Silvery Seas Cruiser

I would definitely do the Petite Chef again if it is a different menu/show than the lobster one we saw. By the way, they did allow us to mix and match between the two menus that were offered that night. It does take every bit of two hours to finish that presentation, so know that before you go. 

Thank you for posting this. We have a March cruise on Silhouette. Glad to know of the change in policy.

I was really hoping that Beyond would offer some traditional balconies in Concierge and Aqua Class along with Infinite Balconies for those who like the former layout. Looks like that wish will not be granted. My only hope now is that if Celebrity designs an entirely new class of ship, such a choice of traditional or Infinite will be available. 

I think Celebrity's powers that be underestimated how much some passengers really enjoy their balconies. Two chairs in a crowded space is not my idea of a great balcony experience, but Sunset Verandas are so popular they are hard to get.We couldn't book one on Beyond for the cruise we chose. 

Because we sail often, booking a suite isn't possible for us.

As I recall, when we sailed on Apex in December there were one or two benches near the check in door. They were occupied. However as you are dropping your wife off early, she might be fortunate enough to get a seat on one of those benches.

Because alcohol gives me such fierce heart burn, I don't have any alcoholic drinks on a cruise or anywhere else. Wish I could, but I can't. It does save money though.

We are both Diamond Plus on Royal and Elite Plus on Celebrity. We don't stay in suites. We tend to choose Concierge Class on Celebrity, but the regular balcony class is almost as good. Concierge Class does give you more loyalty points.

We typically travel with out adult son and daughter in law on Royal. They enjoy the flow riders, water slides, ice shows, and all the bells and whistles of entertainment on Royal ships especially their favorite Oasis Class ships. 

When we are alone we choose Celebrity. It is quieter. The ships are more elegant. The food and service is better...my opinion. There aren't rock climbing walls, on board zip lines, dragon slides, etc. Just very pleasant cruising. We once asked a teenager on Celebrity how he was enjoying his cruise and he huffed that he has never been so bored in his life. Frankly, for us, we like the more relaxed pace on Celebrity.

I couldn't list the exact current Elite perks on Celebrity. You do get to eat a very basic breakfast that is strictly for Elite, Elite Plus and Zenith. I really enjoy that. But if Hubby wants eggs and bacon we go up to the Ocean View buffet.

For a very different experience from Royal try Edge or Apex. We also very much enjoy Solstice Class ships. Reflection and Silhouette are our favorites.

I hope you enjoy your cruise on Celebrity.

1 minute ago, cruisestitch said:

 

 

Thank you for that response. Is there any specification as to the type of mask? 

I am confused. Did Celebrity recently institute a required mask policy for passengers? We sailed on Equinox in October and Apex in December. Neither cruise had a policy that guests had to wear masks and few did. The crew, on the other hand, always wore masks. Some crew even wore double masks. 

What I recall is that masks were required by passengers in the check-in terminal, but not inside the ship itself. Admittedly, I am not up on the latest mask protocols.

We've done this sunset cruise a few different times. We had an all-women crew both times. The price of the cruise 

includes a nice selection of wines and some yummy canapes. We really enjoyed the cruise and would do it again.

8 hours ago, cangelmd said:

I sailed on Edge in an inside cabin in early 2020 and agree with your observations about the bathroom. We had a “deluxe” inside, but it was still tiny. We adapted, and the space was workable for a 7 day cruise. Eden is excellent.

I came away with a different impression of some your other points. No argument with the lack of forward facing space - there isn’t any except the gym. What it does have is one of the most spectacular aft facing spaces at sea with plenty of quiet space for everyone that wanted to take advantage. I also got a different impression of the Magic Carpet. It was only windy at certain times of the day. I have to stay in the shade and on our full cruise, the Solarium was packed. After some exploration, we found a couple of quiet spots, one being the Magic Carpet in the mornings. Only a few people were there before noon and it was lightly, pleasantly breezy, not windy. We spent hours each morning, until people started filtering in, relaxing and looking out over the sea with a view I can’t get in the shade on other Celeb ships except on a balcony. There was also some forward view, depending where you sat. It was windier later in the day on our cruise, and I suspect the direction of the ship affects that as well.

Finally, the walking track is awesome, with an up and down hill part - none of the S class ships have a big loop that goes to the bow like some ships I’ve been on.

 

Our problem with the Magic Carpet was knowing what deck it was on whenever we thought we'd like to access it. Even the ship's app had the deck wrong one night. We never did spend any time there. Maybe on a longer cruise we would make the effort.

17 hours ago, drakes2 said:

Do not book a single inside cabin on Silhouette. They are in the worst location you will hear all the music from the atrium. Even in high decks as 7 steps from elevator banks. The shower stall is so tiny you have to squeeze up against the wall to open door. I met a lady onboard who complained and was moved to a balcony.  Very badly designed and Celebrity is trying to squeeze the last dollar out of their guests. 

