| Overview
When Crystal Symphony was launched nearly a decade ago, the ship was considered the most innovative of luxury cruise vessels. It featured alternative restaurants -- which at that time were pretty rare. It offered a high-for-the-era private balcony ratio. The line's strong emphasis on mixing interesting itineraries with a lot of sea days meant that it put a lot of effort into creating not only enticing public rooms but also challenging onboard programming that went beyond the norm.
Today, these once-innovative features are now found on just about every contemporary cruise ship. But, as our recent trip Crystal Symphony proved, the ship hasn't merely rested on its laurels. Following the launch last year of Crystal Serenity, the line's third vessel, Crystal Cruises turned its attention to its former flagship, giving Crystal Symphony received a significant refurbishment that updated major areas, such as a new Feng Shui-designed spa and fitness center and expanded others, including the ever-popular Computer University@Sea classroom facility. The Crystal dining room got a sleek new look. The Library was refurbished and penthouse level accommodations were updated and upgraded.
Ultimately, what's different about Symphony and its musically named brethren is the sense that while onboard you're genuinely part of a community at sea. And on our trip, nothing made it more enjoyable and satisfying than the extremely high level of service we encountered. At Prego, the Italian alternative restaurant, our friendly and efficient cabin steward, in the fact that every time -- without fail -- we'd pass a crew member in the hallway he or she would stop, smile, and say hello.
For us, Crystal's exceptional -- need we say industry leading -- distinctions for service and onboard entertainment merged beautifully one evening. On one of the first nights of the cruise, we'd asked the Crystal Sextet, the ship's dance band, if it could play Henry Mancini's "Two for the Road." Politely, Angie, their lead singer, told us they didn't know the tune. And so we forgot about it. But they didn't. One night at dinner, Angie stopped by our table, saying "come by the Starlite Lounge tonight!" The band had actually taken the time to find -- and then learn -- the tune and dedicated it to us. It was the most romantic, heartwarming gesture we've ever experienced on a cruise.
Cabins
Crystal Symphony, as we mentioned in our overview, was considered a revolutionary design when it was built in the mid-1990's and, as such, has absolutely no inside cabins. Standard outsides (well, Crystal calls 'em "deluxe") measure 202 square ft. -- reasonably roomy -- and are the same size and similarly outfitted as balcony cabins, which quote a 246-square-ft. figure (the extra 44 square ft. goes to the verandah). Regardless of designation, all cabins on Crystal Symphony feature a queen bed that converts to two twins, a seating area, color television and DVD player (you can borrow from the library's ample selection), and a fridge with complimentary soft drinks and bottled water. There's a safe and plenty of storage space.
Bathrooms are functional and comfortable -- all come with a full bathtub-shower combination.
Crystal Symphony's penthouse-level suites received a major refurbishment during the ship's recent dry dock -- and they are absolutely lovely. All are located on deck ten and all have verandahs. The difference between the three categories is the size -- options include 367 square ft., 491 square ft., and 982 square ft. Beyond that, the amenities count: All have butlers who bring afternoon canapes, make restaurant and spa reservations, replace beverages and serve room service meals (course-by-course if requested). Another extra: Suite-holders are provided with a complimentary bottle of wine plus a choice of liquor (one full-sized bottle per person) and mini-fridges are continually stocked with beer and sodas.
Hint: In these cabins, you can order from the menus at Jade Cafe and Valentino at Prego -- anything from full meals to simply appetizers.
Another plus for those who can afford to splurge on a penthouse suite: The bathrooms are huge, featuring whirlpool tubs, separate showers, dual sinks and toiletries from Aveda.
Fitness and Recreation
The "big event," sports-wise, on Crystal Symphony revolves around the ship's paddle tennis court. It is always (or so it seemed) busy! The promenade on Deck 7 wraps fully around the ship and attracts walkers and runners. On our Baltic cruise, there wasn't too much action at the pool or adjacent whirlpools but the ambience (if not the weather) was pleasant.
One of the nicest aspects of Crystal Symphony's recent refurbishment was the attention to its spa and fitness facility. The spa is peaceful, reflecting an Asian theme and decorated with Feng Shui in mind. Our 80-minute lime scrub and body massage was amazing; we also had terrific experiences with the ship's full-service beauty salon (pedicures, haircuts, etc.).
We loved the locker room featuring multi-head showers, sauna, steam and Aveda toiletries -- not to mention (and this falls in the "nice touch" category) a mini-fridge stocked with complimentary still and fizzy water.
The fitness facility has a full line of new equipment that's nicely grouped in stations. There are plenty of treadmills and stationary bicycles (each equipped with flat screen televisions) though on sea days there was a sign up sheet.
Entertainment
One of our favorite aspects of a cruise on Crystal is that itinerary planners work in a number of sea days with those spent exploring ports. And those sea days offer a fantastic opportunity to sample the ship's enrichment offerings. Through the Creative Learning Institute, passengers can participate in instruction in areas such as the arts, wellness, and wine and food, among others (on our trip, a popular sea day class featured instruction in piano, offered through Crystal's affiliation with Yamaha, and intensive Spanish, via its partnership with Berlitz). The expanded Computer University@Sea is also quite busy -- and many classes (ranging from digital photography to downloading attachments) fill up fast.
Guest speakers are also an important staple; in our case an ambassador (and on-camera reporter for Fox) who specialized in the Middle East spoke about Iraq and other topics. Sessions were packed.
Beyond the above, there's Team Trivia, Scrabble, Mah-Jongg, movies in the cinema, bingo, dance classes, an art auction and napkin folding.
