On a Crystal cruise it is not difficult to find what you seek. In
fact, your search for a place beyond ordinary is over. "Splendidly
Uncommon"! Ablaze with intoxicating color and high style, Crystal
Cruises' Harmony, Symphony and Serenity are ships of superlatives that
capture the aura of extravagant parties, big, snazzy cars and high tea
in the Palm Court while Porter, Gershwin, Mozart and Bach float on the
air.
The Experience:
Six-star elegance and style
personified! Accommodations include ocean-view staterooms and suites,
which many are with private verandahs (Crystal Harmony offers a small
number of inside staterooms as well). Full 360-degree teak promenade
deck, In-stateroom Internet access, and Butler Service in categories
(PH, PS and CP). Choice of classic, main, or late seating in the Crystal
Dining Room. Several alternatives to dining venues, 24-hour room
service, and wine cellar with over 20,000 bottles (200 vintages and a
special Reserve Wine List).
Nights are full of life! Award-winning
production shows and a host of other evening performances await where
the spotlight shines on Tony® award-winners, Julliard grads, Broadway
and West End performers as well as the Crystal Ensemble of singers and
Dancers. Showrooms were custom-designed to offer perfect views from each
seat and offer superior sound and lighting systems. Costumes are hand
made and staging is skillfully crafted to bring every vibrant moment to
life. Each cruise also has a variety of cabaret-style entertainment
including vocalists, comedians, ventriloquists, instrumentalists and
classical artists (you may find yourself serenaded with classical
melodies during afternoon tea or whispering special requests to the trio
which strolls through the Crystal Dining Room in the evening).
The
Crystal Spa is the first at sea to use the principles of Feng Shui.
Your journey begins with cultural therapies from around the world all
enjoyed amid beautiful Asian artifacts in a restoring, peaceful
atmosphere.
Crystal Cruises excels with there quite remarkable
Creative Learning Institute and Crystal Visions® Enrichment Program. You
can enjoy classes and workshops in the fields of Arts &
Entertainment, Business & Technology, Lifestyle, Wellness, Wine
& Food, attend courses as diverse as successful grand-parenting and
menu planning, experience lectures on the latest advances in medicine
and alternative medicine; take piano classes from Yamaha or language
lessons with Berlitz. There's a Computer University at sea, fitness
centre, golf driving ranges and putting greens (PGA golf instructors are
on select sailing's), large lap pools, full size paddle tennis courts,
and escorted and private Crystal Adventures (shore excursions).
All
Crystal Cruises ships feature the Caesars Palace at Sea® Casino, which
is run by the world famous Las Vegas operation (the expert on board
staff is employed by Caesars Palace). The facility houses blackjack
tables, as well as mini-baccarat, craps, roulette and more than 85 slot
machines.
Accommodations:
It is in your private
quarters where Crystal has lavished special attention. All the
essentials and an abundance of extravagances turn every accommodation
style into a decidedly personal retreat. Soft lighting, Aveda bath
products and 100% Egyptian cotton bath towels in your marble bathroom.
Scandinavian down duvets, 100% Egyptian cotton sheets and feather and
down king-size pillows on your bed. Ship to shore phones and personal
voice mail.
In every stateroom a plush Frette bathrobe awaits a
cool evening or barefoot breakfast on your private verandah. Penthouse
accommodation delivers the highest level of comfort and can range from
360 to 1345 square feet dependent upon the ship you select. Some are
equipped with personal gyms, quite a number offer a separate living
room, dining area and bedroom, master bath with a jacuzzi, complimentary
beverage bars, flat-screen TV's, CD players, and DVD players.
All,
of course, have private verandahs with the services of a butler.
Planning to entertain a few friends at a small party?He'll arrange it
beautifully. Prefer the appetizers, entrées, or desserts from a variety
of select specialty restaurants? He'll bring them to you, along with the
movie you want from the library.
Dining:
The
restaurants on board Crystal Cruises' ships are indeed worth mentioning.
All the ships offer: two seatings in the main restaurant (Crystal
Dining Room), where international and regionally inspired dishes are
prepared in the time-honored European tradition, and are unveiled
(including "Lighter Fare" choices such as low carb, low sodium, low
cholesterol and vegetarian). All ships have an excellent selection of
alternative dining venues. Prego, for example, which features
traditional Italian specialties plus the signature fare of Piero
Selvaggio of Valentino Restaurant fame (Valentino is considered by
culinary critics to be the best Italian Restaurant outside of Italy) is
on all ships.
Crystal Harmony's Kyoto features inventive Japanese
cuisine, while on Crystal Symphony, the Jade Garden is a culinary
crossroads of Asia with menus inspired by exotic traditions and
ingredients of the Orient and specialty dishes from Wolfgang Puck's
famed Chinois restaurant. On Crystal Serenity, the eclectic cuisine of
Master Chef Nobu Matsuhisa (right, that Nobu) is highlighted in two
restaurants, Silk Road and The Sushi Bar. In Crystal Symphony's and
Crystal Serenity's Vintage Room, custom meals are paired with wine
selections such as limited bottling of California's Harlan Estate and
Screaming Eagle, dream vintages of great Bordeaux or masterpieces from
the fleetwide Reserve Wine List which reveals 20 rare wines.
