Beautiful Baltic: Crystal Cruises' magical voyage to the premiere ports of Northern Europe

Cruise Travel, May-June, 2004 by Jeri Jacobs

Every time I cruise on a line new to me, I feel like I have arrived. This time, I have "arrived" onboard Crystal Cruises' luxurious Crystal Symphony for a Northern European/Baltic Sea voyage. There is nothing like a beautiful cabin, wonderful service (including our own butler!), excellent food--plus talented, energetic, professionally staged and costumed entertainment--to make a great itinerary into an incredible trip.

The Crystal representative met us at DeGaulle airport in Paris for our transfer in a "European"-sized van. With substantial luggage and little breathing room, we got to know our fellow passengers well--Jim Brochu, one of the ship's lecturers, and his partner. Steve Schalchlin. Both are talented playwrights, songwriters, singers, and musicians. During the cruise, we attended all of Jim's lectures, which revolved around his personal friendships with Lucille Ball and Katharine Hepburn, plus his fantastic wealth of knowledge about Hollywood and the development of the motion-picture industry.

When we "arrived" at the Crystal Symphony, docked in Rouen, we went through the most painless check-in we've ever experienced, then were shown to our cabin--just minutes before our luggage was delivered. Our butler, Waldo, soon introduced himself and offered his services, including making all of our reservations onboard (restaurant, spa, beauty salon), shining shoes, pressing laundry, serving hors d'oeuvres and mixing our cocktails each evening--I miss him.

In addition to having a very comfortable veranda, our peachy-pink, beautifully appointed cabin had a desk/dressing-table area that served as a perfect place for my laptop computer and digital camera equipment, plus plenty of drawer space for incidentals. The bathroom had two sinks and a magnifying mirror, plus a bathtub with shower and a separate shower stall. It also had a scale, which showed me no mercy.

Our cabin, being at the end of the hall, ensured that we got some walking exercise, but it was conveniently near the aft stairway to Lido Deck 11, which contained the Lido Care & Gardens, the large buffet where we had our breakfasts and lunches. Also fairly close was the spa (on Sun Deck 12), where I had my manicures (it was a 13-day cruise) and indulged in a wonderful hot-stone massage.

Down on Tiffany Deck 6 were the library. Computer University@Sea, Prego and Jade Garden alternative restaurants, and the Starlight Lounge. Most entertainment areas were on this deck, including the theater, casino, shops, the Avenue Saloon, and the Galaxy Lounge (for the big production shows)--plus the Bistro restaurant, which seemed to be open whenever I needed a snack. One level lower was the elegant and comfortable dining room and the hotel lobby, complete with concierge, Crystal sales consultant. Crystal Society hostess, tour desk, and medical center. We found the Crystal Symphony to be comfortable and convenient, in addition to being tastefully decorated.

Dinner the first evening was open seating in the main restaurant, because all passengers were not yet onboard. Later, a preview show introduced the entertainment staff, led by singers Rachel Hale and Matthew Tyler, who were a very talented group of young, energetic performers--and the costumes were incredible. Towards the end of the cruise, passengers were invited to take a backstage tour, learning how the performers are selected and how the backstage operation works to make everything that we saw onstage run smoothly.

The next day our "The Landing Beaches Of Normandy" tour included a lecture, a visit to the Landing Museum, and a stop at the American cemetery at Colleville St. Laurent, where more than 9,500 American soldiers who died during the D-Day invasion were laid to rest. From the cemetery, our motorcoach followed the coast road to see what remains of the Allies' ruined equipment on the beach side, and on the other side, the cliffs and some bunkers where the Germans hid and fired on the Allied soldiers.

Late that night we set sail, with two days at sea ahead of us. Crystal packed the time with a great variety of activities--so many possibilities that I was unable to attend each one that interested me and still have my manicure and massage. Former ambassador Samuel Hart gave his first lecture, this one on terrorism; Jim Brochu reminisced about Lucille Ball; port talks began; the Computer University@Sea started its workshops; the casino and shops were open; bingo was called; artwork was on exhibit; the needle-pointers were stitching; bridge games were played; and afternoon tea was being served.

At our first port call, in Warnemunde, Germany, we opted for the tour to Berlin, which began with a two-hour train ride. In Berlin, we transferred to air-conditioned buses and went straight to visit a remaining segment of the infamous "Wall" at the East Side Gallery. Nearby was the site of Checkpoint Charlie, now a popular tourist attraction. We visited the well known Brandenburg Gate, which marked the border between East and West Berlin, and walked the short distance to the site of the soon-to-be-built United States Embassy. Our tour included lunch at the Hilton Hotel, a ride past the Tiergarten Park, and stops at the Allied Museum and Charlottenburg Palace. Then it was back to board the train for Warnemunde.