excitedofharpenden

I really enjoy Jim Badger too. Interesting he is currently on Eclipse. Perry Grant is going to "home" there I think. Perhaps Jim is doing a recky.

Phil

Ship: Silhouette

Cabin #: 1668

Deck #: 11 (Penthouse)

Class: S1

Area: Starboard aft facing

Bed near: Balcony

Quiet?: Yes

Balcony view: Great wide view of wake

Balcony size: Standard S1, two chairs, two footstools and a large table

Wind a problem?: No

Soot a problem?: Only on one day of 15

Problems/comments: Good spot in a quiet area at the end of hall. Shares a large entrance area with C1 cabin 1670 next door that can be closed off if cabins are shared.

http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=5086

 

Any News on the problems

 

Rich

She seems to be making good progress. You can see where she is here, zooming out on the tab and scrolling down on the page for air and sea temperatures etc that Reflection is reporting:

http://www.sailwx.info/shiptrack/shipposition.phtml?call=9HA3047

Phil

 

I thought the ship was beautifully decorated. Get the iPad from Guest Relations to truly appreciate the art.

Thanks, I've read about this before, but never done anything about it. I will try and get hold of the iPad guide this time.

Phil

I've stayed at this property a couple of times and liked it. As a day room hotel it's got a nice sized pool area and has the advantage of being parallel to the runway so the planes aren't flying over your head. A comfortable way to kill some hours before your flight home.

Phil

I understand that Captain Leif had some issues with his heart, they did a brief procedure and the following day he had a heart attack. The word is he is doing ok. We all wish him the best and a return to good health.

Phil

Andy, I too wish Captain Leif well and all the best to him and Captain Stig.

Phil

Just an update. Azamara has a new Captain on the rota! Stig Nilsen joins Quest on Saturday replacing Captain Johannes who covered for one cruise as Leif Karlsson has decided to retire. Captain Nilsen comes from RCCL. Not sure if anyone here knows of him, but I understand he is a very nice guy. I'll be sailing on Quest on Saturday and looking forward to meeting him.

Phil

A few more:

 

 

I recommend trying the ESB and your husband is right. No chilled glass for this one.

Phil

Hi,

 

We normally get the C2 rooms on deck 12 of the S class ships. Great balconies. I have heard that the forward bump balconies have some wind while the ship is moving. Does anyone know if this is true? And if it is, how bad or good is it. Richard

I have read that here too, but my experience is that unless I was at the balcony railing it wasn't an issue (experience from C2 1108 and 1A 7264, both cool weather cruises). The balcony is deep enough to step back away from any wind.

Phil

12/15 sailing. I booked CC #1012 because they talked me out of the 1A #8197. Said the balcony was the same size and only $20 cheaper.

Duff info. In fact 1A is the only category of non-suite cabin that guarantees you a larger balcony (either nearly twice or nearly three times the normal size).

Phil

This is a good post that points to the balconies that are wider:

Based on this view of the aft and judging only on balcony sizes, I group the aft C1s in 3 categories. Check the width of the balcony wall on either side of the cabin door.

 

 

 

 

Widest balconies:

2152, 1674, 1206, 9382

 

Mid-sized balconies:

2157, 1676, 1670, 1407, 1208, 1202, 9303, 9307, 9378

 

Smallest balconies:

1672, 1668, 1405, 1409, 1204, 1200, 9301, 9305, 9380, 9376

 

Your choices all have about the same size balcony. We were in 1204 and know that it was noticeably smaller than 1202 and significantly smaller than 1208. The smallest balconies are not bad, it's just that the difference in the three sizes is just noticeable. I would pick 9380 as it is closer to the center but any of the three would be good cabins.

Whilst I agree with Carol that it is quite a long walk between aft facing cabins and elevators especially for those with walking limitations, being fit I didn't find it an issue. It's definitely quieter back there with little passing traffic because of this. More of an issue was the soot from the funnels which settled readily on the balcony and lack of cover when it rained. Those on deck 12 don't suffer from this as they have more cover so if you want more protection from the sun and rain then go for this deck. Be aware that you may hear to chair scraping there from the outdoor cafe one deck above.

Phil

For those who like to follow the Celebrity fleet, or any other ship, there is a wonderful website marinetraffic.com, that lets you set up the ships you wish to follow, including a map of where they all are.

 

Arno, I'm afraid I am a bit techno-sad at times and I have the app on my iPad and love it. When I see you remind me to tell you my Marinetraffic story when we were in the Straits of Messina last year on Solstice.

Phil

Bigbenboys, I'll still a bit confused, so I hope you'll indulge me.

 

I thought aft cabins were in the very back, so I guess I'm confused. Are these verandas larger and not windy.

 

If they are windy, since this is a transatlantic crossing, perhaps we should start eating more NOW instead of waiting to get on the ship so we can hopefully avoid being blown off into the middle of the sea. :p;)

 

In all seriousness, should I stick with 7286 or go back to the aft cabin I originally thought of. I like a large balcony and this I thought was one, but I also don't want to be blown off.

