Crystal Esprit Review

5.0 / 5.0
0 reviews

Crystal yachts - tweaks to come, but already pretty fantastic

Review for the Eastern Mediterranean Cruise on Crystal Esprit
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JTor
10+ Cruises • Age 50s

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Sail Date: Jul 2016

We just came back from our cruise on the Crystal Esprit and enjoyed it very much. It’s a very new and interesting concept and they are still working out exactly what it is, I think. We thought it was terrific and would like to do it again, but we’re also curious how it is going to evolve. Every person on board said they’d do it again but at the same time, everyone had certain “tweaks” they would like to see. I think it’s an interesting territory they are trying to inhabit, in between a “cruise” and the experience of being on a private yacht. Now it’s more the former but I think they will go more in the yacht direction over time.

There are max 62 guests on board and we found it to be a more international crowd than usual for Crystal – roughly equal numbers of Americans and Australians, followed by Brits, with Canadians, Mexicans, Spanish and Italian guests also represented. Everyone spoke excellent English. Mostly couples, of ages varying from about 40 to about 80, though all with good mobility (no elevators on this ship). Some interesting groups, for example there were two young girls (10 and 13 respectively) each traveling with their grandparents (not traveling together, though I think they were happy to meet each other on board!); also 2 large multigenerational family groups (adults) celebrating special occasions. The itinerary was TERRIFIC – from the time we left Venice until we pulled into Dubrovnik we didn’t see another cruise ship, and it was great to be going into these tiny harbours and charming towns with all the sailboats. The weather was perfect, the sea was warm, and Croatia is just gorgeous.

They have all kinds of watersport facilities on board that were underutilized because the Croatian government is still being very sticky about giving them permits to run the jet skis, submarine, etc. It’s clear this is something they’re working on, it the experience will be better when that is an option every day rather than just once or twice during the sailing. I understand that this part of the experience was much more dominant and "amazing" in the Seychelles, where they are much less restricted.

Cabin Review

Cabin basic

We had one of the smallest cabins on the ship but it was less tight than I expected given the size of this ship. Beautifully appointed in every way. Reasonable hanging space but a bit short on drawers/shelves - pack accordingly!

Port Reviews

Venice

what can one say about Venice? end of July, pretty busy but not too crowded to be wonderful. Wonderful! The ship docks right in the centre of town, a 20 min walk from San Marco!!!

Dubrovnik

Another amazing port. Walked the city walls, have done it before, will do it again given the chance. Unique in the world and so beautiful....

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