By Chris Dikmen and Rickee Richardson

Since our 2023 review of sister ship, Crystal Serenity, there have been some additional changes on Crystal’s ships. Both ships have received a new casino and a new Beefbar specialty dining venue. Therefore, we thought it would be good to update our review of Crystal with a sailing aboard the slightly smaller, and a little older, Crystal Symphony.

THE SHIP

*Crystal Symphony docked in Porto Mahon, Menorca*

Crystal Symphony is the smaller of the two Crystal ocean ships with a guest capacity of 602. What is interesting is, that when Crystal re-emerged under new ownership in 2022, they actually re-designed the ships to hold FEWER guests! When this ship was first launched, she held more than 900 guests. Crystal reduced the number of suites onboard both ships and introduced new, larger suites in several categories. The result is a very high space-to-guest ratio.

Crystal Symphony has retained much of the original charm of the luxury brand while updating and refreshing many areas.

*Waterfall fountain that spans two decks in Crystal Plaza*

We saw what appeared to be new carpeting throughout the ship. The Crystal Plaza is the main lobby area and it appears to be untouched and original, yet still elegant and classy.

There are three banks of elevators and stairways. There are three midship elevators, three forward elevators and two aft elevators. We never had to wait long for an elevator; however, on our sailing, the ship was only at about 60% capacity. The layout of the ship is very logical and it is easy to find your way around. All public spaces are on Decks 5, 6, 11 and 12. Deck 4 is primarily used for tender operations or to disembark/embark.

WiFi/Internet

Whether we like it or not, we are all tied to technology and a ship’s WiFi is a subject for review. Every guest receives a complimentary “Standard” unlimited WiFi package. After just a couple of days struggling to get some websites to load, I decided to pay the $100 to upgrade to the Premium WiFi package. I think it may have been a $10 per day charge, and since this was a 10-day cruise, the cost was $100.

With the Premium WiFi package, you can have up to four devices connected simultaneously, which was enough for my iPhone, my laptop and Rickee’s iPhone and iPad. Speeds and connectivity varied throughout the cruise, which is typical, but overall, the Premium WiFi was about three times faster than the Standard.

ACCOMMODATIONS

One of the best features of Crystal ships is the spacious suites. And yes, every stateroom is considered a suite, with amenities that you would expect on a luxury cruise line. Our Sapphire Veranda Suite had a large bathroom with a massive rain-shower-head shower. Luxury shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, bar soap, and body lotion are provided. There are dual sinks, and plenty of storage space.

The suite has a separate living room and bedroom, separated by a heavy curtain. The bedroom has a king-sized bed, two nightstands and a large flat screen TV. The living room is furnished with a large sofa, a coffee table, a chair, an end table with storage, a small dining table with seating for two, and a large marble desk.

There are USB (USB-A and USB-C) charging ports at the desk and at each nightstand. US-Style 110v outlets and European 220v outlets were also available at the desk, at nightstands and next to the sofa.

One of our critiques of our Sapphire Veranda Suite on Crystal Serenity was the lack of a full length mirror. Crystal has solved this problem by placing a full length mirror on the back of the suite door. Simple, yet effective.

Our balcony was long, but a little narrow. However, there were large, cushioned chairs on the balcony with padded ottomans. This is probably the most comfortable balcony furniture of any ship on which we have sailed. There are two heavy sliding glass doors leading to the balcony: one in the bedroom and the other in the living room.

The suite furnishings looked fresh and new with no visible signs of wear. After all, the ship was refurbished in 2023. The walk-in closet has plenty of storage for a 30+ day cruise and is equipped with wooden hangers, a complimentary umbrella, a shoe horn, a hair dryer and a large electronic safe. All of the drawers throughout the suite, including the 4-drawers in the closet, are soft close, as is the toilet seat and lid. The closet is located off of the living room instead of the bedroom, which is a little odd, but the layout works.

The bed is really comfortable and all of the linens and bedding are very high quality. The pillows were a little too soft for us but we were able to request firmer pillows which were more to our liking.

Our Sapphire Veranda on Symphony was noticeably smaller than the one we had on Crystal Serenity. I would estimate the suite to have been about 2 feet shorter overall, and a bit narrower. Perhaps this could be the case because the suite’s location on the ship is forward where the hull narrows.

