Crystal Symphony

MAY

<p data-end="259" data-start="51"><span style="font-size:12px;"><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">Just back from an unforgettable 10/10 cruise on the stunning Crystal Symphony! Loved relaxing by the beautiful Seahorse Pool and enjoying incredible specialty dining at the Beef Bar and Chef Nobu&rsquo;s Umi Uma.</span></span></p> <p data-end="438" data-start="261"><span style="font-size:12px;"><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">Entertainment was fantastic with dancers, piano players, and a great band. Our Cruise Director, Vicki Van Tassel, kept us laughing and wowed us at the White Apparel Night Party.</span></span></p> <p data-end="609" data-start="440"><span style="font-size:12px;"><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">Huge thanks to our amazing stateroom staff for their friendly, attentive service&mdash;including a welcome champagne basket and keeping my mini fridge stocked with ginger ale.</span></span></p> <p data-end="761" data-start="611"><span style="font-size:12px;"><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">Everything ran smoothly&mdash;from vouchers and dining reservations to boarding. No lines, no stress. The computer lab staff were lifesavers with tech help.</span></span></p> <p data-end="803" data-start="763"><span style="font-size:12px;"><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">Can&rsquo;t wait to cruise with Crystal again!</span></span></p>

MAY

This was my first cruise and my wife’s second. We were very impressed with Crystal overall. The ship is beautiful and the cabin was very well laid out. The most impressive thing to us was the staff and there level of attention to details and the fact that they all go out of there way to make sure you’re taken care of. A bunch of them get to know your name and what you drink and are making sure your cups never empty. Having a butler in every cabin is great, he’d make sure everything you needed was taken care of. The food on board was also very impressive. Uma Uma was outstanding and we ate there twice. The breakfast and lunch buffet was great with many choices and great quality. The main dining hall was also very good and changes their menu every day with some real good options. The ice cream bar and grill were also great. The pool and sun deck were good (wish the hot tub would have been warmer), and you could find a lounge chair in the sun or a chair in the shade (sea day was a bit crowded but not too bad. Fitness area was great for me ( almost no one was there) spa area to change was small but good with sauna and steam room wish they had an other jacuzzi there). There was plenty of excursions to choose from (Crystal doesn’t include any free ones) and we did them every day (next cruise we may have a couple of days where we just go and explore on our own.

MAY

<div>Virtually every aspect of this cruise was perfection. Symphony is well-maintained, fresh and luxurious with lively public spaces and very comfortable and beautifully appointed cabins. The crew is extremely attentive, friendly and professional. We were delighted to be so warmly welcomed back by those who recognized us from a voyage last year. IMHO, the cuisine is excellent and compares well to the finest on land or sea, from the sublimely delicious Japanese offerings of Nobu to the tea-smoked baos at Beef Bar, which replaced our old favorite restaurant on Symphony, Tastes. While the exotic ports of Southeast Asia and India on this itinerary may not appeal to every traveller&#39;s tastes, we found them to be exciting, interesting and easy to navigate. The mid-journey destinations were perfect one-day stops. Kudos to Crystal for including excursions that were eco-friendly and community-based. We loved visiting the Bang Rong village in Phuket and learning how to tap rubber trees and cook with the locals. What a delight to spend the day exploring an Indonesian island on a tuk tuk and return to Symphony for a fabulous cappucino, mezze appetizers and freshly baked pastries. Sea days had a nice mix of activities including thoughtful lectures, dance classes, yoga and art classes. Evening entertainment was varied and crowd-pleasing. I appreciated the timing which allowed for a leisurely dinner followed by a show. Laundry room was well stocked, clean and always easy to use, making it easy to pack light, a goal to which I aspire, but sadly never succeed at. :)</div>

NOVEMBER

The Crystal Symphony is elegant, with warm colors and sophisticated accents. She has spacious public areas offering complete comfort in a spotlessly clean environment. Staterooms meet this same criteria with large bathrooms, and more than sufficient storage space ( many with walk in closets). It was wonderful to have true Butler Service and a more than comfortable King Bed. The Staff is delightful, warm and welcoming. The overall feel on the Ship was happy, this resonated with all, Passengers and Staff, throughout the 14 days of our Cruise. Every need was met with every request attended to with positiveness. All of the Restaurants offered Fresh flavorful food, with the Dining Room - Waterside, Specialty Dining - Taste of the Kitchen, Umi Uma, Osteria D' Ovidio offering delicious Cuisine. Entertainment was varied throughout the Ship, with easy listening Music in the Atrium, Soft Piano, Acoustic Guitar, Violin, to Ballroom Dance Music every evening in Palm Court or Starlight lounge before and after dinner, not to leave out Piano Playing and Singing in the Avenue Saloon. The Shows in the Galaxy Lounge showcased a multitude of Evening Entertainment by some of the best performers at Sea, Broadway and Elton John Covers, British Comedian, Classical Music Performers, British Talent Winners, every evening was a fun time had by all. Shore Excursions are well conceived for each destination with Professional and Experienced Guides and priced fairly. Crystal Cruises offers an Exceptional Experience at Sea.

