This is the Title Part 3

nowhere special, i always wanted to go there
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Re: This is the Title Part 3

Post: # 3218Post bodogbodog »

SuziQ wrote: Mon Nov 15, 2021 1:48 am And so many other cashed up Bogans on there.
C’mon don’t you want to hear about Keith1010’s 100 Caribbean cruise on Serenity and see daily photos from the throne room - oh sorry that’s the Crystal Penthouse?

I disagree on the cashed up bogans - it’s more a horde of bargain hunters from the mass market lines who are taking advantage of the bargain basement fares to try Crystal out and then have the audacity to lecture us ad nauseam on how we should feel and speak of Crystal - there’s also a few Crystallites upgrading to PHs while the rates are so discounted - their once on a lifetime chance to have the Butler at their beck and call
Last edited by bodogbodog on Mon Nov 15, 2021 2:17 am, edited 2 times in total.
Email - bodogodog@gmail.com

Future Cruises - who knows if cruising ever resumes? But maybe they’ll include these ones
May 2022 - Silversea Silver Muse - Tokyo to Vancouver - 21 days - nope Japan was closed
Dec 2022 - RSSC Explorer - Singapore to Sydney
Feb 2023 - Silver Muse - Cairns to Singapore
September 2023 - RSSC Explorer - Vancouver to Tokyo
December 2023 - RSSC Explorer - Sydney to Auckland
Dec 2023 - Crystal Symphony - Auckland to Melbourne - 16 days - nope Crystal went belly up

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Re: This is the Title Part 3

Post: # 3219Post SuziQ »

Nope, I don't. And yep, def cashed up Bogans - same thing really. I've gotten the hell outta there. Ciao again!

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Re: This is the Title Part 3

Post: # 3220Post fezzik »

drib wrote: Wed Nov 10, 2021 4:33 pm
I have a suspicion that critic bird is ghosting me by suggesting that he is drib reincarnated, cleverly (NOT!) using the reverse spelling of drib.

I am not critic bird, and anyone suggesting that I am is a dirty rotten dread pirate!
I would point out to you that " citric bird" is an anagram of drib critic.
Not that I'm suggesting anything.

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Re: This is the Title Part 3

Post: # 3221Post drib »

fezzik wrote: Mon Nov 15, 2021 6:00 amI would point out to you that " citric bird" is an anagram of drib critic.
Not that I'm suggesting anything.
Do you go to shul in that thing?

Can
I
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Rat
Infested
Corsairs

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Re: This is the Title Part 3

Post: # 3223Post fezzik »

drib wrote: Mon Nov 15, 2021 2:31 pm
fezzik wrote: Mon Nov 15, 2021 6:00 amI would point out to you that " citric bird" is an anagram of drib critic.
Not that I'm suggesting anything.
Do you go to shul in that thing?

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I belong to a seph harrr dic temple, so no prob.

You have successfully combined an anagram with an acronym, congratulations. :clap:
But which is which? :roll:
Do these smiley gifs make you dizzy? :dance:

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My TA was told not to make any additional payments to Crystal until further notice

Post: # 3232Post drib »

This is just an odd exchange:
Keith1010 wrote:I know Crystal isn’t taking new money for new reservations.
sunbrookgal wrote:Interesting information. Keith are you employed in some fashion by Crystal? Maybe a family member? I have my reasons for asking. Not being a piss on you. Not at all.
Who says that, "piss on you," besides Slim Pickens in Blazing Saddles. My guess was that she meant "diss" meaning disrespect, but it spell-checked into "piss."
johng75370 wrote:An unfair question and demand to make; Keith has added so much value to this and other communities over such a long time that (IMHO) he should not have to respond to this. Do some research on Keith’s postings and commentary on Crystal before going there. Sorry to sound harsh, not meant to being a piss on you.
I think it was a fair question and has been oft asked, not demanded, including on drib critic. I'm not sure why johng75370 had such an over-reaction, unless he thought she really meant "piss."??? It's also a non-sequitur that you can't ask that question because Keith is helpful.

Both posts will probably be gone soon anyway.



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Bankruptcy?

