Crystal Serenity cruise ship review: What to expect on this transformed luxury vessel
Call it the once and future queen of luxury cruising.
For years, Crystal Serenity was one of the world's most beloved luxury ships. Some would even say it was at the pinnacle of luxury cruising: The ship that delivered the ultimate luxury cruise experience.
But then, in early 2022, it was unexpectedly gone — a victim of the collapse of the parent company of Crystal Cruises.
Now, after an 18-month absence from the luxury cruising scene, Crystal Serenity is back and — dare I say — better than before.
The company that bought Crystal Serenity and the rights to the Crystal brand name from the liquidators of the former company has relaunched the vessel. But not before it poured millions of dollars into a massive overhaul of the ship that has left it sparkling — almost as if it were new.
King Arthur may not yet have returned to rule his kingdom. But Crystal Serenity is back to rule hers, and she is looking better than ever.
If you're a luxury cruise lover (or a Crystal fan), that's exciting news.
Overview of Crystal Serenity
Crystal Serenity is the new flagship for Crystal, a luxury cruise brand that is at the same time all-new and decades old.
Crystal is technically a start-up luxury cruise company — one that just debuted this year and is being built from the ground up. Its owners have nothing to do with the old owners of Crystal Cruises. That company ceased to exist when its parent company, Genting Hong Kong, collapsed in early 2022 and was liquidated.
And yet the new owners of Crystal Serenity and the rights to the Crystal Cruises brand are creating a new cruise line that is about as close to the old Crystal Cruises as can be. Its name is just slightly different (note it's just Crystal, not Crystal Cruises), and it's operating the same two main ships that once sailed for Crystal Cruises. You'll also find many of the same senior staff and crew on those ships as before.
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If it's not a rebirth of Crystal Cruises, it's at least a reincarnation. The old soul of Crystal Cruises is back in a new form.
Still, it's a reincarnation that comes, as noted above, with a massive transformation for Crystal Serenity and the other former Crystal Cruises ship that is relaunching — Crystal Symphony.
Unveiled in 2003, the 68,870-ton Crystal Serenity has been made even more luxurious during an overhaul in dry dock that was so long — around six months — that it allowed for an almost complete rebuilding of significant parts of the ships.
For starters, two whole cabin decks were completely gutted to rip out relatively small cabins and replace them with much bigger suites. This was on top of an overhaul of other cabin areas several years ago. As a result, the ship now has far fewer but far bigger cabins than it once did.
Originally built for 1,080 passengers, Crystal Serenity is now configured to hold just 740 passengers — even as the size of its public areas (lounges, bars, restaurants, etc.) hasn't changed. That means its "space ratio" — a fancy cruise world term that refers to the amount of space on the ship per passenger — is at an almost unprecedented level for a cruise vessel. Specifically, it's at 93, far above the 60 to 75 that is typical for luxury ships.
With its passenger count down, its crew-to-passenger ratio is also through the roof at around 1-to-1.
These are the building blocks on which true luxury cruising is built.
What I loved about Crystal Serenity
The remarkable crew
There was always something special about the crew on Crystal ships. It was what made the line. And the big news for Crystal fans as the line restarts is that more than 80% of the crew has returned.
If you book a cruise on Crystal Serenity, you'll mostly find the same butlers, room stewardesses, wait staff and front desk workers that have wowed customers for years with their next-level service — a service level so exquisite and intuitive that it has long been the talk of the cruise world. It is the interplay of this crew with Crystal's regular customers — and 80% of Crystal's customers are regulars, according to its new owners — that creates an onboard experience that many luxury cruise lovers find unrivaled.
For longtime Crystal fans, one of the great joys in returning to the brand's ships, again and again, is to see the same crew members they have come to know and love over the years. I experienced this myself upon boarding Crystal Serenity in July as I bumped into one crew member after another with whom I had sailed before and, at times, developed deep bonds.
In fact, one of the first staffers I met after boarding, the butler for my room, was Prince Jose, who I called out by name for his great service in the last story I wrote from a Crystal ship in 2021. That was nearly two years ago, but he recognized me, and I recognized him, and we immediately got to talking as if no time had gone by.
