The Silhouette: A sentimental review of a wonderful trip (11/18/11)

[nycmode]

We took pics of Gumby on our recent cruise. It would make other guests crack up when the figured out what we were doing LOL. I still have to put up my pics from vacation I'm such a slacker! Gumby visited the colesseum, trevi fountain, santorini, mykonos...he went all over! It made it really fun. Now he comes whenever we do anything that we'd also have a camera LOL.

 

A tradition was born.

 

Please do post a link to your photos when they are up!

 

 

LOL I love it!! I totally know where you're coming from :D

[nycmode]

How about some videos?

 

Here is a short clip from one of the early sea days on the way down to Labadee. Note it was WINDY! But hey, this is the view from the aft and we also got a nice rainbow that day

 

http://s9.photobucket.com/albums/a83/nycmode75/Honeymoon/?action=view&current=00000.mp4

[ariawoman]

You've inspired me. I just spent time going through my pictures from Rhodes, Greece and they are uploading to picasa as I type this :-)

 

Thank you for the inspiration!

[nycmode]

You've inspired me. I just spent time going through my pictures from Rhodes, Greece and they are uploading to picasa as I type this :-)

 

Thank you for the inspiration!

 

You're welcome! A funny aside, I do have an album of all my monkey pics. I like it better than my own pics lol

[Duanerice1]

Shoot - looks like a great review but the pictures are so large I cannot read the review. The words are way off the screen/ Tried to reduce my browser magnification but the words become very tiny.

 

When you post it in the review section let us know please as I'd like to read it.

thanks,

Duane

[nycmode]

I shall! Not sure why the pics came out so big ...

[2SeaWithMe]

Pictures were pretty massive for me to...I just clicked over to your PB account and looked there (Oops, hope that was ok...if not, better make that private! :) )

 

You are such a lovely couple! Sorry that we didn't get to meet you. A lot of people are doing the 14 day out of Ft. Lauderdale next year. We have it booked but I really don't want to fly (and the prices seem pretty outrageous at the moment)

[lenquixote66]

I shall! Not sure why the pics came out so big ...

 

 

I am looking forward to my cruise in March .

[The Big Booper]

Yes, the photos as linked to here are on CC are so large that they crashed my Firefox browser. I can load them in using Safari but they are still twice the column width.

 

You can control the size, probably, by modifying the pixels on the photo site that hosts your pictures. They will come in smaller.

 

FOOD PORN !!!!!

[The Big Booper]

I trailed the links back to your photobucket album. The original size of the pictures, as taken by the Sony, is huge.

 

When you link at Photobucket, you should be able to control the size of the picture that appears on the CC thread.

 

Nice honeymoon cake.:)

[nycmode]

I trailed the links back to your photobucket album. The original size of the pictures, as taken by the Sony, is huge.

 

When you link at Photobucket, you should be able to control the size of the picture that appears on the CC thread.

 

Nice honeymoon cake.:)

 

Hmm, I tried searching for the option but couldn't find it. Am I still drunk from Michael's Club? :D

 

 

Pictures were pretty massive for me to...I just clicked over to your PB account and looked there (Oops, hope that was ok...if not, better make that private! :) )

 

You are such a lovely couple! Sorry that we didn't get to meet you. A lot of people are doing the 14 day out of Ft. Lauderdale next year. We have it booked but I really don't want to fly (and the prices seem pretty outrageous at the moment)

 

LOL no worries, I made it public for folks to see :D Hopefully the pics brought back some great memories for you too on this great cruise.

 

I'm sorry too we missed the chance to meet up but I'm sure down the road we'll probably bump into each other on a future cruise! Feel free to check out the pics on my album, I'm sure it's much easier that way too ...

 

Meantime, I shall see how I can fix the mystery of this huge pic issue lol

[Cruising Forever!]

Excellent Review!

 

On one of the pictures you posted here, you can see the crescent Moon up in the sky near sunset (or perhaps after sunset?). I'm not sure without knowing the date and time of the picture, but the astronomer in me says you also caught the planet Venus in the lower right (looks like a bright blob of light. (could be a plane, but it's in about the right spot for Venus right now) If you can let me know the time and date of that picture, I'll check for you. (I am taking a small scope with me on Silhouette next year- first time a scope is coming with me to southern skies!!!)