All Crystal suites come with butler service and our butler on this cruise, Milind, was nothing short of amazing. Every special request was handled quickly and efficiently. Milind has been with Crystal for 21 years. And, we met several crew members who said they, too, have been with Crystal for 20+ years.

*Milind has been with Crystal for 21 years*

Crystal butlers can assist with a variety of things during your cruise. They can help with shore excursion tickets, restaurant reservations, picking up and delivering clothing items to be pressed or laundered, shoe shine services, and much more. Each day between 3:30pm and 4:30pm, Milind would show up at our suite with the most delicious canapés.

*Canapés delivered to our suite each afternoon*

Several luxury cruise lines do offer canapés delivered each day, but Crystal has the best we have experienced on any cruise line so far. Milind also asked if we wanted any spirits or wine in our suite. We requested Prosecco (for Rickee) and a bottle of Canadian Club (for me). The pull-out refrigerator drawer located under the desk is a genius design and can be stocked with your favorite beverages, all complimentary.

*Prosecco was placed in our pull-out refrigerator drawer*

Overall, we would rate the Sapphire Veranda Suite a 9 out of 10.

FOOD AND DINING

Crystal Symphony offers guests a variety of dining choices. Crystal food quality remains at the highest levels of luxury cruise line dining.

The Marketplace Buffet

The Marketplace Buffet is open every day for breakfast and lunch. However, there is no dinner service at this venue. Marketplace is one of our favorite buffet restaurants at sea because of the food quality and variety, great table service and excellent seating options. The only nit we have to pick with Marketplace is that it is self-serve. We would much prefer that the crew be the only ones handling the utensils. We feel it is just more sanitary. To Crystal’s credit, there was a crew member stationed at the hand sanitizer machine at the entrance to Marketplace to be sure every guest sanitized their hands before entering.

Highlights of the buffet are the fresh boiled shrimp and the crab claws served every day with a delicious and spicy cocktail sauce.

*Shrimp and crab claws with cocktail sauce*

The food selection and quality is well above average for a cruise ship buffet with mostly hits and very few misses. One day they offered an Asian-themed buffet and it was the best Asian buffet I have ever experienced on a cruise ship. Servers are on hand at Marketplace to take drink orders and, of course, cocktails, wine, spirits and soft drinks are all included on Crystal.

Guests can dine indoors on the port or starboard side at Marketplace and there are serving lines on both sides of the ship. On port days, with many guests off the ship at lunchtime, they may only open the starboard-side serving lines. There are plenty of two-top tables, many with window views and there is seating aft for those who prefer to dine al fresco.

*Sushi and sashimi on the Asian-themed buffet*

Waterside Restaurant

Waterside is Crystal’s main dining room (or MDR). The restaurant is located on Deck 5 midship, across from Reception. This restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner each day with lunch and dinner menus that change each day. We only dined here once at breakfast and once for dinner and the food and service were very good. They offer an extensive breakfast menu, which includes steak and eggs (one of my favorites). There is no charge to dine at Waterside.

Umi Uma

Umi Uma (formerly Silk Road) is Crystal’s Japanese/Sushi restaurant by Nobu Matsuhisa. It is recommended that guests make reservations to dine here as it is a very popular dining spot. Or, guests can simply show up and sit at the sushi bar, space permitting. Every guest receives one complimentary meal at Umi Uma during the cruise. Additional visits will come with a $50 per person cover charge.

The sushi and sashimi at Umi Uma are next level and are clearly the best we have had on any cruise ship, or land restaurant for that matter. Rickee continues to order the Miso Glazed Cod, an Umi Uma signature dish. And, in my opinion, the Grilled Australian “WAYGU” Beef Filet is the best cut of meat on the ship.

Osteria d’ Ovidio

Osteria (formerly Prego) is Crystal’s Italian restaurant. As is the case with Umi Uma, guests receive one complimentary meal here and there is a $50/pp cover charge for subsequent visits. This is the second time we have dined at Osteria, the first being on Crystal Serenity. We were underwhelmed with our meal and the service at the Osteria on Symphony and felt like the experience on Serenity was better. My lamb chops were a little overcooked, and lacked seasoning. They would have benefitted from a heavily-seasoned breadcrumb crust to add flavor and texture. Rickee’s duck breast looked more like a dessert than a main course. The flavors of both dishes were okay, but nothing special.

