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

[Tee & Chilli]

I spent today catching up on reading. This is a fabulous review. Great job

[Marvy Mare]

3 hours ago, Tee & Chilli said:

I spent today catching up on reading. This is a fabulous review. Great job

Thank you. I’m enjoying sharing my photos and views. 😁

 

Maris

[Marvy Mare]

DAY 8 CRUISE, Monday March 20

Phillipsburg, St. Maarten

 

 

 

One more of the Navigator.

 

The Water Taxi dock. The town of Phillipsburg is a short walk from the Cruise Port. The Water taxi that runs regularly to Phillipsburg is $5. one way or $7 for unlimited rides for the day. 

 

This waterfront hotel is still boarded up and the green building behind it has no roof. I guess it wasn't worth repairing some of the structures damaged in 2017.

 

On closer inspection there are some buildings in this photo still haven't been repaired. 

 

We decided to save $7 and walk to the beach. There were grandkid gifts to buy and no excursions planned. As we got closer to the beach the chair sellers came out. One followed us for awhile. She kept saying 'Don't for get my name." My memory is short and she was a bit of a pest. We told her that we were going to shop first and we would find her when we were done. I think we told the same story to a number of people. 

 

The buildings fronting on the beach are mainly bars, hotels and restaurants. The next street back is where you can find Diamonds International, other jewelry stores and skin care products. On the third street back there were craft markets and stores selling the typical tourist stuff. If was a little sketchy back there, so we made our way back to the beach. When we were in Phillipsburg in 2018 there were only a few bars open on the beach front and nothing back behind there. 

 

The chair sellers were out in force again. We stopped for a minute (well Ken stopped longer, he's way friendlier than me) to speak to a bar owner from Calgary, Alberta. It was called the something Bastard or Bastard something. We chose front row seats by the Bastard bar. $20 early bird special for 2 chairs, umbrella and a bucket of beer. Deal. Bonus; they also had a fairly clean washroom and great fries. 

 

The view from our seats. The water taxi is in the middle of the photo.

 

I had to get a picture for our children. Ken finally got in the water. He's not a big fan of swimming or even standing in the water. I think the people that he was talking with were from one of the other ships in port. We never saw them again on the Silhouette. But the things you find out, when you are friendly like Ken. The couple was from Hamilton, Ontario. They also have a cottage a short boat ride from our house and know our next door neighbour (a cottager from Hamilton). Small world. 

 

 

 

Sellers of many products wandered down the beach. Cover ups, hats, jewelry, massages and foot massages. The woman in the pink top and bright coloured hat is giving one of her foot massages. She was very persistent. To encourage her to move on Ken finally said 'I have toe fungus so I don't want you touching my feet.' She walked off mumbling 'F..k off, Toe fungus!' Lol.

She lost her smile really quickly. Most of the beach sellers were very pleasant and moved on if you said that you weren't interested.

 

[Jim_Iain]

20 hours ago, Bimmer09 said:

Maris, there are sometimes surprising sunrises in port too. This is from our return to San Diego in late December. I wasn't expecting much and yet....

 

 

Norris

 

Love the picture -   Caribbean Sunsets and Sunrises always amaze me.    Something we rarely get in SF Bay area.

[Marvy Mare]

Phillipsburg, St. Maarten (cont.)

 

 

We walked back to the ship early in the afternoon. This hotel looks just like it did after the hurricane.

 

The fellow standing by the palm tree probably has chairs for sale.

 

Wonderful beach so close to the port. We will be back. I do love St. Maarten. We will check out the French side when we return.

 

We ended up buying our gifts at one of the stores near the port. I think it was the same store where we bought gifts back in 2018.

 

The Edge on the left and the Silhouette on the right. 

 

And the Seven Seas Navigator to the right.

[Bimmer09]

1 hour ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

Love the picture -   Caribbean Sunsets and Sunrises always amaze me.    Something we rarely get in SF Bay area.

Jim_Iain , I don't know what kind of sunrise/sunset pics I'll get on our next cruise-Apex to Iceland and UK in June as sunset in Iceland then is around midnight and sunrise at 3.30 a.m! You'll see them on this board when I get back late June. I'll set an alarm for the sunrises....

Glad you liked the shot!

Regards to you both.

Norris

[Marvy Mare]

DAY 8 CRUISE - Monday, March 20

Phillipsburg, St. Maarten (cont.)

 

Our last look back to the port area. Heading back to the ship.

 

Ken with our shopping.

 

The couple that we met at the beach in Nevis the day before had been very excited about their sailing excursion. They said that they would even get to race the boats. We had front row seats from our veranda. I think I see a Canadian flag on the back of one of the sail boats, but it's tough to tell who is winning in a sailboat race.  

