Crystal Symphony, Mumbai to Athens - or is it?

[ctjon]

I hope, in some way, we get news and updates on progress and if any issues as they pass through.    I hope all good news. 

[goldengatecruisers]

Then following a successful and incident free transit of the Red Sea and Suez Canal one wonders if Crystal will apply the same logic to the reverse itinerary later in the year.  Symphony travels from Athens to Abu Dhabi in December with sought after stops in Safaga ( 2 days for Luxor) and Aqaba (for Petra), with several Cruise Critic members traveling all the way to Mumbai.  For those on the 32 night itinerary the routing would certainly be different if the early part of segment 1 has to be revised.  Depending on the situation in the region that may very well be likely. Watching closely to see how this all plays out.

Edited February 18 by goldengatecruisers

[Shorex]

37 minutes ago, goldengatecruisers said:

Then following a successful and incident free transit of the Red Sea and Suez Canal one wonders if Crystal will apply the same logic to the reverse itinerary later in the year.  Symphony travels from Athens to Abu Dhabi in December with sought after stops in Safaga ( 2 days for Luxor) and Aqaba (for Petra), with several Cruise Critic members traveling all the way to Mumbai.  For those on the 32 night itinerary the routing would certainly be different if the early part of segment 1 has to be revised.  Depending on the situation in the region that may very well be likely. Watching closely to see how this all plays out.

IMO, it's too early to even hypothesize about the final itinerary for this cruise. The situation in the Red Sea may or may not be dire. We will be on this cruise and are beginning to look for the return flights from Mumbai. We are not worried, Crystal will handle the situation as it unfolds, and we will plan accordingly.

[Whipsnade]

We are booking this cruise at end of 25 so have spent a little time noodling on this. 
If the Houthi brouhaha continues into late 24 as I expect it will one scenario might be to sail sans pax from Jeddah to Salalah and offer a three day tour of Saudi. Given that A&K own a big chunk of Crystal and the Saudis desire to promote tourism they might even subsidize such an idea. 
We are already planning to do such an adventure on our own at end of 25. How cool would that be? To see sights in Saudi that none of us have ever seen!!

[bitob]

Just an FYI for anyone hoping to sail through the Red Sea

Maersk -- one of the largest shipping companies in the world - stated that they do not think the situation will resolve for a very long time -- could be a year or more.

[marlboroman]

5 hours ago, goldengatecruisers said:

Then following a successful and incident free transit of the Red Sea and Suez Canal one wonders if Crystal will apply the same logic to the reverse itinerary later in the year.  Symphony travels from Athens to Abu Dhabi in December with sought after stops in Safaga ( 2 days for Luxor) and Aqaba (for Petra), with several Cruise Critic members traveling all the way to Mumbai.  For those on the 32 night itinerary the routing would certainly be different if the early part of segment 1 has to be revised.  Depending on the situation in the region that may very well be likely. Watching closely to see how this all plays out.

I'm on that voyage, any thoughts on possibilities ?

[Whipsnade]

We have looked at A&K Saudi overlands and they are very expensive. Of course it would be best hotels etc. We plan to ask our TA to put together a three or four day tour. Then we would fly from Jeddah to Salalah (6 hours) or from Riyadh (4 hours). Apparently the really interesting ancient sites are north of Jeddah about one hour flying. We are in our mid 80s so 3/4 days of in and out of hotels is more than enough for us. But you could do longer and rejoin ship in Muscat. 
We are planning to stay on board for the two six day holiday cruises in the Gulf.  Should be interesting to see what kind of pax will be on board. Probably Arabs and Russians. Surely it will be a new experience. 

[Stickman1990]

1 hour ago, marlboroman said:

I'm on that voyage, any thoughts on possibilities ?

We’re on the back to back Athens to Mumbai too - the reality is no one knows what the situation will be by then - all we can do is hope for the best. We’re planning on it happening so making flight bookings etc (all refundable of course)

 

Then the challenge is when do Crystal make a call on it - should it be late to allow more time or early so we can make alternate choices?

[Sam I. Am]

Very new to Cruise Critic, new to Crystal, and very confused. This morning is the first I am hearing that my Mumbai to Athens cruise is possibly is being canceled. I booked directly with Crystal, and have had no correspondence advising me of a change or cancellation. With the current situation, I was planning on absorbing the cost of skipping this segment because of the Red Sea tensions (I have a back to back booked).

