Follow our eight-night journey on Crystal Serenity.

Chris Dikmen & Rickee Richardson 10/7/23 Chris Dikmen & Rickee Richardson 10/7/23

Crystal Serenity Cruise Review Video

Follow along with us on our eight nights aboard Crystal Serenity

Watch our review of Crystal Cruises’ Crystal Serenity below.

Chris Dikmen & Rickee Richardson 9/26/23 Chris Dikmen & Rickee Richardson 9/26/23

Day 8 - At Sea

We spend our final day at sea, and our final day onboard Crystal Serenity as we sail to New York City.

Today is our last day aboard Crystal Serenity and it is another day at sea as we sail toward New York City. Tomorrow, we will say goodbye to Crystal Serenity and fly back home to Texas.

Of course, we will be posting a full, in-depth review of this ship, her crew, the dining onboard and our stateroom. Subscribe to our YouTube channel and turn on notifications so that YouTube will let you know when these videos are posted.

It has been a very interesting week aboard a ship on which we have sailed twice previously (2013 and 2015). Our objective on this cruise was to discover if this “new” Crystal Cruises is as good as what we remember from the “old” Crystal Cruises. There have no doubt been many changes since the new ownership has taken over and we will do our best to tell you all about these changes in our upcoming videos.

We spend most of this morning packing and getting ready for the trip home. We have arranged a private transfer to La Guardia with a meet and greet time of 10:15 at the port in Manhattan. We are scheduled to disembark at 9:45, and we are allowed to remain in our suite until disembarkation. That is a very generous disembarkation policy compared to many cruise lines that want you out of the stateroom by 8:00am. As a result, we have decided to enjoy room service breakfast at 8:15 tomorrow.

For lunch today, we joined our friends, John and Sandra, at Tastes on Deck 12. We shared a trio of Asian dumplings and potstickers before indulging in today’s Asian buffet in Marketplace.

*Thai Chicken Coconut Curry Soup at Tastes*

This afternoon we attended another iPhone workshop on how to get creative with the iPhone Camera App. The class was conducted by Jan Kabili, Instructor, Author, and Photographer. These types of technology-oriented classes are somewhat unique to Crystal and they do a very nice job of bringing their guests up to speed on modern technology.

Later this afternoon, I decided to take a walk around the Promenade Deck on Deck 7. Crystal Serenity is one of the few ships you will find nowadays that has a full, wraparound, teak promenade deck. Many modern ships have done away with the promenade in favor of revenue-generating spaces.

The teak decking looks to be in very good condition so I wonder if it has been recently re-surfaced? Teak is very expensive and most newer cruise ships use synthetic materials. But, there is nothing quite like the real thing. All suite balconies are also teak as is the lido deck around the pool.

At 6pm this evening, we went to Stardust Club for an early show before dinner. Tonight’s entertainment was a musical presentation featuring the vocals of guest entertainer, Bruce Hammond backed up by the Crystal Serenity Show Band.

After the show, we met with our friends one last time (on this cruise) for dinner at Waterside Restaurant. Waterside is the main dining room on Crystal Serenity and it is massive. The restaurant has been completely re-designed since our last cruise in 2015, when it was called Crystal Dining Room. The space is much lighter, brighter and more modern. I believe this space was renovated in 2018.

The evening menu at Waterside is lengthy, but lacks an “always available” selection common to most main dining venues.

After dinner, we head back to our suite to finish packing our large duffel which we placed outside of our suite for transfer to the cruise terminal. It has been an amazing week aboard Crystal Serenity and we are happy to see this incredible luxury ship back in service.

Chris Dikmen & Rickee Richardson 9/25/23 Chris Dikmen & Rickee Richardson 9/25/23

Day 7 - Halifax, Nova Scotia

I get a private tour of Halifax with my friends and we enjoy dinner and a show at Stardust Supper Club.

Crystal Serenity is docked in Halifax, Nova Scotia, today. And, I must admit, it is not the nicest berth in Halifax. Cargo cranes and other commercial port structures are the view this morning from Marketplace at breakfast. Part of the reason for this is that cruise lines book these berths up to a year or more in advance and, for 2023, Crystal is a little late to the party. I am sure that by 2024, Crystal will have better berthing locations and fewer tender ports.

There is a complimentary shuttle that takes guests from the ship’s berth to Pier 23 where they can meet up with their shore excursion, find a taxi to do independent exploring, or simply walk along the Halifax boardwalk as we did a few weeks ago when we were in Halifax on another cruise.

Today, I have been invited to join our friends and fellow travel writers, John and Sandra Nowlan, to visit their home and their waterfront cottage outside of Halifax. As soon as we depart the shuttle bus, we walk to where the taxi stand is located and take the short drive to their home.

Sandra and John Nowlan are award-winning travel & food writers and photographers based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. They've travelled to and written about all seven continents and more than 120 countries. Their articles and photos have been published in magazines, newspapers and travel/cuisine websites across Canada, the United States, Britain and Australia.

Unfortunately, Rickee did not join us today for the visit to the Nowlan’s home and cottage. She was feeling a little under the weather and decided to rest onboard. After the taxi dropped us off at the Nowlan’s home, I was given a brief tour of their Halifax property after which John drove us outside of Halifax to their waterfront cottage. As you can see from the photo below, it is a beautiful location that most of us can only dream of having someday.

Initially, John and Sandra wanted to treat me to the best fish and chips in Halifax, but unfortunately, their favorite restaurant is closed on Mondays. So, as an alternative, they decide to indulge me in another Halifax favorite: Donair. I have never heard of Donair but I soon learn that it is very similar to Doner Kebab, which is one of my favorite street foods with Turkish roots.

