Hi everyone here I am on Crystal in their computer room.

Preliminary impressions.

Cabin SMALL - smaller than the Diamond. Kind of feel a little cramped. Tiny TV up high these old eyes can not read any of the print on the screen. Lots of hangers, that is good.

Stood in line for an hour to make reservations for the alternate restaurants. That seemed to be awfully slow. Managed to get changed to early seating dining this fixed seating is going to get old I can already tell.

Dinner was excellent. No better than RSSC but just as good. Shrimp (small) with fruit salsa, incredibly good crab soup and a great veal rack and yes the had my mixed berries with whipped cream. So very satisfied with the meal.

Computer cost very high. On line time $15 for 30 minutes or $25 for one hour. We bought a set rate of $30 a day for 3 hours a day. You must pay for each and every day of the cruise that $30.

There are 250 Travel Agents on board for this special Seminar at Sea. It is run by CLIA but Ken and I have qualified for the Master credentials so we will not be going to all the seminars they are offering. Great way to get your credits though - we spent time in Miami doing this in a hotel this would have been a lot better.

Overall ship ambiance - nice but you can tell the ship is older. More stores in the atrium than RSSC. I like the layout and feel of the RSSC ships better - perhaps I am just used to them.

We will see how the week develops. I am having dinner in Pregos tomorrow night and they have herb rack of lamb. Now this will be the REAL test on this subject I am truly an expert.

Have a great time, Ngaire.

Looking forward to your hearing of your experiences and comparisons to RSSC. And, of course, the ultimate test... the rack of lamb competition!

Ngaire: Talked to neighbors who took Crystal last year - they said almost exactly what you are saying - no big disappointments for them but we'll stick with Radisson - Joanna

Ngaire,

Have a good time. We will be most interested in your reports on your cruise.

Betty

Hi Ngaire,

Have a great time! Which Crystal ship are you sailing?

Ngaire, Make some kind of a deal with them over the internet. I am really looking forward to your reports. Those rooms are pretty small, eh

Ngaire, I'm still going to reserve til you get home with the full report. The one thing I find the most problematic is the dining thing. I love having dinner with whatever of my children (oh, I guess they aren't "children") I bring aboard. But gosh, on your group cruises, I love planning ahead to have dinner with everyone, a different table every night. I guess I am more a Silversea sort of person for an alternative, not so different from RSSC if only the prices were the same!

Looking forward to hearing more, Ngaire!

Masaki

Great to hear from you Ngaire. Can't wait to hear more.

Anthony

Very interesting! Looking forward to more of your impressions. Thanks for sharing.

Ngaire:

Your impressions of Crystal match others that I've heard. Glad to have your professional appraisal!

:lct:

Have a wonderful time, Ngaire!

Ngaire:

If you can, please try to attend some lectures and shows. Crystal fans point these out as high points of the line, so you opinions in these areas would be helpful.

Thanks,
Richard :) :) :)

Ngaire, thanks for taking time to post..enjoy your cruise..r/wes

I did go to the show last night Richard. The show room is much smaller than the RSSC lounges so sight lines were not that good it is not graduated seating. The plus side of this is that you are closer to the performers. RSSC singers and dancers and the Crystal singer and dancers cant see any difference. I am not a singer and dance lover but seen many RSSC shows and the quality of the production seemed to be the same. Perhaps they had a few more props but minimal difference from my point of view. We intend to go to all the shows and lectures while on board.

Lunch today was outstanding. Leg of Lamb, a great chicken and Ken had a fish stew he said was excellent. At this moment I would say the lunch was better than most RSSC lunches but that may be because they had lamb. Need to give it a few more days first before I form a definite opinion. What I dont like is in the Lido deck you get a tray to carry and there are no tablecloths on the tables or glass or cutlery set up. A small thing but it takes away from the ambiance. This is how it is on mass market lines.

Nothing on tonights menu turns me on so I am glad I am going to Pregos with the rack of lamb. Tomorrow will be a good test too as it is formal night tomorrow.

Service has been good same as RSSC.

One thing I have liked is a small corner called the Bistro. Here from 9.00 am to 6.00 pm you can get coffee, tea, etc with a few snacks, (cookies and fruit) etc all day long. Better than RSSC corner on the Voyager because it is a cute little spot with table service. They also have more low carb items I think that is a good thing too.

You are in lamb heaven today! :)

These are great observations Ngaire. Thanks for taking the time to share! Which Crystal ship are you on?