I ask a simple question: Has Crystal cancelled this cruise? Yes or No.

Crystal offices are not open yet.

Please, no speculation. Either it is officially canceled, or it isn't. I am not interested in anything other than an official decision from Crystal.

Thank you for your help.

[Worldtraveler22]

Yes. It is canceled. 

[marlboroman]

10 hours ago, Stickman1990 said:

We’re on the back to back Athens to Mumbai too - the reality is no one knows what the situation will be by then - all we can do is hope for the best. We’re planning on it happening so making flight bookings etc (all refundable of course)

 

Then the challenge is when do Crystal make a call on it - should it be late to allow more time or early so we can make alternate choices?

if the red sea hostile conditions would be status quo in December, I would prefer crystal to reconfigure the voyage vs simply canceling it, they have plenty of time to plan for this outcome.

[rafinmd]

1 hour ago, Sam I. Am said:

Very new to Cruise Critic, new to Crystal, and very confused. This morning is the first I am hearing that my Mumbai to Athens cruise is possibly is being canceled. I booked directly with Crystal, and have had no correspondence advising me of a change or cancellation. With the current situation, I was planning on absorbing the cost of skipping this segment because of the Red Sea tensions (I have a back to back booked).

I ask a simple question: Has Crystal cancelled this cruise? Yes or No.

Crystal offices are not open yet.

Please, no speculation. Either it is officially canceled, or it isn't. I am not interested in anything other than an official decision from Crystal.

Thank you for your help.

Just to be sure, it is the one one originally scheduled for March, 2024 that is cancelled.  You should be hearing from your Travel Agent soon.

 

Roy

[Whipsnade]

We are on board now. Symphony Mar 28 sailing from Mumbai to Athens 100% definitely canceled. Ship will sail Red Sea with a skeleton crew and US Navy escort. Will also be some military on board. New owners will also be on board as sign of support for crew. 
Ship will resume scheduled itin post Suez. 

[Shorex]

On 2/18/2024 at 5:45 PM, bitob said:

Just an FYI for anyone hoping to sail through the Red Sea

Maersk -- one of the largest shipping companies in the world - stated that they do not think the situation will resolve for a very long time -- could be a year or more.

IMO, "hope" has no power. It's on the level of a contestant for Miss America who "hopes" for world peace. Sure, I can wish for something positive to happen, but all the while acknowledging that I have no power. However, I am prepared to deal with the uncertainly of the reality of the situation.

[Keith1010]

My guess and it's only a guess that to avoid having to do all of this at the last minute that Crystal will have to look at future itineraries such as the one at the end of the year sooner rather than later. While people can argue whether or not the ones that were just revised could have been out a bit sooner this whole issue exploded over the past couple of months.  

 

It is a reminder that the best of travel plans can be impacted and there can be risk.  I have read on another site that someone had a non-refundable hotel reservation and there is risk there. I've only done that one time and sure enough it was when there were some issues in the UK and we decided to travel another way.  I was able to persuade them to refund my booking for the hotel but after that I never did it again.  Between terrorism, mother nature, and other events things happen and in our world today there is a greater chance of that.  

 

The other thing is to explore cancel for any reason insurance. Not cheap and one has to factor the cost of the insurance rather than the risk of losing the money. In this case there was money not lost as it could be used for another cruise but there could be times that one wants to cancel even though the cruise is a go.  Just another thing to consider when making travel plans.  And I do understand self insuring and how it can pay for itself over time. But that doesn't mean there is never a time for this type of insurance. I've only gotten this type one time, but we did use it.  

 

I still can't imagine all of the work that had to go into revising these itineraries between laying it all out, securing the ports, creating the excursions, redoing where the staffing gets on and off, reprovisioning items, and the list goes on and on and on. I suspect items have been on order for quite awhile with plans to arrive in some of the turn around ports that are no longer part of the revised itienrary.

 

The other thing this reminded me of is not to put off travel. There are places that most people can 't get to these days that they used to be able to get to.  Hopefully, some are temporary but as we all age some of them might not happen again in our lifetime.

 

Keith

[Whipsnade]

All true. We never do non cancelable hotels. Cruises we never take cancel for any reason ins but we sure take the expensive med cancelation insurance. Med jet won’t take us any longer for medical evacuation insurance (we are in mid 80s and have plenty of maladies) so we go bare. Thankfully we can afford to pay if we need repatriation. 
I agree with Keith that hopefully Crystal will come up soon with a safe fall schedule to Asia. Certainly an overland from Jeddah to Salalah and empty ship to follow would probably be a winner. 

