23 days, totally satisfied on Serenity

[TRIPACIAN]

We just cruised from Quebec to Miami and then roundtrip Miami (Oct 21 - Nov 13) on the Serenity.  This is not a review but just my thoughts and opinions.

 

Crystal is back and is better than ever.  Those of you waiting to cruise to see if Crystal is the same or better, it is.  The ship is in great shape, the changes and improvements have added to the experience.  The crew is back and their excitement and  joy to be back working with their fellow crew mates is overwhelmingly positive.  Watching the crew greet returning passengers with sincere happiness, hugs and sometimes tears was really special.  The  hotel  director said that his department had 85% returning crew.

 

The food was better than ever.  We really enjoyed the return of Tastes, the food was great.  Osteria D'Ovidio  was somewhat confusing at first.  The second time we liked it much better.  I suggest everyone give it a try and decide for themselves.  Our suggestion would be to add some of the old Prego items to the menu (Crystal Classics side to the selections) and it would then be great.  Umi Uma was the same as before and was fantastic.  Waterside never disappointed us, the food was always hot and the presentations and quality were unbelievable.  

 

The entertainment  was very good and even though some of the shows were repeats, they had been refreshed and well presented.  Though out the cruise but not nightly, we had entertainment options at 6:00 and at 9:30 with dancing nightly in the Palm Court or the Cove.  The White Night party was special as was a special Halloween party in the Cove. The effort to give the guests a fantastic experience was obvious. The Supper Club was the highlight of our entertainment experiences.

 

The one negative that we noticed was  the reduction in storage in the standard balcony rooms. This is definitely a problem for longer cruises.  We liked the new Lounge (in the former casino location) but it was not utilized very much.  I expect this will be reworked in the  future.  We never gamble so the lack of a casino wasn't a negative for us. My wife wasn't happy with the selections in shops so everything wasn't "perfect."

 

For the record, this was our 13th and 14th cruises since Genting's bankruptcy and we have cruised on all of the other top luxury lines during that time.  We have had some wonderful  experiences and appreciate each cruise line for what they offer.   Crystal is our future and we are so glad that they have returned better than ever. We now have 137 days booked on  future Crystal cruises. We leave at the end of December for Sydney for the New Years celebration and to board the Symphony for 30 days, Sydney to Bali.  We expect the experience on the Symphony to also be fantastic.

 

Are we Crystal "cheerleaders," absolutely!!!

[Keith1010]

Welcome home and glad you had a great time.

 

It puts a smile on my face when people say Crystal is back and better than ever because that is my take. 

 

Choice is great but I am happy to have a line that for us is number one.  I can't say that about all products but I can when it comes to cruising (Crystal) and our Automobile.  

 

Keith

[travelberlin]

Thanks Tripacian! It sounds very good. I am glad you have enjoyed your cruise. I am very much looking forward to my cruises with the Serenity and the Symphony. Not so many cruise days like you but still a good number of days.

 

Ivi

[mkbruce]

Good to hear the positive comments.

 

We board Serenity on Wednesday for a 9-night San Juan to Miami trip after a prolonged absence from cruising and leisure travel in general (thanks Covid 😞 ).

 

Glad to hear that Crystal is back to its former self - and then some....

 

 

[mkbruce]

Correction - boarding Thursday…… flights are Wednesday