The Luxe Boat
Crystal Cruises offers shipshape splendor
By Debbi K. Kickham and William D. Kickham, Esq.

We’ll be honest – we are unabashed fans of cruising, especially when it’s done right. Choosing a good cruise line is everything. We’ve traveled on some of the best lines, anywhere. But we were in for a treat when we experienced a 16-day trip on Crystal Cruises, from the Pacific to the Atlantic, crossing the Panama Canal. Our sailing on the Crystal Symphony proved, no doubt, that it is the caviar of cruise ships, offering unparalleled service, ambience and luxury. Crystal, how do we love thee? Let us count the ways. Maybe our “Top 10 Reasons” to cruise on Crystal will convince you too.

10) Suitcase? What suitcase? Unpack just once.  Let’s face it — cruising is one of your best vacation values. It’s a nice laid-back vacation in beautiful surroundings with no packing and unpacking, while you see a wide variety of destinations. But it gets even better – our penthouse offered butler service, where needs are met with aplomb. Need a pair of cufflinks in a hurry? Too tired to hang your own “Do Not Disturb” sign? That’s what the butler is for! We were tickled that our Spanish butler, Ramon, handled our pressing needs – literally —  soon after we boarded. (On other lines, we have typically spent a solid hour in the laundry room, ironing out the wrinkles). Ramon also brought us two bottles of premium liquor, and daily hors d’oeuvres at 5PM, along with his winning personality, faster than you can say, “Jeeves.”

9) Sumptuous sleep.  In a new trend borrowed from the hotel industry, cruise lines are offering sumptuous, snooze-worthy beds. Forty winks on Crystal have never been finer. Crystal outfits its sleeping quarters with featherbeds that are a combination of feather and down, plush duvets, and two king and two standard-size duck- and goose-feather pillows, while the penthouses feature 100 percent goose down pillows. Not enough? For the finicky, there’s even a posh pillow menu of four types: hypo-allergenic filled with polyfiber; round neck pillows for neck and lumbar support; standard-size with 95 percent feather filling; and therapeutic, yawn-inducing 100 percent polyester examples with head and neck indentation.

8) If you snooze, you still won’t lose. You can sleep late and lounge on the pool deck or partake of nonstop daily activities – everything from bingo, trivia, crafts, dance lessons, cooking classes, first-run movies and excellent enrichment lectures. Factor in excellent sightseeing options in port, wonderful dinners together, and exotic new adventures, and you and your spouse will have a first-class course in togetherness. If anything, we came away wishing that we had done even more. Crystal’s Computer University@Sea offered excellent classes – business-card creation, for example – which would have cost us $150 per person at home. And we should have seen more first-run movies in the beautifully appointed Hollywood Theatre, complete with free popcorn.

7) There is no “no.” Hot fudge sundaes in your Jacuzzi – or in your private bath? Vow renewals? Rose petals strewn on your pillow?  Diet lemonade made with fresh lemons and Splenda? Crystal offers over-the-top, extraordinary experiences, so that everyone can enjoy Trump-like travel. I met one couple who raved about several of their Crystal experiences, including having a standing order for foie gras every day, and an awe-inspiring dinner in Jade Garden, the Asian specialty restaurant that offers five-star dinners at no extra price (except for a $7 per person gratuity). One day, about three hours before dinner, they specially requested Thai food from the Jade Garden’s chef. To their astonishment, he whipped up a seven-course Thai menu just for them, at no extra charge. Now that’s going the extra nautical mile! In Prego, the adorable Italian specialty bistro decorated to evoke Venice, I specially ordered a shrimp entrée, and even received a complimentary bottle of aged balsamic vinegar after we raved to the maitre d’ about it.

6) Spa-tacular surroundings. Crystal Symphony’s Spa & Salon is the only floating spa at sea designed according to Feng Shui principles; it offers a range of innovative face and body treatments that focus on the balance of the five primordial elements within the body: water, earth, fire, wood and metal. It offers 10 treatment rooms decorated in mauve and tan, all designated with a special word such as “Happiness” or “Longevity.” You can receive a wealth of Elemis luxury treatments, and for older ladies, a good old-fashioned roller set. For me, our penthouse was a spa in itself; I fell in love with the outstanding Red Flower amenities in not one but two scents: Italian blood orange and Spanish gardenia. Crystal is, as far as I know, the only cruise line to offer the blissful luxury — and convenience — of a high-end amenity line, in two gorgeous fragrances. Red Flower’s conditioner, for example, left my hair so silky that I brought a bottle home!

5) Award-winning ambience.  The Symphony had just come out of dry dock when we boarded, and she was brighter and more beautiful then ever. It also carried 545 staff members and 940 guests — one of the highest staff-to-passenger ratios in the industry — whose desire was simply to not only meet – but to exceed – expectations. (We became especially enamored of the excellent Polish waiters who gave new meaning to the words “service with a smile,” especially when Debbi, a Polish-American, spoke to them in the few Polish words that she knows.) It’s no wonder, then, that Crystal Serenity and Symphonywere awarded the coveted No. 1 and 2 spots, respectively, inConde Nast Traveler’s“Best Cruise Ships in the World” readers poll in 2006.

4) Try it – and still diet. Don’t worry about gaining weight; many ships offer spa cuisine, plus an outdoor jogging track, and gyms filled with equipment and exercise classes and fitness tips. Do what we do: pray to St. Cellulita for extra strength when breakfast includes muffins in three varieties: fattening, more fattening, and most fattening. In fact, I actually losttwo pounds on this cruise.

