 |
 |
|
Note -this page contains multiple reviews.
Name: Edward Carpp
Email: ecarpp@aol.com
Age: 48
Occupation: Executive
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Crystal-Harmony
SailingDate: 01/12/00
Itinerary: Southern Caribbean
Cabin: 7078/E
FoodDiningRoom: 98
CruiseDirector: 95
CabinComfort: 90
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 98
CabinAmenities: 85
FoodLidoDeck: 95
DiningRoomService: 98
CabinQuietness: 85
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 82
ShoreExcVariety: 90
FoodVariety: 100
DeckService: 90
ShoreExcValue: 90
GoodForHoneymoon: 88
CasinoStaff: 85
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 40
LoungeService: 90
TenderService: 90
GoodForSeniors: 90
BeautySalonStaff: 95
EntertainmentLounges: 82
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 82
EntertShowLounge: 85
OverallPortsofCall: 85
BeautySalon: 90
EntertainmentPoolside: 85
CruiseActivities: 85
Casino: 90
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 95
EmbarkDisembark: 98
DiscoNightclubs: 90
DeckSpace: 90
Stabilization: 90
ShopsOnBoard: 98
SpaceRatio: 88
OverallCruiseValue: 95
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 23 Jan 2000
Time: 17:29:19
Remote Name: spider-tr051.proxy.aol.com
Remote User:
Comments
Just returned from the January 12, 2000 Crystal Harmony 7-day cruise of the southern Caribbean. This
was the first cruise for both my wife and myself. We are 47 and 48 years of age, respectively.
We chose Crystal after researching at length the variety of cruise options available. We found that
Crystal had a great reputation for top quality food and entertainment. We also wanted to try a short
cruise as our first in the event we didn't enjoy the experience.
Our mutual feeling is that the Crystal experience would be difficult to beat, superlatives can be used to
describe nearly every aspect of the vacation. The food was spectacular, particularly evenings in the
Crystal dining room. Without exaggeration it is like eating at the finest restaurant night after night. The
menu offers eating options for vegetarians and those who are health-conscious in addition to a full
seven-course dining experience. Food quality is superb with fresh salads and vegetables, and meats,
fish, and poultry of the highest grades. As we love to cook and eat well, this was an important aspect of
the cruise for us. An example of a dinner is: caviar or maybe escargots with Provencal butter,
Escabeche of prawns, a wonderfully creamy mushroom soup, a sherbet to cleanse the pallet, a pasta
dish like penne with a delicate tomato-basil gravy, chateaubriand (best I've ever eaten) or perhaps a
roasted rack of veal with potato, leek and celery gratin. The desserts were sinfully delicious, like the
Grand Marnier souffle with Negresco sauce. We enjoyed the food so much that we took the time to
meet with the Executive Chef, Friedrich Pilz, and the Executive Pastry Chef, Jean Kiendl to compliment
them on their excellent cuisine. We even purchased the Crystal Cruises Cookbook.
Crystal Harmony offers two alternative restaurants, Kyoto and Prego. It's important to make
reservations immediately upon embarking the ship for either of these restaurants as they fill up quickly.
Kyoto is every bit as wonderful as the Crystal Dining Room and is a smallish restaurant with a lovely
Japanese theme. The service is very friendly, efficient, and correct. Kyoto has a wonderful entree that
is a sampler of their menu with items such as vegetable tempura, miso shiro soup, seafood teppanyaki,
fried lobster dumplings with Yin-Yang sauce, wok-seared duck with crispy ginger threads. Highly
recommended.
Prego is an Italian restaurant and is the most intimate dining room on the ship. While the food here is
also excellent, we found the service a bit rushed and overall we felt Prego was the least desirable of the
eating options on board.
Excellence is the word for breakfast and lunch as well. Options are too plentiful to mention. Suffice it to
say that you can eat seven courses at every meal, or you can choose to have hot dogs and
hamburgers. The Trident Grill and Bar on the Lido deck offer hot and cold snack options throughout
the day. There is also an ice cream bar that meets those middle of the day cravings, if so desired.
The entertainment on Harmony is extensive, from production shows in the Galaxy Lounge to dance
bands in Club 2100, to more intimate settings featuring cocktail piano. Overall, we found the
entertainment geared more to a seniors crowd, particularly the Galaxy Lounge shows. While Crystal
spares no expense in the lavishness and professionalism of the productions, the content was, for us,
too old. Each night was a different theme, like a tribute to Cole Porter, or Million Dollar Musicals.
