Emerging from a nearly four-week dry dock in Bremerhaven, Germany, Crystal Serenity completed its most extensive refurbishment ever.
Mirroring the changes implemented aboard Crystal Symphony in fall 2017, Crystal Serenity now has new dining options and open-seating dining; new spacious, butler-serviced Seabreeze Penthouse and Seabreeze Penthouse Suite accommodations; redesigned lounge and entertainment venues, including the Stardust Club and Palm Court; a new production show called “Crystal on Broadway, The Show”; and new interactive technological amenities. Crystal Serenity set sail from Lisbon on Nov. 10 on her first voyage since the completion of her redesign.
“The scope of this redesign is truly remarkable. Our ocean ships remain at the heart of our brand and our commitment to their continued excellence and success is unwavering,” says Tom Wolber, Crystal president and CEO. “The changes aboard Crystal Serenity are a beautiful reaffirmation of Crystal’s timeless style and luxury, which continues to evolve with the preferences of luxury travelers but will always be rooted in the cornerstones of genuine, personalized service, abundant space, superb quality and numerous choices.”
Wolber says the new open-seating dining gives guests the freedom to dine when, where and with whom they want, while the new restaurant options showcase and celebrate the flavors of the world Crystal travels in. “The new Seabreeze accommodations are in direct response to guest demand for more suites that, of course, include our personalized butler service,” he says. “And the redesigned lounges will make spaces that are already favorites among our guests even more versatile and inviting.”
The dry dock, which began in Lisbon on Oct. 14 as Crystal Serenity made her way to the Lloyd Werft shipyard in Bremerhaven, marks the latest milestone for the expanding Crystal portfolio of luxury products. Among the new spaces and experiences guests will find on board are:
New Dining Options: As open-seating dining debuts aboard Crystal Serenity, guests can dine where, when and with whom they choose, allowing them to have more flexibility for evening entertainment. New venues also are being introduced offering a refreshed selection of global cuisine with reimagined décor. These include:
Waterside: Taking the place of the Crystal Dining Room and reflecting the chic elegance of the main dining venues aboard Crystal River Cruises and Crystal Symphony, this centrally located restaurant continues to serve daily changing menus of international classic and modern cuisine, paired with unlimited fine wines, spirits and beers. The restaurant now features more intimate seating with tables for two and four, as well as contemporary finishes, integrated lighting, a new ceiling feature and “tile” treatment that creates a cozier atmosphere. Breakfast and lunch service times continue as they were previously, while guests have the freedom to dine in Waterside for dinner any time they choose. The dinner menu continues to be offered for room service dining during dinner hours.
The Marketplace/Churrascaria: These are the new daytime and evening identities of the former Lido Café, respectively. Both venues feature an open-kitchen concept with dishes made to order. The Marketplace serves an expansive menu of buffet-style breakfast and lunch options and transforms into Churrascaria during the dinner hours. This Brazilian-style barbeque welcomes guests with a traditional Caipirinha cocktail, then offers a selection of tapas and ceviche, salads and soups, vegetables and freshly grilled meat and seafood brochettes, all served the traditional way with a “Crystal” twist. Crystal “gauchos” take meats directly from the grill to carve them tableside from sword-like skewers. Churrascaria offers open seating and does not require reservations.
Silk Kitchen & Bar: Located in the Trident area of the ship formerly called Tastes, this Asian-inspired venue serves traditional Chinese comfort food in an elegant al fresco atmosphere. Family-style favorites are on the menu for dinner, while lunch options include favorites from the noodle bar, wok dishes, traditional dumplings, Chinois soup and a small selection of favorite menu items from Tastes. Silk also serves Crystal’s late risers breakfast service. It offers open seating for breakfast and lunch and requires reservations for dinner.
Umi Uma: The rebranded Silk Road & The Sushi Bar continues to serve the Japanese-Peruvian specialties of Master Chef Nobu Matsuhisa by his personally trained chefs and remains the only Nobu restaurants at sea. Dinner reservations are required for Crystal’s specialty restaurants, including Prego.
Stardust Supper Club: A new dining experience reminiscent of the era of the Rat Pack debuts on black-tie-optional evenings in the Stardust Club, featuring a four-course menu, live musical performances from Crystal’s Ensemble and string quartet. Cuisine reflects specialties served in Waterside, with wine pairings and desserts as well as a vegetarian menu.
