debsjc

Driving in The Algarve area of Portugal is fairly easy, so maybe it's just the cities that were difficult. 

If you want to walk around a flat area of Lisbon I recommend Belem. We took an Uber there from the ship, which took about 15 mins. It's a lovely area with gardens, monuments, a monastery, and most importantly the best pastel de nata cafe! 
 

https://lisbonlisboaportugal.com/belem-lisbon/belem-district-lisbon.html   

I gave them £1 a bag, especially as they were kind enough to take then straight out of the boot of the car (AB parking)  

6 hours ago, zitsky said:

Did you make a list of what websites worked and what didn’t?

 

I prefer soda water over San Pelegríno that I had to drink in Italy.

 

Do you know where the cafe water comes from?  How it is made?

 

On my laptop nothing worked, except BBC weather and Gmail, and even they took about 3 minutes a page to load. On my phone it was better (as obviously phones use less data) 

2 minutes ago, the penguins said:

The water in the Classic package is clearly shown as "non premium" and it is Spring Water bottled at source. The Premium Package lists the water by name.

Opening the bottle and popping it in the fridge removes the metal taste.

As you said the ships water is perfectly good - should be as it's used in every kitchen, ever jug on the tables, all the ice and in every bar ( not to mention the sinks and toilets).

 

Sorry the basic internet wasn't what you expected but presumably you chose not to: 

A) visit the I lounge to see if anything could be done - other passengers have had success doing that.

B) upgrade to the Premium.

 

 

It is shown as non premium, but it not shown as still. You have even mentioned that  one needs to open the bottle and but it in the fridge to remove the metallic taste,...... not realistic in the OVC!
As I mentioned before the brand is not the issue

It's not that the basic internet wasn't what I expected, it was about it not being fit for purpose. 

Celebrity have to to be transparent with what they are providing, 

Our neighbours this cruise had 2 very noisy children, who were allowed to shout & scream on the balcony, slam the door about 30 times a day, and run around the corridors banging on other peoples doors! 

1 hour ago, the penguins said:

No problem with honest reviews just a couple of "factual" points:

Internet: your basic internet did exactly what was described I.e. basic. Our one experience of Princess's was it worked better and faster but shut down almost totally of 3 days Transatlsntic and that has never happened on X

Water: the canned water was introduced as part of X's commitment to stop using "one time plastic". It is still Spring Water not just filtered and the cans are clearly labelled. 

Any Time Dining: your experience was disappointing and, provided we have pre-booked, is something we have never experienced on Silhouette. 2 hours is the time alloted for a meal we book for 6.30 and aim to leave by 8.15 always at a sharing table 

 

Regarding the internet, i wasn't expecting to able to stream videos, just look up google maps, and tourist info websites on my laptop. I think it's below basic, if it doesn't work on a laptop at all. 

I understand about the plastic, that's a good point. However you have to ensure it's a reasonable product. and that water tastes awful. I preferred the water from the dispensers in the cafe. Also in Europe particularly people drink sparkling water a lot, more than still with meals, so people expect there to be an option for that. (Soda water is not the same) One solution would be for the classic beverage package to specify 'Still Filtered Bottled Water' so it's less misleading. 

34 minutes ago, hampshirelad said:

Should have added that over the years Celebrity have added more cabins and refurbished and expanded their  retail on  their ships at the expense of Customer space . The M class are a prime example. On sunshine sea days you will be lucky to get a sun lounger on the deck and the Seaview Cafe between 12 and 2 is a war zone

You are right about the standard balcony cabins being small on Oceania, but everything else was so good last time we sailed with them, we didn't mind. (it may have changed now) 

Your experience on Seabourn definitely sounds disappointing. 

The production shows were very good on the Silhouette, some of the best we have seen. Also, I can confirm you just pay the extra if you order a cocktail not on the classic package, for example $1 more for a mudslide. 
We only had 2 sea days, on the rainy one the solarium was full very early, on the sunny one the loungers by the main pool had all gone by about 10am 

1 hour ago, lola2013 said:

I’m disappointed that there is no stir fry station in he OVC.  It was also missing on Equinox in February.  A previous post said it was back!  We don’t sail until April so hopefully it will make another comeback!
Thanks for the review.

They did have a cook to order pasta station in the OVC which was good. I don't think there was a stir fry station though. Unless maybe they would have done it, although it said pasta on the sign above. 

24 minutes ago, hampshirelad said:

I think your post has only confirmed what many Celebrity cruisers have seen especially since the pandemic. When you have been with them for many years you notice it. I am fed up with hearing the pandemic being seen as a reason. There has been plenty of time to come back from that. The MDR and Cafe are regular gripes. The question is where do you go - they are all at it. Went with Seabourn March 21 that was not great. The smart money seems to be on Aqua. now that the price of suites has gone through the roof. The Blu restaurant is good and as for bars look at the Sky Lounge. This used to be buzzing in the days before packages took over and we got free drinks 5-00 to 7-00pm. We always tipped the barman so we got an extra one in on the deadline.

