''Crystal Serenity'' is a

cruise ship Cruise ships are large passenger ships used mainly for vacationing. Unlike ocean liners, which are used for transport, cruise ships typically embark on round-trip voyages to various ports of call, where passengers may go on Tourism, tours k ...

owned by Crystal Cruises. ''Crystal Serenity'' was built in 2003 by

Chantiers de l'Atlantique Chantiers de l'Atlantique is a shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, Saint-Nazaire, France. It is one of the world's largest shipyards, constructing a wide range of commercial, naval, and passenger ships. It is located near Nantes, at the mouth of the Loire, ...

in St. Nazaire.Technical information - STX Europe AS - Crystal Serenity
''STX Europe AS''. Retrieved 8 May 2010 She operated together with her older fleetmate, '' Crystal Symphony'', offering around the world voyages.

Concept and construction

''Crystal Serenity'' was ordered from Chantiers de l'Atlantique on 7 November 2000.Crystal Cruises Orders New Build
Press Release. ''Crystal Cruises''. 7 November 2000. Retrieved 10 May 2010 The keel of ''Crystal Serenity'' was laid on 13 June 2002 and she was launched on 10 August 2002 being completed on 30 June 2003. She was formally named on 3 July 2003, by Dame Julie Andrews, in

Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. The lead designer of ''Crystal Serenity'' was Robert Tillberg of Tillberg Design. The other designers were the Italian Garroni Designers Company, Japanese Okada & Associates, American Nix Firestone Associates and II by IV design Associates, British Stephenjohn Design and was internally designed by Brennan Beer Gorman Monk (BBGM) of New York. In November 2018 she emerged from an extensive redesign at Lloyd Werft Bremerhaven.

Mama Lee Wachtstetter

Passenger Lee Wachtstetter, known as "Mama Lee", 88 years old in 2016, lived aboard the ''Crystal Serenity'' full-time. She was the longest permanent luxury cruise ship resident. In 2018, she reached 10 years living aboard the ship. She spent about US$170k a year to live on the ship full-time.

Ports of call

The maiden voyage of ''Crystal Serenity'' was on 7 July 2003, 4 days after her christening. It was a 14-day round-trip cruise, departing Southampton and cruising Northern Europe. During her inaugural season, ''Crystal Serenity'' held summer cruises in Europe, the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern Eur ...

, and a transatlantic crossing. It was followed by two Caribbean/

Panama Canal The Panama Canal () is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Caribbean Sea with the Pacific Ocean. It cuts across the narrowest point of the Isthmus of Panama, and is a Channel (geography), conduit for maritime trade between th ...

voyages and a combined Christmas/New Year Mexican Riviera cruise, round-trip from

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. On 14 January 2004, she embarked on her first world cruise; a 106-day voyage departing Los Angeles, which concluded on 5 May, in New York City. ''Crystal Serenity'' was the largest cruise ship ever to navigate the Northwest Passage. Starting on 10 August 2016, the ship sailed from

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

with 1,700 passengers and crew, taking 28 days for the journey. In the Canadian Arctic she made stops at Ulukhaktok and Cambridge Bay on Victoria Island, then passed up Franklin Strait and through the narrow Bellot Strait, adjacent to Zenith Point, the most northerly extension of North America. It explored Beechy Island where Franklin overwintered, followed by seldom visited fjords on the south side of

Devon Island Devon Island (, ) is an island in Canada and the largest desert island, uninhabited island (no permanent residents) in the world. It is located in Baffin Bay, Qikiqtaaluk Region, Nunavut, Canada. It is one of the largest members of the Arctic Ar ...

, plus fjords on Baffin Island and the village of Pond Inlet. On 5 September 2016 it sailed for Disko Bay in Greenland. Her transit triggered comments on Canada's Arctic sovereignty. On 27 November 2021, ''Crystal Serenity'' was the first large cruise ship to exceed the size limits set by the citizens of

Key West Key West is an island in the Straits of Florida, at the southern end of the U.S. state of Florida. Together with all or parts of the separate islands of Dredgers Key, Fleming Key, Sunset Key, and the northern part of Stock Island, it con ...

in November 2020.

Arrest

In January 2022, a warrant was issued for the arrest of the ship should she reenter US waters. On 4 February 2022, both ''Crystal Serenity'' and her sister, '' Crystal Symphony'' were arrested while in Bahamian waters. The total amount owed for fuel was reported to be about 4.6 million dollars. In June 2022 she was sold at auction to CSE Ltd., reported to be a

shell corporation A shell corporation is a company or corporation with no significant assets or operations often formed to obtain financing before beginning business. Shell companies were primarily vehicles for lawfully hiding the identity of their beneficial ...

for the actual buyer, for $103M USD. In July 2022, the ship underwent refurbishment in

Trieste Trieste ( , ; ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital and largest city of the Regions of Italy#Autonomous regions with special statute, autonomous region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, as well as of the Province of Trieste, ...

, Italy. After completion, the ship re-entered service on 31 July 2023.

Media

''Crystal Serenity'' was the subject of '' Mighty Ships'' season 6, episode 3, first broadcast 2012.

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Crystal Serenity Cruise ships Ships built by Chantiers de l'Atlantique 2002 ships