My all-time favorite bartender from any ship at sea, Ana, also is on board, now promoted to a position at the front desk. We hugged when we saw each other — it's that kind of crew.
The spacious suites
The old knock on Crystal ships was that many of their cabins weren't big enough — at least for an ultra-luxury ship. Newer luxury ships in recent years have been built with more big cabins and suites, which put Crystal's older vessels at a disadvantage.
That's no longer the case, thanks to the overhaul of the cabin decks mentioned above. The two decks were completely gutted, with smaller cabins replaced by suites that are twice as large. I'll go into more detail on this below in the cabins section, but the result is a game-changing transformation for Crystal Serenity's accommodations that give it some of the best luxury cabins in the business.
The promenade
It's a little thing, but the promenade on Crystal Serenity is gorgeous. It wraps all the way around the ship — something that is increasingly rare on cruise vessels. It's lined with beautiful teak boards that have been refinished to look almost brand new.
On Deck 7, not far above the waterline, the promenade also is wide and blissfully uncluttered. If you end up on board Crystal Serenity, do not miss a morning walk around it — 3.35 laps equals a mile — or an evening stroll to soak in the salty air and watch the waves. It's what promenades used to be in the grand old days of cruising.
What I didn't love about Crystal Serenity
The lack of a casino
I am not a gambler, and you won't ever find me in a cruise ship casino. For me, personally, a lack of a casino is no loss at all. But Crystal has traditionally drawn a lively crowd that likes to stay up late drinking, dancing and soaking in the onboard entertainment, and for some, at least, that includes dropping a little money at a casino.
Crystal Serenity used to have a modest casino area just outside the main theater on Deck 6. Theatergoers would spill out of the theater into the casino on their way to the ship's other entertainment venues on the opposite side of the deck, with some lingering for a game or two. But the casino was taken out during the 2023 overhaul.
For now, the old casino space has been revamped as a lounge. However, it's a lounge without a bar, and it comes off as a dead space on the ship — a room that is rarely used. Over six days on board, I hardly saw a soul sitting in it.
Crystal executives say they still are figuring out what to do with the space, and it could become something different over time. One proposal called for it to become a cooking classroom, though executives said that would be hard to do properly in the space. One Crystal executive mentioned to me there was talk of using the space for an onboard distillery.
Whatever happens, my take is that the casino's removal was one of the rare misses of the ship's overhaul.
Sapphire suite storage space
It's difficult to find fault with much on Crystal Serenity in the wake of its makeover. It's that great a ship. A relatively minor quibble is that the many big (and lovely) new Sapphire Verandah Suites the line added to Crystal Serenity don't have quite as much storage space as I would have expected. These are huge suites at more than 500 square feet, so there is no lack of space to add shelving, drawers and other storage units. But the amount of storage space put into the rooms seems modest, given their size.
That isn't to say that there isn't a good amount of storage in these rooms. There's enough for a typical seven-night cruise, but this is a ship that will often sail longer cruises where you will want extra storage.
Crystal Serenity cabins and suites
Crystal Serenity's array of cabins and suites is relatively simple to understand. It features just nine categories of rooms, with just two of those categories accounting for the vast majority of accommodations.
About 40% of the ship's accommodations (151 out of 377) are Sapphire Verandah Suites. Measuring a whopping 537 square feet including balcony space, these are unusually spacious suites for a main cabin category on a cruise ship. Each of these suites, notably, has a separate sitting room and bedroom, a walk-in closet and a large bathroom, as well as a 107-square-foot balcony.
The somewhat smaller but still spacious Aquamarine Verandah Suites make up another 28% of the ship's accommodations (106 suites). Measuring 409 square feet, including balcony space, these suites lack the separate sitting rooms found in Sapphire Verandah Suites but still are impressively large.
Add in four more Aquamarine Verandah Suites with balconies that are ADA compliant and four Aquamarine Suites without balconies that are ADA-compliant (both sets of which are considered their own cabin categories), and that's 70% of all accommodations on the ship.
The remaining 30% of accommodations include a handful of larger penthouse and junior penthouse suites, and roughly 100 smaller double and single rooms (more on these in a moment).
