Which luxury line is the least stuffy? ;)

[SFRiA]

On 2/17/2020 at 11:49 AM, LHT28 said:

We never saw anyone in shorts in the evening on Crystal  & no dining outdoors at night either 

we were on 16 days in the Caribbean

The Brazilian place is  a joke   IMO

I'm surprised when I see guys at the Crystal Cove bar in the late afternoon, just prior to early dinner. We love hanging out there for a couple cocktails and appetizers, and have been disappointed a few times with guys in shorts.

 

We too agree with you in the Churrascaria is terrible! I don't see how they can serve the beef that they do???

[getting older slowly]

It is an interesting thought.... but what is Luxury ???

 

Land based.... could be your own chef... cooking s special meal for you...  seamless service...  knowing what you what to drink....  asked of something and you can get it...

 

Also you dine without other guests.....  

 

Sea based   ... it is a different kettle of fish..... One day we might do it, but will stick with land based to go luxury  for the mean time

 

Don

[Sthrngary]

On 2/1/2020 at 1:53 AM, vistaman said:

I do recommend Crystal :  silversea too formal , seadream not suitable for a lady in her 80s, seabourn not much entertainment except for music and lectures   and trivia 

 

I have just booked my first Luxury Cruise on Crystal for the end of July 2021.  I am 63 and my wife is 61.  Any suggestions you can give us to make this cruise outstanding would be appreciated.  We are frequent cruisers that simply wanted to improve our cruise experiences in the future.

[vistaman]

I  presume the cruise is on the Serenity 

try to make your reservations for the speciality restaurants on line  otherwise you must go to the maitre d' after embarkation around 2 pm - usually he is in Prego

tell your stewardess what you like -  and which soda's you want in the mini bar 

unless it is changed you can ask for  2 bottles in your cabin from a list 

crystal does have the best bartenders  : if you do not like a brand in a cocktail just ask to change 

i do not like smirnoff wodka  so no problem to ask for another  - you can ask to make your drinks with real Cointreau instead of regular triple sec  - all inclusive - if you want Champagne be sure to ask for French Champagne otherwise you will receive Roederer Estate 

may I say the very best bartender is Afzal  - ? if he is on board try to find where he does work 

if you do not like the suggested complimentary wine ask for another one  

if you want something special ask it a day before  one of the headwaiters will take care of it 

and i do give some gratuities as well  but that is of course entirely at your discretion 

you even can bring your own wine  - there is no corkage fee 

if you like hamburgers - try to be early on deck there is always a line despite the guys are working extrememy hard and fast 

 

 

[vistaman]

7 hours ago, Sthrngary said:

I have just booked my first Luxury Cruise on Crystal for the end of July 2021.  I am 63 and my wife is 61.  Any suggestions you can give us to make this cruise outstanding would be appreciated.  We are frequent cruisers that simply wanted to improve our cruise experiences in the future.

you can ask addtional questions on the Crystal  board  - there are cruisers with far more experience + 100 cruises as myself  i did 20 so far 

[LHT28]

4 hours ago, vistaman said:

Crystal does have the best bartenders  :

 

Just do not ask for  a mixed cocktail  unless it is  a pina colada or grasshopper 😄

[Texas Tillie]

6 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

Just do not ask for  a mixed cocktail  unless it is  a pina colada or grasshopper 😄

 

One person's opinion. That has not been my experience on almost 40 Crystal cruises over 13 years.

[LHT28]

2 hours ago, Texas Tillie said:

 

One person's opinion. That has not been my experience on almost 40 Crystal cruises over 13 years.

That is  good  news

 A good bartender should know how to make a classic cocktail   not just  a spirit with mixer added

 

One lady asked for a drink  the bartender did not know how to make it  told her if she went on the internet & brought him the recipe he would try to make it

 

I asked in 3  different  bars  the 3rd one said what is the recipe I will give it a try

 It was not perfect  but OK  the other 2 just said NO

That was my experience

YMMV

[Azulann]

Viking Ocean Crusies are true luxury , both in aesthetics, food,  and in the type of passengers. 

Well educated,  love conversations and fun.

Edited April 15, 2021 by Azulann

[Lois R]

I wonder what the original poster ended up doing because I think her cruise was supposed to go last summer---we all know what happened to those sailings.☹️.........did they re-book Crystal for a future cruise?....did they decide on something else?   

[TeaBag]

i would love to know also.  OP are you still reading here?

[orchestrapal]

On 4/15/2021 at 7:58 PM, Azulann said:

Viking Ocean Crusies are true luxury , both in aesthetics, food,  and in the type of passengers. 

Well educated,  love conversations and fun.

NOT if you have ever been on a true luxury ship!

 

The only thing that is similar to luxury are the Viking prices.

[Azulann]

2 hours ago, orchestrapal said:

NOT if you have ever been on a true luxury ship!

