Recent years have brought major changes to shipboard life and perhaps nowhere are those changes more evident than in the dining rooms. Today, most ships offer far more evening dining venues to choose from than in the past. Also, menus are more creative and more imaginative than every before, often associated with world-renown chefs and restaurants. Plus there’s been an industry-wide “loosening” of dining time schedules. Crystal recognizes all three trends and is fully in step with those changes. Consider:

• Serenity offers FIVE restaurant choices each night!
• Cuisine choices range from award-winning Japanese cuisine to delicious Italian fare
• All alternative dining venues aboard Serenity offer “open-seating”

If you enjoy fine dining that defies all odds, Crystal's Serenity is the ship for you. Our chefs are trained to prepare exquisite dining that we guarantee you'll never forget. The Serenity is equipped with a variety of dinning rooms and restaurant that provides the perfect atmosphere.

• Crystal Cove & Bar
• Crystal Dining Room
• The Bistro
• Avenue Saloon
• Asian Restaurant
• Prego Restaurant
• Sunset Bar
• Trident Bar
• Scoops
• Snack Bar
• 2 Food Counters
• 2 Lido Buffets

The Crystal Dining Room keeps with the line's tradition of assigned seating, offering early (6:30 p.m.) and late (8:30 p.m.) options. The big difference here is the floor to ceiling windows, which remain uncovered even during the late seating when the ship summers in Europe and the sun doesn't set until 9:30 p.m. Menus highlight continental fare, with a nod to the cuisine of an itinerary's ports (in the Western Mediterranean, for example, you can sample a "fisherman's platter" in Gibraltar or a salad Nicoise in Cannes). Still the majority of the dishes tend to be staples, such as Beef Wellington and Dover Sole. Vegetarian selections are also always available, as are healthy options such as roasted chicken and steamed vegetables (both are listed on every menu).

On my cruise, service in the dining room was not as smooth as expected one night, there was a bottle of wine that didn't arrive until almost dessert time and Oysters Rockefeller that were missing the oysters. But, as this was only the ship's second sailing, one can expect that these little glitches will disappear shortly.

On sea days, the ship offers a deck-top barbecue instead of lunch in the dining room. These feasts feature a theme such as a Mediterranean cookout when the ship is near, say, Majorca. But this is not your typical barbecue. Instead, you can choose Italian grilled sardines and Spanish ham with olives. And, on port days, the lunch menu of the dining room is also served buffet-style in the Lido Cafe.

Other lunch options include the Bistro, where you can get cheese and pate and fruit tarts, and Trident Bar and Grill, a poolside option that goes beyond the typical cheeseburgers and fries to include grilled salmon and tuna melts, too. Serenity's ice cream bar, Scoops, serves up over a dozen flavors at all times, as well as toppings and soft-serve frozen yogurt (and, unlike on many other ships, there is no extra charge).

Service has always been a hallmark at Crystal and it remains so on Serenity. One example of how their staff is top-notch is the Trident's ice cream scooper, a Crystal veteran who'd worked on Symphony. "Weren't you on the Symphony in 2000?" I heard him ask one passenger. "Peppermint, right? I never remember names but I always remember a face-and a flavor."

The newest addition to the deck is Tastes, a casual restaurant located across from the Grill. Here, the California Fusion menu includes Cobb Salad and duck quesadillas. It's a refreshingly casual al fresco option, with lots of healthy choices and extended lunch hours. Tastes typically closes at 3:30 p.m., instead of 1:30 p.m. and occasionally reopens for dinner under the stars.

The Serenity has other alternative options at night as well and this is where the ship really stands out as the best of the best. Of course, like on her predecessors, you can reserve a table at Northern Italian-style Prego, where they serve rich Osso Bucco, excellent Veal Milanese, and antipasti.

