Inaugural Sailing Observations

[Keith1010]

Food continues to be excellent. 

 

Waterside has more menu choices than I remember including lots of entrees.

 

Presentation, Taste and the temperature in which it is served is a delight.

 

And service is great.

 

We've been pleased with the other venues.  

 

Biggest challenge is in IT area.  Phones still have issues. If you cal handset to handset (not to say butler who is on a wireless phone) the call disconnects after 20 seconds and they have to call you back.  If anyone calls us it rings in the bedroom but not in our living area.  There are all new systems for check in of the guests including credit card, booking cruises and pretty much everything and some working well while others not consistent.  

 

Internet overall has been great.  There has been periods where it is up and down (down for a second or two and back up) as I can see this on my e-mail browser.  Not sure if this is the ship or the satellite as I have heard and read about the provider having issues so the jury is out on that.  But in spite of this it has been so much better.  Now if I was on RCI in the Caribbean I know from others they have a superior internet but they have a couple of benefits including repetition of itineraries.

 

TV reception still has issues with intermittent freezing of programs. Early on you would lose sound and the way to correct that was to switch channels and then go back to the original channel.  This issue is much better. A couple of times in port no reception so not sure what that is about.  

 

Keith

[Keith1010]

When you hear that 82% of the crew has returned keep in mind in some areas of the ship the percentage will be higher while others it will be lower. For example, many of the people at the reception desk are new but often this is the case as some move up into other positions and some decide to return to land.  

 

Keith

[Keith1010]

More former crew from Symphony and Serenity returning on this voyage and the next few voyages.

 

Keith

[USCAdventurer]

keith,

the pictures of bordeaux are wonderful as usual.  what a big, beautiful city.  i never realized it was so big.  hope you enjoy your winery dinner this evening.  can't wait to hear all about it.

[AtA]

On 8/15/2023 at 5:12 PM, SusieQft said:

Do you know if Hector Olivera's organ is still on board, and if so will they bring him back to play it?

 

Also, I am curious if they still have the piano keyboards, and if so will they bring back the piano lessons on the World Cruise?

We asked and yes Hector's organ is still onboard. They still haven't gotten a firm date for him to be onboard.

[AtA]

On 8/16/2023 at 7:21 PM, vml said:

In my opinion, Crystal is BACK, better than EVER!   Everyone has different priorities on a cruise.   Mine are food, service, and entertainment.   All were OUTSTANDING.   It didn't seem possible but Waterside and Umi Uma were even better then before.    Mixed reviews on the Italian restaurant.   They may need wider offerings to appeal to most.   It definitely is not Prego.  The ice cream was to die for (hopefully not literally).  Bruce McGill's lectures were fabulous, Bruce Hammond's crooning in multiple venues was fantastic, John Joseph was more hilarious than ever, and the production shows had even more talent and energy than before.  The Showband under Raphael's direction is absolutely brilliant. The duo and Carlos at the guitar and Cove pianist Scott and Joel Spire in the Avenue-  all great.     I asked newcomers their opinion and everyone loved it.   This was my 63rd Crystal cruise and I have many more booked.   No need for me to try the other lines anymore.    The wonderful crew makes Crystal the most heartfelt, welcoming luxurious experience at sea beyond all expectations.  Can't wait for Symphony inaugural.   Hope to see you on board.

I agree. The other cruise lines just don't measure up with food, service, entertainment and enrichment.

[Keith1010]

I have continued to speak with guests about their on-board experience.  This includes guests with over 100 Crystal cruises, guests with 50+ Crystal Cruise, guests between 1 and 50 Crystal Cruises and first time guests.  The responses of those who have sailed Crystal before are very consistent.

 

Glad to be here.

The experience is as good as before or most say the experience is greater than before.

So happy to be here.

So glad to be with the crew again.

Food better than ever. 

Great service, enrichment and entertainment.

 

 

Some bring up the same items I've mentioned that need work.  This is the telephones, television, tweaks to certain rooms (full length mirror which is being addressed), and closet space come to mind.

 

And yes right now more miss their Prego.

 

On the current cruise we have more first time cruisers and surprisingly some younger families.  I've asked them what they think and they are very positive about the service, entertainment, enrichment and cuisine and they haven't mentioned the phones tv's and Italian Restaurant.

 

I also have spoken with many guests (hundreds) who sailed on other lines and with very few exceptions they say the same thing. The lines don't compare to Crystal.  

 

And obviously the crew realizes that too.  Many were on other lines and they are back or will be back.  More are coming this voyage and over the coming weeks and months as I mentioned yesterday.  I won't share what they said. You can ask them.  But just as many of us see Crystal from a guest perspective as being different from other cruise lines they saw Crystal in a similar light from a crew perspective.  

 

My own view is very simple.

 

If you liked Crystal before you will like Crystal now.

