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

[gambee]

Great review Gambee. So appreciated.

 

You're welcome =)

 

Thanks again for your wonderful photos and review.

 

Glad you enjoyed, I will see around!

 

Thank You Gambee

 

Welcome :-)

 

Gambee that review is awesome. I think we should start a fund, say $5 pp so you and your mom can cruise monthly. That way we could get a great view of many many more ships.

 

Thank you Juniorsmom, I will you around.

 

Thank you!!!! Awesome review!!! Wowza!!!! Love Love Love!!!!

 

You're welcome and thank you.

 

Hi Gambee! I just wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed your review and especially your photos. Your photos are amazing! It was so fun to read and picture you on the ship with your descriptions. It really makes it hard to wait for my upcoming cruise on the Silhouette. Thanks so much for sharing!

 

You're Welcome glad you enjoyed =)

 

Until Next time!

 

 

Thank YOU, Gambee! What a wonderful review, I just can't express my gratitude enough for your efforts at preparing this wonderful review with your AMAZING photos! It is so hard to get a feel for a ship from pictures alone, but somehow you manage to capture the spirit of the ship. You have a real gift, and it is so kind of you to share this gift with the Cruise Critic community!

 

I truly aim at capturing the vibe of the ship, thanks for input. That is not an easy thing to do.

 

 

Gambee,

 

So sad this review is over. Now what am I going to do with my nights! LOL

Thank you for sharing you vacation with all of us. Your pictures are just exquisite!!! I enjoyed your review very much. Please be sure to post in your Allure and this thread when you start your Breakaway review to let us know it's started. Until then...........happy sailing!

 

Patty

 

Hello Patty,

 

You're very welcome, I will post the link to the breakaway report once I have it up and running.

 

Put it in my reminders app so I don't forget because I definitely would! Expect an email on June 16th - A few weeks before my sailing!

 

P.S. I'm sad this review is done! :-( It definitely deserves another 5 stars! You did it again Gambee, terrific review!

 

 

Thank you, I will see you around.

 

 

Great review Gambee. I'm not sure why either but my LIVE review for Silhouette was harder than the one I did for Oasis. I'm pretty sure you and I posted more pics for Silhouette than we did for Oasis and Allure :D

 

You posted a lot more in this Live than you did on the Oasis one, I am sure that was why. In my case I did a lot more editing and I had a lot more videos, that's probably why.

 

 

 

Indeed...thank you so much...what a spectacular review....and all the photos...wow! I cannot wait to board Silhouette in September. You've also been great about answering questons.

While the review is over...I'll be glad to get back to my regularly scheduled, schedule....bahahahaha. Been following you, Radio and Chris far too much. DH keeps asking who I'm writing too....lol...I just tell him I'm posting on CC...then I show him some pics...he doesn't want to see...totally wants to be surprised. That would be Tom...but I've learned so much as far as the ship and what is where.

Time flies....my cruise will be here before I know it...I don't even know if I'll do a review....there is no way I can even come close to matching you....not that I want to...for me, it's far too much work. I hope all CC memebers appreciate what you did.

 

Thank you for the kind words, hope you have a great time on your cruise.

Edited April 19, 2013 by gambee

[gambee]

Great review. Thanks so much for the pictures. Such a tease for our upcoming sailing on this amazing ship in the Adriatic next month!

 

Glad that i am able to help with the anticipation ;-)

 

Thanks for letting us all sail along with you and your Mom and can't wait till our next cruise with you on Breakaway!

 

Us either, I will see you next month :D

 

Agreed- I actually suggested this a few pages back. If everyone who read even a portion of Gambee's review sent him a tip, just a few bucks, it should fund the next cruise!

 

Gambee, thank you again for the time and effort you put into this. It is greatly appreciated!

 

You're very welcome, glad you enjoyed it!

 

Gambee, thanks again for all your time and effort to put together this wonderful review. Although this one is over, it won't be long for the next one. Very much looking forward to that one too.

 

Happy cruising.........

 

Gwen

 

Thank you Gwen, I will see you next month :-)

 

What an absolutely immense review, Gambee

 

Thank you for taking me (us!) with you. I loved your Allure review and it made me seriously consider the big gals and now I want to cruise X

 

Thank you =), glad you enjoyed!

