A Review of the Celebrity Silhouette- Aqua Class, Beverage Package, Bad Weather

[tmlove17]

Great to see you have come back to conclude your story.

I hope you come back and post reviews on your next trip, as you write very well.

 

Thank you! I will be writing a report on our Reflection cruise as I won't have as many things going on this summer. :) I appreciate your reading along!

[tmlove17]

Thank you so much for coming back to finish the review! Cannot wait to hear about your next cruise... or your baby planning!!

 

Thank you so much for your best wishes! :) I will be writing another cruise report on our Reflection trip to Europe this summer, so stay tuned... :)

[tmlove17]

Loved your review. I will be doing the same itinerary on the Silhouette next Jan. Just crossed off the beach excursion in Jamaica off our list of possible excursions, and decided to definitely upgrade to the Premium package. Thanks for a great review. And you and your DH are so cute!.

 

Thank you! You've made a good choice. In all honesty I will not be getting off the boat of we so that route again in Jamaica. Many friends we met did various excursions in Jamaica and none seemed to love theirs at all. They were all very expensive and your money could be better spent elsewhere, IMHO. :)

[DocJohnB]

Super review.

 

Funny how some folks can always make lemonade out of lemons. You not only do that but your positive attitude sweetens it and makes it even more palatable. Some folks would have had fantastic weather and crabbed because they got sun burned.

 

I see you are headed out in a couple of months for an Eastern Mediterranean cruise. I know you will enjoy it. Of your stops, I have only been to Santorini, Athens and Rome. Having read your review I KNOW you will enjoy all of these immensely. I hope you plan on a few days pre or post cruise to explore Rome. It is my favorite European city. My wife and I spent a land vacation in Greece - you will be absolutely awed by the sights of Santorini and the history that is Athens.

 

You and your husband are members of my second favorite profession and I feel that your positive attitude comes across to your students. BTW, which level do the two of you teach at. (My guess is either middle school).

 

BTW, he does wear some funny looking shorts (bermudas). :D :D

[tmlove17]

Many people love the Western Caribbean cruise specifically for Cozumel and the private island of Labadee and do not get off the ship at all in Jamaica.

 

Jamaica is doing themselves no favors with repeat tourist business by being so pushy. I FULLY appreciate the low level of economic welfare there, but you cant encourage a tourism economy unless people enjoy themselves and want to return and tell their friends to go.

 

Most people in Jamaica do Dunn Rivers Falls, which is definitely worth doing once, but even there you have to exit through an open air market maze where you just get continuously accosted.

 

We are doing that same itinerary on the Allure in Oct, and Jamaica is our Enjoy the Ship day, there is no way I am taking my 8 mo daughter out into town there.

 

You are right that Falmouth is a misrepresentation of the island, it is 100% a tourist shopping experience, but with mostly non-island stores.

 

Also, we LOVE Labadee, just think of it as exactly like Typhoon island, it is a private island built for the RCI cruise lines (X, Azumara and RCL) to stop at. We love getting a cabana on the beach and just relaxing the day away (of course minus your weather) If you understand it is not a stop in Haiti, you can accept it more.

 

I couldn't agree with you more. Tourism is a solid industry that helps many countries have jobs and commerce, but the way they are running their towns near cruise ports is truly doing them no favors. We did not feel safe, and it made us never want to return there again-- not because of the poverty, but because of the attitudes, the pushy-ness and how many stoned people we saw in the town as well. Sad. :(

[tmlove17]

Super review.

 

Funny how some folks can always make lemonade out of lemons. You not only do that but your positive attitude sweetens it and makes it even more palatable. Some folks would have had fantastic weather and crabbed because they got sun burned.

 

I see you are headed out in a couple of months for an Eastern Mediterranean cruise. I know you will enjoy it. Of your stops, I have only been to Santorini, Athens and Rome. Having read your review I KNOW you will enjoy all of these immensely. I hope you plan on a few days pre or post cruise to explore Rome. It is my favorite European city. My wife and I spent a land vacation in Greece - you will be absolutely awed by the sights of Santorini and the history that is Athens.

 

You and your husband are members of my second favorite profession and I feel that your positive attitude comes across to your students. BTW, which level do the two of you teach at. (My guess is either middle school).