Even though we were dining with a group of eight, we felt the service was extremely slow. The waiters were very pleasant, but food was taking a long time to get to the table. We were seated at 7:00pm and we barely made it out in time for the 9:30 show.

We are not exactly sure how the menu at Osteria reflects what Americans think of as “Italian fare”. If not for the selection of pasta dishes, you would think you were dining in a continental cuisine restaurant. And, no Tiramisu on the dessert menu. Seriously?

We long for the good old days of Prego with the delicious Cream of Mushroom soup served in a bread bowl, the Beef Carpaccio drizzled with olive oil and balsamic glaze and the wonderful seasoned-breadcrumb lamb chops. There, I said it.

Beefbar

Beefbar is the newest specialty dining restaurant on Crystal ships replacing Tastes, which was one of our favorite dining venues on any cruise ship. Beefbar originated in Monte Carlo and the brand has expanded with restaurants all over the world. But, if you want to experience Beefbar at sea, it is only available on Crystal ships.

Beefbar is open for lunch and dinner with reservations highly recommended for dinner. The restaurant is located on Deck 11 and has a very open and spacious feel with unrestricted views of the ocean port side. The atmosphere here is much more casual and relaxed than Umi Uma, Osteria d’ Ovidio, or even Waterside.

As a confirmed carnivore, I was not surprised that we dined at Beefbar four times for dinner.

While the menu can be a bit confusing, it is, nonetheless, packed with a lot of delicious offerings. It is hard to tell the main courses from the starters. We found ourselves just ordering a few dishes and figuring it out once they arrived.

In our four visits, we had the opportunity to try most of the offerings there. Our favorites were the Super Kale salad, Angus Beef tacos, Bao Buns, Tuna Ceviche, Mashed Potatoes and the Beef Filet. I tried all three steak offerings, and the filet is the way to go. The Avocado Hummus and Rib Eye Ham were our least favorites.

If your wallet is overstuffed with winnings from the casino, you may wish to order one of the optional Waygu steaks on offer here. That massive bone-in Tomahawk will set you back $540. Even the humble 8oz Rib Cap is $90. The Waygu on display definitely looked like an upgrade in marbling over the standard steak offerings at Beefbar, but they did not look like A5 Japanese Waygu to me. They looked more like Australian or USA Waygu, but with the Japanese A5 price tag.

*Upgrade your steak to Waygu at Beefbar*

Service at Beefbar was excellent (as it is all over the ship) and the time between courses was not as long as we experienced at the other restaurants on board. Food delivery was very crisp.

We did not try the lunch menu at Beefbar, but it looked very appealing. We just could not wrench ourselves away from Marketplace which opened at noon compared to Beefbar which opened at 1:00.

There was a bit of confusion about dining at Beefbar. We were initially led to believe that, as with Umi Uma and Osteria, guests could only dine once at Beefbar on a complimentary basis with a $50/pp cover charge for subsequent visits. Oh, contraire! We discovered that there are no additional charges to dine at Beefbar multiple times! Hence, our four visits to Beefbar for dinner.

Hands down, Beefbar is our favorite dining venue on Crystal and will be the first place we visit when we return.

The Bistro

The Bistro is a small cafe located midship on Deck 6 overlooking the Crystal Cove. This is the best place to get morning coffee. I would visit The Bistro every morning with my laptop to do my daily blog and enjoy my Cappucino or Americano.

The Bistro offers take-away coffee service from 6:00am to 9:00am. They have a few pastries that guests can grab and go. From 9am to 11:30am, they offer a very nice buffet of fresh fruit, pastries, cereals, yogurt, etc. for what they call a “late-risers” breakfast. The highlight, in my opinion, of The Bistro are the Portugese Custard Tarts. They are deadly delicious and I have never seen these on any other cruise ship. Rickee really liked the large muffins in various flavors.

Room Service

Crystal offers guests 24-hour complimentary room service. There is a room service menu with a nice selection of salads, soups, sandwiches, main courses and desserts. For breakfast, there is an expanded room service menu that offers just about everything offered for breakfast at Waterside restaurant. And, for dinner, you can also order from the Waterside dinner menu from 6:30pm to 9:30pm.

