New Crystal - the Good, the Bad and the Indifferent

[claudiaYVR]

3 hours ago, FlyerTalker said:

 

2 hosts for a 600 pax ship.

There were only 430 pax on that sailing though. Also there’s really only one venue where more than a few couples can dance. 

[Camillus112]

Dance classes in pre-covid Crystal were so much fun!  They were very popular, even quite crowded at times.  Great activity to meet others and spike up the cruise vibe.  I wonder if they will return...

[braxx20]

Cunard seemed to have a lot of opportunities for dancing. And the Princess suites were a decent price with exceptional food in their private DR. I think I saw a lot of bridge players also. 

Not being in the upper income category, we found the old Crystal to be a bargain for what they offered.

We will be on the Serenity in Dec, preceded by SB and CU so will have a good opportunity to compare

 

[bitob]

5 hours ago, braxx20 said:

Cunard seemed to have a lot of opportunities for dancing. And the Princess suites were a decent price with exceptional food in their private DR. I think I saw a lot of bridge players also. 

Not being in the upper income category, we found the old Crystal to be a bargain for what they offered.

We will be on the Serenity in Dec, preceded by SB and CU so will have a good opportunity to compare

 

Dancing on Cunard is an art form.  If you are a ballroom dancer there is no better place to be.  Just watching is fun.

[Txcotn]

12 minutes ago, bitob said:

Dancing on Cunard is an art form.  If you are a ballroom dancer there is no better place to be.  Just watching is fun.

Dancing was a huge draw on Crystal, what's the point of eliminating it?

[Mr Luxury]

8 hours ago, suzeluvscruz said:

Dancing was a huge draw on Crystal, what's the point of eliminating it?

New owner,new ideas and probably a lot of new guests that did not cruise with old Crystal.

At the moment we don't know what we don't know.

[bitob]

Once again I find many of these posts baffling

 

everyone says it's a different company

a new cruise line -- starting from scratch

only thing bought was name and ships

 

BUT

i want same storage space

I want bridge or I wont cruise

I want dance hosts

I want Nobu

I want my Crystal status

I want old single supplement policy

 

I could go on

 

You just can't have it both ways.

It is not the old Crystal.

It may be better; it may be worse

You wont know until you sail.

 

 

[Keith1010]

3 hours ago, Mr Luxury said:

New owner,new ideas and probably a lot of new guests that did not cruise with old Crystal.

At the moment we don't know what we don't know.

Many of the guests in the new term will include lots of Crystal Society members.

 

In addition, there were always first time cruisers so we will see that too.

 

It is human nature for people to want things from the past they enjoyed.  

 

And yes, we will all find out starting July 31 and continuing to the future.

 

It's all good at least for those who want to return.  

Keith

[BWIVince]

54 minutes ago, bitob said:

Once again I find many of these posts baffling

 

everyone says it's a different company

a new cruise line -- starting from scratch

only thing bought was name and ships

 

BUT

i want same storage space

I want bridge or I wont cruise

I want dance hosts

I want Nobu

I want my Crystal status

I want old single supplement policy

 

I could go on

 

You just can't have it both ways.

It is not the old Crystal.

It may be better; it may be worse

You wont know until you sail.

 

 

 

QUITE the opposite...  Buying another company's intellectual property is LITERALLY the vehicle for having it both ways.

 

It allows a new company, completely different company to purchase and implement a former company's brands, trademarks, products, traditions, recipes and trade property.  Will the new company be exactly the same as the old company, of course not, but the new company paid specifically to be able to offer all of the former company's brand standards that they choose -- and they specifically paid significantly to be able to do EXACTLY that.

 

Vince

[Mr Luxury]

1 hour ago, bitob said:

Once again I find many of these posts baffling

 

everyone says it's a different company

a new cruise line -- starting from scratch

only thing bought was name and ships

 

BUT

i want same storage space

I want bridge or I wont cruise

I want dance hosts

I want Nobu

I want my Crystal status

I want old single supplement policy

 

I could go on

 

You just can't have it both ways.

