| Overview
The 1,080-passenger Crystal Serenity is the Crystal Cruises' first new ship in eight years. And, except for the difference in size, it's similar to Crystal's other ships -- the 940-passenger Harmony and Symphony (68,000 tons compared to 51,044 on the Symphony and 49,400 on the Harmony). Like the others, it features excellent cuisine and polished service that sets the standard in the luxury market. The one negative: a standard balcony cabin on the Serenity is 269 square feet compared to the standard balcony cabin on Radisson's new Voyager, which is 356 square feet.
So how do those extra 150 passengers (and 7,000 tons, give or take a few) change your experience? Even though Crystal Serenity is 36 percent larger than the line's earlier ship, it only carries 12 percent more passengers, so the Serenity still feels cozy. (The Serenity's space ratio is 63 compared to 53.3 on the Serenity and 53.3 on the Harmony.) And because many of the features and public spaces are similar, and similarly sized, you won't feel like you've traded in Crystal-style intimacy for something larger.
In fact, all of the changes are undoubtedly improvements. From Nobu Matsuhisu's dishes in the Asian restaurant and the low-key Tastes restaurant up on deck, to in-cabin DVD players and sophisticated video game systems in the kid's lounge, it's the same Crystal that's garnered accolades all these years -- only better.
Cabins
The biggest improvement in staterooms is 85 percent of Serenity's staterooms have balconies-compared to 60 and 65 percent respectively on Harmony and Symphony. Cabins vary widely in size and amenities-from 226 square feet for a Category C Deluxe Stateroom without a verandah to the top-of-the-line Crystal Penthouse at 1,345 sq. ft. But they all come with fully stocked mini bars, data ports for laptops (for an extra 75 cents per minute on your laptop-which costs $25 reconfigure, or borrow one of Crystal's for $5 per day), and DVD players. On your television, you'll find news stations such as CNN and Sky TV plus Discovery Channel programming and movies.
This ship has twice as many penthouses as the last two Crystal ships -- which is good because they're really nice, with CD players and Jacuzzi tubs (though nowhere near the size of cabins on Radisson and Silversea). Starting at 269 square feet, the penthouses include butler service. Butlers bring passengers hors d'oeuvres in the evening, make their onboard dinner reservations, and handle their dry cleaning requests. Mine even tied my husband's bow tie for him on formal night. And, in the penthouses, bathrooms have separate showers and Jacuzzi tubs and double sinks. And, as in all cabins, they have the signature Aveda products.
Family
Crystal ships, like those of the other luxury lines, carry far fewer children than the mega ships. (The code word here is "mature" cruisers.) Still, the children's program has been updated on the Serenity. There are two playrooms. "Fantasia" accommodates children ages 3 to 7 with toys and Play Doh and planned activities such as diving for pennies in the pool. "Waves" hosts kids age 8 to 17 with plenty of Sony Playstations.
Kids can also go on special tours, such as a back-stage visit to the dressing rooms and a galley tour where kids can decorate their own pastries. The ship also offers onboard babysitting services, with advance reservations, which start at $7.50 per hour for one child, $10 per hour for two, and $12.50 per hour for three.
Gratuity
Crystal's guidelines suggest tipping per passenger per day-$4 for cabin stewards, $4 for butlers, $4 for waiters, and $2 for assistant waiters. They'll charge it to your onboard account if you'd like, which saves passengers from running to an ATM in the last port or carrying a lot of cash on the cruise. And if you do charge your tips, the ship offers printed vouchers to hand to each crew member so that you can still thank them.
Fellow Passengers
Passengers are primarily Americans, and largely fall within the empty nester and retiree categories, though there are a good number of 30- and 40- something couples. Expect plenty of extended families traveling together -- which means there will be some children and teens, especially in the summer and on school holidays. On my cruise, there were a couple of large groups, including an alumni-association trip from West Virginia University. (The ship even flew the school's flag.) While passengers seemed to be impressed with Crystal Serenity, many were repeat cruisers who knew what to expect.
Dining
The Crystal Dining Room keeps with the line's tradition of assigned seating, offering early (6:30 p.m.) and late (8:30 p.m.) options. The big difference here is the floor to ceiling windows, which remain uncovered even during the late seating when the ship summers in Europe and the sun doesn't set until 9:30 p.m. Menus highlight continental fare, with a nod to the cuisine of an itinerary's ports (in the Western Mediterranean, for example, you can sample a "fisherman's platter" in Gibraltar or a salad Nicoise in Cannes). Still the majority of the dishes tend to be staples, such as Beef Wellington and Dover Sole. Vegetarian selections are also always available, as are healthy options such as roasted chicken and steamed vegetables (both are listed on every menu).
On my cruise, service in the dining room was not as smooth as expected -- one night, there was a bottle of wine that didn't arrive until almost dessert time and Oysters Rockefeller that were missing the oysters. But, as this was only the ship's second sailing, one can expect that these little glitches will disappear shortly.