 

 

 

 

See the Canadian flag. Speaking of Canadians, there were 600 Canadians on the Silhouette, 1600 Americans and that would leave about 600 others. We met a number of people from England, a few from Holland and two from Mexico.

 

We were back up on deck 14 with our friends Angus and Lorie for awhile in the afternoon. The servers weren't too busy earlier in the afternoon. We had a chance to talk to them. Eric, Baba, Kadek and Tianna all were very friendly and hard working. Like almost all the staff that we met on the ship. 

We had an early sail away - 4pm. No photos of the event. We were just chillin.

 

 

 

 

The sunset was at around 6:30pm. Before our 7:15 dinner. 

This was the first night that we had to wait for our table in the MDR. The people there before us were taking their time over their coffee. The nerve -😁. We took one of those buzzer things and wandered around for awhile. It was probably about 7:30 by the time we sad down. I was very hungry. Again I think I ordered fish, but I can't remember. No pictures of the menu or the food. Next time. There was a young couple sitting at the table next to us. They looked very young to us and we were very surprised when they told us that their daughter had called them that afternoon to tell them that she had been accepted into Medical school in Ireland. We weren't surprised that she had been accepted into Medical school, but that this couple was old enough to have a daughter who had graduated from university. We actually (there's that word again) have friends who's daughter just became a doctor (and is practicing in Australia). She was in school in Ireland as well. The couple at the table next to us were from Vancouver and of Indian heritage. We learned a little bit about their culture and family. It was interesting speaking to them. 

After they left another couple sat down. The young man was traveling with his mother. They were from Mexico and she spoke no English. The funny thing was the man mentioned that he had been to "The Big Apple." Not the Big Apple as in New York City, but the real Big Apple that sits off highway 401 between Toronto and Kingston, Ontario. 

 

Off to bed early again.

[Wrunkles]

Thanks for sharing your Nevis trip.  It looks nice there.  That's probably the best way to go, doing an excursion down there.  I would be afraid of getting back in time if on my own. 

We were on the same beach at St. Martin. We took the taxi over.   We rented next door at the Holland House.  I zoomed in and found myself in one of your pictures...lol  I didn't realize about the 3 streets of shopping behind.  

[Marvy Mare]

10 minutes ago, Wrunkles said:

Thanks for sharing your Nevis trip.  It looks nice there.  That's probably the best way to go, doing an excursion down there.  I would be afraid of getting back in time if on my own. 

We were on the same beach at St. Martin. We took the taxi over.   We rented next door at the Holland House.  I zoomed in and found myself in one of your pictures...lol  I didn't realize about the 3 streets of shopping behind.  

That's so cool. On our last cruise someone also zoomed in on one of my photos. We never met on the cruise but she is one of a number of people that I have kept in touch with since, probably because of our shared stress on the cruise worrying about the impending pandemic. I think Holland House had better umbrellas. 

 

Maris

[Marvy Mare]

DAY 9 CRUISE, Tuesday, March 21

At Sea

 

Oops, I did it again. I posted a number of pictures with captions and then went to look for something else. Didn't 'Submit Reply'. You'd think that I would have figured that out by now. 

Our trip back to Miami consisted of two Sea Days. I was up early as usual and thought I'd contribute to my step plan (21,000 in St Maarten) and get some interior photos of the ship while all was quiet.

 

First stop, The Library on our floor - 10. I really love the look of that space. Can't say that I spent much time there. I wanted to be outside as much as possible. I do love libraries and books in general though. It runs in our family. I'll never forget taking our then 5 year old daughter(who continues to be an avid reader) to Chapters in Toronto. At the time, we didn't have a Chapters in our small city of Peterborough, ON. She walked in smiled & said 'Oh Mommy, it smells like books.'

  

Upon retirement I first volunteered in my old school, but it felt a bit too much like work. After that I became a volunteer at our local library. It is a beautiful space too, but not quite like this.

 

Looking down at the library from the 11th floor. This space was well used on hot sunny afternoons. I would often see people curled up in a comfy chair with a book. 

 

A quiet reading corner on the 11th floor overlooking the Library. Note the glass of wine. Now this was at 5 in the morning. Someone must have been enjoying the solitude late last night. I don't think many people drink wine before breakfast. Or maybe a secret drinker, and when they saw me coming with my camera, they made themselves scarce. Ken sometimes says that I 'read too much.' Never, but I do enjoy mysteries and thrillers when I don't want to tax my brain. There's a mystery. I know the night time cleaning staff does an amazing job. I often meet them on my early morning travels. They couldn't have missed this, or maybe they did.

 

 

The staircase we travel up and down each day. My knees have just recovered 3 weeks later. 

