!!! SILHOUETTE !!! Western Caribbean- The Ultimate Review & Complete Pictorial Guide!

[gambee]

 

 

 

 

 

 

[gambee]

 

 

 

 

 

 

[gambee]

 

 

 

 

 

 

[gambee]

This is actually the only panorama I did for this report. It is composed of 6 vertical pictures it came out really nice :)

 

Mom loved it.

 

 

I got fish and chips,

 

 

Mom's

 

We also got a shrimp cocktail but the picture came up bad.

 

 

And for dessert

 

By the way those lollipops are cheesecakes, I thought they were marshmallows. So yeah that was unexpected and I am not crazy about cheesecake.

 

 

Overall the food was great, everything was very tasty and plenty to go around. This a not to be missed event in X.

 

[gambee]

After brunch we went up to the solarium to relax for a little.

 

these are on the way there.

 

 

 

The pool was at full capacity that day, everyone desperate to make the most out of the sun!

 

 

 

 

[gambee]

 

 

 

And our usual lounges.

 

By the way the solarium has these huge windows and they are very easy to open. Although most people like them closed at all times. They are great for taking pictures!

 

They had these all over the place

 

[gambee]

So that day was a back to the basics day for Gambee, I had enough of the fufu drinks and it was back to my usual long island ice tea. Mom got a strawberry Daiquiri.

 

 

 

Mom spend a lot of time in the jacuzzi that day and I spend a lot of it just listening to music and relaxing.

 

 

At some point mom spotted a ship crossing us and I managed to get this really cool picture. It has Cuba in the background.

 

 

I had several long Islands that day, but I guess I failed to take pictures of them.

 

[gambee]

Oppa gangnam style!

 

 

So as I was sitting there relaxing I heard some very loud music out by the pool area, so I grabbed my camera and made a dash towards outside.

 

And what did I see? Well I got there more towards the end of a flash mob, it was extremely energetic and a lot of fun. It was a shame I got there the end, but I still managed to get both pictures and video. It was a good thing that I had my zoom lens already attached.

 

You know the funny thing is that I love this song, even thought it is worn out. My bf (is Korean) says he is one of the very worst possible ways to represent Korean music. Eh what can you, I still love the song :) and no I can't dance for nothing :D

 

 

 

 

 

 

And here is very short video that I managed to grab.

 

 

 

 

Oppa gangnam style =)

 

[BugsyCruiser]

Gambee glad you were able to get more shots of the brunch than I did. I seemed to have a mad dash of people and just felt like I was in everyone's way so I stopped after a few pictures. You are correct on what the Captain said about the engines... 4 engines and 2 generators and they are housed in a way that if one fails(like catches on fire) it's impossible to for the problem to get to the others

[gambee]

 

 

Sometime passed and they they had the officers vs guests volleyball game. First there was a game with just the officers playing each other and then the winner got to play with the guests.

 

 

 

The game was super energetic and everyone was out and about!

 

 

He was recording the entire event

 

[gambee]

And the dj was also helping with some tunes.

 

Lisa was the referee and the captain was there supporting the event. He was very proud that we had sun that day, he kept making jokes about. We all had a good laugh!

 

 

Then when one of the teams lost it was turn for the guests to jump in the pool and they did it in style…

 

 

Yes you're seeing right and not I did not edit this pictures :-). Like I said it was a fun fun day!

 

 

 

At some point they splashed the camera guy and they got the camera wet. He looked a little frustrated trying to dry it fast.

 

 

 

In style ;-)

 

Edited April 16, 2013 by gambee

[gambee]

 

 

 

I left to relax a little longer on the solarium and at some point took this picture. This picture was taken looking at the opposite side from cuba, it came out really neat. Love how the blues change so dramatically.

 

 

 

 

Anyway that is all I got for now, I think Ill try catching up with the comments and later on working on the rest :).

 

 

 

[gambee]

Yes, I'm with you! It doesn't bother me that they're not all the same, but UGLY is right! Looks like "shabby chic", not my favorite style.

 

I have to agree there, but at least I did not buy them ;-)

 

 

We loved Labadee and my daughter and I did the Stand Up Paddle boarding of a 1/2 hour and then we just hung at the beach. There was so much to do there from the little rollar coaster, to zip line, to shopping for Haitian art, so a good barbeque lunch (I had to have fish cause it was good Friday.) There was even a sports court for volly ball and basket ball. I think next time I am there I will bring my gym shoes and do a little exercise walking as well as enjoy the beach.

