The Roaming BoomersReview: The New Crystal Cruises
Review: The New Crystal Cruises
Carol and I just spent five days sailing with the new Crystal Cruises, and we’re happy to give you our review.
Writing this review is a bit of a conundrum as the “new” Crystal Cruises is the result of the bankruptcy of the “old” Crystal Cruises. Let me explain.
Crystal Cruises was founded in 1988 by the Japanese shipping company Nippon Yusen Kaisha, and for nearly two decades, their two ships enjoyed a near cult-like following.
When Carol and I first sailed with them in 2016, we were impressed with the many awards they had garnered over the years, but we also found the experience to match all of the hype.
The Crystal Serenity in Grand Turk
I will never forget meeting a lady onboard who had sailed with Crystal Cruises 93 times. And to further our amazement, two widows were living on the ship year-round. It was pretty remarkable and a testament to the quality of this storied cruise line.
Crystal Cruises was sold to Genting Hong Kong in 2015, and when we made our second sailing with them somewhere around 2019, we saw a dramatic shift in the quality of the service and onboard experience. It was so dramatic that we quit booking Crystal Cruises when we returned home.
Crystal Cruises didn’t make it through the pandemic and, in 2022, filed for bankruptcy.
On June 22, 2022, it was announced that A&K Travel Group, owned by Manfredi Lefebvre d’Ovidio (former Silversea Cruises owner) and Geoffrey Kent (owner of Abercrombie & Kent), had bought the bankrupt line’s brand and two ocean vessels, Crystal Serenity and Crystal Symphony, intending to return the ships to service in 2023.
We have confidence in Geoffrey and Manfredi to bring this formerly illustrious cruise line back to its glory days. However, I was concerned that they had bought two old ships (the Serenity was launched in 2002, and the older Symphony was launched in 1995). Old ships and old tech.
CLICK FOR A VIDEO WALKTHROUGH: SAPPHIRE VERANDA SUITE
How could they compete in the luxury cruise space with the likes of Regent, Silversea, and Viking cranking out new ships every year? And further, there are also notable newcomers to the industry, like Explora Journeys.
When I took this all in, Carol and I decided not to book our clients on these old ships. However, it was our clients who forced us to reconsider our position. Some of our clients, old Crystal Cruises fans, called and wanted to book a cruise. And when one of them returned, he proclaimed, “They’re back!”
After hearing that a few times from our clients, I figured I had better get aboard the “new” Crystal Cruises and see what all the commotion was about.
And so, Carol and I are just back from sailing on the Crystal Serenity, and here’s what I found.
Our Review of the Crystal Serenity
The Ship
When we approached the ship in the Port of Miami, its exterior was pristine, and you’d never know that this ship had been sailing the seven seas for over two decades.
The Staterooms & Suites
We stayed in one of the newly refurbished Sapphire Veranda Suites (see video above). It was lovely and spacious and gave us all of the creature comforts Carol and I enjoy while traveling. We also had a butler available to take care of any busy work and reservations that needed to be accomplished. About half of the ship’s staterooms and suites have been refurbished, so when you book with us, we’ll ensure you get in one of the newer suites. Oh, the butler is included with every stateroom and suite.
BEST MISO BLACK COD EVER!
The Cuisine
We found the cuisine on the Crystal Serenity to be very good. The Serenity offers eight restaurants, one ice cream bar, and 24-hour in-suite dining. Included are two specialty restaurants: Uni Uma (Japanese-Peruvian) by Nobu and Osteria D’Ovidio (Italian). Both specialty dining restaurants require advance reservations and are limited per passenger on each sailing. I enjoyed the best Miso Black Cod I’ve ever tasted in Uni Uma. WOW!
The Service & The Vibe
As I mentioned above, Crystal Cruises has enjoyed remarkable loyalty with its passengers over the years. And now that they are back, those thousands of loyal passengers are returning. And as they said in the video above, we saw tears of joy between the guests and the crew. I’ve never seen anything like it. The bond between the crew and the returning passengers was clearly very meaningful to both. It made you feel like you were invited to experience something extraordinary, and it made you feel like you wanted to be a part of the family.
Summing It All Up
As I mentioned above, we were not planning on booking the “new” Crystal Cruises. I figured, why would I put my clients on two 20-year-old ships with all the new luxury small ships available in the marketplace?
Well, frankly, the experience changed my mind. And even though they still have some refurbishing work to do on their ships, a little birdie whispered to me that Crystal has two new ocean and two new expedition ships in the works. So, they, too, will have brand new ships to offer their guests in the future.