Here’s how I did it: every day I ate two huge bowls of oatmeal and fruit for breakfast; and lunch of fruit plus a veggie burger. At each dinner, I ordered salad with light dressing, consommé, and a side order of unbuttered vegetables – and even had a standing order for ratatouille —  so that I could indulge in a pasta, a roll with butter, and a delicious entrée that came from the “light” menu.  I always had enough room for dessert — a chocolate concoction (from which I took exactly three bites) plus my standing order for guilt-free fresh berries. I frequently tasted “forbidden” foods – ice creams and chocolate-chip cookies, and the awesome, never-to-be-forgotten chocolate “ooze” cake that still makes my heart palpitate.

I also ran three to four miles a day and never forgot my goal – to cruise and still fit into my clothes 16 days later. It worked, and I never felt deprived. Crystal Cruises removed all trans fats from its food, in favor of more than a dozen healthier oils such as sesame, pumpkin, walnut, corn and olive.

3) Great entertainment included. “Many activities that are ‘extras’ on typical land-based vacations, including entertainment, are included in the cost of the cruise,” says Terry Dale, president and CEO of the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA). On the Symphony, we saw world-class entertainers such as pianist Bernard Walz from Australia, who mesmerized us with his classical and contemporary performances; and Penny Mathisen, an English songbird with a gorgeous soprano voice who performed numerous tunes from Phantom of the Opera. The Crystal singers and dancers also wowed us with several shows. It was a delight to finish dinner every evening, knowing that there was a splendid night of entertainment still in store. And did we mention the superb piano-playing and singing of Jeff Deutsch every evening in the Avenue nightclub? He even took requests, including our song, “Some Enchanted Evening.”

2) Pack it away! Luggage services are available through Virtual Bellhop (877-BELLHOP), which, for a charge, will whisk your luggage away to the ship. It saves you the agony of carrying around heavy bags – obviating the “lug” in luggage – and makes it easier to travel through airport security.

1) “Waiter! No check, please!” We love ordering room service in the morning; having a veggie burger and salad for lunch – at the pool – and then enjoying a superb dinner in the main dining room or in an alternative restaurant – and never having to pay the check. On Crystal all meals are included so you can enjoy five-star dinners (and lunches, and breakfasts, and snacks) at no extra cost. We also enjoyed afternoon tea in Palm Court; a wealth of desserts and coffees in The Bistro; and of course, the famous Trident Ice Cream Bar. During the course of the cruise, it serves 30 different ice creams (including low-carb), 24 homemade sherbets, and about 20 nonfat yogurts, along with fresh-made waffle cones and mouthwatering fudge brownies and cookies. The smell was always intoxicating!

In short, we’ve come to realize this one wonderful fact, which cruising makes possible: the only thing better than actually being a VIP, is being treated like one. For more information search for your perfect Crystal Cruise online.

Travel writers Debbi K. Kickham, and her husband William D. Kickham, Esq., have never met a luxury cruise line they didn’t like.

Photos courtesy of Crystal Cruise Line

Pre-Cruise
We began our journey in Los Angeles, checking into the Four Points by Sheraton at Los Angeles International Airport. If you have champagne taste but only a sparkling-cider budget, check yourself – and your family – in. The budget-friendly member of Starwood Hotels & Resorts has gone upscale, offering a wealth of aristocratic amenities you’d typically find at higher-end properties, but for only $95-$125 per night.

The first highlight?  Sheraton’s Sweet Sleeper Bed, which is designed to cradle you in cushiony comfort. The sybaritic sleeper features Sealy’s #1 Posturepedic Plush Top mattress and box spring, vellux blanket, generously padded duvet plus pillow paradise – a set of two large lounging pillows, plus two feather-and-down examples, plus a fifth one bearing the Four Points logo. Accommodations also feature free bottled water, 24-hour room service and fitness center, free wireless Internet in rooms, 24-hour Internet access in the lobby, iron and ironing board, non-smoking rooms, Caswell Massey amenities and more.

But my favorite amenity, which, for now, is only available at the Four Points property at Los Angeles International Airport, is 24-hour check-in. When you arrive at 6 a.m. after a sleep-deprived flight from Hawaii, for example, instead of waiting until 3 p.m. for your room to be ready, you simply tell the hotel in advance when you’ll arrive, and it’s yours – for a full day. The room simply needs to be booked at the best available or corporate rate. A convenient, complimentary 24-hour airport shuttle gets you to the gate on time.
And what if you have a beerbudget? Well, you’re also in luck. The Four Points by Sheraton at Los Angeles International Airport features 75 award-winning microbrews and handcrafted beers, plus six on tap, in its Palm Grill Restaurant and in T. H. Brewster’s bar, where all the bartenders are trained in pairing beer with food.

The idea is to expose customers to beer rather than educate them. I don’t usually drink alcohol, but I joyously scarfed down a delicious Lindemans Belgian raspberry lambic with my chocolate dessert ($12.50 for 12 oz.). And I can’t wait to imbibe another. I’m not alone. Some people plan their trips around the pub’s monthly beer tastings. The hotel even holds beer appreciations, featuring everything from Rochefort Trappistes 10 from Belgium (also great with chocolate), to Dutch Christoffel Blonde Lager, British Abbot ale, and Colorado’s Wild Dog Double Pale Ale, on the third Friday of each month. By word of mouth, news of the place has spread like wildfire from coast to coast, says Samir Iskander, director of food and beverage. “So many customers come in just for the beer,” he says. Find a great deal on Four Points by Sheraton at Lax online at aaa.com
-- DKK and WDK