I am really surprised you didn't have a great experience on Seabourn, I would have expected them to be excellent, but we haven't cruised with them for years. Have you tried Oceania? I agree it's getting harder to get great service on any line.
We did look at Aqua, but the Persian garden on the Silhouette is small, and we weren't over keen on the Blu menus. The Sky Lounge is lovely, but often even that was totally full, and it was used for a pub quiz every evening, so not very relaxing. 

1 hour ago, mahdnc said:

Thank you for posting your well written review. How did you think it compared to the other lines you've been on such as Princess? Would you book Celebrity again?

Thank you. I think Princess is a little better overall, and also a slightly lower price. With Princess we did not have any issues finding seating in the evening, or getting bar service. Their Medallion net internet is excellent, and complimentary room service is very good. I also like the option of paying for The Sanctuary for the occasional luxurious sea day. I would say however their MDR isn't great either, and their hot food in the buffet was not as good as Celebrity's. 

I would book Celebrity again, but it would be dependent on the price and the routing, and recent reviews at that time 

 

1 hour ago, CruiserByHeart said:

Thanks @debsjc, for your candid review 🙏 

We're going on the Silhouette for the westbound transatlantic and wondering how service will be. While it's still early in the season, your report does give us a glimpse of what we might expect.

We've cruised on Celebrity Cruises many times and hope you enjoyed your experience enough to give them a another chance 😉

Thank you, hopefully your transatlantic may be quieter, or Celebrity may have ironed out some of these issues by then. I hope you have a wonderful cruise. I would give them another chance, price and itinerary dependent. 

1 hour ago, the penguins said:

Strange, any idea why the change?

The ship was full, and there was always lines for dinner, so unless it was allow more time for people to finish dinner before the late show. Or maybe it was adjusted for the European market, but to be honest we would have much preferred 9pm. 

This daily was a Illusion show, but the production shows were all the same time, 7pm and 9.30pm 

13 hours ago, the penguins said:

Never known those times on Silhouette (4 times since the restart) always 7.0pm and 9.0pm

This was last week, just got back yesterday 

15 hours ago, Gracie115 said:

 

Not in anyway to defend either Celebrity or Princess but your cruise summary doesn't include any Celebrity cruises.  Have you cruised with Celebrity?

 

We have cruised both and have enjoyed both but now find that Princess prices are more reasonable and food very comparable to Celebrity.

Good point! I just got back yesterday, so i've edited my signature now. I'll write a mini review when I get time. 

I don't know Bar, but we stayed in Budva last year, and I would recommend visiting the city. It's really beautiful, with lots of history. 

The shows on the Silhouette were 7pm and 9.30pm, lasting about 50-55 mins, no reservations required. 

We are just off the Silhouette at Southampton, and there was a slight priority for Concierge. 
I had managed to select 11.30 boarding on the app, but actually we arrived at the terminal at 11.00am and were checked straight in and placed in a separate boarding area for Concierge Class. All Concierge class were then invited to board about 11.10am, after suites but before Aqua. 

Our cabin was also ready straight away. 

Disembarkation today, we had group 19, However once they got to group 16, we were told all Concierge passengers could disembark if they wished, as our baggage was all out. 

We were impressed with the ease of embarkation and disembarkation. 

Not sure about Royal, because I haven't cruised with them for a while..... but I can tell you Celebrity isn't better than Princess! 

Thanks so much for the info

We both have the basic Wi-fi as part of our 'All Included' Package (sharing a Concierge cabin) 
Can I just check that means we will each be able to use a device at the same time?  
Also will I be able to sign out of my phone, and sign into wifi on my laptop? Thanks

36 minutes ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

Yes, its one night so an AQ would get more points than an OV and this is assuming you registered for it

 Is Go Green 1 point per night of the cruise? We are in Concierge if it makes any difference 

1 hour ago, the penguins said:

Only one port in Southampton but with different terminals. Silhouette uses the same one each time - city terminal berth 101.

the terminal has no indoor space for waiting. Most of the outside space is uncovered and with no seating. The area is controlled by port authority staff (not Celebrity employees). 

 Are there bathrooms available for people to use? never been to this terminal, the Princess one has plenty of indoor seating & facilities. 

Split is probably my favourite European city, and i've been to a few! To be honest I'm not a huge history buff, but I love the atmosphere of Split. The way the palace ruins actually form part of the old town, the waterfront area with the gelato cafes, and the views from Marjan hill. It seems even more magical after dark, where often there is free musical entertainment outside around the palace area.
I was lucky enough to stay a night in the old town, before taking a small boat (36 people) cruise for a week from Split to Dubrovnik, stopping at many beautiful Croatian islands.