It Wasn't Easy But Both Ships Launched

[Keith1010]

A good read.

 

https://cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/2023/09/crystal-symphonys-return-wasnt-easy/?fbclid=IwAR1atX6550kjfy4xCDGVoV2KF-3yN2yVywrJb9w2gMuau28jcoIrSOCTiZo

 

Keith

[Ibis]

Very interesting… thanks for posting!

[KenzSailing]

From the article:

 

“I walked into the Italian restaurant and I said, ‘Oh my god, how can you call this an Italian restaurant,’” Levis said over breakfast in the Symphony’s stylish new Waterside Restaurant. “It was a cliche of an Italian restaurant with the Roman columns, the grapes everywhere, the paintings of Venice. It was just awful.”

 

Yeah, even the defender of the OG look has gone silent on the subject.

[nancygp]

19 minutes ago, KenzSailing said:

From the article:

 

“I walked into the Italian restaurant and I said, ‘Oh my god, how can you call this an Italian restaurant,’” Levis said over breakfast in the Symphony’s stylish new Waterside Restaurant. “It was a cliche of an Italian restaurant with the Roman columns, the grapes everywhere, the paintings of Venice. It was just awful.”

 

Yeah, even the defender of the OG look has gone silent on the subject.

I found these comments obnoxious.  Several weeks ago, she made a comment on fb stating that Prego wasn’t an Italian restaurant!

 

Nancy 

[BWIVince]

35 minutes ago, KenzSailing said:

From the article:

 

“I walked into the Italian restaurant and I said, ‘Oh my god, how can you call this an Italian restaurant,’” Levis said over breakfast in the Symphony’s stylish new Waterside Restaurant. “It was a cliche of an Italian restaurant with the Roman columns, the grapes everywhere, the paintings of Venice. It was just awful.”

 

Yeah, even the defender of the OG look has gone silent on the subject.

 

I just assumed she had the ships mixed up?  Her comments could fit Serenity's Prego, but the Kirk Nix iteration of Symphony's Prego only has the Venetian abstracts (but even there, they're not paintings)...  There were no grapes or Roman columns in the room.  The columns in the foyer had a little band of trim at the top and at waist height, but it's a stretch to call them "Roman columns".  Serenity's Prego was a friggin' Olive Garden by comparison.

 

I know we all have our hot button (<COUGH> flying saucer ceiling), but does she actually think Prego was the worst space on Symphony pre-refit???

 

Vince

Edited September 5, 2023 by BWIVince

[WanderingTravels]

Symphony received new engines, is that true?  

[KenzSailing]

1 hour ago, BWIVince said:

 

I just assumed she had the ships mixed up?  Her comments could fit Serenity's Prego, but the Kirk Nix iteration of Symphony's Prego only has the Venetian abstracts (but even there, they're not paintings)...  There were no grapes or Roman columns in the room.  The columns in the foyer had a little band of trim at the top and at waist height, but it's a stretch to call them "Roman columns".  Serenity's Prego was a friggin' Olive Garden by comparison.

 

I know we all have our hot button (<COUGH> flying saucer ceiling), but does she actually think Prego was the worst space on Symphony pre-refit???

 

Vince

 

Yeah, that's my take.  She described Serenity's Prego to a T.

 

Hey, we were all newbies once.

[Keith1010]

Vince, right you are. She was speaking about Prego on Serenity.

 

While I like the interior (we all have opinions) I realize many people did not although surprisingly on another forum some say they did. Go figure.  I remember some on this board said it looked like an Olive Garden or something you would see on a mass market line.  Another example of each of us seeing things differently.

 

I am also reminded that there were some on this board who said very assuredly that they didn't like Silk and didn't consider it to be authentic. They said some of the items were as if they were things you would buy at the supermarket frozen and heat them up. Some liked Silk. So it goes.

 

We all have our opinions. Ask someone like myself about Pizza and we mind come off snobbish when we knock some of the pizza as not being authentic New York Pizza or someone from Philly might have their opinion on what some of us call s Steak N' Cheese sandwich and so it goes.

 

It is very nice IMHO that we have someone overseeing Crystal that actually was reading each of those posts most of which she didn't respond to. Like each of us, she has her own set of opinions and is in the position to actually implement many of them.  We were fortunate to have her guide us through our first visit to Osteria D'Ovidio and explain the concept of the menu and dining experience and help me navigate the menu.  And yes when some complain about not having the mushroom soup, that is not Italian as my half Italian wife will tell me. And if she says it's not Italian it must not be Italian.

 

Keith 

[Stickman1990]

1 hour ago, Keith1010 said:

Ask someone like myself about Pizza and we mind come off snobbish when we knock some of the pizza as not being authentic New York Pizza

 

I think I’ll judge my assessment of Pizza on the original Italian style rather than NY style 

 

Silversea have got pizza right with their dedicated Spaccanapoli restaurant - great range and well made

[Keith1010]

5 hours ago, KenzSailing said:

 

Yeah, that's my take.  She described Serenity's Prego to a T.

 

Hey, we were all newbies once.

She did. If people read the description she was speaking about Serenity.  I realize though for those not familiar with the decor of the former Prego on Serenity they might assume she was referring to Symphony.

 

I hope it's not a surprise to anyone that someone writing might not attribute a quote properly.  😀

 

Speaking of my own experience (professionally or personally) does the writer reflect 100% accurately what one says.  Accuracy seems to be the exception and not the rule.

 

Keith

[PaulMCO]

9 hours ago, Stickman1990 said:

 

I think I’ll judge my assessment of Pizza on the original Italian style rather than NY style 

 

Silversea have got pizza right with their dedicated Spaccanapoli restaurant - great range and well made

You would have debates even in the US, whether the best is Chicago or even New Haven.

And yes SS has the best Pizza at sea. 

 

As for the condition of Symphony -- she can complain but everyone did an inspection of the ship before the auction and A&K/Heritage, surely knew the condition and the winning bid was only $25m compared to the $100m + for Serenity..

[Keith1010]

12 minutes ago, PaulMCO said:

You would have debates even in the US, whether the best is Chicago or even New Haven.

And yes SS has the best Pizza at sea. 

 

As for the condition of Symphony -- she can complain but everyone did an inspection of the ship before the auction and A&K/Heritage, surely knew the condition and the winning bid was only $25m compared to the $100m + for Serenity..

I would suspect that some of the cost are things you might not know about until the actual dry dock and some of the costs you might not know about period such as the inventory of backup equipment.

 

The bids had a lot to do with the age of the vessels and the technology. There is quite a difference in both areas.

 

Keith