CHICAGOPAUL LIVE BLOG!!!!!! December 13th, 2019 - SILHOUETTE SOUTHERN CARIBBEAN

candydane · December 19, 2019

What is extended stay?

Jim_Iain · December 19, 2019

16 minutes ago, chicagopaul said:

Luggage valet is offered. As far as extended stay is concerned I know it’s not allowed in US ports (unless there was a recent change) as this is not allowed by CBP. I wish they offered it as we’d definitely take advantage.

Thanks

There has been a change of process and they are again offering it but not sure if all cruises. Process is similar to B2B where you have to be out of your room by 8:30-9:00 and when called you exit the ship with B2B's clear Immigration and Customs and then reboard with B2B's.

We are sailing on Equinox in March

They have it in Excursions but you have to go to last day and then choose see all to find it.

T&C's

Important Notes

Guests that sign up for Extend Your Stay in Fort Lauderdale are required to put their luggage outside their staterooms the evening before debarking. Luggage will be marked with Extend Your Stay Luggage and will be offloaded into the customs luggage area in Pier 25.
Guests can stay in their room until 9AM.
As per Federal regulation, all guests in Fort Lauderdale need to debark before anyone is allowed to go back on board. Extend Your Stay Guests will be led to the luggage area to collect their Extend Your Stay marked luggage and proceed to clear Customs.
Once Customs is cleared, Extend Your Stay guests will be able to return to the ship and will be guided by our staff to drop-off their luggage in the designated area. A ticket receipt will be provided so guests can collect their belongings once departing the ship for good.
Minibar service is not included in this program.
Guests will have access to all public lounges and the pool deck.
Please note that no exit and re-entry to the ship will be permitted on departure day.
For your convenience, personal credit cards will be accepted for onboard purchases throughout the day.
Private and group transportation is available upon request.
Guests who have booked transfers through Celebrity Cruises will have the option to request a later transfer upon signing-up for the Extend Your Stay Program.

Edited December 19, 2019 by Jim_Iain

Jim_Iain · December 19, 2019

10 minutes ago, candydane said:

What is extended stay?

see below - I don't want to hijack Paul's wonderful blog.

sweetp0618 · December 19, 2019

Hi Paul! Just found your review. We've been enjoying chatting with you and Edward.

Young woman (Cailyn) and mom (Patti) from the martini bar

Blossom3 · December 19, 2019

47 minutes ago, chicagopaul said:

Luggage valet is offered. As far as extended stay is concerned I know it’s not allowed in US ports (unless there was a recent change) as this is not allowed by CBP. I wish they offered it as we’d definitely take advantage.

Loving your review, BTW Extend your stay is available in the US now, my brother took advantage of it on The edge at the end of November in Miami

Artie212 · December 19, 2019

Paul, Holly and I board in 2 weeks. Your blog is killing us with anticipation....meant in the nicest possible way. Please save a few martinis for us.!! We are thoroughly enjoying the review.

Cheers...Artie

jcpc · December 19, 2019

Paul,

Thanks so much for relaying all our good wishes to Domnic. My hope for him is that someday soon he will be able to afford to "give up ship life" and make a living at home so he can spend more time with his wife and daughter. I think that's my wish for all crew members.

I saw an instagram video you posted that looks like you guys closed the Martini Bar one night. Good for you ---- I'm glad I'm not the only one that sits and finishes my drink while the ice is melting all around me..LOL I've attached a picture from one of my late nights there!!

I hope you and Edward enjoy the rest of your cruise. What a great way to get out of the ice cold weather.

Janice

chicagopaul · December 19, 2019

2 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

Thanks

There has been a change of process and they are again offering it but not sure if all cruises. Process is similar to B2B where you have to be out of your room by 8:30-9:00 and when called you exit the ship with B2B's clear Immigration and Customs and then reboard with B2B's.

We are sailing on Equinox in March

They have it in Excursions but you have to go to last day and then choose see all to find it.

T&C's

Important Notes

Guests that sign up for Extend Your Stay in Fort Lauderdale are required to put their luggage outside their staterooms the evening before debarking. Luggage will be marked with Extend Your Stay Luggage and will be offloaded into the customs luggage area in Pier 25.

Guests can stay in their room until 9AM.

As per Federal regulation, all guests in Fort Lauderdale need to debark before anyone is allowed to go back on board. Extend Your Stay Guests will be led to the luggage area to collect their Extend Your Stay marked luggage and proceed to clear Customs.

Once Customs is cleared, Extend Your Stay guests will be able to return to the ship and will be guided by our staff to drop-off their luggage in the designated area. A ticket receipt will be provided so guests can collect their belongings once departing the ship for good.

Minibar service is not included in this program.

Guests will have access to all public lounges and the pool deck.