 

Ceviche from Q-zine was offered one night in the Elite lounge as an appetizer, waiter said it was the first time he had seen it there, and I loved it. I am a big ceviche fan and often get it at one of local Mexican places that specializes in it here in AZ.

 

Kids in Specialty, I think some have age limits and some do not. My daughter and I did the Asian restaurant on Solstice 4 years ago, when she was just 11, and there was not issue. It might just be Muranos and the Ocean Liners that have a min age, but it may be some thing that they are also still trying to figure out.

 

Penny Prince was funny. We actually chatted with him on the beach for a a few minutes in Labadee. He was enjoying a Corona while hanging out in the water, and he accidently dropped the empty bottle in the water. He started to panick because he didn't want it to break and hurt someone, so we all worked together to find the bottle. My son found it and Peny offered to buy him a beer, but he is only 16, too young for a beer or the comedy show on Celebrity, so I told Peny I'd pick up the beer for my son when he's old enough.

 

The previous week we went to Sin City, and the headliner who was an Emmy winner from the writing staff of Home Improvement was probably a littler better, and the Burleque Dancer was definitely better the second week, the one you saw. Cause you know I'm such an expert on Burleque dancers, being the Catholic Mom and all. It did feel a little weird to go the Sin City Comedy and then Mass the next day in the same room. Any way the Comedy was restricted to 18+, but believe me it would have been fine for 14+.

 

Liar Club is also one of my favorite funny events. We went week one and we asked if the words would be the same, and so when they said yes, we skipped it week two. Very very funny. The first week we had two couple who were utilizing a sign language interpreter. They were kind of sitting between us in the stage. It was really funny to watch the interpreter desperately try to have the same seriousness that the officers had in presenting their answer, but she was cracking up in a Harvey Corman to Tim Conway kind of way. Anyway, I hadn't seen Liars Club in about 7 years on a Celebrity cruise, so it was nice to see it back.

 

Thanks for the info, I guess for the liars club it is easier for them to have the same words. I wonder how often do they change them...

 

Gambee, your night photos inside the solarium and out on the upper decks is breathtaking! . . . I can already imagine a few of them in a Celebrity brochure.

 

Hope you are right and that 2013 is your year.

 

 

Haha, you're funny. We will see I have to kick it into gear.

 

 

Totally agree....you captured the elegance and beauty of the Solarium perfectly.

 

Thank you :-)

 

Hi Gambee, great review again, I love your photos taken while touring the various indoor shops.

Are you using the automatic mode, if not can you please explain.

I recently purchased the same camera as yours.

Thanks

 

Well that is sort of a loaded question, I try to stay in P mode and sometimes change to A and set the aperture myself. Rarely I go into S shutter mode, I think I only do it with night pictures and water pictures.

 

But if you're just starting the Auto mode captures stunning pictures and sometimes even better ones than if you're playing around with the settings too much.

 

P is essentially auto mode without a few fancy features, you can use either one. I am actually going to start using Auto + mode for backlit pictures, this is someone thought me here in this thread.

 

Hope that helps :-)

 

On the last night of my first cruise aboard the Disney Dream, the water was really rough. The ship was rocking back and forth pretty bad.

I was on the Carnival Dream the week before Hurricane Isaac hit. The days were beautiful, the nights, not so much. So I know what it feels lik to be in really rough waters

 

BTW I really like the pics! They are amazing! I am a photographer as well, but I have only started. One day I hope to be working on a cruise ship as a photographer. :)

 

Thank you. Cruise ship photography is a thought job, but it is a great place to get started. I think I looked into it last year.

 

 

Gambee, all of your nighttime solarium and pool deck shots were phenomenal but this one really stuck out to me! :D I absolutely love it (especially the colors Celebrity uses to light the deck!)

 

Can't wait for more!

 

I think that is my favorite one as well, the angle did it for me.

[gambee]

Thank you for such a great review and pictures! We sail Silhouette in 9 months and I can't wait now!

 

I really want to try Qsine, but the cover charge is pretty steep... your pictures were really helpful though.

 

I have to laugh about running from a cappella groups - I completely agree!

