Celebrity Silhouette 10 Night Eastern Caribbean Photo Review - March 13, 2023

[Marvy Mare]

It has been 3 years since the day that we disembarked from the Reflection in Fort Lauderdale. Much has changed in the world over the last few years. I did a review then and wasn't sure many people would read it. But they did, because there were no more cruises in the foreseeable future. Now we are back to 'almost' normal I'm writing this review to read over on cloudy damp winter days. I had some advice on uploading my photos again from a valuable source but it may take some practice. 

 

Here is our complete itinerary starting in Toronto and ending back in Toronto. 

 

Day 1 Friday March 10

Premier Best Western, Toronto, On.

 

 

 

 

Day 2 - Saturday March 11

Pearson Airport

Flight to Miami, Intercontinental Hotel

 

 

 

 

I think I've got it, but this took me longer than expected. I'll continue later. 

I

[darsura]

You got in as I got off.  The pictures so far are beautiful.

[Jim_Iain]

Thanks for posting.   I will be following along.  

[Barwick Cruiser]

I’ll be following as well…flurries here this morning so a reminder of our same cruise is perfect timing! Hope you enjoyed as much as we did last month! 🥂 

[Marvy Mare]

2 hours ago, darsura said:

You got in as I got off.  The pictures so far are beautiful.

Thanks. So you were on a 4 day cruse? Did you enjoy it? The staff were so great!

Edited March 25, 2023 by Marvy Mare
correction

[Marvy Mare]

56 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

Thanks for posting.   I will be following along.  

Thanks Jim! I hope you enjoy our cruise!

 

[Marvy Mare]

34 minutes ago, Barwick Cruiser said:

I’ll be following as well…flurries here this morning so a reminder of our same cruise is perfect timing! Hope you enjoyed as much as we did last month! 🥂 

We're not far from you. Just north of Peterborough. We loved it! Miserable weather here today too. Snow, rain and wind. 

[darsura]

2 minutes ago, Marvy Mare said:

Thanks. So you were on a 4 day cruse? Did you enjoy it? The staff were so great!

Yes.  And we had a great time. The service was wonderful!  

[Marvy Mare]

Day 3 - Sunday, March 12

Miami

 

 

Day 4 - Monday March 13

Sail away from Miami (Day 1 Cruise)

 

 

Day 5 - Tuesday March 14

At Sea (Day 2 Cruise)

 

 

Day 6 - Wednesday March 15

Puerto Plata - Dominican Republic (Day 3 Cruise)

 

 

Day 7 - Thursday March 16

San Juan, Puerto Rico (Day 4 Cruise)

 

 

[Marvy Mare]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 25, 2023 by Marvy Mare
copied earlier post.

[Marvy Mare]

10 minutes ago, Marvy Mare said:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Marvy Mare]

I'm not too sure what I was doing wrong but a post disappeared and then another repeated itself. I think I'll take a break and try again tomorrow. I'm more alert in the morning. 

[smtcan]

We are leaving for the same itinerary on April 10, so looking forward to your review and pictures.  We are staying on Silhouette for the Transatlantic.  We haven't taken an ocean cruise since before the pandemic, so we are getting excited.

[Marvy Mare]

You will love it. We spoke to a number of crew members that were looking forward to heading to the Mediterranean. 
 

[Marvy Mare]

Day 8 - Friday March 17

St. Croix, U.S.V.I. (Day 5 Cruise)

 

 

Day 9 - Saturday March 18

St. Johns, Antigua (Day 6 Cruise)

 

 

Day 10 - Sunday March 19

Basseterre - St.Kitts and Nevis (Day 7 Cruise)

 

 

Day 11 - Monday March 20

Phillipsburg, St. Maarten (Day 8 Cruise)

 

 

[Marvy Mare]

Day 12 -Tuesday March 21

At Sea (Day 9 Cruise)

 

 

Day 13 - Wednesday March 22

At Sea (Day 10 Cruise)

 

 

Day 14 - Thursday March 23

Return to Miami and Flight home to Toronto

 

 

[Texed]

Thank you for your pictures and reports.  😊

[Marvy Mare]

 

As I mentioned at the beginning of this report, we had not cruised since 2020. We got off the Reflection (love that ship) early on Friday, March 13,2020. We had a wonderful time though the last few days (I had tried not to listen to the news up until then) were stressful. We just got off on Grand Cayman to make sure they'd let us off. They did. No issues except that the port area was very crowded. At least 5 ships anchored in the bay. The Reflection did head out again that day but the cruise only lasted for 2 days and turned back to Fort Lauderdale. After our wonderful 11 Night Ultimate Caribbean Cruise on the Reflection, we remained in touch with a few others from our vacation. One couple have become friends and cruised again with us this time. Another couple who cruise more often than us were also on the Silhouette this time. 

