I have to admit that I haven't been on a Crystal Cruises ship in quite some time-12 years to be exact. But I've watched as the luxury cruise line continued to win awards for service excellence and I've also wondered just how a two-ship company could do that for so long.
That's why I jumped at the chance to sail on the 1,070-passenger Crystal Serenity for the annual gala honoring the line's top selling travel agents. We heard from top Crystal executives about their plans for the future, as well as what they've been doing over the past couple of years, including major culinary initiatives.
I remember quite fondly my 10-day Alaska sailing on Crystal Harmony, now no longer part of the fleet, back in 2002. That's when I discovered that Crystal has one of the best, if not the very best, main dining rooms at sea.
Well things haven't changed that much in the last 12 years. Crystal still has one of the best main dining rooms in luxury cruising. On the other hand, the line is working to keep pace with current food trends and offering even more dining choices in its main restaurant.
PHOTO:The Crystal Dining Room, which continues to be one of the finest main restaurants at sea, now features two different types of cuisine. (All photos by James Shillinglaw)
Crystal this year introduced a new menu concept for its Crystal Dining Room, the main restaurant on both of its ships, featuring both "modern" and classic cuisine. The "modern" side of the menu features food prepared using molecular cooking techniques and technologies-in other words, you can't do this at home, folks!
The focus is on meals created using enhanced flavors and tastes, artful and delicate food presentations, and high-tech cooking devices that employ the latest in food science. But guests also can mix and match the new "modern" cuisine with more traditional and popular choices from Crystal's menu of classic dishes. And mix and match I did at the two dinners I had onboard in the main restaurant. It's a great way to experience some very innovative cuisine while not missing out on some of the wonderful dishes that Crystal has always featured on its menus.
Crystal's goal is to make its "modern" cuisine a chief attraction for foodies who may have experienced such molecular food at top restaurants around the world. And I have to say I sort of hate the world "molecular" because it gives the whole experience a certain association with science that can obscure just how wonderful this food really is for guests. Nearly every night the "modern" and the classic sides of the menu change, so you can eat here very exquisitely without ever sampling the specialty restaurants.
But that would be a mistake, because Crystal Serenity features some excellent dining alternatives. The new menus in the Crystal Dining Room come just months after the line introduced a completely new dining venue called Tastes on Crystal Serenity. This restaurant is located on Deck 12 in what had formerly been an indoor pool area covered by a magrodome that can be opened in good weather. It is decorated with three "living" walls of plants as well as olive trees and an herb garden (which is harvested by the chefs on board).
PHOTO: Tastes is Crystal Serenity's new tapas-style restaurant on the pool deck.
Open for light breakfast, lunch and dinner, Tastes features a tapas-like array of international cuisine inspired by Sapphire Laguna Restaurant in Laguna Beach, Calif. Food is served family style, so it's probably best to go in a group of at least four (we had eight) so you can sample a bit of everything. The restaurant offers an eclectic mix of Asian and Californian cuisine that I suspect will entice almost any foodie. During the day, you can also sample Ben & Jerry's ice cream.
PHOTO: Silk Road features cuisines designed by famed Japanese chef Nobu Matsuhisa.
Beyond the Crystal Dining Room and Tastes, Crystal Serenity also has two other specialty restaurants: Prego, featuring Italian cuisine, and Silk Road, offering meals designed by famed Japanese chef Nobu Matsuhisa. Indeed, Crystal was one of the first luxury lines to offer a restaurant backed by a name-brand chef like Nobu. I didn't get the chance to dine at Prego on this five-night cruise, but I was lucky enough to enjoy Silk Road twice, getting a full taste of the sushi, lobster rolls, and Kobe beef, among other wonderful dishes.
Crystal also has applied its culinary expertise to an area that is sometimes neglected by cruise lines-the buffet restaurant serving breakfast and lunch. On Crystal Serenity, this restaurant, which is less of a buffet than a series of food stations, seems a bit less hectic than on other ships and the food is as well-prepared and varied as in the ship's other eateries. Tables for two and four are set near the windows on the port and starboard sides, as well as on an outdoor terrace in the ship's stern. Better yet, the indoor tables are screened from the food stations by large panels then create more privacy for diners.
With all these food choices, Crystal is thankfully moving into another area that would seem to be a must if you don't want to gain the "cruise 20" during your sail. Crystal is working to attract a younger demographic with more active programs, including a new "Site Run" jogging adventure series, set to debut in April, which takes guests on runs through such places as St. Petersburg, Russia; Greenock, Scotland's Loch Lomond; Bar Harbor, Maine's Acadia National Park; and Auckland's Mt. Eden volcano. These runs, designed to last between 5 and 10 kilometers, incorporate fitness into the sightseeing experience.
In September, Crystal also is introducing a new outdoor gym on Crystal Symphony's Promenade Deck, allowing guests to work out by the sea and intersperse jogging or laps around the deck for increased interval training. There are also large fitness centers on both ships with a full slate of running machines, stationary bikes, weight machines and exercise programs. And if all else fails, you can burn off some calories by playing paddle tennis on the Wimbledon Court or taking a stroll on the promenade deck, which wraps completely around the ship.
So if you're a foodie, or if you are a travel agent with foodie customers, you can't go wrong booking a Crystal cruise. One of the great pleasures of cruising is the food, and Crystal delivers a dining experience that puts it at the highest end of the food chain in the cruise industry, so to speak. Just make sure you balance your feasting with some exercise!
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