Silhouette Review with Pictures - Dec 23 - 30, 2012 E Caribbean

We just got back from a wonderful cruise on the Silhouette. We had some hiccups, which I will elaborate on, but it was an amazing cruise and we will definitely sail Celebrity S Class again!

I will post this review in sections, with pictures, as I can. I hope you enjoy it. Feel free to ask me any questions.

Embarkation

We arrived at the pier shortly after 11. The taxis didn't seem to know where to go and people were yelling at the drivers but we managed to find our spot and drop off our bags with the porters. We proceeded inside the terminal, breezed through security and right up to check-in. That took all of 5 minutes and we were on our way. Took the embarkation photo and were seated in the terminal. Boarding began around 11:30 and we were on the ship by 12. Somehow they got our pictures on our sea pass cards mixed up which caused a slight delay and retake as we boarded the ship, but not too bad. (Although I'm not sure the people behind us were very happy as the mix up literally stopped both lines for a couple of minutes.)

First impressions were - simply amazing. The Silhouette is a beautiful ship that felt refined yet relaxed. I wouldn't change much about the ship if I were the designer (except for the jogging track on deck 12, but more on that later.) It was tastefully decorated for Christmas.

Here is the beautiful atrium.

Another view.

And the tree in the library was always beautiful.

Cabins

We had cabins 7233 and 7235, deck 7 midship on the hump and "connecting." The location was perfect. I had read there was a smoking area just below us n deck 5 but we never smelled anything. In fact, the entire cruise, we only saw people down there a couple of times and never once saw anyone smoking. Our cabin attendant, Raymond, and his assistant, Patrick, were exceptional. We joked they must be secret ninjas because we would leave the room for 30 minutes, come back and they would have everything back in order. They seemed to try hard to remain invisible but only a second away.

The connecting cabin thing was an interesting concept but sort of a bust. There is an outer door that you can close (close the stationary door first) and then both keys will work in the outer door. We couldn't figure out how to get the inner doors to stay open in order to make it truly connecting and later found out we had to call Guest Relations who would send someone up to activate them. Seemed silly to me not to have the cabin steward take care of this. But we didn't end up calling because the "outer" door was extremely heavy and difficult to open. So, in the end, we just connected through our balconies which were opened up on request by the cabin steward.

Here's a picture of the two doors to the cabins.

And here you can see what it looks like when the outer door is closed.

The drawer space is ridiculously lacking. There is ample room in the closet for hanging items and the storage space above the bed was decent but not the most convenient. It worked for us with 2 in a cabin but it would be a challenge with a 3rd or 4th passenger. The bathrooms were very well designed. Others had mentioned the foot rest for shaving your legs - genius! And there was plenty of storage room in the bathroom. On previous cruises, I've brought an over the door shoe holder to store toiletries. Not needed at all. The cabinet space was very well designed and held everything we brought and had plenty of room. There are a couple of small drawers in the vanity - not sure what you would put in there as they are not deep at all. But they're there if you want them.

Some pictures of the bathroom storage.

The shower had great water pressure and plenty of hot water. No matter the time of day, we always had a great shower. Our room came with 2 towels but we left a note asking for a couple extra which were there when we returned and we had extras for the entire week.

Turn down service was always nice. A chocolate on the pillow. (I overheard someone at the airport who had just gotten off of Royal Caribbean that there were no more chocolates on the pillows on RC?) We had one every night. No towel animals, but we didn't miss them.

The balconies together provided great space and I loved being on the hump with an unrestricted view from bow to stern. The proximity to the elevators was great and there was no noise whatsoever. The design of the elevator bays was brilliant.

For those who are really thirsty for details, the partitions between the balconies swing forward, as shown here.

Muster Station was in the Grand Cuvee Dining Room, Deck 4.

And this sign, above the toilet, was one of my all time favorites. I've always wondered where I can put my toy cars.

Ship Overall

In a word - Amazing. The space was so well thought out - plenty of places to sit and talk without feeling the crowds. Every area of the ship had its own unique vibe but somehow it blended all together beautifully.

Our favorite outdoor spot for sea days was the Solstice Deck. It eventually got crowded but less people walking by all day long than the lower decks. If you get there early enough, the lounge beds are fantastic.

The Sunset Bar was fun - we went starboard side since port side was a gathering spot for smokers. While we were there we listened to a Caribbean band followed by a guitar/vocalist, Sean Golden, who was by far our favorite entertainer on the ship.

The Solarium was a fantastic getaway and was a nice change of pace when we needed some quiet. We used the jacuzzis in there a couple of times.

The Hideaway was a favorite of our kids. Our cabin was on deck 7 just steps away and they frequently went in there to read, play on the iPad or just chill out. It got very crowded mid-day with families and little kids, but was pretty dead in the evenings and early mornings.

This is one of the "tree houses" that my kids loved hanging out in. The "coolest" ones are actually on the 8th floor over the Hideaway.

Like this:

 

I've always wondered where I can put my toy cars.

 

:D

Great photos - Keep them coming!

