We recently completed our first Crystal cruise (Vancouver to LA), after having cruised many times on NCL, HAL, and most recently, Regent. We wanted to try Crystal because of the new all-inclusive policy, and because we had heard such good things about them. Also, the itinerary was good for us, because we have to maintain internet connectivity while on vacation for our jobs, and we could use our MiFi card while in these ports (rather than having to pay the expensive internet fees onboard). In many ways, Crystal really wowed us; in others, not so much.

Embarkation: After dropping off our bags and going through security, we had about a 20 minute wait in the port terminal. We were then called to the gangway, where a crewmember met us to escort us. We first had to stop for the mandatory Welcome Aboard photo, after which we were escorted onto the ship and into a lounge where we did a very quick and very easy check-in. We were extremely surprised to find that there were no officers at the entrance and no glass of welcome aboard champagne to greet us. It was a bit impersonal, truthfully. We found out that there was a very large group of travel agents onboard (over 100, including their children who were with them), being given tours by the ships staff, so that might have been the reason for no greeting. Apparently having these large tours whenever a ship is in port is a common Crystal practice, one that Im not too fond of, as it did seem as if the TAs were being given much more attention than the passengers. We had to find our way to the dining room, as there was no one to direct us, and we really felt like fish out of water, especially since this was our first time on a Crystal ship and we could have used a bit more guidance.

Ship: The Symphony is absolutely beautiful. She is so well maintained that it is hard to believe that she is 18 years old. There are numerous lounges with different decors and themes, a very large library and computer center, a large coffee cafe, and the Palm Court, which is Crystals version of the Observation Lounge (which was very elegant and opulent, but just a bit too formal for us). The pool area is divided into two areas: the open pool deck, and a separate deck that has a retractable roof covering it, where both the pool grill and bar are located. The retractable roof was a nice touch, especially on this cruise, where the weather was often cool. The deck furniture is far superior to that of any ship weve ever been on. There were comfortable couches, loungers and chairs with big cushions and lots of pillows, as well as plenty of tables with umbrellas, and a very interesting living wall which was covered with various live plants. The pool deck became our favorite place on the ship and where we spent most of our time. Read more