For longtime Crystal fans, the thing to know is that a large percentage of all these accommodations were massively overhauled and enlarged in advance of the line's relaunch this year. In fact, two of Crystal Serenity's four main cabin decks — decks 8 and 9 — were essentially gutted and rebuilt, with nearly all their smaller cabins ripped out and replaced with the much larger Sapphire Verandah Suites.
It was a massive undertaking that involved knocking out dozens of walls — and one that has profoundly changed the vessel. Once criticized for not having big enough rooms, Crystal Serenity now offers one of the most impressive arrays of big suites of any luxury ship.
My own cabin was one of these all-new Sapphire Veranda Suites on Deck 9, and it was among the most lovely cruise ship suites I have stayed in in recent years. In addition to being wonderfully spacious, it had a sophisticated, contemporary vibe with soothing light gray and beige furnishings, fabrics and wall coverings sprinkled with ocean-inspired blue velvet accents.
As one would expect on a luxury ship, the bedding on my Sapphire Veranda Suite bed was ridiculously luscious, with super-high-end, embroidered Italian-made Jesurum 1870 sheets that were so soft and comfortable that I just wanted to snuggle under them all day. Generously sized, Fior di Pesco marble-topped nightstands flanked the bed, with perfectly placed task lighting floating off the wall just above them.
I also appreciated the tidy cluster of electrical outlets (both U.S.- and European-style) and USB ports on both sides of the beds. On some ships, you only find these on one side of the bed — if at all.
In addition, the bathroom in my Sapphire Verandah Suite was spacious and elegant, with a Fior di Pesco marble-topped vanity embedded with two upscale Duravit sinks on one side and an unusually large walk-in shower on the other side. The shower itself was a showpiece, with high-end Grohe fixtures that spouted water from three directions. These included a massive rain shower head on the ceiling that shot water straight down, two back-wall shower heads that shot out horizontally (hitting you midbody) and a separate hand-held wand. There were separate controls for each of these, so I could mix and match the water delivery devices to my liking.
One small gripe: In a perfect world, the hand-held wand would have been placed higher on the shower wall, so it could double as a main shower head for those who aren't fans of ceiling-mounted rain showers.
The bathroom toiletries, too, were high-end, made by Italian luxury purveyor Ortigia Sicilia with scents of Italian wildflowers.
I particularly liked that the bathroom had an unusually large amount of storage space, with two long open shelves built into the marble vanity under the sinks and a floor-to-ceiling tower of matching marble shelves next to the shower (some of which house the bathroom's towels).
All that extra storage space in the bathroom was in contrast to what some may consider a lack of enough storage space outside the bathroom. While the suite featured a walk-in closet for storage, as I mentioned above, I found it oddly small for a suite of this size, at around six feet by six feet.
The storage available in Sapphire Verandah Suites is surely adequate for the storage needs of a couple on one of the ship's occasional week-long sailings. But this is a vessel that often does much longer sailings of 10 nights or more, including around-the-world trips that last more than four months.
Given that, there would have been logic to using more of the suite's ample room for storage. I might have tucked another built-in storage unit along the wall in the seating area that currently houses a television, with the television inset into it, or in the narrow inset area at the entrance to the room where there currently is a second door to the bathroom (a door that is a "nice to have" for those rare times when a guest is visiting but not critical).
Notably, the walk-in closet is so small that the four pull-out drawers along one of its walls can't be opened all the way unless the inward-swinging door to the closet is at least partially closed. This makes for an awkward time trying to access items put in these draws.
The walk-in closet also is tucked away in an odd location in a corner of the sitting room instead of adjacent to the bedroom. Still, that's just another small quibble.
Overall, the new Sapphire Verandah Suites are a delightful addition to Crystal Serenity, which has long needed a bigger array of suites to please its well-heeled passengers.
Those who want something even bigger than a Sapphire Verandah Suite will find four massive, 1,372-square-foot Crystal Penthouses on the vessel and six 806-square-foot Junior Crystal Penthouses. The latter is an all-new category of cabin for the line.
