‘And I think to myself, what a wonderful world’. As we stood on our balcony sailing away from Mumbai, champagne in hand, listening to the iconic song which Crystal plays on every sail away, we couldn’t have been happier.
Five years after our first sailing we were back onboard enjoying this beautiful vessel, built in 1995 and with some refurbishments under her belt. To me she oozes class, style and sophistication.
Embarkation was as easy as I remember and what I expect from a luxury line. No big snakelike queues, but a smooth and easy experience. And before we knew it, we were sat in our favourite bar, the ‘Crystal Cove’, having our, not even empty, champagne glasses topped up.
There are a variety of staterooms onboard. We were staying in a Sapphire veranda suite. At approximately 430 sq ft it was the largest suite we had ever stayed in at sea and it did not take us long to settle into our beautiful room.
You walk into the separate living and dining area. The dining table is perfect for two to enjoy a meal, which of course is served in suite by your wonderful butler.
The full-size sofa is perfect for resting and gazing out of your balcony doors.
The desk area is home to a coffee machine and a minibar, which is filled with drinks of your choice. Our wonderful butler kept our minibar topped up and our ice bucket was always full without us even having to request it.
You also have a tablet which you can use to view daily itineraries, restaurant menus and newspapers etc.
We found our suite to have plenty of storage throughout with lots of shelving and drawer space, including our walk-in wardrobe which to my delight had more than enough room for my (many) clothes to hang. Our friendly cabin attendant supplied us with more hangers too.
The bathroom can be entered by two separate doors, one from the living area and one from the bedroom. The bathroom, again we both thought was very spacious, with his and hers sinks and a large walk-in rainforest shower.
Toiletries are by Sicilian brand ‘Ortigia’. We liked the range of products and the full-size shower gel, shampoo, conditioner, body lotion and soap were constantly topped up so we never ran out.
Our bedroom had a wonderful queen size bed which we sank into every night and had a lovely night’s sleep. A pillow menu is available for guests to choose from should you wish.
We had a TV in our bedroom and living area. We only ever turned one on occasionally to listen to some music whilst we were getting ready in the evenings.
Our favourite part of our suite, and all cruise cabins, was the veranda, again extremely spacious by cruise ship standards and ours had two large comfy padded chairs and foot stools.
Absolutely wonderful to sit on when you are sailing and have the fresh sea air all around you. Which quite often for us resulted in us drifting off and having a snooze, with definitely the fresh sea air to blame and not the champagne consumption!
Our stateroom was so perfect and it was just that due to our amazing butler Dileep and suite attendants Nyleen and Delight.
From daily canapés, a never-ending supply of champagne, restaurant reservations, room service breakfasts to soft white fluffy towels, an immaculate room and nightly turndowns, they couldn’t have done any more to make us feel utterly spoiled.
When not enjoying our spacious suite Mr B and I could most often be found relaxing around the pool deck.
Soft plush sun loungers with an abundance of space, the pool was an oasis of calm and relaxation.
And whilst relaxing on a lounger of choice, enjoying the sun, we were spoiled by the deck crew who were always on hand to offer ice water and keep us topped up with our poolside cocktails of choice, generally a Kir Royale for me.
And in the moments when I was feeling too warm, someone would magically appear to offer me an ice-cold towel.
Whilst you are out on the open decks you are also close to the golf nets, which Mr B took advantage of. On most Crystal sailings there is a qualified PGA golf pro. Mr B really enjoyed attending the classes which were held on each sea day. There is also a court which is used for paddle tennis and pickleball.
There is a well-equipped gym onboard, but I will be honest, Mr B and I did not set foot in it. Exercising for us is done at home and we are happy to omit it whilst on holiday, swapping gym for gin!
We did however venture to the spa and treat ourselves to a full body massage, a real indulgence for us and extremely relaxing.
Symphony also has a well-stocked library, probably one of the most well-stocked libraries we have experienced at sea. And there is a computer room available for use which also hosts a variety of classes.
There are daily enrichment classes and that includes art classes. Whilst no one wants to see anything that I create with a pencil or paint, when I saw the bracelet making class I knew that was perfect for me!
The class was great, very relaxed, with friendly and helpful hosts and I came away with a pretty bracelet. On my way back from the class I, of course, had to grab a vanilla ice latte and a pastel de nata from the Bistro!
The heart of the ship, the atrium, is a beautiful area with a stunning water feature and lots of seating.
Entertainment can be enjoyed throughout your sailing in several venues onboard.
The Hollywood theatre shows films, sporting events and hosts the guest lectures onboard. The Jade night club is where you can go to enjoy late night music and hosts the occasional karaoke night.
We enjoyed the shows in the Galaxy Lounge, with plenty of spacious and comfy seating and tables. We watched some fantastic shows from talented singers and a pianist to a comedian who had us in stitches.
The Avenue Saloon is the ship’s piano bar where evenings can be spent sipping on perfectly crafted cocktails and listening to the resident pianist, where song requests were encouraged.
Most of our evenings ended in our favourite bar, the Crystal Cove. Friendly bartenders welcomed us each night and we were lucky enough to get chatting and get to know some of the amazing team during our nightly visits.
All the crew are simply a credit to Crystal. The ship is full of friendly faces with everyone we encountered genuinely happy to see you and to have you onboard. There are really not enough adjectives to describe how wonderful they are and it was of no surprise to us that the crew is one of the top reasons why people keep coming back to Crystal again and again.
When you are onboard, whether you prefer your days full of lectures, dance classes and enrichment, or if you are after relaxation and pampering, Crystal has something for everyone who appreciates friendly and first-class service on a classically beautiful luxury ship.
