A PERFECT LUXURY CRUISE aboard the Crystal Cruises - the industry's BEST By Beverly Koval Traveling in luxury on the Crystal Serenity 12 day cruise of the Caribbean and Panama Canal on December 1, 2008 from Miami, Florida to Caldera, Costa Rica was a great experience from beginning to end.   The superior service begins at check-in when a crew member escorts you to your cabin then explains the features and services available during your cruise. It continues as they make you feel like part of the family after only a couple of days be greeting you by name which is just one of the benefits of cruising on a smaller ship. The gourmet food is not only served in the main dinning room but offered in the coffee bar, high tea service and late night snacks in the lounges in formal and casual options. Another benefit of the smaller ship is the great ports of call ranging from small tropical islands to large populated cities. The first port of call in the Caribbean chain of islands was Grand Turks which was the most tropical with beautiful beaches and a bird sanctuary. We progressed to more developed islands at Tortola, St. Barts then to Aruba having both city and tropical areas. The islands offered local museums with native history, guided tours of the island and water activities with the option of visiting the colorful local markets for lots of shopping. The highlight of the cruise was transiting the Panama Canal through three sets of locksand viewing the sights from my balcony cabin. The engineering wonder was built 100 years ago and still meets today's traffic demands for most of the oversized ships. The days at sea offer quest lecturers on topics from acupuncture to the Building of the Panama Canal with classes on computers, photography, language and piano lessons. Other options are napkin folding, needle point, movies, and tours of the galley and back stage or just relaxing with a book in the library or at poolside. The nightly entertainment of shows, magicians, comedians and musical performers vary throughout the cruise to offer new and exciting choices. A great way to enjoy the cruise and reduced the stress of traveling was to select the pre and post night packages. The Port of Miami had great shopping and local entertainment with easy access to an extended island built for the many cruise ships. The Port of Caldera gave access to the city of San Jose where the local culture offered great food and shopping. The packages gave me the option of traveling worry free between the airports and ship to have a great experience from beginning to end! Beverly Koval, MCC   As a cruise expert, I can help you plan your luxury, stylish cruise vacation from choosing the right itinerary, superb stateroom along with giving you recommendations on off shore and onboard activities. Call me today at (808) 566-7606 or email beverlyk@regaltravel.com.