Beth and I just returned from our 5-day taste of the Crystal Serenity. It really wasn't enough time to truly get to know the ship, particularly as bad weather caused them to have to make some itinerary adjustments, and pull some things together on the fly. But it was enough time to get a feel for it.

I'll get to the bottom line first: I highly recommend this ship. Now, some details.

I don't mean this as one of those "cruise line X vs. cruise line Y" rundowns, but since Regent is my primary frame of reference (as it is for a number of people on this board), I think it might be easier to give an idea of the ship by using Regent as a comparison on some points.

CABINS

The cabin decor is pretty much standard issue luxury cruise line, looking very much like Regent or Silversea, just with a different color palette. The standard cabins are smaller than they are on Regent, but do not feel more cramped. Your "moving about" space is about the same. Instead, the size difference is felt in what's not there. There is only a love seat and a desk chair for seating in the sitting area--no additional chair, and the love seat is shorter than a Regent sofa. But it is more comfortable. There is no dressing table. There is no curtain to separate the sleeping area from the sitting area. This is probably the most missed, as the later to bed or earlier to rise person of a pair in the room does not have a place to have a light on without risking disturbing the others. I understand the penthouses have such a curtain, but not the standard window or verandah cabins.

The size difference is also felt in the closet. We'd become spoiled by the walk-in closets of Regent. On the Crystal ships, there is just a wall closet with a sliding door. While it is more spacious than it looks at first glance, that extra space comes from a hard-to-get-to area. And, it is right next to the bed. So the person who has the bed (or side of the bed) away from the closet risks waking up the other to get into the closet. This is particularly so because the closet has a light that comes on every time the door is opened. And it seems to shine right at the pillow of that nearby bed. Plus, the area between the bed and the closet is pretty tight.

We had heard that the drawer space is generous on Crystal, and indeed between the dresser in the closet and the many drawers in the desk, there are quite a few drawers. But the drawers are actually all a bit on the small size. Overall, the drawer space is probably about equal to what Regent offers.

Certainly none of that was a big deal--or even relevant--for a 5-day cruise, but is something to think about for longer cruises.

BATHROOMS

The bathrooms have the very nice feature of a double sink. There's quite a bit of shelf space in the bathroom. But there's also a quirk: next to the sink with the makeup mirror, the shelves have been taken out and one of those weak installed hair dryers mounted in their place, leaving just one tiny shelf way up high. While there's plenty of shelf space on the other side, it still is funny that you can't keep your makeup next to the makeup mirror. And that, for couples, the person who'd most want the makeup mirror has to jam the makeup on the little shelf in front or keep it on the other side from the mirror. Just one of those clues that no woman had a say in the design.

Bathing is a bathtub/shower combo. The tub has a high side, and no ledge, but there are very well-placed hand bars that make getting in and out quite easy. Water pressure is great, and there's plenty of hot water, even at the prime shower times. Note, however, that the ship was not full--it was carrying about 700 but has capacity for a bit over 1,000. However, if the water was good at 700, I expect it will be at full capacity.

They provide both bath sheets and standard towels, which is a nice plus. Two robes per person are provided: a terrycloth one and a cotton kimono-style. Also a nice touch.

THE CABIN DOOR SYSTEM

The cabin doors have gone high tech. They have an electronic screen at which you can touch "do not disturb" or "clean room", and this shows up on a screen in the hall to tell the stewardess whether to come in or not. If you touch neither, it shows in the hall as "bell", and touching that option in the hall rings the doorbell.

It works quite well except for one quirk that we discovered by accident. Beth had left the cabin, and I decided to take a shower and so hit "do not disturb" to keep the stewardess from coming in during the shower. Beth tried to return, but her key didn't work, and I was in the shower and so didn't hear the doorbell. Well, it turns out that, if 'do not disturb' is on, no one's keys can open the door--including the other occupant of the cabin! Fortunately the stewardess was in the hall, and she can use an override key, so it wasn't much of a problem then. But I can see some circumstances in which that quirk could create problems.

I'll do reviews of the public spaces, excursions, dining and entertainment in separate posts on this thread.

Part 2 of my Crystal Serenity impressions:

PUBLIC SPACES and ENTERTAINMENT

The interior of this ship is beautiful. Simply stunning. The centerpiece of the ship is its two-story atrium with a colored glass ceiling. The reception and excursion desks, the cruise consultant desk, and a lobby bar (the Crystal Cove) surround it. At center is a nice sculpture. In the evenings, a string quartet might play, or a band plays and people can dance, etc. It's the heart of the ship, and is used as a center of activity.
And, oh yes, the Crystal Cove was my favorite bar, although seating can get a little tight just before the two main dinner seatings, as it is near the main dining room.

