Day 1 – Dover, UK
Embarkation was as seamless and hassle-free as always and in
no time at all we were up on deck (in the sunshine, can you believe it)
enjoying a drink and a spot of lunch!
Sailing out of the UK is always a great experience if you
haven’t already tried it. Without a long, hectic airport experience you arrive
onboard ready to start your holiday right away, without the need for quick nap
(although that is allowed of course – you’re on holiday)
Our first dinner was in the wonderful Silk Road restaurant
which is by far my favourite restaurant at sea and ashore come to that. The
food is devine and the staff are so welcoming – a great start to the holiday!
Day 2 – Zeebrugge,
Belgium
Our first morning onboard was a little grey and overcast, so
knowing we had a busy couple of days ahead, we decided to stay onboard and
enjoy all the ship had to offer!
A relaxed morning reading was followed by lunch, a trip to
the gym and the afternoon film (The Madness of King George) in the Hollywood
Theatre! That’s the great thing about Crystal, and I think why guests return
again and again, because if you do just fancy a day onboard, there’s always
something to do if you want to, or there are plenty of places to curl up with a
book and relax if that’s more your thing!
It was a French gastronomic feast in the Main Dining Room
tonight which was delicious but left us thinking we should probably visit the
gym a bit more to work off all the food!
We popped our head round the door of Pulse to see those
brave enough to participate in the Karaoke but after a quick nightcap, headed
for bed.
Day 3 – Amsterdam,
Netherlands (overnight)
As we were in port overnight, giving us 2 days to explore,
we thought we’d go a little further out and got the train out to Den Haag for
the day. With Amsterdam Central Station only a 10 minute walk from the Cruise
Terminal this was really easy to do. The station, ticket machines and departure
boards are easy to navigate and within moments we were on a double-decker train
heading for Den Haag! This is a great town to visit if you have time and really
easy to find your way around – they also have a good bus & tram network.
We headed back to the ship late afternoon and as we were in
overnight, were able to have friends onboard for dinner. There is time
constraints on arranging this as security information is required a certain
number of days before you get into port but a really nice opportunity to see
friends & family while you’re on your travels (and show them the delights
of your floating home!)
Day 4 – Amsterdam,
Netherlands
We started today with a visit to the Anne Frank Haus Museum
– having read Anne’s diary years ago, I couldn’t visit Amsterdam without seeing
her house. It is busy but the queues move quickly and there is a lot to see.
Lunch followed at The Pancake Bakery, just up the road from
the Anne Frank Haus – this was a recommendation from a friend who has lived in
Amsterdam and I’m glad we followed his advice – delicious!
The afternoon was spent on a canal cruise through Amsterdam
– a great way to see more of the city if you don’t have a lot of time – and
very relaxing and informative too!
Leaving Amsterdam, we had to transit a lock which was an
interesting experience and saw a lot of guests out on deck watching. You don’t
often see a ship of Serenity’s size in a lock, together with another ship – it
was a big lock!
Dinner tonight was had relaxing in our stateroom. In
addition to the regular room service menu, you can also order from the Crystal
Dining Room menu, to be served to you course by course, and if you’re in
Penthouse accommodation, you can order in from Silk Road & Prego too.
Day 5 – At Sea
This was our only day at sea on our 7-night sailing so a
chance to relax. Unfortunately the weather wasn’t too sunny so we didn’t manage
to sit out on deck, but there was plenty to keep us occupied.
I went to the destination lecture in this morning which
focused on Oslo (our next port of call). Having never been to Oslo this gave me
a good overall look at what the city had to offer. The lecturer, Dr Fred
Levine, was very knowledgeable and engaging and gave a very informative
lecture.
For the afternoon, it called for another visit to the gym
and then we enjoyed a very funny and interesting lecture by Jeff Greenberg, a
US Casting Director who was responsible for Frasier & Cheers and more
recently, Ugly Betty & Modern Family. This isn’t something you get to know
about in day to day life, but it was fascinating and ended with a very funny
cruise inspired Frasier episode!
Following the lecture, we’d never seen Modern Family, so
headed up to the Library and were able to borrow the complete first season for
the rest of the cruise – they have a really good selection of DVDs onboard,
which is great for a cruise like ours, where the weather may not be as great as
you may like. Oh and Modern Family is hilarious by the way – we’re hooked!
Optional Formal night tonight so we donned the suit and the
cocktail dress and enjoyed a delicious Gala dinner in the Main Dining Room. We
also went to see the show – Rocket Man: A Tribute to Elton John – which sees
the incredible Jonathan Kane taking you through the catalogue of hits of a
living legend. I’m not exaggerating when I say it could’ve been Sir Elton on
the stage – he’s that good!
Day 6 – Oslo, Norway
And the rain has stayed with us, but that didn’t dampen our
enthusiasm to explore! We just jumped on the big red ‘Hop on, Hop off’
sightseeing bus which handily stops right by the Cruise Terminal, and off we
went.
The Opera House in Oslo is an amazing sight, right on the
waterfront and has huge similarities to Sydney’s famous Opera House. It’s well
worth seeing and from the top, gives you a great view over Oslo and the water.
Another place worth visiting in Oslo is Frogner Park which
includes the Vigeland Sculpture Park – Gustav Vigeland's created the 200+ sculptures in bronze, granite and
wrought iron that are throughout the park. It is a magical place and definitely
worth a visit.
Back
onboard, we were in for a treat with the evening entertainment. iLuminate,
winners of America’s Got Talent, have worked with Crystal to produce an
exclusive show ’The Tourist’ which is brilliant and definitely worth a watch.
You can see iLuminate’s work on YouTube!
Day 7 – Helsingborg, Sweden
Well the
rain didn’t leave us so after a swift visit into this small Swedish town, we
decided another day onboard was in order!
It was
also the last day of our trip so unfortunately we had to pack! But best to get
it done early so we could enjoy our last evening onboard, and that we did!
We had a
reservation for Prego, Crystal’s Italian speciality restaurant and it is
certainly a fantastic experience – great food, amazing service and a really
authentic italian experience!
Day 8 – Copenhagen, Denmark
And to
the last day of our holiday – but what a holiday – Crystal Serenity and her
crew gave us the most fanstastic week and we were so well looked after!
But
before we headed home, we had a day in Copenhagen to look forward to! We left
the ship in the morning and took advantage of the Crystal transfer. Because our
flight was in the evening, the Crystal transfer included a hospitality area in
a hotel (including resfreshments), where we could leave our hand luggage during
the day while we explored the city, before being transfered to the airport
later in the afternoon.
Copenhagen
is a beautiful city and certainly our favourite from the cruise. We spent five
hours walking around this compact city and took a lovely boat trip around the
rivers & canals that run through the city, passing by the Little Mermaid
(well you can’t visit Copenhagen without seeing her). We also wandered through
the new Marina, with its brightly coloured houses and saw the Queen’s Palace,
right on the water. Although we didn’t have time to make the most of a visit to
Tivoli Gardens this time, it’s certainly on our list for when we return!
