At your service​

We caught up with some of Crystal’s much-loved staff for a sneak peek into their lives at sea.

THE FRONT OFFICE MANAGER: ARIELLA GOLDSTEIN

“I call myself a problem solver: in charge of suite upgrades, private car services, and requests,” explains Ariella Goldstein, the super-efficient front office manager for both Crystal Serenity and Crystal Symphony. “You would think that after a decade working on ships, I would have seen it all, but I can still be surprised.” She cites everything from organizing a scenic helicopter tour with only a few hours’ notice to arranging a last-minute extra suite just for someone’s luggage as examples of out-of-the-ordinary guest asks.

Having worked for Crystal since 2018, her previous experience as a bar and restaurant waitress, butler, receptionist, and chief concierge all feed into her current role. “The only way you can help and supervise a team is if you know how the whole operation works,” she confirms. Always on call, even when not in her office preparing for the next sailing, Goldstein – who finished studying for her degree in tourism at the Budapest Business School while working on river cruises – relishes the challenges of her role as well as the chance to see the world. “I take my job very seriously, but the traveling part is a lot of fun. One day, I’m at the casino in Monte Carlo, the next trying maple syrup cookies in Canada.” A two-month gap between contracts means plenty of time for private globetrotting, too. “The nomadic lifestyle isn’t for everyone, but I live where the anchor drops. I go back to Hungary to visit friends and the storage facility where my belongings are kept, and usually travel for around six weeks. My next contract ends in South Korea so I’m planning to fly to Bali and discover more of Indonesia.”

THE MAITRE D’: MARIO MOINHEIRO

Arrive for dinner at Italian restaurant Osteria d’Ovidio or Nobu’s Umi Uma, and it’s likely that you’ll be greeted by maitre d’ of specialty restaurants, Mario Moinheiro – a familiar face to regular seafaring guests, who has worked for Crystal for more than 30 years. “I love my job; I love working with people. It’s very different to being a maitre d’ on land where someone might only visit a restaurant once,” he says of his role, which also involves overseeing the breakfast and lunch buffet at Marketplace. “Here, we have guests who come on a cruise every other month so there is a greater connection. I remember them and know where they like to sit.” Growing up on Portugal’s Algarve, the country’s top tourist region, it was perhaps inevitable that Moinheiro would choose a career in hospitality. “In the summer holidays, my friends and I would wait tables in restaurants on the beach; then, after high school, I decided to go to hotel management college,” he recalls. Although his first eight-month contract as an assistant waiter in the Dining Room on Crystal Harmony (Crystal’s previous ship) could be tough – “In those days, there weren’t the phones or technology that there is now; we had to stand in line on the pier to call home and make sure that someone was in to pick up” – for his next stint he was moved to the Italian restaurant Prego, which he loved. “Life on a cruise ship became an addiction. Of course, there are some challenges with reservations, but we always try to find a solution.” When he has the chance to go onshore, he prefers places with a colder climate. “I live in the Algarve because my family likes the sun but for me, it’s very hot. I like New York, Canada, and Alaska.”

THE HEAD SOMMELIER: JIRI KAPAL

For Czech barman-turned-sommelier Jiri Kapal, working with wine was always a natural next step. “After two years behind the bar with Crystal, I wanted to learn more and the closest industry was wine,” he says. “For me, it’s fascinating: grapes growing in various parts of the world smell and taste completely different.” As head sommelier, a role he has held since 2019 (he trained to become a sommelier a decade earlier), he mentors a team and chooses the wines for all the restaurants on Crystal Serenity. Waterside alone has more than 400 bins on its connoisseur list, plus another 60 inclusive wines, which are rotated. “I try and visit wineries all over the world when I’m on vacation: I’ve been everywhere from Napa and Sonoma in the USA to Stellenbosch in South Africa and Bordeaux in France.” He also always makes a special effort to go ashore when the ship is sailing around Asia – “I’m a big fan of Asian food” – and on the Amalfi Coast. Perhaps one of the most interesting aspects of his job, he says, is hosting special wine-pairing lunches and dinners for guests in The Vintage Room. “The four-course lunches are often themed, such as Taste of Tuscany, and I give a presentation on the region,” he says, citing Italian Tignanello Antinori, a Sangiovese and Cabernet blend, as his favorite wine. “I am constantly discovering new producers and varieties – that’s what I love about my job.”