There is a center staircase that leads to a "street" of shops overlooking the atrium. I didn't go into any except the one that sells the logo wear (which had a paltry and overpriced selection), so can't report on them.

Other public spaces, in no particular order: the Palm Cove, on deck 12. It's essentially the observation lounge. It is lovely and comfortable. On my cruise, it was sparsely used except for the sailaway out of Boston. I couldn't tell you why--it is a great venue. It has a large dance floor, and after dinner a few brave souls could be found fox trotting and waltzing the evening away.

The pool deck. The weather was not conducive to its use (cold rain, snow, high winds--you name it), but it is clearly a nice setup, with really nice and comfortable seating arrangements. On the rare moments of sun, it was clear that there is a good bit of seating in the shade in addition to in the sun. The pool itself is not huge, but not small. Certainly larger than on the Regent ships. It has two jacuzzis, which we did use one chilly day. They were very nice. (Oh, and a nice touch--the info displayed on one of the ship's TV channels includes the hot tub water temperature).

There is also the saloon for a drinking venue--a dark, pub-like space that is actually quite nice. There's a piano player there in the evening.

The ship has two theaters for live performance, as well as a good-sized movie theater. We went to a couple of the performances, which were done well. One was put on by the song and dance troupe, who are quite good, and one was a variety show--a pair of dancers, a comedian who was pretty funny, and the cruise director doing a ventriloquist act that, much to my surprise, was hilarious and well-done. There was supposed to be what is considered an innovative show using lighted costumes, but was cancelled due to high seas on one particularly rocky and rolly night.

They have a good-sized library that has a nice selection of books and DVDs, but it seemed to be rarely open.

There are other spaces as well--a big computer room, a learning center, and a large games room (apparently bridge is big on Crystal).

They also have lectures during the day, but I never managed to make it to any. But one thing that's quite noticeable on their webpage showing their various lecturers: where are the women and people of color? There's only a couple of women, and no one of color. As we know from hearing Terry Breen etc., others do have interesting things to say.

Next up: dining, excursions, and fitness facilities.

Part 3 of 3:

DINING

Yum! Best food I've had on a cruise ship, and tight competition with some of the better restaurants on land.

Dining venues are: Lido Cafe (for breakfast and lunch--all buffet); Trident Grill (for late breakfast and for lunch; also has an ice cream shop); Tastes (a small plates venue offering a variety of world cuisines); Bistro (a coffee shop with snacks); Prego (Italian, dinner only); Silk Road (Japanese/Asian/sushi; dinner only); and the main dining room (all meals).

The food in the Lido Cafe is good. There is an omelet station, but you have to wait around for it--there is no one to bring it to your table. The coffee is decent, and specialty coffees are available. A nice touch--"to go" cups, so you can grab a cup and go elsewhere with it, or pop down from your room a grab a cup to take back without worrying about it cooling or spilling.

The grill is nothing special--standard pool grill fare. But the setting is wonderful: there used to be a second swimming pool here with a glass ceiling above. But they covered over the pool and put in tables, chairs, and other relaxing seating vignettes, so that it is a nice outdoor-feeling spot but out of the weather. It was quite welcomed during the nasty weather of this cruise, and was nice spot to hang when it wasn't meal time.

The other half of that space is Tastes. We had a great meal there, though some plates were better than others. The fish dishes were particularly good here.

Bistro was a nice spot for a cup of tea or coffee, and was good for a late light lunch after a return from shore. The dishes here match a painting on the wall--sounds hokey, but actually was very pretty.

We were pleasantly surprised by Prego. Cruise ship italian restaurants are often mediocre. Not so here: the mushroom soup is fantastic, and the rack of lamb yummy.

Silk Road. Wow. The black cod knocked my socks off. Great sushi too. A real hit.

Main Dining Room. We only had a couple of chances to try it, and so the jury is still out on the dining system. There are two set seatings, with assigned table mates--one at 6:00 and another at 8:30. The alternative is Dining by Reservation. You can more or less name your own time, but must make a reservation, and must name your table mates. We opted for this. Fortunately, it appears that there is flexibility in the system. Within an hour of boarding, we were delighted to run into some friends from a couple of Regent cruises, and so made arrangements to have dinner together the next night. No problem with dumping our time and joining them at theirs. But I don't know what would have happened if they hadn't also been Reservation diners.

