Welcome to our special guide, where we will examine stateroom options and the best dining venues onboard Crystal Cruises.
This guide should definitely make you happy, as Crystal offers some of the best food at sea, with outstanding restaurants like Umi Uma and Osteria d'Ovidio. Room options are also appealing across both ships, including oceanview rooms, veranda cabins and suites. This guide will dive into interesting details, special features and additional information to make your trip even easier.
Before we move on, keep in mind that you can click the Request a Quote button and contact us anytime! Reaching out is free, and even better, booking through Famvia does not cost you anything extra. In fact, our travel advisors often have access to special deals that can help you save money. We can also provide tips on the best restaurants onboard, explain what is not included in your fare, assist with itineraries and much more.
Crystal Cruises Room Options
Crystal Cruises’ two ships, Crystal Symphony and Crystal Serenity, originally launched in 1995 and 2003, but both underwent major overhauls in 2023 through a multi-million dollar update that relaunched them to the world.
Both ships now feature elegant staterooms and a wide range of suites. Rooms are considered very good, even if they are not the largest among ultra-luxury cruise lines. Keep in mind that both ships are over twenty years old, and even major updates cannot change some design elements. This means some rooms might be smaller than expected, not all have bathtubs, and not all feature a private verandah. Crystal Cruises, however, does not have inside staterooms, so every room includes at least a window that lets in natural light.
One special feature that Crystal brings to all their guests is that every stateroom onboard gets private butler service. It doesn’t mean if you are in a fancy suite or an oceanview stateroom, you will have a butler ready to help you out with anything you need. Not only that, 24-hour room service is also available to every single passenger onboard.
Every stateroom gets at least:
- Private Butler
- 24-hour Room Service
- Sizeable living area with sofa and desk
- Queen-size bed or twin beds
- TV
- Walk-in shower
- Welcome champagne
- Pillow Menu
- Shoeshine service
The staterooms on Crystal Cruises can be divided into:
- Oceanview Staterooms
- Veranda Stateroom
- Suites
Let’s take a look at them.
Oceanview Staterooms
- Good for: those that want a simple stateroom; solo travellers; if you don’t plan on staying a lot of time inside your stateroom.
- Accommodates: 1 (single guest room) or 2 guests
Oceanview Staterooms are the entry-level cabins on Crystal Cruises, featuring a single window that lets in natural light. There are two types of Oceanview cabins: the traditional Double Guest Room with Ocean View and the Single Guest Room with Ocean View. Both measure 215 ft², but the single guest room is designed for solo travelers.
This cozy and simple stateroom includes a sofa and a small desk, making it perfect for those who do not plan to spend much time inside and prefer exploring the ship. The toilet is inside the bathroom, and the shower area is larger than those found on mainstream cruise lines.
Veranda Staterooms
- Good for: if you want a private balcony; romantic couples looking for a good room that gets the job done.
- Accommodates: 2 guests
There is only one category of Veranda Stateroom, the Double Guest Room with Veranda, which measures 215 ft² and features a private balcony of 54 ft². This room is essentially the same as the Oceanview Stateroom, but it includes a private balcony with two chairs and a small desk instead of a window.
Suites
- Good for: if you want nothing but luxury; if you are interested in some special perks; if you plan on staying more time inside your stateroom.
- Accommodates: 2-4 guests
Suites are the most luxurious rooms onboard Crystal Cruises. They not only offer private living areas but also come with special perks that you will not find in any other room category. Next, we will go over the subcategories available on Crystal Cruises so you can choose your favorite.
- Aquamarine Veranda Suite: Measures 323 ft² with an 86 ft² balcony. Special features include complimentary pressing service, binoculars in the stateroom, a coffee maker and a large walk in closet.
- Sapphire Suite: Comes in two versions: an oceanview window option available on Crystal Symphony only and a private balcony option that appears on both ships. The suite measures 430 ft² with a 107 ft² balcony. Perks include complimentary laundry, dry cleaning and pressing services.
- Junior Crystal Penthouse Suite: This large suite measures 645 ft² and has a 161 ft² private balcony. It includes a separate living room and dining area, a Jacuzzi bathtub, a separate shower, a bidet and a guest bathroom. Guests also enjoy unlimited dining at specialty restaurants, unlimited laundry, afternoon canapés, private transfers to and from the ship up to 50 miles, flowers, binoculars and a coffee maker.
- Crystal Penthouse Suite: The top suite onboard, measuring 1265 ft² on Crystal Serenity and 909 ft² on Crystal Symphony, with a private balcony of 107 ft². It features two walk-in wardrobes, separate living and dining areas with panoramic ocean views and a Swarovski chandelier, a study and a custom built in bar. There is a Jacuzzi bathtub with ocean views, a separate shower, a bidet and a guest bathroom. Guests receive the same perks as the Junior Penthouse Suite plus unlimited room service from Osteria d'Ovidio and Umi Uma.
