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Silhouette Review - Jan. 19-26, 2014

MKellyUtah

By MKellyUtah,
in Celebrity Cruises

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MKellyUtah

MKellyUtah

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And a fine cruise it was ...

 

The Travelers

My Wife & I are a couple in our early 60's (and young at heart!), had cruised 7 & 8 times, respectively, prior to this, but our last cruise was about 5 years ago. Five of our cruises together were the shorter 3-4 day variety along the West Coast. We have cruised RCCL ... Princess ... NCL ... and Carnival, this was our first time with Celebrity. Never had a bad cruise --- some just better than others.

 

The Planning

This cruise was booked about 2 1/2 months in advance after extensive research, much of it done on these boards which are always so much help in answering questions & tipping me off to new possibilities. I was looking for a week-long cruise to the Eastern or Southern Caribbean, maybe a new ship, narrowed it down to the NCL Epic ... Royal Princess ... RCCL Independence ... Celebrity Reflection or Silhouette. Chose the Silhouette because of the itinerary ... newness of the ship ... good feedback on these boards. For us the ship is a big part of the destination. Any of these choices would have been good choices --- for us, the Silhouette was the right choice.

Be aware, this review won't have any pics or dailies (for that I direct you to the offerings of GAMBEE --- does anyone do photos or reviews better than GAMBEE?) but hopefully I'll offer some insights that can enlighten and help you as much as previous posters have me.

 

Flying in / Pre-Cruise

This was our first time cruising out of Florida and flying into FLL, and for us entailed a cross-country flight with a connection (I used to enjoy flying when I was younger, but anything over 2 hrs now has become an endurance test.) We arrived in FLL the day before the cruise about 4:30pm with our flights on schedule. On the airport approach, we circled out over the ocean and back north for the landing, and came in right over Port Everglades. It was clear and sunny and there was a great view of the ships in port that day, some of them heading out to sea at that time. There was some minor confusion at the airport contacting our pre-cruise hotel --- the Comfort Inn Airport/Cruiseport I had booked had morphed into a Quality Inn just a few days before our arrival. (a sign crew was putting up the new sign as we arrived, in fact.) But we got that figured out ... joined the arriving passenger mob scene outside ... a mini-bus with a trailer for luggage arrived from the hotel within about 10 mins, and we were on our way.

An aside ... having never traveled to a major Florida city (when I was paying) during tourist season & cruise weekend, I was initially stunned by the cost of a room ("YIKES! You want HOW MUCH for a Comfort/Quality Inn?"), but my research showed that this was part of the deal & the price of the cruise. I'll be better mentally prepared for it next time.

The property itself was very functional for the one-night stay. A little older on the outside, but both my Wife & I thought it was updated, clean & comfortable. The bed was good, plenty of pillows, served the purpose. It was about 10 mins from the airport, about 10-15 mins from the cruise terminal.

Nearby the hotel, a number of fast-food restaurants right around the corner in a mall (including a McDonald's) ... a K-Mart where we bought a couple of bottles of wine and some snacks to take onto the ship ... and the Moonlite Diner a couple of blocks away, an interesting place with a varied menu where we ate Saturday night. (Thanks to my fellow CC posters for tipping me off to those places.)

We signed up when we checked in for the free shuttle to the cruise port (they have different shuttles as different times for the various cruises.) The hotel offers a Continental breakfast until 10:00am (but don't arrive at 10:01am or later .... another story for another time.) Following that we joined the masses getting luggage and people loaded onto the free shuttle to the ship. I think we left the hotel about 11:45am, arrived at the cruise terminal about 12:30. While the terminal looks like organized chaos on the way in & when you get there, it actually runs pretty smoothly. In our case, we didn't tag our bags going on the ship until we got to the pier (our TA advised this, said it avoided bag tags getting ripped off in transit, and that the baggage handler would be happy to tag them when we showed them our Express Pass.) That worked fine, baggage handlers were very friendly & helpful, and we headed to the check-in line. The line was outside the terminal, but was constantly moving. We filled out the "Of Course We're Not Sick" form ... plodded on to the check-in desk ... and were on the ship about 30 mins from the time we dropped off our luggage. We never had to wait anywhere in-between getting checked in & getting on the ship. It was the latest I've ever been on a the ship in any of our cruises, but it was a very efficient process & worked out fine. Once onboard, we were able to go directly to our cabin, which was ...