Consider
a Crystal Wine & Food Festival sailing where guest chefs supervise
the preparation of a special five-course dinner to be matched with wine
pairings selected by a participating wine expert. Each chef presents
cooking techniques, offers tips and shares their favorite recipes at
special demonstrations.
Afternoon tea presents a selection of
savories and sweets served in the sunlit charm of the Palm Court, for
lovers of fresh scones, clotted cream and finger sandwiches. An English
Colonial Tea offers a British tradition and for a special treat, join
the Mozart Tea, a visit to 18th century Vienna where you're greeted by
staff in velvets and brocades offering the finest cakes and most
delicious pastries that Austria has ever created.
Crystal Society:
Once
guests complete their first Crystal cruise, they'll be automatically
enrolled in the Crystal Society. Guests will be entitled to special
savings, events and amenities every time they sail with Crystal Cruises.
With every cruise guests take, the rewards become more impressive
(stateroom upgrades, credit toward air travel, on board spending credits
and much more).
Crystal Visions® Enrichment Program:
Popular
Crystal Visions® Enrichment Program is offered on every cruise and,
depending on the sailing, features a range of noted destination,
cultural, historical and artistic speakers. In addition, all guests can
expand horizons with the Crystal Cruises Creative Learning Institute®,
an innovative series of interactive classes created to enhance guests'
quality of life in the areas of Arts & Entertainment, Business &
Technology (including our popular Computer
University@Sea),
Lifestyle, Wellness and Wine & Food. ACBL experts offer instruction
in most levels of Bridge, professional ballroom dancers share their
tips on improving dance steps and on most sailings a qualified PGA pro
leads a series of golf classes.
Computer University@Sea Program:
Popular Computer
University@Sea® program is offered on all cruises.
CU@Sea
provides e-mail services, Internet access, group and individual
instruction on use of a PC and extensive complimentary enrichment course
offerings. Each ship has at least 25 state-of-the-art PC workstations.
Complimentary lectures or classes are offered on each cruise. Details of
these are listed in the daily newsletter Reflections. There is a
nominal set-up fee when guests begin to use any
CU@Sea services involving off-ship communication.
Extended Land Programs:
Either
at the beginning or at the end of each cruise, guests can take two to
six-night trips to some of the most remarkable cities and inland
destinations. Local travel experts who deliver the highest level of
service have created these programs.
Hotel Programs:
Many
of Crystal's selected hotels are recognized by noted publications such
as Condé Nast Traveler and Travel + Leisure as some of the finest hotels
in the world.
Crystal "Classic" Hotel Program Includes:
Luxurious
Hotel Accommodation, Meet & Assist arrangements at the airport,
Group transfer by motor coach between airport and hotel, or hotel and
airport, Specially designed sightseeing transfer by motor coach between
hotel and ship or, vice versa, Hotel tax and porterage, Hospitality Desk
offering local advice and optional sightseeing opportunities.
Crystal "Classic-Plus" Hotel Program Include:
Upgraded
Hotel Accommodation, Breakfast daily, Personal Meet & Assist
arrangements at, the airport, Private car transfer between airport and
hotel, or hotel and airport, Specially designed sightseeing transfer by
motor coach between hotel and ship or vice versa, Hotel tax and
porterage, Hospitality Desk offering local advice and optional
sightseeing opportunities.
Junior Activities Program:
Crystal
Cruises' commitment to excellence and quality of experience does not
end with grown-up cruisers. Kids have a variety of great activities to
choose from on every Crystal cruise! Offered are children's playroom and
babysitting services on all cruises. During holiday cruises and
selected sailing's, additional children's activities are offered under
the supervision of experienced Junior Activities Directors.
Junior
Activities Programme is Three-Tiered: 3-7 year olds, 8-12 year olds,
13-17 year olds, Children under six months are not permitted on board
without a signed waiver by parent(s).
Activities: age and the
number of children on board determine Activities. On those sailings with
Junior Activities Directors, a detailed schedule of events is created
at the beginning of each cruise. Once on board, you'll receive Surf
Runner, or Teen Scene, the teenagers guide to special activities, our
daily newsletter for kids with details for the following day's schedule
and other pertinent information.
Facilities: Fantasia, children's
playroom, offers tables and chairs for arts and crafts, popular Sony
PlayStation® game titles, a large screen television set and board games.
Crystal Symphony and Crystal Serenity also feature a teenager's video
arcade, Waves. The Library offers children's books and children's videos
or DVDs for enjoyment in staterooms.
Crystal's Fleet: Crystal Harmony, Crystal Symphony, and Crystal Serenity.
During
some point you might catch a certain sight or have a distinct feeling
that causes you to suddenly realize - I am someplace special. It might
be a sense of your own elegance as you enter the Crystal Dining Room, or
perhaps the feeling of serenity that envelopes you as you sink slowly
into the Cleopatra Tub in The Crystal Spa. Or perchance it will be
recognition that you are part of an exclusive group who travels the
world in style, searching for its very best experiences.
The
adventure of grand theatres, quiet corners, sophisticated lounges,
lavish shows, and delectable cuisine has earned Crystal Cruises the
"World's Best Large-Ship Cruise Line" award. Awards come from Condé Nast
Traveler magazine and Travel + Leisure a record eight years in a row
from 1996 - 2003 (the only cruise line to be so honored). And no wonder!
Gracious comforts and small pleasures come in large quantities,
including the smiles accompanying the smallest gesture from staff imbued
with the finest traditions of European service.
