Crystal Symphony

While I was only on Crystal Serenity for six nights, I was able to visit every food outlet on board — something made possible by the ship's relatively intimate size. Those who want something even bigger than a Sapphire Verandah Suite will find four massive, 1,372-square-foot Crystal Penthouses on the vessel and six 806-square-foot Junior Crystal Penthouses. Notably, the walk-in closet is so small that the four pull-out drawers along one of its walls can't be opened all the way unless the inward-swinging door to the closet is at least partially closed. This makes for an awkward time trying to access items put in these draws.

Crystal Cruises New Ships Food and Itineraries - Food & Wine

Crystal Cruises New Ships Food and Itineraries.

Posted: Sat, 05 Aug 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

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Crystal Serenity Is Back and Better Than Ever - TravelPulse

Crystal Serenity Is Back and Better Than Ever.

Posted: Mon, 19 Feb 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]

First came the rebirth of Crystal Serenity in the summer, followed last month by Crystal Symphony; a host of new ships, including expedition vessels, are also on the horizon. Formal Evening attire is only required on sailings of more than seven nights when more formal cocktail attire is suggested for specific occasions. These include cocktail dresses or elegant evening suits or skirts with blouses for women and suits or tuxedos with evening shoes for men.

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The boat has 13 decks, of which 9 are passenger-accessible and 5 with cabins. Of all Crystal Serenity staterooms (347 total), most are the Veranda Suites - Sapphire (151x, sized 430 ft2 / 40 m2, balcony 110 ft2 / 10 m2) and Aquamarine (86x, sized 320 ft2 / 30 m2, balcony 85 ft2 / 8 m2). The smaller Balcony cabins (Double Guest Room with Veranda) are only 46x, each sized 215 ft2 / 20 m2 (balcony 55 ft2 / 5 m2). Crystal Serenity and Symphony left Freeport on July 6th, en route to Europe (arriving in Trieste on July 24th) for drydocking at the Fincantieri shipyard. The project also included installing shore power connectivity that allows the berthed vessel to plug into the port city's power grid for the electricity needed for all hotel operations. In June 2022, both Crystal Cruises' ocean ships (Serenity and Symphony) were auctioned in The Bahamas.

Junior Crystal Penthouse Suite

Crystal Serenity’s top accommodations are its four 1,265-square-foot Crystal Penthouse Suites. These feature a spectacular bathroom with a tub offering an ocean view and a 107-square-foot balcony. Private veranda, Spacious living area with sofa, Queen-size bed or twin beds with sumptuous bedding, Walk-in shower, TV, Welcome champagne, In-suite safe, Interactive tablet for news, updates, and reservations, Hair dryer, Hair iron (available upon request). If you like dancing, The Gentleman Host Program provides a dance partner for single female passengers, so you will never feel left out.

While Crystal welcomes children and teens on all sailings, onboard programming geared to junior cruisers is only offered on select itineraries, primarily during the summer months and holiday and spring break periods. These take place in the Fantasia Children’s Playroom and Waves Teen Center. The second fine-dining specialty restaurant is Umi Uma, which serves impeccable seafood created for Crystal by Michelin-starred, globally renowned Chef Nobu Matsuhisa. In this 60-seat restaurant, the focus is on fresh sashimi and sushi, Nobu-style black cod (marinated in miso, peach and ginger) and a selection of flavorful Japanese-Peruvian fusion dishes.

Sapphire suite storage space

Talented bartenders create an array of modern craft cocktails and Negroni and Manhattan aficionados can peruse special menus offering more than a dozen variations of each. Dine under the glow of crystal chandeliers on exquisite cuisine prepared in the classical French tradition with a regional twist, at the beautiful Crystal Dining Room. Boasting menus sure to please the most discerning palate, as well as a separate one with mouthwatering four-course vegetarian dinners, never repeated during a cruise. Convenient Dining by Reservation™ is offered, as well as complimentary in-suite dining. While I had slight FOMO just hearing about travelers slipping off to Machu Picchu for an A&K adventure before rejoining the cruise in Lima, my travel envy dissipated as soon as I went on my first excursion. When we docked in Livorno, Italy, I joined a small group on a truffle-hunting excursion, following a sweet pup, Bianca, through a cluster of oak trees at Vialto Farms, a 1,000-year-old farmhouse in Tuscany.

​We also offer Wellness program with classes in yoga, mat pilates and spinning classes. PH Penthouses have a living area, bedroom (walk-in closet, 2 twin beds /convertible to queen), bathroom (whirlpool bathtub, shower stall). After eight days making the most of the decadent dining, the restorative spa, and my sumptuous suite, I left the ship feeling, well, serene.

Maiden Voyage (

Our 3,000+ square-foot Fitness Center, Weight Room and Aerobics Studio feature an extensive line of professional weights and Technogym® exercise equipment, along with panoramic views. ​We also offer Wellness program with classes in yoga, mat Pilates and Spinning classes. Our ships' full-time Fitness Director offers fitness advice and a variety of stretch and aerobic instruction. Cruise Critic is not a booking agent and does not charge any service fees to users of our site.

