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.