Our current voyage aboard Crystal Serenity was nothing wanting extraordinary. This Mediterranean odyssey started within the cosmopolitan metropolis of Marseille, France, showcasing a number of the most gorgeous coastal locations within the area earlier than arriving in Rome.
This 12 months, Crystal Cruises are celebrating 35 years of being distinctive at sea. Learn on for our in-depth Crystal Serenity cruise ship assessment, overlaying lodging, meals and drinks, leisure, excursions and extra.
Lodging: Sapphire Veranda Suite
We stayed in a Sapphire Veranda Suite on Deck 8, and it exceeded each expectation. Redesigned in 2023, it measures 430 sq. ft, with a 107 sq. ft balcony.
This stunning suite encompasses a spacious dwelling space with a teal couch that doubles as a settee mattress, a eating space and a separate bed room with a queen mattress convertible to 2 twins. The mattress linen was by Jesurum Venezia 1870, a royal linen maker for 150 12 months
The Italian marble toilet was notably spectacular, full with double sinks, a big walk-in bathe and Ortigia toiletries from Sicily. It has two doorways for handy entry from both your bed room or the doorway. For many who want a bath, Sapphire Veranda Basic suites are additionally accessible to e book.
Storage is all the time necessary in cruise cabins, and we beloved the walk-in closet and abundance of garments hangers. A protected, umbrella, slippers, a tote bag, two Etro plush towelling robes and two Etro cotton robes are additionally supplied.
The elongated personal balcony with teak decking, furnished with two cushioned chairs and a spherical desk, supplied the right spot for morning espresso whereas watching the Mediterranean shoreline drift by. The elegant furnishings, new carpeting, and up to date wall finishes created an environment of refined luxurious all through our suite.
Crystal Cruises doesn’t make tannoy bulletins, to maximise visitor leisure. You should utilize the in-room interactive pill for information and reservations and examine printed information bulletins for the total every day schedule.
Unparalleled Included Facilities
What really units Crystal Serenity aside is the excellent listing of included companies that might usually value additional on different cruise strains. Our suite perks included welcome Champagne, complimentary gentle drinks, wine and spirits, afternoon canapés, 24-hour in-suite eating, home made chocolate truffles, complimentary limitless Starlink WiFi and binoculars.
All company aboard Crystal’s ships get pleasure from butler service, and all gratuities are included. Our butler Mukesh was attentive with out being intrusive, dealing with all the things from checking our restaurant reservations to bringing us a kettle and natural teas with real care and professionalism.
Self-service laundry amenities are conveniently situated on a number of decks, offering company with the pliability to deal with their laundry wants independently alongside the complimentary urgent and dry cleansing companies included with sure suite lodging comparable to ours.
Distinctive Eating Experiences
The culinary choices aboard Crystal Serenity are really world-class. We loved a scrumptious breakfast in our suite one morning, and had the pleasure of eating at a number of excellent eating places throughout our voyage:
UMI UMA & Sushi Bar: Created by legendary Grasp Chef Nobuyuki (Nobu) Matsuhisa, UMI UMA is the one Nobu restaurant at sea. This restaurant presents an elegantly fashionable setting with signature Japanese-Peruvian dishes together with rock shrimp tempura and Wagyu beef fillet steak. The signature black cod with miso was completely divine – completely flaky fish with an umami-rich glaze.
Beefbar: This international restaurant that started in Monte-Carlo options probably the most thrilling flavours from the worldwide street-food scene – Beef, Reef and Leaf – normal from the freshest elements. The meat dishes had been distinctive, cooked to perfection and fantastically introduced. The ambiance was relaxed but refined, excellent for an off-the-cuff however elevated eating expertise.
Waterside Restaurant (Fundamental Eating Room): Waterside is the ship’s major eating room, situated on Deck 5, that includes open seating and tables for 2 and 4 company in addition to a sharing desk for solo travellers. The dinner menu consists of “Crystal Classics” – conventional Crystal favourites that rotate all through your cruise – and “Modern Delicacies,” which rotates nightly.
The standard was constantly excellent, with completely ready dishes that rivaled high-end land-based eating places.
Osteria d’Ovidio on Deck 7 focuses on show-stopping Italian delicacies, created in collaboration with the Michelin-starred Alajmo brothers. Market on Deck 12 offers buffet-style eating with worldwide delicacies from 12 midday to 2pm, whereas Trident Grill on Deck 12 presents a late-riser breakfast and informal fare from 12 midday to 6pm.
The Bistro on Deck 6 serves Parisian-inspired café fare with gentle snacks, pastries, and premium espresso. Head to Scoops Gelato Bar in entrance of the dwelling plant wall on Deck 12 for Badiani ice cream with a wide array of tempting flavours and toppings.