OCTOBER

<div>Thoroughly enjoyed my time on the Symphony. Staff could not have been more accommodating. Tons of onboard activities each day! No crowds, no waiting for any services. Very organized embarkation and disembarkation in all ports and beginning and end of cruise. Felt really well cared for by the staff.</div>

JUNE

The ship is sparkling new, rooms are a mix of those renovated in 2017 and 2022. The 2022 renovations proved superb. We stayed in an Aquamarine Suite and the room design is the best of any ship we've traveled aboard so far for a moderate-range suite. It offers two vanities for two people to get ready, a large bathroom with lots of drawers, space, double sink and large rain shower. The tuxedo-clad Butler service for all is cheerful, indulgent and guests feel spoiled. We loved the canapes and bottle of champagne delivered EVERY DAY unfailingly at happy hour! The programming and amenities are extensive and what I consider best in class. The stocked pickleball court has paddel & pickleball raquets & balls, golf driving range and golf lessons are excellent, the pool & jacuzzi are a nice size and plush cushioned lounge chairs are plentiful all over the deck space on the ship. The computer learning lab offers ipad, iphone and computer classes, movies in the movie theater, dance hosts offer dance lessons, there are art lessons and lectures, so there is always something interesting for active adults to do. Again, I consider the programming best in class. What was lacking was fitness programming. There were limited yoga classes scheduled and all WAY TOO EARLY for the vacationer. Who wants to get up at 6:30 on vacation to take a 7 am yoga class. Ship docked in port daily at 8:00 and for all going ashore, the timing was bad for many reasons. Guests complained there was no yoga instructor, person on board was untrained in yoga. The nightly entertainment was exceptional: the musical song&dance group were extremely talented, shows were clever themes with excellent professional costumes & choreography. CJ Martin (Elton John) was outstanding, The pianists were outstanding including Richard Wilson and the Piano Bar entertainer. The musical duo needs to go, they were embarrassing relative to the rest of entertainment. The sushi restaurant was outstanding. The Italian restaurant was good, and Tastes was a great concept but the menu never changed so we couldn't force ourselves to go again, despite loving the atmosphere. It is a tapas menu, so we tasted everything in the first go-around.

MAY

Staff on the boat is great, attentive and friendly. Restaurants are all very good, especially the sushi restaurant. Bars are nice also, especially the avenue saloon. Good entertainment and musicians. Cruise director Vicky was the best. It’s a 29 year old ship so missing some amenities such as bathroom and bedside plugs(we had a ph suite). Showers were a little small and no poolside bar.

APRIL

The entertainment was quite varied and very enjoyable with a comedian, pianist, broadway-style performances, and various other performers. The food was quite good, however having a few additional entre options in the main dining room would have been nice. The excursions were good for the most part, however they are a bit pricey. The STAFF IS THE BEST!!

OCTOBER

We wish we had known more ahead of time about the "White Dress Party", which will be a part of every Crystal Cruise going forward. Although we perused the document "Before You Sail" twice, we didn't realize the white dress party was such a big deal, including the dining room and main area near the fountain and grand staircase being lavishly decorated in white. We would have brought white attire with us. After realizing we were suppose to dress in white attire that evening for the white dress party, we purchased white attire in a shop onboard. We thoroughly enjoyed listening to the band and dancing near the fountain and grand staircase along with the other guests dressed in white.

OCTOBER

Unfortunately, one of our group of 6 came down with Covid on day 7 and several of our group came down with it shortly after. We were quarantined in our rooms until departure on Friday. Even those of us who tested negative and lived with someone who tested positive had to stay in the room. It really ruined our trip since we were not able to use the ship’s facilities or go ashore for the remainder of our trip. So most of us missed seeing Croatia and that was one of the main places we wanted to visit on this cruise. So not the best experience unfortunately.