Post: # 3234Post drib »

Article by Adam Coulter, Cruise Critic UK Managing Editor:

https://www.cruisecritic.com/news/6705/

Stickman1990 wrote:That statement from Crystal which includes that quote is from August 24, 2020 - it does not relate to the current developments
JFontaine wrote:Hey Adam Coulter. Pretty sloppy reporting. This statement from Crystal is from the article directly below yours written in August 2020. How about calling Crystal for an update?
Adam Coulter wrote:Hey JFontaine, thanks for your kind words. Just for context – I – in fact the whole team here at CC – have been trying to get hold of Crystal for a comment since this story began to break and we are having no luck, so i sourced the Boards, spoke to travel agents, insurance companies and other news sources to try and find out as much as I could about where things stand. That quote appeared in another publication, and without any quote forthcoming from Crystal, I used it. Yes, I should have checked that it dated from 2020, that is my bad, but as a subsequent poster said, this is a quote they have used again and again, and for very similar circumstances. But thank you for pointing it out.

This reminds me of the time that Suite Travels made a mistake about the Boeing 777 being able to fly in and out of San Diego. The still late iamheisenberg called Suite Travels out on it, not because Suite Travels couldn't just admit to a mistake and move on. Similarly, here, Adam Coulter could have just said "That is my bad." and moved on.

And since his is representing Cruise Critic in this, he should be called out for his sarcasm. I know someone who still might do that, but it's a fast news day out there and probably not worth it.

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Crystal ​😪​ (River Cruise Forum)

Post: # 3238Post drib »

Punkys dilemma wrote:Hypothetically, suppose that someone paid for someone else's cruise, and that cruise is technically still scheduled to sail - May 13 perhaps - and the hypothetical cruise line goes bankrupt before then. Is this person more likely to get a refund because he or she was just trying to do a nice thing for somebody else?
Stickman1990 wrote:Too soon…
Punkys dilemma wrote:That's what she said?

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Re: This is the Title Part 3

Post: # 3239Post SuziQ »

I'm wondering why Daveywavey's entertaining 'Live From' was locked?

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Re: This is the Title Part 3

Post: # 3240Post drib »

SuziQ wrote: Fri Jan 21, 2022 4:09 pm I'm wondering why Daveywavey's entertaining 'Live From' was locked?
I believe I had read posts subsequent to the now last one, #289, and it was starting to get chippy.

They will often lock a topic as prevention, and the cruise was over anyway.

On the night that CFC drib fell on his sword, he used an old topic to express his thoughts. And then they locked that one to stop the madness too.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2 ... -tangiers/

It's still the number one most viewed topic of all time on CFC, though!

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SOME THOUGHTS ON THE NEXT CHAPTER OF CRYSTAL

Post: # 3241Post drib »

Weird - they deleted these two posts. I noticed it as I was trying to "like" the second on when it happened.
mskatiemae wrote:
Grandma of Lily wrote:
Crap - I accidentally refreshed the page while I was setting this post up. But the gist of the first one was that Prince Andrew should somehow be involved. And the second one simply said that Prince Andrew only had the money his mum gave to him.

So I understand that Prince Andrew has some issues, but not being able to even mention his name on CFC? Who is he - drib?

======

Must have been Host Dan, who posted just a few minutes later. C'mon, Host Dan!

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Time to Move on

Post: # 3285Post drib »

Come on, Host Dan, if you were going to cut down this tree anyway, why bother to prune it first?

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Symphony just arrested

Post: # 3287Post drib »

Okay, let's save this turkey before it disappears.
Keith1010 wrote:Before I list the five, Apple was days before going bust but Microsoft came in to safe the day. Another one very close was Best Buy.

And let us not forget companies that lost money for several years before making money. Fed Ex, Amazon, Telsa. There are so many more to discuss.

Sorry you {Nymich} don't get to write the rules:

No particular order:
General Motors
Chrysler
Marvel Entertainment
Six Flags
Texaco
Delta
American Airlines
Chicago Cubs (Baseball)
Hostess Brands

And there are so many more.

Even the company I worked for but I'll leave that for another day.
I don't know why Keith is so embarrassed about MCI that he won't admit he worked there. Could it be because they are just a notch above Enron on the ethics scale?
ForutunateSon wrote: {in re General Motors} Those were good examples, but the outcome wasn't good for everyone. For General Motors, for example, the shareholders got ... trying to think of a polite word ... they got winded. A lot of them were seniors because GM was once a safe stock for dividend. But as it started to descend, no one believed that it was headed to the penny stock list, and then it became worthless.

Hopefully, no one here will get winded trying to save a once great cruise line that fell behind the times, years ago, by their own doing, and then went into a steep decline more recently, some of which was not their own doing.
Keith1010 wrote: Glad you singled out one on the list. I shared quite a bit more but I could have expanded it four fold.

Regardless, I don't see Crystal has falling behind the times years ago.