Do all staterooms on Crystal Cruises receive private butler service?
Yes. Every stateroom category on Crystal Cruises includes complimentary private butler service.
Crystal Cruises Dining Options
Crystal Cruises offers excellent food, and guests often rank it among the best at sea. All restaurants onboard, except one, are complimentary for your first visit, though additional visits may cost around $50 depending on the length of your cruise. We explain more about it in this next section.
What Dining Venues are Free on Crystal Cruises?
Crystal Cruises restaurants are complimentary except for The Vintage Room. Beefbar, their latest specialty restaurant, is also complimentary but requires reservations in the evening. Beefbar offers premium meat cuts such as Kobe & Wagyu at an additional cost.
For the specialty restaurants, guests are entitled to the following complimentary reservations for up to two people per voyage:
- Up to 11 nights: One complimentary reservation at each restaurant
- 12 to 22 nights: Two complimentary reservations at each restaurant
- 23 or more nights: Three complimentary reservations at each restaurant
The Vintage Room costs $300 per guest, but on select sailings, you can choose The Ultimate Vintage Room experience, which costs $1,200 and includes some of the rarest wines in the world.
Restaurants Onboard
For two cruise ships that carry less than 700 passengers, there is actually a huge range of restaurants onboard Crystal Cruises.
- Beefbar (lunch and dinner; reservation required for dinner): It offers global cuisine in a casual setting, with a wide variety of dishes including steaks, pasta and even tacos and pizza.
- Umi Uma (dinner; reservations required): one of the best restaurants at sea, offering Peruvian-Japanese cuisine in a casual setting. You not only get a wide variety of sushi options, but dishes like the Grilled Australian “Wagyu” Beef Filet Steak and the Nobu-Style Lobster with Truffle-Yuzu Sauce. Do make sure to come here multiple times.
- Osteria D’Ovidio (dinner; reservations required): a fancy restaurant with an Evening Resort dress code focused on Italian cuisine. It focuses on classic (but very good) Italian dishes and even has a separate menu focused on vegetarian options only.
- The Vintage Room (lunch and dinner; reservations required): the only paid restaurant onboard Crystal Cruises. It costs $300 per guest, has a formal dress code and reservations are needed in advance.
- Waterside: the main dining room, open for breakfast, lunch (on sea days) and dinner. It offers global cuisine focused on american dishes and dress code is casual.
- Marketplace: the main buffet onboard offering a variety of hot and cold dishes, open for breakfast and lunch.
- The Bistro: A casual cafe open from early morning until late at night offering coffee, tea, juices and light snacks.
- Trident Grill: the pool restaurant offering burgers, wraps, sandwiches, fries, salads and more.
- Scoops Gelato Bar: a casual area offering authentic Italian gelato.
What are the best restaurants onboard Crystal Cruises?
If we had to choose our favorites, Umi Uma, Osteria D’Ovidio and The Vintage Room would top the list as the best restaurants on Crystal Cruises. Be sure to book a spot in advance for the first two, and they are well worth the $50 surcharge if you want to visit again.
Are all drinks included in your Crystal Cruises fare?
No. While most premium cocktails, wines and beer are included in your base fare, some ultra-premium drinks cost extra. In practice, the included alcoholic drinks are more than enough to enjoy an amazing time onboard.
Dietary Needs
Crystal Cruises is happy to accommodate any dietary requirements you may have. Be sure to include this information on your Guest Information Form (GIF), or you can let us at Famvia handle your dietary needs for you.
Room Service
Room service is available 24/7 at no additional cost for every guest onboard Crystal Cruises.
Dining Reservations
You should definitely make reservations in advance for the specialty restaurants onboard. Reservations open 180 days before your embarkation date. To book, log in to the booking portal in MyAccount at crystalcruises.com to see options for your upcoming voyages, or let us at Famvia handle it for you.
Guests can make one complimentary reservation per restaurant for up to two people in advance. Additional reservations must be made onboard with the Maitre d’ of Specialty Restaurants and may be subject to a surcharge.
Why book Crystal Cruises with us?
At Famvia, we are luxury cruise specialists. We proudly partner with some of the world’s most prestigious cruise lines, including Seabourn, Silversea, Explora Journeys and, of course, Crystal Cruises.
Crystal Cruises is still a relatively new cruise line following the major relaunch of their two ships in 2023, so navigating their itineraries and offerings can be a bit challenging. That is where we come in. Our dedicated travel advisors specialize in Crystal Cruises and can help you find the perfect voyage tailored to your preferences. In addition, we often have access to exclusive offers and pricing not available to the general public.
With deep expertise in Crystal Cruises’ all inclusive fares and two luxurious ships, we are here to guide you every step of the way. Simply click the Request a Quote button to get in touch. Our personalized planning services are complimentary, and we look forward to crafting an unforgettable journey just for you.
