Entertainment
AWARD-WINNING ENTERTAINMENT AT SEA
Uniting West End and Broadway, Hollywood and Vegas
In virtually every industry poll, Crystal Cruises has ranked number one for entertainment, including readership surveys conducted by Condé Nast Traveler and Travel + Leisure magazines. Luxury travelers seek entertainment options as diverse as they are unique when planning vacations to destinations around the world, and Crystal Cruises’ fleet of luxurious ships offer the most extensive and acclaimed entertainment programs in the luxury cruise industry.
“Crystal Cruises is committed to providing the best and most diverse activity and entertainment program afloat for even the most sophisticated and discerning theatre-goers, concert-lovers and dance aficionados,” says Bret Bullock, Crystal’s vice president, entertainment. “With musical styles that range from nostalgic and classical to popular and contemporary, we’re creating an environment that is stimulating, participatory and visually dazzling.”
Entertainment Venues
Galaxy Show Lounge: the main entertainment venue for award-winning Broadway-style production shows and individual acts
Cabaret Lounges: Stardust Club (Serenity) and Starlite Club (Symphony) – a second venue for evening cabaret entertainment and dancing as well as daytime classes, wine tastings, lectures and dance classes taught by international dancers
Palm Court: a top-deck lounge for afternoon tea, evening dancing and entertainment, parties and classical music concerts
Avenue Saloon: Crystal’s signature cocktail and piano bar known for its intimate, “clubby” atmosphere
Connoisseur Club: a refined cigar lounge for after-dinner drinks and conversation
Crystal Plaza and Crystal Cove: the lobby lounge with Crystal piano bar
Crystal Casino: offers slot machines, roulette, craps, baccarat, blackjack tables and the Ultimate Texas Hold’em
Hollywood Theatre: the state-of-the-art theatre showing recent-release and classic movies at least twice a day. The facility features Dolby sound and multi-lingual translation systems, and StarSound Infrared Hearing technology, which allows hearing-impaired guests to wear a lightweight receiver around the neck and hear from anywhere within the room. This amount of dedicated space is a unique feature on today’s luxury ships.
Pulse (Crystal Serenity) and Luxe (Crystal Symphony): late night dancing and karaoke
The Studio: an activity center for a variety of creative, educational hands-on classes
Library: more than 3,000 books, an extensive books-on-tape selection, videos and DVD’s for in-stateroom viewing
Bridge Lounge: complimentary bridge instruction and supervised games offered by an accredited ACBL instructor on every cruise
Computer University@Sea®: a classroom and computer lab with a complimentary 30-course curriculum and 24-hour Internet access
Fantasia: an activity center for children with supervised programs on summer and holiday cruises, Sony PlayStation® and Xbox 360® video games, large-screen television, and board games
Waves: a video arcade for teenagers
Stage Shows
Throughout each cruise, Crystal Symphony and Crystal Serenity showcase a wide variety of elaborate Broadway-style production shows in the Galaxy Lounge, the main lounge with horseshoe-seating and hydraulic-rising stage for optimum viewing. In addition to the sophisticated staging, the award-winning shows each typically feature more than $100,000 worth of costumes. Costumes costing as much as $10,000 each and elaborate sets have been created by award-winning designers with more than 30 years of theatrical experience.
The distinctive “Repertory Theatre at Sea” features troupes of professional actors performing renowned comedic and light dramatic works from famous playwrights, Tony®-award-winning comedies and Broadway hits.
Performers and Entertainment Staff
To ensure that the quality of Crystal Cruises entertainment is competitive with programs available at top theatres, nightclubs and resorts around the country, Bullock and his Los Angeles-based team hire some of the most experienced and talented entertainers in the industry. They look for personable performers who have extensive movie, television or theatre experience. The multi-talented, international troupe consists of ten singers and dancers, including former members of the Bolshoi Ballet and performers from London’s West End theatres.
On Crystal Symphony and Crystal Serenity, the entertainment staff is composed of a cruise director, deputy cruise director, activities hostess, librarian, plus an international hostess and junior activities director on selected sailings.
Ambassador Host Program
Dancing to live music is a nightly highlight in the main show lounges and nightclubs. Whether traveling singly or with others, guests can hone their skills at dance classes taught by award-winning international dancers. Unescorted female guests who love to dance will enjoy Crystal’s Ambassador Host Program. Four to six carefully-screened hosts, with interests and backgrounds similar to Crystal’s onboard guests, serve as dance and conversation partners. Each distinguished Crystal Cruises Ambassador Host is cultured, well-traveled and an accomplished ballroom dancer.
“The primary responsibility of our ambassadors is to encourage camaraderie and to ensure that everyone feels welcome. Like our cruise staff, they help create a friendly, comfortable atmosphere for all our guests. Their activities include everything from joining a shore excursion and hosting a table at dinner to dancing the night away,” states Bullock.
Enrichment
Crystal Cruises boasts the extensive Crystal Visions® Enrichment Program, a lecture and seminar series at sea. Speakers range from high-level ambassadors and foreign diplomats to guest chefs and renowned wine connoisseurs. Other program participants include destination-oriented historians, humorists, popular authors and television journalists, as well as top-name movie celebrities and noted business and financial leaders. Marlin Fitzwater, General Perry Smith, Dr. Harm de Blij, and Ambassador Marc Ginsberg are among the impressive array of speakers who have been featured on board.
“Our guests can interact with some of the most talented and intellectually stimulating experts in the world,” says Bullock.
Theme Cruises
For 2009, 42 of the 61 global itineraries offer Experiences of Discovery with dedicated theme programming. This roster includes a Big Band & Ballroom Dance voyage; Classical Music; Tall Ships; the popular Crystal Wine & Food Festival; a Film & Theater Festival; Golf; Mind, Body & Spirit; Jazz; the annual President’s Cruise; Smithsonian Journeys as well as new focuses in Photography; Emerging Artists; Tennis; Fashion & Style; Ancient Civilizations and Chance & Fortune. Focusing on destination enrichment, or taking advantage of days at sea, the line’s rich collection of themed voyages is designed to reveal the archaeological, natural, cultural or culinary wonders of the world.
Outdoor Activities
Outdoor activities include shuffleboard, table tennis, paddle tennis, a putting green and a golf-driving range. Tournaments and instruction are conducted by a sports director and PGA golf pro on most cruises. Health-conscious guests can stay in shape walking or jogging the full promenade decks or swimming laps in the pool. Independently or with assistance from personal trainers, guests can work out at the fully equipped gymnasium in the Crystal Spa; Salon.
Credit to Crystal Cruises for information on this page.
