World Cruise 2024 Segment Papeete to Auckland aboard Serenity

[Stickman1990]

Crystal Serenity arrives in Papeete on Tuesday evening for a two night stay before departing on Thursday. We board on Wednesday and I dare say we’ll be at the dock bright and early ready to get onboard and meet our friends

 

This will be our return to Crystal after 4 years. We did a similar cruise on Crystal Serenity in February 2020 - hoping for a different outcome than we ended up with back then 😉 - although the World Cruisers have already got a major itinerary change to deal with

 

Hopefully others on this leg will chip in with their contributions as we cross the Pacific and then drop down to Auckland and yes we will be posting Reflections and menus as well as lots of photos from onboard  

 

 

[History&Wine]

Welcome aboard Stickman!  Several cruise critic members are on board.   I suggest a meet and greet.  Say February 25.  A sea day and a Sunday.  Say 4:30 at Palm Court?  That would be prior to music. 
 

Dwight

[Stickman1990]

8 minutes ago, History&Wine said:

Welcome aboard Stickman!  Several cruise critic members are on board.   I suggest a meet and greet.  Say February 25.  A sea day and a Sunday.  Say 4:30 at Palm Court? 

Thanks Dwight - it’s been a long wait to get back on board

 

I look forward to meeting you and other CC members - you never have to ask me twice to be in the Palm Court for a drink in the late afternoon. That will follow on from afternoon tea for me. See you on Sunday at 4.30pm in Palm Court - if we don’t run into each other beforehand 

[travelberlin]

Have a wonderful cruise Terry and Kerry! Looking forward to reading about your experiences. 
 

Ivi

[Txcotn]

Have a great time! Wish we were there too!

[Jinn]

I will be in the Palm , Sunday, the 25th, at 4:30. Looking forward. Which side, Dwight?  Julia/Jinn

[History&Wine]

28 minutes ago, Jinn said:

I will be in the Palm , Sunday, the 25th, at 4:30. Looking forward. Which side, Dwight?  Julia/Jinn

Port side Julia.  The solo gathering if they have one is generally at 5:00 Starboard.  That’s why I choose 4:30  and Port side.  

[LoveBora]

Den and I plan to be there, too.

[seasack]

Feb 21 - reflections. Dinner menu not updated as of now. Will try back later. 

CCA3B1AB-76E0-4CE4-A482-897E0AD0FE38.pdf

[Stickman1990]

22 February

 

Reflections

Reflections 22 February 2024.pdf

 

Waterside

Waterside Breakfast 22 February.pdf

Waterside Lunch 22 February - Closed.pdf

Waterside Dinner 22 February.pdf

 

Tastes

Tastes Lunch 22 February .pdf
Tastes Dinner .pdf

 

Trident

Trident All Day 22 February .pdf

 

Osteria d Ovidio

Osteria Dinner 22 February .pdf

 

Umi Uma

 

Umi Uma 22 February .pdf

 

[gmarsh]

Oh there you are!

 

[USCAdventurer]

stickman,

thanks a million for all the menus and reflecitons!  its really interesting to see how wonderful the menus are every day.  can't wait for my cruise in may.

[Stickman1990]

I hope you’ll enjoy my comments and photos from onboard Crystal Serenity over the next few weeks as we cruise from Papeete to Auckland

 

Yesterday was embarkation day for us and I was keen to board after 4 years absence from Crystal. During that time we’ve sailed Explora Journeys, Regent, Silversea and even Viking - so I think we’ve got some good recent comparison points but more on that in later posts 

 

We had the easiest processing ever - no waiting or lines, and only the normal security checks before boarding. Lots of familiar faces among the crew that greeted us. Our room was ready so we got settled in then looked around the ship. Very familiar and many things have not changed but there has been some refurbishment of areas like the bistro which I’ll touch on our the next few weeks 

 

We dined for lunch in Waterside and then joined our friends at the Grill before heading up to our favourite lounge, the Palm Court. I also stopped by the library and caught up with Liezel the librarian and picked up our tickets for the magic show 

 

We got settled into our suite and put everything away and met our Butler, Roland from Goa and suite attendants, Maria & Mangkung - lovely and willing to ensure our stay on board was perfect

 

Then it was off to the Cove for drinks and catching up with other guests and crew we know. We eventually made it to Waterside for dinner where Leo has noted us affectionately as “those Aussies” - and there were so many other familiar faces including the great sommelier Mila who has let me know about some of the new wines on board including a new Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc from Greywacke Vineyards, so we tried that and it was very nice with the Ahi Tuna and then Mahi Mahi fish courses I chose

After dinner we caught the end of the local Tahitian performers show and then I headed to the Avenue where an excellent entertainer, Neal Fullerton was playing the piano and guitar. It’s the first time I’ve seen him but I can see he’s going to be a lot of fun - and he tried to please on every request, even managing a few rifts on the guitar from Stairway to Heaven for me. After a quick checkin in Pulse the nightclub which was dead - I was the only guest but it gave me a chance to chat with Rob the DJ, I headed off to get some rest

Photos aren’t uploading at the moment but I’ll try and add some later on 

 

Edited February 22 by Stickman1990

[oakridger]

Terry, I'm excited to read your postings on this cruise.  My last Crystal trip was on Symphony on the segments from Papeete to Auckland then to Sydney, so it brings back so many good memories!

 

Have a blast!

 

~Nancy

[saminina]

8 hours ago, Stickman1990 said:

 Very familiar and many things have not changed but there has been some refurbishment of areas like the bistro which I’ll touch on our the next few weeks 

Searching for the areas of refurbishment in the bistro.......I'm missing it.