 

Thanks for any answers

I have had 7264 on Eclipse which is on the forward facing part of the angle (and if anything that would be windier) and it was very sheltered. No wind at all unless of course standing by the balcony railing.

7286 is the largest of the 1A balconies, about 3 times normal size.

Phil

All the 1As have the larger balconies. The cabin width is exactly the same as other standard cabins. I never found the balcony to be like a tunnel and the size of them is like having an extra room. In my view it's the best part about these cabins. I don't really have a preference for bed by bathroom or balcony.

Phil

Thanks for finding out Andy. The same team as in February, I'm looking forward to seeing them again.

Phil

I open them to see if the number of clueless misinformants who are spreading their bad information is growing. I am pleased to report that so far their populations seems to be holding steady. :D

:D

Phil

We bring formal wear so I really don’t have a dog in this fight BUT...... why is this bad advice? At first glance I thought it was great idea.

 

Thanks, M

It's bad advice because there is no formal "service" by Celebrity to supply jackets to those that don't have them on formal night. They may or may not have one to lend you and you may be left embarrassed. Personally I wouldn't want the staff at the restaurant to have to go off and try and find a jacket for me that someone else has worn.

Phil

You will be ok w/o a jacket. They will give you one to drape on the back of your chair. When done eating just give it back

 

You must have a jacket to enter just don't have to wear it

 

The have the spare jackets right by the entrance.

 

Was great to not have to pack it and still enjoy formal nights

Really bad advice that I would discount.

Larry has it right.

Phil

Wondering if the Journey's WiFi is good enough that I can take my iPad for some minor necessary interneting in our upcoming Baltic cruise, or should we just head down to the wired computers onboard.

 

Nothing more rigorous than e-mail and ESPN checking, but if the wireless is lousy, we'll just leave the iPad home.

 

Thanks!

It's not fast, but I wouldn't describe it as lousy on the trips I have been on and use it quite a bit. I take my iPad for additional use too. It's handy to have.

Phil

I think comparison with say Regatta or Insignia would be more like for like too rather than pretty much new Marina.

Phil

 

I have breakfast in the MDR as I like the interaction with other people. I like to get out of the room for a while especially after a good night sleep. Sure I have had breakfast on the veranda but its not the same as chatting to someone else and finding out where they are from or what they do or did.

 

If you like afternoon tea ... and have room for it that is great, but I still can't see how I (thats me personally) will benefit.

 

I guess the only way to find out is to book a suite next time. Perhaps then I will get it.

You have answered the question yourself.

Phil

Look if you use a butler, fair game to you. I still don't understand what a butler does that I can't do myself. Or is that it, get someone else to do what you would do? I still can't see really how it makes a difference.

 

If I want a tour, I book one.

If I want drinks I order them or fill the fridge.

I have to say I have never found the need to order late night food or want another pie or something after a show.

I prefer to do my own packing and unpacking.

 

Tell me what I am not picking up on and perhaps I can understand why people use butlers but as it stands I don't see the gain.

Butlers are used by different people to a different extent and for a variety of tasks. There's no right or wrong or list that one can produce to say it's worth it. Just depends on the individual. Personally I book a suite for the extra space, but it is nice to have my breakfast laid out properly by the butler on a table and cloth in the morning where he becomes used to knowing what I have and adds something regular that's not there just in case I forgot to order it on the card. It's also pleasant for me to have afternoon tea, cakes and sandwiches delivered to the room in the afternoon and having a generally more attentive and interactive relationship with him rather than the room steward who makes up the room in the morning and turns down the bed in the evening.

I'm with others here who don't like the idea of passing around money hoping for things to be done. Not for me and with the number of cabins the stewards now have to look after it can be unfair to them and lead to disappointment. My experience here is there is less room for flexibility. However if this works for you then great, just as the butler service works for others.

Phil

No Louis, I didn't do a review, but there is a short "Live from" review on the main Azamara board. I think it is still somewhere down the list on page 1. Wonderful cruise with a great crew and it doesn't surprise me how well the fire situation was dealt with and dare I say how the passengers handled it. My observations of my Azamara trips have been of a very happy ship, both crew and guests. Captain Karlsson is an excellent Master.

Phil

It's a while since this great thread has been active, but I just wanted to post some photos I took on a recent cruise I did to Asia on Azamara Quest (ok, not strictly Celebrity, but close). I was lucky to be invited to the bridge for sail in to Hong Kong and the first two were taken as we approached at about 6.45am. An early, but magical experience as the fog was thinning. The third was taken on the Sun Deck of Azamara looking at the daily Hong Kong light show. This is one of the great advantages of being on a small ship, able to dock so close to the action. Hong Kong really is a wonderful city and I do hope to go back there.

Phil