Cruise Buzz

Live from Arrecife, Lanzarote, Spain

Port Buzz: Review of Crystal Serenity in Arrecife, Spain. Discover what cruise passengers can do in the Canary Islands.

Crystal Serenity docked in Arrecife, on the island of Lanzarote, this morning. Although there was a slight chance of rain, we were graced with sunny skies all day. I spent the best part of yesterday living-large in my Penthouse Verandah, which has the most amazing bed. Who could blame me, really. I endured three flights to get meet the ship and when I met her, it was a sight for sore eyes (and a sore back). I promise to write more about that later because there are some new features on Crystal Serenity and cruise fans of the luxury ship will be thrilled.

Breakfast is the best way to start your day…

I might as well introduce you to Jason, my butler on Crystal Serenity. Cruise guests staying in one of the three Penthouse categories will get the exclusive use of personal butler service. The extra touches that Jason brings to my cruise experience are enormous.  For starters, after 24 hours on the ship, Jason has memorized my favorite foods, my drink preferences, he has helped me deliver handwritten notes, and he helps make reservations for me…

Yes, my conservative father is sitting on my shoulder telling me that calling the butler with my room service order might keep Jason from the other guests, but guess what? Crystal Cruises has one of the highest staff to guest ratios so… that means if I don’t call the butler, he might get bored…. I will write more about about making the best use of a butler and how it can help cruisers have the best cruise ever in another dispatch. For now, I will get back to life in port and what I did with my shore leave.

 

Lanzarote, Island of the Moon

Last time I visited “the island of the moon” (the nickname for Lanzarote, which refers to the landscape caused by a volcano erupting in 1730) I toured Timanfaya and saw Fire Mountain. So today, I took advantage of the free shuttle bus to explore the downtown scene in Arrecife.

Arrecife Highlights

Passengers were conveniently dropped off next to the hop-on-hop-off train or better yet the train knew that cruise passengers would be dropped off at the tour bus depot. In any event, a lot of us decided to pay the 4 Euro fee for a quick ride around the waterfront.

Once the majority of the ride is over, guests can get off the train and explore on their own. I made it out to the beach adjacent to the main pedestrian shopping street, Calle Léon y Castillo.     The capital city of Arrecife, means “reef” in Spanish. was named after the many volcanic rock reefs and islets along the coast that form the city’s magnificent seafront promenade. I chose to walk back to the bus (instead of hopping back on the train) and it was a good idea because the  fishing boats around the El Charco de San Gines lagoon were really quaint. Once I returned to the ship, I had plenty of time to enjoy the pool (the heated salt water is amazing). Keep up with the buzz….A complete list of all the articles in the series can be found here.