 

 

I will see you on my Breakaway review ;-)

 

Great review. I'm not usually on the NCL CC board so I'd certainly like to see the Breakaway review. Hopefully there is someway to get the word out to us fans. I'd like to see your review.

 

I said it earlier in this thread. I would certainly like to see all your videos and pics put into one spot or youtube video. Your photos and videos were well done and should be saved somewhere for others to see.

 

Thanks for a great report.

 

 

I will post links on my current reviews when my new review will be rolling :-)

 

Gambee....I've read all of your reviews....great job and loved loved LOVED all of your pictures. I feel as though I know you and your mom. You are a very sweet guy that loves his mom so much! She is very lucky to have a son like you. I'm looking forward to your next cruise. My husband and I leave on the Allure May 19th...just a few weeks from now.

 

God Bless,

Druann

 

 

Thank you for the kind words Druann =) you leave on the Allure the same day that we leave on Breakaway! Have a great trip!

 

Wonderful report! Thanks so much.

 

I hope some day, you'll sail on Disney and review them as well.

 

 

Yup, Disney is on our list, I just need the price to be right.

Edited April 19, 2013 by gambee

[gambee]

Thank you, thank you, thank you, for taking us on your Silhouette cruise! I had my doubts about wanting to sail Celebrity, but you and Chris have won me over!!

 

Now if only they would do something about that terrible debarking situation...:rolleyes:

 

Yeah that debarkation is just horrible, it leaves a very sour taste in your mouth...

 

I enjoyed your review from beginning to end. You are very clear when giving your personal opinion, and you let us experience a ship through your eyes. I will try the S class soon, for sure.

I loved the Allure, and am going on the Oasis for the 4th time in May then the 5th time in Nov.

I don't think there is any way to truly compare Oasis class with other cruise ships. I am glad that Oasis was not my first cruise. I was so content to sail on mid size ships and enjoy the Ocean Blue, now I love the super class for its diverse pleasures.,but that closeness with the ocean is lost.. I am glad that I have a choice!

I save all my pennys and clip coupons like crazy because I love to cruise!

One last thing, it is very hard to travel to places that look like paradise and see poverty. Buying some small object from the locals doesn't do much. We tip as much as we can,and take cash with us to show appreciation here and there. Haiti is still in such a mess. I hope the cruise lines use the profits we help them generate to aid those in need. Ty Gambee.

 

 

I agree we will, I am hoping that one day I will sail a ship that will top the Allure, but like you said there is simply so much to do on that ship that I find that questionable at best.

 

I will see you around =)

 

Gambee thank you so much for your time and effort for both the Celebrity review and the Allure review. I enjoyed both so much. I agree that Allure is so amazing and I wonder if we will find another ship that will match it (Quantum?). I think Celebrity will be a great product to try for my husband and I to either Alaska or Europe. We will stick to family cruising and Caribbean cruising in general on newer RCCL ships or perhaps maybe NCL Breakaway. Our family is anxiously waiting your review on this new ship. It may indeed be our next family vacation this summer. Have an amazing cruise on the Breakaway!!! I know I will be hearing from you soon.

 

I think that was exactly my thought, the S-class ships will be great for Europe and Alaska. But for the Caribbean I need something with a little more pump going on. I am hoping that Breakaway will be a great cruise and possibly becoming another favorite of mine.

[gambee]

Fantastic review and photos. Thanks so much for taking the time to do this. Looking forward to this same itinerary in March of 2014.

 

Hope you have a great cruise =)

 

This must be universal on all cruise lines. They are really concerned about the possibility of toy cars being flushed! :D

 

Gambee, I just love all the little details you share! Thanks!

 

You're very welcome glad you enjoyed =)

 

I will see you around!

 

Hi Gambee, Here's a video we took last year that you will enjoy. It's the bartender at the Martini Bar on the Solstice pouring 3 flights (18 glasses) of martinis. Once he had all of the shakers ready he had to stand on a stool to pour. Everyone of them came out perfectly.

 

 

Thank you again for taking the time to entertain all of us. :)

 

Sue

 

Thank you for sharing that awesome video.

