I was in Montreal, Quebec for the day on Tuesday, October 22, 2013, enjoying a day trip from Toronto via MegaBus for just $26 return. One unexpected surprise during my 12 hours in Montreal was getting a look at the Crystal Symphony. Because this ship continually cruises around the world and never calls one port home, finding the Symphony makes ‘Finding Waldo’ more like tracking a black dot on a blank white piece of paper.
The Crystal Symphony left Montreal the following day on a ten night Canada / New England cruise, ending in New York City. Along the way, the ship will make stops at Quebec City; Port Saguenay, Quebec; Havre St-Pierre, Quebec; Halifax, Nova Scotia; Bar Harbor, Maine; Boston, Massachusetts and Newport, Rhode Island.
There were still staterooms available the day before. Pricing for the ten night cruise ranged from $3,325 per person for an ocean view stateroom, up to $7,446 per person for a suite. No, Crystal Cruises is not in the same category as Carnival…
The Symphony is relatively old, as far as modern ocean cruise ships go. She was put into service in May, 1995. Since 2006, the Symphony has undergone three major renovations or upgrades. The vessel was built by Kvaemer Masa-Yards in Turku, Finland.
At a gross tonnage of 51,044 and a length of 238 metres or 781 feet, the Symphony is by no means small. She is a Panamax ship, meaning she is of the right size to fit the locks at the Panama Canal. Symphony has a capacity for 922 passengers who have access to eight of the boat’s decks. With 545 crew members, the ratio is less than 2 passengers per one crew member.
After New York City, the Symphony continues south to Miami and Caribbean Sea. Before the end of 2013, she’ll be in South America, stopping in Brazil and Argentina. On December 21, she departs on an 18 night Antarctic cruise. Also visited over the 18 nights will be Uruguay, the Falkland Islands and Chile, disembarking at Valparaiso, Chile. Want to go? Staterooms start at $10,000 with a suite priced at $22,108 (per person).
In 2014, she makes her way across the Pacific and will be in Sydney, Australia in February. Symphony will continue in the South Pacific and Asia until making her way back to North America for May.
On May 15, 2014, Symphony departs Los Angeles, California for New York City. Along the way, she stops in Cabo San Lucas in Mexico and Costa Rica before transiting the Panama Canal. On the other side, she’ll visit Cartegena, Colombia; Georgetown, Grand Cayman; Key West, Florida and Charleston, South Carolina.
For the summer months of 2014, Symphony takes off from New York City for Greenland, Iceland and Northern Europe. She then explores the Baltic/Scandinavia region, the Norwegian Fjords, Western Europe, the British Isles. In October 2014, Crystal Symphony heads back across the Atlantic Ocean from Lisbon, Portugal to Miami, Florida.
Crystal Cruises has operated since 1988. It is a Japanese company with headquarters in Los Angeles, California. Currently, there are two ships: Crystal Symphony and Crystal Serenity. The cruise line’s original ship, the Crystal Harmony, was retired in 2005 but still sees action elsewhere.
Want to book a cruise on this ship (or any other)? I would love to help!
E-mail me: tsamworth@cruiseshipcenters.com
Visit the website: Expedia Cruise Ship Centers Orangeville
Below is a quick video of the Crystal Symphony docked at the Montreal Cruise Port in the Vieux Port area of the city, along the St. Lawrence River. The video is available in HD (just change the settings). Please, hit the ‘Like’ button!