 

As for the pictures being so big, one of the things I do with photos made with a 12MP (or greater?) camera is run them through the free photo editing program called "Photoscape" (available on the net) and shrink them down to a typical webpage size for today's monitors (1024 x 768 is usually fine) then upload them to CC or my Reviews Webpage. I use Photoscape for all photo editing- it's batch processing takes all the grudge work out. Very simple interface, too. Less space on the CC servers, too.

 

Cheers,

Paul

[nycmode]

Excellent Review!

 

On one of the pictures you posted here' date=' you can see the crescent Moon up in the sky near sunset (or perhaps after sunset?). I'm not sure without knowing the date and time of the picture, but the astronomer in me says you also caught the planet Venus in the lower right (looks like a bright blob of light. (could be a plane, but it's in about the right spot for Venus right now) If you can let me know the time and date of that picture, I'll check for you. (I am taking a small scope with me on Silhouette next year- first time a scope is coming with me to southern skies!!!)

 

As for the pictures being so big, one of the things I do with photos made with a 12MP (or greater?) camera is run them through the free photo editing program called "Photoscape" (available on the net) and shrink them down to a typical webpage size for today's monitors (1024 x 768 is usually fine) then upload them to CC or my Reviews Webpage. I use Photoscape for all photo editing- it's batch processing takes all the grudge work out. Very simple interface, too. Less space on the CC servers, too.

 

Cheers,

Paul[/quote']

 

That's great to know! I gotta try it out. (I used my new Sony 16MP camera on this trip ... maybe that's why it's so huge ...). And you do indeed have a good eye sir, it is the crescent moon at sunset with Venus there as well ... I managed to see Venus pretty much every night, it was one of the brightest and first lit objects at night next to the moon! :D

 

One of the perks of cruising at sea is stargazing at night ... I love it!

[alishac]

 

FOOD PORN !!!!!

 

:D:D:D

Food pics getting me excited for my Solstice cruise leaving on Sunday. I can't wait to eat!!!!

[nycmode]

I finally submitted my review. Man it was long. I hope I don't bore you all with the details. When it's posted I'll link it from here as well, along with some videos I've uploaded for your viewing pleasure :)

[njaloha]

How about some videos?

 

Here is a short clip from one of the early sea days on the way down to Labadee. Note it was WINDY! But hey, this is the view from the aft and we also got a nice rainbow that day

 

http://s9.photobucket.com/albums/a83/nycmode75/Honeymoon/?action=view&current=00000.mp4

 

Thanks for posting this. I now want to upgrade to a S1 Sky Suite.

I must confess that I viewed a bunch of the other videos. Loved the LCG video. Seriously never cooked before!? Too funny.

 

Pictures posted huge, of course, you know this. But it makes the food JUMP out at viewers and makes me wonder why anyone has any complaints about any of the food aboard ship. It all looks flippin' out fantastic. :D

[nycmode]

Thanks for posting this. I now want to upgrade to a S1 Sky Suite.

I must confess that I viewed a bunch of the other videos. Loved the LCG video. Seriously never cooked before!? Too funny.

 

Pictures posted huge, of course, you know this. But it makes the food JUMP out at viewers and makes me wonder why anyone has any complaints about any of the food aboard ship. It all looks flippin' out fantastic. :D

 

:D I must admit, I often stare at that pic I posted of the steaks at LCG. I get so HUNGRY when I see it!! :D

 

Ha ha my wife does NOT cook. We eat out way too much, and when we eat at home, it's honestly just stuff like fruit, salad or bread ha ha. I am still loading our videos, I managed to get like 30 of them on ... I still have another 100 to go!!

[njaloha]

You guys obviously love city living and that's a great place to eat out every night (or get take out). Have you considered Hawaii for a cruise destination? You'd LOVE Honolulu!!! The restaurant diversity is absolutely insane. And it's a beautiful city.

[njaloha]

I have a few questions regarding the Sky Suite. Did you have any problems with noises from Oceanview Cafe or Sunset Bar above? Was soot a problem? Did you experience smelling any fumes from stacks or cigarette smoke from outside smoking areas while at sea?

Thanks!

[CateW]

Thank you for your great review and fabulous pictures. Now I really can't wait for our 2/10 sailing on Silhouette. We weren't going to do the Lawn Club, but I'm going to reserve that today and may upgrade us to that aft suite. Can't wait for the link to your pictures. Congratulations to you and your wife!