The four Crystal Penthouses, one of which I toured, are truly over-the-top. Each has an elegant bedroom, an enormous bathroom with mosaic-inlaid floors and walls that evoke a Roman bath, two separate living room areas, a dining area and a butler's pantry that is essentially a miniature private kitchen with its own sink, dishwasher and microwave.
The six Junior Crystal Penthouses offer separate dining and living areas looking out over a private balcony, a bedroom with a large walk-in closet, a spacious primary bathroom, and a half-bath near the entrance for visitors.
Rounding out the ship's accommodations are 46 smaller cabins for two with balconies that measure 269 square feet. There are also 42 cabins for two without balconies that measure 215 square feet. Both cabin categories are officially called Double Occupancy Suites, though, in my book, cabins of that size aren't really suites and shouldn't be labeled as such.
The final cabin category on Crystal Serenity is its 14 Classic Staterooms, which are sold as solo cabins. At 215 square feet, they're essentially the same layout as the Double Occupancy Suites without balconies but only meant for one passenger.
The solo cabins, which I wasn't able to see, are also an entirely new category of cabin for the ship.
Other Crystal Serenity cabin tidbits:
- Every cabin has a small hair dryer and a personal safe in the closet.
- There are flat-screen televisions on the walls in bedrooms that offer a wide range of movies on demand for no extra charge. The televisions also receive live feeds from a limited number of cable networks, including CNBC, MSNBC, BBC World News, Fox News, HGTV, Food Network and Travel Channel.
- Every cabin and suite on Crystal Serenity comes with butler service (a change with the new line, as previously only higher-level cabins received butler service).
- Cabins come with pull-out minibars stocked with beer, wine, water and sodas.
Crystal Serenity restaurants and bars
As is typical for a (relatively) small luxury vessel, Crystal Serenity doesn't have a huge number of eateries. Nor are there so many bars that you won't have time to get to them all on a typical cruise. That sort of too-much-is-never-enough excess is the realm of the big mass-market ships.
But what Crystal Serenity lacks in quantity, it makes up for in quality. The vessel has one main dining room and two main specialty restaurants that each are about as classy and upscale as you'll find at sea — all included in the fare. There are also several casual eateries in the vicinity of the main pool on the Lido Deck. Crystal Serenity's handful of bars and lounges also are classy and refined.
In general, Crystal's cuisine and drinks offerings are high-end, as you'd expect for a luxury product, and served with the sort of elegance and flair that is only found at the best luxury resorts on land or sea.
Restaurants
While I was only on Crystal Serenity for six nights, I was able to visit every food outlet on board — something made possible by the ship's relatively intimate size.
The main dining room on the vessel, and the spot where you'll eat at least a few, if not most, of your dinners, is Waterside. On Deck 5, just off the ship's central plaza, it serves up what the line calls modern international cuisine for dinner in an elegant setting.
We're talking such dishes as sauteed tiger prawns with creamed orzo, broccolini and candied bacon; or broiled lemon sole floating in a shallow dill-and-cockles chowder with snow peas and confit potatoes. More traditional items, such as grilled black Angus sirloin steak with Bearnaise sauce, also appear on the menu, which changes nightly.
Waterside is also open for breakfast and lunch — the place to go when you want something a little more formal for breakfast or lunch than a quick bite at one of the casual eateries on the Lido Deck. The breakfast menu offers everything from eggs Benedict, Belgian waffles and other breakfast classics to a crab omelet (a Waterside breakfast signature). Lunch brings its own enticing array of mouth-watering dishes, from pan-fried rainbow trout with almond-caper butter to lamb kofte.
Still, as wonderful as Waterside is (and for a main restaurant on a cruise ship, it truly is wonderful), the culinary star of Crystal Serenity always has been and remains Umi Uma, the innovative Japanese-Peruvian restaurant created by legendary master chef Nobuyuki (Nobu) Matsuhisa. It's an eatery that was on Crystal Serenity for many years before its overhaul, and it has thankfully made a comeback under the ship's new owners — albeit with an all-new look.
Luckily, the overhaul did not extend to the menu. All of the insanely fabulous, melt-in-your-mouth Nobu specialties, such as Matsuhisa's signature Nobu-style black cod marinated in Saikyo miso, baby peach and young ginger, and Wagyu beef filet steak, are all still there.