On our way back to Halifax from their cottage, we stop at a local spot (see below) to give this delicacy a try.

Donair is basically like Doner in that it consists of thinly sliced seasoned meat cooked on a vertical rotisserie and placed in a wrap with a variety of toppings. Traditionally, the Donair will be topped with tomatoes and onion. Where the Donair distinguishes itself from Doner is the sauce. Doner Kebab is usually offered with a garlicky yogurt sauce, or even a hot chili sauce, or, a combination of both.

Donair sauce is hard to describe but it is sweet by comparison, almost like a salad dressing. It is made from condensed milk, vinegar and garlic powder. And, at this particular restaurant, they do not spare the sauce. As you can see in the photo at the top of this page, my Donair was drenched in the sweet, sticky sauce.

There is no elegant or sophisticated way to eat Donair. A pro would keep it wrapped in the foil to hold in the sauce and prevent it from getting all over the place. But, I am no pro, so I unwrap the whole thing and try to pick it up and eat it like a sandwich. I think we ended up using a hole stack of napkins! Donair is a sticky, sweet mess. But, it was delicious and I would eat it again in a heartbeat. However, I would order it LIGHT on the sauce.

After the delicious Donair, we drove back to Halifax and John gave me a quick tour of Halifax, including a drive up to the Halifax Citadel. Four fortifications have been constructed on Citadel Hill since the city was founded by the English in 1749, and were referred to as Fort George. These fortifications were in place to protect the harbor from enemy attack.

As soon as we drove into the Citadel, I immediately recognized it from a shore excursion many years ago when we visited Halifax. I remembered that they fire off a cannon every day at noon referred to as the “Noon Gun”. The Noon Gun was among many signals used to alert soldiers to their daily routines.

After our visit to The Citadel, we return to John and Sandra’s home where they park their car and a taxi is ordered to return us to the port.

I am back on board Crystal Serenity just in time to take a shower and enjoy this afternoon’s canapés before we meet John and Sandra for dinner this evening.

This evening, Crystal Serenity is offering the Stardust Supper Club, a unique dining experience where the Stardust Club becomes a venue for dinner and entertainment. However, we arrive early enough to visit Avenue Saloon, which is next door to Stardust Club, for a pre-dinner cocktail. Avenue Saloon is still the best place on the ship to enjoy a quiet drink.

When we arrive at Stardust Club, we are greeted by waiters handing out glasses of Champagne and shown to our table for four. We arrived about 20 minutes before the doors opened and there was already a line forming, so it is a good idea to arrive early.

All of the tables at Stardust Supper Club are set for four guests and there really is not a bad seat, or table, in the place. Tables are elegantly set with a rolled up menu in a napkin ring.

As there are only 252 guests on this sailing, I am pretty sure most guests booked a table at Stardust Supper Club. The lounge appeared to be pretty full for this evening’s service.

The menu is a smaller version of the Waterside restaurant menu for this evening. There is a choice of starters: Lobster Medallions or Mushroom Tart. The soup was a Jerusalem Artichoke soup that was delicious. Serenity is three for three on soups! Each one I have tried has been excellent.

For main courses, we had a choice of Sea Bass or Prime Rib. There was also a vegetarian Cabbage Roll on offer. Rickee and I both chose the Prime Rib.

Everything I had was excellent, from the starter to the soup to the Prime Rib. The dessert was a dark chocolate mousse with salted caramel panna cotta and it was also superb.

Throughout our meal, we enjoyed a variety of acts from the onboard entertainers backed up by the ship’s musicians.

Karin Kovacova Entertains at Starlight Supper Club

After dinner, it was once again showtime at Galaxy Lounge. Tonight’s show was Crystal on Broadway and featured the Crystal Serenity Ensemble of Singers and Dancers. Unlike the previous production show we attended, this show did not feature live music. Instead, a variety of popular Broadway show tunes were performed to recorded tracks.

The vocalists and the dancers on this sailing have been excellent. All .of the performers are very talented

Unfortunately, this show was not very well attended. I am guessing only 40 people showed up, most likely because of all of the entertainment at Stardust Supper Club. It is a shame because this was a very lively and entertaining performance. The entertainment on Crystal Serenity is much better than you would expect on a ship that only carries 740 guests.

Tomorrow is another day at sea as Crystal Serenity sails toward New York City where we will disembark and fly home on Wednesday.

Chris Dikmen & Rickee Richardson 9/24/23 Chris Dikmen & Rickee Richardson 9/24/23

Day 6 - Sydney, Nova Scotia

Today we visit Sydney, Nova Scotia aboard Crystal Serenity

Today Crystal Serenity is anchored off the coast of Sydney, Nova Scotia. This morning, we visited Guest Services on Deck 5 to check on a couple of things and noticed that they provide handy little information pamphlets for each port we visit. Important information about the port, as well as a map, comes in very handy when you are exploring on your own.

We can already see that the lobby area has been decorated in preparation for tonight’s White Dress Party at 10:15pm.

A tender ride to shore is required here because of our anchorage. The tender ride only takes about 15 minutes.

After disembarking the tender near the muster station shown above, it is a short walk to the largest fiddle in the world (see photo at top of page). There are a series of local vendors with a lot of clothing items, local artisans, souvenirs and a restaurant .

There is a large Scottish community in Sydney and traditional fiddle music and dance was offered on one of the excursions here. It was fun just walking around the hall to check out the local merchants’ wares. We were able to procure our much sought-after refrigerator magnets to add to our collection. I think we now have more than 170 magnets from all over the world!