We decided to try room service one evening at dinner time. We placed a call to our butler, Milind, who took our order and arrived about 30 minutes later with our meal. A linen tablecloth and napkins, along with silverware and every other table setup you would find if dining at Waterside, is delivered to your suite.

*Room service is very special on Crystal*

Best of all, the food was all delivered hot and was delicious. We love enjoying dinner in our suite on Crystal. When our meal was over, we called Milind who returned to our suite and removed the dishes.

Afternoon Tea

Many cruise lines, even some luxury cruise lines, have done away with Afternoon Tea. Some cruises still offer it, but at an additional cost. Crystal offers one of the nicest Afternoon Tea services at sea every day from 3:30pm to 4:30pm in Palm Court (Deck 11 forward). Several tables are set with elegant china cups, saucers and plates.

A tea menu offers a wide selection of teas from around the world. My favorite is Earl Gray. Rickee prefers Forest Symphony.

*Delicious sweets, scones and finger sandwiches*

Gone is the Mozart Tea Service that Crystal was famous for but, on one day of our cruise, they did offer a special Chocolate Tea Service with an extravagant selection of chocolate cakes, tarts, cookies, etc. Each afternoon, along with our tea and treats, we were entertained by music performed by either a violinist or piano player.

Of the cruise lines that still offer Afternoon Tea, Crystal offers one of the best, in our opinion.

Trident Grill/Scoops Ice Cream

Trident Grill is Crystal’s casual grill where you can grab a burger, a sandwich or even a pizza. Trident is open for late riser’s breakfast from 10am to 11am, lunch from 11:30am to 6:00pm. Below is a snapshot of Trident Grill’s menu:

CHICKEN CAESAR WRAP • GRILLED HAMBURGER' GRILLED CHEESEBURGER' • GRILLED GARDEN BURGER GRILLED SALMON BURGER' • GRILLED CHICKEN BURGER • "IMPOSSIBLE" VEGAN BURGER • CHINOIS CHICKEN SALAD • GRILLED HAM & CHEESE SANDWICH • GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICH • GRILLED REUBEN SANDWICH • GRILLEO MINUTE STEAK SANDWICH • GRILLED TUNA MELT • HOT DOG • CHILI CON CARNE SOUP OF THE DAY • FRESHLY BAKED PIZZA MARGHERITA

FRENCH FRIES • SWEET POTATO FRIES - CRISPY FRIED ONION RINGS

Trident Grill is located on Deck 11 port side, just forward of Beefbar. There is seating on both port and starboard sides of the ship and most of the tables are positioned next to large windows with great ocean views.

Of course, I had to give Trident Grill my cheeseburger evaluation, and overall, it was quite good. The meat patty was thick, flavorful and nicely cooked Medium Well. The bun was fresh and soft and the burger comes with tomato, pickle, onion and lettuce. I would say the burger itself is better than I have had on other luxury cruise lines. I actually had the cheeseburger twice on this cruise. A small tray of condiments is placed on each table with ketchup, Dijon mustard and mayonnaise..

The French Fries were served hot and crispy and kudos to Crystal for offering onion rings. I LOVE onion rings and, while these were just so-so, I appreciate the effort since most cruise lines don’t offer them at all. Actually, I don’t think I have ever had a memorable onion ring on any cruise.

Unfortunately, the burger is where our praise for Trident Grill ends. Rickee found the hot dog to be very tough and hard to cut with a knife, but even the hot dog was better than the pizza. I am an admitted pizza snob and I have to say that the Margherita Pizza offered at Trident, while cooked to order, lacked flavor and resembled a frozen pizza. I ate only two slices and left the rest on the plate.

Adjacent to Trident Grill is Scoops Ice Cream bar where you can get soft-serve ice cream or a selection of Badiani gelato flavors. We did not try the soft-serve, but did try the gelato and we thought it was good. Honestly, once you have had gelato in Rome or Venice, nothing really compares. Scoops is open from noon to 6pm daily.

The Vintage Room

The Vintage Room offers guided pairings and dinners highlighting the vast selection of wines in the ship’s onboard cellar. This intimate, innovative concept offers guests an education in fine wine and cuisine, allowing them to gain privileged insights into the art of enology. In addition to daytime tastings and discussions, guests may enjoy a variety of private wine-themed lunches and dinners by special arrangement with the Head Sommelier. Events enjoyed in the Vintage Room come with an additional charge.

