far as I can remember) they remeasured the room and reduced the overall square footage by 13 square feet.

 

Keith

Very odd they would not know the size  of their cabins  😅

[LHT28]

1 hour ago, TrulyBlonde said:

We will look forward to your review and comparison when you return from a non-suite cabin. It will make for a good balance. The cabin size seems very similar to a river cruise.

I will probably compare  to Oceania  😉

We have been in smaller cabins  so not too worried about the size 

Was just following the  comparisons  the Crystal forum has different comments   😉

[Keith1010]

15 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

Very odd they would not know the size  of their cabins  😅

I have no idea.  The larger number has been there for many years. 

 

Maybe it was the salt that made it larger at the time.  😱

[Travelcat2]

4 minutes ago, Keith1010 said:

I have no idea.  The larger number has been there for many years. 

 

Maybe it was the salt that made it larger at the time.  😱

 

I needed my morning laugh and you gave it to me.  Thanks!😁

 

Love the fact that we can sit in the computer room (where, again, no one signs in to use computers - you just sit down and are online) waiting until we can disembark.  We should be able to get off of the ship by 8:30 a.m. and we are anxious to get home to our kitties and calm them down.  They were a bit traumatized by the 1,200 lightening strikes and thunder that occurred a couple of nights ago.  In our 17 1/2 years living in Northern Washington state, we have not seen/heard more than a couple of claps of thunder and a small amount of lightning.  Anyway, they are fine but will be happy to be in bed with us again so we an keep them safe.

 

As I reported on the Crystal board, I took a break from posting last night and will return later today or tomorrow to do a wrap-up and will post photos that I may have missed as well as a photo or two from our last dinner - in Silk (Chinese dining venue).  A 7 night cruise is just too short and exhausting (trying to do and see everything which is completely impossible to do but we tried).

 

I think that I'll miss seeing Crystal and Regent customers have great discussions together.  It seemed to have worked out well (despite my confusion as to why the thread was moved in the first place).  

 

 

[Wendy The Wanderer]

There's a lot of talk about cherry picking over on the other thread on the Crystal board.  I must say if I could cherry pick something from Crystal for Regent, it would be the enrichment programs.  I'd trade that for shows any day.  Good speakers, particularly.

[ClefsDor]

Just wanted to add something to the discussion regarding size of staterooms. We have only sailed on Crystal but are considering a Caribbean cruise on Splendor. On Crystal we have sailed in both PH staterooms and the entry level cabins with verandah. We are chronic over packers and travel with at least 3 large suitcase and a carry on each. The verandah cabins on Crystal are so well thought out and have so much storage space that we are able to completely unpack and still have a couple of empty drawers. Do I prefer the PH"s?  Sure, but sometimes the price differential is so much that we can't justify the cost. We do enjoy spending some time in our stateroom but most of the time we are out and about or on the verandah, weather permitting. You'll be surprised at how comfortable the smaller rooms are. I was a little nervous when we saw the size of our first non PH cabin but once we were fully unpacked it was incredibly comfortable.

[ChatKat in Ca.]

1 hour ago, ClefsDor said:

Just wanted to add something to the discussion regarding size of staterooms. We have only sailed on Crystal but are considering a Caribbean cruise on Splendor. On Crystal we have sailed in both PH staterooms and the entry level cabins with verandah. We are chronic over packers and travel with at least 3 large suitcase and a carry on each. The verandah cabins on Crystal are so well thought out and have so much storage space that we are able to completely unpack and still have a couple of empty drawers. Do I prefer the PH"s?  Sure, but sometimes the price differential is so much that we can't justify the cost. We do enjoy spending some time in our stateroom but most of the time we are out and about or on the verandah, weather permitting. You'll be surprised at how comfortable the smaller rooms are. I was a little nervous when we saw the size of our first non PH cabin but once we were fully unpacked it was incredibly comfortable.

We have been on Regent's Navigator, Mariner and Voyager and both Crystal ships in a variety of cabins.  We just spent 2 weeks in Crystal's Serenity with 3 bags and room to spare.  On Crystal the C1 (standard/non balcony) is very comfortable particularly when you will not be lounging in your cabin all day.  There is so much to do on Crystal, you have many options from which to choose.  On Regent, there is less to do so you need a larger cabin to relax. The value of Crystal's programs and entertainment to us exceeds any thing we experienced on Regent.

