![]() ![]() A mini-bar built into the vanity is stocked with beer, wine, champagne…and basically anything you request from your butler. The overhead rain shower head, hand-held option and powerful body jets may be activated individually or together via wall controls, controls that are push button, not “turned” like every other shower I’ve ever used.Ī walk in-closet with a unit of shelves and drawers provides storage, as well as two types of bathrobes (a substantial Etro terry variety and a lightweight cotton with a whimsical Crystal nautical print), Etro slippers and a wall safe. bottles of them!) and a high-end Grohe shower that, okay, I’ll admit it, took me about 20 minutes to figure out. The marble bathroom is a wonder with double sinks, lighted vanity and separate makeup mirror, ample storage shelves, Ortiglia Sicilia toiletries (generously sized 8.45 oz. A second flat screen TV is here as well, as is a second access to that balcony where, on this sailing, I’ll be able to view magnificent vistas as we head north to Boston, Halifax, Sydney and Quebec City. Equally spacious is the bedroom with its queen-size bed dressed with Jesurum Venezia luxury linens, and more lighting options than I’ll ever need. ![]() I open the door to find a spacious living area, done in relaxing blues and grays, with a circular dining table, full-size couch beneath a stunning illuminated wall sculpture, a vanity, easy chair, flat-screen TV, high-end Julius Meinl espresso maker and pods, powerful Bushnell binoculars and a sliding glass door that leads to a spacious balcony. It is to my 537 square-foot Sapphire Veranda that I head after boarding. During the ambitious renovation of Crystal Serenity, two full decks of smaller passenger cabins were combined, resulting in an expansion of the line’s Sapphire Veranda Suite category and the creation of two new categories: the Junior Crystal Penthouse Suite (645 square feet) and the cozy 215 square foot Single Guest Room with Ocean View. The reborn Crystal Serenity has a reduced capacity (740 versus her previous capacity of 1,080 guests). The result seems to be a conscious attempt by the line to satisfy its long-time fans while attracting new ones to the concept of exceptional all-inclusive luxury cruising.Īnd they have succeeded. The beauty of today’s Crystal Serenity is that she combines many of the things that fans of the uber luxurious ship have always loved with some dramatic upgrades courtesy of the multi-million-dollar renovation that the ship underwent during her six-month overhaul. Familiar public spaces like Palm Court, the Galaxy Theater and Nobuyuki Matsuhisa’s Umi Uma Japanese/Peruvian dining spot may still be found aboard, but the new Crystal is not one to rest on its laurels. ![]() That quirky seahorse sculpture, Crystal’s trademark, still stands like a treasured museum piece alongside Crystal Serenity’s swimming pool. So many guests are long-time devotees and it’s not unusual to speak with some whose Crystal sailings number 50 cruises or more (one woman aboard this cruise sailed a staggering 170 times). 80% of Crystal Serenity’s crew are line veterans and the hotel manager and cruise director, Scott Peterson and Rick Spath, respectively, are industry legends. Today, the feeling aboard the 68,870 grt Crystal Serenity is almost surreal-as though the pandemic and the liquidation never even happened. ![]() Crystal Serenity (along with sister ship Crystal Symphony) found herself dead in the water–literally–until Abercrombie & Kent, in partnership with previous Silversea’s Chairman and Owner Manfredi Lefebvre, threw the ship a cash-infused lifeline. But for Crystal Cruises, that halt was particularly damning, with Genting Hong Kong, the line’s parent company, filing for bankruptcy and liquidation in 2022, moves partially triggered by the cessation of cruising. Crystal Serenity stands majestically at her dock at New York City’s Pier 88–the first time she’s visited the Big Apple since the pandemic brought the world to a screeching halt. ![]()
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