Passenger Reviews
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Canary Islands Adventure
Passenger Rating:
Canary Islands Adventure Crystal is considered one of the best cruise lines. It is Japanese-owned, so I should not have been surprised that there were 370 (out of about 1000 passengers) Asians on the ship. The ship was full. The Serenity is a small ship by todays standards, but the size was just right for me. Crystal is a premium cruise line with premium rates. The cruise line gave me a fantastic deal on this cruise, and they also upgraded me to a deluxe verandah cabin. This was my first verandah cabin, and I didnt use it very much but it was nice to have. I liked the ship, though as one of the passengers said, it doesnt have a “WOW factor” like Royal Caribbeans beautiful ships. The décor is understated, conservative and a bit dated.
My cabin was a nice size, but not large. It…
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The Cat Purred, But Didn't Meow!
Passenger Rating:
The Cat Purred, But Didnt Meow! I may be unfairly comparing this, my first cruise with Crystal with my recent (and first and only) Alaska cruise on the Regent Seven Seas Navigator. I traveled alone on Crystal Symphony, as my spouse was in Africa on safari, whereas we were together on the Regent Alaska cruise. The port calls to smaller towns in Alaska had a very different feel from those to major cities on the Crystal cruise, and that added to the enjoyment of the Alaska cruise. I had made several business visits to most of the cities on the Crystal cruise (and was raised in Boston), so the port calls held only passing interest for me. Basically, I was looking for a pleasant and relaxing interlude on board, and I got it.
My spouse and I had heretofore opted for ships in the 100-150 passenger range, and I…
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Partly happy 1st time Crystal Cruisers
Passenger Rating:
Partly happy 1st time Crystal Cruisers This was our 1 cruise on a Crystal ship and we had heard only good things about Crystal Cruises, but there were also some negative items we did not appreciate at all.
First to the good things: nice ship, good size (below 1000 PAX), never crowded, excellent food in all restaurants, excellent service and staff. Perfectly organised boarding in Valparaiso and de-boarding in Buenos Aires. Well organised excursions (but VERY expensive but thats the same on other cruise lines). Some of the excursions did not fulfill the expectations, but most of them did.
Negative things:
Small cabin (everything we needed was there, but we would have appreciated a bit more space in the room as well on the veranda), considering the price paid.
Lido Restaurant openings: We would expect that this (morning self service…
Review By swiss60
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First Cruise Experience by Chance & Frank Earle
Passenger Rating:
First Cruise Experience by Chance & Frank Earle We signed up for our first cruise experience with Crystal with many recommendations from friends. We were not disappointed. Crystal Symphonys crew made us feel welcome from the get go. We were part of the "Mix & Mingle" reception and met a few other Cruise Critic board members plus the cruise directors and hotel manager. We shared questions and got great support. We were especially pleased to have met Jane Salk, Crystal Societys hostess for this cruise. She made us feel part of the "Crystal family".
We had delightful table mates, who will be our friends forever. The waitstaff was outstanding and it seemed "no problem" for our special requests that veered from the menu set for the day. Amazing!
We did get great information ahead of time from Crystal Cruises and Cruise Critic which…
Review By mvcountess
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Summit 3/25/11 - Great Experience
Passenger Rating:
Summit 3/25/11 - Great Experience Airport: Nightmare both ways. Flew thru Miami and it was the day after the fuel fire. Previous day they had cancelled all flights, on the day we flew, our flight was cancelled. American Airlines got us on a later flight that day, but we were supposed to meet up with my Mom and daughter in bagged in San Juan and they had to go on ahead to the hotel and meet us later. TSA took applesauce from my bag but let me take knitting needles??? Flying just isnt fun anymore. On the way home, our flight was delayed an hour because of weather in Washington DC. We barely made our connection from Miami to Denver. Very stressful, but we made it. Wont be flying again for a very long timeTres Palmas Inn / San Juan: Nobody has said much about this hotel on the boards,…
Review By TheresaK
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First Cruise on Crystal
Passenger Rating:
First Cruise on Crystal The cruise was great.