Note that while unlimited dining at Waterside on Crystal Serenity is included in the fare, passengers only get to visit Umi Uma once per cruise for free for sailings of 11 days or fewer. For sailings of more than 11 days, two complimentary reservations are included.
If you want additional reservations at Umi Uma, you can sign up for another turn, on a space-available basis, for $50 per person. This is basically a crowd-control measure, as otherwise, everyone on board would want to eat there every night. It's that good. If you can get a second or third reservation, grab it. Matsuhisa's restaurants on land can easily set you back $300 or more a couple, so even a $50 per person charge here is an incredible bargain.
The new entrant to Crystal's scene is Osteria d'Ovidio, a high-end Italian eatery that takes the place of Prego, another Italian restaurant that was in the same location for years leading up to the line's shutdown in 2022. Like Umi Uma, it was completely gutted and rebuilt during the ship's overhaul in early 2023 and looks brand new. It also has a new menu focused on Northern Italian cuisine.
I sampled half a dozen of Osteria d'Ovidio's new dishes during a special night of tastings, and there wasn't a bad item in the bunch. The standout, if I had to choose, was the tortello di stracotto di manzo, a wrapped pasta filled with braised beef, fig vincotto (a type of fig molasses) and gorgonzola cheese. It may be my new favorite pasta.
Also, whatever you do if you dine here, order the caffe nocciola e caramello salato dessert. Run that through the Google translator if you must know what it is in advance — or trust me. It'll melt in your mouth.
Crystal Serenity trivia: Osteria d'Ovidio is named after Manfredi Lefebvre d'Ovidio, the new controlling owner of Crystal. A familiar name in the cruise business, Lefebvre d'Ovidio owned luxury line Silversea Cruises for many years, until he sold it to Royal Caribbean Group (the parent company of Royal Caribbean).
Notably, Lefebvre d'Ovidio already has a series of restaurants on ships named after him, but not on Crystal or Silversea ships. Lefebvre d'Ovidio's friend Torstein Hagen, chairman of upscale cruise line Viking, has named the high-end Italian eateries on all of Viking's ocean ships Manfredi's in honor of him.
My take: Any restaurant with at least a portion of Lefebvre d'Ovidio's name in it must be destined to be a star. The Manfredi's eateries on Viking ships (which Lefebvre d'Ovidio had a hand in creating with Hagen) were until now my favorite Italian eateries at sea. Now the new Osteria d'Ovidio on Crystal Serenity joins them atop my pantheon of all-time great Italian restaurants on ships. It's an Italian eatery that even my judgy Italian grandmother would have loved.
Like Umi Uma, Osteria d'Ovidio only can be visited once per cruise for free for sailings of 11 days or fewer. After that, there's a $50 per person charge to dine there on a space-available basis. Again, this is mostly for crowd control.
Other eateries on Crystal Serenity include Marketplace, a casual buffet, and The Trident Grill, serving cooked-to-order burgers and hot sandwiches. Both are steps away from the ship's main pool on Deck 12, as is Tastes Kitchen & Bar. The latter serves a mix of classic lunch dishes from around the world at lunchtime — everything from stir-fried egg noodles and a grilled Reuben sandwich to chicken quesadillas and a shrimp Caesar salad. Dinnertime is when the eatery really shines, though.
Designed as a casual alternative to the more formal dining spots on the ship, Tastes offers a dinner menu of elevated, globally inspired dishes in a relaxed, top-of-the-ship setting. All of the dishes, which include ahi tuna poke, hamachi crudo, oven-roasted cauliflower, ricotta gnocchi, California street tacos and chimichurri steak, are placed in the middle of the table and meant to be shared.
There's also a nearby counter serving handmade Italian gelato.
Trident Grill and Tastes are side-by-side on a top deck covered with a glass magrodome that can slide open when the weather is pleasant.