Looking around at the audience, I did see a lot of smiling faces, so people were enjoying the shows.
There was a standing ovation every night for the performers.
One evening, a classical pianist performed in recital and there was a poor turnout. This was
unfortunate as we found the recital more interesting than the shows. Crystal, we know now, offers
theme cruises and we may take a classical music cruise to Alaska in August or September.
To change the subject...we both work out and so we took advantage of the Harmony's gym facility. I was
surprised by how well-equipped it was with Cybex machines, two stair-steppers, 5 or 6 treadmills, 2
rowing machines, benches, dumbells, step-aerobic equipment, and a nice matted floor workout area.
While certainly not up to the standards of a full-blown gym, the facility was more than adequate to keep
one in shape for the duration of a cruise. The staff was very courteous, friendly, non-intimidating, and
helpful. The gym is completely enclosed by glass walls so the view is spectacular.
Our room was small but very comfortable and extremely clean. The cabinetry is well designed and
useful. One amenity we really liked was the in-room safe for our valuables. It took about two minutes to
master its use and we used it every day, a nice touch offering us complete peace of mind. The
queen-size bed and pillows were wonderful and we had no trouble at all sleeping. In fact, with the gentle
rocking of the ship, conditions were superb for sleeping. My wife did mention once or twice that it was
difficult to put on her makeup because the lighting was inadequate, but she seemed to do OK.
We did not have a room with a verandah, and we didn't feel that we missed much by not having one.
We were not in the room that much, mostly because we love to exercise. We were on Promenade Deck,
Level 7, which happens to be the exercise deck, each lap of the ship is slightly more than 1/4 mile. This
was great for us as each morning we popped on our shorts and tees and went for a long walk around
the ship.
I could go on and on about the Crystal Harmony. Let me say this...we are well-traveled people, and we
took this cruise as doubters. Now we say we are living to cruise. We can't imagine a more wonderful
vacation experience. We met some lovely people with whom we will try to keep in touch. And, our hats
are off to the Crystal people... everyone was wonderful, the service was second to none, and the stops
in port were excellent. They made the entire experience so easy. The Crystal Harmony gets our highest
recommendation...we'll be back, and soon!
Name: Carol
Email: mistymorning17@hotmail.com
Age: 53
Occupation: nurse
NumberOfCruises: 9
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Crystal-Harmony
SailingDate: November, 1999
Itinerary: Panama Canal
Cabin: 8102
FoodDiningRoom: 98
CruiseDirector: 97
CabinComfort: 97
FoodRoomService: 99
CruiseStaff: 99
CabinAmenities: 95
FoodLidoDeck: 98
DiningRoomService: 99
CabinQuietness: 99
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 100
ShoreExcVariety: 92
FoodVariety: 100
DeckService: 99
ShoreExcValue: 90
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService: 97
TenderService: 99
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff: 90
EntertainmentLounges: 98
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 96
EntertShowLounge: 99
OverallPortsofCall: 96
BeautySalon: 89
EntertainmentPoolside: 99
CruiseActivities: 95
Casino:
AirSeaProgram: 99
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 100
EmbarkDisembark: 100
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 100
Stabilization: 100
ShopsOnBoard: 89
SpaceRatio: 100
OverallCruiseValue: 98
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 21 May 2000
Time: 22:53:15
Remote Name: nas-tn12-48.ix.netcom.com
Remote User:
Comments
My husband and I are addicted cruisers, and we decided to see if Crystal measured up to its advanced
billing. It most certainly did. This cruise was the best that we have ever taken. The experience started with our
flight to the ship. We took the air-sea package. We took a flight from our home city, and then transferred to a
charter at Houston. We checked in for the boat at Houston, so we could go right on the ship without wiating in
long check-in lines. I have an injured ankle that limits my mobility, and we were met at the plane in Houston by
a Crystal representative, and she secured a ride for us to the next gate. The charter flight was excellent, and
when we arrived in Aculpulco, we were taken to a hotel and given a lunch until it was time to go to the ship.
Once arriving at the ship, we were promptly taken to our cabin, which was a little small , but well laid out. The
only disappointment was the size of the bathroom. It was really much too small for this elegant of a ship. We
made reservations for the alternative restaurants shortly after embarking, and we did not have to wait in long
lines to do so. Our dinner at Prego, the Italian restaurant, was sublime. Both the food and the service were
outstanding. We enjoyed the Japanese restaurant as well, but it's location was not the best. Everyone going
to Prego walks by your table, and although there are low walls to partially screen the tables, it was distracting.
