Crystal Cruises Inc., a subsidiary of NYK, just completed a $25 million dollar makeover on their largest and currently most luxurious ship, the Crystal Serenity, at Germany’s Blohm + Voss shipyard. Interior designer Keith Rushbrook’s vision of “modern classic elegance” and “Fifth Avenue- creme de la creme” accrued 535 sophisticated staterooms, a posh pool deck, remarkable retail centers, classy corridors and general renovations to the outside and inside of the vessel making the dry dock the company’s longest ever.
Stateroom remodeling consisted of brand new floor-to-ceiling fringed headboards, bedside cabinets, curtains, sofas, pillows, and custom carpets in modern designs of classic stone, velvet, leather, silk, and invigorating linen textures. Technological advancements in design granted Crystal Serenity Blu-ray players, flat screen televisions, and electronic “do not disturb” doorbell systems with contemporary lighting features to compliment the dashing accommodations throughout the ship.
Bright lime green, azure, and mango are now the complimenting colors of the sofas, lounge chairs, and circular pod beds that encompass Crystal Symphony posh pool deck.The redesigned boutique consists of three grandiloquent shopping spaces against a backdrop of rich Zebrano wood and herringbone rosewood, complimented with black-plum-magenta carpeting and leather seating. The largest Christian Dior shop of its kind that isn’t land-based is exclusive to Crystal Cruises dedicated to Dior cosmetics. Going with the timeless theme, the Facets fine jewelry store has a private sales area featuring the mother-of-pearl wall mirroring a jewelry box overall.
The lighting enhancements on the ship add a feng shui of warmth and texture throughout complimenting the art work on the walls and other design elements such as decorative carpets and fabrics. Not all materials arrived on schedule for this massive project, so there are still new furnishings and decorative augmentations to make to the penthouses and penthouse suite verandas. A generous donation plan was enacted in Hamburg shipping all furnishings, electronics, and accessories removed from Crystal Serenity to the Salvation Army and needy communities around the world such as Senegal along the western coast of Africa.
Complete with a professional, top of the line service staff from around the world, Crystal Cruises has earned a reputation for refining hospitality to an art form making it the perfect choice for indulgent travelers for over two decades. Crystal Cruises President Gregg Michel says, “The striking new spaces serve as a stunning new backdrop to the incomparable service and choices that always characterize a Crystal vacation.”