 

We booked this cruise about a year later and figured that by 2023 all would be well. Prices were fairly high at the time, but with the help of my brother and our travel agent, they came down. We debated about driving or flying. There have been so many issues at airports and Pearson (Toronto), that we fly out of was rated one of the worst in the world. I'm always up for a road trip, but the trip home probably wouldn't be as fun as the one down. We are planners (even purchased the Ultimate Cruise Planner, by Life Well Cruised) and at first glance it seemed that even with hotels en route driving would be cheaper. It was suggested that I try Flights by Celebrity and at the time we booked it was almost 1/2 price of booking through the airlines, so we committed to fly. Not without worrying about it. 

 

Most important was dog care. We have two dogs. A wonderful 12 year old Labrador called Stella and an exuberant 18 month old Golden Doodle, Maggie. 

 

 

 

[Marvy Mare]

We had tried to book a recommended dog sitter for our 2020 cruise but she was booked well in advance. This time I think I lined her up almost a year ahead. I'm not too sure of the time line. At my age the days blend together. Kelly was great (also happens to be a Vet Tech). She stayed at our place. Stella needs to be at home and Maggie needs to be with Stella. 

 

We had lots of On Board credit, so we booked a few excursions through the cruise line and also a couple of specialty dinners. 

 

DAY 1

We live about 2 hours from the Toronto Airport. Our flight wasn't until 9am but just to be on the safe side we booked a hotel near the airport. The Premier Best Western Carlingview. It wasn't fancy but the price was right $300 CDN for one night accommodation, indoor parking for up to 15 days and a shuttle to and from the airport. Our drive down started out fine. But by the sunrise that morning, you could tell that something was coming. You know what they say about red sky in the morning. 

 

 

Just as we got going on the 407 Toll highway the snow started. It was white knuckle driving all the way. I do our highway driving and Ken does the cities. So I drove most of the way. Not used to highways either. We live in the country and our big city has about 80,000 people. We made it. 

The view from our room. Not pretty but it was only one night. And the hotel was clean and quiet. 

 

 

[Barwick Cruiser]

Totally agree about staying overnight before flying out. We had a 6am flight from Pearson to Ft. Lauderdale and a bit longer drive than you so we stayed a night preflight as well. Ended up at Embassy Suites pre as well as post cruise. Very nice hotel and the price was comparable to yours. Bit of an ordeal when you have a long drive to the airport and an early flight. We had no issues with our AC flight, other than one of my sister’s bags didn’t make the flight but that’s a whole other story. Enjoying your pictures and report, and your pups are super cute!

[Jim_Iain]

Loving your pictures.    What type of camera are you using?     I especially love the red sky one in message 19.

 

Jim

[Marvy Mare]

1 hour ago, Barwick Cruiser said:

Totally agree about staying overnight before flying out. 

When you live in Ontario, you never know about the weather. How long were you at the airport?  Our friends flew to Miami at 6am on the 12th. They were almost 4 hours going through lines. On Saturday morning (the 11th) we were only an hour. And yes, our pups are adorable. Lol

 

Maris

[Marvy Mare]

1 hour ago, Jim_Iain said:

1 hour ago, Jim_Iain said:

Loving your pictures.    What type of camera are you using?     I especially love the red sky one in message 19.

 

Jim

I have a Nikon D500. A few of the photos were taken with my iPhone 14 as well. 

 

 

1 hour ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

 

 

Edited March 26, 2023 by Marvy Mare

[Marvy Mare]

DAY 1 (Cont.)

