Ambassador Hosts

On every sailing, Crystal Cruises offers a host program that includes carefully screened gentlemen with interests and backgrounds similar to those of our guests. Each distinguished Ambassador Host is cultured, well traveled and an accomplished ballroom dancer.

Bars & Lounges

The ships offer a variety of bar and lounge venues, including the Avenue Saloon, The Bistro, casino, Crystal Cove, Galaxy Lounge, Palm Court, Pulse (Crystal Serenity), Stardust Club (Crystal Serenity), Starlite Club (Crystal Symphony), Sunset Bar (Crystal Serenity) and Trident Bar. Each features a unique style and atmosphere, as well as different hours of service.

You may have beverages delivered to your stateroom by calling Room Service. Charges may be applied to your shipboard account.

Guests must be at least 18 years old to be served wine and beer, and at least 21 years old to be served spirits. When docked or anchored in U.S. ports, within the three-mile limit, guests must be at least 21 years old to be served any alcoholic beverages.

Beauty Salon

The Crystal Salon offers a range of beauty services for women and men, performed by trained professionals. Featured services include haircuts, hairstyling, coloring, facials and skin analysis, manicures and pedicures.

Bridge Games & Lessons

Complimentary Bridge instruction and supervised games are offered by an accredited ACBL instructor on every cruise.

Business Services

Conference and meeting facilities are available on board. Secretarial and copying services are available upon request for a nominal charge, as is private e-mail and Internet access through our Computer University@Sea. Fees apply.

Communication

Mail
Prior to the departure date, you receive a list of embarkation and disembarkation ports where mail can be forwarded or delivered to you on board. Postage and mailing services are available on board. Be sure to allow sufficient time for delivery to distant destinations.

Telephone
Crystal ships are equipped with a sophisticated telephone system that allows you to make direct-dial satellite phone calls from your stateroom. The ship telephone number is included in your travel documents before sailing.

Calls are billed to your shipboard account or a major credit card. However, please be aware that the per-minute cost to use this system is significantly higher than a normal shoreside call. You may also wish to use pay phones located in various ports of call.

E-mail
Crystal Cruises offers a 24-hour private e-mail system through our Computer University@Sea. Your personal e-mail address is included on your cruise ticket. Details are provided with cruise documents or you may contact your travel agent for more information. Fees apply.

Facsimile
Facsimile services are available. Fees apply.

Internet Access
See "Computer University@Sea."

Butler Service

Available to guests in categories PH, PS and CP, your own personal butler attends to every detail of your stay.

Currency / Shipboard Accounts

At the beginning of the cruise, for your convenience and to expedite the settlement of your account, you are requested to have an imprint of your credit card and your signature taken at the Reception Desk. Your shipboard account and charges may be settled with cash (in U.S. dollars), traveler's checks, MasterCard^®, VISA^®, American Express^®, Diners Club^® or Discover Card^®. Personal checks of up to a per-cruise total of $2,000 per person may be cashed on board for personal use and to settle your shipboard account. Credit card payments and personal checks are subject to credit clearance. For our guests' convenience, a local foreign currency exchange service is available on board in certain ports.

Daily Program

The Reflections daily program is delivered to your stateroom each evening to help you plan for the next day. It is a valuable guide to the activities on board, including a complete schedule of the day's events, hours for the ship's diverse venues and important announcements. It also contains entertaining articles on ports of call, personality profiles of shipboard officers, staff, entertainers and Crystal Visions Enrichment Program lecturers, facts about cruising and a great deal more.

Dancing & Dance Lessons

Crystal Cruises offers an abundance of dancing opportunities and venues, each with its own style and ambiance. Stardust Club (Crystal Serenity), Starlite Club (Crystal Symphony) and the Palm Court offer dancing before or after dinner on most evenings. Starlite Club (Crystal Symphony) and Pulse (Crystal Serenity) offer late-night dancing to the music you request from our disc jockey.

Our professional dance instructors offer complimentary classes in the most popular dance steps as our distinguished Ambassador Hosts await to escort ladies onto the dance floor.

Electrical Appliances

Both 110-volt (American current) and 220-volt (European current) outlets are available in each stateroom; two hair dryers are also provided. If you have any questions about compatibility of appliances, please ask your stewardess.

Laundry / Valet Services

Complete valet services are available, including laundry, pressing and dry cleaning. Services may be arranged through your stateroom stewardess, or through your butler if you are in categories PH, PS or CP. Valet charges are billed to your shipboard account. Pressing is offered free of charge to Penthouse guests in categories PH, PS and CP. Complimentary self-service launderettes, including washing machines, detergents, fabric softeners, dryers, irons and ironing boards are provided on Decks 8, 9 and 10 (Crystal Symphony); and Decks 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 (Crystal Serenity).

Library

Our well-stocked Library contains over 2,000 books on subjects ranging from classics to popular biographies, history to contemporary mysteries. There is also a selection of over 1,000 movie titles plus board games which may be checked out free of charge for your enjoyment during the cruise.

Medical Services

Medical staff are on call 24 hours a day. The professional services of this staff, as well as certain medications, are available on board at reasonable costs. Guests requiring ongoing medication, or having specific dietary needs, are advised to bring an ample supply of medication or dietary supplements with them in their carry-on luggage.