Edited September 10, 2019 by ChatKat in Ca.

[Travelcat2]

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but when a poster indicates that there is nothing to do on Regent, they simply may not like what Regent has to offer.  On sea days on Regent, we cannot keep up with all of the things that are offered.  On Crystal, however, the ship is considerably larger than Regent and they therefore have, for instance, two theaters (one for the shows which is very small for the number of passengers on the ship and a theater where they tend to give instructional lectures).  The Hollywood theater, there are movie type seats (may have a photo) that works well.

 

Now the the staterooms (not suites).  Some people simply do not want/need to spend time in their small staterooms.  We enjoy a balcony that can accommodate two chaise lounges and a table with at least two chairs.  This has nothing whatsoever to do with not enough to do on the ship.  We are very active in the morning through mid-afternoon.  Then we are out and about again late afternoon into the evening.  When we relax in the “suite”, my DH usually hangs out on the large balcony while I move from the little office area on Symphony to reading in the living room (sometimes taking a short nap in the bedroom).  We absolutely do not hang out in the suite “all day” - not even when we are in a two-bedroom Master Suite on Explorer.  To say that we do is nonsense. When  we are on Regent, we do have couples in for dinner or cocktails in our suite which could not be easily accommodated in small staterooms.  We were able to accommodate the Discovery Channel crew, the General Manager of the ship and a Regent Corporate management individual for my husband’s birthday party earlier this year.  The best place to hang out during that party was the enormous balcony (larger than a CP suite on Symphony).  The suite itself is closer to 900 square feet.

 

ChelsDors - I do understand where you are coming from.  I have heard previously that the storage in the smaller suites is more than adequate.  At least you enjoy the balcony (as we do).  I would be claustrophobic if we didn’t have a balcony.  I also understand the affordability issue.  We do not always stay in top suites but are happy to cruise a bit less in order to stay in them when we want to (we would not stay on Explorer’s tiny suites - meant for singles - even though it has a balcony so this is not about Regent vs. Crystal). This is where our September “fun” cruises began.  We’ve done a fairly large suite on NCL, the second to the top suite on Celebrity and now the CP on Symphony.  We may return to Celebrity next September if they have a West Coast itinerary that we like.  It is nice to switch things around.

[JMARINER]

4 hours ago, ChatKat in Ca. said:

..... There is so much to do on Crystal, you have many options from which to choose.  On Regent, there is less to do so you need a larger cabin to relax. The value of Crystal's programs and entertainment to us exceeds any thing we experienced on Regent.

Exactly. The depth and variety of Crystal programs and entertainment is the main reason we are sailing on the Serenity Trans-Pacific (World Cruise) next year instead of on Regent. Regent has nothing to match  Crystals; for example the computer course on photo and video editing. Dance classes. Endless and varied lecturer's. Superb shows.  If want port intensive Regent is a great choice but for  sea day activities and entertainment Crystal is tops.

 

J

[Keith1010]

I'll add my 2 cents.

 

You all are seasoned cruisers so you know everyone has their personal reasons for cruising and they are not all the same.

 

For some it is the accommodation.  They want a large suite.  For some, this doesn't matter.  I would imagine if you are traveling solo or with someone else this can also be a factor as can the length of the cruise.  Budget certainly is a factor.

Some people are very happy without a verandah. For some that is a requirement.  Some bring so many clothes or a bathroom is so important they take two rooms.  This is true on any ship.  I have known some who are new to a ship and on embarkation day they go to their room and two minutes later want to get a larger room (at their cost) while others who say this room is larger than I thought it would be.

 

Some want the ports and that is why they cruise.  For some the ship is the destination.

 

Since I know Crystal well.  😀 I know some people who don't go to enrichment lectures versus some who go to everyone.

 

Some people go to all the evening entertainment.  Some pass on most of it.

 

Some enjoy spending hours in the lounges or sitting at the bar.  Some don't.

