Crystal Serenity sailing changes traveler’s view of cruising
A nine-night Northern Europe voyage paired port calls with suite service, dining, entertainment and enrichment aboard the luxury ship.
A traveler who previously believed cruises were not for her said a nine-night sailing aboard Crystal Serenity changed her perspective and left her considering another voyage.
The Crystal itinerary ran from Southampton, England, to Copenhagen, Denmark, with calls that included Bruges, Rotterdam, Hamburg and Oslo. The traveler stayed in a Sapphire Veranda Suite and identified Crystal as a luxury cruise line.
According to her account, the suite came with daily pressing, cleaning and laundry service, as well as a walk-in closet. She also described a range of onboard amenities, including restaurants, live entertainment, a spa, casino, art classes and lectures delivered by experts, including prominent university professors.
She singled out Umi Uma, the ship’s Japanese restaurant created by chef Nobu Matsuhisa, as a particularly memorable dining experience. While Crystal Serenity was docked in Rotterdam, she and her husband canceled a planned Amsterdam excursion that would have occupied much of the day and instead remained aboard the ship.
By the end of the voyage, the traveler said the experience had reversed her long-held assumption that cruising was not suited to her and prompted her to think about which ship she might try next.