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I Paid A Fortune to Cruise On “New” Crystal Cruises. Was It Worth It?
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Mar 30, 2025
I have been intrigued as recent reviews of Crystal Cruises have been very positive, including it having the highest passenger ratings on Cruise Critic in the ultra-luxury category, better than Regent Seven Seas, Silversea and Seabourn. So, I decided to test Crystal Cruises out to see if they really are the best of the ultra-luxury lines. This is what I discovered For bonus & exclusive content (including videos, articles, eBooks and more) become a channel member or patron: --------------------------------------------------- * Patreon Patron: https://www.patreon.com/tipsfortravellers * YouTube Channel Member: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_qE-Obs2ocdmPXY0TIU-cw/join Check out my cruise-themed T-shirts and products: --------------------------------------------------- * TeePublic Store: https://tipsfortravellers.dashery.com * Teespring Store: https://tips-for-travellers-youtube.creator-spring.com * Fourthwall: https://gary-bembridge-1-shop.fourthwall.com Book Cruise Port Excursions * Venture Ashore: https://www.tipsfortravellers.com/excursions * Shore Excursions Group: https://www.tipsfortravellers.com/shoreexcursions My social media: --------------------------------------------------- * Blog: https://www.tipsfortravellers.com
View Video Transcript
0:00
before it went bankrupt in early 2022
0:02
Crystal Cruises was considered the most
0:05
luxurious line its two ships and name
0:07
were bought by luxury travel company
0:10
abomi in Kent they relaunched it in 2023
0:14
after major Renovations of the ships now
0:16
I've been really intrigued because
0:17
recent reviews have been very positive
0:20
including it having the highest
0:22
passenger ratings on Cruise Critic in
0:24
the Ultra Luxury category better than
0:26
region 7 Seas silver sea and Seaborn so
0:29
I decided to test out Crystal Cruisers
0:31
to see if they really are the best of
0:34
the Ultra Luxury lines right now I
0:36
booked myself on an 11 night Crystal
0:38
Symphony cruise from Tokyo to Manila as
0:41
always I paid with my own money and in
0:43
this case it was no small sum about
0:46
$177,000 so of course I was hoping for a
0:49
top tier experience welcome aboard I'm
0:51
Gary bambridge and here is much to my
0:54
surprise what I actually discovered let
0:57
me start with the positives a big con
0:59
concerned for me was the age of the ship
1:02
the crystal symphony is 30 years old
1:05
while his sister ship Crystal Serenity
1:07
is 22 years old I was worried the ship
1:10
might feel dated and its age but instead
1:13
I loved the classic layout and look both
1:15
outside and inside versus the more
1:18
contemporary ships of the competition
1:20
things like the wide prominade deck that
1:22
goes all around the ship and the tiered
1:25
rear with seating and loues on each
1:27
level versus modern ships that kind of
1:29
run index to the very edge to cram in
1:32
more cabins I was delighted that the
1:34
refit update and the maintenance made
1:37
the ship feel contemporary with only the
1:39
public restrooms and the elevators
1:41
probably feeling a little bit dated in
1:44
the refit importantly capacity was cut
1:47
by over 200 guests to just 606 guests on
1:50
the symphony which meant the ship and
1:52
the venues felt spacious and were never
1:55
packed Crystal Serenity also had its
1:58
capacity reduced by over 200 to 750
2:01
guests on both ships this was done to
2:03
increase cabin sizes a big issue I need
2:06
to come back to later for a small ship I
2:09
found a good range in choice of venues
2:11
with many options of restaurants bars
2:13
lounges and fitness options many of
2:16
these are signature Crystal venues found
2:19
on both ships now rather than dwell on
2:21
those here I've created a short video
2:24
review of Crystal symphony's venues
2:26
facilities and ships a link to that is
2:28
at the end of this next I want to talk
2:31
about how Crystal Compares in the all
2:34
important area of food the food was a
2:38
huge highlight for me and based on my
2:39
experience I found it surpassed what
2:42
I've had on Regent silver sea and
2:44
Seaborn all of which of course Excel
2:46
already in this area but for me crystal
2:49
were a notch above menus were exciting
2:52
the food quality and presentation were
2:54
outstanding across all of the venues
2:57
there were actually nine D dining
3:00
options and all but one was included in
3:03
the fair the key dining venue was the
3:05
Waterside main dining room this
3:07
beautiful venue was open for breakfast
3:09
and dinner every day and for lunch on
3:12
Cay it had a large breakfast menu pretty
3:15
comparable to other ultr luxury lines
3:18
but I found their dinner menus
3:20
especially appealing the menu had two
3:22
sections that changed every single
3:24
evening contemporary Cuisine and Crystal
3:27
Classics with the classics also
3:30
importantly changing every single day I
3:32
could also request something that had
3:34
been on the menu from the day before and
3:36
it was also made clear to me that I
3:37
could make off menu requests with some
3:40
noticed but I never tested either of
3:43
those because the menus offered so much
3:46
Choice the dessert menu had nine options
3:49
every single day different ones and
3:51
there was a generous changing daily
3:54
cheese menu the food was amazing and
3:57
beautifully presented I liked also that
3:59
I was usually put at the same table or
4:02
in the same section so I was able to
4:04
build a relationship with the waiting
4:06
staff who came to know my likes and my
4:09
preferences there were a few included
4:11
wines on the menu each night though if
4:14
none of those appealed one could also
4:16
choose from a long included wine list
4:19
now I spoke to many fellow guests as I'm
4:21
not a Wine Drinker and every one of them
4:24
agreed the wine Choice was large and it
4:26
was very strong on the topic of drinks
4:29
as as well as wines the list of included
4:31
alcohol Brands was also huge and looked
4:34
to me to be larger than on their direct
4:36
competition but back to dining though
4:39
espcially dining was another highlight
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though it came with an issue that I'll
4:43
get to but first the options there is
4:46
Umi Uma by the famous chef nou matsua
4:50
which was incredible Crystal have the
4:53
only noou restaurants at Sea it is a
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Japanese Peruvian specied restaurant in
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a stunning venue menu which includes a
5:01
sushi bar the menu is large and the food
5:04
is amazing this is among the very best
5:07
dining I have ever had at Sea incredible
5:11
austeria de aido is an Italian special
5:14
restaurant again another classy looking
5:16
restaurant with a good and interesting
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Italian classic menu while I liked it in
5:21
here I'm not sure it is actually
5:23
elevated above any of the competition at
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Sea as much as the other dining venues
5:27
were on board but the food itself was
5:30
great it was tasty it was good beef bar
5:33
is a meat-based restaurant chain that
