SMOOTH SAILING ON CRYSTAL CRUISE OF CARIBBEAN, PACE IS AS GENTLE AS A TRADEWIND.

Byline: STORY AND PHOTOS BY ERIC NOLAND Travel Editor

ABOARD THE CRYSTAL SERENITY -- The stars have some competition tonight. As our ship makesits way among the Leeward Islands of the Caribbean's Lesser Antilles, there is a low, dark hump out there on the water, adorned with a glittering string of lights.

Subsequent investigation would reveal that it is St. Barthelemy, just eight square miles, punctuated with a burst of light that is the peninsular town of Gustavia.

Though this is the middle of December, it is balmy here in the tropics, with a nighttime temperature in the high 70s and only the slightest breath of wind on the topmost deck of the Crystal Serenity. Though many diversions beckon in the lounges and theaters below, there is no particular hurry to leave this tranquil setting.

It also illustrates why a cruise is a desirable way to visit the Caribbean. In the fishhook-like arc that stretches from Florida to South America, there are more than 7,000 islands, many of them just specks. Getting to multiple islands otherwise involves short-hop flights to tiny airports and the occasional ferry-boat ride.

This type of trip provides a taste of several islands. It's probably not for the steadfastly independent traveler, in that eight-hour port calls don't permit the option of lingering for a couple of days. But the itinerary does provide clues as to which islands warrant an extended revisit (Bonaire, definitely; Antigua and Barbados, possibly; Grenada and Aruba, no thanks).

A cruise also removes much of the fuss and stress of travel, an important consideration for older travelers. You unpack once. You never have to worry about finding a good restaurant for dinner. You get to see a lot of sea. And someone else drives.

Many of the major cruise lines visit Caribbean islands that are a short hop from south Florida. But our 10-day cruise began with two blissful at-sea days, as we steamed to the extreme southern reaches of the region, the Lesser Antilles, just a few miles off the coast of Venezuela.

The pace was languid throughout, owing to the mild climate and relatively calm waters (all those islands form a kind of breakwater against the tempestuous Atlantic). Before long, the shipboard rhythms conformed to it.

Each morning at breakfast, we would look over the day's program, surveying fitness classes, lectures on archaeology, art auctions, movies, golf lessons. We'd mark the thing up with a highlighter pen, identifying the day's possibilities. But somehow we rarely got to a tenth of those.

It was just too inviting to walk the promenade deck that encircled the ship and gaze out over the ocean, or play a game of Ping-Pong, or retire to a lounger in the stern and read.

We were always sure to roust ourselves for midafternoon high tea in the best public space on the ship, the Palm Court, which has a 180-degree sweep of windows in the prow. Ah, the flute-violin-piano trio is playing a Mozart adagio. ``Clotted cream with your scone, ma'am?''

A cruise with Crystal is a profoundly indulgent experience. The Los Angeles-based company strikes an intriguing balance, combining the comforts and intimacy commonly associated with the small-ship luxury lines yet with the seaworthiness of an intermediate-size ship.

One passenger remarked on how rough her passage had been up the coast of western Europe in a 10,000-ton, 208-passenger Seabourn ship. She commented on the comparative stability of the 68,000-ton Serenity, which carries a maximum of 1,080 passengers. (Some of the mainstream behemoths are twice the weight and carry three times the passengers.)

On our sailing in the slack tourist season of early December, there were 801 passengers aboard, looked after by 650 crew and staff. Put a pencil to paper to work out that ratio and you'll get a clue as to the degree of special attention on this trip.

``I used to do a lot of work on service quality, where there's a lot of contact between the company and the customer,'' said passenger Dodie Simmons of Denver, who formerly did market research for a telephone company. ``So many of the people providing service -- from the front desk to the waiters to the pool deck attendants -- are focusing on you. They're not looking over to someone they're going to next.''

Tommy D.M. Lee of Los Angeles encountered much the same. ``In the hospitality business, it's not easy,'' he said. ``Every week they see new faces and have to put on showtime, but they're very genuine with the showtime.''

