Crystal Serenity

Crystal Serenity
Cruise #1312
Jewels of the Baltic
Stockholm-Tallin-St. Petersburg-Helsinki-Warnemunde/Berlin-Copenhagen
June 27 - July 8, 2011

This was our first Crystal cruise, and our last. Don't get me wrong... the Serenity is very elegant and recently refurbished, the food very good and at times sensational, the staff mostly very good, but... there are simply too many negatives to make me come back.

Among my biggest complaints are (1) too many people on this ship for our tastes, nearly 1,000 pax on this fully booked cruise, (2) the size of the rooms. Give me a break, 268 SF?, (3) live music at the pool instead of peace and quiet, and (4) the inflated price. But the biggest issue I had, and it didn't hit me until the 2nd or 3rd day, too many f***ing Americans. Jeez already, we're in Scandinavia and the Baltics and, outside of private day tours, we may as well be at a resort hotel in Indiana, Oklahoma or California.

I just don't get how Crystal can be voted the #1 cruise line year after year, and get away with their outrageous prices, unhelpful front desk, crowded cattle-like shuttles, and a terrible dis-embarkment process.

Our previous cruise experiences have been Regent Seven Seas (Alaska) and Silverseas (Greek Isles/Italy) and, with the exception of dining and food, we liked both Regent and Silverseas much better.

Anyway, here is a pictorial summary of the ship and some of the on board amenities.