Edited April 19, 2013 by gambee

[gambee]

Hi Gambee,

I have what may be a silly question for you re your photogrpahy. I have recently purchased a camear & will be taking a short course soon, but... with your images, it is a matter of knowing which mode to select for them to come outt he way they are OR do you take a pic & then play around with editing software? IF so, which do you use?

Many thanks again for your time & the review!

 

Well the ideal situation has you taking a picture that needs no editing whatsoever. That is sadly almost never the case, for editing I use lightroom. As for the setting to use, I keep my camera in P. But I suggest to most people to keep it in Auto until you know your camera a little bit better. Most auto modes now days are very intelligent and yield incredible results.

 

Hope that helps a little.

 

Thanks Gambee for the most excellent review! I, like the others, am so sad it's ending.

 

We're sailing on the Silhouette next March and can't wait! I had no idea this ship had so many features! So glad we have the premium package - we're going to hit that martini bar several times

 

Thanks again - I know this was very time consuming. Can't wait until the next review!!

 

Debbie

 

You're welcome Debbie, I hope you have a wonderful cruise!

 

It is an absolute shame Gambee that you got bad weather at Rose Hall, we had a fantastic time there when we visited.

 

I see you also had the same cruise director that we had on the Equinox, mad as a hatter and loved her morning films (stealing the jewellery or falling off the running machines)

 

I also hear that you maybe doing an NCL Breakaway review - is this right? We're getting on the 30th April for the latitutes lunch to have a peak but only get an hour to get as many pictures as we can and was hoping you were going to thrill us.

 

Yeah we will be going on Breakaway on May 19, I will be doing a extensive review. So be sure to look for it =)

 

Have fun meeting Breakaway!

 

Awesome review Gambee! Love your photos and all the details you provided. I booked the Allure after following your review and last week booked the Reflection. Question about Rose Hall

How far was the bus from the ship?

Was the pick up inside the gate? I'll be on the Oasis next month and look forward to reading all about your Break. Away cruise when I return.

Linda

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Hello Linda, The ride in the bus was about 23 minutes, not bad and yes you get pick up inside the gates so no worries about that.

 

Thank you for following my reviews =)

 

I will see you around

 

Gambee.....excellent review! I think you should save your money from going on the Carnival Breeze...after seeing your two big time reviews, I think you will be dissapointed by Carnival. Their specialty restaurant and bars just don't do justice to the Allure or Silly.

 

Your interior pictures were amazing. I am wondering what ISO setting you used MOST of the time for interior shots in the restaurants and bars? Thanks a lot for a great review!

 

You know everyone keeps telling me that, but for some reason I still want to give Carnival a try. Of course the only way of doing that is to sail their flag ship, I am still not certain about that trip. I will have to look into it.

 

As far as the ISO question, well Ideally I like to keep it under 1600 anything above that and I have to do a lot of editing to make it work. But to be honest I keep the ISO in AUTO mode, if I am just taking inside pics and I don't have my tripod with me. I always put the Zeiss lens and open it wide at 1.8, that gives me a big hole and the chances that the ISO will stay low and with a relatively fast shutter speed.

 

Ideally I would love to set the ISO to 200 and shoot on a tripod with a long exposure, but for that I would need to be setting the tripod for every picture.

 

I was going to initially do that and do en entire tour of the ship, but then realize how much faster I could do it with the lens set to wide open.

 

Loved this place, it was the highlight of our cruise last week.

 

Yeah it was a lot of fun

 

 

Would it be good for a couple without kids? I'm not into waterslides but the lazy river looks nice. Having a hard time finding something appealing in Jamaica. I'd like something a bit active - bit no zip lines, bobsleds or waterfalls !!

 

My mom loved it and she is not into water slides, it is a great place just a little $$.

[gambee]

To put it as simply as I can, Gambee, THANK YOU AND BRAVO!:D

 

Can't wait until "we meet again" aboard the Breakaway next month . . . virtually, of course.:(

 

 

Thank you for your continuing support, I will see you next month :-)

 

Amazing job!