On sea days, the ship offers a deck-top barbecue instead of lunch in the dining room. These feasts feature a theme -- such as a Mediterranean cookout when the ship is near, say, Majorca. But this is not your typical barbecue. Instead, you can choose Italian grilled sardines and Spanish ham with olives. And, on port days, the lunch menu of the dining room is also served buffet-style in the Lido Cafe.
Other lunch options include the Bistro, where you can get cheese and pate and fruit tarts, and Trident Bar and Grill, a poolside option that goes beyond the typical cheeseburgers and fries to include grilled salmon and tuna melts, too. Serenity's ice cream bar, Scoops, serves up over a dozen flavors at all times, as well as toppings and soft-serve frozen yogurt (and, unlike on many other ships, there is no extra charge).
Service has always been a hallmark at Crystal and it remains so on Serenity. One example of how their staff is top-notch is the Trident's ice cream scooper, a Crystal veteran who'd worked on Symphony. "Weren't you on the Symphony in 2000?" I heard him ask one passenger. "Peppermint, right? I never remember names but I always remember a face-and a flavor."
The newest addition to the deck is Tastes, a casual restaurant located across from the Grill. Here, the California Fusion menu includes Cobb Salad and duck quesadillas. It's a refreshingly casual al fresco option, with lots of healthy choices and extended lunch hours. Tastes typically closes at 3:30 p.m., instead of 1:30 p.m. -- and occasionally reopens for dinner under the stars.
The Serenity has other alternative options at night as well -- and this is where the ship really stands out as the best of the best. Of course, like on her predecessors, you can reserve a table at Northern Italian-style Prego, where they serve rich Osso Bucco, excellent Veal Milanese, and antipasti.
But it's the Asian restaurant, Silk Road, that is the piece de resistance. Here, the ship features the dishes of Nobu Matsuhisa, chef-owner of New York and L.A.'s famed (and famously hard to get into) Nobu restaurants. You may think that Crystal could never duplicate Nobu's fresh seafood dishes at sea-the light tempura, the high-quality sushi, the Japanese-American fusion cuisine. But you'd be surprised. The menu is a wonderful mix of the restaurant's signatures (such as yellowtail and jalapeno sashimi, and rock shrimp tempura in a sweet and creamy chili sauce) and standards for less adventurous eaters, including lobster spring rolls and chicken teriyaki. And it doesn't stop there. You can order sushi and rolls a la carte for no extra charge (like Prego, Silk Road has a suggested $6 tip per person but no cover charge) and you can even order off the menu. For real sushi lovers, this is where the fun begins. Toro sashimi? They've got it, if you know to ask for it. And there are non-sushi off-the-cart options too. On my trip, I sampled pork cutlets crusted with panko breadcrumbs and served with a very spicy mustard -- that is, after I saw a Japanese family at the next table enjoying theirs.
Public Rooms
Old favorites like the Avenue Saloon and the Hollywood Theater, with its second-run films, look just the same. There's a card room for bridge players, a smallish library with DVDs and CDs for passengers to borrow, and an instructional lounge called "The Studio," where you can learn how to play piano on one of their Yamaha keyboards (the only facility of its kind at-sea). There are also the requisite jewelry and clothing shops.
"Computers@Sea" - is both an instructional center and Internet cafe. But consider yourself warned: Internet access is charged, not per minute as on most ships, but by megabytes uploaded-plus a start-up fee of $5 per usage. If you surf the web, rather than just type e-mails, you can expect charges of approximately $5 every couple of minutes. It's frustrating to watch the meter on the screen constantly increasing. If you can help it, skip it altogether and check your e-mail in ports.
Entertainment
While Crystal Serenity offers all the usual port talks and lectures, what's really special here is the nightlife. Unlike on the newer Radisson Seven Seas and Silversea ships, there is an energy onboard at night. This is an exclusive resort at sea, and you can feel that in the cigar bar and the mahogany-paneled Avenue Saloon piano bar where people are getting to know each other and toss back good Scotch. The casino is crowded with Poker and Blackjack players (rather than the Slot machine hopefuls) and it's only the Pulse Disco that seems empty night after night.
Fitness and Recreation
The pool deck is, as always, the place to be on sea days-when the whole ship turns out, and yet there are still plenty of teak lounge chairs left in prime spaces. The ship has two pools: the Seahorse pool, which is open-air and surrounded with lounge chairs, and the Neptune Pool, which is in the same atrium as Tastes and the Grill. The Neptune Pool is smaller, and usually empty-probably because people are usually eating in the area.
On the top deck, you'll find the nice (but typical and not overly large) fitness center, a Zen-themed Steiner spa and salon, and two impressive "Wimbledon" paddle tennis courts. The gym offers classes, such as yoga (free of charge), but the courts seem to be the highlight of the fitness offerings.
Dress Code
On formal evenings, it's black tie all the way. Some women wear cocktail-length dresses, but most opt for chic, full-length gowns (expect to see plenty of Judith Leiber jewel-encrusted purses, too). Almost all men wear tuxedos -- this is a group that owns their own, naturally. On informal evenings, men choose suits and women opt for dresses or dressy pants. But on casual nights, they do lose the ties and unbutton that top button. It's not a stuffy crowd.
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