Current itinerary of Crystal Serenity

On a typical night at Crystal Cove, you might find a saxophonist playing in the early evening, followed by a pianist and a violinist and then a pianist and a singer, capped off by a singer with a guitar. A shorter five-course food and wine pairing in the Vintage Room is available for $220 per person. Occasional seven-course meals overseen by celebrity chefs that sail on the ship cost $1,100 per person, including wine pairings. I sampled half a dozen of Osteria d'Ovidio's new dishes during a special night of tastings, and there wasn't a bad item in the bunch. The standout, if I had to choose, was the tortello di stracotto di manzo, a wrapped pasta filled with braised beef, fig vincotto (a type of fig molasses) and gorgonzola cheese. All of the insanely fabulous, melt-in-your-mouth Nobu specialties, such as Matsuhisa's signature Nobu-style black cod marinated in Saikyo miso, baby peach and young ginger, and Wagyu beef filet steak, are all still there.

Carrying VIP guests only, the itinerary's call ports were Kotor, Montenegro (Jul 22), Venice (Jul 24-25/overnight), Naples (Jul 28), Livorno (Jul 29). Our spa offers a wide range of health and beauty services for ladies and gentlemen. There is a complete sauna and steam room facilities, as well as a variety of treatments, including aromatherapy, aqua meditation, exfoliation, reflexology and Swedish massage.Treatements are by appointment only. The number of cabin categories was 13 (max capacity of 3 guests per stateroom).

This means that guests booking the Aquamarine Veranda Suite and Sapphire Veranda Suite categories have a choice of 2023 design, 2018 design, and Classic design. An ideal refreshment stop any time of the day, and the perfect place to meet friends for a pre-dinner cocktail. As part of the ship’s refurbishments, there are two new guest room categories – the Jr. Crystal Penthouse Suite and Single Guest Room with Ocean View – that serve as an option for solo travelers without the worry of paying additional single supplements. These new categories will also increase the availability of the popular Sapphire Suite category. In addition, on cruises of seven nights or more, there will be at least one optional ship-wide formal night where women are expected to turn out in cocktail dresses, gowns, pantsuits or elegant skirts and blouses.

The somewhat smaller but still spacious Aquamarine Verandah Suites make up another 28% of the ship's accommodations (106 suites). Measuring 409 square feet, including balcony space, these suites lack the separate sitting rooms found in Sapphire Verandah Suites but still are impressively large. All passenger cabins were upgraded with new 42-inch smart TVs with interactive panels (infotainment system). Among the redesigned public spaces is the fore-located Palm Court (observation lounge on deck 12), where was added more intimate seating. The Lounge's stage was relocated, and the former stage area was transformed into a dedicated "Afternoon Tea" space offering fresh leaf teas and house-made pastries in the afternoons. Crystal Dining Room (aft) features a gourmet menu with regionally inspired and traditional dishes; offers "Dining by Reservation" option - guests can reserve each night at different times by contacting the Maitre D).

Also renovated were the Lido Deck's Trident Grill, Lido Cafe, and Tastes restaurant. The 2016 drydock (at Navantia Shipyard in Cadiz Spain) also included general maintenance works. According to A&K, the replacement of the engines and other machinery on both ships cost the company US$50+ million. The machinery repairs and upgrades (below deck 4) were needed as the equipment was old and poorly maintained.

And yet the new owners of Crystal Serenity and the rights to the Crystal Cruises brand are creating a new cruise line that is about as close to the old Crystal Cruises as can be. Its name is just slightly different (note it's just Crystal, not Crystal Cruises), and it's operating the same two main ships that once sailed for Crystal Cruises. You'll also find many of the same senior staff and crew on those ships as before. Crystal Serenity is the new flagship for Crystal, a luxury cruise brand that is at the same time all-new and decades old. Warm, intuitive service; spacious and comfortable suites and social areas… all that’s left for you to do is relax.

For men, the formal night dress guideline is a suit or tuxedo, with a tie being optional. During the day, the dress code is "day casual," which for Crystal means sundresses, elegant shorts, jeans; T-shirts, polo shirts or blouses; or linen clothing. Swimsuits with cover-ups also are acceptable when dining near the pool at the Trident Grill, Tastes and Marketplace eateries. Unlike many cruise lines, Crystal does not restrict the amount of alcoholic or nonalcoholic drinks passengers can bring on board for personal consumption.

There were separate controls for each of these, so I could mix and match the water delivery devices to my liking. Crystal Serenity's array of cabins and suites is relatively simple to understand. It features just nine categories of rooms, with just two of those categories accounting for the vast majority of accommodations. It is the interplay of this crew with Crystal's regular customers — and 80% of Crystal's customers are regulars, according to its new owners — that creates an onboard experience that many luxury cruise lovers find unrivaled. Don’t be surprised if well more than half the guests on your sailing have cruised with Crystal in the past – and often.