 

Quick note to other commenters - please do not quote an entire post from Gambee if it includes many pictures - it takes forever to load, makes us have to scroll a bunch, AND we've already seen all those pictures. If you want to say, "I love the pictures from Qsine!" we know what pictures you are referring to - no need to quote Gambee's entire post! Sorry, end of rant.

 

Yeah Qsine food is great, but the price and how cramped it is really push you away from it.

 

I hope you have a fun cruise, thanks for joining us in our adventure :-)

 

Loving the review! The martinis look yummy and the "show" they put on is amazing!

 

Question for you...it has been years since I cruised Celebrity, but some of the highlights of that cruise were the champagne given upon boarding, the sorbet brought poolside on port days and the roving appetizers in the evenings. I don't recall you mentioning any of those special touches. Does Celebrity still do those things?

 

You know I don't think that we got offered champagne when boarding, I would had made note of it. Maybe some of the other people who were aboard can confirm that. Sorbet Poolside, nope never and roving appetizers (I had to research that one) nope!

 

Hmmm seems to me like they are cutting costs, all lines are.

 

 

 

Gambee, Celebrity should hire you to do the photography for their websites, brochures, and promotional materials!!!

 

Thank you, but those jobs are hard to land. Will certainly look into it :-)

 

 

When we sailed the Silhouette the did offer champagne and/or mimosa's as you boarded but I did not see any of the other things. Gambee can confirm but that's what was on our cruise.

 

Patty

 

Thanks for bringing it up, like I said I don't remember it for our sailing. Odd...

 

Thanks for all the wonderful pictures so far.

 

Keep them coming!

 

Thank you :-)

 

Thanks for the Shout Out. That is the President of Celebrity Cruise Table. Only reason I know is because I went to the Q&A and also noticed him on our floor(10th) quite a few times.

 

We went to the Qsine the week before and Donna tried the Cup Cakes and also said they were dry and not very good. So I convinced here to try the Silver Bullet which is very good. Must reviews say you must do Qsine with more than two people. First week we did with four but second we did it by our selves and enjoyed it more the second time. I liked Qsine and will do it again but I loved Tuscan the best.

 

Regards,

Kevin Reid

 

How cool, I got a picture of him. I guess that is what happens when you're shooting pictures of everything.

 

You know I read that about Qsine, but mom and I like eating alone as we talk mostly in spanish and we do not want to be rude to others. A big pet peeve of mine is when people talk their langage in a social situation with people that dod not understand it. So that si why we wanted to do Qsine on our own and it was just great, other than those nasty cup cakes.

 

I do like my comedy dirty... I actually thought the second week guy was better than the first. Yes! I do think the dancer from week 2 was better than the first. Not that I was really looking;)

 

Regards,

Kevin Reid

 

Dirty comedy is a big hit for me :D

[gambee]

 

Good picture of the rat guards on the lines. :D

 

Thanks for taking the time to do your reviews of the Allure and the Silhouette. RCCL or X should hire you.

 

Isn't that a great picture, among my favorite ones. That wide lens can really pull objects.

 

Gambee reality has returned and I'm in flight back to Chicago O'hare. Thanks again for cleaning the sensor on my camera so my LIVE review wouldn't have been a disaster. I was curious, what bar did you like the most on Silhouette?

 

No problem, it was nice meeting you.

 

My favorite bar and by far was the....

 

 

Drummm Roll

 

 

 

 

 

Martini bar, I think when I cruise an S ship in the future I will be there permanently. They might as well make a special chair me and imprint my mane in it.

 

 

One of the biggest things I have seen and read judging from your review is seating for two as I noted the tables were VERY close together. This is something I don't care for either. Having a foot or two between tables doesn't fly with ME. No way to carry on a "private" conversation and I'm not one who cares to "mingle" with others when dining.

 

Keep up the great work Gambee!

 

Yeah unfortunately, the MDR, Lawn, Blu and Qsine are like this. The only ones that I did not notice like that were the buffet (ironic), Tuscan and Murano (my favorite). I guess it is something to keep in mind for our future trips.

 

 

Wooo Hoooo! We made the Gambee review!

 

Meeting Gambee and his mom was actually kind of funny. We met them soon after we got off the bus at the Hilton. However, at that point, we didn't realize that we were talking to the famous Cruise Critic Reviewer. We asked them where they were from and they said Ft. Lauderdale (just like us), but we didn't put two and two together.

