I agree that Ngaire did an excellent job of weighing in on both the pros and cons.

She made it VERY clear from the get-go that she (personally) does not like fixed seating due to the inability to dine when and with whom you choose. She also acknowledged that she is not into singing/dancing acts. I have to agree with hrprof...I can't tolerate fixed seating and a balcony is a must!

This is why it's great that we all have such options when choosing cruise lines and ships. There is something that "fits" everyone

med4bike:

I think it has been CC's policy to disallow any mention of any other board on their board. As your thread on CC referred to Ngaire's posts on LTC, that may have been the reason the thread was deleted, rather than any Crystal vs. Radisson discussion.

As for experimentation, we are all for it, except when we pay $thousands for a vacation or trip, we like to know some things before we go. We learned that the hard way. We booked and went on a European land tour in the summer of '01, without knowing the questions to ask beforehand. Once on this tour, we discovered that it involved all VERY early morning wake-ups, and was very "high energy." Those who know me are aware that this is NOT my kind of vacation. Although we got to see a lot this way, and some folks think that's what is most important, it's not "our thing."

I've enjoyed Ngaire's reports on Crystal, along with other comments from those who have cruised her. Though none of these comments come with a guarantee that my Crystal cruise would be just like theirs, there are some recurring comments and observations that give a general idea.

Thanks,
Richard :) :) :)

That pretty much sums up how I feel. I can't even bear to book the PG because the balconies are prohibitively expensive for a single person. The Silversea vista rooms seem to be priced higher than Cat G and H on Voyager and Mariner.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Leejnd: in part:
[QB] Well, I'm guilty too of diving in over there on the OB (other board ;) ). I guess I'm feeling rather chatty today --

Ha ha I was thinking- that ( when I read your posts).. but they were terrific! :D

Sherri, LeeAnne, Claudia, Pam, Joanna, etc. Please continue to jump over and post at any time on the Crystal cc board. I, for one, enjoy the energy and opinions you bring with you. I hate to see arguing (I am terribly non-confrontational) so I hope all that nastiness (don't know really why it started or by whom and I don't care to know)is done with and we can ask questions or express opinions on either board. Keep feeling chatty. That is how a board should be! Judith

Welcome Mark S.! Always nice to hear a new voice in the crowd. I agree with you that EVERY line (mass market or luxury) has negatives and positives. For my husband and I often it's the people we meet who make the difference from an "okay cruise" to a really memorable one. While I very much enjoy RSSC...I would never limit myself to just one line. That's like saying you would only go to the same restaurant every time you eat out. Sometimes you want a romantic, upscale dinner for two....sometimes you want a big, raucous,family-friendly restaurant. Variety is the spice of life!
But what I like best about this forum is that while many are true RSSC loyalists, others are willing to admit that other lines exist. And, also, you won't find a more helpful group of people anywhere.

I knew I liked you Judith - Joanna

I guess I qualify as a loyalist. I have been loyal to RSSC, at least for the two years since we first sailed the Mariner. Radisson, both shoreside and at sea, have treated us very well when we have had issues either prior to sailing or while onboard. I don't know if that is due to perceived loyalty or to a perceived future booking stream or to the fact that they try to fix all problems. I just know that I like the familiarity that comes from repeat sailings. We know the ships and the staff know us. Even our stewardess said "welcome home" when we boarded the Voyager this time; even though she had never met us. I like that.

We will undoubtedly sail other cruiselines in the future. I just haven't found a reason (except maybe for Antarctica) to change now.

Judith...you are a real class act!

Judith, I thoroughly agree with Marcie! You are a good link between us and Crystal! Hope you will continue to post here!

Thank you for the kind words. Actually, there are two things about Crystal I would change if I had that magic power: the cost of using the computers, and I think they need a dedicated room service staff (at present the stewardesses handle room service orders). I've read a couple of comments about verandahs here. The ones on the Crystal ships are lovely; there are only a small percentage of staterooms (the Promenade Deck ones and a very few on deck five) without verandahs. Our next cruise on the Serenity is in 12 days.

Judith,

I too, appreciate your informative posts. Hope you have a wonderful cruise on the Serenity.

Betty

Here is my final post on Crystal and I have decided not to post my whole report. I think most of it has been covered in prior posts anyway. We dont need any more discussion over my posts. This probably has more clarity for everyone anyway. Remember this list is my PERSONAL opinion so everyone makes their own determination on what is important to them.

THINGS I LIKED ABOUT CRYSTAL

The ability to get internet in your room.
The large offering of Low Carb Foods
The bistro café open 9.00 am to 6.00 pm is a great advantage
The theatre at sea - wonderful
The piano and sometimes the trio music in the foyer area bar in the evening.
Speed of the internet and always personnel in the internet room for assistance.
Always an open computer to use - perhaps the cost has something to do with that.

THINGS I DID NOT LIKE ABOUT CRYSTAL.