Good to know that. We are going on Silhouette next year. Lucky none of us booked a single inside cabin. The bathroom sounds like it would trigger claustrophobia.

23 hours ago, Suzanne123 said:

Be careful.  Some of those single staterooms have obstructed views.

 

23 hours ago, Suzanne123 said:

Be careful.  Some of those single staterooms have obstructed views.

 

Many thanks for this information. My guess is that the obstructions are life boats, perhaps?

Thank you all for your comments. My sister is an early bird. Maybe she could manage a couple of short "laps" in an E-Class pool. I'll tell her what all of you said and she can decide whether to give it a shot or not. This has been interesting and I appreciate it.

The singles cabins sound really nice. I'll tell my sister all about this. Just hope she can book one.

Thanks for that additional input. You can guess I am not the swimmer, but my sister is an avid swimmer, I photographed the pool on Apex when we sailed a week ago and she seemed satisfied, but I will tell her the actual length. I confess I may have over-hyped the pool. I'll have to fill her in and see if the shortened lap pool on Apex will suffice. I didn't know the Solarium pool is heated and will tell her that too. Again, thank you for your advice. 

1 minute ago, RTShaker said:

If one is concerned about collecting CC points, the single cabin gets you 3 points/night and the standard cabin gets the solo sailor double points/night.

Thanks, I wondered about that too. My sister is Elite and late 70s in age. I'm not sure the extra points will matter so much. Don't believe she can ever get to Zenith. Even Elite plus may be a reach. But I will tell her about the difference just in case it does matter to her.

2 minutes ago, RTShaker said:

I have looked into this extensively. While there are a few cabins available, you are limited to location. As well, when all is calculated there is very little difference in cost between sailing solo in a standard cabin and these small  "single" cabins. There has been a promotion for 35% off for solo travellers. I am not sure if it is still in effect.

It was in effect last week when my sister booked the Sihouette for March 2022. She saved nearly $1000 much to both our amazements. That is for a balcony room...not Concierge or Aqua.

I believe you 100%. I'm trying my hardest to get my sister to get the lead out and book the Panama cruise we want next November. I've got her almost convinced. Maybe your wise advice will help speed her up. Again many, many thanks.

Thank you so much for this information. My sister travels with us but doesn't want to bunk with us. She likes her own bathroom and so on. But it is costly, no doubt. These single cabins sound like a good option for her. I wonder how hard they are to book. I can imagine they are super popular. 

3 minutes ago, LGW59 said:

Beyond has not sailed yet.  First will be spring 2022.

I realize that and should have been clearer. I was hoping someone who has sailed on Edge or Apex might know, Of course, one can't assume what is true on one ship will be true on another. 

Maybe a better phrasing would have been to ask if any Celebrity swimming pool is heated and try to draw a conclusion from that knowing it would be a gamble anyway. 

My sister is eager to try the lap pool on Beyond but she wonders if the water is heated. She also wonders if it is often too crowded to actually swim laps. 

Have heard the Edge-Class ships have cabins for passengers who are traveling alone, even cabins with balconies. My sister, a widow, has been paying the costly single supplement to travel in a balcony cabin, but is interested in the single cabins. Has anyone booked one of these? How was it for size comfort and ship location? Were the savings substantial and was it worth it? Really appreciate any information you can provide.

I really hope you can return to cruising by 2022 at least by next fall. It has been so frustrating not being able to sail, not being sure the ship will sail, not being sure what ports it will call on, or if some random passenger or more will come down with COVID while on board and what they will mean for other passengers. 

4 minutes ago, marieps said:

She's a TA.  Did you expect her to complain?

 Like the TA, there are some things I do rave about on Apex but not everything. The theater is better on Apex. The buffet is better on Solstice Class. The sculpture and art is better on Apex. Sushi on Five on S-Class is better than Raw on Five on Apex. The ship's layout is more rational and less challenging on S-Class ships. The layout is more creative but a chore for those with mobility issues on Apex. S-Class ships have a cozier Cafe al Bacio. Apex has a less cozy and very noisy Cafe al Bacio. 

But many of my preferences are my personal taste. There will be those who disagree with me for sure. 

I do wonder why Celebrity has chosen to eliminate the library and card room. Card tables were almost always occupied on S-Class ships and the library often had folks seated there even late at night or early mornings. 

5 minutes ago, Silvery Seas Cruiser said:

This is what I hope for. Please, Celebrity, do not make so many Infinite Balconies on Ascend. Have more traditional balconies so that those of us who prefer a traditional balcony can have a choice. 

Whoops! Sorry to quote myself. Just want to suggest that perhaps one deck could have only traditional balconies.