5:35
started in Monte Carlo and now has 30
5:37
branches all around the world I
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personally had not heard of it before it
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offered a mix of street food and steak
5:45
and was open for lunch and also
5:47
importantly for dinner I like the venue
5:49
and the menu a lot the signature bow
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buns were incredibly tasty and I had
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fited Mong steak which was especially
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high quality really really high quality
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steak in addition to the steaks included
6:00
in the fair there was some added search
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charge W goo and Kobe beef options
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ranging from $90 to
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$220 per person I didn't try those now
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to the issue about speciality
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restaurants for cruises of 10 days or
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less passengers in orb with the highest
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grade cabins can only go to the two main
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speci restaurants Umi Uma and austeria
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doido a total of two times you could go
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to Once each or you go twice to the same
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one additional visits will possible but
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a charge of $50 per person I could have
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gone to beef far more often but I had to
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make reservations so there was some kind
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of control based on demand I think it's
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a real pity they charge because on other
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ultral luxury lines they usually let me
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go to specied restaurants more often if
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there's availability without charge now
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let me talk about the more casual dining
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next there was nothing probably really
6:53
stand out here versus the competition
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but it was all really good Marketplace
6:57
was the buffet restaurant and was open
6:59
for breakfast and for lunch a nice venue
7:02
with outside seating for good weather
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days I only ever ate lunch here and
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although it wasn't a huge Choice there
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was a decent range of options really
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good quality and really tasty like the
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competition on most days they often had
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a theme you know Asian Greek and so on
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Trident Grill was open from around 11:30
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a.m. to 6:00 p.m. offering burgers and
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that kind of food it was fine the
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burgers were great but nothing
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outstanding versus similar offering
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Springs on other lines the Scoops ice
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cream area is part of the Trident Grill
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good range of ice cream and gelato that
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changed most days one of my favorite
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venues was the beastro and I went there
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frequently at different times during the
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day now this is the cafe and it had an
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island in it stocking light savory
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sweets and snacks relevant to the time
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of the day a really good choice amongst
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it included Crystal's signature treats a
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Portuguese catart which were pretty good
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and certainly very popular there was of
8:00
course also room service where I could
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have ordered from a room service menu or
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importantly any of the restaurants that
8:05
were open at the time there was also an
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intimate dining venue called the Vintage
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Room where occasional tasting and wine
8:13
pairing menus were offered for around
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about $300 a purse it's a pretty pricey
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I didn't try this one out at all there
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are two other food offerings of note
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that I really want to talk about too
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first of all a passion of mine afternoon
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tea this was held in the Palm Court
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every single day from 3:30 to 4:30 in in
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the afternoon and it had live music most
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days it was served on a beautiful tiered
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stand with different sandwiches cakes
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and scans with clotted cream and jam
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that changed every day couple of times
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there was a theme like a chocolate one
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and what I believe is a signature of a
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crystal a vienes one which would then be
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more buffet style it was absolutely
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fantastic and I rate this afternoon tea
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really highly the second item of note
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and the first time that I've ever called
