News Crystal Serenity Returns To Service, Heralding A New Era Of Cruising

Table Of Content

• DECK 12 AMENITIES
• Crystal Cruises' ships Serenity and Symphony in 2025 visit 281 ports/112 countries
• Crystal Serenity cruise ship review: What to expect on this transformed luxury vessel
• Double Guest Room with Veranda
• Crystal Serenity Returns To Service, Heralding A New Era Of Cruising
• Shipboard dining options - Food and Drinks

The 2023 refurbishment included a complete renovation of Crystal Serenity’s spa and fitness spaces. The new Aurōra Spa is named for the Goddess of the Dawn and offers sunrise-inspired treatments and therapies. These include massages, body treatments, and facials such as the 75-minute Chariot of Light massage and the Gold and Caviar Body Polish. There are also tech-enhanced options by Elemis designed to treat aging skin. Medi-Spa treatments are available as well and range from microneedling and fillers to acupuncture and IV Therapies designed to revive, re-energize, and flush out body toxins. Crystal has always had a reputation for offering some of the best dining at sea and its culinary program is now even more impressive.

DECK 12 AMENITIES

For more than three decades Crystal has been synonymous with exceptional, award-winning voyages. In 2022 A&K Travel Group acquired the Crystal brand and its two vessels, Crystal Serenity and Crystal Symphony, ushering in a new era of Exceptional at Sea. The globally renowned cruise line offers discerning travelers’ industry-leading, authentic, and enriching experiences both onshore and at sea. With a legacy of unrivaled service and commitment to sophistication and elegance at every touchpoint, once on-board passengers feel as if they are perfectly at home. About 40% of the ship's accommodations (151 out of 377) are Sapphire Verandah Suites. Measuring a whopping 537 square feet including balcony space, these are unusually spacious suites for a main cabin category on a cruise ship.

Crystal Cruises' ships Serenity and Symphony in 2025 visit 281 ports/112 countries

But A&K, committed to keeping the returning guests happy, left some Sapphire Veranda Suites as they were — including the room Linda Glenn has booked since 2009. With an industry-leading space-to-guest ratio (1 to 93.1 cu. ft.) and nearly one staff member per guest, Crystal Serenity fosters endless opportunities for inspiration and enrichment, complemented by unparalleled service. Larger, redesigned suites, award-winning specialty dining restaurants and restorative public spaces further expose passengers to heightened experiences enroute to the world’s most sought-after destinations around the world. Originally built for 1,080 passengers, Crystal Serenity is now configured to hold just 740 passengers — even as the size of its public areas (lounges, bars, restaurants, etc.) hasn't changed.

Crystal Serenity cruise ship review: What to expect on this transformed luxury vessel

Following the dry-dock, Crystal Serenity offers to all its passengers free Wi-Fi (regardless of cabin category). In summer 2016, Crystal Serenity became the world's 3rd cruise ship with a Northwest Passage Cruise - after the 2013 voyages of Ponant's superyachts Le Soleal, and Le Boreal. Following the Coronavirus-related suspension of voyages, Crystal Ocean restarted passenger shipping operations with the Serenity ship. The Europe-UK program was entirely canceled and a new Caribbean program (July 3 through October 17, 2021) was planned.

Crystal designated preferred supplier to Ensemble Travel Agencies

If, however, you want a bathtub, skip the newer rooms and aim for those Classic cabins. Indulge in delicious patisseries and light bites in this spacious, airy café. Search our selection of the world’s most iconic and unusual destinations and find your dream voyage.

Often cruise lines offer special rates that cannot be displayed to the general public. By registering with Cruise.com you will be able to view these special rates and offers. Our lap pool with plenty of surrounding deck space to sunbathe, relax and read while enjoying a cool drink in the afternoon. De-stress at the fabulous Crystal Spa as you are pampered with fabulous treatments for the mind, body and spirit. Take an enrichment class at the ComputerUniversity@Sea or a special theme cruise, such as the Crystal Wine & Food Festival at Sea. Shop for a variety of designer items at Avenue of the Stars — this incredible ship has it all.

This epic new luxury cruise costs up to $550,000 per cabin — and might be worth it - The Points Guy

This epic new luxury cruise costs up to $550,000 per cabin — and might be worth it.

Posted: Tue, 19 Mar 2024 07:00:00 GMT [source]

Crystal Serenity Returns To Service, Heralding A New Era Of Cruising

The entertainment is low-key enough that you can maintain a conversation with your companions. Note that while unlimited dining at Waterside on Crystal Serenity is included in the fare, passengers only get to visit Umi Uma once per cruise for free for sailings of 11 days or fewer. For sailings of more than 11 days, two complimentary reservations are included. But what Crystal Serenity lacks in quantity, it makes up for in quality. The vessel has one main dining room and two main specialty restaurants that each are about as classy and upscale as you'll find at sea — all included in the fare.