Fixed seating dining – a total deal breaker for me
Tipping
No wine included with dinner
Lido with plastic trays, no tablecloths
Cost of the internet service
Small cabins with tiny TV
Lack of more contemporary dance music
Library/video not open 24 hours a day
Not as much trivia
We had no wine tasting or cooking demonstrations, or somehow I missed them.(this may have been unique to our one cruise)
The observation or Palm Court not open at night. (I bet they do this on the "white night" type cruises)
Kareoke in a tiny bar. No dancing to Kareoke. ONLY important point when I am sailing with George and Lawrence!!!

Only thing I did not report on Jade Garden. Once again it is not fair for me to comment. I am allergic to onions and dont eat asian food. For what it is worth Ken said it was just okay.

Prego we ate at again and once again I thought the food was outstanding. Of course I like Italian food but the Rack of Lamb, Rib Eye Kobe beef, Veal dish all was excellent.

ENTERTAINMENT
As to the entertainment I know I will get a response to this but I just have to say on our ONE cruise I just did not see any big jump in the quality of the entertainment over the other lines with the exception of the Theatre at Sea which I thought was fantastic. I know that almost everyone says the entertainment is better so perhaps it was just this one cruise. Also keep in mind I am not much of an "entertainment" person and dont go to the shows much on RSSC either.

I do think that some of the main stream lines may actually have better entertainment than the luxury lines. I am not prepared to deal with the other things on these lines, (more people, fixed seating etc) to get the entertainment though.

FOOD
In the beginning I would have given the edge to Crystal. However, as the cruise continued if there is an edge to Crystal it is slight. The formal nights the food was probably better than RSSC/Silversea formal night. The offering of low carb along with the sugar free choices (whether you eat it or not) is a nice option as many watch their carb intake not just their sugar intake these days. The lamb is good on both lines - here I AM AN EXPERT. I enquired and it is N.Z. lamb on Crystal too. I special ordered Dover Sole (it was not served on our trip in the dining room) and it was like eating it on RSSC. Exactly the same - fantastic.

Ngaire, wonderful report thank you; balanced and full of detail..am with you, fixed seating and no wine with dinner keeps us lookikng first at Radisson, then Silversea, Seaborne or Sea Dream.
Keep up the good/professional sea reporting..r/wes

It is so appreciated that you provided us with such a concise, well-balanced, and objective review.

When considering RSSC vs. Crystal, I feel it's now possible for us to weigh our options and choose for ourselves, what works and what does not, based upon your experiences and observations.

Thank you for taking the time to provide this valuable information.

Ngaire,

WONDERFUL reports! Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts with us!

Judith,
You are a class act! Thanks for the kind words!

Sheri

great report again Ngaire. Your opinion is valued - as is everyone's on this board.

Ngaire,

Thanks again for your objective reports on your experience on your Crystal cruise. We are all better armed and informed to choose, according to those elements that are important to us, as a result. Good job!

Betty

Great report Ngaire! Welcome Home!

Judith, you'll be leaving on the Serenity about the same time we're leaving on the Voyager (Jan 5).

Thank you for your reports Ngaire. Welcome home as well. Now settle in for what I am sure will be a busy Holiday for you!

Anthony

Have a great holiday, Ngaire. I enjoyed the report although I have never sailed Crystal. Do you have a similar report for Silver Sea as compared with RSSC ? I have been reading CC reports on the SS board and one or two have been quite negative and complaint heavy. I think that if these complaints were sent to corporate offices ,changes may be made. If the 'top brass' don't know about these things, then don't expect action from ships' personnel !

Isn't it wonderful that we are have so many CHOICES when selecting our Cruise vacations !
After 20 cruises we constantly get asked "which one did you like the most?". ALL of our cruises have been wonderful----each Line,Ship and Crew offered something different, unique and memorable. Thinking of our OVERALL Cruise experiences--yes--we do have a favorite line and probably do compare the "others" to our favorite---that is probably just being human. I would like to THANK Ngaire for her honest and up front review of Crystal. We have cruised Crystal twice and totally agree with her assessment. Did we enjoy our Crystal experience--would we possibly cruise Crystal again--the answer is YES. Composing a cruise review is quite a difficult task --each individual looks at aspects differently based on cruise experience, land experience and LIFE experience !
Thanks again for your time, effort and opinions in sharing your Crystal experience with us.

Captiva

Neviboy, I read that string of complaints as well. It was surprising, because there are hardly ever negative reviews of any of the SS ships. I thoroughly enjoyed my one cruise on the Shadow and would go back in a hearbeat if the pricing and itinerary were right.

Captiva, we don't hear from you very often. Please post more!

Very entertaining thread. And very informative. Thanks so much Ngaire for your perspective and I have totally digested it all. It will make my future cruise decisions much easier.
Happy Holidays to all the LCT members.

Comparing Silversea to Radisson? BLINK when you are on the Whisper or Shadow and you might be confused and think you are on the Navigator. Built in the same ship yards.

The key differences being the following (excluding the Diamond or the PG that are not the same type of new ship).

Whisper and Shadow newer and larger with cabins like Navigator and Voyager. Silversea are NOT all balcony cabins they do have non balcony Vista cabins.

Wind and Cloud smaller ship with the non balcony Vista cabins 240 sq. ft like the Diamond size. The Mariner cabins are smaller than Navigator or Voyager without the balcony they are 252 sq. ft. Still larger than the Wind and the Cloud cabins plus the Mariner suites all have balconies.