Ngaire,

I'm a huge lamb fan myself -- it's my favorite meat, in fact. Hmmm...do you also like lobster, escargo, caviar and an oaky, buttery chardonnay? ;)

I appreciate your feedback on the entertainment. I was starting to get the impression that RSSC entertainment is really not all that great, but after what you wrote, I'm thinking perhaps I'll be pleasantly surprised once I'm onboard.

By the way, how are the ports?

Well just ate at the alternative restaurant Prego. Excellent meal. The lamb was as good as Radisson but the herb crusting on Radisson wins in this case. This was a delicious meal though I must say that the food so far has been excellent.

I do miss the wine at dinner though and those of you who know me know that I am not a big drinker.There is something special about "starting" with the white and moving to the red though. Usually in a restaurant you chose white or red and having the options of white with your seafood appetizer then red with your meat and there is "no charge" for this is something special.

First night they had filet as an option on the menu of regular nightly offerings but tonight I noticed in the main dining room that was not on the menu - sirlion was.

The staff are friendly but to me not as friendly as on RSSC. You know how you walk down the hall and everyone says "good morning" Well about 50% of the staff do that here. Small difference but noticeable.

The ship does not have the capability to take a picture that shows up when you scan your card on returning to the ship. So you must have a picture ID with you as well. I did not have one but we made a copy of my passport to get by this. The ship is a little older so I notice small things like this where they are not as technically advanced.

Internet though expensive has been faster than RSSC for the most part.

Lawrence I am on the Symphony Fort Lauderdale, Key WEst, Cozumel, Nassau, Freeport, Fort Lauderdale - Seven days.

There is a web cam here so if we set a time I can wave to you all. Just let me know Karen what suits you. It is a day at sea tomorrow. Actually a day in port may be even better because Ken and I are not getting off that much and then no one will be in the computer room for us to disturb.

So day after tomorrow is Cozumel, early afternoon may be good.

Okay off to watch another show for Richard. Ballroom dancers and a singer. We will see what we think of this one.

Ngaire, is the fixed-seating dinner rushed at all? And is the dining room noisy?

MarnaLou

Ngaire, Let me know when it is convenient for you, and we will stalk away!!

Ngaire, sounds like so far we stick with Silversea, Seabourn, or RSSC!!! Doesn't sound like Crystal is much to write home about by comparison.

Will be interested to see how the entertainment compares.

Have a great time.

Late Night Report:

First Ken and I are lonely. We need 30 of our close LCT friend here. Interestingly we have not met anyone we would want to spend more time with. Ken and I are friendly people and always meet people we enjoy. I am not sure why this is, maybe I will figure that out or meet some people in the next few days.

If we had been paying by the hour for our internet bill would now be $345 and this is a day and a half. It is high.

MarnaLou not sure about the dining room yet. First the dining room was empty as it was open seating that first night (well two seatings but you could chose which one to attend and sit wherever you liked) and I think most chose late seating. Tonight it was alternative dining for us. Tomorrow we will be able to tell how noisy and rushed the dining will be.

The show tonight was the onboard dance teachers doing a few dances. Next was a singer and he had an incredible voice. His songs were for an older crowd, “Oh what a beautiful morning” things like that. Lots of Porgy and Bess. So if you liked this music the show was great. I wish he had a more up to date song list but there is no doubt he had great talent.

I have noticed tonight that the entertainment is geared for an older crowd. The starlight lounge has a dance band. We went in tonight to listen. I have to say they were pretty weak and played music for an older crowd. There is big band type music after the show for a little while and then the second show starts. I do not see on the program or have heard anywhere the type of music that we like to dance to. This would not do for a LCT group we would not be able to see a contest between Suzanne and Paige to this music. It remains to be seen if this shows up at sometime.

Afternoon tea was more formal. You have a hostess seat you, then they bring around first sandwiches, I asked for scone (another taste test – both RSSC and Crystal’s scones leave a lot to be desired) he said you will have to wait I have to offer food in a certain order. So we went through two more trays of things we did not want and then he bought me a scone. I thought that was kind of nuts. They are trying to make if more formal at first I though that was good but I found this a bit of pain in reality. Would have preferred to get my own scone and not have had to wait. The Palm court is where they have afternoon tea. It is really the observation lounge. It is nice but no nicer than the observation lounges on the Mariner or Voyager. I had heard a lot about this lounge but I just don’t get it.

