By
Rebecca Gibson |
Crystal Cruises completed an extensive US$17 million renovation onboard Crystal Serenity during a two-week drydock period at Cadiz’s Navantia shipyard in November 2013.
More than 1,100 contractors and crew worked on the comprehensive project, donating all old furniture to a local Cádiz organisation that supports recovering drug addicts. The team deep cleaned the ship’s interiors, fully repainted her exterior, installed low energy LED lighting in the public and crew areas and redesigned the tender landing/boarding area.
“We have completely reimagined spaces to create chic and contemporary public areas and accommodations that are as comfortable and inviting as they are dramatic and stylish,” said Crystal’s president Edie Bornstein. “Fine design is an integral part of our guests’ lifestyles, whether at home or away.”
Inspired by Santa Barbara’s ‘American Riviera’ vibe, London-based Adfecto Design transformed the ship’s Lido Deck, demolishing the existing Lido Café and adding food islands, new beverage dispensers and seating areas.
Adfecto also removed the indoor pool and its surrounding eating areas to create a new indoor/outdoor casual dining and lounge space with a retractable glass roof. The firm added a new dance floor in Palm Court and moved Scoops ice cream bar to Trident Grill, while more sofa seating, an open kitchen, and a cocktail bar was also added to the deck. Tastes restaurant now features an open kitchen and a menu developed in collaboration with Sapphire Restaurants in Laguna Beach, California.
Crystal also continued its ‘Crystal Clean’ project, installing LED lights throughout Lido Café and fitting four self-contained, free-standing ‘living walls’ and additional greenery in the Trident Grill area. The ‘living wall’ was first installed in the alfresco area of Symphony’s Trident Grill by ANS Group Europe in 2012.
Toronto-based II BY IV Design Associates, which previously renovated Serenity’s staterooms, reconfigured the layout of the four butler-serviced, 1,345-sqft penthouse suites. The firm moved the dining area closer to the private outdoor deck and replace the existing dining space with a den/library/media room. It also added a shower to the guest powder room, allowing it to function as a second bedroom, while the master bedroom received fresh soft furnishings and a new seating area.
Designed to maximise the ocean views, the redecorated suites feature custom handmade Italian mosaic tiles and Swarovski crystal lighting fixtures, as well as natural marble, natural wood floors and custom-designed carpet manufactured by Ulster in Ireland. Various technological upgrades were installed including custom light and sound settings, large Bose VideoWave III flat screen televisions, iPod docking stations and surround sound audio systems.
In addition, Pure Marine Solutions partnered with the cruise line to transform Serenity’s 70 veranda rooms into the industry’s first hypoallergenic staterooms. Using a patented seven-step air and surface purification process, Pure Marine thoroughly cleaned all HVAC systems and applied a bacteriostatic barrier to furniture and soft furnishings. Allergy-friendly bedding, natural antimicrobial disinfectant and advanced air purification systems that filter 99.9% of dust and impurities will help Crystal’s housekeeping staff to maintain the sanitised condition of the rooms.
Following her first post-dry dock cruise from Lisbon to Barcelona, which calls at the Canary Islands and Morocco, Crystal Serenity will make a transatlantic crossing to the US. She will offer a Christmas and New Year’s voyage to the Caribbean and her annual, 89-day ‘World Cruise’ from Los Angeles, US to London, UK in January 2014.
Crystal has spent US$52 million on Serenity’s refurbishment over the past two years and around US$120 million on fleet renovation in recent years.