We returned yesterday, from our Crystal mini-cruise, and I thought I'd post some of our observations, while they are fresh.

Embarkation: We arrived early, for our 3:00 boarding...(perhaps, a mistake on our part, but we are accustomed to RSSC's policy of allowing early boarding.) We were told that they do not board until 3:00! (Altho, they did board a few minutes before that) We were ushered into a rather small holding area with lots of fellow cruisers...small space..not enough places to sit, for about 30 minutes. Finally, we did get to check in and then allowed to go upstairs to a much more confortable room, with music, and we were handed a glass of champagne. The process improved from there. Could have been the champagne. ;)
Ship: The Symphony is, simply put, absolutely beautiful . The decor elegant! No flash...no splash, just simply elegant! After a nice lunch at the Trident Grill, our stateroom was ready. Very nice, though very small. (202 sq ft in basic room, opposed to Mariner's 252 sq ft and Voyager's 306 sq ft in H cat.) The bathroom has double sink, but I'd challenge two people being able to get into the space at one time. Nice tub and shower. (plenty of head room) ;) There is ample closet and drawer space, but I did miss RSSC's walk-in closet. Small TV and DVD combo. Queen bed with great linens, fluffy duvets, and down pillows. We were actually pretty comfortable in our stateroom.
Service: The staff was excellent, very professional, and very friendly. We only ordered room service once, for coffee and juice. I was amazed that it arrived in four minutes flat!
Activities: We were 3 days at sea..no ports. We were busy, busy, busy! There were two guest lecturers, both very good. Bob Froehlick, Chair. of Investor Strategy for Deutsche Bank, familiar to us, from his appearences on Lou Dobbs..MacNeil/Lehrer, etc. Smart man..excellent speaker. The other was Leo Thorsness, Medal of Honor recipient. Also very good. They do offer computer classes, fitness classes, trivia, bingo, and have an actual theater for movies. etc,etc.
Food & Drink: Best part! :) They take reservations to the specialty restruants at 3:00. We met NancyP in the line. We really enjoyed meeting and sailing with her. She is a delight! Pregos was great! Wonderful mushroom soup, served in a bread bowl. I enjoyed my Kobe steak and Larry said that his Rack of lamb was one of the best he had ever had. Both days, they did a lavish buffet on the Lido deck, one Asian, and one Latino. Both were wonderful! All meals we had in the Crystal Dinning Room were very good and special requests were accommodated, cheerfully. Larry is a sweet lover and really enjoyed the desserts, and there is always ice cream, variety of luscious flavors, offered in the food venues and the ice cream bar on the Lido deck. The Palm Court is a lovely lounge, reminiscent of the Observation on the Mariner or Voyager, and they do an afternoon tea. Beautifully done.
Debarkation: The easiest, by far, we've ever done. No immigration...we went nowhere,.. and we literally came from breakfast, collected our carry-on and walked off! We gathered our luggage and were on the highway by 9:00 a.m.

Wow! Can you believe I could have so much to say about 3 days? We had wondered, about how Crystal stacks up to RSSC. In my opinion, the experience is close. The food, in general, was comparable, and maybe better in some instances. My favorite specialty restaurant remains to be Signatures. The entertainment and enrichment lectures are better on Crystal.
All that being said, we are not ready to abandon our beloved Radisson Seven Seas, but would certainly entertain the possibility of another cruise on Crystal, if the itinerary and price were right.

Betty