There were no chocolates on our Brilliance of the Seas cruise in November. I can't speak for RCCL fleetwide. Thanks for the great review and pictures

Beautiul photos. Thanks so much for your review.

Thanks for the beautiful pictures!

Fantastic pictures! Thanks for posting them. Can't wait for more

Thanks for the pictures! Can hardly wait for Feb. 24 th

Thanks for your photos.

Loving your photos too:D:):D

Thanks for the review!

I am really enjoying your review. We will be on the Silhouette in February and will be staying on Deck 7 just opposite yours on the starboard side. I was concerned about the noise coming up from the entertainment at night in the grand foyer since our cabin is just off the elevators. I know there are doors that separate the elevator bays from the cabins since we were on the Eclipse previously, but we did not have a hump cabin then. Do the doors do an adequate job of soundproofing?

Also, are there lifeboats right below these hump cabins or do you have a pretty nice view? Thanks for the great photos!

Great pictures, brought back happy memories.

Great so far! I'll be on her in March. Have you been on other Solstice class ships? I've been on the Solstice twice...just wondering if its pretty similar. Can't wait for more!

I loved being on the hump with an unrestricted view from bow to stern.

We're going on the Silhouette next month, and we luckily chose a room on the hump for this exact reason. I'd rather have that 180 x 360 view than a lot of other amenities we were looking at.

Can you tell me if you were ever able to catch the ship docking while watching on your balcony, and if so, how were the views below? DH and I love that kind of stuff, watching the guys on the pier with those massive lines and such, and are hoping that we might be able to catch some good views from our balcony (if we dock on that side of course) rather than leaving the room to go to the open deck on 5 to watch.

Thank you for your great review and photos. I'm looking forward to your next installment.

I am really enjoying your review. We will be on the Silhouette in February and will be staying on Deck 7 just opposite yours on the starboard side. I was concerned about the noise coming up from the entertainment at night in the grand foyer since our cabin is just off the elevators. I know there are doors that separate the elevator bays from the cabins since we were on the Eclipse previously, but we did not have a hump cabin then. Do the doors do an adequate job of soundproofing?

 

Also, are there lifeboats right below these hump cabins or do you have a pretty nice view? Thanks for the great photos!

There weren't any doors by the elevator bays, but there was absolutely no issue with sound whatsoever! The cabin doors are very soundproof. On Christmas Eve, I opened my door to the hallway to the beautiful sound of the ship's officers singing Christmas carols, but when the door was shut, I heard nothing.

There are no lifeboats below. Here is a picture looking down at night (you can see some of deck 5)

And here are a couple when we approached St Thomas as the pilot boat approached. Apparently, a pilot familiar with the area needs to come aboard in case the captain needs help. On our ship tour, we learned the pilot in St Thomas just kicks back and relaxes since it is one of the best known ports.

Great so far! I'll be on her in March. Have you been on other Solstice class ships? I've been on the Solstice twice...just wondering if its pretty similar. Can't wait for more!

This was our first time on Celebrity, so first time on a S class ship. We've sailed on Carnival and Disney in the past and honestly, there is no comparison. It is a beautiful ship!!!!

We're going on the Silhouette next month, and we luckily chose a room on the hump for this exact reason. I'd rather have that 180 x 360 view than a lot of other amenities we were looking at.

 

Can you tell me if you were ever able to catch the ship docking while watching on your balcony, and if so, how were the views below? DH and I love that kind of stuff, watching the guys on the pier with those massive lines and such, and are hoping that we might be able to catch some good views from our balcony (if we dock on that side of course) rather than leaving the room to go to the open deck on 5 to watch.

Yes, we did have amazing views of them docking! Just above I posted when the Pilot came aboard as we arrived in St Thomas.

I am sorry this photo isn't great, but maybe you can make it out. This is the captain on the bridge docking us in Ft Lauderdale. It was very cool especially after going on the bridge tour and seeing the tiny little joystick he uses to dock this gigantic ship!

We also had an amazing view of the other ships pulling out of port in St Thomas - so close I felt we could reach out and touch them!

On with my review....

The Library is a spot I wouldn't typically think we would get much use out of, but to my surprise, DD13 went there on embarkation day and found a book on the history of soccer which she couldn't put down! Any library that scores with my teenagers is a winner in my book! It was beautifully decorated with a Christmas tree.

The Card Room was very busy in the evenings and we used it often to play games with the family. We brought our own Apples to Apples, Trivial Pursuit and Uno but there were games available for use in the Card Room as well. Great use of the space with a view of the glass elevators.

I didn't take a picture of the room itself, but it had 10 - 12 tables overlooking the "tree" suspended in the atrium and the glass elevators. A great spot for a family game and some of the best people watching on the ship!

Actually.... if you look at the picture of the library above, you can make out the Card Room on the deck below!

This is one of the strangest spots on the ship that had us puzzled. It was on Deck 5, I believe, Starboard. Just before the Ensemble lounge, on the way to Michaels Club and the Specialty restaurants. I would love it if someone could tell me what the thought was behind this space. It was just painted walls with a rock. Certainly a conversation piece.