Rickee was on the hunt for some cough drops so we asked one of the local shopkeepers if there was a pharmacy nearby. She said we would need to walk “into town” by following the boardwalk for about a mile, then look for construction. Her instructions were vague, but I figured we could probably find our way. The boardwalk is right past the statue that can be seen from the tender boarding dock.

Sure enough, we walked on the nice, wide boardwalk for about a mile until it abruptly ended at a building with all kinds of construction. We walked about a block up to a main roadway, and from there, I could see what looked like a bright red PHARMASAVE sign. As we got closer, it appeared that everything on the street was closed, which we assumed was the case since it was a Sunday. We decided to try the door anyway, and lo and behold, the store was open!

We bought the cough drops and walked back to the tender boarding area just as one of the ship’s tenders arrived. It was perfect timing. We were back on board just in time for Afternoon Tea (3:30 to 4:30) where we enjoyed piano music today. Apparently, they rotate the entertainment at afternoon tea as we have enjoyed the violinist, the DJ (which seemed a little odd for afternoon tea) and the pianist.

This evening, we decided to re-visit Avenue Saloon for a cocktail and enjoyed this peaceful and uncrowded bar. We did stay and listen to the excellent piano music of Joel Spire.

Once again, we ate so much at Marketplace for lunch, plus Afternoon Tea, that there was no room left for dinner tonight. We just enjoyed sitting in Avenue Saloon listening to Joel’s piano music.

Tomorrow, Crystal Serenity will be in Halifax, Nova Scotia, where I am planning to spend the day with my friends, John and Sandra Nowlan, who live in Halifax.

Chris Dikmen & Rickee Richardson 9/23/23 Chris Dikmen & Rickee Richardson 9/23/23

Day 5 - At Sea

We indulge in a chocolate orgy at Afternoon Tea and I visit the spa for an unusual treatment (for me).

*Generations Visa Is A CruiseReport Sponsor*

Today is another relaxing day at sea aboard Crystal Serenity. After going through all of my photos and writing the daily cruise blog (from the previous day’s activities), Rickee joins me in The Bistro to proof the blog, and make her additions before the blog is posted to our website.

*Rickee Proofs The Daily Cruise Blog at The Bistro*

After having a light breakfast at The Bistro, we head back to our suite to watch one of the onboard lectures that we missed the other day. We love that Crystal makes all of the lectures available through their closed circuit television system. They even offer lectures from previous cruise segments. This could be because so many guests book multiple cruises back-to-back.

*Enrichment Lectures Are Broadcast In Stateroom*

The en suite television is very easy to understand and navigate. The 50-inch flat screen hi-definition televisions offer a great image. Crystal also offers a good selection of live television programming, movies and music programming, and all are complimentary.

Rickee has a spa appointment for a facial treatment at 12:30, so I am on my own for lunch today. I decide to try Tastes Kitchen and Bar which is open for lunch from 1:00pm till 3:00pm. We had dinner at Tastes last night and the meal was so good, I wanted to see what the lunch service was like.

Whether you dine at Tastes for lunch or dinner, the menus are the same every day. The lunch menu offers a variety of dishes from various regions. While the menu is not huge, it offers an interesting mix and you can order as few or as many dishes as you like. If you are dining with someone that has simpler tastes, Trident Grill is right next to Tastes and they can enjoy a burger, sandwich, wrap or hot dog.

Tastes Bar is also nearby to take care of any liquid refreshments you might desire. Rickee and I both love the Dr. Loosen Riesling. We learned on a recent cruise that there are three varieties of Dr. Loosen Riesling: one dry, one extra dry and one is sweet. We prefer the sweet version. I ordered a glass to enjoy with my lunch and the waiter promptly delivered.

By the way, if you want pizza, Tastes is the only restaurant that offers it and only during their lunch service. While I think you can order pizza through room service, I find it interesting that, with an Italian owner, there is no pizza restaurant, or at least pizza offered at Marketplace buffet.

One thing that does change daily at Tastes is the soup. Today they offered a Cream of Broccoli, which was delicious and perfectly seasoned. This is the second cream soup I have had on Serenity and both have been excellent. The same goes for the seasoning. I don’t think I have had to reach for the salt grinder more than once or twice the entire cruise.

For my main course, I ordered a selection of the pot stickers and Asian dumplings. The waiter brought me two of each to try. One was a shrimp dumpling, another was a chicken and shrimp potsticker, and the third was a vegetable and mushroom potsticker. All were delicious. Small pitchers of dark vinegar, soy sauce and Sambal hot sauce are on each table.

*Pot Stickers and Dumplings Served In Small Pots*

For afternoon tea today, Crystal Serenity is featuring their Chocolate Afternoon Tea service. Unlike traditional tea service, this one is set up buffet style, even though waiters are on hand to place the items on your plate for you. The selection of chocolate delights seemed endless and everything we tried was delicious. The pastries and desserts on this ship have been excellent.

We were joined at tea by our friends and fellow journalists, John and Sandra Nowlan. The chocolate feast was enjoyed by all.

I left Afternoon Tea a little early for a spa appointment and had just enough time to grab a few photos of various suite categories which were part of an open house. Guests were offered the opportunity to view a variety of suite categories this afternoon.

We discovered that not all suites have undergone refurbishment in 2023. Some suites were refurbished in 2018 and some, referred to as “classic,” suites have remained unchanged for many years.