You can think of The Vintage Room sort of like a Chef’s Table experience on other cruise lines. We did not have the opportunity to experience The Vintage Room on this cruise.

ENTERTAINMENT & ACTIVITIES

Entertainment

Crystal offers a variety of entertainment on Symphony. On our sailing, there was a show every evening at 9:30pm. Admittedly, we did not attend every show. However, we did attend two “production” shows featuring the two main vocalists and six dancers. There was also a live band backing up some recorded tracks, which always adds impact to production shows. We felt like the band, the vocalists and the dancers were all very good. And, while there is a fairly large stage for this venue, the Galaxy Lounge is, as the name suggests, a large “show lounge” and not a theater like you find on larger ships.

The Galaxy Lounge suffers from average acoustics and we felt, at times, like the mixing of vocals was way off. There were times we could barely hear the singers over the blaring loud music. I am not sure if it is was an issue with the acoustics of the lounge, or with whomever was running the mixing panel. It also seemed like the sound levels were clipping. Again, the performers were great, but the venue sound system needs some attention.

We also attended a show in the smaller Starlite Club (below), and experienced the same issues with audio quality. That said, the seating is very comfortable with good sight lines in both lounges. And, honestly, the entertainment is better than you would expect on a ship with a 602 guest capacity.

In addition to the ship’s singers and dancers, there were additional featured headliners including musicians, singers and a comedian.

A highlight of our cruise was Crystal’s 35th Anniversary White Party, hosted by Cruise Director, Vicki Van Tassel, and held in Crystal Plaza, Deck 5 Midship. For this special event, guests dressed in all white and were served cocktails and canapés and treated to performances by most of the ship’s entertainers. Guests danced until late and an amazing time was had by all.

As for lounge entertainment, we enjoyed piano music by Dan Davies in Avenue Saloon. However, once again, the sound levels were too high to enjoy conversation while the music was playing. There was entertainment in Crystal Cove (Deck 5), Palm Court, and Starlite Club. I should point out that entertainment will vary from one cruise to the next depending on the itinerary and/or the number of guests on board.

As for daytime entertainment, each day begins with the 6am Symphony Today show on your in-suite TV hosted by Cruise Director, Vicki Van Tassel. These shows are provided on demand if you prefer to watch later in the day. Guests can also find replays of any Enrichment Lectures they may have missed during the cruise. The onboard Enrichment lectures and lecturers were excellent

*Vicki Van Tassel interviews former Crystal Captains and Cruise Director, Paul McFarland for Crystal’s 35th Anniversary*

Crystal Symphony guests can visit the Hollywood Theater on Deck 6 to enjoy a movie complete with popcorn. The seating in the Hollywood Theater is stadium-style, just like the movie theaters on land, and is a great place to catch a recent release or a classic.

You can also visit the newly added Le Casino de Monte Carlo. For us, this certainly fits under the heading of entertainment because that was all we gained while we were there! The casino is small but does have a Blackjack table, roulette wheel and several slot machines. On our voyage, the casino was rarely open due to regulations about having to be a certain number of miles out into open ocean.

Activities

Guests had plenty of activities to keep them busy. Daily offerings included:

Many types of exercise classes
Arts and Crafts
Computer classes
Bridge lessons
Pickleball
Golf clinics conducted by resident pro golfer Andy Thuney
A golf net complete with clubs and golf balls
Crystal’s Library complete with Librarian on site
Dance classes with Dance Duo Mark and Bernadett
Bingo
Wellness presentations
Shuffleboard
Walking around the teak Promenade Deck that completely circles the ship
Trivia (sea days only)
Visiting the Aurora Spa and Salon
Relaxing by the pool or in the hot tub
Working out in the Fitness Center/Gym

It is safe to say that you will never be bored on a Crystal sailing.

Cruise Director

All entertainment and activities on board are under the direction of the Cruise Director. Our Cruise Director on this sailing was Vicki Van Tassel. We sailed with Vicki on a different cruise line a few years ago and were so impressed by her energy and sense of humor that, when we learned she had moved to Crystal, we specifically looked for a sailing where she would be on board.

