Returning to award winning Crystal Cruises after a brief flirtation with other cruise lines, I am delighted to report that they are continuing to stay that one step ahead. What I love about returning to Crystal is that every time I come on board, there is always something new to make the experience special – I am sure this is the secret to their high level of repeat passengers. If you travel on Crystal all the time, you begin to take the attention to detail for granted, but in fact it is really special.

There is a wonderful combination of consistency and innovation which means that whilst you always feel at home, there are always surprises and new little touches that tell you someone is really working to improve the experience.

The extensive multi million dollar refurbishment of Crystal Symphony late last year transformed the ship to look once again ‘as good as new’, and I was pleased to be back on board after a break of a couple of years. I really enjoyed the new public areas on deck six including the vast improvement of the Starlite Club, with floor to ceiling panoramic sea views and a sociable circular bar. But a ship cannot be refurbished every day, so what impressed me more were the little changes. One example for me was in the bars: not only do the bartenders remember your preferred drink (an amazing feat on a ship carrying 900 passengers), but they also have something new to offer. They have been retrained to produce fresh and exciting new cocktails with glamorous names and delicious flavours, supported by a redesigned cocktail menu. I know other ships include their drinks, but they don’t have anything as interesting as this, and at $11, I think they are great value (especially with current exchange rate being so good).

Whilst not wanting to sound obsessed, good wine and food is important to me, which must be one of the reasons I particularly enjoy Crystal. I always really enjoy the extensive wine list on Crystal Cruises, with a lot of excellent value mid-priced choices from all over the world, so I was very impressed to hear about new training in place, whereby all sommeliers on the Crystal Symphony and the Crystal Serenity are to be certified by the Court of Master Sommeliers. (I have a friend who is a Master of Wine who tells me that this certification involves practical and theoretical coursework and quite a tough examination.)

The Hotel Manager told me that this autumn there will also be Cheese Sommeliers on board, a designated expert qualified in the preparation, serving and pairing of worldwide cheeses. As the ship sails around the globe, this individual will look for opportunities for guests to sample regional offerings as additions to the regular cheese trolley.

True foodies like me love the Vintage Room Dinners at $180 per person for an eight course tasting menu with complementary wines. When I was on board, I heard that in May, a new concept was introduced, the Ultimate Vintage Room experience priced at $1000 per person, a true connoisseur’s event. This will not be offered every cruise, but just periodically through the year. The May dinner began with a 1996 Cristal Rosé champagne and concluded with a 1983 Château d’Yquem Sauternes. The eight course French dinner was prepared by Master Chef André Soltner, former chef / owner of world-famous Lutèc, paired with, among others a nearly impossible-to-get 1959 Château Lafite Rothschild, Pauillac, Bordeaux and a Screaming Eagle 1996 from Napa Valley, considered its dream year. Although $1000 is a lot of money, in some ways I am quite glad we were not on board when this special dinner took place – it would have been a hard one to resist.

As a regular cruiser, I like to travel on a variety of ships, and every different cruise line has its own attractions and features that make it special . But for me, coming home to Crystal has been all about service, space, choices and quality – the difference is in the details.