 

CABIN

#6302, a 2C balcony on the starboard side, 2 cabins from the aft. I let my TA pick this cabin for us (told him I wanted a balcony ... liked to be near the aft.) This is what he came up with & it worked out fine. There might not have been that many choices, as late as we booked. I'm told the balcony is deeper than normal, and it's covered. (No one could see us unless we were leaning on the railing.) Comfortable chairs that reclined to flat and a nice round, wooden table. Guy in the cabin next to mine had been on the Independence the week before, said the Silhouette balcony was larger than the one he had on that ship.

There is an obstruction --- the roof of a restaurant below that goes out 8-10" from the railing. We weren't too sure of that at first, noticed it while we were still docked in FLL, but to be honest we hardly noticed it after we were out to sea. (If you had little kids, this might be a good "peace of mind" cabin --- if they somehow got over the balcony, there was a maintenance railing and some deck between them & the ocean).

We liked this cabin, a lot, right from the start. It was the closest to the water we've ever been, but that was good, too. Both agreed it was the nicest cabin lay-out we'd ever had on any of our cruises. Storage was adequate, closet was more accessible than most we have had, room lay-out nice. Same for the bathroom. Nice counter area, modern sink, easy to figure out shower (with sliding plastic doors.) Faux tile floor matches the faux backsplash. Liked how the bathroom light went to "nightlight" mode when you turned it off.

Bed was located near the bathroom, with a little couch & table between the bed and balcony. The bed was the most comfortable we've had on a cruise.

We've always had a balcony on our cruises, and we got plenty of use out of this one. Nice & peaceful out there, I enjoy it daytime or nighttime. I can sit out and just stare at the water & listen to the waves. Binoculars handy to look at other ships ... a little wine or a soft drink ... watching the sunset --- ya gotta have a balcony.

But this balcony was a long walk from the mid-ship stairs & elevators --- which we had planned on. The walking did us good. I might choose a different deck or location in the future on this ship, but this cabin worked out well for us. Of note ... no ice bucket in the room the first day, but a request to our great room steward --- Joikhim from India --- and we had ice twice a day.

 

Embarkation / Sailaway

Our muster drill was at 3:45pm prior to 4:30 sailaway, so after dropping off our carry-ons and checking out the room, we headed off to eat (light lunch at the Mast Grill), then went on our deck-by-deck walk to check out where everything was. (We had a nice little deck map in the room, something I've often had to go to the Customer Service desk to get on other cruises). We both really liked how this ship was laid out, and how if flowed from end-to-end. Very easy to navigate.

After muster, we headed up to the front of deck 16 to watch the other ships start to pull out and for our sailaway. I'm an older, veteran traveler, but I have to admit I was pretty pumped up (ever since we got to the port), with the atmosphere --- 8 ships in port getting ready to go, music on our ship, music from other ships, happy people all around, sunshine, blue skies, palm trees. I love it all.

I had watched the ships in port for several months on the PortEverglades webcam, and on the webcam the ships look more spread out, and the channel heading out seems a lot longer. In person, the ships are docked a lot closer, and the ship channel to sea is pretty short.

Sailaway was great, enjoyed seeing the condos on the way out (one I noticed had a Celebrity flag flying as we passed --- guy next to me saw it, too, and we wondered if they had a flag for each line and changed it as the ships passed), and the people lined up on shore and on the beach.

Onward ...

 

DINING

We had 2nd seating dining (8:30pm), chose that based on previous experiences where we felt rushed coming back from port stops & getting ready for dinner. As it turned out, this time the later dining was too late. We either wanted to eat earlier than that --- or wanted to do something else at that time. So we ended up having dinner in the Grand Cuvee Dining Room only twice (no fault of our waiters, Darko & Mykhailo, who were efficient and friendly). We had already decided to forego Formal Nights (one less set of clothes to bring). We went to the buffet (Ocean View Cafe) our 2nd night, and found we liked the variety offered and it met our needs --- and that's where we ate the majority of our meals. It's a wide-open food station set-up (much like we found on RCCL's Radiance of the Seas.) Separate stations for hot food ... cold meats ... sushi ... bread ... a pasta station where you can choose your own pasta & sauces ... salads ... fruits ... and ice cream served until late, with some of the flavors changing daily. In the morning it's full-service breakfast with plenty of hot & cold choices, including made-to-order eggs. (For pictures, I refer you again to the excellent ones taken by GAMBEE.) My Wife's tastes are more varied & adventurous than mine, but we both found the quality and variety to our liking. We also saw the ship's officers and entertainers eating up there several evenings.