Of special interest to us was the Aquamarine Veranda Classic suite which is what we occupied in 2013 and 2015 aboard Serenity. It brought back a lot of wonderful memories. We spent 15 days in this category of suite in 2015 and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Back then, it was referred to as a Penthouse Veranda Suite, but the name has been changed to Aquamarine Veranda Suite. However, we much prefer the new Sapphire Veranda Suite (2023) that we occupy on this sailing. It is larger, more modern and extremely comfortable.

After quickly touring the suites, I had just enough time to race up to Deck 13 aft to Aurora Spa for my 4:15 manicure/pedicure appointment. Originally, I had planned to have a massage treatment, but decided to change a few days ago. My fingernails were in desperate need of trimming and I did not bring any clippers with me (thank you TSA).

My treatment lasted nearly two hours and started with a relaxing warm bath for my feet.

My Nail Technician, Imali, is from Kenya and she did an excellent job on both my hands and feet. I enjoyed talking to her about Kenya, a country we visited on safari many years ago, and about her desire to start her own blog. As a cruise ship spa technician, she has traveled the world and I am sure has many stories to tell.

After my spa treatment, Rickee and I decided to enjoy a cocktail at Avenue Saloon, aft on Deck 6. This was one of our favorite locations back in 2013 and 2015 when we sailed on Serenity. The bar is very dark and cozy, but honestly, is in need of a refresh. The furnishings are beginning to look dated and tired. This would be the perfect location for a sports-themed bar (hint, hint).

The bar service, however, was excellent. Rickee had the best Lemon Drop Martini so far! A waiter came by offering canapés to enjoy with our cocktails. There is live piano music here at 7pm, but we left before it began. A return trip to Avenue Saloon may be in order.

For dinner this evening, we decide to walk up one deck from Avenue Saloon and visit the sushi bar at Umi Uma. Reservations are not required to dine at the sushi bar, but seating is limited. A sushi bar menu displays all of the varieties of sashimi, sushi and rolls. I asked the chef if he could make a Spicy Tuna Roll with avocado, and Rickee ordered a Shrimp Tempura Roll.

Rickee’s Shrimp Tempura roll consisted of 6 pieces and it was delicious.

My customized Spicy Tuna Roll, covered with thin slices of fresh Avocado, was difficult to eat with chop sticks (the avocado is slippery), but it was one of the best rolls I have ever had.

I was still a little hungry so I ordered a second Spicy Tuna Roll, sans Avocado. The sushi bar at Umi Uma is one of our favorite spots on Crystal Serenity.

After our dinner, we decided to skip this evenings entertainment in Galaxy Lounge and finish watching some of the excellent lectures back in our comfortable Sapphire Veranda Suite.

Tomorrow, Crystal Serenity will be in Sydney, Nova Scotia.

Chris Dikmen & Rickee Richardson 9/22/23 Chris Dikmen & Rickee Richardson 9/22/23

Day 4 - Gaspé, Quebec

We take a whale watching tour in Gaspé, Quebec and have an amazing dinner at Tastes Restaurant.

This morning Crystal Serenity is anchored off the coast of Gaspé, Quebec. The ship offers four different excursions in Gaspé.

Whale Watching Safari at 8:00am
Discover Forillon National Park & Mi’gmaq First Nations at 8:00am
Percé & Bonaventure Island at 8:00am
Whale Watching Safari at 12 Noon

Rickee and I booked the Whale Watching Safari at 12 Noon. With a 12 Noon excursion there really is no time for lunch today, so we stop at The Bistro for a little sustenance to tide us over until we are back onboard.

Rickee ordered a hot chocolate and you can see the detail they go to when making the coffee and chocolate drinks here.

There is a variety of pastries, fruit, breads, cereals, sliced meats and cheeses at The Bistro for late breakfast. The best thing here is the Pasteis de Nata, a Portugese custard-filled pastry (shown at bottom below). These are to die for.

Our shore excursion tickets were delivered to our suite upon embarkation and they detail the date/time of the excursion as well as the meeting time and location.

We met our tour group at noon in the Stardust Club where we once again met Emmalee, who had taken us on a tour of the ship yesterday. Emmalee is the Future Cruise and Loyalty Club manager for Crystal Serenity. She will be joining us for the whale watching tour today.

Going ashore in Gaspé requires a tender ride which takes about 15 minutes. Fortunately, the seas are very calm today and we arrive with no drama. In fact, it is a beautiful day, about 62 degrees (F).

We made sure to dress in layers as we assumed we would be exposed to cooler temperatures out on the water. We “assumed” that our whale watching tour would be in a tour boat with a covering, or even an indoor space where you could escape the cold air. Oh no, nothing could have been further from the reality we were about to experience.

Our first hint of things to come was when we met our tour boat captain and we were instructed to put on rubber pants and jackets. This was a clear indication that we were most likely going to get wet.

As it turns out, our “safari” is aboard a Zodiac. Well, that’s not so bad, I mean, we have done dozens of Zodiac rides in Antarctica, the Chilean fjords and Alaska. So, this should not be any different, right? Wrong!

Unlike our other Zodiac experiences, which stroll through relatively calm waters at low speed, this Zodiac is hauling ass at 20 to 30 knots on some pretty bumpy waves and a lot of water comes crashing over the front of the boat as we make our way to where we can watch the whales. In addition to the frequent splashes of water, there are some pretty harsh bumps that could be a real issue for anyone with back or neck problems. I would definitely not recommend this excursion for anyone with mobility or back/neck issues.

The fast Zodiac ride took about 30 minutes to reach the area where we found a couple of pods of Humpback whales. Because of all of the rubber gear and life vest, the camera in my pocket was inaccessible, so all I could use was my GoPro. To get good photos of whales, you really need a proper camera with a fast zoom or telephoto lens, and if you have such expensive gear, you would never want to expose them to these elements.