Silversea vs Radisson - general
Silversea has Open Bar all ships

Silversea vs Voyager
Not as many alternate dining options on Silversea
Cabins about the same but double sinks on Whisper and Shadow

Silversea vs Mariner
Not as many alternate dining options
Bigger cabins on Silversea Whisper and Shadow - smaller cabins on Wind and Cloud.

I have had perfect cruises I have had cruises with service problems on BOTH lines. Each cruise is unique and what bothers one person will not bother another person. I always say take the "this is perfect review and then the this is terrible review" mix them up and in the middle is probably how most people would feel about the ship and crew.

The food, service, and entertainment is very equal to me on both of these lines.

That actually started to not be as simple to compare because of the variance in both Silversea ships cabins and Radisson ships cabins.

Neviboy, we were on the Whisper in April and experienced none of the difficulties that I have been reading about on the CC boards. We had great service throughout, easy embarkation and disembarkation, and nobody got sick that I know of. Drinks were plentiful. We were probably the ones that caused them to run out of champagne, which we found to be quite good by the way.

I was really looking forward to comparing it with RSSC, but may not get the opportunity this year if the Diamond really was sold and moving to Hong Kong.

On my one cruise on Silversea Shadow, I think my expectations were for it to be much better than RSSC, if that were possible. Like Ngaire said, BLINK and you think you are on Radisson. That is in so many words what I reported in my review back in March. Other than the totally all-inclusive nature of SS, there are a few more differences that are pretty objective. Lots of people gather at "The Bar" before and after dinner, due to all-inclusive. I remember particularly on Formal night it was packed after dinner, with several of the men wearing kilts, which leads to the passenger mix. Many more "international" passengers on SS, and I really enjoyed that. Everyone seemed to enjoy mixing. Those Aussies are fun-lovers!

Subjectively, I enjoyed the entertainment more on Silversea, and I know the line is no more known for being the best than is RSSC. On this particular cruise, the CD, I think, was a younger woman from Tennessee who was trained in opera, and had other singing talents as well. She gave 2 great shows There was also a very talented and funny ventriloquist. Every cruise has different entertainment. This one just seemed to touch my taste both in variety and quality.

It is interesting to hear from Ngaire that the older SS ships have smaller cabins like the Diamond. I didn't realize that. I loved our cabin on the Shadow. Just like the Navigator/Voyager, except that they managed to get two sinks (not necessary for me) instead of one.

Mark, I don't think I took the time before to welcome you to this board! I am convinced there are no bad "luxury" cruise lines. We all just have different preferences. Though I have cruised on Radisson many times and Silversea only once, we all have our own "fit" that we can only find by cruising them all. I only regret that I won't be cruising on Seabourn because of the lack of real balconies, as that is really important to me. I'm sort of stuck on a preference for larger cabins, open seating and wine with dinner as well, but maybe one of these days I will try Crystal if there is a really good, can't say no deal out there.

Ngaire- Thank you for your thoughtful, objective comparison. Your input is always appreciated!

I just spent 45 mins reading all these posts. I haven't had time to log in in almost 2 weeks. I think we are all spoiled by Radisson. We would be going with them in 2005 if they hadn't chartered out the ship. Now we are booked on Oceania Barcelona to Istanbul. Should I take Prozac before we sail? Just kidding; we like all the cruises we have taken but would rather be on Radisson. However, you don't know until to try something different. Afterall, it is only a cruise and won't being staying on permanently. Ngaire, we all value your opinion and enjoy your honesty. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Thank you again, Ngaire, and thanks to you ,jhp, for the re-assurance. We leave M.Carlo on Shadow, April 2nd. on our first 'break' from RSSC. We are easy to please cruisers and have discounted the negatives that I have read. We are looking forward to the pre and post bar which is sadly lacking on RSSC and thwarts socialising. It appears as though the ship is half full which means more fun.

Neviboy!

Hi, again! Please report back on your Silversea cruise. While I intend no "slam" at Radisson by what I'm about to say, Radisson has already lost one ship from her former six ship fleet, and MAY loose two more, according to what I read. That means that it may be more difficult in the future for us to find an itinerary, time, and price that appeals to us on Radisson every time we want to cruise. And that, in turn, means that we need to select an alternate line. From what I know so far, Silversea is the most likely candidate for us, given our preferences.

Thanks,
Richard :) :) :)

RSSC seems reluctant to try new ports. I am looking forward to Ajaccio, Corsica, for example , on Shadow. I have done much research on Cinque Terre villages from the port of Portovenere.Gaeta is another new port. The gateway to Monte Cassino which involved so much discussion in England as to whether to shell it due to Germans hiding there.(It was shelled). Then there is Tarragona, 70 miles from Barcelona, which is interesting. Having travelled a lot, like you Richard, I am always looking for fresh ports to explore. Of course I will keep my usual log and report back. Hope that you and wifey have a happy and adventurous New Year.

neviboy - I, too, will be very interested in your comments about Silversea after your cruise.

Claudia