This was our first cruise where we didn't eat in a specialty restaurant. I thought we would this time, too (I liked the menus and looks of Tuscan Grille and The Lawn Club Grill), but we never felt the need to. In fact we never ate at any of the extra-charge eateries. Maybe next time.

We also had a couple of quick meals at the Mast Grill (and agreed that they might have the best cruise ship burgers we've had.) Breakfasts were usually in the Ocean View Cafe, where the quality & variety was good, and where the only time I found it crowded was around the end of the main breakfast offerings at 10:00am on sea days. Never had any trouble finding a place to sit. Day or night, the service was always fast and efficient, and always someone picking up your plates as soon as you were finished. We did have room service for breakfast once, our 2nd day, but they had a computer glitch or too many people using it that day, and it came late and with apologies. Not a major thing.

Next time we cruise (always nice to be thinking "next time" ...), we'll probably opt for SelectTimeDining (or AnyTime Dining, etc., depending on the cruise line.) That might work better for our dinner "clocks". (And next time on Celebrity, I might look more closely at one of the Specialty Dining Packages.)

But all told, what we did this time worked out well. Neither of us went hungry or felt deprived.

 

DRINKING

So may attractive options all over the ship for this, too, and many of them were hopping with activity. Our main haunts were the Sunset Bar aft ... our cabin balcony (with our wine under the stars & moon) ... and the Sky Bar forward. The Sunset Bar got most of our business, especially at night. Outdoors ... subdued lighting ... light breeze ... sound of the ship's wake. Hard to beat.

 

ENTERTAINMENT

We usually give the main showroom shows a try, and the first one we saw --- Broadway Nights --- was pretty good. High energy show ... dancers were good ... and the four featured singers were both good at their specialty and at dancing. The other Showtime Theater production we went to (the name of it escapes me) .... uhhhh, not to our tastes. It had a juggler ... Cirque du Soleil-type aerialists ... an acrobat --- and the ship singers and dancers, whose talents I thought were mostly wasted doing not much of anything. (And I felt sorry for the band members, who wore these odd costumes while playing.) Some people walked out early, we didn't --- but mainly because we were seated in the middle of a row & I didn't want to disturb any of the folks who might have liked it. Like I said, personal preference ... just not our thing.

Plenty of entertainment around the ship, and we sort a took a liking to acoustic guitarist Danny Rodriguez (told me he was on Silhouette for several weeks --- maybe he said several months --- filling in, then back to his regular assignment on the Solstice, I think.) We caught him mostly at the Sunset Bar. We also enjoyed The Smart Casuals, a 5-member cover band that played at different times all over the ship ... poolside, Grand Foyer on deck 3, Sky Bar. Good vocals, wide array of songs from oldies to present, and they had the dancers hopping many nights. (Alas, much to Wife's chagrin, I'm an avid watcher but not a participant.) We went to the Ensemble Theater one night to watch another group (Le Mandragole Trio), but there weren't any seats left, and no one seemed to be paying any attention to them. That didn't seem like a venue conducive to live music, but maybe we just came at a bad time on the wrong night. I also see on the dailies there was a jazz quartet, sounds like something we'd like, but we didn't run into them.

We were planning to go to Sin City, the late night comedy show ... put it off until later in the week because they said it would be less crowded then (they repeat the same show all week) ... but we waited too long & missed it. (Another "next time" ...)

 

PORTS

SAN JUAN: We were here 3:00-9:00 Tuesday, great sail-in past the big fort (El Morro, I believe) into port. We decided to take a walk to El Morro, pretty long but scenic walk along the water ... the walkway was paved blacktop and it was hot out, but nice to be on land for a little while ... stray cats prevalent along and crossing the walkway ... got to the fort entrance and found it was closed for renovation. Disappointing, but I should have checked on that before we started our jaunt. There was another fort / park in the opposite direction that might have been an option. Instead, we just walked back along the harbor and got back on the ship. The Wife had been to San Juan before, decided not to shop at this port (fear not: she made up for it later ...) Next time (there's that pleasant sound "next time" again) we might opt for a cab to a beach or hotel resort for the day.