 

BTW, he does wear some funny looking shorts (bermudas). :D :D

 

Wow! Thank you! What kind compliments you've passed on. :) You sure did nail it: We are both middle school teachers. I'm much more grammar-centric and my husband is much more stand-on-desks type. But that's how we met, because pretty much if you find someone who loves teaching middle schoolers as much as you do, you don't let them get away. ;)

 

We will be spending 3 extra days in Rome before the trip and one day post-trip, with a day trip up to Tuscany. We are really excited! Definitely are in a "pinch me" type moment considering it is so close, but we've both been working really hard for this dream trip and just got it all paid off in cash. Hooray! (hence why I have been absent for the past month-- I am working 4 jobs!). :)

 

Thanks again for reading, I really appreciate it and hope you check the boards again in August for our Mediterranean review. :)

[DaRu]

Thank you so much for finishing your review. We have been following it since the beginning & I must say it was a pleasure to read something that wasn't so "sugar coated". Hubby & I are doing our 'first ever cruise' on the Silhouette next January 2014 & are reading with interest all that is being written...always reading between the lines to get the good & the bad !

 

Enjoy your summer cruise. It will be interesting to read that review upon your return !

[Lin336]

Great review! Looking forward to reading your next one.

[Softball20]

I tend to avoid ship tours, also, but really I would go with the ship on this one. I just did not have a good feeling about Falmouth and the people were not very friendly. We did go back and complain (which I will write more about tomorrow), and we did receive half of our money back. Not great, but I'll take it.

 

And yes, I did use Instagram for all of my pics this trip. :) I don't have a point and shoot and only a professional-grade DSLR, so I decided to leave the DSLR at home this trip and just sail with the iPhone/Instagram. I think it did a pretty good job! :)

 

I have been reading your review as we are sailing on the Silhouette next week. Great details! Just wanted to chime in about Jamaica. First, so sorry the weather was crappy and your tour wasn't as expected. Sounds like it was not at all described accurately. However, please don't let that spoil your view of Jamaica! I've been there 17 times - mostly on land trips, with two cruise stops. It is my favorite island (out of the 25ish I've been to). It is a beautiful country with beautiful, friendly people. If you make it back that way, hire a private driver/guide and have him/her take you to a beach away from the masses. True, all are public, but there are some very nice areas. The island really has a lot to offer. The new port in Falmouth, to which I've never been but we drove by a couple months ago, is taking off slowly, but is really a boost to their economy. It was built by Royal Caribbean to accommodate their larger ships, and things are starting to spring up around it. Not quite sure if that's a good thing, but it is providing some jobs in the area.

[tmlove17]

Here are some photos from the last two days of our trip-- the ship, Miami and Key West + the Florida Keys:

 

Finally! Sun on the last day of the trip!

 

 

The loooooong line at debarkation-- and this was at 11:30am!

 

 

In Miami (I did not like Miami, but this was a cute street...)

 

 

Miami Beach, Easter Sunday

 

 

I did think the cars and architecture was cool in Miami!

 

 

I should say-- the reason I did not like Miami is that we were panhandled more times than I could count, and there was a ton of garbage on the street, as well as some vomit & "bathroom deposits" in various parts of the streets near the ocean. I don't know if this is normal, but the stench downtown was soooooo bad I could hardly breathe. I felt pretty gross walking around, so we didn't spend much time there. I did love the architecture though. :)

[tmlove17]

The view from our hotel room at the Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marnia... the third room we were finally given after our last two rooms were absolutely filthy. I do not recommend that hotel unless you get an incredible deal on Priceline. Yes, the view made up for it, but this was after two hours of negotiations with them because they were going to charge us $50 extra a night to be in the 'newer' part of the hotel. Another story for another time...

 

 

Was the view gorgeous? Yes. Would I pay $300 a night for it? Absolutely not.

 

 

Key West-- LOVED it here! I didn't want to leave. It reminded me of Savannah and Charleston.

 

 

Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous Key West water!!

 

 

My new favorite restaurant in Key West-- Blue Heaven. AMAZING! I will be back for sure.

 

 

The most amazing Key Lime Pie I've ever had

 

[tmlove17]

Standing at the southernmost point in the US:

 

 

Paradise!

 

 

 

... and that, my friends, is a wrap. :) Tune in later on this summer for a Reflection review of the Mediterranean!

[tmlove17]

Thank you so much for finishing your review. We have been following it since the beginning & I must say it was a pleasure to read something that wasn't so "sugar coated". Hubby & I are doing our 'first ever cruise' on the Silhouette next January 2014 & are reading with interest all that is being written...always reading between the lines to get the good & the bad !

 

Enjoy your summer cruise. It will be interesting to read that review upon your return !

 

Hi there! You will LOVE your cruise. I'm going to offer you some advice-- don't follow the threads that outline every single teeny tiny piece of information about the cruise in their reports if it's your first time, because you will want to discover some of that magic yourself! Those reviews are fabulously written but half the fun of the trip is discovering all of the wonder on board! Plan a few things ahead of time but let yourself be pleasantly surprised with all of the things you will see and experience for yourself-- it's so exciting!!!