You can see a blow in the distance in the photo below. Of course, it was much easier to see with the naked eye. We did see quite a few blows and tails as the Humpbacks dived down below the surface. At one point, we saw some whales actually breeching in the distance. Unfortunately, I did not have my GoPro on at the time.

We spent about 45 minutes watching for whales before heading back to Gaspé. The majority of time for this excursion was spent zooming along in the Zodiac to reach the whale-watching spot, then returning back to the pier.

By the time we re-boarded Crystal Serenity, our butler, Rao, had already delivered our afternoon canapés, which were a welcome sight since we skipped lunch today. We devoured the snacks as we were getting ready for our 7pm dinner at Tastes.

We met our friends, John and Sandra, for dinner once again this evening at Tastes Kitchen and Bar. This is perhaps the most unique dining experiences on Crystal Serenity. As I have mentioned in previous blogs, I will be doing a thorough review of all of our dining experiences on Crystal Serenity on our YouTube channel after we get home. I am posting photos of some of the dishes we tried on Instagram and Facebook (@Cruisereport).

I can tell you that Emmalee says this is her favorite restaurant on board Serenity and, after our meal, we can understand why. I can also tell you that we tried Tastes back in 2015 and were not too impressed. In fact, it was our least favorite experience. So, you should find our dining review video quite interesting.

After dinner, we head to Stardust Club for tonight’s show, “Sweet Soul Music”. Stardust Club has the feel of a traditional cruise ship lounge and while the lighting and stage technology is limited, the live band, and excellent dancers and singers were able to elevate their performance in front of a packed house.

*Sarah Combs Performs along with the Crystal Ensemble Of Singers and Dancers*

After the show, many guests remained and were encouraged to get out on the floor and dance to the Motown hits.

It was a very busy day for us on Crystal Serenity and we are looking forward to another relaxing day at sea tomorrow.

Chris Dikmen & Rickee Richardson 9/21/23 Chris Dikmen & Rickee Richardson 9/21/23

Day 3 - At Sea

We enjoy a relaxing day at sea aboard Crystal Serenity

Today Crystal Serenity is at sea sailing en route to Gaspé, Quebec. The seas through the St. Lawrence Seaway have been incredibly smooth so far. We have not noticed any motion thus far on this cruise.

This day starts like most every cruise day for me, with early morning coffee and working on my daily cruise blog (https://cruisereport.com). It usually takes me two to three hours each morning to go through all of the photos and video clips from the previous day and write the blog. Fortunately, Crystal Serenity has the perfect work place for me: The Bistro on Deck 6 midship.

The Bistro opens at 6am with coffee service. They offer some pastries, as well, which look very good, but unfortunately, I am unable to partake in those treats (trying to watch my weight).

As I am working on my blog and photos, Rickee is getting ready back in our suite. By the time I am done with my work, she is ready to proof what I have written, add her own tweaks and fix any of my grammatical and spelling errors.

At 10am this morning, Rickee attended a Computer University @ Sea class titled “Traveling With Your iPad/iPhone” conducted by Maria Monroe. Crystal offers several tech-oriented workshops like this on every cruise and they are extremely informative. Rickee learned a lot!

At 11am this morning, Rickee and I, along with our friends and fellow journalists, John and Sandra Nowlan, had the opportunity to visit with and interview Hotel Director, and twenty-year Crystal veteran, Scott Peterson. We were able to get some great insight into what went into the ship’s recent refurbishment. Mr. Peterson explained what areas of the ship were completely refurbished and which ones were “refreshed” on a deck-by-deck basis.

After our meeting with the Hotel Director, we had just enough time to run up to Palm Court for Team Trivia conducted by Sarah Combs. Rickee and I teamed up with John Nowlan to make a three-person team. While we did not win today’s challenge, we did get 11 out of 15 answers correct. However, we were the smallest team in the competition!

*Sarah Conducts Team Trivia In Palm Court*

After having a quick lunch at Marketplace buffet, we met this afternoon with Emmalee, the Future Cruise and Loyalty Manager on board, for a complete ship tour. We started on Deck 13, and worked our way down, deck-by deck. Our first stop was the totally renovated Aurora Spa and Salon on Deck 13.

While we were at the salon, we were able to make future appointments for a variety of treatments. Rickee will be treating herself to a facial, while I am in desperate need of a manicure.

The spa and salon is modern and fresh and there are amazing sea views that you can enjoy while getting your favorite treatment.

Outdoors on Deck 13 we come to a sports deck with pickle ball courts. This pickle ball thing just seems to have cropped up out of nowhere, hasn’t it? Do you play pickle ball?

The Fitness Center was also completely renovated with all new Techno Gym weight training and cardio equipment. We were surprised at how large and well equipped the fitness center is for this size vessel. Emmalee told us that when the gym equipment was replaced, the previous equipment was taken down to the crew fitness center.

*All New Techno-Gym Equipment In Renovated Fitness Center*

At one point in the tour, Emmalee took us to an outdoor Sports Area on Deck 6 aft that I never knew existed. This area has a golf putting green, two driving cages and two table tennis tables (or ping pong). PGA Professional Golf Instructor, Greg Milligan was in the middle of conducting a short game (chipping and putting) clinic during our visit.

*Golf Short Game Clinic - Greg Milligan*

This afternoon, Rao once again showed up at our suite with today’s selection of canapés, which again, were delicious. The lemon bars were to die for.