 

Some enjoy one or two restaurants.  Some enjoy them all.

 

Some want table service for breakfast and lunch.  After all it's their vacation.  Others prefer things like the food stations and the grill.

 

For some the pool is important.  Me, I've never been in the pool on any Crystal ship.

 

Some find the fitness center important along with the classes offered.  Some people don't even know where the fitness center is.

 

Some love the Promenade deck.  Some could care less.

 

There is a particular couple who we have known for years and we are often on board with them for a few months at a time and they are located one to two doors from our room.  Sometimes a month goes by and we don't see them.  This is because we are on different schedules and do different things.

 

My point is we all cruise for different reasons and we all have different opinions.  In the end, the only one that matters is your own.  A stateroom that is sufficient for one person might be a complete disaster for someone else.  A pool that is a good fit for one person might be too small for another person.

 

 

On this one or another thread I said I was bored on the Silversea Spirit.  We did have a good time but yes there were several times where we were bored.  Another of our friends who was on a separate sailing felt the same way.  Yet there are many people who love that ship and some of this comes down to the reasons we cruise.  For some it meets and exceeds their expectations and for others it doesn't.

 

I am not sure about any of you but I even find our preferences have changed based on age.  This includes the accommodation of room we choose on a ship and on land.  Or even the activities we do on a ship.

 

And thankfully there is enough unique things about the luxury lines that hopefully there is one or more which appeal to someone.  By the way sometimes that is true about ships.  If the ships are different on the same cruise line some will be happy sailing any of them while some will only sail one or a couple of them.

 

I have met many people over the years who have sailed Regent and Crystal.  Ask questions that elicit opinions (not factual question like what is the size of the suite but ones such as what do you think of the food, service, enrichment, etc.) and I have to tell you that the answer are all over the place.  Why?  Because we all see things differently.  This is what makes the world go round.  

 

Keith

[forgap]

I posed this on the Chrystal version of this thread but it is more appropriate here, I think.  

 

I’m curious what the barriers would be to building a better on board experience on Regent?    Cost?  Finding talent?  I agree that the offerings can get a bit lame and I rarely participate except for attending lectures.  Hallway games, Bingo, game deck events, and beauty pitches by spa staff are not my cup of tea.  I may be in the minority, but even the cooking and cocktail demonstrations were a bit lame.  

 

I really like the idea of more substantive classes (at different levels).   We did have a digital photography class on the South Pacific Cruise but it was geared towards absolute beginners who didn’t even know how to use their devices.  

 

On one cruise I asked if we could have a star gazing event.  Over 100 passengers showed up on the top deck, the lights were dimmed and an officer helped to guide us along.  Many of us had iPad apps, too.   It was really fun!

 

[Floridiana]

Star gazing would be great!

Are there bridge, engine control room, galley, storage rooms, laundry visits?

Does the captain (environmental officer, chief engineer etc.) have a question hour in the theater? 

On one ship we had one outstanding expert explain how and when the longitudes were 'made'.  

 

[Travelcat2]

13 hours ago, JMARINER said:

Exactly. The depth and variety of Crystal programs and entertainment is the main reason we are sailing on the Serenity Trans-Pacific (World Cruise) next year instead of on Regent. Regent has nothing to match  Crystals; for example the computer course on photo and video editing. Dance classes. Endless and varied lecturer's. Superb shows.  If want port intensive Regent is a great choice but for  sea day activities and entertainment Crystal is tops.

 

J

 

Interesting that you will sail on Serenity on the WC.  I have friends that moved to Crystal when Regent stopped their world cruises for a few years.  As soon as Regent offered them again, many (not sure how many but there is a group of friends that sail together on these cruises and most, not all, of them returned to Regent when the WC's were offered again.

 

Not saying that Crystal does not have an amazing enrichment program but that is only one facet of the experience.  As Keith often posts, everyone has different likes/dislikes and requirements when they cruise.  In my opinion, (based only on Crystal, Regent and Silversea), there are no bad choices - just different experiences.

 

Going to do my final recap on the Crystal board after I finish this and will be adding some photos as we.