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a cruise line out for it is the daily
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canipes these are delivered to the cabin
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around 4:30 p.m. they were served on a
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nice tray they had three treats it was
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both Savory and sweet they were
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remarkable amongst the best canipes
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really different options every day they
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definitely the best I've ever had on any
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Cruise in terms of Misses unlike silver
9:19
sea and Seaborn they don't offer kind of
9:20
unlimited or it seems in fact any caviar
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included in the fair there was a caviar
9:25
menu in the room but it was most high
9:27
quality really really costly
9:30
there was also no casual dining option
9:31
for dinner other than room service and
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while this is the same as the
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competition I do really wish there was a
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casual dining option in the evening I
9:39
was very impressed really impressed how
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Crystal Cruises invests and puts a lot
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of focus on enrichment providing
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activities and classes that I feel other
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lines are starting or have actually cut
9:50
back on my cruise there were the
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following there were three enrichment
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speakers all experts in the region there
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was a digital lecture classes on getting
10:00
more from your mobile phone and from
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tablets there was a person teaching us
10:05
how to improve our photography both on
10:07
phones and on cameras PGA golf pro who
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ran workshops and in the onboard golf
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nets and the putting green and then
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helped arrange golf sessions in each
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Port there were two ladies running art
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and craft classes there was a bridge
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teacher with Bridge every single day
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there was a dance professional couple
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who ran dance classes and there was also
10:28
gentleman dance hosts in terms of other
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activities there was a daily trivia
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there was some Bingo on C days there was
10:34
Fitness classes there was un-hosted
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activities like paddle board table
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tennis then there was a big white party
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in the atrium one evening and there was
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also a late night disco now I'm going to
10:46
talk about Production shows and guest
10:48
entertainers in the less good section
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because there was a huge issue that
10:52
means that I actually decided to put it
10:54
there but I have kept one part of
10:57
entertainment in the likes SE ction
10:59
Crystal had a great focus on live music
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and it was really really great they had
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many musicians for the size of the ship
11:07
playing sessions across the evening in
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different venues I like that they played
11:12
a wide range of music from classical
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right through to really current chart
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material on the ship was a seven-piece
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band that supported Production shows
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guest entertainers and also played sets
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there was a violinist a Pianist a
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guitarist and a piano and singing Joo so
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the band and the Joo would also play
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music suitable for borro dancing in
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either the Starlight club or the Palm
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Court at various times each evening as
11:39
well one question I had about this new
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Crystal was that so much of its past
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reputation was about the caliber of and
11:46
serviced by the crew and they if they
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had actually been able to replicate that
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now I was amazed when I was told by so
11:53
many people that 80% of Crystal's
11:55
management and crew had returned and I
11:57
think it shows the crew and service were
12:00
absolutely a stand out versus
12:02
competition the crew felt like a family
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many have been working together for
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decades they were retentive personalized
12:09
my experience never felt stressed or
12:11
rushed service across all Ultra luy
12:14
lines of course is amazing but this
12:15
stood out even more and I did feel very
12:18
much like I was being taken care of by a
12:20
close family business this is probably
12:22
perhaps a more corporate feel on the
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competition it's hard to explain crew of
12:27
all levels spoke to me about how Crystal
12:29
takes care of them and I think that
12:31
showed in how they dealt with passengers
12:33
across the ship crew always remember my
12:35
name they remember my likes I'm going to
12:37
give you a Slightly bizarre example a
12:39
waiter in the marketplace buffet that
12:41
served me on embarcation day I only saw
12:43
him again three quarters through the
12:45
cruise but not only had he remembered my
12:47
name but that I liked sparkling water
12:49
with no ice and caffeine-free coera it
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was amazing that he remembered that I
12:54
also liked how much Crystal Cruisers
12:56
focuses on solo Travelers which is
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definitely more than the competition