[tmlove17]

I have been reading your review as we are sailing on the Silhouette next week. Great details! Just wanted to chime in about Jamaica. First, so sorry the weather was crappy and your tour wasn't as expected. Sounds like it was not at all described accurately. However, please don't let that spoil your view of Jamaica! I've been there 17 times - mostly on land trips, with two cruise stops. It is my favorite island (out of the 25ish I've been to). It is a beautiful country with beautiful, friendly people. If you make it back that way, hire a private driver/guide and have him/her take you to a beach away from the masses. True, all are public, but there are some very nice areas. The island really has a lot to offer. The new port in Falmouth, to which I've never been but we drove by a couple months ago, is taking off slowly, but is really a boost to their economy. It was built by Royal Caribbean to accommodate their larger ships, and things are starting to spring up around it. Not quite sure if that's a good thing, but it is providing some jobs in the area.

 

 

Thanks for this insight. I am kind of disappointed that our first view of Jamaica was at Falmouth, but I have heard the same things from other friends who have visited Jamaica (Negril, etc.) and absolutely loved it. So we do hope to return to a place other than Falmouth sometime in the future!

 

I don't have a problem with public beaches at all, but what irked me about the excrusion was that they charged us for it-- $50 a person-- and lauded it as a tranquil, secluded beach in their advertisements. I would have much rather hired a $20 cab and saved a bunch of money, but oh well.

 

Thanks for reading, I really appreciate it!

[Softball20]

Thanks for this insight. I am kind of disappointed that our first view of Jamaica was at Falmouth, but I have heard the same things from other friends who have visited Jamaica (Negril, etc.) and absolutely loved it. So we do hope to return to a place other than Falmouth sometime in the future!

 

I don't have a problem with public beaches at all, but what irked me about the excrusion was that they charged us for it-- $50 a person-- and lauded it as a tranquil, secluded beach in their advertisements. I would have much rather hired a $20 cab and saved a bunch of money, but oh well.

 

Thanks for reading, I really appreciate it!

 

Thanks for posting the review:) We will be on the Silhouette next week out of Venice, and I can't wait.

 

I agree about the money for the excursion - not worth it to spend that when you could have hired a cab. Something for next time. Enjoy the Med - you will love it!

Edited May 16, 2013 by Softball20

[tmlove17]

Loved your review. I will be doing the same itinerary on the Silhouette next Jan. Just crossed off the beach excursion in Jamaica off our list of possible excursions, and decided to definitely upgrade to the Premium package. Thanks for a great review. And you and your DH are so cute!.

 

Yay! Good for you-- the PAP is totally worth it and I think you should not do the beach excursion at all. Opt for the Dunn's River Falls if you HAVE to see something in Jamaica, but truly I would not do an excursion there. They were really overpriced and no one we talked to raved about their Jamaica excursions at all (most did not like them).

[tmlove17]

Thanks for posting the review:) We will be on the Silhouette next week out of Venice, and I can't wait.

 

I agree about the money for the excursion - not worth it to spend that when you could have hired a cab. Something for next time. Enjoy the Med - you will love it!

 

Awesome!! We were totally going to do that trip but the dates did not line up. I wanted to sail out of Venice so badly, but my DH really wanted to see Istanbul which is why we chose the Eastern route. Have an amazing trip, I hope you post some pictures of your adventures!

[Softball20]

Yay! Good for you-- the PAP is totally worth it and I think you should not do the beach excursion at all. Opt for the Dunn's River Falls if you HAVE to see something in Jamaica, but truly I would not do an excursion there. They were really overpriced and no one we talked to raved about their Jamaica excursions at all (most did not like them).

 

Consider hiring a private guide or organizing your own private tour. We actually went to visit a Jamaican school a few years ago with a guide we hired. It was wonderful! The kids were so sweet and were so excited to see visitors. One of the women we travel with is an elementary school principal, so it was pretty interesting for her. My kids, who were mid teens at that time loved it! Then it was beach time!

[tmlove17]

Consider hiring a private guide or organizing your own private tour. We actually went to visit a Jamaican school a few years ago with a guide we hired. It was wonderful! The kids were so sweet and were so excited to see visitors. One of the women we travel with is an elementary school principal, so it was pretty interesting for her. My kids, who were mid teens at that time loved it! Then it was beach time!

 

That is SUCH a great idea. I didn't see that you said that the first time but I would highly agree with this, and I would do that over the ship's offerings any day.

[Softball20]

That is SUCH a great idea. I didn't see that you said that the first time but I would highly agree with this, and I would do that over the ship's offerings any day.