We were supposed to meet my brother and his wife for dinner at a restaurant near the airport. With the bad weather we were feeling reluctant to get out on the road again and it turns out they were feeling the same way. Fortunately there was a small restaurant in the hotel. It wasn't fancy and the meal wasn't memorable. I did plan that I would take photos of my food for this review. Again, I failed. I love good food and certainly on the Celebrity Ships presentation is important too. The presentation or the food at this small restaurant was nothing to write home about. It was a Friday evening and there were only 5 other people there. I can't remember what we ate and I think we each had a glass of wine with dinner. All for the grand total of $100. A bit much but better than heading out into the storm again. 

 

 

 

The view from our room looked a little better after dark. We could see the airport, but no planes coming or going. Our Air Canada App told us that our flight was still on time. 

 

 

 

Then it was early to bed, as our airport shuttle was booked for 5:30am.With all the difficulties at Pearson, it was suggested that we get there early. Our flight was at 9am. Another issue was the date. We flew out on Saturday March 11. The beginning of March Break in Ontario. As a retired teacher you think I would have had an idea, but we booked a long time ago and I just wasn't thinking.

 

[Marvy Mare]

DAY 2 - Saturday, March 11

I am always awake early, but was up at 4am on March 11. The snow had stopped. We had coffee and cookies that we brought from home (the cookies that is). The restaurant didn't open until 7am. We were downstairs waiting for the airport shuttle shortly after 5. I am rarely late and Ken is always early. It works for us. The other people that had been at the restaurant the evening before were also waiting for the shuttle. Maybe they were the only other people in the hotel. The shuttle arrived, as promised at 5:30 and we were at the airport in about 5 minutes. 

 

The last time we cruised (2020) and flew, the airport experience was terrible - line after line after line. Huge crowds and this was when the pandemic was beginning to be an issue. At that time we were at the airport 3 1/2 hours before our flight and were lined up for all three hours. We just had time to run for the bathroom and then get on the plane before take off. This time (after all the concern we had) was totally different. We later estimated that it was about an hour from the time the shuttle picked us up at the hotel until we were all checked in and just waiting for take off. The MPC App that I uploaded seemed to help speed things along a bit too. Our plane was even waiting for us and take off was 'on time'. When we first booked the flight (many months ago) we were notified of a number of time changes. But for the last few months take off time had remained the same. Just after 9am. 

 

You can see the tail of our Air Canada plane to the right. 

 

 

There she is.

 

 

We were boarding by just after 8:30am. 

 

It was a large plane with the sleeper seats in Business Class. I guess maybe because it was March Break. I hadn't been on a plane that big since my first flight. At the ripe old age of 50 something a friend and I traveled to visit my daughter who was teaching in South Korea. The flight with connections was over 24 hours. I enjoyed every minute of it. Such an adventure. And when we returned home, we were back in Toronto an hour before we left Korea (lol). I hate the airport business and waiting but still get excited when we take to the sky. Ken was a nervous flyer but doesn't seem to be anymore. He's always kind enough to let me have the window seat. Not much of a view on our flight down though. Mostly cloud cover. 

 

The flight was uneventful with a little turbulence. We landed in Miami about 9:30 and sat for about 15 minutes on the plane. Things had gone so well, I was getting a little nervous. A friend that had flown into Fort Lauderdale a few weeks before, sat on the tarmac for 2 hours. By the time she got to her hotel, it was 11 at night and the restaurant in the hotel had closed. Fortunately after a short delay, we were into the airport. It's huge and it was a long walk to pick up our bags. Not much direction either but we found our way. I see now why cruisers, even when cruising from Miami fly to Fort Lauderdale. While waiting for our bags I got notification that my Apple Air Tag was last seen at Pearson Airport, which caused a few minutes of panic. We bought air tags after hearing of all the luggage issues at Christmas. But after a fairly long wait, our luggage appeared and we were on our way.

 

We had made arrangements with a driver that we had used before in Fort Lauderdale. He was very reliable and didn't disappoint this time either. On the drive from the airport to the hotel, I was glad that we hadn't driven. The traffic, mid day Saturday was was crazy. 

 

We arrived at the Intercontinental Hotel at about 2pm (before check in time) but our room was ready for us. 

 

The Registration Desk.

 

The hotel was beautiful. One issue was the entrance. It really wasn't very accessible even for us with luggage. The entrance had a series of steps and we didn't find the ramp until later. It wasn't easy to find. 

 

The entrance. These steps are inside and there were more outside. 

 

That's it for now. More later.