We have cruised Crystal on 4 other occasions and enjoyed each one immensely. This was no exception. We had our daughter and her husband with us this time, and it was fun to see the experience through their eyes. Our departure from Vancouver was very smooth and we were in our rooms by 2pm. We chose to sit at a table for 4 every night and just enjoy each other's company. The main dining room was our favorite place, although we did go to Umi Uma, which was good and Prego, which was very good. Service was impeccable throughout the cruise but we especially enjoyed our waiters in the Waterside (main dining room). They were cheerful, funny and extremely competent. Our head waiter, Andres, went out of his way to provide a special dessert request one night. Although I did not use the spa services, my daughter had a pedicure and she raved about the lovely woman that did her nails. There were a few more children on this cruise than usual, around 12 or so, but they were well behaved and rarely heard. Note to cruisers that are considering Crystal: if you have never experienced an all inclusive cruise, you should not think twice. It is worth every penny. This ship is never crowded, almost no lines or long waits for anything. Internet is great in most locations. Staff and crew are superb. Food is outstanding. Wines served with dinner are very good and top shelf liquor is included in your fare. Embarkation and debarkation are smooth. Read Less

We took our extended family on this Alaskan cruise to celebrate a 70th b-day...ages 5-89yrs...we had a blast....our last Crystal experience was 2003. Our family was blown-away with the excellent service, & the gourmet dining experience, we ate in the MDR, Silk Road & our favorite Prego..wow loved the re-model..very elegant feeling...service every where on the ship was excellent...only thing we heard was "my pleasure"...and with a smile. We loved the hor'dourves in the bars before dinner, each night they were different...The attention to detail was evident with our cabin Steward as well...a light went out around the mirror..we didn't even have to request...it was done...soap was running low but didn't have to ask it was done...the ship was spotless...our cabin was smaller than we remembered or we are larger then we were in 2003! lots of drawer and closet space and shelves in the bathroom...amenities in the bathroom were larger then one usually gets, so more than enough for a 12 days cruise...the cabin was also very quiet, only downside was the one electrical outlet...will need to bring a dual plug next time....the reading light I loved but birthday boy kept hitting his head...This cruise had 90 kids on board...and many extended families..we met wonderful people...our granddaughter had a special place go to and just loved the activities including an evening program from 8-10pm...well thought out Crystal...Our past experience with Crystal was with an older group of well traveled passengers...but this cruise had a great cross section of ages...and everyone was very friendly....Great and interesting speakers on board..entertainment was top notch...the emerging artist program wow....I know we heard the next Ella Fitzgerald...Our adult children opted for an Alaskan cruise...as this was my 3rd Alaska cruise..The first one 30 years ago!!!!!We enjoyed the ports...Victoria we opted to go kayaking with Oceanandriver.com..we came touching distance of a pup harbor seal...cool...Vancouver is a great walking city...check out Granville Island and Stanley Park...the sail way from Vancover was beautiful as the Champagne flowed! Juneau we did the float trip...starting at the Mendenhall Glacier with loads of ice in the water....fun trip for the family...my daughter did the dog sledding in Skagway, had a ball...we opted for the train up and kayaking...it was way to cold to do the later but we really enjoyed the train ride an the scenery...Sitka we went to see the otters, which were cool and the bear sanctuary....we enjoyed that very much....other family members did the Raptor center and the little town and got very close to bald eagles, which are all over the place...just have to look for that puff of white...in Ketchikan we went on the canoe and nature walk...it was ok..no wild life to spot however...2 sons did the zip line and are still talking about it! Awesome!We had a great time with our family and had excellent service from beginning to end! Well done...we will be back... Read Less