Crystal Symphony Review

Uneven experience for Skyscrapers to Ice Castles

Review for Canada & New England Cruise on Crystal Symphony
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Gardener222
10+ Cruises • Age 80s

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Value for Money
Embarkation
Dining
Public Rooms
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Additional details

Sail Date: Jun 2014
Cabin: Deluxe Stateroom with Verandah

I had great hopes after reading reviews on this company. what I found is that my husband and I are not a "good fit" for Crystal. On this trip while the passengers were nice we were younger than most of them who had been on numerous cruises with Crystal some from when Crystal was started. The atmosphere to me is one of a "Country Club" with the majority of the cruisers being well educated repeat cruisers in their 70s who share similar interests etc. Most seem to like the all inclusive plan of cruising. For those of us who use alcohol sparingly this can feel like we are not getting good value for our cruise $. I would prefer to pay for my beverages alcohol and non-alcohol . I found the ship to feel dated, lacking the glamor of newer ships e.g. the carpets were fraying in areas. I was told that the ship will go to dry stock in September in Germany for 21 days. It is easy to navigate being a smaller ship.

Our cabin 8135 a balcony at the end of the hall in the stern felt cramped. The furnishings were similar to what I have experienced on Princess. Nothing special. The advantage of our location at the end of the hall was that it was quiet with minimal foot traffic compared to where we usually have our cabin mid-ship.

Food was consistently excellent and the service in dining room good. The lido deck does not serve dinner and for me this was a negative as I don't always want to spend the time going to the dining room for dinner. I wish the calorie content with nutritional content of the food for at least a few items would be stated. Knowing the calorie and nutrition content would aid passengers wanting to eat healthy to do so. The trident grill could be crowded at peak times and service could be improved by increasing staffing.

Cabin Review

Deluxe Stateroom with Verandah

Cabin B1

The soaps and hand cremes in the bathrooms public and in cabins are highly perfumed. With many people allergic to perfumes, I question why the soap, shampoo etc need to have these strong odors. The cabin felt small & dated with a need for updating. I felt that the glass sinks that were mounted above the counter could be a safety risk if the ship was rocking and a passenger were to grab one for support. Ditto, I don't need a bathtub when cruising and dont like stepping out of one to floor for fear of falling when the ship is rocking. The distance from the tub to the floor is higher than from stepping out of a shower to the floor. I would have liked one sink instead of 2 to allow for more room on the counter. The TV was smaller than ones that we have while cruising on Princess. Adequate but nothing special.

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