It is not the old Crystal.

It may be better; it may be worse

You wont know until you sail.

 

 

Is exactly right.

Old hands can't start afresh 😁

[ctjon]

I know people have not liked saying this but TIME WILL TELL

[Mr Luxury]

13 minutes ago, BWIVince said:

 

QUITE the opposite...  Buying another company's intellectual property is LITERALLY the vehicle for having it both ways.

 

It allows a new company, completely different company to purchase and implement a former company's brands, trademarks, products, traditions, recipes and trade property.  Will the new company be exactly the same as the old company, of course not, but the new company paid specifically to be able to offer all of the former company's brand standards that they choose -- and they specifically paid significantly to be able to do EXACTLY that.

 

Vince

Yes.but will there be dance hosts.

[Keith1010]

4 hours ago, ctjon said:

I know people have not liked saying this but TIME WILL TELL

I agree.

 

On a related note I have many friends who have not "moved on" but have sailed other lines and the vast majority of them have booked a Crystal Cruise(s) including the World Cruise.

 

In the end, people will do as they please.  I don't worry about them and they shouldn't worry about me.

 

There seems to be a concern that it is bad or something is wrong when some of us say the new company will have attributes of the old company.

 

Of course some of the same people said, no one would purchase Symphony and/or Serenity or that the crew would not return.  Well, they are zero for two and before anyone asks me how I know so many people are returning let me say I do and I would say how do you know they aren't.  

 

Time will tell but you know it won't be too much longer.

 

Keith

[hypercafe]

People want storage, bridge games, a casino, dance hosting, better trips, really a rebirth of the old, out of business Crystal. I don't care about any of the above, I want the old Crystal prices back as they were my cheap ride. That's pie in the sky so I want to read unbiased reviews and decide what their value is compared to other lines. I feel at this point booking with Crystal is like like buying a mystery box, could be good or really disappointing.

[Cruise-y]

36 minutes ago, hypercafe said:

I want the old Crystal prices back as they were my cheap ride. That's pie in the sky so I want to read unbiased reviews and decide what their value is compared to other lines. I feel at this point booking with Crystal is like like buying a mystery box, could be good or really disappointing.

Crystal isn't coming back at the old prices. They need to be profitable this go round.

 

For the first wave of passengers, I doubt very much that we will see anything but glowing reviews. These are people who love Crystal no matter what. That is perfectly fine, no problem with that, but don't expect to see unbiased reviews at first.

[Texas Tillie]

3 minutes ago, Cruise-y said:

Crystal isn't coming back at the old prices. They need to be profitable this go round.

 

For the first wave of passengers, I doubt very much that we will see anything but glowing reviews. These are people who love Crystal no matter what. That is perfectly fine, no problem with that, but don't expect to see unbiased reviews at first.

 

No, these are people who LOVED (past tense) the former Crystal. If the food is mediocre and uninspired or the entertainment is lacking or there's very little enrichment or the excursions are expensive and they put 45 passengers on each coach or any other number of issues, you'll hear unbiased reviews loud and clear.

 

Patty

[nancygp]

16 minutes ago, Texas Tillie said:

 

No, these are people who LOVED (past tense) the former Crystal. If the food is mediocre and uninspired or the entertainment is lacking or there's very little enrichment or the excursions are expensive and they put 45 passengers on each coach or any other number of issues, you'll hear unbiased reviews loud and clear.

 

Patty

 

I’m confident you will give an unbiased review

 

Nancy

[BWIVince]

26 minutes ago, Cruise-y said:

Crystal isn't coming back at the old prices. They need to be profitable this go round.

 

For the first wave of passengers, I doubt very much that we will see anything but glowing reviews. These are people who love Crystal no matter what. That is perfectly fine, no problem with that, but don't expect to see unbiased reviews at first.