The service, although good, was a bit rushed. The dining room service and food was excellent. Every request
that was made at our table was accomodated. Even if you came close to the end of the open breakfast or
lunch seatings, you were not rushed. The service on the decks was very attentive, and also unobtrusive. We
have been on other cruises where we felt we were always being pressured to order drinks. This was not so
on the Crystal Harmony.
If you wished to order a drink, one quickly appeared, but the deck stewards also
came around with trays of ice water and iced teas. Also we were offered cold towels while laying out on the
deck. Due to my diability, I walk with a cane. The staff was very experienced in accomodating and assisting
me. One day, the sea was a bit rough, and as I was selecting my breakfast at the Lido Buffet, a waiter
appeared and held my tray, and loaded it with my choices, as well as carried it to my table. When boarding
the tenders for excursions, I was assisted in such a way that I felt safe in making the transfer from the ship to
the tender. Our room stewardess was excellent. She was very responsive to our requests, and room service
was very prompt. One thing we really appreciated was the lack of loudspeaker announcements of the daily
activities. The one thing that disappoint4ed me about our cruise is that their waas no wine tasting event. I
understand that these are only held on certain food and wine cruises. The one place where I felt a bit
pressured to buy products was the beauty salon. This was the one negetive experience that I had. The salon
staff was very friendly, but they really pushed their products. I might skip the salon next time. The shops had
nice items for sale, but their were only about three shops. I would have appreciated a little more variety. Even
the transport to the airport was outstanding. Since we had a late afternoon plane, we were taken to a hotel
where we were able to have lunch. and then had a shuttle to the airport that left every half hour. This was a
lot different from some other cruises that we have taken where we were taken to the airport hours before our
flight and just dumped there. All in all, it was a great cruise, and we have now booked on a 21 day cruise on
the Harmony from San Francisco to Sidney. This will include 12 at sea days, so we did book a veranda cabin
this time. We felt that we had such a good experience, that we sold some friends on coming with us this time.
Name: angela mok
Email: amok62@hotmail.com
Age: 37
Occupation: cruise consultant
NumberOfCruises: 13
TravelAgent: Yes
Ship: Crystal-Harmony
SailingDate: june 07-13
Itinerary: victoria,bc to juneau,alaska
Cabin: 8087/category e
FoodDiningRoom: 79
CruiseDirector: 79
CabinComfort: 89
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 95
CabinAmenities: 95
FoodLidoDeck: 79
DiningRoomService: 95
CabinQuietness: 70
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 95
ShoreExcVariety: 95
FoodVariety: 95
DeckService:
ShoreExcValue: 70
GoodForHoneymoon: 95
CasinoStaff: 89
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService: 95
TenderService: 95
GoodForSeniors: 95
BeautySalonStaff: 95
EntertainmentLounges:
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 79
OverallPortsofCall: 95
BeautySalon: 95
EntertainmentPoolside:
CruiseActivities: 95
Casino: 79
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 79
EmbarkDisembark: 89
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 95
Stabilization: 89
ShopsOnBoard: 79
SpaceRatio: 95
OverallCruiseValue: 88
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 18 Jun 2000
Time: 21:38:20
Remote Name: dialup12.vcn.bc.ca
Remote User:
Comments
This sailing was roundtrip from San Francisco but I only took the Victoria to Juneau segment.
Food - The food was not as spectacular as I was told it would be. Usually there is at least one entree that I
enjoy so much that I request it again. Sadly, there was none on this cruise. I enjoyed having my breakfast in
the Lido Cafe, mainly because of the plentiful fresh fruits: big, juicy strawberries, sweet pineapple, papaya,
watermelon, cantaloupe. Unfortunately, there wasn't any yogurt available. I also visited the 2 alternative
restaurants: Kyoto (Japanese) & Prego (Italian). Personally, I felt that Prego offered more choices & the
quality of the food was better. They also have themed afternoon teas: Colonial, American & a Mozart tea
(which I missed). You go to the Palm Court where waiters serve you tea & pastries, etc. The tea was not
spectacular although the setting is beautiful. They have musicians playing during the tea time. There is also
an ice cream bar that is open from 11 am - 5 pm. There are at least one dozen flavors to choose from. Also,
you can add toppings, such as Creme de Menthe, Creme de Cacao, etc. There is also the Trident Grill
where you can order burgers (beef, chicken, salmon, veggie), hot dogs, pizza, etc. (good quality food here).
