Supplement to Travel Trade
November 2002

The Crystal Symphony

Another Show Stopper

After sailing the Crystal Harmony several times and rating her an almost perfect "10," I came aboard her new sister looking for improvements and changes. What I found is a 50,000-ton virtual twin, the same in many ways; different in others.

The $250-million, 960-passenger vessel is 10 feet shorter, two feet wider and a mere 600 tons heavier, but she incorporates the magic elements of her popular, younger sister and implements them with design modifications and subtle changes.

Fine-tuning is based on five years of experience and more than 75,000 passengers. There is a sense of continuity, a sense of pride in the product displayed by the crew and there was an obvious sense of appreciation by the passengers on board its inaugural voyage.

While colors on the Symphony are softer and tend to be more restrained in muted peach and green-blue tones, there are familiar artistic blends of marble, glass and woods accented by brass and stainless steel with textures ranging from leathers and velvets to airy silks and tapestries.

Architectural and design teams headed by Swedish ship architect Robert Tillberg again produced an elegant and graceful vessel created to satisfy demands of the most discriminating and seasoned traveler.

The beautiful custom-designed china, which is color blended to match menus in the three restaurants, comes from Luxembourg and Germany. The silver is from Sheffield in England; the crystal is German and the linens are designed and produced in Italy.

The deck and engine crew is Scandinavian, supported by Japanese counterpart officers. The dining room staff is European and stewardesses are from Scandinavia. But make no mistake. the Crystal Symphony is not a mirror image of the Crystal Harmony.

The Lido area has been doubled in size, the 2100 Club has become the Starlite Lounge and moved mid-ship, while the Avenue Saloon has been enlarged, both optional restaurants have been moved to deck six to allow for the Lido expansion, and the Palm Court has been combined with the Vista Lounge into one large Palm Court and Observation area.

Embarkation is mid-ship, directly into the atrium lobby, called the Crystal Plaza. As the central focus of the vessel, the atrium is accented by lush greenery, hand-cut glass sculptures, marble floors and plush area carpets. A gently flowing waterfall and a larger-than-life magnificent bronze sculpture of ballroom dancers add motion and depth to the decor. A graceful stairway connects the levels.

Beveled glass balustrades and polished rich wood railings accented by brass and chrome frame the lower level. Like atriums on other new vessels, the Crystal Plaza is the heart-like center of the ship and leads to other public areas.

But, unlike the walk-through functions of atriums on other ships, this lobby is utilized by passengers who are encouraged to sit awhile at comfortable seating areas.

A warm Oriental carpet on white marble floors sculptures one seating area, with a larger raised seating area running along the window wall.

The popular Crystal Cove has been doubled in size and the Plaza itself is about 50% larger than on the Harmony. It is also a gathering point as it leads into the restaurant and its size eliminates congestion.

The pre-dinner crowd is entertained by a pianist at the "Crystal" piano and the adjacent Crystal Cove bar serves as a central meeting point.

A few words about the piano. It is becoming a "standard" on Crystal vessels and a reflection of Crystal's personality. Functional as a musical instrument, the piano was designed by Yamaha for the Crystal Harmony and a duplicate was created for the Symphony. It is made of Lucite and stainless steel and the inner workings are exposed. It is museum-quality artwork making a definite statement that carries over throughout the ship.

Until the birth of the Crystal Harmony, luxury at sea was traditionally associated with single-seating dining so travel agents and passengers were apprehensive when Crystal announced two seatings in the dining room.

Their fears were unwarranted. Crystal counters single-seating dining facilities with two alternative restaurants in addition to traditional early and late seatings in the Crystal Dining Room.

Crystal Cruises is not the first to offer alternative dining, but both the Harmony and Symphony make restaurant choices available to all passengers at no additional charge.

The Jade Garden and Prego are intimate restaurants on deck six and, in all honesty, having dinner in either one is like dining in a fine restaurant on shore. Each has its own ethnic decor and each has its own chef and service staff.

Everything is cooked to order. On my 10-night cruise, I sampled each restaurant twice and never got around to all of the delicacies. About 150 passengers can be accommodated in both restaurants during each seating.

Once the reputation of the restaurants spread, reservations in the Jade Garden and Prego may be hard to come by for specific nights. Pre-sailing reservations are not possible, but all passengers are accommodated for at least one night in each of the restaurants through an on-board reservations system.

The 550-seat Crystal Dining Room has a private restaurant atmosphere with decor and colors deliberately understated.