We wanted to include Vicki in our new “Interview” series on our YouTube channel and she graciously agreed to sit down with us for an interview where we learned about her history in the cruise business. After 148 cruises, we have only had a handful of cruise directors make a lasting impression on us, and Vicki is at the top of our list.

ITINERARY

We have been to the Mediterranean more times than I can count. What was intriguing about this particular itinerary is that we got to visit several ports that we have never been to before. In all, we visited four new ports (in bold below).

We collect refrigerator magnets from all around the world. So, whenever we visit a new port, we like to do some exploring on our own and hunt down a magnet to add to our collection. We also have an extensive collection of Christmas ornaments from around the world. Our Christmas tree each year serves as a reminder of all the amazing places we have visited. While some call this magnet thing a hobby, I think it may be more of an obsession!

*Currently, over 275 magnets in our collection*

We often will skip cruise ship shore excursions to explore on our own. On this cruise, we only did two ship’s excursions. The first was a visit to Sarzana, Italy, ($130pp) for what we thought would be an olive oil tasting. As with most excursions, which we refer to as ABC tours (Another Beautiful Church), we visit the church below as part of the tour. We also visited a fort and then walked down the main street of Sarzana.

What we thought would be an olive oil tasting turned out to be a complimentary coffee and pastry at a local pasticceria. We are not sure if they changed the tasting because we were visiting on a Sunday, but one other couple also thought it was supposed to be an olive oil tasting. Nevertheless, it got us off the ship for a few hours and we had plenty of time on our own after the coffee and pastry to explore the town. As it was Sunday, most of the shops were closed.

The most interesting part of the excursion was getting a chance to try Italian hot chocolate, which is nothing like American hot chocolate. This is like a cup of melted dark chocolate that is bitter and eaten with a spoon. Throw in a packet of sugar, and you have a delicious cup of chocolate soup.

Our second excursion was “Rome On Your Own” ($70 pp) which was basically a motor coach ride from the port of Civitavecchia to central Rome. The cost for a private car/taxi to Rome is about $200 each way, so it was a good value at $70 for the 90-minute drive. We had a few hours to explore Rome on foot, but you really need more than a few hours to see everything Rome has to offer. We have been to Rome a few times and the best way to see Rome is to spend three or four days at the beginning or end of a cruise. Nevertheless, we had a chance to see a few sights that brought back memories of past visits. But, it was extremely hot on our visit and, after walking for three hours, the heat and the crowds really wore us out.

Crystal offers a complimentary shuttle service from the port into most of the cities/towns we visited, making it easy to go into town and explore on your own. On many cruise lines, you would have to pay for a taxi or a bus to get from the port into town. This is a great service that is often overlooked.

Demographics

On this particular voyage, there were more young people (late 30s and 40s) than we have seen on our previous Crystal cruises. There were even a few children onboard. Perhaps this was a result of generational travel wherein grandparents bring their children and grandchildren along on the voyage. Of course there were many older people (60s and 70+) who cruised often and were experienced travelers, many of whom were loyal Crystal cruisers. We also talked to several people who wanted to experience a luxury cruise product for the first time and had chosen Crystal.

HITS AND MISSES

As with any cruise, cruise line or cruise ship, there are things that we really like and some areas where we see room for improvement.

Hits

Polished and professional service from a friendly crew
Vicki Van Tassel is our favorite Cruise Director
Resort casual dress code with formal nights only on sea days
Very smooth sailing. We never felt any motion
Umi Uma is the best Japanese restaurant we have experienced at sea
Beefbar restaurant
Marketplace buffet is our favorite of any luxury cruise line
Best canapés at sea
Complimentary shuttle service in port
A true Promenade Deck

Misses

No phone app
Pizza needs improvement
Osteria Italian Restaurant
Confusion over specialty dining
Standard WiFi is very slow

Final Assessment

Crystal Symphony’s sister ship, Serenity, was recently added to our list of our Five Favorite Cruise ships of all time. After this sailing aboard Crystal Symphony, it is safe to say that it shares all of the things we loved about Crystal Serenity. Since our first sailing aboard Crystal Symphony in 2011, the company has had three different owners. In spite of that, Crystal has been able to retain all of its original charm and appeal for those who seek a true luxury experience. There are rumors of some new hardware being added to the Crystal fleet. We can’t wait to see what the future holds for this amazing cruise line.

Crystal Symphony - 9 Night Mediterranean