 

For us at this stage in our lives we are happy to sail Crystal and have no desire to sail anyone else.  There are enough itineraries for us to sail already and I look forward to seeing the rest of 2025.

 

The good news is the present issues which revolve around IT can be corrected.  And in the scheme of things they are not third world problems. They are inconveniences.  The one that was not just an inconvenience were phones that we not working but I believe that is no longer the case.

 

Keith

 

 

[Keith1010]

There are instances when some former crew members of Serenity are on or going to Symphony.  This includes some who were on Crystal Endeavor having come from Serenity. The same is true where some former members of Symphony are on or coming to Serenity and some were on Endeavor.  

I think that is terrific as they bring a wealth of experience and even some new perspective.

 

There are some positions which have one member who will swing between the ships.

 

I think that is also great.

 

Keith

[Keith1010]

I believe on this thread someone asked if there are any themed buffets at Marketplace as in the past and the answer is yes. On first cruise two; Mediterranean Specialties and an Asian Specialties and on this cruise one Asian Specialties.

 

Keith

[AtA]

And the Asian Specialty lunch was excellent. I went back for seconds.

[Keith1010]

Anne Marie and I have now met new Captain Vincent three times; one for an extended time, another time including a conversation and briefly on the first cruise.

 

We have great first impressions. Experienced with many years on another luxury line, is able to explain technical items very well, strong knowledge of other ships not only those he has sailed, very thoughtful and soft spoken.  

 

Remembered our names right away and IMHO off to a wonderful start with guests and the crew.

 

Keith 

[Keith1010]

The music in the salon is amazing. Very upbeat. I would use much of it for an indoor cycling class or for a high intensity workout. 
 

Keith

[Keith1010]

Well, today is a combo observation.

 

As we get ready to debark tomorrow the bottom line to our sailing is that it has exceeded our expectations. Why you ask? Because it is a restart and we knew there would be challenges. As it turned out they were related to IT and in the scheme of things not major. 

 

I don't care if you are on land or in the air a sports team or a company when you have been closed for 17 months and restart there will be challenges. Yes, Crystal pulled it off and kudos to the crew.

 

I will post a review but not for awhile.

 

Other observation and that has to do with those on CC and another platform.  I know everyone wants answers to lots of questions but sometimes it's nice to be surprised.  In our early years of cruising and when we first sailed Crystal all we knew was what a TA told us, was in a brochure, what a few friends knew and what we ready in the book by Douglas Ward. In other words some information but not a lot. 

In short, we were surprised and that was good. These days people want to know everything. Why not be surprised.  You know for the first time in several years we arrived to Waterside not knowing what was on the menu.  That was great.  So my recommendation is don't feel the need to know everything. A little surprise in life spice up ones life.

 

Cheers,

Keith

[USCAdventurer]

keith,

i thoroughly agree with you.  surprises are nice and trying things for the first time is very exciting and enjoyalbe rather than knowing in advance what things will be like.  by the way, who is douglas ward?  its been just wonderful following you and anne marie on this journey.  thank you again for taking the time to post every day.

[Keith1010]

13 minutes ago, USC Adventurer said:

keith,

i thoroughly agree with you.  surprises are nice and trying things for the first time is very exciting and enjoyalbe rather than knowing in advance what things will be like.  by the way, who is douglas ward?  its been just wonderful following you and anne marie on this journey.  thank you again for taking the time to post every day.

Thank you David.

 

Douglas Ward is the author of a book that comes out annually which is published by Berlitz with a two page writeup on cruise ships of the major cruise lines. I find it a very useful book on cruising.

 

Keith

[Keith1010]

The crew has been amazing and that includes the vast majority of crew who returned plus the new additions to the crew.

 

i mentioned this before but others have joined this voyage and will be joining the ship over the next few months who worked not only on Serenity but also on Symphony. Same with Symphony with others returning who worked for Symphony but also for Serenity.

 

Keith

[TER777]

Wrong thread

Edited August 21, 2023 by TER777

[Mr Luxury]

5 hours ago, Keith1010 said:

Well, today is a combo observation.

 

As we get ready to debark tomorrow the bottom line to our sailing is that it has exceeded our expectations. Why you ask? Because it is a restart and we knew there would be challenges. As it turned out they were related to IT and in the scheme of things not major. 

 

I don't care if you are on land or in the air a sports team or a company when you have been closed for 17 months and restart there will be challenges. Yes, Crystal pulled it off and kudos to the crew.

 

I will post a review but not for awhile.

 

Other observation and that has to do with those on CC and another platform.  I know everyone wants answers to lots of questions but sometimes it's nice to be surprised.  In our early years of cruising and when we first sailed Crystal all we knew was what a TA told us, was in a brochure, what a few friends knew and what we ready in the book by Douglas Ward. In other words some information but not a lot. 

In short, we were surprised and that was good. These days people want to know everything. Why not be surprised.  You know for the first time in several years we arrived to Waterside not knowing what was on the menu.  That was great.  So my recommendation is don't feel the need to know everything. A little surprise in life spice up ones life.