Massive port and aft windows afford marvelous sea views from every table. Colors are in shades of aquas and lend beautifully to sea views.

Self-print, silk-finished damask fabrics upholster French-style chairs. Rich woods, brass, crystal chandeliers and lighting fixtures topped by fine service appointments add high quality to the dining experience.

A minor change, yet one that will be appreciated, is the new location of service centers. They have been centralized so none is behind dining room tables.

The noise level is reduced considerably. Guests are accommodated at tables seating from two to eight. Seating areas are not separated by dividers but rather by crystal chandelier-clusters.

Food throughout the vessel is excellent. Presentation is picture-perfect, matched by the same level of service.

Menus are extensive with fresh vegetables, fish and fruits served throughout the voyage.

This is made possible by a Fine-Tuned Cooling System developed by NYK, Crystal's parent company. It consists of a series of huge vaults capable of storing perishables at carefully predetermined temperatures for more than two weeks.

From low-fat to vegetarian, ethnic to exotic it's offered on board. Special requests, off-the-menu orders, are encouraged. Waiters respond quickly without lengthy consultations with section captains. Food service is around the clock.

Full breakfast, lunch and dinner are served at passenger request in cabins and suites.

The casual topside Lido offers buffet-style complete breakfast and lunch at indoor and outdoor tables. There are hamburgers and hot dogs on deck as well as an ice cream /frozen yogurt bar, and pizza, again at no additional charge.

And, let's not forget traditional late-night buffets and tea-time in both the Bistro and the Palm Court.

The 215-seat Lido Cafe and Gardens has doubled in size and features three entrances and a wrap-around design. A canopy covers the outdoor area to provide shade in a garden-like setting. Two serving lines and a fresh salad and pasta area reduce lines.

The Lido is divided and then subdivided by etched glass half-screens, so there's a feeling of a small cafe with sloped window walls, blue and green Italian tiles, wood and tile flooring, aqua textured fabrics with geometric designs on chairs. Large paintings of sailing vessels add motion and color.

At the forward end of the 11 deck is the Palm Court which is everyone's favorite on the Crystal Harmony. Spokespersons say the popularity of the Palm Court inspired designers to combine the original Vista Lounge and Palm Court into one large Palm Court and observation area.

I suspect it was underutilization of the Vista Lounge which caused the change. In any event, Symphony designers created a multi-purpose room which seems to be in constant use.

The 250-seat Palm Court and observation lounge incorporates many of the elements of the Harmony room, but it is subdivided into three specific areas; an observation lounge, bar and Palm Court where there's still a reminder of a plush villa on Capri with its off-white wicker furniture nestled into islands of tropical plants beneath skylights edged with mirrors.

The atmosphere is enhanced by polished wood floors, window walls and the palest of blues, greens and white carpeting and upholstery. A raised stage houses a magnificent grand piano.

The multi-purpose, multi-level room is used for concerts, high tea, and can be sectioned off for private parties.

Space does not permit detailing all of the special features of the Crystal Harmony. Here's a quick rundown: To satisfy joggers and walkers, there's a full promenade deck. There's a Wimbledon paddle tennis court and golf-driving facilities.

Swimmers can take to the two pools and jacuzzis in all kinds of weather. One of the pools is in the indoor/outdoor area with a retractable glass roof.

Overstuffed and extremely comfortable lounges, overwhelming Neptune statues and continuous service for sunbathers makes this a hangout for younger passengers.

The Crystal Spa is a 3,000-square foot area with ocean views, even in treatment rooms. Elegantly pink with marble finished walls, there's a fully equipped fitness room, classes, sauna, the works.

Caesars Palace at Sea at 4,400 square feet, is twice the size of the casino on the Crystal Harmony. Designed in Caesars Palace style, the ambience is friendly Las Vegas.

There are seven black jack tables, more than 100 slot machines, craps, baccarat and roulette tables and Las Vegas odds.

Started on the Harmony and continuing on the Symphony, players and kibitzers are offered complimentary drinks and Caesar's credit lines are transferable to passengers on the Crystal Symphony.

The 463-seat Galaxy Show Lounge is one of the best designed at sea. Sightlines are excellent because there are no seats behind support pillars placed at the back of the sloped room.

Horseshoe-shaped seating is around a hydraulic stage used for dancing, specialty performances and full-scale revues. Countering the current trend, "Hollywood" is a real movie house with comfortable seating for 143-passengers.