One thing I have learned over the past few weeks as those who never liked Crystal are coming out of the wood works to just be negative.

My suggestion is sail with the line(s) you like and that is fine by me. But know that many who enjoyed Crystal do not agree with you or others whose purpose right now is to just condemn Crystal.

Good day.
There is no proper indigency there unless you have "Sir" at the end.
Nymich wrote: Poor guy you have been reduced to this? Did you ever comment about AIG?

How about Enron? This is the same thing. (without the bailout) Deal with it.
sasejm wrote:I can see this thread will be the next one deleted.
bitob wrote:Keith -- stop feeding the trolls. Waste of time. Most of these negative souls have never sailed Crystal.
Keith1010 wrote: Thanks you. At times I ignore them but sometimes I want to play along with the trolls.

It is obvious who they are.

Where I live they are ambulance coasters or worse yet those large birds that go after the road kill.

They are making fools of themselves so let them troll if that gives them pleasure.
suzeluvscruz wrote:Please go away.
Good one!
Keith1010 wrote:As Clint Eastwood would say.

Nymich wrote:There are plenty of I love you Crystal threads each can start if they wish. This one is about being arrested. History is being made here and all are welcome to follow it.
sasejm wrote:Keith - Good response!
No wonder the database is so bloated. An emoji would do here.
smbt1 wrote:{re Nymich about bailed out airlines} And neither did the two airlines when they declared BK.
Ray4Fun wrote:{re when was his last Crystal Cruise} Never. Yet my family is currently out 20K plus the loss of other charges. Crystal Knew they were in big cash trouble before January 2022. They stated it when they failed to pay the salaries to the ship workers for December. Your comments just now are rude, Crystal was maybe great, that was yesterday, and yesterday is done. .
Ray4Fun wrote:{re Keith's violent video} ADMIN,,, remove Keith from this forum. That is Violent! I am writing CC management as well, This is ridiculous.

{next post} Violence ,,, Perfect,,, SO your going to make someones day with a gun? Perfect....
VirgilB wrote:Nymich,

What I have learned long ago is that you can’t reason with unreasonable people. Especially Know-it-all, Fan boys that lack diversity in their interests. They become self-appointment authorities on their chosen obsession. Save your comments for those that will actually consider its merit… cheers!
KenzSailing wrote:Folks, don't feed the troll.
Come on, KenzSailing, you can do better than that!
Nymich wrote:The thread is about Ship/s being arrested not trolling. Ship/s being arrested is a historical moment and not a celebration.
FortunateSon wrote: Keith1010, I think you just posted an inaccurate news account about me.

I have come here neither to bury Crystal, nor to praise it. I'm here in the Crystal Forum only because this is where all the actions is!
mikewomb wrote:{re Ray4Fun} }I am really sorry about your $20,000. That is beyond horrible. Hopefully you will recoup via your CC company. Let me tell you you didn’t miss much. It was old, and tired, and if you will only go on one cruise line, there has to be something in it for a customer. . Frankly there is nothing to be defended. It Reminded me of an outdated country club. Yes in my opinion they knew exactly what was going on and still took, or should I say, stole people’s money.
sasejm wrote:1992 - Can we all get along.
Nymich wrote:Horrible. This is the other side of the Crystal coin the cheerleaders are trying to hide. I hope you can get your money back somehow.

Proper history must reflect the good and the ugly. Jmo
And locked and some posts gone. But I saved this because I thought it was pretty good:

Image

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Endeavor En Route To Montevideo

Post: # 3288Post drib »

Having some database issues myself, so I have to start over ...
BWIVince wrote:Crystal isn’t old enough to have a defined pension, and even if they did, the number of actual employees that would have been eligible is tiny. Crystal had a pretty small home office.

... {more, but not relevant to what follows}
boldSweetThaiChili wrote:BWIVince, I love you, man, but there are a number of things wrong with that sentence.

I'm not going to get all medieval about it. Just know that I used to write pension plans, and pension contracts, and Summary Plan Descriptions, and file them with the IRS, and the PBGC, and the Department of Labor. I lived through ERISA in the 70s, and TEFRA in the 80s, and then I became a beach bum in the 90s. I much prefer that last thing, I must say.
I meant to post as FortunateSon, but you know how that happens.
KenzSailing wrote:Three posts. Bye.

{edited in after the next post}
And stealing from the Marcellus Wallace character in Pulp Fiction is lame.
What's happened to KenzSailing?

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continuing because of server errors ...

Post: # 3289Post drib »

boldSweetThaiChili wrote:What's wrong with having a low post count?

