A voyage with Crystal Cruises is a very special thing indeed. To step aboard one of the finest cruise ships in the world and know you don’t have to leave after just a few hours really is an incredible feeling. I recently embarked Crystal Symphony to experience the life of luxury with Crystal Cruises and today I am going to use our blog to tell you ALL about it.
I found myself in a Penthouse Verandah stateroom on Deck 10 and what a superb stateroom it was – by far the best ship accommodations that I have ever had the pleasure of briefly calling home. There was a large Queen-size bed, sofa, vanity area, walk-in wardrobe, balcony, and an area that housed the TV and fridge. The bathroom was also very nice with a walk-in power shower, bath with Jacuzzi jets, his and her’s sinks and a selection of very nice ETRO toiletries.
The Penthouse Verandah also comes with a dedicated butler service, which was a nice experience. I didn’t go too wild with my requests – a simple phone call for an additional pillow and some extra still water was about as extravagant as I went, but others did utilise just about every aspect of the service, including having their luggage unpacked and then repacked before disembarkation.
During my time onboard I opted for something different each evening when it came to dinner, so I tried in-suite dining from the Crystal Dining Room and then I visited Prego and Silk Road. The mushroom soup in Prego was absolutely delicious, I never knew something so simple could taste so good, and it came served in a bread bun – which I thought was a fantastic idea. I also really enjoyed the lobster poached in sage butter, which was also in Prego.
In Silk Road I selected the tempura prawns to start and then followed that with the Nobu-style lobster served with Truffle-Yuzu sauce. Both dishes were very tasty! Silk Road also offered a very impressive Sushi bar and although I didn’t try it myself, there were plenty of other people that were enjoying it. If I remember correctly, options included tuna, cod, salmon, scallops and octopus – but that really was only a very small tip of the available iceberg!
Each of Crystal Symphony’s onboard lounges and bars offered its own unique feel and inviting decor, I particularly liked Palm Court, Avenue Saloon, Lido Deck, Crystal Cove and the area opposite the Trident Grill. During the day I found myself haunting the upper-outer decks and at night I made my way inside – I prefer to eat early, so I would dine and then make my way to Crystal Cove where I would have drinks with some of the people that I had met during my time onboard. Once they made their way to dinner I would then head towards the Avenue Saloon, I really did have it all planned out! It also meant that I could enjoy some of the areas, like the Avenue Saloon, before they got busy. A few times I felt like I was in my own private bar because there was just myself and 1 or 2 other people enjoying a drink and listening to the pianist.
My time aboard Crystal Symphony was very special indeed. She is a superb ship and Crystal really does go above and beyond for every single one of its guests. If six-star luxury cruising is what you are looking for, then please look no further. The crew aboard Crystal Symphony were fantastic, her guests were incredible friendly and her staterooms, suites, shore excursions, dining options and entertainment options really did offer something for everyone. I hope my second time aboard will come very soon…………
Book Crystal Cruises With The Cruise Line
We have a wide selection of voyages available aboard both Crystal Serenity and Crystal Symphony and they can all be found on our special Crystal Cruise Deals page.
Crystal Cruises also recently announced a new addition in the form of a luxury yacht, and her name, Crystal Esprit. Crystal Esprit voyages are on sale now and there is still availability for her maiden-voyage!
As mentioned, you can visit our website and browse all of our available itineraries at your convenience, alternatively if you have specific questions or would like to make reservations for a particular voyage then please give one of our Luxury Cruise Experts a call on 0800 008 6677.