 

We always do our own - in the Med, too. Way less money and way better tour.

[jcruiser9]

Hi, I'm hoping for some feedback. My husband and I just got back from a Regent cruise from Athens to Istanbul. We were disappointed in our experience

especially since it was quite expensive. We had been told we were being upgraded to concierge level; unfortunately, that turned out to not be a true upgrade. We were on the 10th floor directly underneath the buffet.

 

This room had serious noise issues. They would make noise from 9-12 at night and 3-6 in the morning, so we would get 3-4 hours of sleep at night. We complained and were told that security would investigate. Obviously, they knew we were under the buffet and were just stringing us along. Eventually, after my husband had a huge fit they finally moved us--5 days into a 12 day cruise.

 

So, I'm not very happy with Regent. One thing I did like was the size of the ship (700 passengers). I know that Celebrity is much larger but a lot depends on how it is organized. Have some of you experienced long lines on a regular basis on the ship? Is Aqua Class worth doing? I am concerned about the aromatherapy. Is that pervasive throughout the halls or can you opt out of that? Also, since we would be first timers on Celebrity we won't have any captain's points. Will that cause us to stand in more lines or just miss out on a free cocktail party (which I could care less about).

 

My other question concerns alcohol.Is there a special drinks package you can buy for alcohol that makes it cheaper than just buying as you go?

[Softball20]

Hi, I'm hoping for some feedback. My husband and I just got back from a Regent cruise from Athens to Istanbul. We were disappointed in our experience

especially since it was quite expensive. We had been told we were being upgraded to concierge level; unfortunately, that turned out to not be a true upgrade. We were on the 10th floor directly underneath the buffet.

 

This room had serious noise issues. They would make noise from 9-12 at night and 3-6 in the morning, so we would get 3-4 hours of sleep at night. We complained and were told that security would investigate. Obviously, they knew we were under the buffet and were just stringing us along. Eventually, after my husband had a huge fit they finally moved us--5 days into a 12 day cruise.

 

So, I'm not very happy with Regent. One thing I did like was the size of the ship (700 passengers). I know that Celebrity is much larger but a lot depends on how it is organized. Have some of you experienced long lines on a regular basis on the ship? Is Aqua Class worth doing? I am concerned about the aromatherapy. Is that pervasive throughout the halls or can you opt out of that? Also, since we would be first timers on Celebrity we won't have any captain's points. Will that cause us to stand in more lines or just miss out on a free cocktail party (which I could care less about).

 

My other question concerns alcohol.Is there a special drinks package you can buy for alcohol that makes it cheaper than just buying as you go?

 

We love Celebrity and have recently sailed on the Silhouette, as well as on a couple of the other ships. Yes, the Silly is much larger, but honestly, we never felt crowed at all. I never experienced long lines or waits for anything. There are so many different venues on the ship - lounges, restaurants, etc., that none of them were very "crowded" at any given time.

 

Aqua Class is most definitely the way to go!!! While the cabins are the same size as the regular balcony cabins, there are a few little perks in the cabin itself. The biggest perk, however, is the ability to dine in Blu. It's like having your own specialty restaurant for the entire cruise. We find the food better and the overall dining experience much more enjoyable. Regarding the aromatherapy, that is clearly contained to the spa, and you will never smell anything in your cabin. In fact, on the Silly, the spa is a level up from the AQ cabins.

 

You are right that not being a member of the loyalty program won't make you miss anything big. As for the drink package, their premium package is well worth the money; at least it's been for us on the three occasions we've purchased it. It might sound like a lot of money/drinking, but when you have a drink or two during the day when you get back from port, a drink or two before dinner, a couple glasses of wine with dinner, an after dinner drink, etc, it's worth it. Plus, it includes specialty coffees from the coffee bar. We didn't do those, (other than for some brewed coffee or an espresso) in the morning sometimes, but if you do like the coffee drinks, they can add up quickly. Plus, you don't have to sign for each drink as you go and end us with all those little annoying receipts all over the place :)

 

We haven't sailed on Regent, so I really can't compare the two, but I can say that we are big fans of Celebrity. Keep in mind, however, that the noise issue you experienced could happen on any ship depending upon where your cabin is located, but you can deal with that when you select your cabin when you book.

[Promise]

Going on the Silhouette soon, thank you for your review!

[cruiseacecat]

You do realize, I hope, that this thread and the other one you posted on are not current? Many things change, especially from the other thread which is a year old. Just making certain that you are aware. And I too would like to see something very recent.

[Scarlet and grey]

Came across your review and loving it! We just got upgraded to Aqua Class and now i'm really excited about it! Thanks for sharing!

 

Kim