[travelberlin]

8 hours ago, Keith1010 said:

 

 

The other thing this reminded me of is not to put off travel. There are places that most people can 't get to these days that they used to be able to get to.  Hopefully, some are temporary but as we all age some of them might not happen again in our lifetime.

 

 

I agree not to put off travel. We have been in so many places in which the situation has changed so much and the country, even though we might be able visit it now, ti would not be the same than before…

 

Ivi

[goldengatecruisers]

@Whipsnade: You had me at "we are in our mid 80s".   It is inspirational to hear of a fellow traveler with such enthusiasm for discovery.  I too am hoping for some innovative overland options offered by the A&K arm.  One of the big attractions for us is the transit of the Suez Canal, Egypt and Jordan.  Sadly I worry they may possibly be cut from a revised itinerary. 

 

I agree with comments made by others in my wish for Crystal to address the end of year itinerary sooner rather than later.  I am not sure how heavy the December sailings are in terms of bookings but it is possible people are reluctant to commit to such a routing with uncertainty in the region.  If Crystal could just get ahead of themselves and formulate a plan they may be able to produce a relatively reliable option which may encourage cruisers to book those segments. I don't believe the region will be stable enough by end of year to confidently sail ships in the Gulf of Aden without great risk. Personally, I am beginning to look at alternative options for travel in December so I have a back-up plan.  If Crystal does not have a solution in place I would not be comfortable making full payment for a long voyage in this region.  Crystal may choose to hold out till the eleventh hour, which is their prerogative, but I fear having the rug pulled from under my feet potentially leaving me with little to no options to book alternative cruises in December.  I am sure there will be those guests who will stick with the Athens/Abu Dhabi/Mumbai cruise but I don't think I would be one of those.  We have insurance but for us it is more about having the ability to book alternative travel and I don't want to deal with limited options, last minute international air, hotels during the holiday period etc.  I would rather have all of that locked down where possible.

 

So for now, I am going to turn off my mind and enjoy the Serenity threads and follow along with those sailing across the Pacific 🙂

 

 

Edited February 20 by goldengatecruisers

[crickette]

17 minutes ago, goldengatecruisers said:

@Whipsnade: You had me at "we are in our mid 80s".   It is inspirational to hear of a fellow traveler with such enthusiasm for discovery.  I too am hoping for some innovative overland options offered by the A&K arm.  One of the big attractions for us is the transit of the Suez Canal, Egypt and Jordan.  Sadly I worry they may possibly be cut from a revised itinerary. 

 

I agree with comments made by others in my wish for Crystal to address the end of year itinerary sooner rather than later.  I am not sure how heavy the December sailings are in terms of bookings but it is possible people are reluctant to commit to such a routing with uncertainty in the region.  If Crystal could just get ahead of themselves and formulate a plan they may be able to produce a relatively reliable option which may encourage cruisers to book those segments. I don't believe the region will be stable enough to confidently project ships can sail the Gulf of Aden without great risk by end of year. Personally, I am beginning to look at alternative options for travel in December so I have a back-up plan.  If Crystal does not have a solution in place I would not be comfortable making full payment for a long voyage in this region.  Crystal may choose to hold out till the eleventh hour, which is their prerogative, but I fear having the rug pulled from under my feet potentially leaving me with little to no options to book alternative cruises in December.  I am sure there will be those guests who will stick with the Athens/Abu Dhabi/Mumbai cruise but I don't think I would be one of those.  

 

So for now, I am going to turn off my mind and enjoy the Serenity threads and follow along with those sailing across the Pacific 🙂

 

 

One thing that might encourage others to book is to repeat Crystal's cancellation strategy.  I have redacted our actual dollar amounts, but this is from our booking confirmation.  So for the Athens/AD/Mumbai b2bs, we have until early August to "pull the plug" if prepared to lose the modest admin fee of 250. (My guess is, unfortunately, Crystal will announce its decision once the cancellation period has started.) 