But it's the Asian restaurant, Silk Road, that is the piece de resistance. Here, the ship features the dishes of Nobu Matsuhisa, chef-owner of New York and L.A.'s famed (and famously hard to get into) Nobu restaurants. You may think that Crystal could never duplicate Nobu's fresh seafood dishes at sea-the light tempura, the high-quality sushi, the Japanese-American fusion cuisine. But you'd be surprised. The menu is a wonderful mix of the restaurant's signatures (such as yellowtail and jalapeno sashimi, and rock shrimp tempura in a sweet and creamy chili sauce) and standards for less adventurous eaters, including lobster spring rolls and chicken teriyaki. And it doesn't stop there. You can order sushi and rolls a la carte for no extra charge (like Prego, Silk Road has a suggested $6 tip per person but no cover charge) and you can even order off the menu. For real sushi lovers, this is where the fun begins. Toro sashimi? They've got it, if you know to ask for it. And there are non-sushi off-the-cart options too. On my trip, I sampled pork cutlets crusted with panko breadcrumbs and served with a very spicy mustard that is, after I saw a Japanese family at the next table enjoying theirs.

The Crystal Dining Room is the ship’s main dining room, offering traditional first and second seating. Here, the cuisine typically features a selection of regionally inspired favorites. The ambiance is refined, elegant, but never stuffy. All waitstaff are European-trained and almost immediately become attuned to each guest’s particular preferences and tastes. The wine list is world renown and tableside preparation of many dishes is the norm – not the exception.

Silk Road features the creations of noted chef Nobu Matsuhisa, well-known for his award-winning restaurants in New York, Los Angeles, Miami and Las Vegas. His Japanese cuisine (with distinct Peruvian and European influences) is featured here aboard Serenity. Within the restaurant is his equally-excellent Sushi Bar where diners can enjoy a glass of sake as their selected sushi is prepared. Although the restaurant and sushi bar offer open-seating, reservations are suggested. A modest fee applies.

Prego Restaurant, Crystal Cruises’ signature dining venue, features a Northern Italian menu prepared by Piero Selvaggio, owner of the acclaimed Valentino restaurant of Los Angeles and Las Vegas. The room is long and relatively narrow, assuring Promenade and sea views from any table. Murals depicting Italian landscapes add richness and warmth to your dining experience. Prego offers open-seating but reservations are suggested and a modest fee applies.

Dine at The Vintage Room, where the extensive wine selection aboard Crystal Serenity is showcased nightly. The great wines of California, France, Italy and Austria are featured here, as well as the best from Chile and Australia/New Zealand. In all, some 20,000 bottles are available from which to choose. To host a private dinner party, reservations are a must and of course, a fee applies. But you and your very lucky guests will never forget the experience!

During mornings and afternoons theLido Cafe serves Serenity’s guests with variety of fresh and creative buffet choices offered amid a casual, easy-going, indoor or outdoor atmosphere. Start your day with made-to-order omelets, waffles and pancakes and then slip back in for lunch for your made-to-order salad or pasta! Deck Buffets featuring Asian, Nuevo Latino, Mediterranean and classic American dishes are featured poolside most afternoons.

The Bistro is a popular Parisian-style coffee bar and café. Located off the upper level of Serenity’s Atrium, it’s a favorite meeting place. Espresso, caffe latte and cappuccino are served in Crystal’s exclusive Bistro Collection of porcelain, created by celebrated artist Guy Buffet. Here, light snacks are served throughout the day, ranging from bagels, smoked salmon, fresh pastries and fruit in the morning to a selection of international cheeses, charcuterie, pastries and other delicacies in the afternoon.

Aboard Crystal Serenity, Tea Time is a special, themed event! “Mozart Tea” features staff dressed in elegant velvets and brocades reminiscent of 18th century Vienna. “English Colonial Tea” provides the traditional pleasures of clotted cream, delicate scones, finger sandwiches and sweets. “American Tea” pays tribute to the classics of the American summertime. Serenity’s Palm Court hosts all of these delightful teas. Speaking of the American classics, there’s the Trident Grill, serving up your hamburger (or cheeseburger, or hot dog, or tuna melt) your way. Gourmet pizza and wraps are also available. Nearby is Scoops, Serenity’s Ice Cream Bar. Sherbets and frozen yogurt - and all the toppings and trimmings – are available here.