 

The only thing that is similar to luxury are the Viking prices.

Have you been on a Viking Ocean cruise?My criteria posted above is luxury to me. As this forum header state: Luxury is a state of mind .

which is your favorite cruise line that meets your standards ?

 

[orchestrapal]

33 minutes ago, Azulann said:

Have you been on a Viking Ocean cruise?My criteria posted above is luxury to me. As this forum header state: Luxury is a state of mind .

which is your favorite cruise line that meets your standards ?

 

Yes we spent 22 days on Viking Ocean for the convince of coming and going from NY.

We find Viking more in the Oceania category but not up to O’s food.

Since we started to travel onLy on Crystal we have found what is true luxury to us.

[Azulann]

Enjoy your next Crystal cruise . I hope that cruise line survives the next year .

[Gourmet Gal]

Interesting thread.  After reading through I have a couple of observations.  First, all-inclusive does not necessarily mean luxury and vice-versa though if a line is all-inclusive it is more likely to be in the luxury category.  The OP wanted to make sure the younger members of the party would not be bored so my first inclination would be to suggest a larger vessel with more pax meaning more options onboard for entertainment and diversion.  So her choice of Crystal was a good one.  
 

As for stuffiness it seems that dress code and formal dinners tend to convey that feeling for some.  I find it ridiculous to have to dress up even more for a formal night especially when all else regarding the meal remains the same as any other night, which is the case on SS.  But I will do it if it’s dictated but I also don’t feel dressing formally or dressy up is “stuffy” per se. I have observed pax “putting on airs” on luxury lines all day long no matter the attire or occasion LOL.   Bottom line - who cares what other people think if you are not quite fully up to the dress code or if other PAX are snooty. They’re usually the exception anyway.  I wouldn’t avoid a cruise line just because of the dress code.

[Heidi13]

On 5/17/2021 at 8:20 AM, Azulann said:

Have you been on a Viking Ocean cruise?My criteria posted above is luxury to me. As this forum header state: Luxury is a state of mind .

which is your favorite cruise line that meets your standards ?

 

 

So true.

 

If I look to replicate the standards I experienced on the old British liners back in the 70's, then no cruise line today meets my expectations of luxury. Some are more all-inclusive, but based on my research, none meet my expectations of "Luxury". Hebridean Island Cruises is probably closest.

 

Like you, Viking meets our needs.

[Ride-The-Waves]

Its not "luxury" until the ship has a waiter walking the corridors calling first class passengers to dinner by playing a xylophone.

[rkacruiser]

1 hour ago, Ride-The-Waves said:

Its not "luxury" until the ship has a waiter walking the corridors calling first class passengers to dinner by playing a xylophone.

 

Ah, the good old days on a HAL ship.  But, it was not a "luxury" cruise experience as "luxury" is defined in 2022.  What was it?  It was "classy".  And, in my early cruising experiences, it was "unique".  

[Ride-The-Waves]

Not today's HAL.  The original Queens and SS America and SS United States.  1950s trans-Atlantic cruising.  And, yes, HAL from the same era.

[princeton123211]

On 5/23/2022 at 7:01 PM, Ride-The-Waves said:

The original Queens and SS America and SS United States.  1950s trans-Atlantic cruising.  And, yes, HAL from the same era.

But then again, even in first class on the old liners there were set dining times and sometimes seatings. Would we call this luxury today not being able to come in unannounced any time during a 3 hour window? Most likely not. 

[Ride-The-Waves]

On 5/27/2022 at 11:53 AM, princeton123211 said:

But then again, even in first class on the old liners there were set dining times and sometimes seatings. Would we call this luxury today not being able to come in unannounced any time during a 3 hour window? Most likely not. 

The difference between the "stuffy" gold ol days and eating at Golden Corral...

[princeton123211]

4 hours ago, Ride-The-Waves said:

The difference between the "stuffy" gold ol days and eating at Golden Corral...

Not sure if we're connecting on this one...

[TootyJane]

On 2/10/2020 at 10:36 AM, CGTNORMANDIE said:

Oh puleeze...are you telling me her only alternatives are Regent, Crystal, Seabourn or Hapag??

Her daughter would be bored to death.  

I beg to differ. A Mediterranean cruise on Seabourn would be an ideal itinerary to celebrate a21st birthday 🥳 

 

On 2/10/2020 at 10:36 AM, CGTNORMANDIE said:

Oh puleeze...are you telling me her only alternatives are Regent, Crystal, Seabourn or Hapag??

Her daughter would be bored to death.  

21yo 

[DanJimmy]

On 7/23/2023 at 7:49 AM, TootyJane said:

I beg to differ. A Mediterranean cruise on Seabourn would be an ideal itinerary to celebrate a21st birthday 🥳 

 

21yo 

I agree. Seabourn would certainly be less stuffy than Silversea and Ponant.

Edited August 13, 2023 by DanJimmy