[Stickman1990]

1 hour ago, saminina said:

Searching for the areas of refurbishment in the bistro.......I'm missing it.

It was totally gutted back to bare metal so it’s all new and therefore redecorated - main impact was the serving area / bar was pushed back to be flat across the back giving a little more usable space for seating 

[Stickman1990]

23 February

 

Reflections

 

Reflections 23 February 2024.pdf

 

Waterside

 

Waterside Lunch 23 February.pdf 

Waterside Dinner - Formal Night 23 February.pdf

 

All Day Dining (Room Service)

 

Room Service - All Day.pdf

[Stickman1990]

The Drinks menu in Palm Court - it’s representative of what’s onboard but there will be other drinks available in some of the other bars that may not be on the list and the wine list is only a sample - there is a much wider selection available with meals 

I think this is worthy of a dedicated post

[Stickman1990]

Papeete & Sailing en route to Rarotonga 

 

We were in port for most of the day but we decided to stay on board and relax visiting some of our favourite spots around the ship and catching up with many of our friends on board 

 

Breakfast was in Marketplace, a traditional buffet style with lots of different selections on offer, we also dined with our friend Jean who is one of the knitting ladies we’ve met on earlier cruises - it was great to catch-up with her

 

We spent time up in Palm Court and my wife got her knitting into action and of course met and chatted with a fellow knitter. While the formal knitting get together is tomorrow it doesn’t take long for the knitters to find each other. It is great that Crystal continue to include a knitting instructor on the World Cruise segments although I know the ladies would still meet to knit and chat even if there wasn’t a formal programme

 

Then we found our way to the Bistro for coffee where we met our good friends who were trying to do some work before we decided to interrupt them for a chat. Probably a good time to mention the internet service on board - so far so good - it’s fast enough at around 6Mbps down and 2Mbps up and so far I’ve been able browse and post ok but it’s certainly not the fastest we’ve experienced at sea - fingers crossed that it continues to deliver as we cross the Pacific

 

Yes I know this is turning into one of those what did he eat next then posts but trust me we did restrain ourselves to little and often snacking. So for lunch we went to Tastes which is a lovely semi outdoor venue with lots of light and sun flooding in below a glass cover (a long time ago it was a pool area but that was removed and the dining area added) - caesar salad and shrimps for me and Mexican quesadillas for my wife with a side of potsticker dumplings to share 

 

We then enjoyed some time in our suite and just read and relaxed. I’ve haven’t included pictures of our room which is spacious and well appointed - we’re in a classic Aquamarine on deck 10 and happy to answer any questions about it if you have any

We popped in for afternoon tea in Palm Court and sampled some of the treats on offer 

 

We dined at the Italian specialty restaurant, Osteria d’ Ovidio with friends who are doing the full world cruise and enjoyed a leisurely 3 hour dinner. This is a new restaurant onboard so we enjoyed trying different dishes and were not disappointed with any of them 

 

After dinner I went to the show which was Crystal in Motion, an introductory show featuring the resident entertainers, band and ensemble - there’s a lot of entertainment talent on Crystal and it’s top quality - we look forward to their upcoming shows. I don’t think it’s too early to call it on this area - in my view they are the best of all the resident entertainment we’ve experienced on the other 5 luxury cruise lines. Unfortunately Crystal have decided to stop the preshow drinks service in the theatre but rest assured no one will find a lack of drinks around the ship 

 

I had a nightcap in the Avenue and discovered yet another friend from previous cruises and caught up with her travels over the last few years

 

I’m still struggling with getting pictures to post on here so it’s a bit random what uploads. It’s weird as I’m able to post them on other social media without issue 

[May B]

17 hours ago, Stickman1990 said:

It was totally gutted back to bare metal so it’s all new and therefore redecorated - main impact was the serving area / bar was pushed back to be flat across the back giving a little more usable space for seating 

Terry, I was thinking you’re on Serenity, which always had the serving area flat across the inside wall. It’s Symphony that has it in the middle of the room.

 

I could be wrong. Heck, I hope to live to be wrong many more times in my lifetime.

 

As I understand it, the wallpaper, the light sconces, and the table ware are new.

[Texas Tillie]

3 minutes ago, May B said:

Terry, I was thinking you’re on Serenity, which always had the serving area flat across the inside wall. It’s Symphony that has it in the middle of the room.

 

I could be wrong. Heck, I hope to live to be wrong many more times in my lifetime.

 

As I understand it, the wallpaper, the light sconces, and the table ware are new.

Yes, the serving area is where it always was on Serenity. Not sure if the bar area was changed. Tables, chairs, wallpaper, sconces are all new. 

[Theobald]

5 hours ago, Stickman1990 said:

The Drinks menu in Palm Court

Thanks for the drinks info. Always best to be prepared. We board in Auckland.

[Stickman1990]

3 hours ago, May B said:

Terry, I was thinking you’re on Serenity, which always had the serving area flat across the inside wall. It’s Symphony that has it in the middle of the room.

Come to think about it I think you’re right - it’s been too many coffee laces for me in the last year or two. But I’m pretty sure they actually gutted the bistros and did a complete rebuild (could be wrong though) 

[May B]

53 minutes ago, Stickman1990 said:

Come to think about it I think you’re right - it’s been too many coffee laces for me in the last year or two. But I’m pretty sure they actually gutted the bistros and did a complete rebuild (could be wrong though) 

I was not sure about that part. Maybe it was just the casino area that was gutted? I think the shops stayed the same, except for the new one between the ex-casino space and the deck six exit area.

 

 

[Stickman1990]

24 February

 

Reflections 

Reflections 24 February 2024.pdf

Edited February 24 by Stickman1990