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Crystal Serenity sails with new Penthouses, Lido, hypoallergenic rooms

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Toronto’s II BY IV gave each Crystal Penthouse a distinctive look
Crystal Serenity emerged from its $17m redesign at Navantia Shipyard with chic new Crystal Penthouses and dramatically transformed indoor/outdoor casual dining spaces, including the Trident Grill, Scoops ice cream bar, Tastes Bar, Lido Cafe and Tastes restaurant, featuring a new global-inspired evening menu. There's a chef’s herb garden as part of new walls of greenery and 70 new hypoallergenic staterooms.

The ship also underwent comprehensive maintenance, with deep cleaning, mechanical updates and environmental upgrades. Palm Court sports a new dance floor, specialty restaurant Prego was warmed with new colors and even the tender boarding area got a new look.  area reveals a welcoming new look.

In recent years, Crystal Cruises has spent almost $120m on the fleet, and $52m on Crystal Serenity alone within the last two years.

London’s Adfecto architectural interior design firm was inspired by Santa Barbara’s 'California Riviera' vibe for the Lido Deck makeover. The existing Lido Café was demolished and the area was extended forward to increase space for all new service and seating areas. As with Crystal Symphony, Crystal Serenity’s Lido Café has been redesigned with modern food islands, instead of long buffet counters, more tables for two and a live, open kitchen, which includes a bakery.

Highlighted by floor-to-ceiling windows, the space was reimagined with rich tones of denim blue and ochre fabrics, geometric neutral blocks of bronzes and cream-tile floors, and pale blue glass tiled-walls. Edge-lit geometric fret-cut screens help separate widow-side seating areas from all new light stone island counters.

Custom-made ceramics, gold leaf speckled mosaic tile from Italy, decorative internally-lit herb-inspired sculptures and strapped bronze pendant lights add layers of detail. Warmth is introduced with the various shades of wood, including UK-made timber-framed Morgan furniture.  The restaurant’s aft outdoor dining space was refreshed with ochre patterned cushions and umbrellas.

In total, the remodel saw the installation of 17 counters, all new WMF coffee machines, Citrocasa orange juicers, EuroCave wine refrigerators and two Sveba Dahlen ovens (one in Lido Café for baked goods, one in Tastes for pizzas).   

While the lighting is designed to showcase the food, the Lido Café is also Crystal’s first fully LED low energy-lit restaurant.

Adfecto’s remodel removed the indoor pool and all of its surrounding galleys and eating areas to create new indoor/outdoor casual dining and lounging spaces with expansive ocean views. The Lido Café’s theme is continued, but this space opens into a light and airy courtyard with a retractable glass roof.

White granite table tops, natural stones, white wicker, tan sofas and an array of blues with pops of tangerine set the resort-like tone. Most striking is the lush greenery in the form of multiple variegated 'living walls' of plants, an herb garden for Crystal chefs and live olive trees under-planted with lavender. A fret-cut, internally-lit sculpture uses thyme and rosemary motifs to reflect the herb and dining concepts. 

Midship dining spaces on Lido are all new, including a Tastes restaurant with another open kitchen, Scoops ice cream bar, Tastes Bar and Trident Grill. The angled living walls, planters and sculpture are used to subtly divide and bookend various seating groups and dining concepts.  The lines of the teak decking, sleek stretched taupe canvas ceilings over the waterside tables, and angled blocks of light and dark stone, ceramic and mosaic tiles help define the space.

The Trident Grill and Scoops ice cream bar area on the port side of the wall has large sofa and armchair groups. All new counters, digital signage and toppings display showcase what is on offer.

The starboard side features Tastes restaurant, bar and custom-built open kitchen that allows guests to watch the food being prepared. While Tastes is open during the day for a late risers rreakfastb and full lunch menu, including specialties such as Chinese noodles and dumplings, after 6 p.m. the restaurant is transformed into a casual evening eatery with dramatic lighting that showcases the trees, plants and decorative screens.