The Classic Room on Deck 7 presents an unique wine pairing expertise with six-course menus led by the ship’s head sommelier. We didn’t attempt it, however the eating room regarded very elegant.
Sports activities Amenities
Crystal Serenity presents a formidable array of actions and facilities. The three,000+ square-foot Health Heart options an in depth line {of professional} weights and Technogym® train gear, together with panoramic views.
The ship presents a wellness program with lessons in yoga, mat pilates and spinning lessons, with a full-time Health Director offering health recommendation. We notably loved collaborating in a complimentary stretching session within the gymnasium. Private coaching lessons can be booked for a payment..
The Aurōra Spa and Salon amenities on Deck 13 are complete, providing a variety of well being and wonder companies for women and gents, comparable to facials, medi-spa companies, IV remedies, acupuncture and massages. There are sauna and steam room amenities, along with a leisure room with sea views.
The Seahorse Pool and sizzling tubs on Deck 12 are surrounded by solar loungers. With ample deck house for leisure, this space is the right spot to benefit from the Mediterranean sunshine whereas by no means feeling overcrowded.
Crystal Serenity has two full-sized paddle tennis and pickleball courts at Wimbledon Courtroom on Deck 13. Golf lovers can follow on the golf driving nets on Deck 6, with skilled steerage from a PGA golf professional accessible on most cruises, and TaylorMade golf equipment accessible to be used each onboard and ashore.
You’ll additionally discover desk tennis amenities on Deck 6. Shuffleboard on Deck 8 offers basic deck sport leisure.
Onboard Venues and Social Areas
Crystal Serenity options an distinctive number of venues and social areas:
Procuring: The ship has a number of well-appointed boutiques providing duty-free searching for cruise put on, designer equipment, luxurious fragrances and skincare, jewelry, watches and branded merchandise: Apropos, Crystal Assortment, Captain’s Selection and Aspects.
Lounges and Bars: Palm Courtroom is a brilliant house with ground to ceiling home windows, excellent for the every day complimentary afternoon tea. Crystal Cove within the ship’s atrium serves as a flexible central assembly level with dwell music at common intervals all through the day.
Avenue Saloon presents an intimate, darkish and moody piano bar ambiance with intensive martini and negroni menus. Connoisseur Membership offers a chic cigar lounge with deep leather-based chairs for having fun with premium cigars and cognacs.
Leisure Venues: The 1,000 sq. foot On line casino de Monte-Carlo presents a glamorous gaming expertise with desk video games and slot machines in an environment paying homage to Monaco. Hollywood Theatre on Deck 6 serves as a contemporary cinema showcasing current movies, dwell sports activities occasions, and visitor lectures. Galaxy Lounge, additionally on Deck 6, is the place to go for headline leisure, with a drinks service earlier than every present.
Pulse Night time Membership offers an intimate house for late-night drinks, dancing, and karaoke. The cosy Library homes over 2,000 books spanning numerous genres, alongside magazines and board video games for quiet leisure.
Household Amenities: Waves & Fantasia are devoted kids’s golf equipment – Waves for teenagers and Fantasia for youthful kids (ages 3-12), providing supervised actions together with arts and crafts, video video games, board video games, and film viewing.
Ship Companies: The Atrium on Deck 5 homes important ship companies together with Reception, Concierge, and the Shore Tour desk, making it a central hub for visitor companies and knowledge. The Medical Heart offers skilled healthcare companies ought to they be wanted in the course of the voyage.
Leisure and Enrichment Packages
Crystal Serenity’s leisure program was very fulfilling. Two magnificent performances by James Fox had been a spotlight of our cruise. His vocal expertise and stage presence had been fascinating, and the Billy Joel tribute was notably memorable.
The Galaxy Lounge supplied an intimate and chic setting for these performances. The Crystal Ensemble of Singers and Dancers and Crystal Showband additionally excelled with nightly selection exhibits. Don’t neglect to pack white clothes for Crystal’s famend White Night time get together!
The daytime enrichment program was equally spectacular, that includes academic periods together with iPhone Images lessons that taught beneficial strategies for capturing higher journey photographs. It could be great if Crystal may lengthen these images workshops to additionally cowl Android telephones, as this is able to profit a good wider vary of company who may apply the strategies no matter their machine desire.
The mixture of high-quality leisure, academic enrichment, and wellness actions created an ideal stability that ensured there was all the time one thing partaking to do, whether or not we wished to be lively, be taught one thing new, or just be entertained.
The Itinerary: Mediterranean Perfection
Our 7-night Mediterranean voyage (CSE-007-250517) departed from Marseille, France and concluded in Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy. This rigorously curated itinerary totalled 742 nautical miles and included:
- Day 1 – Marseille, France (Embarkation) – France’s oldest metropolis and premier Mediterranean port, with its charming previous port that includes colourful fishing boats and the imposing Fort Saint-Jean.
