My husband and I are currently on a Grand Europe tour on the Crystal Mahler. Service and food have been superb. We are enjoying the daily canapés and appetizers brought to our room by our butler.
Entertainment on board is provided by Neal, host and piano player. We are staying in a petite suite so storage is tight and we are doubling clothes on our hangers. We brought one suitcase each because we planned to use the laundry onboard and we have used it.
Where Crystal has really shone is how they handle a change in itinerary. A boat from another cruise line hit a lock, damaging it so that we can’t sail down the Danube as planned. We stayed extra days in Nuremberg with new excursions added. We will be avoiding the dreaded “my river cruise has turned into a bus/hotel trip” because they are sailing the ship back up the Rhine to Frankfurt with new ports in the way. Once in Frankfurt, Crystal is flying us nonstop to Budapest so we don’t miss our scheduled excursions there and flights home. On top of that, they are giving us a generous amount of Euros in cash to cover meals while in Budapest as well as a credit for a future cruise. We will be in Budapest two nights in a hotel instead on one night on the boat. They have definitely made the best of a bad situation.