Crystal Serenity to Mediterranean

Crystal Serenity is one of the most luxurious and well served ships ever built; the floating equivalent of a high end Ritz Carlton hotel, but with far more inclusivity and style. From the welcome champagne served in the lobby at embarkation to the saffron accented lamb skewers offered for dinner in Tastes one evening, the ship simply excels at the art of hospitality.

Crystal Serenity carries just 1180 passengers and, at 68,000 tons, she could easily accommodate twice that number. The ship has ample space everywhere and, with a large, extremely well trained crew, even a week aboard her is sheer, platinum chip indulgence.

Every one of the top end restaurants on board is open seating. Passengers can even 'order in' to their rooms from any venue. The great bulk of the all outside cabins and suites have beautiful teak balconies.

From big band music in the two level Crystal Cove before dinner, to late night martinis in the Avenue Saloon piano bar, Crystal Serenity is a joy to sail. There is a beautiful, upper deck lounge/restaurant combination area with its own, sliding glass roof. It even has a fake tree, complete with twinkling lights at night, and a 'living wall' of climbing plants.

The vast outdoor decks are studded with pod beds and sun loungers around the central pool and hot tub. Up high and right forward, the glass walled Palm Court is a beautiful lounge, often used for hosting the captain's cocktail party. At any time of the day it is ideal fore reading, or just watching amazing sunsets from.

With classes on board ranging from cooking to computer, languages to ballroom dancing, the only thing not on the menu was boredom. The ship is simply superb in every department. Even in the handful of outside cabins, the bathrooms have marble accents, bathrobes and quality Etro bathroom products.

For a lazy breakfast, I definitely recommend the outdoor terrace of the lido café at the stern. So easy to lose a full hour of your life here, and so much fun to do it, too.