Evenings were a bit more low-key -- aside from nights when there was a production show or a comic in the Galaxy Lounge showroom. After dinner, we got into the habit of heading for the Starlite Room to dance to romantic tunes by the ship's band; there were gentleman hosts on hand to squire single ladies around the floor.
Caesar's Palace at Sea, the ship's casino, is operated by that venerable Las Vegas-based firm and is one of the few at sea to offer free drinks for gamblers.
The ship had a perfectly serviceable Internet cafe with generally available terminals (and a fantastic group of staffers who were always willing and able to help out) but we found the ship's pricing policy not only convoluted and complicated but also outrageously expensive. In addition to a $5 fee you pay every time you log on, there is a charge of $20 per megabyte of transmitted data, which translates to about $2 per minute of transmission time. In non-tech speak this means you're charged when you send and receive data -- specifically when your e-mail inbox is being loaded, when you open an e-mail, and when you do a search and a page is loaded. The meter stops and you're not charged when you are reading or writing emails, or reading a page from the Internet. Passengers can also connect in the privacy of their staterooms with dial-up access.
The Dean of the Computer University configures personal laptops for $25 or passengers can rent a laptop for $5 per day. In-cabin charges run 75 cents a minute.
Dining
Crystal is the only luxury cruise line in the marketplace to feature assigned dining times and tablemates (at dinner only; other meals in the main dining room are open seating) and we'd always thought of that as a drawback of the line. Surprisingly, it wasn't. The maitre d' and his team must be geniuses at matching folks -- we didn't meet a soul with complaints about table companions. And, indeed, it seemed that passengers really bonded with those folks. The assigned dining scenario also allowed wait staff to develop relationships with passengers and at dinner we found that service was consistently superb.
Hint: On our trip -- a Baltic cruise in high summer, which meant that the sun set after 10 p.m. -- the late dinner seating booked up fast, so make your request when booking your cruise.
We had less luck in the dining room during open seating meals of breakfast and lunch. The experience was inconsistent, sometimes excellent, other times bordering on poor.
At lunch one afternoon, our waiter told us, mid-meal, that if we wanted dessert we had to order it "now" as the dessert station was closing down; we declined and felt rushed afterward. Eggs benedict ordered at breakfast managed to be simultaneously overcooked and lukewarm.
Crystal Symphony excelled in other dining areas; its two alternative restaurants -- Jade Garden, serving Asian fusion cuisine, and Valentino at Prego, specializing in Northern Italian -- offered outstanding experiences. There's a quite reasonable $6 cover charge in each, and our advice is to reward wait staff with an extra tip. It'll be well deserved. The menus stay the same throughout the cruise but are varied enough to offer enough selection if you are lucky enough to make multiple visits (the ship may place a limit on number of visits depending on demand).
One area in which Crystal in general -- and Crystal Symphony in particular -- excels is its poolside buffets. These are food themed events, such as "Asia Cafe" and "Cuisine of the Sun" and quality and selection is fantastic.
Crystal offers plenty of casual options during the day. One of my favorite places for a late-morning bagel is The Bistro (it also serves morning pastries and afternoon snacks). I loved the coffee bar (with complimentary cappuccinos and the like); later there's a terrific list of by-the-glass wines. We also enjoyed the outdoor Trident Grill, which served up custom-cooked burgers, wraps, hot dogs and grilled chicken.
The Lido Cafe is the ship's standard buffet alternative and it offered pleasantly displayed and generally varied breakfast and lunch fare.
The biggest disappointment on this trip, my second on Crystal, was afternoon tea. While it's still a popular repast, it wasn't anywhere near as elegant and refined as I had remembered. Scones were served, of course, but with whipped rather than clotted cream. On sea days the culinary staff lays out extra-special themed teas but even these fell flat. Midway through the Mozart tea, the scones ran out and were never replaced.
Fellow Passengers
Fellow passengers are very well traveled; many -- more than the industry average -- were repeat Crystal passengers. Demographically, ages primarily represented the 50-plus range though there was a smattering of three-generation family groups traveling together.
Gratuity
Crystal's recommendations are as follows: $4 each for stewardess and waiter, $2.50 for the assistant waiter, and $4 for penthouse deck butlers. That's on a per-day, per-person, basis.
Dress Code
During the daytime, country club casual proliferates. At night, folks tend to dress up (except for "informal" evenings where the resort wear code continues). Our 10-night trip had three formal nights -- men wore tuxedos and suits while women wore long gowns and elegant pants outfits.
Family
Kid-oriented facilities are really limited on this ship; while there were children onboard, I'd recommend families consider Crystal Harmony or Crystal Serenity, both of which place more emphasis both on facilities and programs.
Public Rooms
Crystal Plaza is Symphony's central, two-story atrium. Its focal feature is a lovely waterfall though the art of the atrium is the Crystal Cove lounge, a fabulous spot for people-watching and pre-dinner cocktails. The ship's shops ring the atrium's second level (and offered an interesting variety of merchandise that revolved constantly throughout the trip).
The Avenue Saloon, an elegant, mahogany-like space with a pianist, had been my favorite bar on Crystal Harmony. I liked it less here; due to renovations to add more room for Crystal's Computer University@Sea, it's cramped even when empty (in fact, we rarely spotted a crowd). The Connoisseur's Club, the cigar-smoking, is next door. The Palm Court is the ship's airy observation lounge, a great place to be at sailaway.
Crystal has centered most of its indoor activity areas on Deck 6; here's where you'll find everything from the new library to the cinema and from the University@Sea series of facilities to the Galaxy Lounge.
Crystal Symphony has three self-serve laundries.
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