The second time in the MDR was the final night, when we joined by a guest from on shore (Lee, I believe you are acquainted with the gentleman). We were tucked into a quiet corner (apparently they'd heard about us), and had a lovely meal.

The food in the MDR was good, and just enough selections to please any palate.

But here was the only real sour moment we had on the CS. One afternoon in Boston, some friends who live there visited us on the ship and joined us in the MDR for lunch. Of course, Crystal had a charge for that, and we were fine with it, expecting to see it on our account at the end. To my surprise, they brought a check to the table at the end of the lunch, and presented it to our guest! I found it awkward and embarrassing. First, why do the check at all? Why not just put it on our account? Second, who gives the check to the guest? The only thing I can think of is that the only man at the table was one of the guests, and they're caught up in the old thinking that of course the man gets the check. No restauranteur on shore would dare do that anymore--I can't think why Crystal would.

EXCURSIONS

I had been signed up for two ship's excursions during the cruise--one in Bar Harbor and one in Newport--mostly because I wanted to see how Crystal handled them. Overcrowding an excursion is a pet peeve of mine. While there were plenty of people on the Bar Harbor excursion, the buses were not overcrowded, nor were the sites. Of course, the weather was so nasty that very little was visible, but the guide was engaging and knowledgeable, and the excursion pleasant.

Alas, that was to be my only ship's excursion, as the weather caused them to cancel the Newport stop in favor of a day at sea, and we'd made our own arrangements for Boston and New York.

FITNESS FACILITIES

The gym on the top deck seems well-equipped, with lots of treadmills, a couple of stationary bikes, a couple of recumbent bikes, several elipticals, a lone stairmaster, and any number of weight machines. There's also a nice yoga/pilates/zumba/barre area.

Also, deck 7 goes all the way around the ship: no dodging deck chairs, no dead ends. Just nice walking space. 3-1/3 turns=1 mile. That's something that's always been wanting on Regent.

The pool is big enough for short laps, or water aerobics. Of course, the weather precluded actually trying it out.

Well, I think that's it for now. If I think of anything else, I'll add, and answer any questions.

Crystal, what a fabulous review of your time on the Serenity! It's amazing that you managed to experience so much on your short sailing. That extra day without a port worked out well in terms of you getting to experience the ship.

I, too, would have been shocked by being presented a check in the dining room while I was entertaining guests. Now that you have described what happened to you, I will ensure that the maitre'd is informed that the bill should go on our shipboard account.

I am glad you enjoyed your experience. Thanks for posting!

Caroline

Thank you so much for your extensive review, Crystal! Sounds like a wonderful ship!

Crystal, I do want to compliment you on your wonderful review. Being a LONG time Regent cruiser and now a Crystal one, I agree with everything you said. Both ships have pros and cons and we are very fortunate to be able to cruise on either one. I do want to mention that the people in the computer room on Crystal are outstanding and there are always a couple of people there to help you. The second thing that I like on Crystal is the fact that when you go on one of their tours, there is ALWAYS someone from the ship with you on the tur------IMO a big plus.
One more comment-----Crystal still have clergy on the ship. I do however,, prefer the true open dining on Regent, the walk in closet and the size of the suite but how great that we have such 2 good choices.
Elaine


Elaine

I greatly enjoyed reading your very well written, thoughtful and thorough review.

I've sailed Silversea and Seabourn but not Regent so it was great to get your perspective.

Sorry to hear about the bill and it should not have been presented to a guest. Having been presented with a check for our visitors, I know the idea of the check is awkward and wish there was a more discreet way of doing this. I am pretty sure the reason for doing this is so that someone does not deny they were dining there. I know that seems strange that someone would deny such a thing but I am sure that would happen. Again, it should have been presented to you and not to the visitor.

Keith

Thanks Crystal, nice review. We have done Crystal once, and would agree with most of your comments, although we were on the Symphony and it was several years ago, so I'm sure there have been some changes. We loved Prego and the Asian restaurant, which was called something else, and ended up eating in Prego twice on our week cruise.

Good to know there are other options out there.

Great review, Crystal! I'm sure your assumption that they just gave the check to the only guy is correct. A couple of weeks ago, when Susan W and her husband John invited me on board for lunch, the waiter gave the check to John, and I'm sure Susan had been the one who made all the arrangements (special ordering dover sole, etc. for us.) It was fun reading your review since I could picture things from having spent a little time on the ship. I did not like the penthouse cabin configuration --- the sofa is at the foot of the bed and the TV is on a shelf that runs parallel to the bed (but is does pull out and pivot toward the sofa). I looked on the Crystal website at the standard room layout and saw that it was more like Regent's standard room where the seating area is next to the bed, but didn't realize there is no curtain. Definitely would miss that curtain. Your short cruise experience pretty much exactly matches the impressions I had from my quick visit. Very good to know! Thanks for sharing!

