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Crystal Serenity in line for more Penthouses, reduced capacity, open-seating dining

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From upper left, clockwise - new dinner restaurant Churrascaria, Waterside (replacing the Crystal Dining Room), Palm Court transformed with more intimate seating, a new Deck 10 Penthouse
The most extensive redesign in the 2003-built Crystal Serenity’s history will add 36 Penthouses and two Penthouse Suites in place of verandah staterooms on Penthouse Deck 10, plus new dining options, technology advances and transformed public spaces.

The added accommodations will offer butler service, walk-in closets, spa-like bathrooms and spacious square footage, just like the existing Penthouses. The new Penthouses wiil measure 403 square feet and the Penthouse Suites 538 square feet. The transformation will reduce the ship’s capacity from 1,070 passengers to 980, while the number of crew will remain the same.

In October, Crystal Serenity will enter dry dock for a three-week refurbishment that mirrors the dramatic changes that debuted last year aboard Crystal Symphony.

Open-seating dining will debut, and restaurants will be redone and renamed. Waterside will take the place of the Crystal Dining Room and reflecting the main dining venues aboard Crystal River Cruises and Crystal Symphony. This centrally located restaurant will continue to serve daily changing menus of international classic and modern cuisine, paired with unlimited fine wines, spirits and beers. More intimate seating with tables for two and four will be added, slightly increasing the overall capacity to 500 diners, while retaining the overall infrastructure of the restaurant.

The Marketplace and Churrascaria will become the new daytime and evening restaurants, respectively, of the current Lido Café. Both venues will feature an open kitchen concept with dishes made to order. The Marketplace will continue to serve an expansive menu of buffet-style breakfast and lunch options and will transform into Churrascaria for dinner. This Brazilian-style barbecue will welcome diners with a traditional Caipirinha cocktail, then offer a wide variety of tapas, ceviche, salads and grilled meats carved and served on sword-like skewers tableside by Crystal 'gauchos.'

Silk Kitchen & Bar, an Asian-inspired venue, will be located in what is now Tastes and feature Chinese comfort food, served family-style. An array of dim sum and seafood will be featured on the dinner menu, while lunch options include favorites from the noodle bar, traditional dumplings and Chinois soup. The space will be completely refitted with new fabrics, lighting and decorative features like illuminated columns and screens to create an elegant alfresco ambiance.

When it comes to the lounges, Palm Court, a favorite gathering spot, will be transformed with more intimate seating. The lounge will receive new finishes, carpeting and more tables for two including a combination of cocktail tables and chairs, wingback chairs with footstools, sofas and coffee tables. The stage will be removed and relocated in an 'in-the-round' concept along with a new, modernized bar area.

The Stardust Club will receive new finishes, seating and tables, a new dance floor and dynamic lighting to support more uses of the space, from bridge tournaments to evening entertainment.

Crystal Serenity’s enrichment facilities will also undergo a redesign. The Computer University@Sea and adjoining classroom, as well as the multipurpose Studio, will receive new carpeting, seating and equipment, along with 70-inch televisions further enhancing the programming offered through Crystal’s Creative Learning Institute and Crystal Visions Lecture Series.

Crystal Serenity will emerge from its dry dock on Nov. 10, embarking at Lisbon on a crossing to Fort Lauderdale's Port Everglades.