[Travelcat2]

10 minutes ago, Floridiana said:

Star gazing would be great!

Are there bridge, engine control room, galley, storage rooms, laundry visits?

Does the captain (environmental officer, chief engineer etc.) have a question hour in the theater? 

On one ship we had one outstanding expert explain how and when the longitudes were 'made'.  

 

 

No to most of the above (being in a Crystal Penthouse we were invited to the bridge, but had to turn the invitation down as it conflicted with the one enrichment program (lecture on tips for your iPad).   The Captain and Reflections (Crystal's version of Passages)* do go into more detail about various things about ships, oceans, what a nautical mile, etc.  

 

*What is with the names of these publications?  "Reflections" brings to mind looking backwards rather than in the here and now or what tomorrow will bring, and "Passages" makes me think that I'm going to read a list of people that have passed away!

[Floridiana]

Oh, I was asking about Regent's programs.  We booked a Regent world cruise and hope for a strong program on those long sea days. I know Crystal is said to have a strong day time program.

[Travelcat2]

3 minutes ago, Floridiana said:

Oh, I was asking about Regent's programs.  We booked a Regent world cruise and hope for a strong program on those long sea days. I know Crystal is said to have a strong day time program.

 

Suggest you try one of the Roll Calls for the Mariner world cruises.  I know that the activities are different on these cruises than on typical Regent cruises.  Posters on that board should be able to give you details!

[Wendy The Wanderer]

26 minutes ago, Floridiana said:

Oh, I was asking about Regent's programs.  We booked a Regent world cruise and hope for a strong program on those long sea days. I know Crystal is said to have a strong day time program.

 

There's usually a galley tour offered especially on a longer cruise, and often a bridge tour, although they are much more limited now than in the past, for security reasons.  We've had a tour once of the crew quarters and galley, that was fun, but it was a special thing I believe.

 

The enrichment lecturers are usually quite good, just sometimes not germaine to the destinations, as it were.   Too much military history and world politics sometimes, for my taste.

Edited September 11, 2019 by Wendy The Wanderer

[Travelcat2]

Too late to edit my post to JMARINER.  On the Crystal board, there is a new thread from another newbie to Crystal.  Their comments about entertainment/enrichment on the ship is quite interesting.  

Edited September 11, 2019 by Travelcat2

[forgap]

Our South Pacific Cruise (San Diego to Aukland) was the second segment of a WC on Navigator.  I don’t recall anything that interesting being taught during the day.  I think there was a DIY Mahjong group and a craft class that didn’t produce anything memorable or keepable.   Of course, there was Bridge, with groups at all levels.  Perhaps I steered clear as it was too much foreshadowing of Assisted Living.  

[JMARINER]

37 minutes ago, Travelcat2 said:

Too late to edit my post to JMARINER.  On the Crystal board, there is a new thread from another newbie to Crystal.  Their comments about entertainment/enrichment on the ship is quite interesting.  

It would be helpful in the future if  you would post the link to the thread you are referring too. For other readers here it is. LINK

 

I do not understand why you would post your comment. What is the relevance?

 

That thread OP's prior cruise experience seem to have been on Holland and RCCL. They were on the Symphony for only 7 days, in Alaska. It doesn't  appears that they even know who Regent is, let alone having been on any other Lux Cruise line. They are my children's ages. That they didn't like the entertainment?   Based on their ages and travel experience is that of much relevance to the typical Regent or Crystal passenger demographic? (At their age I wouldn't have like Crystal or Regent either.) And yet at the end of their review they said that when they retire they wanted to come back to Crystal.

 

J

Edited September 11, 2019 by JMARINER
spelling

[Travelcat2]

Sorry that you feel that way. Interesting that you have not criticized others for not posting a link.  Guess that I am held to a different standard.  I did find it relevant and there are many passengers on Crystal that are the age of our children.   

 

Keith said it all.  We all have different expectations, likes dislikes.  I have to say that attacking me over something that I thought was helpful is hurtful and definitely not in good taste (my opinion only, of course).

 

My “wrap-up” vs. review is up on the Crystal board.  No link is necessary as it is on page one of this thread!