 

I was never lost on this cruise. I'm not sure if it was this sign, but on a sign at the top of our hall our room number 1243 was the first listed. Does anyone know why the rooms are numbered the way they are. We were on the 10th floor.

 

Last one. Off to explore the rest of the ship before everyone wakes up.

I should post this before I lose it again. 

[Marvy Mare]

There is interesting art work all over the ship. Difficult to take photos without reflections.

 

Looking across to the tree and the Hideaway on the 7th floor.

 

Back up to the 8th floor. The Hideaway again. Maybe my secret wine drinker hid in the Hideaway in one of the cool chairs. 

 

Close up of a great place to Hideaway. I think the Hideaway had a coffee centre too. It did on the Reflection. I didn't think to check on the Silhouette, but on the Reflection, it didn't open until 7am. I was done with coffee by then. I wanted to sleep at night. 😁

 

Back down to the 7th floor for one last Hideaway photo. See how I get so many steps in. By not being organized. 

 

My favourite art on the on the ship. I tried getting photos with different lenses and my iPhone but could never get a good one. 

 

I saw her every day. Not my favourite, but I felt like I was getting to know her. 

 

Craft Social on 4. It used to be the Cellar Masters and was almost always empty. The Craft Social as a Sports Bar was very popular. Quiet at 5:20am though.

 

[Bimmer09]

12 minutes ago, Marvy Mare said:

 

 

Last one. Off to explore the rest of the ship before everyone wakes up.

I should post this before I lose it again. 

Maris, great shots of one of my favorite rooms on this fine ship. A lovely spot to relax and read as long as there isn't a band playing Led Zeppelin in the atrium below. We wait for disembarkation here when on the S Class.

Norris

[Marvy Mare]

After I redid the post that I lost it was 'restored'. Because I'd moved on I unrestored it. A few more pictures and then I should clear my addled brain. 

I used to blame my addled brain on menopause. I'm way beyond that now. Oh, oh! It's also because I am just a little bit scattered at times. Trying to do too many things at once. 

 

Craft Social again - on 4. 

 

The Casino - also on 4. 

 

Stores on 4. 

 

The Martini Bar on 4 - You couldn't get near it in the evening. I think the entertainment by the bartenders was at scheduled times. Didn't see them on this trip but we had enjoyed their shows in the past. 

 

The Grand Cuvee - aka the MDR. This is the 4th floor. On the 4th floor was the scheduled dining. Two seatings. We sat upstairs where you could reserve your preferred dining time. 

 

[raudacruise]

No such thing as reading too much. 📖📚🍷

[Marvy Mare]

13 minutes ago, Bimmer09 said:

Maris, great shots of one of my favorite rooms on this fine ship. A lovely spot to relax and read as long as there isn't a band playing Led Zeppelin in the atrium below. We wait for disembarkation here when on the S Class.

Norris

Thanks Norris. Yes, it is a beautiful space. My favourite, but on this trip, we stayed outside as much as possible. I followed your advice for the WB.

Maris

[Marvy Mare]

7 minutes ago, raudacruise said:

No such thing as reading too much. 📖📚🍷

Lol! I have to agree with you!

Maris

[Stem to Stern]

I am thoroughly enjoying your report especially all of your great early morning shots of the beautiful spaces around the ship.

[Marvy Mare]

1 hour ago, Stem to Stern said:

I am thoroughly enjoying your report especially all of your great early morning shots of the beautiful spaces around the ship.

Thank you. I meant do that earlier in my cruise and I should have noted all the places I wanted to capture. Hind sight!

 

 

[Marvy Mare]

Tuesday, March 21

At Sea  (cont.)

 

The Grand Foyer - 3rd floor. There is entertainment here throughout the day. 

 

 

 

Guest Relations - 3rd floor. All went according to plan on this cruise and we didn't have to make a visit to Guest Relations. Even this area is pleasing to the eye. 

 

Doors that will be forever shut to me. 3rd floor. 

 

Unless they have a bring a friend day!😁

 

Downstairs at the Grand Cuvee. 3rd floor. I'm just not too sure about that carpet. 

 

 

Look up, look way way up.

Edited April 11, 2023 by Marvy Mare
addition

[Marvy Mare]

Ensemble Lounge 5th floor. We stopped there a couple of times this trip. On our Reflection Cruise it was our before dinner go to bar. Always fairly quiet music playing. During this cruise there was a duet. One young woman on the guitar and another on the violin. 

 

It's always fairly dark in this Lounge. When I walked up with my camera, the fellow cleaning up offered to turn on the lights. They didn't make it much brighter but they were colourful and I thought he was very nice. Being very nice seems to be a theme on Celebrity. I suppose other cruise ships are the same. 