 

ST. KITTS - were in this port from 10:00am-5:00pm, I had decided on a beach day at Marriott Resort that I happened on through the CC boards. We were directed to a cab we shared with a couple from Massachusetts from another ship. The cab ride was quick and $12 per couple. I was informed ahead of time that the day passes at the Marriott are not always available, but they were this day. This place was all people said it would be and lives up to the pictures on their internet site. The day pass is $35 per person, includes access to the two pools and the beach and beach chairs and umbrellas, (you also get a small discount on food at their restaurant) and you can change in their spa locker rooms. They have a full bar next to the beach (credit cards only accepted there). The grounds and beach are immaculate. There's a natural rock breakwater in front of part of the beach that makes it pretty safe for non or marginal swimmers, and there we people snorkeling off the beach (reported seeing turtles ... fish ... and some stingrays). This place was gorgeous and relaxing, and would be a great place to stay a few days. On this day, plenty of sunshine ... sand ... the bartender and a few Caribe's became my friends ... great day. Back to the dock in plenty of time (and some shopping was done at the nearby stores & shops.) We really liked our day at St. Kitts.

 

ST. MARTIN / MARTIN - ship was here from 8:00am-5:00pm. I wanted to see the planes land over Maho Beach, and booked a trip with Barnard's Tours, the short one for $25 pp. They met us at the port information center, and we joined another nice couple from a different ship doing the same tour. We headed out in a nice SUV about 9:30am, and the tour driver asked us what was most important to us. We were already past Phillipsburg on the way to Maho, but we both agreed seeing the big planes were prioity#1, then maybe a shopping stop later. The driver suggested we stop in Phillipsburg first for a couple of hours, beating the cruise crowds --- then head to Maho later when the bigger planes arrived. We agreed, he turned the SUV around ... dropped us off in town ... told us where to meet him in 2 hrs ... and we walked around the stores and the adjoining beach boardwalk until the designated meeting time. A vehicle arrived on time (driven by Bernard himself), and he drove us to Sunset Bar & Grill next to the beach & airport, stopping a couple of times for pictures along the way & telling us about the island. We set up a time (2:30) for a Bernard's driver to meet us, and joined the throng at the bar. A great place ... a great vibe ... happy people anticipating the planes and having a good time ... beautiful beach next to us ... a few Caribe's and iced tea and some chicken fingers for lunch. The planes coming in and departing were as advertised and seen on the internet. Well worth the experience, met some strangers who became new friends (some of who we later exchanged pictures with.) A 3rd Bernard's driver arrived at 2:30, somehow picked us out of the mass of humanity, and drove us back to the port. (More shopping ensued.) I thought this was a great deal for the money, involving 3 different Bernard's drivers, and that coupled with the people from Tennessee we shared it with made for a great day. I highly recommend Bernard's Tours and would use them again.

 

DEBARKATION

Debarkation was anticlimactic as it always is since it's the end of the trip. We had our large bags outside the door the night before, were out of the cabin at 8:00am as requested, waited in the theater for our number to be called. We were spending an extra day in Florida, requested a 9:30 debarkation, and we were called about 15 mins after that. Found our bags easily, and used a porter to get them outside (it seemed like that got us through customs a little quicker, too.) Rented a car from a nearby Hertz location.

 

ODDS 'N ENDS & OBSERVATIONS

* Demographics: I'm guessing the majority of people on this cruise were between 35 & 65; some younger, quite a few older, not many children that I saw. A lively, mostly friendly group. You can meet & talk to some really nice people on a cruise ship

* we thought the crew (officers included) were sincerely friendly and engaging. A sign, I think, of good leadership & training.

* I didn't discover it until the 5th day of the cruise, but they publish a 4-page daily news letter & have it down on deck 3 at Guest Relations. It has national & world news, weather, sports and is printed for different countries; most cruises I've been on have this. I didn't think about it until I saw it on the door of a nearby cabin (maybe you can have them deliver it)

* among the many enrichment & educational things offered onboard is an I-Phone/Pad class. My Wife has had her I-Phone/Pad for over a year, attended 4 of the classes, said she really learned a lot of new things

*they don't have a promenade deck that goes completely around the ship (there's a covered outside deck on deck 5 that goes up & down each side of the ship, but has lifeboats blocking most of the view of the water) There's a walking / jogging track on one of the upper decks (14 I think) that was in regular use but can be an obstacle course, with deck chairs in the way sometimes; an option is to go around the entire ship using deck 14 & up & down the stairs around the back of the ship (Sunset Bar) and around the front.