Please note that no exit and re-entry to the ship will be permitted on departure day.

For your convenience, personal credit cards will be accepted for onboard purchases throughout the day.

Private and group transportation is available upon request.

Guests who have booked transfers through Celebrity Cruises will have the option to request a later transfer upon signing-up for the Extend Your Stay Program.

Thanks for posting! I’ll ask Lara in Michaels how this is being handled and report back. I love that this is possible now.

bluwes · December 19, 2019

Great thread as usual. Not been on here for a while, as like most, been busy in the run up to the holiday period. Whenever I see one of your live blogs I always jump right on it. Now got through and am up to date.

We are doing a similar itinerary on the Reflection next Easter, never done the ABC islands before despite sailing the Caribbean numerous times. We will be doing a Norwegian Fjords sailing on the Silhouette next August, so your post is very informative.

Enjoy the rest of the cruise

stinsowm · December 19, 2019

37 minutes ago, chicagopaul said:

Thanks for posting! I’ll ask Lara in Michaels how this is being handled and report back. I love that this is possible now.

Paul let us know. I sail in January on Equinox and I am seriously thinking about doing this.

Walter

chicagopaul · December 19, 2019

A little sunset photo from our balcony before we head off for the evening!

maggieq · December 20, 2019

Loving this review very much! Not sure if you have mentioned but curious at what your next cruise is and what ship/itin. Many thanks for taking us on your vacation via cruise critic.

Akheila · December 20, 2019

6 hours ago, Space Coast Cruisers said:

Hello Paul, Thank you for the wonderful review! We will be boarding as you disembark so we are very excited to see what is instore fore us. I hope the rest of your cruise is as lovely as the first part!

Space Coast, we will be boarding then as well....what a lovely review to tide us over while we manage the anticipation!

lifeisrealygood · December 20, 2019

Thanks for posting the "Celebrity Today's" each day. Normally, music is playing in the Grand Foyer at dinner time. Sometimes it is the party band, sometime the dance band, sometime the acoustic duo (trio), etc. I noticed there is no music posted on the Celebrity Today's.

Also, there is normally someone playing in the Grand Foyer, the Ensemble Lounge or the Sky Lounge later in the evening, but not listed on the Celebrity Today's you posted.

The Caribbean cruises we have been on normally have a party band, a dance band, an acoustic duo or trio, a string trio or quartet, a guitar player and a DJ or two.

I know you guys prefer the bar scene, but is there any live music on the cruise you are on?

And, by the way, my wife and I love your posts!!!!!

anniedave · December 20, 2019

On 12/17/2019 at 2:49 AM, Purplsmurf said:

Wish I would’ve realized that today was Aruba. I would’ve recommended a fabulous restaurant. We go to Aruba every year for our land vacay. There are MANY incredible restaurants.

Hi, we are in Aruba for the first time in Jan and are there overnight. I have booked a table at barefoot beach. Can you please tell me if this is worth it or just touristy? My husband is allergic to fish & shellfish and the smell of fish can make him ill so it does limit our options of not going to a fish restaurant or anywhere too enclosed. Thanks

barbette165 · December 20, 2019

6 hours ago, lifeisrealygood said:

Thanks for posting the "Celebrity Today's" each day. Normally, music is playing in the Grand Foyer at dinner time. Sometimes it is the party band, sometime the dance band, sometime the acoustic duo (trio), etc. I noticed there is no music posted on the Celebrity Today's.

Also, there is normally someone playing in the Grand Foyer, the Ensemble Lounge or the Sky Lounge later in the evening, but not listed on the Celebrity Today's you posted.

The Caribbean cruises we have been on normally have a party band, a dance band, an acoustic duo or trio, a string trio or quartet, a guitar player and a DJ or two.

I know you guys prefer the bar scene, but is there any live music on the cruise you are on?

And, by the way, my wife and I love your posts!!!!!

There's a dedicated section in the bottom right hand corner of the Daily Planner - headed "Live Music" 😉

TommyD3 · December 20, 2019

19 hours ago, barbette165 said:

The other ship in port is Marella Explorer 2 - which was the Celebrity Century. If you look closely the X is still detectable behind the Tui logo on the smoke stack.

Yes it is the Century. Here is a picture from 2012 in Sydney Australia:

Edited December 20, 2019 by TommyD3

Gordoncruickshank · December 20, 2019

1 hour ago, TommyD3 said:

Yes it is the Century. Here is a picture from 2012 in Sydney Australia:

Looked so much better in Celebrity mode.

chicagopaul · December 20, 2019

Good Morning! Let’s start with today’s Daily.