Decks and Cabins

There are also several casual eateries in the vicinity of the main pool on the Lido Deck. Crystal Serenity's handful of bars and lounges also are classy and refined. The remaining 30% of accommodations include a handful of larger penthouse and junior penthouse suites, and roughly 100 smaller double and single rooms (more on these in a moment). Crystal Serenity is one of those cruise ships that draws loyalists who will sail again and again, even if the ship isn’t the newest or shiniest on the market. A lot of it comes down to the crew, which have a way of making their passengers feel right at home the moment they step onboard.

Smaller in scale and featuring a menu focused on Italian fine dining is 94-seat Osteria d’Ovidio. This venue, formerly known as Prego but re-imagined with chic, minimalist décor and renamed for Crystal owner Manfredi Lefebvre d’Ovidio, has a completely new menu. Don’t miss the melanzana (an eggplant confit with smoked tomato sauce), tortello di stracotto di manzo (tortello pasta filled with braised beef, fig vincotto, and gorgonzola) and agnello (lamb with sweet onion, balsamic vinegar, and sea asparagus). Four are specially designed Double Guest Rooms with Ocean View and four are Aquamarine Veranda Suites. Elevators are available to all public areas of the ship, from deck 5 to deck 13. While all Ocean View and Veranda guest room categories were refurbished in 2023, some suite categories were purposely not renovated, given their good condition.

It was the perfect base for a magical two days exploring the charming city, and was filled with other Crystal guests who had the same idea. Cruise lines no longer enforce most COVID-19 protocols and Crystal does not require guests to be vaccinated—unless a specific country on the itinerary requires it. Passengers are required to take part in a scheduled emergency drill on embarkation day that involves watching a video in their cabin detailing lifejacket and evacuation procedures before heading in-person to their designated muster station at a specific time.

Handicap (wheelchair-accessible) cabins for disabled passengers were 10. By the original design, of all Crystal Serenity cabins, 85% were with step-out balconies (108x Suites, 356x Balcony rooms), and the rest were Oceanview (80). Aquamarine Suites and above additionally have a walk-in closet, one-touch LED lighting and surround-sound system, Nespresso coffee machine, 2x binoculars (voyage-use only) and daily receive flowers and afternoon canapes. Complimentary are provided wine and spirits by the glass (from a fixed menu), soft drinks, fresh fruits (changed daily/upon request), pillow menu, unlimited WiFi, interactive tablet (for making reservations and for receiving ship-related news and updates).

Sapphire Suites and above are with 2x TVs and additionally enjoy complimentary dry cleaning (5x pieces + 1x bag free laundry every 10 cruise days) and pressing (5x pieces per day). The number of cabin categories is 7 (max capacity of guests per stateroom). ADA-certified/wheelchair-accessible cabins (for disabled passengers) are 8.

While the ship has been refurbished, it still is undeniably Crystal Serenity. For new fans, they’ll find a ship that is thoughtfully appointed, with a crew that is nearly as loyal to the line as its passengers. The people who work on Crystal Serenity love the brand and its guests, and it shows in the pride they take in doing their jobs and taking care of their guests. Enjoy fine-dining with a daily changing menu surrounded by sweeping ocean views.

Elegant modern white rattan sofas and chairs are sprinkled around under shading umbrellas. Among the major luxury lines, the original Crystal Cruises was always known for a stepped-up level of entertainment (it's long been a Crystal thing), and the new Crystal is no different. From the day of its relaunch, Crystal Serenity has been a ship that gets lively at night in a way that many luxury ships don't. Notably, Lefebvre d'Ovidio already has a series of restaurants on ships named after him, but not on Crystal or Silversea ships. Lefebvre d'Ovidio's friend Torstein Hagen, chairman of upscale cruise line Viking, has named the high-end Italian eateries on all of Viking's ocean ships Manfredi's in honor of him.

Additionally, on select nights, Stardust will open the doors for Supper Club for up to 116 guests to enjoy an evening show where they can dine and dance at the same time. Globally inspired cuisine, and casual dining, Tastes offers tapas-style cuisine inspired by regional itinerary. The venue encourages a "family-style" experience for guests to enjoy on their own or with newfound friends. The pool deck — in close proximity to the gelato bar – on deck 12 feels like a relaxed, exclusive Mediterranean beach club. One deck up, there’s a fitness center with Technogym equipment and workout classes, plus pickle ball and paddle tennis courts close by.

Our partners who list cruise pricing on Cruise Critic are required to provide prices for cruise only or cruise packages, per person, double occupancy, and are based on specific cabin types and sailing dates, and may not be available for all cabin types/sailings. When you book with one of our partners, please be sure to check their site for a full disclosure of all applicable fees as required by the U.S. The final stop on this fall-foliage voyage was Quebec City, and when I realized that the port is a five-minute walk away from Old Quebec, I decided to extend my trip and linger in the city.