Prego: The specialty restaurant continues to serve regional specialties of Italy in the intimate, authentic atmosphere guests have come to love.
Public Spaces: Crystal also has redesigned and reimagined the public spaces onboard Serenity. These include:
Palm Court: This favorite spot on board for gatherings of all sorts has been reimagined with a more intimate atmosphere. The stage has been relocated to an “in-the-round” concept, with a new modernized bar. More tables for two and intimate seating areas, new finishes, lighting, carpeting and furniture reflect the understated modern luxury of this space on Crystal Symphony. New touches include a combination of cocktail tables and chairs, dramatic wingback chairs with footstools, sofas and coffee tables. Since Palm Court has long been a destination on board for traditional afternoon teatime and refreshments, the previous stage area has become a dedicated culinary space to feature fresh pastries and snacks as guests enjoy the sweeping views from the venue’s floor-to-ceiling windows.
The Stardust Club: a popular nighttime spot for drinks and dancing, this area features a new dance floor, new bar finishes and a refreshed décor, resulting in a lighter and more spacious feel, with new lighting and technological upgrades as well. New seating configurations allow the room to be easily transformed into a multi-functional space to host the Stardust Supper Club and large gatherings from bridge tournaments to live evening entertainment.
Galaxy Lounge: In this space the Crystal entertainment team is installing a new Broadway-style production show called “Crystal on Broadway, The Show,” featuring songs from the hit musicals “Rent,” “Something Rotten!” and “West Side Story.” The show, which debuts on the Dec. 7 “Pacific Coast Panorama” cruise, is the result of a partnership between Crystal and Kevin McCollum, the multi Tony Award winning producer of those Broadway products.
In addition, Pulse and the Resorts World Casino at Sea have also been updated with new modern and warm-toned colored carpet and furnishings.
New Seabreeze Penthouses: On Deck 10, 36 new Seabreeze Penthouses and two Seabreeze Penthouse Suites now occupy the space of former Deluxe Staterooms with Verandah. The new accommodations, offer the same personal butler service, specialty services, walk-in closets, spa-like bathrooms and spacious square footage as the other Penthouses on board (367 square feet and 491 square feet, respectively, including the verandah).
Customized, contemporary design and décor are featured throughout, with gemstone-colored velvets, natural materials and brushed brass touches with marble details. The Seabreeze Penthouses also feature special entryways, which are shared between two suites and recessed from the hallway. This enables a seamless design for connecting two suites for larger families upon request. In-room specialty dining and unlimited reservations at specialty restaurants are among the enhanced services enjoyed by Penthouse guests.
Crystal Serenity’s transformation effectively reduces the ship’s capacity from 1,070 guests to 980 guests, while the number of crew on board remains the same. A hallmark of Crystal’s onboard experience has long been a focus on copious amounts of space throughout its ships and one of the highest per-guest space and service ratios in the industry.
Technology Enhancements: In all rooms, including public and guest suites, new, state-of-the-art HD flat-panel TVs have been added, featuring technology that allows guests to access a variety of information, including onboard folios, Crystal Life Spa & Salon menus, the Connoisseur Wine menu and daily restaurant menus. The new on-demand system also offers a library of blockbuster films and entertainment, as well as live views from the ship, broadcasts of ship lectures, presentations and destination info. Upgraded Wi-Fi coverage throughout the ship is delivered via dedicated antennae in every suite and all public areas and open decks.
A new guest portal called Crystal Connect is also now live, found on the landing page of onboard Internet service. Guests can access it from their smartphones, tablets or computers and instantly find shipboard and itinerary info, daily menus, shore excursions and port maps, daily issues of Reflections and an array of complimentary global newspapers and entertainment library.
Crystal Serenity’s enrichment facilities also were redesigned. The Computer University@Sea has received new carpeting, seating and computer equipment, along with 70-inch TVs. The multifunctional enrichment room, The Studio, has been divided to offer a classroom for language, art and other instruction and a separate dance studio for private lessons.
Crystal’s itineraries aboard the newly redesigned Crystal Serenity and Crystal Symphony are now available for booking for 2019, 2020 and 2021, giving travelers more than three years to plan their luxury vacations. Crystal also incentivizes guests who book early with thousands of dollars with its Book Now Savings program. Insider Travel Report will report from Crystal Serenity during a Dec. 7-15 sailing of California and Mexico. For more information, call Deluxe Cruises on 01202 797626.