We found that many of the servers and attendants, after getting our cabin number for a bar bill, thereafter addressed us by name. Also, if you walked into a public area and looked around with the vaguest degree of puzzlement -- seeking a table, a towel, a drink, directions to a restroom -- someone approached immediately to lend assistance.

Perhaps best of all, we never heard the words, ``Just a minute, let me get your server.''

Crystal provides a refined experience on board, treating its passengers like adults -- a welcome departure from the summer-camp environment that is found on so many cruise ships. Public-address announcements are kept to an absolute minimum -- none of that ``Join us now for line-dance lessons on the Lido Deck! And be sure to try today's drink special ...'' The line also recognizes that not every passenger wants to approach the cruise like a big mingle-fest. There are tables for two at dinner, if you wish one. And at breakfast or lunch, you're not jammed together with strangers at tables set for eight.

Cell-phone use, meanwhile, is kept in check through a devilishly clever system that spares crew members the thankless task of being communication cops. Crystal installed ``quiet zone'' technology from SeaMobile, which simply blocks signals in such locales as the dining room and the theaters. ``One of the biggest complaints about cell service is people don't want to be disturbed on their cruise at dinner or in a show, but they still want to stay in touch with family and friends or their businesses back home,'' said Crystal spokesman Shawn Magnuson.

As for entertainment, I'm convinced that there is only one cruise ship show and it just makes the rounds of all the lines -- a revue of Broadway numbers from the '50s through the '80s, with singers and hoofers and elaborate costumes. (Do we really need to hear ``Don't Cry for Me, Argentina'' again?) That lounge show is here, too, though with ramped-up production values and better talent.

But there's more. Our cruise featured two performances by Dale Kristien, who played Christine opposite Michael Crawford in the Los Angeles company of ``Phantom of the Opera.''

Another entertainment high point was a recital by classical pianist Sujeeva Hapugalle. Her program included a couple of intricate Chopin numbers and a piece from Ravel that was fitting for the setting: ``Une barque sur l'ocean'' (a boat over the ocean).

Crystal also deserves plaudits for not nickel-and-diming its guests. Bottled water and gourmet coffee are included in the fare, and while the Serenity has two premium restaurants conceived by celebrity chefs -- the Asian-themed Silk Road and Sushi Bar by Nobu Matsuhisa and the Italian-flavored Prego by Piero Selvaggio -- passengers aren't slapped with a surcharge for choosing them over the dining room; they're just asked to leave a tip for the service staff.

Dining on the ship was, for the most part, excellent. On many cruise lines, they trumpet how often you'll be able to eat, and how much. Here, the emphasis is more on how well. No one really mentions quantity or frequency of opportunity, though there is certainly no skimping on either.

Neither are lavish buffets a focal point of the experience. There were a few, and they were well-attended, but most of the passengers we talked to seemed to prefer the more civilized routine of table service and modest portions.

In that realm, Silk Road produced the culinary highlight of our voyage. The Sushi Bar occupies the same room and is intended to be a casual, impromptu dining option (no reservations are taken). But our waiter seemed to take delight in embellishing the Silk Road menu with the craft work of the sushi chefs.

A procession of delectable morsels soon made its way to our table: tuna tataki, yellowtail sashimi, white fish, shrimp tempura roll, soft shell crab roll, wagyu beef, spicy tuna roll, tamago, and an absolutely heavenly concoction, salmon tartare with caviar.

Somehow, we still wound up with Silk Road appetizers -- pan-seared diver scallops and lobster spring roll. Then came dinner: spicy seafood soup, an ahi sashimi salad, finally the entree of a ``Nobu box,'' holding lobster with truffle-yuzu sauce (amazing!), black cod with miso and grilled wagyu rib-eye steak.

Dinner on other nights in the dining room was certainly no slouch, especially when we stuck to items from the ocean: broiled Maine lobster, sauteed scallops, black bass. (The prime rib was much less impressive.)

We indulged nightly, but noticed that the menu always listed something for diners desiring low-fat, low-carb or vegetarian dishes.

Our visit to Prego made us wish we'd scheduled a return visit to Silk Road, or had simply stuck to the dining room. A prosciutto di parma appetizer had enough shavings of ham to feed the Italian army, yet the waiter audibly whimpered when my wife said she couldn't finish it. The lasagna alla casalinga was over-salted and drowned in a heavy sauce.