So far the highlight has been the food, the little bistro that I think is neat, the entertainment still needs to impress me, the cabins are really really small. The bathroom feels tighter width wide than the Diamond. Anyone with any girth would have a problem here. I found myself wondering how some of the passengers were dealing with this tight bathroom. It also hit me to night they had less staff from the Philippines. That might be the difference in the warmth of the crew. We had a great waiter today, and he was from the Phillippines and most of the staff that smile and say hello are those from the Phillippines.

Karen, probably best to do the webcam on Saturday right after lunch say at 1.45pm Cozumel time. This is when there will be hardly anyone in the computer room. We will stand right in front of it.

Ngaire, so happy that the food is great....sorry that you and Ken are a bit lonely without us. I seriously doubt you'll ever find anything even close to resembling a LCT group such as MINT. We comprise a RARE group for sure!! It's nice to be missed! :banana:

There can be a fine line between "intimate" and "boredom"....hope yours is the former! You and Ken are so much like Tom and me....fine together yet fine doing our own thing too!

Egads...Those internet charges are usury!!!

Keep us posted!! We Love hearing from you!

Ngaire - nice to know that we're missed though sorry that you and Ken don't seem to be connecting with people. The onboard music sounds boring. :( The food does sound good though ...

Masaki

Ngaire,

A bunch of us will help redeem your cruising experience in the fairly NEAR future. It's called PIP!

Ngaire, what is the age range of the ship? What is the average age?

How are the excursions? What is there to do on board?

What do you think of the ship crew...captain, cruise director, etc?

Ngaire, I will be away on Saturday, celebrating Christmas with our friends. The husband is home on leave from Iraq and leaves Sunday :( so he will miss Christmas at home this year.

I bet one of our other savvy computer people will be able to capture you and Ken! If I miss you two in front of the webcam, I will be sad!

Thanks for posting, Ngaire.

I think you are giving a very good and honest review of your experiences, which is so appreciated. It does sound as if the food is the major plus. Nothing else appears to be that special and a reason to rush out and book a Crystal cruise vs. RSSC. I really do feel that we are spoiled by all that RSSC offers. Lucky us! I'd hate to settle for anything less.

So sorry to hear that the people connection is not happening. After sailing with LCTers, I am sure it's a real letdown.

Looking forward to hearing more from you!

As usual, I agree with all you have said Denise - I would be so sad not to connect on any cruise - I think it is impossible on Radisson or that has been our experience - joanna

So Ngiare - let me see if I understand - for probably MORE than what it would cost us to cruise RSSC, the Crystal experience (as a whole) is a lot less than overwhelming?
Sounds like a no-brainer to me!

We will not do the webcam thing on Saturday talk about doing that a later date.

The age group is messed up from the normal because of the 250 Travel Agents that are on baord.These are younger. I would say that the rest of the passenger contingent is older than the normal RSSC Cruise.

The daily events mirror RSSC - reading the Crystal nightly program and the RSSC nightly program and two peas in a pod. Only thing i noticed different was they had trivia at 11.00 am in the morning on a sea day. They may not do it at tea this day though I am not sure.

The lecture this morning was good but I did go to sleep. No fault of the lecturer just that globalization in the economy put me to sleep. He was a good speaker. Once again I have heard good speakers on RSSC, Silversea and it can vary from cruise to cruise within the same lines. Terry Breen is fantastic for RSSC then I have heard others on RSSC that cannot compare. Sometimes it is just luck of the draw.

Have not taken any excursions but I dont do that on RSSC either. Pricing wise they are the same as RSSC no better no worse.

Cruise director. Energetic good speaker. Have not seen any of the officers or other staff at all. They may be around but I have not seen them. Tonight is the welcome aboard so I will see the staff tonight.

We are lonely for our LCT friends but we are enjoying each other. We had always travelled alone and never wanted anyone with us, however, we have come full circle now and just love having a group of people with us particuarly LCT people.

Oh that is something that I had forgotten when we were discussing Crystal.. that wait in line for over an hour to book alternate restaurants ( stupid isn't it?)..
And having to dine with the same table mates every day..can get boring..
Glad that the lamb is good.. they also have pretty nice sushi in Japenese restaurant ( have you tried that yet?)
Keep us posted..

Ngaire - your comments are interesting - I've looked at Crystal's itinerary that goes to Antartica, but felt the major downsides were the early-late sittings at dinner, size of cabins, lack of inclusions such as wine with dinner, etc.

What class/size of cabin are you in?