As we were enjoying our canapés, there was a knock on the door from one of the maintenance staff. We reported a banging sound coming from our veranda which we discovered was a loose panel between our veranda and the suite next door to us. Rickee had reported the issue to Guest Services earlier today. Within a few minutes, the technician had the problem fixed. No more banging!

For dinner this evening, we have reservations at Osteria d’Ovidio, the ship’s Italian specialty restaurant. The restaurant name is an homage to Crystal’s new owner, Manfredi Lefebvre d'Ovidio. On our last Crystal Serenity sailing, this space was Prego Italian Restaurant. As with Umi Uma next door, this space was completely gutted during the refurb and converted into an elegant Italian-themed dining room.

The menu has completely transformed and no longer features the signature Cream of Mushroom Soup served in a bread bowl, nor the Beef Carpaccio (Rickee’s favorite). Nevertheless, those popular items do appear from time-to-time on the evening menu at Waterfront Restaurant.

Of course, we will do a complete review of our meal at Osteria d’Ovidio in our Crystal Serenity Dining Review video on our YouTube channel after we return from this cruise. So, make sure you are subscribed!

Our waiter, Michael from South Africa, delivered excellent and attentive service throughout our multi-course meal. We were even treated to a Happy Anniversary cake at the end of our meal.

It was a wonderful day at sea today aboard Crystal Serenity. Tomorrow, the ship will be anchored off the coast of Gaspé, Quebec. This is a place we have never visited and we have a whale watching tour booked for tomorrow. Stay tuned.

Chris Dikmen & Rickee Richardson 9/20/23 Chris Dikmen & Rickee Richardson 9/20/23

Day 2 - Quebec City

Crystal Serenity is docked in Quebec City

*Daily Reflections are still available in print*

Last night Crystal Serenity was docked overnight in Quebec City and our scheduled sail away time today is at 6pm. While Crystal offered several excursions in Quebec City, we opted to simply get off the ship and do some souvenir shopping in town.

We exited the cruise terminal and began walking toward town. Quebec City is very easy to navigate on foot, that is, as long as you don’t have any mobility issues. There are some moderately steep hills and stairs to climb along the way.

We were just here a few weeks ago aboard Viking Polaris, so we are somewhat familiar with the city and had a good idea of how to get to the main pedestrian streets lined with local shops. Basically, if you find your way to the funicular, you will easily find the shops. The funicular is used to take people from the lower town to the upper town. For our souvenir shopping today, there is no need to go to the upper town.

As we walk along the main street next to the port, Crystal Serenity is very visible, making finding your way back to the ship very easy. One little tip we learned years ago: when walking in an unfamiliar town, if you get lost, just keep walking down. Eventually, you will get to sea level.

The streets of Quebec City are not as crowded as they were a few weeks ago when we visited. The weather this morning is cool, about 62 (F)/17 (C) and cloudy, but no rain today.

We spent about an hour in town picking up a few little souvenirs and Rickee found a fudge shop that appealed to her insatiable sweet tooth.

We are back on board Serenity just in time for lunch and today we decided to try Marketplace, the ship’s lido buffet.

We were surprised, given the fact that there are fewer than 300 guests on this sailing, that both serving lines (port side and starboard) at Marketplace were open. We found a great table for two at the very back of the restaurant.

There was a wide selection of salads, breads, vegetables, and meats. I was very pleased to find a delicious rack of lamb on the buffet today.

The best part of a buffet is being able to try a lot of different items. Today, I tried the lamb, spicy shrimp, cheese-stuffed sausage, pork belly and one other meat that I could not pronounce, but was very good. The rack of lamb was the highlight, but everything I tried was good.

*A nice selection of meats on the buffet*

The over-indulgence at the buffet required a short nap before Afternoon Tea at 3:30 in Palm Court. We don’t usually partake in Afternoon Tea, but we wanted to check it out to see how they do it on Crystal.

Many tables in Palm Court are set up with white tablecloths, elegant china tea cups and a menu of tea varieties from which to choose.

As soon as service begins, a multi-tiered tray of sweet and savory treats is delivered to the table. Of particular interest, to me at least, are the scones. They were small, but delicious. Scones are served with your choice of whipped cream or clotted cream. Small jars of strawberry preserves are a must for scones.

As for finger sandwiches, there was a chicken curry, traditional cucumber, ham and cheese, shrimp salad and one with only cheese and mayo.

When we returned to our suite after Afternoon Tea, we found our butler Rao in the hallway. He informed us that he had just left our afternoon canapés in our suite. What? More food?

The canapés are offered each afternoon, delivered to the suite and the selection changes every day.

At 5pm today, all guests embarking in Quebec City are required to attend a muster drill before sail away. Crystal still has the traditional muster held in one of the public spaces on board. Our muster station was Lifeboat 1 in the Galaxy Lounge (the ship’s main theater).

We were not required to bring our life vests to the muster and there were probably only thirty people in our group, so it was stress free. The drill basically involves watching a demonstration of how to put on the life vest and listening to a message from the bridge on emergency procedures. Pretty basic stuff, really.

After the muster drill, we decided we would skip dinner tonight and instead enjoy a movie in our suite. We have been wanting to watch “A Man Called Otto” with Tom Hanks, and as luck would have it, this movie is available on our in-suite TV.

We stopped by Crystal Cove on Deck 5 midship to enjoy a cocktail before heading back to our suite to watch the movie. We found the bar service on Serenity to be exceptional. Rickee ordered a glass of champagne and did not find it to her liking. When she told the waiter, he offered to bring a Prosecco for her to try and one of the bartenders even walked over and brought a third selection for her to try. Waiters also circulate through the lounge with hors d'oeuvres.