 

I totally get the point about some of the CS members just being on cloud nine about just being back at all, but I have to admit my jaw dropped a little when I read your message...  I don't think I've ever traveled with as hypercritical a group of travelers as Crystal's passengers as a composite persona.  😄. The borderline ridiculous things I've heard the staff and officers berated over across the years still gives me PTSD chills just remembering some of them.  That applied to both onboard and in reviews, and as much to the long-tenured as the newer-to-Crystal members.

 

I know we all know and some some CS members with a more positive outlook, but IME I'm not at all sure they were the rule and not the exception.

 

Vince

[KenzSailing]

41 minutes ago, BWIVince said:

 

I totally get the point about some of the CS members just being on cloud nine about just being back at all, but I have to admit my jaw dropped a little when I read your message...  I don't think I've ever traveled with as hypercritical a group of travelers as Crystal's passengers as a composite persona.  😄.

 

Vince

 

I take your point but, we're talking about a subset of Crystal cruisers: those who post here.  I'll read all the early reviews, but thru a filter of who's going to come in capital-P-positive, who might be more critical than I am about things, and those contributors whose opinion will make me sit up and take notice. 

 

[Keith1010]

I have never read an unbiased review in my life. 
 

If you want something unbiased read a fact sheet.  As to a review they all have their own set of biases.  Why?  Because we are all human.  
 

For example was the pizza excellent, great, good, fair or poor.  Who is right?  Who is biased? 
 

If you want to know for sure you have to experience it yourself.

 

JMO.

 

I am glad I will experience it so we can decide what we think.

 

The same goes for pretty much everything.  
 

Do you all read trip advisor reviews?  How about Amazon reviews?  Are any unbiased?  
 

I don’t think so.

 

Keith 

 

 

[hypercafe]

I am sure there will be unbiased reviews however I also read a lot here about booking long trips and the world trip. I love cars and have many both old and new. I wonder how many would buy an unknown brand in the six figures with just a artist rendering, no test drive and no review and have it delivered to their driveway?

[BWIVince]

24 minutes ago, KenzSailing said:

 

I take your point but, we're talking about a subset of Crystal cruisers: those who post here.  I'll read all the early reviews, but thru a filter of who's going to come in capital-P-positive, who might be more critical than I am about things, and those contributors whose opinion will make me sit up and take notice. 

 

 

I still contend we're talking about specific people...  🙂  The reviews posted in the database about Crystal were hardly overly flattering.

 

Vince

[BWIVince]

2 minutes ago, hypercafe said:

I am sure there will be unbiased reviews however I also read a lot here about booking long trips and the world trip. I love cars and have many both old and new. I wonder how many would buy an unknown brand in the six figures with just a artist rendering, no test drive and no review and have it delivered to their driveway?

 

To that point, within the constraints of port availability this close-in, I think the itineraries read as they're designed to be starter-itineraries...  They remind me a lot of what you see from a new cruise line the first year or two.  IMHO they're trying to make the company as accessible to sample it as they can within the expectations of the segment and CS diehards, considering the passengers are less likely to make a huge commitment with a less known entity.  

 

Vince

[travelberlin]

47 minutes ago, KenzSailing said:

 

I take your point but, we're talking about a subset of Crystal cruisers: those who post here.  I'll read all the early reviews, but thru a filter of who's going to come in capital-P-positive, who might be more critical than I am about things, and those contributors whose opinion will make me sit up and take notice. 

 

I agree. I think that several people will be able to give us a good idea on how things are going in the new Crystal. And similarly as when we read reviews from other cruise lines, hotels, or whatever we would like to book,  we will decide which things are important for us.

Ivi

[Cruise-y]

I don’t know about a database of past reviews, I just know what I’ve seen here on the Crystal CC message board over the years. I can’t imagine spending $100K+ for a months-long world cruise on a “new” line and not expecting it to be good! That’s a pretty big crap shoot. 
 

The people who are currently unhappy aren’t booking right now. That’s all I’m saying. 

Edited February 16, 2023 by Cruise-y