 

I looked forward to reading it everyday and I am sad that its over ......So I ordered some Thai food and a movie and sent it to your house. I expect a full review of both by 9am tomorrow..... with Pictures!!! :D

 

Lol, funny.

 

Next up BREAKAWAY!!!!

[AnchorsAweigh2011]

I enjoyed your EXCELLENT review and AMAZING pictures of the Celebrity Silhouette! Your attention to detail is simply outstanding and I wanted to commend and thank you for doing your Cruise Critic review.

 

Our family is scheduled to cruise in March 2014 on the Silhouette and we are now counting the days!

 

Say hi to your mom!

 

Would you recommend that you keep your luggage with you and disembark early in the morning to avoid the long line-ups?

[gambee]

I enjoyed your EXCELLENT review and AMAZING pictures of the Celebrity Silhouette! Your attention to detail is simply outstanding and I wanted to commend and thank you for doing your Cruise Critic review.

 

Our family is scheduled to cruise in March 2014 on the Silhouette and we are now counting the days!

 

Say hi to your mom!

 

Would you recommend that you keep your luggage with you and disembark early in the morning to avoid the long line-ups?

 

I hope you enjoy your family cruise.

 

Yeah that is correct, from now on I am not trusting them with our bags. For a quick second I had panic attack thinking what was inside that bag and such. Finding the bag took about 10-15 minutes and I was on a time crunch.

 

Unless I have insurance I would just bring them with me.

[cruzccl]

Gambee,

 

Allow me to add another voice in the chorus of thanks. I can't imagine the time and energy it takes to put a review together like this. It was a joy to read as I am sure it was a pleasure for you to compile.

 

Thanks again and I look forward to your Breakaway review. I am not a big NCL fan based on my 1 and only cruise with them. Maybe your experience and review will make me take another look. The ship does look compelling.

 

Have fun!

 

Bill

[SliceOfLife]

Your review was hours of entertainment! Great pictures, wonderful story telling, and great sense of humor. I look forward to meeting you on our Breakaway cruise.

 

At the end of your Breakaway review you'll have to compare all three lines :)

[KGSB11]

It was then when I noticed a tinny dot following us, I knew it had to be another ship. I was really curious about which ship it was so I went inside to change the lens and came back out with the zoom lens.

 

He was way in the distance, it was a carnival ship. It is a good thing that it had the whale tail so I could identify the cruise line :D

 

This picture is really cropped, I could not spot the ship unless I cropped the hell out of it!

 

Which ship is it, no idea. I am sure a little research should yield a result.

 

 

This is pretty cool! Although I would love to see the un-cropped version...what can I say, I grew up on "Where's Waldo?" :D

[swim13]

WOW! I JUST realized my Aunt and Uncle went on this same exact ship in the fall of 2012! :p

 

How could I forget?! I will have to direct my aunt here to look at the review, she would love it!

[nyonefivetwo]

Emergency Supplies

 

After the Carnival Triumph incident happened we decided that we need to pack a few extra items to make our stay a more comfortable one if an accident was to occur. Among the things we decided to bring was a Energizer Solar Rechargeable 9-LED Lantern, a hand crank rechargeable radio, extra flashlights, some baby wipes, a few more weeks of med supplies, granola bars and the 2 bottles of wine just in case they cut alcohol consumption :D. I also had my eyes in a solar charger, but by the time the cruise came I simply could not afford it, maybe I will pick it up before the Breakaway cruise.

 

 

 

Last Minute Shopping

 

I have been a momas boy ever since I was born, actually so much that I can't remember the last time that I bought cloths for myself. A few weeks prior this cruise I decided that I was grown up enough to try to venture into the mall and buy a few items :D. After all I wanted to look sharp during our cruise ;). What started out as a few shirts, ended up being an entire new wardrobe, I could not believe how much clothes I bought. I kid you not, when I say entire wardrobe I mean everything. I think the only thing that I brought on this cruise that was not entire new were my sandals and my signature hat. I think I found a new addiction =(.

