With new owners and a whole new look, Crystal’s ultra-luxury cruising is back.
Until its bankruptcy in 2022, Crystal was the world’s most-awarded luxury cruise line. It won numerous “World’s Best” accolades in the years since the line was founded in 1988 by Japan’s NYK (Nippon Yusen Kaisha) Group and the launch of Crystal Harmony. That ship was followed by Crystal Symphony in 1995 and Crystal Serenity in 2003. Two years later, in 2005, Harmony retired from the Crystal fleet, but the line’s reputation continued to grow.
Sold to Genting Hong Kong in 2015, Crystal was in an expansion mode, buying several river ships and a luxury expedition vessel, when covid hit. Costs escalated and Genting declared bankruptcy.
In 2022, Crystal Symphony and Crystal Serenity were arrested in Freeport, Bahamas, for unpaid bills. To the rescue came Illinois-based Abercrombie & Kent Travel Group which acquired the Crystal name and paid $25 million for Symphony and $103 million for the newer, larger Serenity.
A&K was determined to return the two Crystal ultra-luxury ships to their former glory. The luxury travel company paid an Italian shipyard an estimated $150 million to restore and enhance them. In late 2023, we joined Crystal Serenity in Quebec City for its first North American cruise since its dramatic downfall and revival.
Aboard Serenity
The ship made a stunning first impression. From the tasteful, elegant atrium to the top decks (now with pickleball courts, of course) there was little indication that this was a 20-year-old vessel. 
Our accommodation on Serenity was one of 116 Sapphire Veranda Suites on Decks 8 and 9, each an impressive 537 square feet, including a double-wide balcony. At the shipyard, every room on those two decks was gutted and stripped to bare steel, then replaced by fewer, larger and more elegant suites. Fourteen new single-guest oceanview rooms (without single supplement) were added. In fact, with the refit, passenger capacity dropped from 970 to 740. With a crew of 655, 80 percent of whom returned to the ship after layoffs, service levels were, as expected, remarkably good.
Our living room in the suite had a large sofa, a marble-topped work desk, a table for meals and snacks, and four comfortable chairs. It included a large, walk-in closet, Nespresso coffee maker, and a fridge stocked with complimentary Champagne, wine and beer. Every room on Serenity includes the services of a well-trained butler. He or she can provide spirits (vodka, rum, gin, or whiskey from the complimentary list) or non-alcohol wine and beer. The butler also brings hors d’oeuvres every afternoon, fresh fruit daily, and can look after all needs including complimentary laundry and pressing or specialty dining reservations. There’s a tablet in every room with daily programs, restaurant menus, and even full copies of daily newspapers from around the world. If requested, a printed daily schedule is available.
There’s a curtain between the living room and the bedroom where guests enjoy a comfortable, king-size bed with high-end Italian sheets, the most luxurious we’ve ever experienced at sea. On each side of the bed is a marble table, reading lights, USB ports, and electric plugs for both North American and European devices. Both rooms include a 50-inch, high-res TV with a wide selection of movies and TV channels from the US and abroad. The whole ship, including each suite, has complimentary Wi-Fi with a signal equal to the best at sea.
The bathroom in our suite included two well-spaced sinks along a marble counter, both liquid and bar soap, toiletries from upscale Ortigia Sicilia, and a huge shower, big enough for three people. It had a choice of four separate nozzles.
Creative Cuisine
Outstanding cuisine has always been a hallmark of the Crystal experience and the new owners intend to build on that reputation. Many of the restaurants — including the Marketplace Buffet, Trident Grill, and Tastes Kitchen, all on Deck 12, and the main Waterside restaurant on Deck 5 — have been refreshed and upgraded. We were pleased to see fresh-squeezed orange juice and real maple syrup at breakfast. We asked a pastry chef about getting almond croissants, our favorite, a style not normally available. Sure enough, they were there at breakfast the next day.
The most significant culinary changes were evident in the two specialty restaurants on Deck 7. Umi Uma (Sea Horse), known as Silk Road prior to 2018, is Master Chef Nobu Matsuhisa’s only restaurant at sea. It was totally gutted and refurbished and is now much brighter and more modern-looking, with changed color schemes, tables, and fixtures. The popular sushi bar remains and table guests can enjoy Nobu’s award-winning Japanese-Peruvian specialties like Lobster with Truffle Yuzu, Sashimi Salad, and Miso-Glazed Black Cod.
Prego, the Italian specialty restaurant on Deck 7, is now known as Osteria d’Ovidio to honor Manfredi Lefebvre d’Ovidio, former owner of Silversea Cruises and now executive chairman of the Abercrombie & Kent Travel Group. He clearly influenced the Italian menu. Our favorite dishes included Lobster in Aqua Sale, Salt Baked Sea Bass, Tortello Pasta with Braised Beef, and Risotto with Scampi.
Relaxation and Entertainment
The elegant Palm Court, with its wrap-around ocean views on Deck 12, has always been the relaxation and reception center on Crystal Serenity. It has stayed much the same with daily trivia and formal afternoon tea as regular events. The popular Mozart Tea, presented once each cruise with waiters in late-18th-century attire, has been dropped by the new owners. In its place, a Chocolate Tea is featured.
Unlike many cruise lines, Crystal has not cut back on the quality of its entertainment or the number of performers hired. We were delighted with the talent of the seven-piece Galaxy Show Band and the 10 singers and dancers in the ensemble. Enrichment lectures with top international speakers are available daily, plus golf, bridge, art, and Computer University at Sea instruction. Serenity has a large library, an extensive spa, and numerous bars with skillful mixologists.
On our cruise, the former casino had been turned into another lounge. But casinos are important for many guests, especially for the Asian market, and plans are afoot to bring back at least a smaller casino on both Crystal ships.
Later this year, Crystal Serenity will be on the West Coast for Alaska sailings followed by an extensive, 42-day cruise from Vancouver, through the Panama Canal, ending in Quebec City.
We’d cruised with Crystal several times prior to its bankruptcy and were always impressed with the refined service and atmosphere. It’s now evident that Crystal Serenity’s new owners, Abercrombie & Kent, are clearly committed to enhancing that reputation.
Hotel Director Scott Peterson, himself a 20-year Crystal veteran, told us that A&K was the best possible suitor. “They had their eye on Serenity for many years” he noted. “Until the bankruptcy, Crystal was the No. 1 cruise line in the world. Our goal is to return to that status and to be exceptional.”
By John & Sandra Nowlan