This restaurant also marked our only encounter with a waiter who seemed preoccupied with something happening at the other end of the room -- so much so that he got my starter course wrong.

Other shortcomings of the Crystal Serenity were fairly minor.

The floors of both performance venues, the Galaxy Lounge and the Stardust Club, have a very gradual pitch, such that unless you arrive early and strategically pick a seat toward the front, you might have to peer around heads.

Also, the air conditioning was cranked up throughout the ship, such that you saw a lot of women wearing sweaters, or draping pool towels over their laps for warmth. The cruise line is probably damned either way on this decision, since thermostats set higher would undoubtedly produce complaints about stifling warmth.

We readily found respite from the chilly hallways by simply ascending to Deck 13. On most evenings, this was a pleasant, nearly deserted place to stroll with a glass of wine in hand. The vistas were so vast. And the surprises so frequent.

There's another shadowy land mass, this one also with a twinkling necklace of lights. Could that be Anegada?

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IF YOU GO

VOYAGES: Crystal Cruises has a two-ship fleet, the 1,080-passenger Serenity and the recently refurbished, 940-passenger Symphony. The Serenity is currently on a 3 1/2-month world cruise, segments of which can be booked separately (Istanbul to Rome in April, for example). The ship will offer a series of European itineraries in the spring, summer and fall. The Symphony will cruise New England in the fall. Both ships will return to the Caribbean at the end of the year.

Two seven-day Caribbean cruises on the Symphony are priced from $1,645 per person with an early booking. A 10-day trip on the Serenity in December is priced from $3,180. Information: www.crystalcruises.com; [phone].

ACCOMMODATIONS: What a revelation -- no inside staterooms. Even the lowest category has a picture window. And 86 percent of the Serenity's 588 cabins have balconies. Butler service is available in the ship's 100 penthouse-category staterooms.

ENRICHMENT PROGRAMS: The theme for our cruise was Health & Fitness, with lectures by wellness professionals and a full range of yoga, Pilates and tai chi classes (the program name has been changed to Mind, Body & Spirit for this year). One of Crystal's most popular programs is its Wine & Food Festival, which features talks by chefs and wine experts, and special meals and tastings on board and ashore. The Smithsonian Associates program ties cultural and historical lectures to destinations visited on the cruise.

ASHORE: Every cruise line afloat will offer the standard sightseeing shore excursion ``aboard an air-conditioned motor coach.'' There are ample opportunities to stray beyond this pre-packaged touring, however. Consider hopping in a cab and spending the day at idyllic Eagle Beach on Aruba, or signing up for an off-road safari in an open-air jeep on Barbados, or simply wandering the streets of St. George's on Grenada -- fending off aggressive spice merchants as you go and climbing to the ruins of a 1705 fort that overlooks the harbor. A program called Crystal Private Adventures also gives passengers opportunities for highly customized shore excursions.

CAPTION(S):

9 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- 3 -- color) Hamoa Beach near Hana is one of the many inviting attractions awaiting travelers who venture off Maui's Hana Highway. The highway crosses many tiny bridges and waterfalls, in the rain forest, top right.

(4) Top: On a cruise in the Caribbean, it's good strategy to get up on deck at sunset -- they're frequently spectacular. Here the Crystal Serenity is in the Netherlands Antilles.

(5) Above: One of the premium dining options on the Crystal Serenity is the Sushi Bar, one of restaurateur Nobu Matsuhisa's establishments.

(6) Left: A light installation intended to simulate a waterfall graces the Crystal Plaza, a two-story atrium on the Crystal Serenity.

(7) Below: Waiter Kestas Jakstonis arrives with fresh scones and clotted cream as part of the English colonial tea service.

(8 -- 9) Above: Dutch colonial architecture characterizes the port town of Oranjestad on Aruba in the Netherlands Antilles. Below: A jeep safari of Barbados makes its way down Horse Hill to St. Joseph Parish Church, built by British colonists in 1839.

Eric Noland/Travel Editor

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IF YOU SAIL WITH CRYSTAL (see text)