After our cocktail, we returned to our stateroom to watch the movie. But, of course, you can’t watch a movie without popcorn, right? A quick call to our butler, Rao, is all it took to have a large bowl of freshly popped corn delivered to our suite.

We made it almost to the end of the movie before it was time to head to Galaxy Lounge for this evening’s variety show, “Crystal In Motion”. The show began at 9:30 and offered us an opportunity to see the ship’s performers in a preview of what we can expect over the next week as far as entertainment. The show only lasted about 30 minutes, but was energetic and had the audience on its feet for a standing ovation at the end.

*The Crystal Ensemble of Singers and Dancers, and violinist Nadia Matiunina*

After the show, we are ready for bed. Tomorrow is our first day at sea and we have a lot planned!

Chris Dikmen & Rickee Richardson 9/19/23 Chris Dikmen & Rickee Richardson 9/19/23

Day 1 - Embarkation in Quebec City

We embark Crystal Serenity in Quebec City and get our first look at the renovated ship.

It is cool and rainy this morning in Quebec City as we check out of Hotel Le Germain, our pre-cruise hotel. At breakfast this morning while working on my blog, I overheard several other hotel guests talking about their upcoming cruise aboard Crystal Serenity, so apparently, at least some savvy cruisers have already discovered this to be an excellent pre-cruise hotel. We will soon be posting a more detailed review of Le Germain on our website in the Luxury Cruise Hotels section, so make sure to check that out.

Even though the hotel is only a block or two from the port, and an easy walk, the rain this morning forced us to order an Uber for the short drive. It literally took us less than five minutes to drive to the cruise terminal. We felt guilty having an Uber take us such a short distance ($10 ride), so we gave the driver a nice tip.

When we arrived at the cruise terminal, we dropped off our luggage with some porters waiting outside. Crystal informed us that embarkation would begin at noon, and we are about 45 minutes early when we enter the terminal building. The terminal appears relatively new and there were plenty of friendly folks to point us to where we needed to go.

Our first task was to get through security with our personal belongings, which took less than a minute. Oh, and did I mention, there was no crowd? We were the only ones going through security when we arrived. Later, we would discover why that was.

After security, we were directed to a check-in counter where our boarding passes and passports were checked. We also had to answer the typical health questionnaire questions that every cruise line asks. We are then invited to enjoy a cup of tea, coffee or ice water and wait for embarkation to begin. There were about ten other guests already in the waiting room when we arrived. Where is everybody?

From the waiting area, we can see Crystal Serenity through the window. A long enclosed corridor connects the terminal to the ship, so it is not necessary for us to walk in the rain to board.

Embarkation began exactly at 12 noon and after walking down the long corridor, we arrived at the gangway to the ship. There was about 30 feet of gangway between the terminal and the ship which was not covered, and therefore, exposed to the rain. Not to worry, Crystal is not going to allow its guests to be exposed to the harsh elements and board the ship with wet clothes. A crew member is on hand with an umbrella to escort guests across the gangway and onto the ship! This is the way embarkation should be handled on a five-star cruise line!

Rickee is escorted to Crystal Serenity with an umbrella

We embark on Deck 6 midship and are directed to The Lounge, a newly created public space that, if memory serves me correctly (and it rarely does), used to be the ship’s casino. There are several tables here with staff members to complete the check-in process. We surrender our passports, have our security photos taken and are informed that our stateroom, or “suite”, I should say, is ready.

Embarkation on a luxury cruise ship cannot take place without being welcomed aboard with a complimentary glass of champagne. Hostesses are on hand to offer this traditional refreshment as we exit The Lounge and head to our suite on Deck 8.

When we arrive at our suite (8009) on Deck 8 forward, we find the door is open and our stateroom keys are waiting for us on the desk.

Our Sapphire Veranda Suite is a new category that was added during the ship’s recent refurbishment. Our understanding is that three suites were converted into two larger spaces to create this new category. We were blown away at first glance by the modern, fresh look of our suite. It would appear that no expense was spared on the materials and workmanship in creating the Sapphire Veranda Suites. The furnishings and all surfaces are elegant and tasteful.

The living room and bedroom are separated by a curtain for privacy. The large bathroom can be accessed from the living room or from the bedroom. Of course, we will do a complete and thorough review of the Sapphire Veranda Suite on our YouTube channel soon, so make sure you are subscribed and have the notification bell selected so that you will know when the video goes live.

Within a few minutes after arriving in our suite, we were greeted by our Butler, Rao, who took the time to set up our phones and my laptop for the ship’s WiFi (which is Starlink). He also showed us through the suite and explained all of the features and services that he offers. Basically, whatever we need, he can provide. Our butler informed us that there are only about 260 guests on this sailing, which explains why we have not seen any lines! This might be the highest crew-to-guest ratio of any cruise on which we have sailed.

Sapphire Veranda Suite - Crystal Serenity

After dropping off our hand luggage, we were a bit hungry. There were a few options for lunch on embarkation day. Of course, the ship’s lido buffet, The Marketplace, is open. The Waterside Restaurant, which is the ship’s main dining room, is also open for lunch. Waterside Restaurant was formerly Crystal Dining Room and this space has been completely transformed into a bright, modern restaurant with all new furnishings and carpeting. We decided to enjoy a quiet lunch at Waterside today.

The Tastes restaurant on Deck 12 was also open from 1:00pm to 3:00pm for a late lunch, which we will definitely try later in the cruise.

After being seated at a table for two by a window, we were presented with today’s lunch menu, which had a lot of excellent choices. I don’t want this blog to turn into a food review, so I will save that for our upcoming Dining Review on our YouTube channel.

