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Inaugural Sailing Observations

Keith1010

By Keith1010,
in Crystal

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Keith1010 "Live from...." Rare

Keith1010

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57 minutes ago, happy cruising said:

Keith, happy anniversary to you and Anne Marie - what a great day for you all around! What time do you sail? We are lost without the Live Views and Panomax! Any chance they will be turned on soon? 

Thank you. Sail 10:45 PM or later as there will be fireworks.

 

Keith

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Keith1010 "Live from...." Rare

Keith1010

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25 minutes ago, Leejnd4 said:

 

Are the chairs in this pic the ones people thought looked cheap and uncomfortable? 

 

Obviously it's hard to tell how comfortable they are without sitting in one, but the seats look well cushioned (I also suffer from bony-arse-syndrome) 😉 and the curvature looks like it would be comfortable. I dislike chairs that are ramrod-straight myself, not comfy for my back. It would be nice if there were some that had arms for people who might have mobility issues, but I think most chairs at dining tables don't have arms except for the head and foot. Anyway, thanks for the pics and HAPPY ANNIVERSARY! 🥳❤️

Thank you.  Yes chairs some criticized.

Keith

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May B Great Review Rare

May B

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7 minutes ago, Gourmet Gal said:

Hi Keith, just wondering if Crystal still has those annoying photographers and photo sales people.  Hoping that program has been eliminated.


I never found them annoying, whatsoever. Perhaps you’re more photogenic than I am.

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Keith1010 "Live from...." Rare

Keith1010

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1 hour ago, Gourmet Gal said:

Hi Keith, just wondering if Crystal still has those annoying photographers and photo sales people.  Hoping that program has been eliminated.

Photo department is there. Not in your face. 

Keith

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LoveBora

LoveBora

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10 minutes ago, krb1000 said:

I love the photographers! I never found them to be intrusive at all…absolutely hoping they will be back.

I agree. All you had to do was shake your head or say”no thank you” to them. They were very courteous and didn’t invade my space. And wasn’t it usually only on formal nights that they would ask if you wanted your photo taken?  I know they did go out for some of the shore excursions. 

 

 

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Leejnd4

Leejnd4

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33 minutes ago, krb1000 said:

I love the photographers! I never found them to be intrusive at all…absolutely hoping they will be back.

I too never found them to be even remotely intrusive. Perhaps my view is colored by the fact that I've been on more than my share of mass-market cruises, where the photographers are not only intrusive but can be downright persistent, but I remember finding it refreshing that the photographers on Crystal were so laid-back.

 

I remember an RCL cruise where we had a hard time getting them to let us even board the ship without allowing them to take our picture under the welcome arch! They were just so insistent. As a life-long rebel who does not take kindly to being told I HAVE to do something I absolutely do not believe I have to do, that just rubbed me the wrong way. That was our first AND last RCL cruise. 😝

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Gourmet Gal

Gourmet Gal

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23 minutes ago, Leejnd4 said:

I too never found them to be even remotely intrusive. Perhaps my view is colored by the fact that I've been on more than my share of mass-market cruises, where the photographers are not only intrusive but can be downright persistent, but I remember finding it refreshing that the photographers on Crystal were so laid-back.

 

I remember an RCL cruise where we had a hard time getting them to let us even board the ship without allowing them to take our picture under the welcome arch! They were just so insistent. As a life-long rebel who does not take kindly to being told I HAVE to do something I absolutely do not believe I have to do, that just rubbed me the wrong way. That was our first AND last RCL cruise. 😝

The photogs on my one Crystal Cruise were obnoxious as were the hoards of people milling around for photos on formal nights.  It really left a bad taste for me especially after cruising SS so often without any of that.  At the time, along with the tiny cabins I felt it really cheapened the line.  I was only asking about it in the hopes that activity had been reconsidered.  The line seems to be making some other nice improvements and I will be following this thread in hopes of learning more.

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KenzSailing

KenzSailing

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58 minutes ago, USC Adventurer said:

when did serenity actually depart?  the crystal website shows a 10:30 pm departure but i've found some other sites that say sailwary was 3pm.  strange!

 It was almost dead on 2230 local.  Doing 20 knots cruising to Cannes.

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Leejnd4

Leejnd4

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57 minutes ago, Gourmet Gal said:

The photogs on my one Crystal Cruise were obnoxious as were the hoards of people milling around for photos on formal nights.  It really left a bad taste for me especially after cruising SS so often without any of that.  At the time, along with the tiny cabins I felt it really cheapened the line.  I was only asking about it in the hopes that activity had been reconsidered.  The line seems to be making some other nice improvements and I will be following this thread in hopes of learning more.

I'm sorry to hear that! I do recall people lining up for formal photos, but we are fine taking our own photos and just never bothered.

 

I'm glad that you are willing to give New Crystal a look. It does sound as if some nice enhancements are being made. I too am following all of this closely...as I mentioned in another thread, I have a cruise booked for 2024 but I am willing to cancel if I don't like what I read in these threads. I will be following them all closely! That cruise is a very personal one to me, and I'm going to do that itinerary at that time whether I do it on this or another line. But I'm hoping everything I read convinces me that I made the right choice in booking Crystal. Time will tell!

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Shorex

Shorex

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4 hours ago, Gourmet Gal said:

Hi Keith, just wondering if Crystal still has those annoying photographers and photo sales people.  Hoping that program has been eliminated.

I'm sorry you had that bad experience. Trust me, it was a "one-off." Nothing like that has every occurred on our many Crystal cruises. And IF it had, I'd be speaking with the Hotel Director post haste. And it would be stopped.

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Keith1010 "Live from...." Rare

Keith1010

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5 hours ago, USC Adventurer said:

when did serenity actually depart?  the crystal website shows a 10:30 pm departure but i've found some other sites that say sailwary was 3pm.  strange!

I think closer to 11:00 PM.  We stayed for fireworks, conversation and then for Louis and went back to the room but I didn't look at the clock.

 

Keith

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Keith1010 "Live from...." Rare

Keith1010

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Some thoughts.

 

When you sail with over 1,000 people the odds are you may encounter a few that bother you in some way.

 

Personally, I have never felt pressured from a photographer.  If I did I would just say not interested and if it I found the person rude or it bothered me enough I would speak with the manager. Each ship has a manager on-board.  


Keith

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Keith1010 "Live from...." Rare

Keith1010

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I said the dining experience at the new Italian Restaurant was amazing.  

 

Why you ask?

 

The venue is beautiful from its design, colors, chandeliers, tables and flooring. It is bright and evidently when they dim the lights they flicker so this item will be corrected.

 

Food is Michelin quality.  We dined with people who could guide us with what to order and the waiter gave us great recommendations.  There is a tasting menu or you can order what you want.

 

I tried two starters, a pasta and the main item.  The food was delicious. One starter was lobster. The main dish was lamb and I was told it would melt in your mouth and that description was spot-on. 

 

While we enjoyed Prego its menu is American Italian.  This menu is Northern/Italian cuisine.  

 

To me this was special. I know some people who would dine in Prego often.  This food was rich and to me a place you would dine in occasionally. IMHO this restaurant raises the bar for the dining experience.

 

As to the waitstaff team.  Paolo was there.  Both sommeliers from before. Morne the Head Waiter was there.  Many familiar waiters. Chef Alfred was there and brought out the birthday cake.  

 

Crystal at its finest. In short, Crystal enhanced.

 

Will everyone like it?  No. Did everyone like Prego?  No.

 

We did end with Anniversary cake and just had a little bit of it.  The dessert was the entire evening and the people we dined with.

 

I will also post this on my other thread.

 

Keith

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