Looking Back at a Haute Caribbean Holiday on Crystal Serenity

One of our favorite ways to celebrate holidays is on a cruise. And one of our most memorable holidays at sea was in 2019 on Crystal Serenity and its 16-day “Haute Caribbean Holidays” voyage round-trip from Miami, with stops in Grand Turk, St. Maarten, Antigua, St. Lucia, Barbados, Tortola and Key West.

It was our first time on Crystal, a cruise line that year after year, won the industry’s most prestigious awards for excellence. Our cruise spanned both Christmas and New Year’s, and included three “black tie optional” evenings, which meant I had to get my tux out of storage and hoped it still fit.

At the time, Crystal had two ocean-going ships — Crystal Serenity and Crystal Symphony — along with a fleet of European river ships. Founded in 1988, it developed both a reputation as a leading luxury cruise line as well as amassing an intensely loyal following.

On this cruise, over 70 percent of the almost 1,000 guests aboard were repeat customers. Among the senior officers and staff, many had been with Crystal over 20 years. It was amazing how many staff and guests were on a first-name basis.

On the cruise we had a chance to meet one of Crystal’s most storied guests — “Mama Lee” — a woman who for almost two decades was a permanent resident on Serenity. Her hundreds of cruises included 15 world cruises, which she detailed in her 2017 memoir, “I May Be Homeless, But You Should See My Yacht.”

She passed away earlier this year at the age of 97.

From the Moment You Step Aboard

You can feel the luxury when you first step on board. Greeted with a glass of champagne, we had a personal escort to the main dining room, Waterside, while our room was readied.

The ship itself was decked out in its festive holiday finest, with Christmas trees ringing the atrium staircases, along with gingerbread houses and life-size nutcrackers in the public spaces. Even Santa himself made an appearance to the delight of the children onboard.

The year before our cruise, Serenity underwent a “reimagining,” downsizing guest capacity to 980 and creating 36, butler-serviced Penthouses. We had a deluxe veranda room on deck 9. Along with a spacious balcony with full-size furniture, there were double sinks in the bath and a tub/shower combination. We were a little concerned there would be enough storage for two weeks’ worth of clothes, but no worries — it all fit.

Bring Your Appetite

If stellar food, dining and service seem important to Crystal, that’s no accident. The cruise director told me they consider dining central to the whole cruise experience, and it shows — the food presentations were artful and the taste perfection.

While we had the majority of our meals in Waterside and Marketplace, the buffet restaurant on Lido, cruises also included one complimentary visit each to their specialty restaurants — Prego (Italian), Umi Uma (from the creator of Nobu) and the Stardust Supper Club. We also had dinner at their Asian restaurant, Silk (reservations required — lunch is open seating) and Churrascaria, the Brazilian restaurant open evenings in Marketplace.

Our night at the Stardust Supper Club was especially memorable. Fashioned like a classic New York night spot, it included a multi-course, five-star meal, live entertainment and dancing.

Pam also loved the Afternoon Tea in the Palm Court, which took this English tradition up a notch with a “Mozart Tea,” where wait staff dressed in their 17th century finest.

Except for a few premium exceptions, drinks are included with your cruise, providing a great reason to sample Serenity’s bars and lounges. While the main watering hole is Crystal Cove, in the atrium on deck 5, more often than not, we found ourselves in the Avenue Saloon on deck 6 or the Palm Court on deck 12. The former is your classic dark wood, low lights, intimate seating bar you might find in an upscale, New York hotel; the latter offers great ocean views and a casual, breezy elegance. Music is a regular part of all three, ranging from a pianist and duo to the Crystal Quartet.

If cigars are your thing — it isn’t ours — The Connoisseur Club has a selection of smokes and liquors, with leather chairs and a TV. We tried not to pass by it if someone was going in or out — let’s try and keep that smoke captive, please.

The Show Goes On

We knew by reputation Crystal’s food and service was rated topnotch, but we were surprised by the quality of the entertainment. The nightly shows in the Galaxy Lounge featured world-class musicians along with original productions that showcased the talents of the Crystal singers and dancers. And they do have some phenomenal talent. There is a nightclub — Pulse — where they have a DJ, dancing and karaoke.

