Crystal Cruises was created in 1988 and operates two ships, the 940-person Crystal Symphony and the 1,080-person Crystal Serenity. The company has won a number of awards including ‘Ship of the Year’ award from Ocean and Cruise News in 2001 and 2004 and ‘Best Cruise Line Food’ from Conde Nast Traveller 2002 and Travel Leisure 2001.
Crystal Cruises prides itself on providing excellent service and outstanding quality. All the staterooms are provided with Frette bathrobes and Aveda bath products. Most of the staterooms have their own private veranda equipped with a table and chairs where guests can enjoy a meal or simply relax. There is a penthouse butler service with a personal bar. Each stateroom has internet access, television and a DVD player. Guests are supplied with complimentary water, coffee and soft drinks throughout the trip.
For Crystal Cruises dining guests have up to seven dining options including the main or late sittings in the Crystal Dining Room or open seating in the speciality restaurants. These restaurants feature dishes created by Nobu Matsuhisa, Wolfgang Puck and Piero Selvaggio. All ships also have an extensive wine cellar featuring more than twenty vintages including Crystal’s exclusive own ‘C’ label.
For Crystal Cruises onboard entertainment there is the casino that offers roulette, blackjack, three-card poker, mini-baccarat and various slot machines. For those who want to do something more cultural with their time there is the Creative Learning Institute. Guests can take Yamaha piano lessons or Berlitz language courses free of charge. There are also Cleveland Clinic Wellness seminars and Pepperdine University business seminars. Other seminars are conducted by the Smithsonian Associates; the Society of Wine Educators and Sotheby’s.
For those seeking relaxation there is the Feng Shui-inspired spa that offers massages, facial therapies and other treatments. In addition, the spa also offers wonderful sea views, a full-service hair salon, a sauna and a fully-equipped fitness centre. Qualified fitness instructors are on hand to assist and classes in yoga and pilates are on offer. The ships also have a pool, an indoor / outdoor swimming pool, two Jacuzzis, a promenade deck for jogging or walking, paddle tennis courts, table tennis, golf driving ranges and putting greens and shuffleboard courts.
Crystal Cruises offers a wide range of activities for children onboard; games, arts and crafts are all supervised by experienced Junior Activities Directors. A children’s playroom and babysitting services are available on all cruises. The activities programmes are divided into three tiers, 3-7 year-olds, 8-12 year-olds and 13-17 year-olds. The Fantasia children’s playroom has tables and chairs for arts and crafts, Sony PlayStation games, a large-screen television and board games. Crystal Symphony and Crystal Serenity also have a teenagers’ video arcade, called Waves. The library has a range of children’s books and videos.
For adults there are Broadway-style shows in the Galaxy Lounge. The showroom has been designed to offer a perfect view regardless of where the viewer is seated and features state-of-the-art sound and lighting systems. There is also music in the Crystal Cove where a pianist performs every night in the Avenue Salon. Other venues include the Crystal Dining Room, the Starlite Club, Stardust Club, Club 2100 and the Lido Deck. Also onboard is the Hollywood Theatre that shows a selection of the most popular recent releases and Hollywood classics, which has equipment for the hearing-impaired. In addition guests can borrow over 1,000 titles from the ship’s library for viewing in the privacy of their room.
Find out about all the ships in the Crystal Cruises fleet
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