Crystal Symphony Review

-- / 5.0
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The mostly good, the bad and surprizing ugly.

Review for the Western Caribbean Cruise on Crystal Symphony
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hummock
6-10 Cruises • Age 80s

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Sail Date: Oct 2011

Before boarding the "Symphony" October 25 for a 12 night to Bermuda and the Caribbean, a three night New York pre stay was delightful, anchored by a fine hotel "The Setai", newly built from the ground up, staring at the Empire State Building. My wife and I, treating ourselves to a belated 47 year anniversary, watched a top Broadway Show "Going Away" and the the next evening,a Cuban band while dining. We visited The Whitney and New York City museums, Ground Zero Memorial and the protest encampments. We strolled the High Line Park, ingeniously landscaped on top of an abandoned railway trestle. Also we took Greenwich and East Village walking tour in which residents spend millions for historic quarters with tiny AC boxes in the windows.

I boarded the "Symphony" with an incipient cold which manifested itself fully mid cruise. However, the seas were smooth. I managed to attend most ship events and go ashore in which I found the Caribbean Islands less interesting and exotic than Far East Ports and environs, which have more variety than the proliferation of endless tax and duty free stores which envelope the Caribbean ports. However, a satisfying out of town alternative is the fine beaches and water sports. We discovered two gorgeous beaches as the swimming was calm, buttressed by sugary and rock free sand. In contrast, Grand Cayman Seven Mile Beach was disturbed by a recent storm.(The beauty of travel is that that one's perceptions can change for better or worse, no matter how many travel books, cruise folders,or weather reports one reads. Nicely, Crystal Cruise Lines was a good cocoon). The Caribbean island taxi rides seemed exorbitant, as in Bermuda, but there I liked the shop keepers best as their manners seemed more refined and street touts were rare.

Antigua was lively and rollicking, with clothes, behavior and cars mimicking inner city youth culture in America, a country and president they admire. The street scene was a relief from the social rigidity and constant activities aboard the "Sympathy". Dining,lectures,card games,table tennis, fitness instruction,dance lessons, just never ending.. The ship, not unlike a wondrous summer camp for retirees, like myself, had luscious dinning and endless activities, but the cramped window only cabins forces couples to escape early elsewhere on the ship. Never mind, Crystal has some event or activity to entertain you to relieve any boredom. My advice is to book a balcony, if affordable, as the wonderful promenade deck has few chairs to escape the pool crowd and really be left alone, not trading stares. The bathroom was compact but the shower water forceful and always hot. The cabin AC was quiet. One could sleep, but the bed was too firm so a crew member brought foam immediately.

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