I was very very disappointed with Crystal. I took the advice of the travel agent but now realize that she might have recommended it because she gets a bigger kickback from them. I have been on many cruise ships of all sizes from the largest RCL to Norwegian and Seabourne. She told me that Crystal was the best by far. I decided to bite the bullet and take a cruise with them. Wow this ship has seen better days. Apart from the tiny room with the furniture that looked so cheap and dated. The whole ship decor was not only dated but looked worn out. ditto with the carpet and the lighting. And the main dining room was like a three star hotel dining room . From the boarding to the reception the staff I can only say was NOT top notch. Many looked like they did not want to be there. The lady who took us to our room (worked at the spa) barely spoke to us and I noticed wasnt greeting guests she walked past as I was accustomed to . I was also taken aback by the end of day boarding after an excursion. On all the ships I have been on their is staff welcomed you back on the ship with a smile and refreshements (*water or juice on the larger lines, champagne on Seabourne) On Crystal not even a plastic glass with water. No one was there except for the surly ship crew mates. The food was fine but I would say the quality was just as good on the bigger ships in the extra fee venues. The servers although nice were harried, again not what you expect from a 5 star experience. Did I mention the rooms were ridiculously tiny? For the same amount of money you can get a suite on the Haven (Norwegian) with a butler and the private pool. similar price for a much larger balcony suite on Seabourne, or if you like a larger ship the loft suites on RCL. Service on these other ships was just as good. Again I am not sure about where all the raves come for Crystal. My 1 star review is mainly because of the quality price ratio. At a cheaper price I might not have had as high expectations. Kind of like going out to a fine dining michelin starred restaurant but instead getting a quality chain restaurant food and service. And the WI-Fi prices Usurious. I paid $200 For 10 Hours I think, It almost never worked and the staff in the computer was very surly. when I asked if I could get a refund for the 6 hours I didnt /couldnt use (due to the poor connection) they said "no" . Read Less

They could not make a Room Access Card for my wife that worked for five days. They kept blaming her for demagnetising the card when for 21 cruises we have worn our card in a Lanyard around our neck. Could not get a Hot Meal in the Dining Room. Even the hot Soups were cold. Complaints were not able to fix the problem. Could not get a Steak Medium Rare as they always came well done. Excursions were of poor quality and well over prices we spent A$2500 and got half that value. Complaints were ignored. No Musical Entertainment between 8.30 and 9.30pm. The Cruise Director would do nothing about it. Bridge Sessions were only 2 hours on sea days and on port days no equipment would be made available. Ran out of Saporro and Tsingtao beer even though there was a large Asian Passenger list. Also ran out of Hot Chocolate. All in all a poor experience in what is supposed to be a five Star line. Aparently since Changing hands they have deteriorated. Read Less