I have to start somewhere.
It was here that I looked at my profile and I saw that my cover photo had a bigdogfoto folder in the background. So I changed my cover - not that it matters because being an outlaw means never having to say I'm sorry.
boldSweetThaiChili wrote:I just meant that I didn't want to have a long dissertation about the differences between qualified plans, and non-qualified plans, and defined benefit plans and defined contribution plans, and 401(k) plans, which by the way, still have to qualify under section 401(a). I didn't want to do that.

And now I have what, five posts?

I suppose the 1.1k posts in your user section qualifies you as an expert to anything with the suffix k?
ChicagoDad wrote:Because this is an elitist, sanctimonious group that doesn't welcome outsiders.
boldSweetThaiChili wrote:Well, there is probably some of that, but generally, that's not the case here in the Crystal Forum.

I may have a low post count, but it's bigger than yours!

And I know a lot of these guys for many years now. I know that KenzSailing appreciates the good appropriation of a movie quote. I know that BWIVince is a wonderful man, and generally fair-minded, including about Crystal's faults. He did not actually weight in on the accuracy of his pension statement. But I bet that when he does, he will be good natured about it.

I think everyone is just running on a short fuse * these days, on account of ... well, you know.

* Kenneth Mars as Franz Liebkind, The Producers (1967 film)
======

Host Hattie removed everything after boldSweetThaiChili's third post, the one that KenzSailing said goodbye to. I guess that is a victory of sorts.

Did ChicagoDad really create a profile for that one post, and is he now banned? And who are all these low-post guys if not drib? I feel like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, being chased, and asking "Who are those guys?"

I added this post, for boldSweetThaiChilli:
boldSweetThaiChili wrote:Without being too technical, what I meant was: 1) the name for such a plan is "defined benefit," 2) Crystal is old enough, and 3) there is a difference between eligibility for a benefit, which is usually pretty easy, and getting vested in that benefit, which is usually a little harder. But you are correct that defined benefit plans are not as common as they were pre-ERISA. 🙂
It's still there, he's still there, and he's up to seven posts!

And, by the way, I've probably forgotten more about pension plans than most all you folks combined are ever going to know. (Attribution to Bobby Knight.) Guess who wrote the first 401(k) plan to receive a determination letter from the IRS? I'll give you three hints: he's bold, he's sweet, and he has two thumbs!

======

2022.02.07. Host Hattie strikes again! (But there are still a lot of off-topic comments in the Montevideo thread.) boldSweetThaiChill now has no viewable posts - except where quoted. He's expendable, so it's okay if he's just waiting for execution.

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Inaccurate News Accounts About Crystal

Post: # 3292Post drib »

I'm not going to save Keith's last two posts. They were what I call "Hey Jude" posts, long and repetitive.

This was my response:

Image

And I'll probably be one and done because what else is there to say?

Note that I deliberately waited for the 25th post so that I could be #26 at the top of the page. I didn't know that Keith would do two in a row - was thinking it would probably be someone else.

======

Also seen on this thread today:

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Endeavor En Route To Montevideo

Post: # 3293Post drib »

Image

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Re: Inaccurate News Accounts About Crystal

Post: # 3294Post drib »

I think maybe boldSweetThaiChili and FortunateSon are doomed. Both visited by Host Hattie in the last hour, although both are still alive. Maybe some other moderator has to do the banning - as it was on the night of September 2.

Even this silly post was removed ...
drib wrote: Mon Feb 07, 2022 11:18 pmImage
What's wrong with "bunked" ?

"Debunked" is to "bunked" as "defrocked" is to "frocked." Why am I getting frocked for this?

That's fine, I'm not attached to either and I have a list of about 100 potential new names.

======

Yes, that was accurate news about those two characters. (I don't think many people got the references, but that first one is a nut, and the second one is Credence.)

My new idea is to take immediate screenshots of my posts and save the good ones as public art. You can follow those here public art if you want. (That first one isn't my post, but I love it, and I like to think I inspired it.) There are also many albums of art and architecture under that user, if you are in to that sort of thing.

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WHAT'S HAPPENED TO OUR THREAD

Post: # 3301Post drib »

P&O Cruises ( UK ) Forum

This is three pages of some Brits worried about what they did to cause CFC to remove a prior thread:

WHATS HAPPENED TO OUR THREAD

Geez, the way they are worried that they personally did something wrong, you'd think they were Canadians or something.