Purplsmurf · December 20, 2019

8 hours ago, anniedave said:

Hi, we are in Aruba for the first time in Jan and are there overnight. I have booked a table at barefoot beach. Can you please tell me if this is worth it or just touristy? My husband is allergic to fish & shellfish and the smell of fish can make him ill so it does limit our options of not going to a fish restaurant or anywhere too enclosed. Thanks

Barefoot is our favorite restaurant on Aruba! We go there at least twice every trip. I’ve never noticed any fish smell whether inside or definitely a table on the beach. While I always eat fish there there are other items on the menu that aren’t seafood. I have some family members that had a chicken dish that is served in a half or a pineapple and they loved it! Enjoy! We will also be there in January

K.T.B. · December 20, 2019

On 12/18/2019 at 2:52 PM, chicagopaul said:

We chatted with a couple people as usual and met Janbear from CC who even gave us a few pointers for good bars / food in Grand Cayman.

I'm only going to focus on that part of your post. I'd love to get some recommendations for such places in Grand Cayman! Both my wife and I feel that's not worth getting off the ship to visit there a second time. BUT if there's good food to be had, I'm definitely interested!

And, once again, thank you for your awesome blog!

lifeisrealygood · December 20, 2019

Thank you, barbette 165.

We have not been on Celebrity since August (Equinox Back to Back Eastern and Western Caribbean), and they were still incorporating the music in the body of the daily activities. I did not notice the "live music" section, which is new to us.

I am so embarrassed. I looked in only one place, instead of perusing the whole document.

chicagopaul · December 20, 2019

Yesterday was a sea day before reaching Grand Cayman today. The weather was nice and warm. We started our day with a couple of drinks at the sunset bar and lunch in Luminae. Sunset bar had a decent crowd. The pool area was packed and so was the solarium. Mobile bars with water, soft drinks and beer were roaming around the main and upper decks as well.

Lunch in Luminae was quiet as usual. We wanted to avoid the buffet as we knew it would likely be packed on a sea day. We did walk through it and the offerings looked / smelled good. I saw a huge dish of Mac n Cheese and spare ribs that looked tasty.

For lunch in Luminae we opted to split the short rib flatbread and then we both had the lobster roll. The short rib flat bread was quite good and better than we’ve had in the past. The breading itself was still not as thin as I would like but it had a better crust than in the past and the short rib and cheese on top were excellent. The lobster wasn’t bad but wish it had more lobster!! It was a little heavier on the dill than I would prefer but overall I enjoyed it.

The weather stayed nice and calm all afternoon

Yesterday was Chic night. Usual tux for me and a sport coat for Edward.

We arrived at the martini bar at 6:30 and were lucky with two great seats. The bar was busy but then died down some. We talked with a couple different groups, saw some people from the night before, and just watched as people came and went, exchanged pleasantries, laughed, and made new friends.

The house band started at 7:45 in the grand foyer so we ordered one more drink and listened to them until 8:15 when we decided to head to dinner.

chicagopaul · December 20, 2019

For dinner we decided to start with a bottle of champagne. We went for a Veuve Clicquot Rose. The price for the bottle was $145 after our 20% discount and gratuity.

Here is the menu from last night.

We started with the octopus shell pasta salad. I forgot we first had this on the Edge. It’s a bit odd to eat with knife and fork. I think it’s likely meant to be eaten with your hands. Almost like little pasta tacos.

Next Edward has the risotto and I had my favorite escargot. Edwards risotto portion was massive. Practically a meal by itself.

For entrees we both had the lamb and split an order of the lobster. The lamb was cooked perfectly. I love the crust of the lamb in Luminae, almost a mustard crust I would describe it as. The lobster was cooked well, not over cooked and of course came with the champagne sauce on the side.

For dessert we had baked Alaska which Dev was kind enough to cut up for us since it was frozen solid! Once cut up it softened quickly.

They also had the cookie cart last night in Luminae. Last formal night Edward really like the cookies with jelly centers. Claire noticed this and gave him some to take back to the room last time. This time around she put a bag together as soon as we sat down so we were sure to have some in case they ran out.

We finished our champagne with dessert because with the entree we each had a glass of Merlot left over from the bottle we had the previous night. Also of course had a double espresso as well.

chicagopaul · December 20, 2019

After dinner we had planned to go up to sunset bar to have a cigar. But after passing by the grand foyer we noticed the dancers were putting on a small show. Then passing through martini bar we saw a couple friends and made a new one. We decided to hang out there, watch the dancing, listen to the music and then watch them set up the rest of the holiday decorations on the steps. Dozens of workers came out of the wood work with ginger bread houses, lights, fake snow and so much more. I’ll grab a completed photo of it tonight for you. But here are a few photos of them setting it up.

CHICAGOPAUL LIVE BLOG!!!!!! December 13th, 2019 - SILHOUETTE SOUTHERN CARIBBEAN