 

A quiet corner in the Ensemble Lounge. 

 

Cafe al Bacio - The best coffee and treats and very enthusiastic staff.

 

Looking down from the 5th floor and across to Sushi on 5.

 

Caged bird videos! Interesting.

 

Sushi on 5. Ken doesn't eat seafood. Supposedly there are other choices. We never went there but maybe I'll do a solo meal next cruise.

 

[Marvy Mare]

Way up to deck 15. I was getting my exercise that morning. The quiet seating area outside the Photography Studio.

 

A bit of the lawn outside the Lawn Club Grill. We did see people sitting around on the lawn on this cruise.

 

The Sunset Bar on Deck 15. It's a great outdoor bar on the back of the ship. I think there was someone sitting up there this morning, maybe having a smoke. I rarely saw anyone up there when I was on my morning deck walk. They didn't want to climb the stairs I guess. One the Reflection the Sunset Bar is on the same level as the Mast Bar and the morning smokers were divided between the two Bars. There weren't as many morning smokers on the Silhouette and they weren't as friendly as on the Reflection. Back in 2020 they'd greet me each time as I went by. 

 

Outside the Oceanview Cafe. That's where we sat to eat most of our breakfasts and lunches.

 

 

 

The Oceanview Cafe. Mostly still closed. Early breakfast (Continental breakfast) is at 6am and Breakfast is at 7am.

 

 

 

Where I got my coffee every morning, sometimes as early as 4:30. There was always hot coffee waiting for me.  

[DaKahuna]

On 4/7/2023 at 6:25 AM, Marvy Mare said:

 

Again I find your pictures breathtaking.  Celebrity shouid pay you for some of those shots.  They are a lot better than the ones in Celebrity's advertising.  

 

You have inspired me to try and get up very early one morning on our upcoming curise and see if I can get some similar ones of Millie. 

 

[Marvy Mare]

41 minutes ago, DaKahuna said:

Again I find your pictures breathtaking.  Celebrity shouid pay you for some of those shots.  They are a lot better than the ones in Celebrity's advertising.  

 

You have inspired me to try and get up very early one morning on our upcoming curise and see if I can get some similar ones of Millie. 

 

Thank you so much. I have done some real estate photography which I really enjoy, but to make a career of it these days you need really specialized (meaning expensive) equipment. 
The morning is the best time on the ship. You meet great people and get to watch the lawn care guys at work. 
 

Maris

[Marvy Mare]

March 23

 

Still at Sea

I grabbed a couple of photos of our room on this sea day as well. Just like the food photos, I never thought of taking a photo when our room was perfect. Ken made the bed. He did a pretty good job but our room steward always did it better. 

 

 

 

I loved the shower. So easy to adjust. It was just right.

 

Our veranda was on 'the hump', so bigger than your average veranda. 

 

One more of the pool area in the morning. On sea days people started saving their seats early. This photo was taken on a port day. Not one towel covered seat in sight and it was starting to get light.

On this particular sea day, I headed up for my walk after taking my photos. No sunrise pictures, so I'm guessing that it wasn't outstanding. I really enjoyed those quiet mornings. It was usually dark when I started on my rounds of deck 14 and 15 and the sun was just starting to rise when I was ready to head back for a shower before breakfast. There was always someone walking before me. Mostly walkers but the occasional runner as well. Lots of room for us with very few if any folks occupying the seats around Deck 14. Later in the day we would watch walkers elbowing their way through the crowds. Some walked at a leisurely pace but a few seemed angered by people in their way. If you want to move quickly around the running track it's a good idea to get out there before 7am.

Since we needed to be on the move early to even find a seat somewhere in the vicinity of the pool I decided to try breakfast in the Spa Cafe, rather than the buffet. I even managed to find a menu on line.

 

Edited April 12, 2023 by Marvy Mare
addition

[hcat]

still enjoying this excellent  review with great photography!

 

  spa cafe is a hidden gem...esp as a break from "cruise food".

 

So sad that St Maarten is not coming back 100%  very  quickly. We always enjoy that port and have a very helpful jeweler there (friends of a friend). 

 

We usually head out of town for a beach bar  lunch experience.  We feel the water is cleaner away from the town beach area & have had great luck with meals.  We have also  done some ok  snorkeling,  but water can be rough at times and close to shore has spiny  sea urchins.!

 

Our  travel tip :  if what u do here is not walkable back to the ship ( or reachable by water or local taxi)  

do  it as a ship's excursion...There is too much traffic on St Maarten/St Martin, and uncertainty of getting back on time..but ship waits for its tours!

Has been a blessing several.times!