Ports of Call - I visited Skagway, Ketchikan, Juneau, Sitka & cruised Glacier Bay. Sitka is a small town with a
population of about 700. There's a lot of churches. This town has a Russian flavor. It's very quaint. Juneau
is the largest of the ports we visited. Ketchikan can be very crowded in the afternoon, especially with 3 or 4
ships in port. Skagway's main street, Broadway, is about 2-3 blocks long. With 3 or 4 ships in port, it gets
crowded by 11 am.
Cruise Activities - On sea days, there's plenty of activities for everyone. On port days, unless you're going
ashore, there's not too much to do on board ship. I appreciated the movie theater in addition to the in-cabin
movies & video library.
Shops on Board - There are 3-4 fashion shops. Very pricey. One thing they don't have is a sundry shop
where you could pick up toothpaste, chips, candy, etc.
Cruise staff - All the staff on board were very friendly. It felt like a small community. The friendliness of the
staff extended to the passengers. I felt that the passengers were friendlier to each other, too. I didn't hear
staff members grumbling/complaining to each other.
Beauty Salon Staff - I had a hair makeover consultation with Eric Muller the hairstylist. He seemed very
knowledgeable about what type of hairstyle would suit me. When I had my haircut a few days later, he spent
45 minutes cutting my hair. He kept his scissors in a special box, & took great care to put them back when
he was finished. It made me think of a surgeon who takes special care with his instruments. He
recommended some products for my hair but was not pushy about it.
Casino - There was a variety of slots, here. 25 cents to $5.00 The casino was not as large & glamorous as it
appeared on the virtual ship's tour.
Ship's Cleanliness - It was clean but some of it was looking rather old & tired. Chips in the bathroom tile,
holes in the bedding linen, worn out carpet, etc.
Cabin Comfort - I enjoyed the extra touches: duvets instead of scratchy blankets, nightlight,hair dryers,
alarm clock. The bathroom could've used an exhaust fan, though.
Cabin Amenities - Pre-threaded needles, shoe polish, Neutrogena shampoo,conditioner. Fruit basket is
replenished daily & any rotting fruit is discarded.
Cabin Quietness - I was disappointed to be able to hear my next door neighbors talking, drawers opening &
closing.
Shore Excursion Variety - Lots of choices, here. From sedate to active: kayaking, dog sleds, helicopter
tours, hiking, biking, etc. However, it's cheaper to arrange your own.
Tender Service - We tendered in Sitka. They had 3 tenders operating at the same time. When we got to the
dock. They had juice & bouillon available while you waited for the tender. (a thoughtful touch!) Also, before
you leave the ship, they have a huge bowl of moist towelettes. (another thoughtful gesture!)
Entertainment - The production show was not as good as I was led to believe.
Miscellaneous - On the way to Juneau, we spotted some sea lions on the port side. Since it was dinner time,
the captain made a 360* turn so that all the passengers could see them.
Also, when the sea was rough, the captain would slow down the ship.
The non-denominational church service was very well done. They had a priest who wore his vestments.
They had a table with the altar cloth & a cross & candles on it. They had service booklets, hymn books, & an
accompanist. It was a real service! Unfortunately, the priest didn't sing & neither did the accompanist, so the
singing was lacking. Also, the service was held in the late afternoon. It would've had better attendance in the
early morning.
I liked the fact that they didn't use a lot of extra paper to announce what was on sale in the gift shop that
day.
The bar waiters were not pushy.
Very few shipboard announcements.
Even the public restrooms are inviting. There is a choice of hand towels, paper towels, or air dryer. With real
plants & potpourri to add a touch of warmth.
Overall, I was really impressed by the friendliness of the staff & the level of service.
Name: Richard Steckler
Email: rsteckl@sfo.com
Age: 62
Occupation: Retired
NumberOfCruises: 3
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Crystal-Harmony
SailingDate: June 5, 2000
Itinerary: San Francisco-Alaska-San Francisco
Cabin: 7098/D
FoodDiningRoom: 95
CruiseDirector: 95
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService: 90
CruiseStaff: 99
CabinAmenities: 99
FoodLidoDeck: 90
DiningRoomService: 95
CabinQuietness: 99
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 99
ShoreExcVariety: 99
FoodVariety: 90
DeckService: 95
ShoreExcValue: 90
GoodForHoneymoon: 80
CasinoStaff: 90
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 80
LoungeService: 90
TenderService: 95
GoodForSeniors: 99
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges:
WheelchairAccess: 95
ExerciseFacilities: 95
EntertShowLounge: 99
OverallPortsofCall: 99
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside:
CruiseActivities: 99
Casino: 95
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 99
EmbarkDisembark: 99
DiscoNightclubs: 95
DeckSpace: 99
Stabilization: 95
ShopsOnBoard: 95
SpaceRatio: 95
OverallCruiseValue: 90
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 20 Jun 2000
Time: 20:24:06
Remote Name: sf-321.sfo.com
Remote User:
Comments
The June 5th round trip from San Francisco included Victoria, BC and the glorious Inside Passage to
Southeast Alaska with cruising through Glacier Bay National Park and ports of Ketchican, Scagway, Sitka,
and Juneau. The weather cooperated and the trip was beautiful.
