Pointfreak!

A walk in closet?! My God, how many clothes do these people take on a cruise!!! Even on a 10-day, I can fit everything into one bag!

Then again I spend most of my time in shorts on-deck. Fashion be ****ed...I'm on vacation!

brendamc

Well, I have only been on one Crystal cruise, but... I felt the people were different - more nouveau-riche 'showy-offy' types, the cabins on SS are 100 times better & larger, most have verandas, a must, open seating is another must for us, all-inclusive is a huge bonus - I hate being nickel & dimed and am willing to pay for all up front & not having to be hassled with signing chits, tips, etc. BTW, we still usually tip those who have offered incredible service at the end of the cruise, even though there is a no tipping policy - they try to refuse, but don't fight all that long or hard... I think when you compare apples with apples - the cost of a 300 sq ft suite w/ veranda on Crystal with a regular suite on SS that you will find SS less $$, with much more included.



brendamc

For me, that's the fun of it - wearing all the clothes I don't have a chance to in my day to day soccer (actually swim team & basketball) mom life. And I love seeing my husband in a tux... You'd be appalled at how much we take on and a walk-in closet is definitely a necessity! Thank goodness for porters...

pbjag

I strongly recommend Silversea as well. Took my first cruise with them last summer and even though expectations were very high, it far exceeded our expectations.

Can't wait to book another one.

brendamc

Enjoy the Diamond - we did - just don't pack a lot! Can't put my finger on it, but totally different feeling about the passengers on Crystal (& that obviously could have just been the sailing we were on) - very 'showy-offy money,' not understated at all, did not like being nickel & dimed for drinks at those rates, tips were expected and the Silversea standard suites are heads & tails better in size & amenities than Crystal's (of course, we always get verandas, but that's only 1 category up).

Our last cruise was fabulous - still dreaming about it. SS has opened 'La Salletta' restaurants on each ship. Chef at Girasol, 2 star in N Spain, has designed the menus & trained the chefs - basically a set menu, with your choice of meat or fish - max. 24 guests - just wonderful. Only caveat is that they ask you to order a bottle of wine off the premium list, but the prices are incrdibly reasonable. Very romantic facing out your own window, incredible service - they change the menu every 2 days, so we ate there 5 nights on a 10 night cruise (2 of those other nights were in port). Try SS - I think you'll love it!

PIONEER

The Diamond was fantastic, and we're sailing on the Navigator in October. We've got 2 large rooms at the front of the ship with huge verandahs. The friends we sail with are big time Crystal fans, but they agree that Radisson is every bit as good. Because they're smaller ships, Radisson does not have the entertainment or the restaurant selection as on Crystal, but the food is great, and because there are fewer passengers there are no crowds, open seating etc. No tipping required, comp wine at dinner, great crew etc. etc.

lilprincess

I have thoroughly enjoyed the comments and suggestions provided. You guys are too wonderful!

Gabby

XCountryFlyer

Thanks for the great suggestions. Very helpful.

Flyingmama

It broke my heart when Radisson sold the Song of Flower. I loved that little ship! I don't recall the closet being particularly small, but then we tend to travel light anyway even on luxury cruises so it probably didn't matter.

I also tend to prefer Radisson because of the exemplary service we have received on their cruises. But that's just me. Whatever cruise you go on, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

alicesantamonica

I’d also be interested in any advice regarding pricing and good avenues to book a cruise. There are 8 of us looking to go from Athens to Istanbul on Windstar on 9/10/05. Thus far, the best pricing we’ve found is $2,600/person thru a travel agent, which includes a prior customer discount because 6 have cruised on Windstar before. We’d be flexible to consider other dates in the fall for that itinerary if it made a difference in price.

oldpenny16

as many of the passengers were way up in years, there was almost no activity on the ship after dinner. The shows ran, but people didn't turn out for them. We wanted to use the hot tubs after 9pm and had to make special arrangements as they were in the habit of shutting them down by then. We had a lot of peace and quiet. Too much!

brendamc

When, where & how long was your cruise? We used to experience that on Silversea (and our 1 & only Crystal cruise wasn't all that old), but noticed our last Rome/Venice 10 nts late May had quite a few couples our age-ish (late 30's - early 50's). I think a lot is determined by where (Alaska & Eastern seaboard usually attracts older pax), what cruise lines (HAL is known for older pax, but we had all ages on a New Year's cruise), how long (the shorter, the younger the pax) & when your cruise is (on an adults only cruise ship anytime is fine, avoid holidays on cruise ships that take kids, 'unusual' months to travel - ie. Jan, Feb, Mar - probably attract an older group.

oldpenny16

[QUOTE=brendamc]When, where & how long was your cruise?

We have friends who are devoted to Crystal cruises and sail with them a couple times a year. They report that it always is an older crowd. There didn't appear to be any under 35's on our cruise during August. The loyal Crystal passengers who started out with them when the line was new are getting older and older.

brendamc

[QUOTE=oldpenny16]Don't say that because I'm refusing to accept that fact about ourselves!
Our was much younger - especially since kids are allowed (although not exactly the best experience for them!) You're not going to find a lot of under 35's on any upscale cruise line. I thought you were talking middle age vs. oldsters.

oldpenny16

but the average age on our Crystal Cruise was far above us. Far! I don't want to do that again. I loved the ship but the feeling of no one being about was weird. A lot of people had their meals in their rooms. That may be a function of having so many balconies. I was a since of livelyness when I'm on a cruise ship.