Pros:
Everything I had read about the food was right on. It is outstanding and you get anything you want by just asking. As our head waiter said “We can give you anything except world peace”.
I asked for Salmon Wellington and the next night an entire fish filet was wrapped in pastry and served to our entire table. Luckily I was traveling with five others that could help with the meal.
Entertainment was also very good along with the many activities available through out the day.
The crew was very friendly and attentive to your needs.
Cons:
The smoking in the casino was unbearable at times. It is the main reason that I stayed away. Some of our group…
Review By Tilac
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Four Cruise-line comparo: Crystal, Celebrity, HAL, Princess
Passenger Rating:
Four Cruise-line comparo: Crystal, Celebrity, HAL, Princess This is a four-cruise-line comparison, following our first cruise on Crystal and, before that, nine cruises on Princess, Holland America and Celebrity. In brief, cost per day on Crystal is a bit more than twice the others. In return you get the best food, no lines anywhere, and a friendlier, more intimate and quieter atmosphere.
But thats not the whole story. Crystals Cruise Critic reviews emphasize the superiority of the service provided on Crystal. Our experience has been that service has been excellent on all our cruises; crystal was excellent but not superior. For example, our two best room stewards were on Princess, as was our best team of waiters; our top bartender and bar waiter were on HAL, and our best deck stewards on Crystal, as was the best afternoon tea service. The best informal lunch service was in…
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Great Services but sub-standard food
Passenger Rating:
Great Services but sub-standard food We went on this cruise with another couple, who have travelled with Crystal Harmony 4 times before. We flied to N.Y. the night before, spent an evening in N.Y., then boarded the ship just before noon. We stayed in Ink48, which is 10 minutes cab ride to the pier. We really liked the hotel, clean, modern, and quiet, with very comfortable bed. This is not a 5 star hotel, good enough for a short stay but a bit far from theatre district.
Boarding took about an hour, when we got on the ship, our room was not ready. We checked our hand luggage, which took another half hour, then went to the Dining Room for lunch. Around 2:30pm, we were in our room. Our luggage was delivered to our room, including our hand luggage. So bring extra lock for your hand luggage.
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Crystal - Panama Canal - Par Excellance
Passenger Rating:
Crystal - Panama Canal - Par Excellance Although the Crystal Symphony is older than the Seabourn Sojorn we last sailed on, the ship is maintained in top condition. Beautiful inside and out with amazing attention to detail. With about 900 passengers, we never felt crowded in this spacious vessel. The Captain and crew were wonderful, although the no handshake policy was a little strange, no matter how much sense it makes. It felt a little odd. Maybe you could post hand sanitizers just past the receiving line? But, the crew were courteous, industrious, and efficient. The main dining room was a little less formal than Seabourn or Regent but still elegant. And, the maitred made special desserts several evenings which were great. Grand Mariner souffle, cheeries jubilee, bananas foster, viola!! And, a special filled birthday cake for one of our tablemates who were all wonderful. We sat with 3 other couples and…
Review By hjames2
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Crystal Symphony The Best
Passenger Rating:
Crystal Symphony The Best My friend Linda came to sail with me on a trip to Alaska on the Crystal Symphony. This was her first time on Crystal and my second. The cruise was just fantastic The food was really a cut above all other cruise lines. The entertainment was fabulous. Our cruise had "emerging artists" sailing and entering us. They were extremely talented and we all enjoyed the shows. The lectures were interesting and entertaining. Beginning Bridge classes were given and I liked them. The gym was just wonderful and I worked out most days. Excellent, attentive staff. The spa was very good, and I had two massages. I think the prices are over the top, however. All in all it was a great trip. Linda and I especially enjoyed meeting & hanging out with Bradely & Stuart, who were passengers from the U.K. The Ron Owens group was a…
Review By newman3202
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Cruising with Crystal was a great experience