The Crystal Harmony is a lovely ship, spotlessly maintained, and has all manner of activities to please most
any interest. The hotel staff were unfailingly cheerful and helpful. There were lectures available on
geopolitical subjects, gemstones and interpersonal relationships. Dance instruction, Bridge instruction, a
couple of wine tastings along with two feature films a day in an excellent movie theater were also available.
The evening entertainment was first-rate with professional musical shows, several solo concerts and
Caesar's Palace at Sea. It is, in my opinion, very difficult for even a very picky person to find fault with the
sum of activities available. For that quiet time in the cabin, there were four movie channels 24 hours a day
and CNN always available, along with a variety of shipboard and foreign language channels. (On the
suggestion form I did request CNBC.) There was plenty of closet and drawer space for my wife and me on
the 12 day cruise. We both liked the marble-trimmed tub with combined shower. The materials used
throughout the ship were 'the real thing' and added so much to the elegance of the cruise. Our cabin
stewardess was a charming Swedish schoolteacher making extra summer money. All the stewards we were
in contact with were natural and friendly.
As you may have noticed, I haven't mentioned the food because some perspective was in order. And, in
addition, most of those cruisemates we chatted with found the food to be simply great. The main galley
attempts to present a kind of universal 'American' cuisine with Continental touches. What emerges is a kind
of hit or miss melange that ranges from the very good to the downright inedible. Please understand that my
wife and I both thought the provisions first rate. It is in the preparation that strange things happened. One
inspired whole fresh lobster, shelled by the waiter, was sweet and tender, cooked to perfection. On another
evening, a miso soup was inedible. The executive chef was informed and he apologized through the waiter
saying the soup had come from a recipe and had not been tasted.(!) The pastries were excellent and the
desserts in general were very fine. Breakfasts were always first rate and cafe americano or capuccino
always available. One cruisemate mentioned that he had never had a bad dish but, he added, he always
asked his waiter who nodded or shook his head by way of suggestion.
All in all, I would not hesitate to cruise again on this ship. The comfortable refinement of this ship and the
overall experience makes for many repeat cruisers. As with a favorite friend with a foible or two, one accepts
the foibles and moves on to other considerations.
Name: Randy Shiroma
Email: rshiroma@hotmail.com
Age: 29
Occupation: Network Administrator
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Crystal-Harmony
SailingDate: June 28, 2000
Itinerary: Alaska Inside Passage
Cabin: 5040 / G
FoodDiningRoom: 100
CruiseDirector: 95
CabinComfort: 98
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 95
CabinAmenities: 95
FoodLidoDeck: 100
DiningRoomService: 100
CabinQuietness: 90
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 98
ShoreExcVariety: 95
FoodVariety: 100
DeckService: 98
ShoreExcValue: 95
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService: 95
TenderService: 98
GoodForSeniors: 100
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges:
WheelchairAccess: 100
ExerciseFacilities: 100
EntertShowLounge: 100
OverallPortsofCall: 95
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside:
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino: 95
AirSeaProgram: 100
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 100
EmbarkDisembark: 100
DiscoNightclubs: 85
DeckSpace: 100
Stabilization: 90
ShopsOnBoard: 85
SpaceRatio: 95
OverallCruiseValue: 99
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 16 Jul 2000
Time: 22:05:08
Remote Name: a24b94n87client220.hawaii.rr.com
Remote User:
Comments
This was my first cruise, which I had been leery about taking but was persuaded eventually by my
girlfriend whose family had planned on this Alaska cruise. They are veterans at cruises and have
sailed the world away on all the different lines out there even on those that no longer exist. When I
saw the sticker price, I was shocked. My mother had just completed two cruises on the Princess and
Holland line and did not even come close to the amount I was looking at. However, being cruise
specialists, they were persistent on the Crystal line. I had not even heard of Crystal nor have seen
any commercials or ads for them. I was in for a surprise. At the San Francisco airport we were
greeted at the gate from a Crystal representative. She escorted us to the baggage claim and hired
porters to send our luggage to the shuttle pickup. We were scheduled at the Westin Resort by our
representative who again hired porters. She gave us instructions to meet her in the lobby at 8:00am.