 

Cheers,

Keith

I agree Keith,but you do tell us everything.😁 

[Keith1010]

As our 22 wonderful days come to a close my overall observation is that overall this has truly been Crystal  and the Crystal we know.  High marks in service, cuisine, enrichment, entertainment, the ship, and the overall experience.  

 

Once again as they did in the past the crew did a terrific job adopting to changes including having more suites, less standard rooms, an overall lower capacity.  This means overall less crew, and reallocating crew to other areas such as having more butlers, less in the restaurants, less attendants, etc.

 

New crew members were welcomed and are learning the ropes. We've met several of them and were impressed.

 

The internet experience has been positive.  As I've mentioned it does go up and down intermittently but hasn't knocked me off the system and just means on occasion I've had to reopen mail. Crew getting used to new systems and these undoubtedly will go through some rework.  Phone system better as the on board crew corrects contractor issues such as the one we had where both phones wouldn't ring.  TV's still freeze more often than they should and in port not getting stations.  In the scheme of things for us all minor nuances but they will need to be addressed.

 

There is more work to be done on back office systems including My Account, getting e-tickets out sooner, having an app in place, having a customer survey, etc.  At the same time pretty much all systems are new and if they waited to have all of this in place before sailing it would be several more months before the ships sailed.

 

For us the overall experience exceeded our expectations because after all this included the inaugural cruise and so much had to come together to make this a reality.

 

Crystal has never been perfect nor are we.  

 

All the things many of us have enjoyed about Crystal are present today and I see the product as enhanced with the makeover of portions of the ship (specialty restaurants, salon, improved signage, more suites, etc.  

 

And I am impressed with the ownership and senior executives in terms of their approach and vision.

 

If you have always enjoyed Crystal I expect you will enjoy the experience because it was Crystal as we know and now better.

 

And for all those who speculated that those of us who thought the majority of crew would return, that Crystal would be more like Crystal Cruises than not and who repeatedly pushed back on this and even went on to say Crystal would be closer to SS you were thankfully wrong.  As some of us observed from the beginning, Manfredi didn't keep the Crystal name just because..........He kept it to take all what was unique and positive about Crystal and to build upon that.  I believe those who thought differently on this completely missed the boat.  I am glad the boat sailed with us who believed Crystal as we knew it would live on.

 

I do like change though and am happy to see changes being made.  But like all change it never ends.  Some of you will not like the new Italian Restaurant. Some will. Maybe some will evolve over time.  But I am reminded that when inclusive rolled out the vast majority of Crystal Society members were upset about this change. I would say 8 out of 10.  So, let's see what happens.

 

I will publish a review in time.

 

And yes, surprise is good. We didn't know everything ahead of time and I like that.  I was happy to answer as many questions as I could but as many as I answered remember things change so while something was valid today it might be different for those sailing soon or not so soon.

 

Keith

[LouChamp]

Aloha. Thank you again for your reports. Please travel home safely and looking forward to your continued updates!

[Keith1010]

10 minutes ago, LouChamp said:

Aloha. Thank you again for your reports. Please travel home safely and looking forward to your continued updates!

Thank you for following along and for the good wishes.

 

Keith

[ctjon]

Does anyone know how many rooms each butler now serves in the "regular" rooms?  Has anyone had trouble getting a timely response when they needed the butler to do something,

Thanks

[Keith1010]

1 hour ago, ctjon said:

Does anyone know how many rooms each butler now serves in the "regular" rooms?  Has anyone had trouble getting a timely response when they needed the butler to do something,

Thanks

The answer is it depends.  Factors are how many butlers are on board because they cannot add and reduce per cruise and what the overall occupancy is.  Regular rooms will likely be between 15 and 20 rooms per butler. They back each other up so that is not an issue with Crystal.  Regular rooms typically have less requirements as they don't receive the afternoon Canapé's and less people dine in.  I know this number sounds high but it is not.  In suites you might find a butler handling 12 rooms. How they do this is beyond me but they've always done this and it works.  Be award they have runners (they use another name) who brings the food from the galley to the pantry.

 

Keith

[kool kruiser]

Thanks so much Keith for, as ever, taking time out from your time onboard to report back to us and also answer so many queries.

I am truly heartened by all I have read and hope to make some bookings real soon !

Hoping you both also enjoyed a memorable anniversary with so many ''friends and family '' .

[Keith1010]

12 hours ago, kool kruiser said:

Thanks so much Keith for, as ever, taking time out from your time onboard to report back to us and also answer so many queries.

I am truly heartened by all I have read and hope to make some bookings real soon !

Hoping you both also enjoyed a memorable anniversary with so many ''friends and family '' .

Thanks you so much for your kindness as usual. It was a great two cruises and the best way to celebrate our Wedding Anniversary as well.

 

Keith