Trip Report: September 22 to October 19, 2003
by Ted & Sylvia Blishak
Fall Colors Coast to Coast - by Land and Sea
AUTUMN COLORS CRUISE:
NEW YORK TO MONTREAL
September 26, 2003. Aboard "Crystal Symphony."
Our late arrival at New York's Penn Station is after 5 PM on a Friday; the busiest possible time. There are wall-to-wall people, many hurrying in different directions many sitting on the floor, as there are no seating areas in Penn Station . While there is a sign for the baggage claim area, we somehow find ourselves in the Long Island Railroad terminal without a clue as to how to catch up with our suitcases.
A friendly New York commuter overhears our confusion and aims us in the right direction, which is one more level up. We are reunited with two more suitcases (one with cruise clothes, the other with wardrobes for our later destinations of South Carolina and New Orleans) and a redcap escorts us outside to the cab line, which is about 40 people long. As in Chicago, taxis no longer are permitted in the coach entrance, so travelers must wait at an unprotected curbside in all kinds of weather, winter or summer, rain or shine. Our redcap seems uncertain as to what to do with us. He knows that we will not be able to manhandle all that luggage in this long cab line, but he doesn't want to stand in line with us. New York, like Chicago, has not yet solved the post 9/11 transportation problem. They may never solve it. We may always live in fear of Arabs carrying bombs.
Saving the day, an entrepreneurial limousine driver, James, appears, saying, "If you'd like to avoid that long wait, I have a stretch," pointing to a long white Lincoln. We follow him and are quickly on our way, crawling through rush-hour traffic. But James knows the shortcuts, and swiftly finds a faster way to the pier, cutting smoothly in and out of lanes, making left turns in front of speeding BMWs, tinny horns squawking. "Relax, folks, that Beamer driver is not going to mess up his $60 K front end on the side of my old Lincoln," James reassures us. Indeed, we feel invincible in this 6000 pound Detroit iron, though I am sure it is just wishful thinking. Most important of all, James is not insulting and unhelpful. Who could ask for more?
Soon we can see our big white ship with two blue seahorses on the stack, and we're delivered to Pier 88. We're met by a helpful group of Crystal Cruise Line personnel who welcome us, take charge of our luggage, and usher us through the check-in procedure.
This is our first experience with Crystal Cruises, rated "Best Large-Ship Line" by both Travel Leisure and Condé Nast Traveler magazines. Most of our clients request Holland America. And while we've sailed with Holland America, the Five-Star Line, several times (which you may read about in prior trip reports), Crystal claims six-star service. Since our train-loving clients also enjoy cruising, our mission is to find out, on their behalf, exactly how that sixth star is attained. (A completely selfless assignment? Well, tough job but somebody's got to do it! And, in all seriousness, a professional travel consultant needs to have first-hand experiences with what he sells.)
The Crystal Symphony has a unique interior décor; sea-green and blue furnishings with elegant oyster-pale woods and paneling, and lots of glass and mirrors. The main lobby contains a two-story fountain with crystal accents and a Lucite grand piano with a white-dinner-jacketed musician playing Cole Porter tunes. (He is one of three or four pianists of highly professional caliber on board.)
Our veranda cabin contains a desk, a sofa and table, a queen-sized bed, and lots of drawer and closet space. The room itself is a bit small, and one has to plan one's moves if two are on their feet at the same time. The bathroom has a tub with shower and two sinks, although there is hardly enough space to get around each other. The verandah has two padded deck chairs and a small table. We overlook what appears to be a naval museum, with a destroyer and a small carrier, its deck loaded with various historical naval planes. On Manhattan Island, the Empire State Building soars to over 100 floors, its upper floors and tower illuminated with floodlights.
Everything appears spanking new, it is so well maintained. The ship was launched in 1995, the same year as our Buick Roadmaster, so it is now one of the older ships cruising in this age of "newer is better." Therefore it has no rock climbing walls, multi-story atriums, or ice skating rinks. But somehow I think we will get along.
We haven't had anything to eat since our well done-burger on the Lakeshore Limited, but had noticed The Bistro as we boarded, serving snacks, tarts, pastries, and expresso. We got there just in time, as the posted hours are until 6pm. The young Filipino staff who are removing the food graciously allow us to select a snack before they complete their work. As we will find out on Crystal Symphony, when a buffet is posted open to a certain time, one minute later it is all gone.
Though we had pre-selected early sitting in the dining room, we are assigned, for this first night only, the late open sitting at 830pm. Upon entering the Crystal Dining Room, the European waiters offer their arms to the lady to guide us to a table of our choice. Their courtesy and charm remind us that now we are on a Crystal cruise and we can relax and put our cares away for eleven days, days in which we will not hear the words from our dining staff, "No, you can't have that."