 

We "knew" Gambee from his Allure thread. Prior to booking on the Silhouette, we were planning on booking on the Allure. So, we studied his review carefully. However, just before booking, Celebrity came out with their 1,2,3 promotion and we switched ships (ultimately, we're very happy we switched -- we REALLY enjoyed the Premium drink package).

 

On the Roll Call thread, Gambee had mentioned that he was unable to get a ticket to the Hilton because it was sold out. So, we assumed that he wasn't going to be on this excursion.

 

But, there was still a bunch of coincidences. He was a guy from Ft. Lauderdale in his 20s travelling with his mom. He had a very slight accent. Then again, he was missing some surefire tells -- he had no fedora and he didn't have his Sony NEX camera (he just had his point and click camera).

 

For the next few hours while enjoying the cocktails at the Hilton, we debated whether it was Gambee or not. Finally, we ran into them again before we boarded the bus back to the ship and asked. And, sure enough it was them.

 

I've got to say that Gambee and his mom are even more personable and friendly in person than they are on this board. You can tell that they both really enjoy life -- they're always smiling (even during disembarkation when the ship seemingly lost their luggage).

 

Gambee,

 

Thank you for this thread. We're reliving our fantastic cruise again through your posts! We liked it so much, we rebooked a Silhouette Spring Break again for 2014 (this time to the Eastern Carribean). You can't beat the 1,2,3 promotion.

 

First of all thank you for the picture that you took of us, I already put in the safe folder and backed it up with other pictures that are special to me. It really came out great and I think this is 1 of only 3 pictures that we have together. I am not a fan of asking people to take pictures of us, so when someone offers I am all up for it :-).

 

You know I had no idea that you were a big fan of the Allure review, thank you for reading it.

 

And also thank you for the kind words :-)

 

That 1,2,3 promotion was a really great one and they had all kind of special offers going on that week. I thought of booking the eastern route, but there are some new ships coming out during that time and I want to try them. Have fun on your cruise, we have yet to do the eastern route and we are dying to do it!

[gambee]

Thanks Gambee, we were on this cruise and I have enjoyed the review and reliving our experience. We can't wait to get back out on the sea!

 

Wasen't is a great cruise? Glad I could help you relive the cruise.

 

Gorgeous night shots Gambee! I never take a tripod but am thinking about it for my upcoming cruise due to the fact that we overnight in Venice. I gotta start looking for a compact one that will hold my heavy 7D, I have a small gorilla pod but I assume you were using a full size one for these shots?

 

Well here is the thing, the Gorilla pod is capable of those pictures. But the main problem with that voyage was how windy it was, that was why I forced to bring my main tripod out. Also I guess location would play a factor into that. I will say that I am planning on brining both tripods again for the Breakaway cruise, if there is a small chance that I have to use it then it will be all worth it.

 

Hope that helps.

 

We have a story about the juggler...

 

On the Labadee day (Day 6) around 9 PM, my wife and I were sitting in the Ensemble Lounge drinking some cocktails. We started talking to the couple sitting beside us. We had quite a bit in common; they had kids close in age to our kids; both wives were stay-at-home moms; they were English and we had lived in England for a while.

 

At some point, I asked the husband what he did for a living. He said he was an entertainer. Since he was absolutely hysterical, I thought he was joking when he told me that he was a professional juggler. Eventually, we figured out that he was the headliner from the previous night. My wife and I are not show fans, so we never went to a single show -- we had no idea.

 

Pete Mathews (here's his website) and his wife Claire were an absolutely wonderful couple. Pete travels all over the world working on various cruise lines doing his act. He met his wife 10 years ago on a cruise ship. He was a headliner and she was a dancer in a show. Normally, he travels alone, but on this cruise he brought his wife and kids along for Spring Breaks (their kids were at the Slumber Party at the Fun Factory).

 

Pete introduced me to Espresso Martinis. We spent the next 4+ hours drinking eight or nine each. Needless to say, we ended up quite tipsy. What I didn't know at the time is they make each of those Espresso Martinis with a real shot of espresso. Not only was a drunk, but I was absolutely wired. We ended up closing down the Ensemble Bar.

 

That night when I finally went to bed, sleep was absolutely impossible with all that espresso in me. I gave up and went wandering the ship instead. Unfortunately, the only thing open that late was the casino. Gambling while really drunk and wired was not a good idea. It ended up being an expensive night.

 

After hanging out with them so long, we're really sorry we missed his show. I'm glad most of you enjoyed the show.