 

UNTIL 121 DAYS PRIOR TO DEPARTURE FIXED RATE $250.00

FROM 120 TO 91 DAYS PRIOR TO DEPARTURE 25%

FROM 90 TO 76 DAYS PRIOR TO DEPARTURE 50%

FROM 75 TO 51 DAYS PRIOR TO DEPARTURE 75%

FROM 50 TO 0 DAYS PRIOR TO DEPARTURE 100%

[bitob]

On 2/18/2024 at 8:59 PM, Stickman1990 said:

We’re on the back to back Athens to Mumbai too - the reality is no one knows what the situation will be by then - all we can do is hope for the best. We’re planning on it happening so making flight bookings etc (all refundable of course)

 

Then the challenge is when do Crystal make a call on it - should it be late to allow more time or early so we can make alternate choices?

I think the bigger challenge is that Crystal is not giving refunds for voyages THEY cancel.  "Deja vu all over again."  We all learned the true value of an FCC

Edited February 20 by bitob

[Keith1010]

57 minutes ago, crickette said:

One thing that might encourage others to book is to repeat Crystal's cancellation strategy.  I have redacted our actual dollar amounts, but this is from our booking confirmation.  So for the Athens/AD/Mumbai b2bs, we have until early August to "pull the plug" if prepared to lose the modest admin fee of 250. (My guess is, unfortunately, Crystal will announce its decision once the cancellation period has started.) 

 

UNTIL 121 DAYS PRIOR TO DEPARTURE FIXED RATE $250.00

FROM 120 TO 91 DAYS PRIOR TO DEPARTURE 25%

FROM 90 TO 76 DAYS PRIOR TO DEPARTURE 50%

FROM 75 TO 51 DAYS PRIOR TO DEPARTURE 75%

FROM 50 TO 0 DAYS PRIOR TO DEPARTURE 100%

I am not sure on this one but time will tell.

 

On the most recent go around they didn't have a lot of time nor did the other lines either and they had to come up with a plan for two months with a completely new itinerary.  So I think they were in total catchup mode.  While waiting till penalties kick in does lock some people in the promotions they have offered come with a big cost.

 

I believe with uncertainty people will cancel. I suspect it is a popular cruise based on the number of people who I personally know who are booked on it.

 

Hopefully this will get resolved sooner rather than later for everyone's good and I hope it does for all who are booked.

 

Keith

[Old Sea Dog]

On 2/19/2024 at 12:45 AM, bitob said:

Just an FYI for anyone hoping to sail through the Red Sea

Maersk -- one of the largest shipping companies in the world - stated that they do not think the situation will resolve for a very long time -- could be a year or more.

Word on the floor at Lloyds is that no passenger ships going Canal/Red Sea this year.

Any that do are at owners risk totally.

I like others are booked to Mumbai and again being mid eighties costs are already racking up, cruise,air,insurance and lastly balance so a definite statement sooner rather than later is in my opinion an obligation that the owners must address.

A UK ship is at present taking on water as a result of a Houthi action in the Red Seao

 

 

[bitob]

3 minutes ago, Old Sea Dog said:

Word on the floor at Lloyds is that no passenger ships going Canal/Red Sea this year.

Any that do are at owners risk totally.

I like others are booked to Mumbai and again being mid eighties costs are already racking up, cruise,air,insurance and lastly balance so a definite statement sooner rather than later is in my opinion an obligation that the owners must address.

A UK ship is at present taking on water as a result of a Houthi action in the Red Seao

 

 

Not shocked. Our cruise on ss Mumbai to Athens cancelled. Fortunately everything refundable including the cost of the cruise. That cruise was to follow a fabulous land trip in India. So we just extended the India trip and it’s all good. 

[Worldtraveler22]

5 minutes ago, Old Sea Dog said:

Word on the floor at Lloyds is that no passenger ships going Canal/Red Sea this year.

Any that do are at owners risk totally.

I like others are booked to Mumbai and again being mid eighties costs are already racking up, cruise,air,insurance and lastly balance so a definite statement sooner rather than later is in my opinion an obligation that the owners must address.

A UK ship is at present taking on water as a result of a Houthi action in the Red Seao

 

 

A definite statement?  It is cancelled.

[Stickman1990]

6 minutes ago, Old Sea Dog said:

so a definite statement sooner rather than later is in my opinion an obligation that the owners must address.

I'm happy to wait until close to final payment due date to allow them more time to assess the situation - that’s around 4 months more time

 

Obviously if they did decide to make a change or cancel it would make sense for them to simultaneously release the alternative so people could move across - or cancel and do something different

 

So I’d say standby until late May/early June