In addition, on Deck 6, just off the central atrium, passengers will find a Parisian-inspired cafe serving espresso drinks and light snacks throughout the day (this is the place to get your coffee fix). In the morning, there's a self-serve continental breakfast here, arrayed along a buffet on one end of the room. The afternoon brings a spread of cold cuts, scrumptious cakes, cannoli and other desserts, and fruit.
Finally, Crystal Serenity has a special 14-seat dining room called the Vintage Room that guests can book for exclusive private dinners that combine an elegant set menu of five to seven dishes with wine pairings for each course. Seven-course meals in the room, including wines, are presented over about three hours in the room and cost $300 per person.
A shorter five-course food and wine pairing in the Vintage Room is available for $220 per person. Occasional seven-course meals overseen by celebrity chefs that sail on the ship cost $1,100 per person, including wine pairings.
Bars and lounges
Some cruise ships have so many bars and lounges that you have trouble visiting them all on a typical seven-night cruise. Crystal Serenity isn't one of them. If you're out for a drink on Crystal Serenity, you're probably heading to just one of three places: Crystal Cove, Avenue Saloon or the Palm Court & Sunset Bar.
At the base of Crystal Serenity's two-deck-high atrium, Crystal Cove is the ultimate social hub for the ship, the place you go when you want to meet all the new friends you're making on board for a pre-dinner cocktail or a nightcap afterward. Open from late morning until the wee hours, it offers live music for much of the day, starting as early as lunchtime and continuing through midnight. The entertainment is low-key enough that you can maintain a conversation with your companions.
On a typical night at Crystal Cove, you might find a saxophonist playing in the early evening, followed by a pianist and a violinist and then a pianist and a singer, capped off by a singer with a guitar.
Avenue Saloon, at the back of the ship on Deck 6, is a cozy venue. Its dark wood and leather-lined walls, heavy red-upholstered barrel chairs and turned-down lights create the air of a speakeasy. You feel like you want to order a whiskey drink here, and indeed, it's home to both a special Manhattan menu and a Negroni menu. It also serves as the ship's piano bar, with a pianist playing most nights.
If you're a cigar smoker, the adjacent Connoisseur Club is the place for you. The clubby hideaway is the cliche of a cigar and pipe smoking den with dark-wood paneling, leather sofas, paisley fabric-covered wingback chairs and high-end single-malt Scotch, Armagnac and Cognac for sale as well as hand-rolled cigars from around the world. Sinatra plays in the background. It is, notably, the only place on the ship you can smoke a cigar or pipe.
For a bar with a view, you'll want to head up to the faux palm tree-filled Palm Court & Sunset Bar, which is at the top of the ship on Deck 12 overlooking the bow.
While not staffed nearly as many hours as the other bars (on my voyage, bar service was only available from 5 to 10:30 p.m.), the Palm Court offers sweeping views of the ocean from floor-to-ceiling windows that wrap around 270 degrees. Palm Court also is where Crystal offers a formal afternoon tea service on sea days accompanied by a pianist and a violinist.
Home to one of the ship's biggest dance floors, the Palm Court often has live entertainment and dancing at night. One night on my sailing, an old-timey crooner sang Sinatra tunes for a half hour, accompanied by a pianist.
Crystal Serenity activities and shows
Among the major luxury lines, the original Crystal Cruises was always known for a stepped-up level of entertainment (it's long been a Crystal thing), and the new Crystal is no different. From the day of its relaunch, Crystal Serenity has been a ship that gets lively at night in a way that many luxury ships don't.
The entertainment hubs on Crystal Serenity include Galaxy Pavilion, a full-blown theater at the front of the ship on Deck 6 that offers all sorts of relatively big entertainment productions in the evening. During my sailing, for instance, it was the site of a Billy Joel tribute concert and a show by a comedian who flew in for the performance.
At the back of the same deck is yet another major entertainment venue, the Stardust Club. It's a more versatile entertainment lounge with a stage and large dance floor that offers a mix of dancing, cabaret performances and other themed events. Additionally, on select nights, Stardust opens its doors as a reservations-only Supper Club that offers an evening show with both dining and dancing.
Speaking of dancing, Crystal is one of the few cruise lines in the world that still sails with "ambassador hosts" — older gentlemen who are on hand to dance with single ladies on board. The word is they're always in hot demand. If only I knew how to dance, this would be my retirement plan.
