This was my second cruise on Crystal. The first cruise was on the Serenity in 2010. The two ships are similar though the Serenity is larger. I preferred the Serenity, but I preferred the decor on the Symphony.

I selected this cruise for the itinerary which was excellent. It was round trip from Dover, England and there were only two sea days. The ports were Edinburgh (two days), Belfast, Dublin, Holyhead, Waterford, Portland, and St. Peter Port. We had smooth seas and good weather.

On my last cruise there was an "as you like it" credit that could be used for everything aboard ship, but Crystal recently switched to being all-inclusive. However that does not include shore excursions and their shore excursions tend to be pricey. Most of the ports on this itinerary were a distance from the city. Shuttles were provided free in all ports except St. Peter Port which was within walking distance. In two ports (Edinburgh and Dublin) I utilized the hop on hop off buses which worked out well. Read more