 

8 Expresso martinis :eek:, that is almost as strong as vodka/redbull. Oh my...

 

That's a really funny story.

[gambee]

Another great review, Gambee!! Thank you so much for posting!! :)

 

Thank you!

 

You're welcome :-)

 

NO, the end is near!! It is like seeing the luggage in the hallway on the last night feeling.

 

Bill

 

All good things must end, eh?

 

Hi Gambee, thank you so much for your time & effort with this review, i've really enjoyed tagging along & sad to see it end. I have one question for you... what do you do with all your gorgeous pics? Photobooks? Print them out? There must be thousands of them!

 

Well, I really just have them rotate on my the background of both my computer and my Apple TV. I don't think I have ever printed a picture, I only work digitally. And to be precise there at 17,300 pictures, those are the final ones that I kept. I am sure I have taken maybe 8 times that number, but a lot of them get deleted in the selection process.

 

 

Gambee glad you were able to get more shots of the brunch than I did. I seemed to have a mad dash of people and just felt like I was in everyone's way so I stopped after a few pictures. You are correct on what the Captain said about the engines... 4 engines and 2 generators and they are housed in a way that if one fails(like catches on fire) it's impossible to for the problem to get to the others

 

Cool, thanks for clarifying that for me.

[gambee]

We left the solarium for a minute because Gambee had some shopping to do, I know right ships do crazy things to you. And what did I wanted to buy, well I needed to buy some rum cake for my bf's grandmother.

 

And more important than that I had been eyeing something that I really wanted, throughout the cruise I went back and forth wether to get it or not. But finally I decided to just go ahead and buy it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

:D I could not resist. I think I am going to start a collection of all the ships I sail. I will have to find a way of getting the Allure one and the Sky one as well. Beth if you end up going on the sky could you do that favor for me? I could paypal you the cash for it :)

 

He now sits next to me tv for maximun viewing opportunities :D

 

 

We went to the room to drop of the goodies and then headed back up.

 

 

 

 

Edited April 16, 2013 by gambee

[gambee]

I decided to go to the Solstice deck and get some pictures for the review since I had yet to visit that area of the ship. The place was packed with people, crazy... I wish I had managed to get pictures of the place empty. But this pictures are also good as they are more interesting than an empty space.

 

Anyway it is a nice place and offers great views of the ship, this area is not to be missed.

 

View from there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[gambee]

 

The weather was FANTASTIC, just look at that sun!

 

 

 

Then we went down one deck to go to the FWD of the ship,

 

 

 

 

[gambee]

 

 

 

 

 

 

[gambee]

 

 

How cool is this picture?

 

 

 

 

A different angle looking at the bridge.

 

[gambee]

I had no idea this area existed, pretty cool, huh?

 

 

 

 

 

After that little tour, where did we go? Come on you have to know by now :D

 

 

 

 

 

 

yes the Solarium, Gambee needed more drinks and more relaxation was in order.

 

 

 

I just want to note that bar pool service was none existent and waits for drinks at the pool bar were long.

 

At one point I reminded myself that mom wanted to drink a mudslide in memory of Kevin (luv2cruise53), mudslides were his favorite drink. For those of you who are not aware he was a fellow CC reviewer who past away earlier this year. I ordered two mudslides and a cheers was in order for his great work. For Kevin, thank you for your wonderful Bermuda review, may you RIP next to your beloved partner. For those of you looking for a fun review please pay a visit to this link, Review of NCL Star to Bermuda. I can guarantee you that he will make you laugh more than you can imagine, what a great writer he was. You will missed dearly...

 

 

[cruzinlady1947]

Awesome pictures. I could look at your pictures all day long.

 

I have an idea. You go on a cruise on the new Quantum and do your review, then I will book after I see everything through your eyes (or camera). :p;)

 

Thanks again for taking all the time involved in doing these reviews. So greatly appreciated.

 

Gwen :)

[gambee]

Awesome pictures. I could look at your pictures all day long.

 

I have an idea. You go on a cruise on the new Quantum and do your review, then I will book after I see everything through your eyes (or camera). :p;)

 

Thanks again for taking all the time involved in doing these reviews. So greatly appreciated.

 

Gwen :)

 

Quantum is definitely on my sight, how long I have to wait to sail her depends on the prices. Hopefully they are not too high and I can travel her in the inaugural season.