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they have solo cabins and they really
13:03
frequently run no solo supplement
13:05
promotions across different sailings
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they have hosted daily meetups they
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arrange solo tables in especially dining
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venues a really good focus on solos this
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next one may change but it does seem
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from what I've observed that Crystal is
13:19
still building its reputation and trust
13:21
back both with cruises and with travel
13:24
agents and this seems to mean that the
13:26
ships are not always sailing full so
13:28
that there does seem to be which is a
13:30
plus for us frequent promotions and
13:33
offers to encourage you and I to try the
13:35
line or to return so definitely sign up
13:38
by the way for their mailing list to get
13:39
these because they come out really
13:41
frequently the main promotion seems to
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be sweet upgrades where you pay for a
13:46
lower grade but get a higher one for
13:48
example you book an acarine Suite which
13:51
is a balcony cabin but you get the
13:53
larger and way more appealing Sapphire
13:56
Suite which has a dining and seating
13:58
area and a set separate bedroom area now
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I suspect this promotion is being used
14:02
to address one area that they probably
14:04
fall down on versus the other Ultra
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Luxury competition with newer and larger
14:10
ships so this actually makes it a good
14:12
time to talk about what I found and feel
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Crystal does less well starting with
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explaining more about that cabin point
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because the ships are older from a
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different time the entry level cabins
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that I saw were way smaller than the
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entry level cabins on the competition
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even though they are priced pretty much
14:31
the same this is why I suspect that
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frequently used promotion of sweet
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upgrades to get people into bigger
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cabins while they do have a wide range
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of cabins ranging from solo through to
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aquamarine balcony that I mentioned and
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those larger Sapphire Suites they also
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have Junior one-bedroom penthouses and
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they stretch up to vast Crystal
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penthouses there are two other issues I
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found the crystal does have with cabins
15:00
that are worth knowing about first of
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all they're out of their step with the
15:04
direct competition who these days have
15:06
all balcony cabins on their more recent
15:09
ships while Crystal actually has quite a
15:11
few Ocean View ones I think they know
15:13
this is an issue because I know the
15:14
three ships that Crystal have on order
15:17
entering service from 2028 onwards all
15:20
those suits appear certain in the press
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releases that they're going to have
15:23
balconies secondly in some grades there
15:26
were very different styles based on when
15:28
they were up up graded with some having
15:30
new contemporary Decor from the 2023
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refit but others more dated and classic
15:35
looks for example with sapphire Suites
15:38
while these are fantastic a great size
15:41
fabulous layout they have a seating
15:42
dining area they have a bedroom they
15:44
have a really large bathroom you do need
15:46
to choose really carefully because
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there's a 2023 version that I had it's
15:51
modern it's bright it's fantastic but
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there's also a 2017 refit version which
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by the way uniquely has washer dryers in
15:59
the bathroom which is the first for me
16:01
then there's a classic version with
16:03
darker and more traditional feel but
16:05
then there's also Ocean View ones that
16:07
have no balcony now to see and find out
16:10
more about the different cabin grades
16:12
and what perks are included in the
16:13
cabins watch that video I mentioned
16:15
earlier that I've made about the ship
16:17
Link at the end next on my less good
16:21
list are as I mentioned earlier the
16:24
shows the shows are performed by a cast
16:27
of four singers and six dancers they are
16:30
very very talented the shows have high
16:32
energy demanding and impressive
16:35
choreography but the reason I have the
16:38
shows in the less good section is the
16:40
music and themes in my view are way out
16:43
of date for us as passengers now I'm
16:46
turning 66 this year so I'm slap bang in
16:49
the core passenger mix and the music and
16:52
show themes are not for me they're not
16:54
for us it's way out of sync they do what
16:58
and play music that my parents listen to
17:00
and if they were alive they would be mid
17:02
to late 80s Crystal really needs a big
17:04
rethink on music and era used in the
17:07
shows they need to be focused on at
17:09
least the 1980s and Beyond many guest
17:13
artists were also pitched way off for
17:15
example one did a Bobby Darren themed
17:17
show who last had a hit when I was 3
17:19
years old and a Frank sonara cabaret
17:22
show who was last had a hit when I was
17:24
kind of seven it's not our era so taking
17:27
all this into account what did I think
17:29
overall and would I go again I
17:32
absolutely love my experience I enjoyed
17:34
myself enormously the ship the cabin the
17:37
food and service absolutely made it for
17:39
me I Lov the focus and the depth of
17:41
enrichment in fact I was so impressed
17:44
and wanted to experience it again that I
17:46
booked again with my own money as always
17:48
and I booked Crystal Serenity next year
17:51
on a 15 night Lisbon to Fort Lauderdale
17:53
transatlantic which had a great price
17:55
being a reposition cruise and it had
17:57
that sweet upgrade offer running that I
17:59
mentioned earlier I was impressed with
18:02
Crystal and if Ultra Luxury cruising is
18:04
your chosen way to Cruise they're
18:06
definitely worth considering now to find
18:09
out more about Crystal Symphony and what
18:10
worked and did so less join me over in
18:12
this video I spoke about see you over
18:15
there
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