I really enjoyed reading your review, Crystal. So glad to hear you enjoyed your time on board.

Crystal, You did a GREAT job. It makes me feel like I've actually been on board (which I haven't). Thanks for taking the time to share with us.

Crystal . . .

A great well balanced review.

Peggy

Fabulous report Crystal. It took me some time to figure out how I got a mention - no-one calls me 'slow' for nothing!

A couple we met on the QM2 have sailed quite a lot with Crystal (the ships) and like it more than the QM2.

I would worry about the shower over the bath but you seemed to manage so I suppose I could give it a try. To me it seems a little like trying to get up the steps on the boat in Bora Bora (or wherever we were).

Great review, Crystal. Our next cruise is Crystal Tokyo to Vancouver. Can't wait. We're ready for something new!!!!

Crystal thanks so much for posting that review. I really enjoyed reading it. You covered so many aspects of the ship and did it all so well.

It took me more time to compose my findings of Serenity. Crystal did a great job of coming home and posting almost immediately. Here are a few things I like to add.

The first thing that struck me when we boarded the ship was the spacious lobby area on deck 5. Having been on the Regent Navigator in 2012, the PG in 2013 and the Silver Galapagos in 2014, this ship was huge at first. With the capacity of 1090 passengers, this is the largest cruise ship I have been on. The Lobby is lovey with a several sitting areas, the Cruise Consultant’s desk and the Social Hostess’ desk, a space for a small band (the string quartet played there a few times) and dancing in the evening. The registration and shore excursions desk is located here along with Crystal Cove (or as my friend, Crystal likes to call it, the Lobby Bar). The center area has a stained glass domed atrium ceiling.

As we were escorted to our suite on deck 9, I was surprised by the long hall. Take in mind again the number of passengers. I got used to it and included it in my exercise regime!!

To add to Crystal’s dining section, on Crystal Cruise ships, the Trident Grill ice cream shop serves Ben & Jerry Ice Cream, but alas, no Pistachio Pistachio.

I have memories of burning my neck on the bed lamps on Regent ships when I would read in bed at night. On Serenity, the bed lamps are over the bedside tables and also include a spot light. You pull it out a bit and it comes on, push it back and it goes off. A nice touch. I have photos if you are interested in seeing the light or other photos of the cabin.

It appears that the forward and aft suites have extended deck space and that the railing is partially covered. Our balcony was like this and we didn’t have an issue with this, but we only used our balcony for sail ins and outs.

Serenity has 3 banks of elevators: 3 forward, 3midship and 2 aft elevators. It has a very familiar feel and Michael Johnson reminded us that Serenity comes from the same shipyard as the Regent ships.

Crystal provides apps you can download onto your tablet or iPad before you cruise. It is encouraged that you download these prior to boarding. Probably a bandwidth issue. Here’s a link to the App Center. http://www.crystalcruises.com/ContentPage.aspx?ID=196 I downloaded the Press Reader and Swank Media Player.

The Press Reader gave you availability to Reflections, the daily newsletter. It was handy to have this on seadays. I suggested that they also use the app to “post” the evening dinner menus from the MDR. The TV doesn’t have the evening menus like Regent but they do post paper copies outside the MDR after lunch. Another good use of this app would be to post the ship’s deck plans, helpful for newbies.

We spoke with a few people who enjoyed using the Media Player app. This is in lieu of the on-demand movies like on the Regent TV system. It took me over 15 minutes to download a 50 minute video and it buffered so much, I finally stopped it. As this was on our last night on board, I didn’t have the opportunity to visit the Computer Instructor to ask to troubleshoot. Besides movies, Crystal posts Guest Lecturer talks on the app.

Crystal and Beth, thank you for your detailed reports. We want to try Crystal at some point, just for something different, and I have been very curious. It sounds lovely for the most part.

We are trying something different over New Years, a Silversea cruise through the Panama Canal. Crystal is next. Just ready for something new, although Regent likely always will be "home."

I will look forward to your comments as well, Island Cruiser! All of us are always looking. Love that Crystal has relaxed some things that held me back from even looking at them. For now, they seem to be fully inclusive on-board.

And I always enjoy Keith's comments, for sure.

Olivia, Crystal has gone all-inclusive. They include gratuities, alcohol and most of the ship's activities.