A third entertainment space on the same deck as the Stardust Club, the Hollywood Theatre is a traditional cinema playing recently released movies and also broadcasting live sporting events at times. It's also used as a lecture hall.
For the late-night crowd, there's a small nightclub with a semi-circular bar tucked back behind the Stardust Club. Called Pulse, it doesn't get going until around midnight, assuming anyone on board is still up for it.
Combine all that with the live music at bars and lounges mentioned in the section above, and Crystal Serenity is a luxury ship where passengers can — and do — head out for a big "night on the town," so to speak. Guests usually get quite dolled up when they hit the entertainment areas of the ship at night, looking glamorous and expensive.
On plenty of luxury ships, nearly everyone is in bed by 9 o'clock in the evening. Crystal Serenity isn't one of them.
During the day, the onboard scene is more laid back. As is typical for luxury ships, the top decks of Crystal Serenity aren't loaded with the amusements you'll find on large mass-market ships. You won't find climbing walls or waterslides. Instead, what you get atop Crystal Serenity is a stylish, refined pool deck experience. If you're the kind of person who likes to lounge next to a Four Seasons hotel pool, you know what I'm talking about.
At the center of the top of the ship, a main pool area sports a large pool (the Seahorse Pool — a nod to Crystal's seahorse branding), two large hot tubs and rows of plush loungers of the sort you'd expect on a luxury vessel. Elegant modern white rattan sofas and chairs are sprinkled around under shading umbrellas.
This main pool deck was completely redone during the overhaul of the ship in 2023, with its classic teak flooring resanded, and its pool refurbished with new mosaic tile work. When you're up top on Crystal Serenity, as at so many other areas of the ship, you'll feel like you're on an all-new vessel.
The top decks of Crystal Serenity also are home to two paddle tennis courts that can double as pickleball courts, a complex known as Wimbledon Court. Six decks down, hidden at the back of the ship, you'll also find a golf lover's hideaway with driving nets, a small putting green and table tennis. Even if you don't want to use it, go in search of it, just as a game. It's tucked away so well that it's a bit of a treasure hunt to find it.
Other activity areas on the ship include a large library staffed throughout the day, a computer classroom, a shopping area that wraps around the central atrium on Deck 7 and a bridge lounge for bridge playing, tournaments and classes. (Bridge is big on Crystal ships.) The ship's entertainment staff also offers dance classes at times.
While Crystal Serenity isn't particularly focused on families, it does offer a small teen center and children's playroom on Deck 12, just off the main pool area.
In addition, the ship has a luxurious spa with 12 treatment rooms that was completely revamped in 2023.
Renamed Aurora, the spa has been recast with light-bright neutral colors, an illuminated fiber optic starlight ceiling and organic materials such as Selenite (a natural salt crystal) and silk-brushed slate stone to create a serene feel.
In addition to treatment rooms, the spa is home to a hair salon, men's and women's saunas and steam rooms, and a relaxation room.
Crystal Serenity itineraries and pricing
From September 2023 through January 2024, Crystal Serenity will be based in North America for sailings to New England, Canada and the Caribbean. After that, it'll set off on an epic, 141-day, around-the-world cruise from Miami that will continue through June 2024.
The ship will then spend the summer of 2024 sailing to Alaska out of Vancouver, British Columbia, and Seward, Alaska, before returning to the East Coast of North America for another season of sailings to New England, Canada and the Caribbean.
The 2023 and 2024 sailings to New England, Canada and the Caribbean will depart from various North American home ports, including Quebec City, Quebec; New York; Miami; Bridgetown, Barbados; and San Juan, Puerto Rico.
As of the publishing of this guide, fares for Crystal Serenity sailings were starting at $3,200 per person for the least expensive cabin on a six-night sailing from Vancouver to Los Angeles. Nine-night Caribbean sailings were starting at $3,900 per person. These fares are based on double occupancy — that is, they are valid when two passengers share a room. Solo passengers pay a higher amount.
Unlike many cruise lines, Crystal doesn't charge extra for taxes, fees and port charges assessed by government agencies and port authorities (to which we say: Bravo, Crystal). Such charges are folded into its base fares.