Rickee ordered the French Dip Sandwich and I ordered a cheeseburger. That’s all I am going to say for now.

We spent the rest of the afternoon unpacking after our luggage arrived, then walked around the ship to do some exploring. While many spaces have undergone major refurbishment, we could draw on our memory from our last Crystal Serenity cruise in 2015 to know that some spaces have remained pretty much untouched. Of course, we will give you all of that information in our Ship Review video.

As we were unpacking, our stateroom attendant, Peace, arrived to introduce herself and an assistant. Peace takes care of keeping the suite clean and fresh and she also took the time to make sure we had whatever we needed. We asked her for some firmer pillows and additional hangers for the closet, which she brought within minutes. Peace told us that she was with Crystal before the bankruptcy and is very happy to be back at her job. Crystal was able to bring back more than 80% of their previous crew.

We are very fortunate to be sailing once again with our good friends, John and Sandra Nowlan who are food and travel writers from Halifax. This evening, we planned a reunion dinner at Umi Uma & Sushi Bar. This was Silk Road when we were last on Serenity back in 2015.

We met outside the restaurant for our 6:30pm dinner reservation and when we walked in we were all amazed by how the restaurant has been transformed into a much lighter, more casual, Asian-inspired restaurant. The sushi bar is still in the same location as it was before, but all of the tables, chairs, carpet and lighting appear to be brand new.

The menu here has changed a bit from what we remember, but a couple of favorites remain: the Miso Black Cod, Rickee’s favorite, and the Wagyu Beef, which is my go-to entree.

We enjoyed an amazing meal with our friends, and were all impressed with the food and excellent service. More to come in my Dining Review video.

After dinner, we are pretty tired and ready to retire to our beautiful suite. We say goodnight to John and Sandra and head back to 8009. The suite has been freshly made up for us and the bed turned down. I would say this was a pretty amazing embarkation day aboard Crystal Serenity. It’s good to be back.

Chris Dikmen & Rickee Richardson 9/18/23 Chris Dikmen & Rickee Richardson 9/18/23

Pre-Cruise in Quebec City

Follow along with us on our eight nights aboard Crystal Serenity

Tomorrow, we will embark on our 142nd cruise aboard Crystal Cruises’ recently re-introduced Crystal Serenity. As is our custom, whenever possible, we fly into the city of embarkation at least one day prior to embarkation. We do this as a precaution just in case there are airline delays or cancellations.

Today, we flew from DFW to Chicago aboard a 737-800 which departed at 7:00am. That meant we had to be at the airport at 5:30am for check-in. Needless to say, we were very tired on the flight to Chicago. Fortunately, the flight was extremely smooth and we had exit row seats offering extra legroom.

Our flight arrived on time in Chicago and we were able to relax for a couple of hours in the Admiral’s Club lounge prior to our final flight to Quebec City. The Admiral’s Club in Terminal 3 at ORD is large and appears to be recently updated. Fortunately, it was not that busy today for some reason.

Our flight from Chicago to Quebec City was aboard an Embraer 175 commuter jet with 1-2 seating in “First Class” and 2-2 in coach. We had bulkhead seats right behind First Class and lots of legroom. Overhead bin storage was scant, but we were able to cram our two roll aboards in sideways along with my backpack. I was a little concerned after boarding when I looked out the window and could see what appeared to be duct tape wrapped around the engine cowl!

I am sure this is NOT duct tape, but rather some aircraft-grade metal tape, but still, not confidence inspiring. This was an old aircraft. Nevertheless, the Embraer got us to Canada on-time, safely and in relative comfort.

Getting through Immigration and Customs in Quebec City was MUCH easier than our previous visit to Toronto, which took nearly an hour. There were no long lines here and the process was much smoother. We claimed our luggage and then proceeded to order an Uber to take us to our hotel. Note: there is no LYFT service in Quebec City, only Uber and of course, taxis. It takes about 30 minutes to get from the airport to the lower town of Quebec City where our hotel is located. Actually, that’s about the same amount of time it would take to get to the cruise port.

It is lightly raining when we arrive at Hotel Le Germain, our pre-cruise hotel for this journey.

Check-in was a breeze and, as soon as we entered our room (Classic King #702), we realized why this hotel is the perfect pre-cruise hotel in Quebec City. A quick look out of our window and we can see Crystal Serenity docked a short walk from the hotel!

*Crystal Serenity Docked in Quebec City*

If not for the rain, we could easily roll our luggage the two or three blocks to embark the ship. However, it is raining and that may require we get another Uber if the rain persists.

Our Classic King room at Le Germain is large and has all of the amenities you would expect from a luxury boutique hotel. The property met all of our main requirements for a great pre-cruise hotel:

Excellent location
Comfortable bed and pillows
Quiet room
Great bathroom

As mentioned previously, the hotel is only two or three blocks from the port. And, you can easily walk to a variety of shops and restaurants nearby. We were able to walk only a couple of blocks to a wonderful local pizza restaurant.

We did discover that many restaurants and shops were closed on Monday. So, we were lucky this place was open. In fact, the pedestrian shopping street near the hotel was nearly empty.

Many shops and restaurants are closed on Mondays

We can highly recommend this pizza restaurant. They have a wide variety and everything is cooked in a brick oven. Our pizzas were delicious.

After dinner, we are very tired and ready for a good night’s sleep. We did make a quick stop at a nearby gas station/convenience store to pick up a bottle of water before heading back to Hotel Le Germain.

Tomorrow, we will board Crystal Serenity. This will be our fourth Crystal Cruise, and the first since the re-launch of the luxury brand.