Crystal Symphony Review
Like an aging starlet, she's had "work" done and looks great
Rating by category
Additional details
We chose this cruise for the itinerary. We're a couple of a certain age. Second Crystal cruise, dozens of other cruises over the decades. Our cruise Beijing to Hong Kong in 2015 was my favorite cruise ever.
Cabin: Outside window on deck 7. Balconies were all booked when we signed up. No upsell offer unlike last time. Cabin was clean and well taken care of. Ship must have sailed full, but nothing was crowded. The weather didn't lend to sun worshiping, except the last day, in Vancouver, the heated pool was open and in use.
Food: Service was good and no lines for the MDR longer than five minutes (at 6pm). We found a waiter we liked, South African young gent, and asked for his table each night. We ate at Umi once, and had rez for Prego on "formal" night, (blue blazer and gray pants, tie.) but cancelled when we learned MDR had lobster. Brought on board live, said two reliable bartenders. (All drinks free, of course) We liked MDR a lot. As usual we had hot breakfast in the room daily. On time and accurate. This was the only occasion on which we tip "extra."
Cabin Review
Deluxe Stateroom with Large Picture Window
Adequate size. Deck 7 is handy for walking on deck
Port Reviews
San Francisco
We just walked from the ship. Said Hi to the sea lions. We've been to SF often.
Monterey
It was a tender port. We had just visited, so I just went in for some raw oysters. Big and yummy. If you take an excursion, check out the state park along the coast.
Astoria, Oregon
A charming little town. Lots of movies were shot here. My kids were the right age for the Goonies, thirty-two years ago, so I had seen the movie often. Oh, this was also the terminus of Lewis and Clark, so that's the excursion we took. Maritime Museum is worth an hour or so.
Seattle
We did Boeing, as we've seen most of the other sites. Good trip. Well organized. That 787 looks like a real upgrade.
Victoria
Another small town I'd like to come back and stay. We did the hop-on bus.
Vancouver
We were docked two days. We took a taxi to the Anthropological Museum. If you go, be sure to walk around outside. By the way, there are no Ubers or Lyfts in British Columbia. Maybe in 2020. Cabs seem pretty reasonable.