 

 

 

ANTI-NAUSEA KIT, mom and I are prone to motion sickness and I will be damned if I get sick on my vacation. So as you might Imagine we do everything possible to avoid getting sick. So far we have done great on our two prior cruises, but then again the movement of those ships was minimal. I am sure we will eventually find some rough seas and I will be prepared for that day. Our normal anti-nausea kit includes Sea-bands, Ginger pills, Bonine and scopolamine patches (prescribed, absolutely last resort). We figure that one of them is odd to work.

 

 

 

Okay - I have to know - how do you keep the hat from deflating when you pack?! I just bought a new one and that has me a little worried...

[gambee]

Gambee,

 

Allow me to add another voice in the chorus of thanks. I can't imagine the time and energy it takes to put a review together like this. It was a joy to read as I am sure it was a pleasure for you to compile.

 

Thanks again and I look forward to your Breakaway review. I am not a big NCL fan based on my 1 and only cruise with them. Maybe your experience and review will make me take another look. The ship does look compelling.

 

Have fun!

 

Bill

 

Thank you Bill, yeah a lot of time and a lot of energy :). We like NCL, but we have big hope that it will be a match for our other two cruises. I will see you in a little over a month on the NCL site :)

 

 

Your review was hours of entertainment! Great pictures, wonderful story telling, and great sense of humor. I look forward to meeting you on our Breakaway cruise.

 

At the end of your Breakaway review you'll have to compare all three lines :)

 

Thank you Slice, can't wait to meet you onboard and have a great time. We will see how the 3 of them compare.

[gambee]

This is pretty cool! Although I would love to see the un-cropped version...what can I say, I grew up on "Where's Waldo?" :D

 

Here you go, try to find it :D

 

 

WOW! I JUST realized my Aunt and Uncle went on this same exact ship in the fall of 2012! :p

 

How could I forget?! I will have to direct my aunt here to look at the review, she would love it!

 

Lol, thats funny. Our mind tends to forget those things that are not too important. I sure they will love reliving their experience through the review.

 

 

Okay - I have to know - how do you keep the hat from deflating when you pack?! I just bought a new one and that has me a little worried...

 

Simple I never put it in a bag :D, either I am wearing it or I carry it in a plastic bag with me. That is why I am only traveling with one fedora now, I am looking into buying a white one but have yet to find one that I like.

[BugsyCruiser]

Gambee, here's best wishes for bright sunny skies every day for your journey to Bermuda aboard Breakaway. I'm sure that review will be just as stunning and awesome as your Allure and Silhouette reviews were :)

[gambee]

Gambee, here's best wishes for bright sunny skies every day for your journey to Bermuda aboard Breakaway. I'm sure that review will be just as stunning and awesome as your Allure and Silhouette reviews were :)

 

I know right we are in big need of a god weather cruise, but I wont mention it much and just hope for the best. Thank you for the good wishes, we are really looking forward for this cruise.

[BugsyCruiser]

I know right we are in big need of a god weather cruise, but I wont mention it much and just hope for the best. Thank you for the good wishes, we are really looking forward for this cruise.

 

I was surprised at the weather you had aboard Silhouette and the weather I had. I'm hoping for the same weather again when I sail on Reflection in December :D

[librarylady19]

Sure beats our crazy weather at home Chris! sleet and freezing rain - yuck!!!

[BugsyCruiser]

Sure beats our crazy weather at home Chris! sleet and freezing rain - yuck!!!

 

I know! I left for the road again on Thursday and of course we had the torrential rain, got to Columbus, Ohio and it was sunny and 87. And today it's 36 here in Youngstown. This weather is playing havoc with my sinuses

[long time lurker]

Emergency Supplies

 

After the Carnival Triumph incident happened we decided that we need to pack a few extra items to make our stay a more comfortable one if an accident was to occur. Among the things we decided to bring was a Energizer Solar Rechargeable 9-LED Lantern, a hand crank rechargeable radio, extra flashlights, some baby wipes, a few more weeks of med supplies, granola bars and the 2 bottles of wine just in case they cut alcohol consumption :D. I also had my eyes in a solar charger, but by the time the cruise came I simply could not afford it, maybe I will pick it up before the Breakaway cruise.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gambee

Thanks so much for your review. As my screen name suggests I have been lurking on this review for a while. I will be sailing on this lovely ship in January and am anxious to see these things in person, although with your great pictures I feel like I have already been on board.