Movies were screened daily in the Hollywood Theatre, with popcorn, of course. The theater also hosts, along with the Galaxy Lounge, lecturers who are part of the Crystal Visions Enrichment Program. We learned about shipwrecks, the stars and the state of world affairs from leaders in their fields (replays of lectures are also available on demand on your stateroom TV).

One of the main attractions, and what keeps many guests returning — especially solo women cruisers —  were the Ambassadors: Dance partners for those who need one. Comprised of mostly retirees, they cha-cha, tango and rhumba day and night in Palm Court, the Supper Club, Crystal Cove — just about anywhere a band is playing.

While Pam was thrilled to wear her snazzy evening attire, and we both got into the glamour of the black tie-optional nights, most of the time the dress code is country club casual.

As you might imagine, 16 days is a long time to go without washing clothes. With that in mind, Crystal provides complimentary washers and dryers on just about all stateroom floors. It’s also a good place to meet and chat with your shipmates.

Ashore and Away

This cruise also provided one of our most memorable shore excursions. One of the excursion options is volunteering for Crystal’s “You Care, We Care” initiative. Promoting “voluntourism,” guests can participate in worthwhile causes at the various ports of call. There is no charge — Crystal takes care of everything. You just need the desire to make a difference.

One of the programs they support on Antigua is the Donkey Sanctuary and Animal Shelter. Managed by the Antigua and Barbuda Humane Society, it houses some 150 rescued donkeys, along with a smaller number of dogs and cats. Pam and I, along with 13 others, volunteer to work at the shelter. Once we arrive, we are split into three groups — one for the donkeys, one for the dogs and one for the cats. Pam and I worked with the donkeys, brushing their coats as they muzzled us in appreciation.

At our stop in Tortola in the British Virgin Islands we have a chance to check another item off our bucket list: The Baths at Virgin Gorda. One of the Caribbean’s most iconic tourist attractions, it’s comprised of massive granite boulders that ring the beaches on the Southern tip of the island, forming interconnected grottos and “caves” that hold aquamarine pools of water.

A Holiday to Remember

As for celebrating the holidays, Crystal pulled out all the stops. On Christmas Eve, there was a holiday show followed by two, late night religious services, one Protestant/Interdenominational, the other a Christmas Eve Mass.

On Christmas Day, tables stretched literally around the atrium and down the halls as a a battalion of chefs and carvers  render an ice carving of reindeers pulling a sled. Giant twisted loaves of bread spelled out “Happy Holidays.”

New Year’s Eve found us docked just off Barbados. The Crystal Cove atrium has a giant 2020 Countdown Clock, along with 5,000 balloons ready to drop. At 15 minutes before midnight, ship Captain Egil Giske joined the gathered throng to lead the countdown, and we welcomed a new decade with champagne, confetti, music and dancing until the wee hours.

As the midnight celebration erupts, Pam and I slip outside and find a place along a deck 12 railing to view the fireworks show staged by the posh Sandy Lane Hotel in Barbados — all in all, not a bad way to usher in a new year.

The Legend Lives On

While we have taken several upscale cruises, we found Crystal to be in a class by itself. The food and the service are hard to beat, and hard to leave, too.

I can see why “Mama Lee” choose it for her full-time home. One guest described the cruise as “living in a fantasy.”

Of course, that’s always the problem with fantasies — at some point, reality takes over. Like when you repack two weeks’ worth of clothes.

Two years after that cruise, Crystal went into bankruptcy post-COVID and closed down in early 2022.

Thankfully, they were resurrected by A&K Travel Group (Abercrombie & Kent) and after multi-million dollar refurbishments, Crystal Serenity and Crystal Symphony began sailing again in 2023. Crystal Serenity is next scheduled to undergo a drydock renovation in 2028.

Since then, Crystal has announced three more ocean ships are coming, beginning with Crystal Grace in 2028.

And the legend lives on.