The next morning, we found her in the lobby at 7:30am. She took us to the Sheraton where a Crystal
embarkation desk was set up and had a wonderful brunch buffet in one of the Sheraton’s lecture
rooms. We were given a group number, cabin room keys, luggage tags, and departure time to the
ship. It was several hours away and therefore had a leisure time strolling through Pier 39 and
Fisherman’s Wharf. Back at the Sheraton, our shuttle transfer to the ship was efficient and timely as
well. Groups were arranged by check in time and departure was skewed accordingly to avoid any
long line waiting. At the ship, two photographers were taking embarkation photos and we were
directed to our cabin via a lineup of escorts at every passageway intersection. Our luggage and
hand-carry was already in the cabin. The rooms are well laid out and extremely tidy. Not a hint of
cigarette smoke - something I despise. We met our friendly stewardess who informed us about the
lifejacket drill within the hour and directions to our proper station. At first, I grumbled but noticed that
it gets it out of the way immediately. Dinner was casual dress and I was intimidated by the
professionalism but the waiters, wine stewards, and maitre de were extremely friendly and joked
around with us to make us really feel at home. Served six star cuisines every night. Such dining can
only be found at places like Kahala Mandarin or Ihilani Resort in Hawaii. Formal nights are scheduled
only on at-sea days to avoid rushing back from excursions. There are four other areas of dining
besides the main dining hall including a Japanese and Italian restaurant. The food is spectacular no
matter where you go but be sure to make reservations if required. Breakfast in the main dining hall is
just as good as the dinners. The breakfast and lunch buffets in the Lido Cafe are one of the things I
will truly miss from this voyage. Adding to the perfection, there are large scheduled theme buffets
such as an Asian theme or Mediterranean theme, staged just outside the Lido Café. My favorite was
the sushi buffet. For a sinful lunch, try the hamburger/hotdog stand next to the pool. Best garden
burger and french fries I have ever tasted. Service in all the ship’s eating areas are unbeatable. In
the afternoons, wander on into the Palm Court for a beautifully laid out enclosed seating area for
high tea where a live trio plays classical music. There, you will leisurely enjoy mini-sandwiches, finger
desserts, sconces, and a variety of tea from all over the world served via tuxedo-clad waiters on fine
china. Enjoy and relax as you gaze beyond the glass walls onto the beauty that God’s hand hath
bestowed. In cold areas like Glacier Bay where everyone flocks to the exterior decks, these tuxedo
waiters go around serving hot cocoa. Entertainment onboard is catered to the senior crowd. Stage
shows are as good as Broadway and the movie theater plays all the latest releases found at your
local video rental like “The Green Mile” and “American Beauty”. The stage performances are
spectacular and currently, Crystal is the only cruise line to have licensed Rogers and Hammerstein
pieces. Various lectures are presented including wine judging and space exploration. For readers,
borrow a book from the fairly stocked library or bring your own and find a reclined lawn chair awaiting
you at the back of the ship complete with towels and blankets. Delve deep into fiction or non as you
lazily drift away on the open sea stretched out before you with a fire-orange sunset just off to the
right. For late nighters, borrow a movie or two from the library and watch it in your cabin just before
bedtime. Because the Crystal ships have a relatively low amount of passengers (less than 1000), all
excursions have plenty of room for all to enjoy. Even excursion swapping is not a problem and
differences in cost are automatically resolved for you. Tender service is on time and there are
usually two tenders at the pier and the ship. I think the only time we were ever kept waiting was on
the land tours where there are always those stragglers that get on the bus late. It happened that I
was to be one of them. Before embarking on your next voyage, give Crystal a look over and try not to
rule it out based on sticker price alone. It is hard for most of us with excursion and gratuities as
added expenses. Keep in mind that you will get what you pay for but Crystal is the ocean’s best kept
secret.
Want to book your cruise at a great rate?
Click here.
Questions or comments? Mail to webmaster@cruiseopinion.com.
Copyright ©1996-2001 CruiseOpinion.com. Last modified: August 21, 2000.