First-run movies are shown two or three times a day. The room also was designed for meetings with comfortable plush seating and lots of leg room. Videos are available in cabins for couch potatoes but the theater was very popular with passengers on my cruise.

Other first class services include a European-trained concierge; 24-hour purser service; cruise consultant; a host program called Ambassador Host for guests traveling alone; complimentary large self-service laundry rooms, dry-cleaning and valet services; satellite telephone services; modern infirmary, and air-conditioned tenders.

Crystal Symphony also offers a variety of business and meeting facilities including a board room and business work rooms. Secretarial service is available on request.

Le Bistro is an Italian cafe where late-risers can get an assortment of coffees and pastries. It's the place for a glass of wine or cooler in mid-day, or where to meet friends for an afternoon coffee.

It's where you would find me most mornings around 11 a.m. for my second cup of coffee. Starlite Lounge is the ship's second lounge used for '50s and '60s dancing or disco, cocktail parties, bingo, etc.

Located midship, it replaces the 2100 Club on the Harmony. A comfortable room, it offers an elliptical design and accommodates about 400 people.

Magnificent chandeliers reflect the deep-blue carpeting in this multi-level room. Avenue Saloon became an instant favorite gathering room. Rich brown woods, clubby atmosphere and a great pianist are the main attractions.

One thing the Crystal Symphony does not have is inside cabins. Other than boutique-size vessels, she's the first luxury ship to offer all outside accommodations, and all with large windows. There are no portholes. But there are decisions to be made at booking time:

With or without a verandah, normal-sized or extra-size suites with butlers? About 57% of the cabins and suites feature private verandahs. The remainder have large picture windows.

At 246-square feet with verandah and 202-square feet without, staterooms are comfortable, if not overly spacious.

They have been reconfigured and bathroom designs have been improved. There's more drawer space and larger closets then on bathrooms aboard the Harmony.

Every cabin and suite has a sitting area with sofa, shower and full-size bathtub, combination safe that is easy to use, television and video cassette recorder, CNN, 24-hour sports and news reports, mini-refrigerator, bathroom amenities restocked daily, hair dryer and robes.

Twin beds convert to queen size.

And, then there's Penthouse Deck where six white-gloved butlers tend to passengers in 64 suites, which range from the "normal suite" which measures 367-square feet, to Penthouse Suites, at 491-square feet and two Crystal Penthouses with super-spacious 982-square feet.

Penthouse guests, in addition to normal amenities, have a stocked bar, larger personal safes, specially prepared daily hors d'oeuvres and a butler to serve meals, snacks, or what have you.

Like everything else on board, entertainment is usually first class. It is varied and there's always more than one event going on _ elaborate production shows, cabaret acts, special performances by artists, name entertainers and well-known lecturers, bridge experts, piano lounges and comics. My favorite was a performance by a couple who had defected from the Bolshoi Ballet.

Something for everyone is probably the best way to describe Crystal's entertainment policy. For movie-lovers, there's the Hollywood Theatre. For in-cabin entertainment, there's an enormous selection of videos. There's even a small playroom for young cruisers and a video arcade for the age 9 to 19 crowd.

Other vital statistics add to passenger comforts. The Crystal Symphony is 791 feet in length; 97 feet wide and zips along at a maximum of 23 knots.

She is equipped with fin-type roll stabilizers, two bow transversal thrusters and is propelled by two electric motors powered by four medium-speed diesel generator engines and one auxiliary generator engine.

Total passenger inside and outside space adds up to over 300,000 square feet.

I talked to repeat passengers and about half liked the Crystal Harmony better than the Crystal Symphony, but the consensus was that they liked both ships equally. They'll book future sailings based on itineraries and Crystal has lined up the world, so the choice will not be an easy one. It never is.

With only a few days left on my cruise, I pondered whether to take that fitness class before breakfast, or walk the deck and work out in the afternoon? Should we breakfast in our cabin, the Lido or in the dining room. Then, there's a lecture, a bridge game, a great first-run movie I haven't seen, more fitness workouts, the spa, and that book I couldn't resist in the library.

Lunch was another decision. The lavish buffet was tempting, but would I rather be served in the dining room? Tomorrow, I'll go for the pizza and stay in a swimmsuit all day. Dinner? Chinese, Italian or International. Late evening? Intimate piano lounge, ballroom dancing or a super-sized glittering production show.

On Crystal Cruises, it's a matter of options and choices. Decisions, decisions. It's a 24-hour dilemma.