I saved the files in case - who am I kidding - this one is removed too. In the meantime, here is a sample:

imgx

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Crystal Ship Auctions

Post: # 3319Post drib »

Keith1010 wrote:
RD64 wrote:But that lower price point did not provide an adequate level of profits. Everyone seems to want the return of Crystal, but are they willing to pay a significantly higher per diem?
If you remember second half of 2018 things began to turn around. This included attracting many new first time Crystal Cruisers and lowering the overall age of those sailing Crystal. Both of these were very important to the future.

In 2019 many sailings were at high occupancy rates. Changes continued to be made such as shorter voyages although people could combine them to create longer ones.

2020 looked to be a great year in terms of bookings.

Cruise Fares were higher too.

Unfortunately COVID-19 hit. This resulted in big loss of revenue.

Genting made a fatal error and that was not to shore up financing as other lines did such as Carnival. Genting seemed to take the approach that this would be short lived. Big mistake and clearly they were already leveraged.

As to Crystal you should know that Genting was using Crystal to move the money it paid in cash back to Genting. They were sailing Crystal with certain debts.

Anyway, I am certainly not privy to the financials and to the things that a potential suiter(s) would know but I am NOT of the belief that the cruise line could not be profitable. Yes, efficiencies are needed but it can be done.

Seabourn as a stand alone was losing money. The biggest change which turned this around was eliminating a separate headquarters and reducing corporate headcount by meeting Holland America take over several areas from land.

Celebrity was not in the best of shape when it was bought by RCI and look at the turn around.

Silversea had problem several years ago and some thought they would go under.

So, I would not rule out someone being able to turn around Crystal without wholesale changes. At the same time I would not rule out someone buying the ships and not the brand and making it profitable as well.

We shall see.
iancal wrote:Turning a profit is not enough. There has to be enough profit to sustain growth and to weather business challenges. The profit has to reflect a decent ROI.

Saying a business is profitable is meaningless in and of itself.

It has to be compared to the industry standard best in class result. Above all, the cash flow must be positive and healthy. The balance sheet has to compare to best in class industry numbers.

The bottom line is that Crystal Cruises is/was a failed cruise line. Their creditors have been left 'holding the bag' for their failure. No amount of excuses, finger pointing, etc. will change that reality.
jimmycruiser wrote:You are stating the obvious to those of us that have managed companies. You have to be better than the competition to sustain profitability and success long term. It is the competition pricing that determines your pricing all other things being equal so you have to offer something the competition can not to get a higher price.

I was only stating that raising prices was not a prerequisite for Crystal to survive and sustain profitability. I believe Crystal’s management was slow to react and make needed changes. I also believe a well funded talented management team could buy the Crystal brand and the ships at a significant discount and be profitable without a significant increase in price or reduction in quality IMHO.

As Keith says “Time will tell”
iancal wrote:Agee. The sad story that the former Crystal President is trying to peddle is that the failure of Crystal's business was completely unexpected, came like a bolt of lightening and was not his responsibility is without merit. It was some other guy and he went that way.

Sorry, no sale.
ctjon wrote:Crystal also went through a period with a horrible president who spent and spent on things that weren’t needed or used. I think she started Crystal down the slope to where it ended up

almost any child company needs support and guidance and I don’t thin Crystal got that
vistaman wrote:Megalomania is a sickness and she was suffering on it ...

A yacht that never made one cent profit but start losing from the first day despite high fares 8000 $ for a one week Croatia

and operating it the first years in the Caribbean where already far too many ships are sailing

so giving away the empty cabins to TA as discounts were not working

and 4 river ships at once + another taken over ... not enough : some planes as well
Keith1010 wrote:Well of course a profit doesn't mean success. The amount of profit. The business plan. The ability to raise capital are all factors along with so many other things including the growth potential of the industry.

The bottom line is you have your opinion. Some agree with you. Other such as myself do not.

The bottom line is Genting raped Crystal and pulled the rug under them. {emphasis added -ed}

With another parent company such as say RCI things could have been a lot better.

As I mentioned, Silversea had issues and the speculation was that it was going to go under. And it even had a controversy several years back. It seems that the purchase by RCI has put them on a very nice path.

Let's see what happens.

I hope that someone comes in and either keeps it Crystal or takes on the ships and either creates a new brand or puts them into an existing brand.

I don't think it is over.

I can point to some companies who people say were doomed and yes it turned out that way. And then there were companies who people say were doomed and today they are big successes.

Often it takes the right company/right personnel to see an opportunity, grasp it, and make it a success.
I saved a lot of the quotes above for context, but all I really wanted to document is Keith writing that Crystal was raped.

Locked