- Day 2 – Menton, France – A reasonably city on the French Riviera, identified for its gorgeous gardens, Belle Époque structure, and Mediterranean appeal.
- Day 3 – Genoa, Italy – A historic port metropolis the place grand structure evidences the port’s former glory days as an influential maritime energy, that includes the most important medieval metropolis middle in Europe.
- Day 4 – Livorno (Tuscany), Italy – Gateway to the Renaissance treasures of Florence and Pisa, and the famend Chianti wine area.
- Day 5 – Portoferraio (Elba), Italy – The charming capital of the island of Elba, well-known as Napoleon’s place of exile and identified for its pristine seashores and crystal-clear waters.
- Day 6 – Porto Santo Stefano, Italy – A picturesque fishing village on the Tuscan coast, providing gorgeous views and genuine Italian coastal appeal.
- Day 7 – Olbia, Sardinia – A captivating port metropolis on the Italian island of Sardinia, identified for its gorgeous seashores and wealthy Mediterranean tradition.
- Day 8 – Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy (Disembarkation) – Gateway to the everlasting metropolis of Rome.
This unimaginable itinerary supplied an ideal mix of French Riviera magnificence, Italian Renaissance tradition, and Mediterranean island magnificence. Every vacation spot supplied distinctive experiences, from the glamour of Menton to the inventive treasures accessible from Livorno, the historic significance of Elba, and the pure great thing about Sardinia.
Shore Excursions: Expertly Curated Experiences
We participated in two Crystal Cruises shore excursions that enhanced our Mediterranean expertise. Crystal’s excursions are curated by Abercrombie & Kent (a part of the A&Ok Journey Group household), guaranteeing distinctive high quality and distinctive entry to locations.
Panoramic Porto Ercole & Argentario (Porto Santo Stefano)
This cultural and historic tour took us on a surprising panoramic drive by way of Monte Argentario, a picturesque promontory in southern Tuscany that serves as a favoured vacation retreat for prosperous Italians. Our English-speaking information led us from the bustling harbour of Porto Santo Stefano to the charming fishing village of Porto Ercole, related by scenic sandbars and separated by stunning lagoons.
In Porto Ercole, we explored the traffic-free streets and found the city’s fascinating historical past, together with its connection to the well-known artist Caravaggio, who mysteriously died there in July 1610. We strolled alongside the waterfront promenade lined with outlets and eating places housed in transformed fishermen’s warehouses.
One other fascinating cease was the Passionist Fathers convent, located 900 ft above sea degree and providing panoramic views over the bay and the lagoon of Orbetello. In case you have extra time within the space, you can too go to the spectacular Sixteenth-century Spanish fortresses – Forte Filippo, the Rocca, and Forte Stella.
Porto Cervo On Your Personal (Olbia, Sardinia)
This half-day tour supplied a scenic 45-minute drive from Olbia port to Porto Cervo, some of the glamorous locations on the Italian coast and the center of Sardinia’s jet-set scene on the well-known Emerald Coast. The drive itself was spectacular, showcasing the pure great thing about Sardinia’s shoreline.
We loved free time to admire the colorful buildings and soak within the unique ambiance of this famend vacation spot. I snapped up a gown and a belt designed regionally at one of many trendy boutiques near the waterfront.
Each excursions had been completely organized with snug transportation, educated guides, and perfect timing that allowed us to completely recognize these exceptional locations whereas guaranteeing we returned to the ship with time to spare. The small group sizes typical of Crystal excursions created a extra intimate and customized expertise that we totally loved.
Distinctive Workers and Service
What really made our Crystal Serenity expertise unforgettable was the distinctive workers and Crystal’s industry-leading guest-to-crew ratio of just about 1:1, which ensures extremely customized and attentive service all through the ship. Crystal Serenity offers private butler service for all room classes – not simply suites – which is uncommon within the cruise {industry}.
Our butler Mukesh had been with Crystal Cruises for a formidable 18 years, bringing a wealth of expertise and real dedication to his position. This degree of service continuity and experience, constructed over years and many years of expertise, is what units Crystal aside from different cruise strains.
Ultimate Ideas on Crystal Serenity Cruise Ship
Crystal Serenity delivers on each promise of luxurious cruising. The mixture of spacious, elegantly appointed lodging, world-class eating, complete included facilities, and genuinely distinctive service creates an expertise that justifies each penny.
The ship’s measurement, with a most of 740 company, permits for a extra customized expertise whereas nonetheless providing all of the amenities and leisure choices you could possibly need.
We can’t advocate Crystal Serenity extremely sufficient. This cruise has set a brand new commonplace for our future journey expectations. For these searching for the best in cruise experiences, Crystal Serenity is just the ultimate.
Score: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5 stars)