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Cruising with Crystal was a great experience The quality of the food, the service, the entertainment and overall ambience was much superior to that we have experienced on other cruise lines. The first day we heard two discussions among different groups about whether Seabourn or Crystal was the best cruise line with no agreed conclusion except that it had to be one of the two. Ill just list in no particular order some of things we liked: - Spotless cabins and public areas - The cabin was small but had ample storage - The service staff made an effort to learn the names of passengers and greet them by name. - Every effort was made to accommodate the wishes of passengers and to create a family type atmosphere - There were a high percentage of repeat customers loyal to Crystal indicating consistent quality - some had taken over 50 cruises on Crystal. - We could…
Review By prof1420
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Journey thru the Panama Canal with Road Scholar
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Journey thru the Panama Canal with Road Scholar Background Information - The Panama Canal has always been on my "Bucket List" and when I discovered that this cruise was offered thru Road Scholar Adventures Afloat program with free airfare, my husband and I booked it immediately! Travel To Port of Embarkation - A direct flight to Miami booked by Road Scholar Hotel Info - Overnighted at the Courtyard by Marriott Miami Airport South; a nice enough accommodation with free airport shuttle service running every 20-30 minutes. The block square Marriott Miami Airport Campus also included a Residence Inn & The Miami Airport Marriott, giving you ample restaurant options. The only thing that I found lacking was a room safe. Stateroom - Category A on Deck 9 Forward: A very quiet location on the port side, 4 cabins down from the front elevator bank, allowing us easy access to most areas of the ship.…
Review By Little Toot
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The Magic Of Alaska On The Crystal Symphony
Passenger Rating:
The Magic Of Alaska On The Crystal Symphony Review Of Voyage 1219 – August 13 Alaska Sailing
Overall Summary
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We had a wonderful time on this voyage. This cruise exceeded our expectations.
Embarkation
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We arrived early and terminal security allowed us to sit inside the waiting area of the Pier 35 passenger cruise ship terminal.
This was our third embarkation since the roll out of the Priority Check-in & Planning Center(PCPC) and the check-in process was better and faster than ever. In a matter of a minute or two, we were given our shipboard cards with our picture and we were headed to the gangway to board the ship. We stopped so the photographers could take our embarkation photo. Once on board the ship, we enjoyed a nice…
Review By Keith1010
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An Outstanding Oxperience
Passenger Rating:
An Outstanding Oxperience Our experience aboard the Crystal Serenity was marvelous. Our expectations were high and we were not disappointed. The staff was outstanding. We were skeptical that they could be as legitimately warm, friendly and unhesitatingly helpful as previous reviewers had described, but it was true. We wanted to take some of them home.
The Crystal orchestra was terrific -- and trumpeter Rafael worth taking the cruise to hear. The Broadway style productions were spectacular, some of the best we have seen anywhere. Some appealed a bit more than others to our tastes, but it would hard to fault anyone on professionalism. Special moments in some productions were quite moving. There was so much quality entertainment that it was difficult to take everything in.
I thought it interesting that the two lecturers on the Panama Canal disagreed as to whether the USA should…
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ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Passenger Rating:
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I know that many people love Crystal Cruises, in fact most of the passengers on my cruise had sailed Crystal numerous times, but I am not one of them and do not plan on sailing Crystal again. I was bored out of my mind!!!!Daytime activities were limited to one trivia and 1 bingo per day plus some lectures, a mid-afternoon movie and dance classes. I read a lot of books on this crossing! The food and service were no better than what I have experienced on many cruise lines that charge much less than Crystal does. I did not find the food or the service excellent or exceptional (except for Prego - see below). The boring breakfast buffet at the Lido Cafe was the same ever morning and the lunch buffet was quite limited and boring also. Food in the dining room was OK, except for my medium rare steak…
Review By Cruising Ginger