[nycmode]

You guys obviously love city living and that's a great place to eat out every night (or get take out). Have you considered Hawaii for a cruise destination? You'd LOVE Honolulu!!! The restaurant diversity is absolutely insane. And it's a beautiful city.

 

Oh we LOVE Honolulu ... I've been there many times. I gotta check out that restaurant next time we go! My favorite 2 places in Honolulu ... Sushi Sasabune on Duke St (?). They opened one here in NYC, but alas I still love the one in Honolulu more. My other favorite place is Sunday brunch at Orchids at the Halekulani near the Outrigger hotel in Waikiki beach. Man that is the BEST brunch buffet EVER!

 

I have a few questions regarding the Sky Suite. Did you have any problems with noises from Oceanview Cafe or Sunset Bar above? Was soot a problem? Did you experience smelling any fumes from stacks or cigarette smoke from outside smoking areas while at sea?

Thanks!

 

I didn't hear much in the way of noise from above. I was on deck 11 which was 2 decks below the cafe. I had the chance to take the aft suite on deck 12 but opted to go 1 deck down. I think it may have helped a little. I didn't hear much talking, but occasionally I did hear the clanging of glasses or silverware, but it was very rare. Like 99% of the other times I heard nothing other than the sound of the wind and sea ... The only time when I heard chatter was during sailaways when people would all converge on the aft area to see the ports go bye bye!

 

There was some soot on the balcony, but not nearly as much as I thought there would be. Often the wind would just blow it away, at least on my balcony. I did notice my neighbor had his balcony rinsed (the staff will do it if you ask them to) but for me I didn't see the need to do it. From where I am there was also ZERO cigarette smoke smells. The smoking area on deck 12 is in the midship area near the pool, so it's far away from the aft balconies.

 

Thank you for your great review and fabulous pictures. Now I really can't wait for our 2/10 sailing on Silhouette. We weren't going to do the Lawn Club, but I'm going to reserve that today and may upgrade us to that aft suite. Can't wait for the link to your pictures. Congratulations to you and your wife!

 

Thanks! If you do upgrade to the aft suite, I think you won't be disappointed. I love the large balcony and most importantly I love the privacy of the corner aft suites. Yeah it's a LONG hike to the elevators (but we actually liked it b/c it helped us walk off some of that food lol), but for the price of a little hike you get a lot of privacy in the corner area. It's a balcony for relaxing, sunbathing, watching the sailaways and also dining as well!

[nycmode]

Here's another random video, I took a quick shot of all the ships in St. Maarten that day.

 

http://s9.photobucket.com/albums/a83/nycmode75/Honeymoon/?action=view&current=00030.mp4

 

I'm still organizing things (and have to load more videos, those take forever lol). But if you want to see some of what we have online you can click on the link to our album above the video that I just posted. :)

[njaloha]

Oh we LOVE Honolulu ... I've been there many times. I gotta check out that restaurant next time we go! My favorite 2 places in Honolulu ... Sushi Sasabune on Duke St (?). They opened one here in NYC, but alas I still love the one in Honolulu more. My other favorite place is Sunday brunch at Orchids at the Halekulani near the Outrigger hotel in Waikiki beach. Man that is the BEST brunch buffet EVER!

 

Oh, haha, I meant the cultural diversity in the restaurants and food offerings not a restaurant named Diversity. <Chuckling to myself>

 

We have a few favorites too and we try to go somewhere new each time. Poke Stop in Waipahu comes to mind. Duke's for brunch for us. Jimmy Buffett's at the Beachcomber for that party flavor since the DH is a parrothead. Roy's in Hawaii Kai. Champion Malasadas (me) or Leonard's (DH). Nothing special lately since we've been on the Big Island the last few times.

 

We've been looking for places around NY and NJ and found Lani Kai on Broome Street but haven't been there yet. And of course L&L for that Loco Moco fix which I can make at home far healthier and tastier.

 

As for the Sky Suite, the only things holding me back from all out booking it are the price and the distance from elevators, but, I tell ya, if that price dropped about 500pp, I'd be on the phone in a heartbeat!!!! :D

 

Hey, did you guys ever go up to the Art Studio and check out the classes?

 

Aloha!!!