 

I have to mention though, glad to see the NOAA weather radio in your emergency kit. My DH works for the National Weather Service and I am glad to see it in your supplies. Did you use it on board and how far out were you able to get a signal?

 

Thanks again for the wonderful review. I hope you have better weather on your Breakaway cruise.

[gambee]

Gambee

Thanks so much for your review. As my screen name suggests I have been lurking on this review for a while. I will be sailing on this lovely ship in January and am anxious to see these things in person, although with your great pictures I feel like I have already been on board.

 

I have to mention though, glad to see the NOAA weather radio in your emergency kit. My DH works for the National Weather Service and I am glad to see it in your supplies. Did you use it on board and how far out were you able to get a signal?

 

Thanks again for the wonderful review. I hope you have better weather on your Breakaway cruise.

 

I think mom attempted to get signal once but failed. The good thing about that radio is that it is both hand crank and solar powered, it can also charge your phone. Pretty neat.

[cruzccl]

Sorry Gambee one last question. Since you are sailing on Breakaway, planning to do any pre-cruise nights in NYC? Would love to see how you would capture all that it is from behind your camera.

 

NYC is close to where I live and one of favorites. Such a fun port to sail from. You will have fun sailing down the Hudson, Statue of Liberty and going under the Verrazano bridge.

 

Bill

[gambee]

Sorry Gambee one last question. Since you are sailing on Breakaway, planning to do any pre-cruise nights in NYC? Would love to see how you would capture all that it is from behind your camera.

 

NYC is close to where I live and one of favorites. Such a fun port to sail from. You will have fun sailing down the Hudson, Statue of Liberty and going under the Verrazano bridge.

 

Bill

 

No worries ask away,

 

We will get to NY the day before we sail out, I have plans of meeting with a good friend there. I really have no plans for NY been there numerous times and I have done pretty much all that I had in my initial to do list. I was actually thinking that I was going to let my friend takes us and do whatever he felt like doing.

 

Our hotel is nearby time square so I do plan to do a photo shoot there and see what my wide and fisheye can do over there.

 

Ill be honest with you and say that I was thinking of not going deep into NY in the review, I thought that most would be bored with the pre-cruise stuff and just eager to experience Breakaway. But if there is a demand I will certainly do it.

 

I plan on launching a thread on the NCL forum a few weeks from today and it will be mainly to ask people what they would like in the review and also for tips and advice. It is much better when you have several heads working than just mine, at times I tend to miss a lot of things and mom is the one who helps me remember about them.

 

I have never been to NY with proper camera equipment, so I am very intrigued to see what I can pull off.

 

 

 

Here is one of my favorite NY pictures, while not taken with my NEX camera, it was still taken with my favorite point and shoot camera.

 

Edited April 20, 2013 by gambee

[beachbuddy]

No worries ask away,

 

We will get to NY the day before we sail out, I have plans of meeting with a good friend there. I really have no plans for NY been there numerous times and I have done pretty much all that I had in my initial to do list. I was actually thinking that I was going to let my friend takes us and do whatever he felt like doing.

 

Our hotel is nearby time square so I do plan to do a photo shoot there and see what my wide and fisheye can do over there.

 

Ill be honest with you and say that I was thinking of not going deep into NY in the review, I thought that most would be bored with the pre-cruise stuff and just eager to experience Breakaway. But if there is a demand I will certainly do it.

 

I plan on launching a thread on the NCL forum a few weeks from today and it will be mainly to ask people what they would like in the review and also for tips and advice. It is much better when you have several heads working than just mine, at times I tend to miss a lot of things and mom is the one who helps me remember about them.

 

I have never been to NY with proper camera equipment, so I am very intrigued to see what I can pull off.

 

 

 

Here is one of my favorite NY pictures, while not taken with my NEX camera, it was still taken with my favorite point and shoot camera.

 

 

What a gorgeous picture!!!!! OMG, NY is one of my favorite places to visit for the day! Love Broadway plays and love to just sit in Times Square and people watch! I hop a train and off I go!!! I certainly would appreciate any NY photos that you take............wouldn't bore me at all!!!

 

Patty