Portable oxygen tanks and concentrators may be used on board, provided Crystal Cruises is notified in writing, no later than 30 days prior to sailing, that a guest is bringing his or her own oxygen equipment, and has made direct arrangements with an independent medical contractor who has agreed to undertake all required arrangements without involving the ship's onboard Medical Center and its personnel. The oxygen-dependent guest must travel with a companion who is also completely familiar with the operation of the concentrator.

Oxygen-dependent guests are limited to those cruises on which they can be properly supported by equipment vendors and which have itineraries that will easily allow medical disembarkation if it should be required. The number of oxygen-dependent guests using portable equipment is very limited on any cruise. Requests for oxygen equipment for a specific cruise will be processed in the order of date received.

Guests with existing medical conditions, guests who cannot completely care for themselves and who may require treatment by the ship's medical staff, or guests who may constitute a risk or danger to anyone else on board must be reported in writing to Crystal Cruises' Onboard Guest Services Department prior to departure. Crystal Cruises reserves the right, without liability, to refuse to board and transport such guests who are in need of constant care by the ship's staff.

Luggage

All check-in luggage is collected outside your stateroom door on the last night of your cruise in order to be cleared through Customs before disembarkation. Please do not pack critical travel documents such as passports, wallets and air tickets in your check-in luggage. You may wish to pack a small overnight bag to keep your personal items and identification with you for the morning.

News Service

While you relax and unwind at sea, you can still stay in touch with the world. CNN, ESPN, CNBC, and FOX News are transmitted live via satellite to your stateroom television, 24 hours a day (signal permitting). A summary of daily news is transmitted via satellite to the ship (reception permitting) and is distributed to staterooms each day.

Parties & Special Occasions

Our bar manager is happy to make arrangements for any special occasions or parties. The bar manager can provide you with available packages including waiters, bartenders, special hors d'oeuvres and invitations. Housekeeping can assist with arrangements for small gatherings in staterooms.

Photo Shop

The Crystal Photo Shop meets a wide range of photographic needs, including the sale and development of film, digital processing, cameras and other photographic accessories. Our professional photographers are often on shore to capture memorable moments in port, and on hand to take portraits of guests during special occasions throughout the cruise. These photos are on display and available for purchase at the Photo Shop on board.

Religious Services

Jewish and Protestant services are available during major holidays, and Catholic services are offered on most cruises. Interdenominational services are performed on Sundays at sea. Details on the services are provided in the Reflections daily program.

Shipboard Services

Our staff takes pride in making sure your entire journey goes smoothly, from beginning to end.

Concierges
The concierges, members of the prestigious Union Internationale "Les Clefs d'Or," and a 24-hour Reception Desk staff are available to assist you with any special shipboard or shoreside needs.

Cruise Sales Consultant
Our shipboard sales representative provides itinerary details and fares, and is on board to assist you with starting a future reservation on Crystal Cruises. All bookings made on board are returned to your travel agent, and for most cruises you will receive special Onboard Booking savings, as well as a repeat guest (Crystal Society) discount.

Crystal Society Host/ess
Our Crystal Society Host/ess is on every cruise to welcome first-time cruisers into the Crystal Society and to acquaint members with all the benefits and rewards of being a part of the Crystal family.

Shore Excursions

An extensive selection of Crystal Adventures shore excursions has been developed to enhance your cruise experience. Options include sightseeing, flightseeing and adventure tour programs. Activity levels vary from tours requiring less walking to more active excursions such as cycling and kayaking, each providing you with an opportunity to explore the points that interest you most at the ports you are visiting. All Crystal Adventures shore excursions may be pre-reserved. 

A book of Crystal Adventures shore excursion options is included with your pre-cruise documents so that you can familiarize yourself with the tours available prior to embarkation. Once on board, you can book your tours through the ship's Shore Excursions Desk. The Shore Excursions staff also offers informative talks on each port of call, providing shopping tips and things to look forward to while ashore.

Wheelchair Access & Facilities for the Physically Challenged

Our ships were designed to be accessible for the physically challenged, with ramp access to most decks and public areas. Ships' elevators can accommodate standard-size wheelchairs (22.5" wide) allowing access to all public decks.

Certain staterooms offer extra-wide doors, fully wheelchair-accessible bathrooms and "wheel-in" closets with low-fitted hanging rods. Some suites offer limited wheelchair access to personal facilities. Please note that these staterooms and suites are subject to availability and must be requested at the time of booking.

Wheelchair-bound guests must bring their own junior/adult standard-size wheelchair (22.5" wide) and must be accompanied by a traveling companion for better access to all areas on and around both ships.

Some ports of call are anchorage ports and physical conditions may preclude our guests in wheelchairs from going ashore. This decision is made by the ship's Captain or doctor, and is binding.

The Shore Excursions staff may assist with recommendations on which Crystal Adventures tours, if any, are best suited for physically challenged guests. Personal assistants may be available to provide wheelchair or other individual services to guests participating in shore excursions; the assistance may be requested at the Concierge Desk for an additional fee.

For the hearing-impaired, the Hollywood Theatre is equipped with a StarsSound Infrared Hearing System. Crystal Symphony and Crystal Serenity also offer closed-captioned programming on selected television programs. Guests should contact the Reception Desk to activate this feature.