What to know before you go
Required documents
All passengers must have valid government-issued citizenship documentation to sail. For U.S. residents, that would mean either a U.S. passport or a U.S.-issued Permanent Resident Card (also known as an Alien Registration Card). You'll also need visas for any country you'll be visiting that requires one.
Passports must be valid for at least six months and have blank pages available for entry and exit stamps. Note that it is important that the name on your reservation be exactly as it is stated on your passport or other official proof of nationality.
Gratuities
Crystal includes gratuities for housekeeping staff (including butlers) and bar and restaurant staff in its fares. No additional tipping is expected.
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi service on Crystal Serenity is relatively fast for a cruise ship and included in the fare.
Carry-on drinks policy
Unlike many cruise lines, Crystal does not restrict the amount of alcoholic or nonalcoholic drinks passengers can bring on board for personal consumption. That said, some restrictions may apply based on specific countries that the ship visits.
Smoking policy
Cigarette smoking (including electronic cigarettes and personal vaporizers) is only allowed outdoors in designated areas at the back of decks 8, 9, 10 and 11; in a small corner of the main Seahorse Pool area on Deck 12; and at the Connoisseur Club on Deck 6.
Cigar and tobacco pipe smoking is only permitted at the Connoisseur Club on Deck 6.
Smoking is forbidden in cabins and on cabin balconies.
Laundry
Crystal Serenity has self-serve launderettes on every cabin deck with washing machines, dryers, irons and ironing boards. You also can pay to send out your clothes to be washed and/or pressed. As of the publishing of this guide, the cost of washing and pressing a men's dress shirt was $7; the cost of cleaning a women's long-sleeve blouse was $6. The cost of dry-cleaning slacks or pants was $9.
Electrical outlets
Crystal Serenity's cabins and suites offer both U.S.-style 110V outlets and European-style 220V outlets and USB ports at built-in cabin desks. You'll also find both types of outlets and USB ports above the nightstands on both sides of cabin beds. Americans may want to bring an adapter for charging devices in public rooms where the outlets are all European-style.
Currency
The onboard currency is the U.S. dollar.
As is typical for cruise ships, Crystal Serenity operates on a cashless system, with any onboard purchases you make posting automatically to your onboard account. You'll receive a plastic keycard upon embarkation that you can use to make charges. This same card also gets you into your cabin.
Drinking age
You generally must be 21 or older to consume alcohol on Crystal Serenity. One exception: During sailings in Europe, passengers as young as 18 are allowed to consume beer and wine.
Dress code
During the day, the dress code is "day casual," which for Crystal means sundresses, elegant shorts, jeans; T-shirts, polo shirts or blouses; or linen clothing. Swimsuits with cover-ups also are acceptable when dining near the pool at the Trident Grill, Tastes and Marketplace eateries.
Note that swimwear on its own, wet swimwear, revealing clothing, bathrobes, bare feet, tank tops, baseball caps, and clothes bearing any offensive messages are not permitted.
During the evenings, the official dress code steps up to what Crystal calls "evening resort." For women, that means dresses, skirts, pants, blouses or sweaters, dark-wash jeans with no rips, or tailored dress shorts. For men, it's button-down shirts, collared polo shirts, sweaters or smart designer sweatshirts, dark-wash jeans with no rips (only when accompanied by a jacket), chinos, and a sports jacket or blazer (the latter being optional). In addition, men can wear tailored shorts but only when dining in the casual Tastes restaurant.
Flip-flops, swimwear and hats are not allowed in the evenings.
In addition, on cruises of seven nights or more, there will be at least one optional ship-wide formal night where women are expected to turn out in cocktail dresses, gowns, pantsuits or elegant skirts and blouses. For men, the formal night dress guideline is a suit or tuxedo, with a tie being optional.
Related: The ultimate guide to packing for a cruise
Bottom line
Crystal Serenity isn't the newest luxury cruise ship on the market. But after a major overhaul in early 2023, part of a relaunch of the Crystal brand under new owners, it's back to being one of the leading luxury ships at sea.
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