CNSfromHI

I apologize if I wasn't clear. Our basic internet was included as part of the all-included stuff, and as Casualcruisers notes, each passenger can use one device at a time to access the internet. cjr

My wife and I just cruised aboard the Silhouette and happened to be in Scotland September 08, the day the queen died at Balmoral. To answer your question, we watched later that night, and for the next few days, non-stop coverage of the worldwide response to her death on our cabin television -- specifically Sky News and Sports 24 -- but I suspect whatever channels you can access will broadcast live her funeral on September 19 during your cruise. As an aside, the Silhouette's crew did an admirable job of informing passengers about the queen's death, including a request from the captain, around 9:00 that night, that everyone pause and bow their heads for a minute of silence. Even as a Yank, those 60 seconds brought a tear to my eye as the entire ship went silent in her honor. cjr

👍 I should have mentioned this in my previous reply, too. The basic plan, despite its foibles, was just fine for us since we're not glued to our devices. I didn't mind unplugging for two weeks at all! cjr

I totally forgot about the Northern Lights; thanks for reminding me! I'd seen them once before about a thousand years ago, but my wife had not, so we set an alarm for midnight, threw on some warm clothes and sat on our veranda watching the amazing display in the sky. The Silhouette crew did a great job informing passengers about the chance to watch this display! cjr

The Celebrity app proved to be fairly handy for finding your way around the ship via deck maps, checking on open/close times for bars and restaurants, discovering stuff to do each day, etc. The "My Calendar" function is unfortunately limited; users will find only their Celebrity-arranged excursions show up there, as well as reservations made for specialty restaurants, but there's no way to add personal things, such as "meet so-and-so on deck 14 at X time." I imagine that if you're traveling with your family or a group, then the in-app text/chat thing might prove very useful if you're trying to find them, make plans, meet somewhere, etc. With just my wife, who was always with me, this feature was a novelty and we just sent a few goofy messages with silly emoticons to each other 😆 I can only speak about the basic internet package since that's what we used. First, while my bride and I could each log into the ship's WiFi individually, you can only use one device at a time per passenger. This means disconnecting from device 01 in order to log in on device 02. It's not as onerous as it might sound, but just know you can't log in each device once when you board and then seamlessly access WiFi on multiple devices, as you would on your home network. Also, I found the internet responsiveness fluctuated greatly. I wish I could say it was better on non-sea days, when more people were off the ship, or early/late in the day, but there didn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to it. I'll probably pop for the premium package next time to see if there's an improvement. Hope this helps! cjr

The primary attraction for me on this cruise was Iceland, which I've wanted to visit since the early '90s. There, we docked at Akureyri and then Reykjavik and enjoyed one and three excursions, respectively. These provided a great sense of not only the country's incredible environment/terrains, but also a nice sense of its history, as well as its modern sensibilities politically, environmentally, socially, etc. We totally hit the weather jackpot in Iceland, as every day reached ~60 degrees with plentiful sunshine 😎 This was not what we anticipated based on everything we'd read beforehand, and I traveled in shorts and short-sleeve polo shirts the entire time. Ireland involved two ports, Cobh/Cork and Waterford. With only 8 and 10 hours available, respectively, we nevertheless experienced the flavor of these areas. The Jamison whiskey tour, particularly, was fun -- especially the tasting at the end. While we departed knowing there was so much more to see, this "primer" offered enough enticement to make us want to return for greater exploration some day. Also, the weather both days was again idyllic -- sunny and relatively warm. The only clinker in the itinerary proved to be Scotland. With less than 7 hours in port (Greenock), we spent about 90 minutes round trip traveling inland to Glasgow. That excursion basically comprised a bus ride, a very minimal B/W photocopied map of the city center, and a "guide" who apparently didn't know how to use the bus microphone because he said nothing about the sights we passed en route. Beware the "on your own" excursion. That said, Glasgow is a cool city; very cosmopolitan/diverse and filled with interesting architecture, both old and new. Weather-wise, it proved warm (mid-70s F) and humid, and it rained lightly at times, but not enough to spoil our journey. The city is crazy-hilly, similar to San Francisco, so wear the proper footwear if you visit. Thanks for asking, cjr

Just finished a 12-day cruise aboard Silhouette on September 10. Around "Day 10" (we sailed August 29) -- and despite the significant precautions undertaken, including requiring guests to submit negative test results within two days of boarding -- the ship still reached a 3% threshold of positive COVID-19 cases among guests. I don't know if positive cases were moved from their cabins to another area, but positive cases were quarantined. Also, the ship significantly stepped up its cleaning protocols and "recommended" that guests wear masks indoors and in public spaces. cjr

The Celebrity app allows you to text/chat with another guest in-app -- specifically someone in your immediate cruise party, but also someone you might "connect" with onboard. I had the basic WiFi package but, supposedly, you can use the Celebrity app while aboard for free regardless of your WiFi service. Also, those in-app "friend texts" don't alert you/pop up on your mobile phone; you'll see the them when you're using the Celebrity app. I tried the room-key thing on my phone; it functions through Bluetooth so it has a limited range but, honestly, it's lame sauce and using your Sea Pass card is much easier/quicker. (That's the credit-card-like ID you'll use everywhere anyway.) The in-room TV-control in the celebrity app also blows, so just use the cabin remote. Hope this helps! cjr

Disembarked the Silhouette in Southampton, England, yesterday morning after spending 12+ idyllic days aboard, visiting England, Ireland, Iceland and Scotland. I'm a first-time cruiser who learned plenty so I hope I can help other cruise noobs with the honest insights I gained. cjr

Not sure if they retain your certificate, but I do know that a few days after I uploaded an image of my vax-card -- just last week -- the app was updated and now it no longer appears to require uploading your card. Same thing happened to my wife on her app/phone. cjr

Happy to help. cjr

We entered it via the Celebrity app under Check-In>Continue to check-in>Travel Info. Item 7 is for onboard expenses. Hope this helps, cjr

Also, if you've installed the Celebrity app and logged in, you'll also find them on the "My Calendar" tab under whatever the appropriate cruise day is (Day 1, Day 5, etc.) and listed in the appropriate time slot. cjr

My wife and I need to take the Abbott BinaxNOW test for our first cruise, which I purchased a few weeks ago. A natural worrier, I was nervous about how this test works since we need to take it the day we fly from Chicago to London on a Saturday to board the ship on Monday. Anyway, this YouTube vid helped alleviate some of my worries; hope it helps you/others, too. cjr