[nycmode]

Oh we LOVE Honolulu ... I've been there many times. I gotta check out that restaurant next time we go! My favorite 2 places in Honolulu ... Sushi Sasabune on Duke St (?). They opened one here in NYC, but alas I still love the one in Honolulu more. My other favorite place is Sunday brunch at Orchids at the Halekulani near the Outrigger hotel in Waikiki beach. Man that is the BEST brunch buffet EVER!

 

Oh, haha, I meant the cultural diversity in the restaurants and food offerings not a restaurant named Diversity. <Chuckling to myself>

 

We have a few favorites too and we try to go somewhere new each time. Poke Stop in Waipahu comes to mind. Duke's for brunch for us. Jimmy Buffett's at the Beachcomber for that party flavor since the DH is a parrothead. Roy's in Hawaii Kai. Champion Malasadas (me) or Leonard's (DH). Nothing special lately since we've been on the Big Island the last few times.

 

We've been looking for places around NY and NJ and found Lani Kai on Broome Street but haven't been there yet. And of course L&L for that Loco Moco fix which I can make at home far healthier and tastier.

 

As for the Sky Suite, the only things holding me back from all out booking it are the price and the distance from elevators, but, I tell ya, if that price dropped about 500pp, I'd be on the phone in a heartbeat!!!! :D

 

Hey, did you guys ever go up to the Art Studio and check out the classes?

 

Aloha!!!

 

Ah Roys! I really liked that place. I went to the one in Waikoloa on Big Island (a little resort village/town about 30 min north of Kailua Kona) ... they have some GREAT food!! :D Ah I miss the Loco Moco. I always used to make it a point to stop in Hilo and eat one before I head up to the Volcano for a nice hike!

 

LOL the sky suite is really worth it if you want privacy in the back corner of the shift. To be honest, I wasn't extremely impressed with the butler service in the S1. I heard that deck 11 was the "high rent" district of the ship so I made a point of booking there in hopes of getting access to the 'best' staff. The room attendant was totally awesome but the butler wasn't really ever around. It wasn't like NCL where the butler would check on us and ask us what we need at all times. Our butler on the S1 was more like "call me if you need me" which is fine, but it just wasn't as attentive as what we experienced on NCL (maybe we got lucky there). But that corner balcony is awesome!

 

We actually did go to the art classes several times, but it was ALWAYS full. By the time we got there it would always be packed so we didn't end up actually doing a class. But given that it was always crowded, it must be really good then! :)

[njaloha]

 

Ah Roys! I really liked that place. I went to the one in Waikoloa on Big Island (a little resort village/town about 30 min north of Kailua Kona) ... they have some GREAT food!! :D Ah I miss the Loco Moco. I always used to make it a point to stop in Hilo and eat one before I head up to the Volcano for a nice hike!

 

LOL the sky suite is really worth it if you want privacy in the back corner of the shift. To be honest, I wasn't extremely impressed with the butler service in the S1. I heard that deck 11 was the "high rent" district of the ship so I made a point of booking there in hopes of getting access to the 'best' staff. The room attendant was totally awesome but the butler wasn't really ever around. It wasn't like NCL where the butler would check on us and ask us what we need at all times. Our butler on the S1 was more like "call me if you need me" which is fine, but it just wasn't as attentive as what we experienced on NCL (maybe we got lucky there). But that corner balcony is awesome!

 

We actually did go to the art classes several times, but it was ALWAYS full. By the time we got there it would always be packed so we didn't end up actually doing a class. But given that it was always crowded, it must be really good then! :)

 

Yes Waikoloa Beach Resort. That's the Roy's we have been to for the past 3 years. We stayed at the Kings' Land HGVC resort at WAikoloa Beach REsort. This is our first cruise in a long time because we've been doing land vacations to Hawaii. Caught the bug after the NCL POA trip. Our butler on that cruise was kind of the same way as yours on the Silhouette. A call-me-if-you-need-me kind of guy.

 

I think we'll stick to the Aqua Class Cabin and spend the extra money on Drink packages and specialty dining and shore excursions instead. :cool:

 

The Art Studio should be available with a reservation that you can place online before your cruise like the Alcoves and Specialty Dining but for free!!!

I've also heard that people line up well in advance of the opening time. I hate lines so maybe that won't be something I'll take part in. That's a shame because that's what attracted me to Celebrity Silhouette. Did you participate in any of the educational discussions on board?

 

Aloha!!!