We are happy to offer our clients a booking on the new Crystal Cruises for these reasons. And for now, we will call Crystal Cruises a 4.5-star experience.
How to Book a Crystal Cruise
COMPLIMENTARY VIP PERKS!
The price to book a Crystal cruise is the same whether you book directly with the cruise line or with Roaming Boomers Travel Services.
However, Crystal is a member of our Virtuoso Voyages program. Therefore, we have complimentary VIP perks to share on select voyages.
Virtuoso Voyages VIP Perks when you book Crystal with Roaming Boomers Travel Services:
Enjoy up to $250 USD shipboard credit per person on select voyages (credit varies by voyage length):
- 7-8 night voyages: $125/person
- 9-10 night voyages: $200/person
- 11+ night voyages: $250/person
For more information or to book a fun cruise with Crystal, please call Roaming Boomers Travel Services at (480) 550-1235 or use our convenient online information request (click here), and we’ll reach out to you.
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Roaming Boomers Travel Services is an Independent Affiliate of Cadence, a Virtuoso® member. CST#201120-40
11 Comments on “Review: The New Crystal Cruises”
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We sailed on Crystal Cruises Serenity in 2014 and 2019 and thoroughly enjoyed our experience.
We enjoyed your article. We will most likely sail again with Crystal under the current ownership thanks to your article.
This June we are considering an American Cruise Line cruise along the Columbia River from Portland to Clarkston. Does Roaming Boomers book these cruises? Please contact me.
Hi Carol and Roy, I will reach out to you by email. Thanks.
Thank you for the great review. We are strongly considering our first cruise on Crystal in January of 2025. I think I’ll reach directly out to your agency for that booking. Looking forward to speaking with you.
Great. We’re here when you’re ready.
I to have returned to Crystal ( 43 cruises ) in the past and I am pretty happy with the new owners…we will never see the Crystal of the 90’s and 2014 when it was sold, but the new owners have done a great job bringing the “girls” back…still a bit of work, but the crew was overjoyed to return and so was I…I have been on 2 cruises on Crystal since the re-opening and on many other cruise lines ( top ones too ) but there is something special about Crystal that draws me back…I am not so impressed with Regent really with all the hype….love seabourn though and Silver sea too and others, ..but Crystal has a place in my heart still to return to them again and again unless things change….I love the shows too and the earlier shows are so much better than 9:00 at night…
Hi Myrna,
Thank you for stopping by and sharing your love for Crystal. Clearly, you have a connection with 43 cruises under your belt with Crystal.
WE LOVE CRYSTAL, TOO!!! Interested in investigating north Atlantic cruises, especially at a time of year when northern lights are at their peak. Haven’t check Crystal’s offerings; based on what I’ve read you probably know are much (maybe more) than what I can find going from one site to another online. Does Crystal have new itineraries that go to the Northern Lights region?
Hi Judy,
I’ll have someone from my team reach out to you. Stay tuned.
So when my mother asked me to join her in 2018, I recall being very skeptical. She had sailed in 2015 and couldn’t stop talking about her experience sailing Crystal through the Panama Canal. I was not fond of cruising having done 7 voyages on other brands like Holland America and Royal Caribbean as mother’s favorite way to vacation is onboard a ship. We recently sailed this past year 2024 on the Holiday cruise and it was the lines first fully sold out cruise since it was revived. We were beyond happy in our Aquamarine suite with our Butler Service. Not only was it a pleasant and fabulous experience it’s the loyal customers who make Crystal. It’s not the same as the majors. So don’t expect it. So expect exceptional service, great friendly people and a forever yearning to return to these glorious ships again. Happy Sailing.
My wife and I and another couple were on a dozen or so Crystal Cruises over the years including an amazing Northwest Passage cruise. When the COVID crisis hit them hard, they went out of business. Even when they returned under new ownership, we avoided sailing on them. A year ago, we heard of their second change of ownership and the comments that they had made major positive changes. Accordingly we decided to see if they were as good as we remembered them. We booked passage on the Symphony for a fairly short cruise from Lisbon to Dover along the Atlantic coast. Is was clear to all4 of us tat Crystal is back. The food, the entertainment and the port visits were all outstanding. We will certainly cruise with Crystal again.
I am so glad to hear that you enjoyed your experience. We hear that “Crystal is back” a lot. Because of the age of their ships, it is tough for them to compete, but they’ve got new ships on the way. However, they will have a competitive advantage if they pull off fabulous synergies with A&K. We’re rooting for them.