* we didn't use spa or gym, but they looked nice;

* there seemed to be plenty of cushioned chairs outside so if you didn't have to sit right next to the pool, you never had a problem finding a comfortable place

* this ship is very walkable outside after dark, with steps wide & nicely lit, and subdued lighting; I never hit a "dark spot" outside where I felt like I was in a dark alley (like I've experienced on some other ships.)

* just sitting & people-watching on a ship is great; like a condensed version of airport people-watching, but with fewer grumpy people, and without the glazed-eye look of air travelers

 

FINAL THOUGHTS

We really liked this ship, wouldn't hesitate to go on it again, might end up doing different things & taking advantage of more of what it has to offer next time & make it an entirely different experience. Non-cruisers ask me sometimes: "What do you do on a cruise?" and my answer is: "Anything you want to." You can be as busy as you want to ... be as laid back as you want to ... or combine the two. It's whatever you want it to be. (And the best part is: you only have to unpack once.)

Happy cruising !!

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catugirl

catugirl

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DH and I did this same cruise on Silhouette in January, 2013. We loved everything about it. This is a very lovely ship with a great crew. We were in Aqua Class and ate in Blu, which we really enjoyed. Loved the Solarium with its serene, relaxing atmosphere. Loved the heated loungers in the Persian Garden. Loved the wonderful bathroom in our cabin with the glass-enclosed shower and updated decor. Enjoyed the shows and lounge entertainment. The only things that bothered us a little were the expensive costs for specialty restaurants and for alcoholic beverages on the ship. All-in-all a wonderful vacation.

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jjl64

jjl64

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My wife and I were on the same cruise and we really enjoyed it. It was one of our best cruise experiences. We also really enjoyed listening to Danny play at the sunset bar. We tried to catch his performances as much as we could. We booked the same cruise for January of next year, but this time we are going to do the Western itinerary.

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MKellyUtah

MKellyUtah

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My wife and I were on the same cruise and we really enjoyed it. It was one of our best cruise experiences. We also really enjoyed listening to Danny play at the sunset bar. We tried to catch his performances as much as we could. We booked the same cruise for January of next year, but this time we are going to do the Western itinerary.

Thanks for you comments. Danny's music seemed to fit the Sunset Bar atmosphere and the feel of the ship. Great ship ... as I said, I could definitely see doing another cruise on the Silhouette.

MKelly

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JanineM

JanineM

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Thanks for posting your review.

 

We were on the same sailing and also had a really good cruise.

 

Before Sailaway we heard Danny perform at the Sunset bar. He mentioned that he would be performing on the lawn as we pulled out of San Juan (9 pm). We went up for this performance. It was sparsely attended but really magical. They had blankets and pillows on the lawn, you could buy wine, and they brought around really nice cheese plates. We're not much for the big shows in the theatre; this was a great alternative.

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MKellyUtah

MKellyUtah

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Thanks for posting your review. We did this cruise on the Silhouette last March and enjoyed it so much we are doing it again in 3 weeks:D. Usually sail Princess, but do love Celebrity Silhouette...beautiful ship.

 

Part of me says we should try a different ship for a different experience for our next cruise, but the more replies I see like yours from people who are going on this ship again --- the more I'm thinking maybe returning to the Silhouette might be the way to go. Like I mentioned in the review ... one could do some different things while incorporating the things we liked from the last one. (Always nice to be thinking about "next time" and "next cruise", isn't it?)

Edited by MKellyUtah
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lawblond7

lawblond7

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Part of me says we should try a different ship for a different experience for our next cruise, but the more replies I see like yours from people who are going on this ship again --- the more I'm thinking maybe returning to the Silhouette might be the way to go. Like I mentioned in the review ... one could do some different things while incorporating the things we liked from the last one. (Always nice to be thinking about "next time" and "next cruise", isn't it?)

 

 

We did this same cruise over Christmas fell in love with the ship & booked it for New Years this year

 

Sharon

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

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