Its new global-inspired menu was created in association with Sapphire Restaurants in Laguna Beach, Cailf., where chef Azmin Ghahreman offers cuisine with accents from around the globe. An Alsatian Tarte, Tunisian Crab Warka, California Street Tacos and North African Lamb Dumplings share the bill with a dozen other small plates that are designed to be shared.   

On the opposite end of the deck, Palm Court—the ship’s popular evening spot dancing—was refreshed with a new cherry wood dance floor.

Toronto’s II BY IV, the firm that won design awards for its previous remodel of Crystal Serenity’s staterooms, redefined the ship’s four top suites with clean lines, classic simplicity and refined elegance in a dramatic ultra-contemporary remodel. Interiors of the butler-serviced, 1,345 square-foot Crystal Penthouses were gutted and spaces completely reconfigured.

The dining area moved closer to the floor-to-ceiling windows and the private outdoor deck, while the former dining room now holds a den/library/media room with a sleeper sofa and closet.  With a new shower added to the guest powder room, the space can function as a second bedroom, suitable for families.  A butler’s pantry with private entrance adds to the comfort.   

Inspired by the classic flats of London and the sophisticated style of Manhattan, the designers’ goal was to create a home away from home for the sophisticated world traveler, with a high level of comfort and various areas for work and play. Designed to maximize the views throughout, the rooms and seating arrangements are open and flow from room to room.  Even the Grand Foyer offers a dramatic cut-work open screen, enabling visibility into the dining room and the ocean views beyond.

Custom handmade Italian mosaic tiles and modern Swarovski crystal lighting sconces flank the grand foyer’s entrance, inside and out. The rooms’ neutral color palette is accented with distinctive art and accessories that give each suite its own personality. Used throughout are natural marble, natural wood floors and custom-designed carpet by Ulster in Ireland.

The master bedroom received luxurious new bedding and window treatments, two entrances and a new seating area. The walk-in has illuminated clothing rods and custom shelving. The spacious master bath sports a custom design of hand crafted diamond-shaped Italian marble mosaics on the floor and walls, a heated floor, dual vanity with large glass vessel Kohler sinks, a walk-in glass shower with a heated marble bench, an award-winning Duravit spa flotation tub with ocean views and a television embedded in the vanity mirror. The powder room offers a mosaic wall of custom glass tiles handmade in Italy.

The Crystal Penthouses were outfitted large Bose VideoWave III flat-screen televisions, iPod docking stations and surround sound audio system.

Some 70 deluxe verandah staterooms were transformed into hypoallergenic luxury accommodations offering a comprehensive, chemical- and odor-free indoor environment. PUREMarine Solutions, a sister company of allergy-friendly hospitality innovator PURE Global, implemented a seven-step patented air and surface purification process in each room to remove allergens and reduce the risk of irritants.

A discreetly installed medical grade air purifier filters out 99.9% of airborne impurities on an ongoing basis.  

Crystal Serenity’s tender area was redesigned with a new faux timber floor with contrasting inserts and sycamore effect walls. A new ceiling with low energy LED lighting highlights new large-scale, stylized flora and fauna photographic artwork. New digital signage and benches were installed.

The ship was thoroughly deep cleaned, exteriors repainted, the port pod was refurbished, and energy-saving LED lighting was added in public areas and crew offices.

Old furniture was donated to a local Cádiz organization that supports recovering drug addicts.

In all, more than 1,110 contractors and crew worked around the clock to complete 700 projects. DPA Lighting Consultants oversaw the design of the architectural lighting and energy-efficient lighting treatments throughout the ship.

Following its first post-drydock cruise from Lisbon to Barcelona via the Canary Islands and Morocco, Crystal Serenity is making a trans-Atlantic crossing to the Americas, followed by a Christmas/New Year’s voyage in the Caribbean and an 89-day world cruise from Los Angeles to London,