Leslie

Leslie it would be a sin to go Crystal to Antarctica. They dont do landings only sail around. Without landing and standing among the penguins the trip would be a complete waste. The World of Residensea is supposed to be going to Antarctica again in the future and this would be the way to go if you want Antarcticia with luxury. They limit the passengers have the zodiacs and naturlists and do all the activities you would on an expedition ship. The entire experience is all about the landings and the zodiac rides. We had some on the last Antarctica trip that The World did and I had my doubts but it received absolutely rave reviews. Wait for that to come around. Or if it does not go on an expedition type ship whether it be RSSC Explorer 11 or Linblad Expeditions but you MUST land to experience Antarctica.

Dont eat sushi so that wont be in the cards Claudia. The food really has been outstanding until lunch today. They feature a theme buffet on deck and dont do the normal lido deck buffet. So you eat the on deck buffet or go to the dining room. The layout of the food was beautiful on deck they put alot of work into setting it up. However, it was crowded with long lines. Ken and I slipped in and just did the Meat thing. Ribs, beef and chicken. The ribs were passable (they cant do ribs well on any ship for some reason) the beef way overcooked and the chicken was really dry. We went back out again to try something else but the lines were so long so we decided to go to the dining room.

I decided to try the burgers. Ordered it medium with some sauted mushrooms. This burger was barely cooked and those of you who know me know that I eat very rare meat. The mushrooms were more onions than mushrooms and I am allergic to onions. I said "oh no they put onions in the mushrooms I can eat those" he said "oh well that is the way we do them" and walked away. No offer to get more without onions. The other waiter came over and was very apologetic and looked at the burger and said it is not cooked. He was so nice and so worried and I told him it was fine. By then I just did not want to wait anymore. Besides tonight is formal night and the menu looks great. I did appreciate the other waiter being so accommodating. It is like those comments that the attitude in Signatures was bad. On any ship at any time you are dealing with individuals. Some times they have a bad day. Ken ordered a fish plate that was okay but not great. I ordered hot tea. I went to pick up the cup and it was so hot on the handle I had to use a napkin. Then I took a sip. The cup itself was burning hot. I actually burned my lip it was so hot. I cant figure that out other than the little waiter that was so worried "heated" the cup to make the tea extra special and hot. Never had a cup be that temperture before. I did not mention it because I really think that is what happened and he was trying so hard. Just not my day today.

So I was building in my mind Crystal was the absolute best food but it came to a halt at lunch time today. I hope tonights dinner changes my mind back again. Lobster and Chateaubriand. I will teach Crystal the meaning of "both". Last night I ordered double lamb this waiter looked at me and said "madam you will not be able to eat that". I said "yes I will trust me" Of course it was no problem at all. On RSSC they are used to me here I have to get them trained.

We are in a standard cabin. 202 feet I think it is. It is so small. The bathroom sounds good in the brochure. A regular size tub (no way) and a 6 ft vanity with double sinks. The area between the sinks and the bathtub is SO tight. I should measure it but you feel really cramped in this bathroom. The PG cabins are about this size but so much better and dont feel anywhere as small. The bathroom on the PG is so much better. Looked at a Penthouse today and that is the way you would need to go if the cabin is important to you. That feels about the same as a Radisson Navigator or Voyager cabin just squarer.

Okay off to wash the hair. The only hairdryer I found is one of those wall mounts with no power. Going to take me forever to dry my hair. I have stopped bringing a dryer as they always have a hand held. Just did not think about worrying about this when I was packing.

Ngaire, wonderful insights...thanks!

I guess I have been too long on the Crystal boards over on cc hearing how great this line is. I knew there was a reason I keep sticking with RSSC (and looking at Silversea all the time for good deals!) I have sailed with Ngaire and Ken more than once, and after getting to know her, really respect her opinions. And she is not my only TA! She's always honest, professional, and she and her agents hit every concern/priority that each of us has.

Judith Morrison was having trouble posting. She sent me an email and asked me to post the following for her:

1. There is a portable hair dryer in your closet to plug into the outlet near the desk. It is much better than the one in the bathroom.

2. On Formal Night, we always have them combine the lobster and the chateaubriand for a surf and turf dinner. Enjoy.

Ngaire, I really am enjoying your reports. It's good to hear your impressions of Crystal.

What is the passenger capacity of the ship you are on?

Thanks for the reports, Ngaire. I think you have great insight and enjoy your opinions. Keep up the good work!