So many trip reviews on this site have been helpful to my cruise planning that I decided to attempt my first trip report for our recent Silhouette cruise Aug 4 – 16, from Rotterdam to Scotland and Iceland. All in all, it was wonderful on every level. I am not a great social media fan and rarely post anywhere, so I ask readers to be tolerant of faux pas, real or perceived.
By way of introduction, we have cruised a number of times on a variety of cruise lines including Princess, NCL, Royal Caribbean, small ship Lindblad/National Geographic (Alaska), also a much-enjoyed Volga River cruise from Moscow to St. Petersburg when one could still safely do that (2014), and, in the realm of interesting itineraries and unusual ships, a Nile River cruise. Our favorite ships have generally been Celebrity, leading to our Elite level, ever so slowly closing in on Elite Plus. We have sailed all the Celebrity ship classes: M, S and E, and enjoyed every class, including the much-maligned E class infinite verandas. We usually like Concierge cabins because of our preferred location (midship, high, on the hump or on the slant) and the small perks, occasionally preferring Aqua, but don’t prefer Blu (tables often too close together). We sailed once in a full suite and didn’t find it apropos for the type of experience we prefer.
This time we used Flights by Celebrity finding sufficient flight choices and competitive pricing therein for our round-trip flights JFK – AMS. Our non-stop overnight KLM flight from JFK to Amsterdam’s AMS Schiphol was smooth and arrived early at about 6:30 AM. The train from Schiphol to Amsterdam Centraal Station was fast and easy, even with heavy luggage (and we are not spring chickens). The added packing needed for Iceland will be briefly discussed later. The Netherlands train and tram systems are ultra-modern, efficient, and user-friendly, and the Dutch are kind, helpful, and speak excellent English for those of us who are language-challenged (Alas! I speak only one language).
Pre-cruise, we spent four days in Amsterdam in a small hotel near Dam Square, which turned out to be an excellent choice for us. The hotel, Best Western Dam Square Inn, on a small, winding, pedestrian-only street, in an old brewery building with a charming, historic, red-painted facade, was modest. The room was sparsely furnished but clean and efficient with air conditioning, a good elevator, and included breakfast, free water, both still and carbonated, and coffee (and candy) in the lobby. The desk clerks were friendly and helpful. Because of our red-eye flight and early morning arrival, I had requested an early check-in, and to my immense relief, our room was ready for us despite a formal check-in time hours and hours later in the afternoon. The last time we were in Amsterdam we stayed in an upscale hotel, closer to the Centraal Station, a busier traffic-filled area. Dam Square and this small hotel were far better choices for us.
We navigated the excellent tram system (which in itself is fun for us – simple pleasures) and revisited our favorite Amsterdam museums, Van Gogh, and the Rijksmuseum (having obtained reservations for early times to avoid the crowds, which were building as we left) and generally just wandered about, appreciating the beautiful city amid great weather. We had done most of the touristy things like canal boat tours, windmill tours, and the Keukenhof spring tulip gardens on previous trips. For a little added flavor, there happened to be an enormous Gay Pride Festival this particular weekend, which we did not know in advance – lots of happy celebrants having a grand old time with great conviviality, and even an ambitious boat parade on the canals. We were interested observers and had never seen anything quite like it.
The morning of the cruise, we rolled our luggage onto an empty-ish Sunday morning tram a half a block away from the hotel and rode to the nearby Centraal Station. Amsterdam Centraal is easily walkable from Dam Square, but it was better for us to ride with heavy luggage. Two direct tickets to Rotterdam Centraal (no stops) were a bargain total of 44 Euros (can be cheaper if purchased in advance). Upon reaching Rotterdam Centraal, we inquired at the Information Desk about getting to the cruise terminal and were directed to an adjacent tram which quickly transported us to a stop across the Erasmus Bridge, leaving us very near the cruise terminal, a short block away. No tram ticket is necessary, just tap on and off the tram using credit card. The trams are level with the street, so there is no need to lift luggage on and off. The trains are a few steps up, so a little lifting is necessary. (I do miss the red cap porters of the old days. Ah well.)
Celebrity boarding has become more and more efficient, so after quickly checking in and sitting a short while, we casually boarded the ship by 11:30AM. We were previously on the Silhouette several years ago, a 14-night itinerary in the Eastern Mediterranean which was supposed to go from Rome to Israel but sadly was diverted to Greece at the last minute after boarding, and another wonderful Silhouette cruise, titled the Shakespeare Cruise, visiting Hamlet (Denmark) locations among many other ports in Scandinavian countries, including fjords.
Since that time, the Silhouette public spaces appear to have been thoroughly updated (revolutionized). The cabins seem much the same – but with new, extremely comfortable beds, good pillows and soft linens, refreshed carpet, fairly comfortable leather-like sofa, same bathroom, same bureau and desk and bed overhead storage. If on a cruise for more than 12 days or so, storage and shelves might be a bit tight. We had a deck ten cabin with a large balcony on the slant and loved it, as usual. On the balcony there were two comfortable, adjustable, high-back balcony chairs with large footstools and a table. Everything, including the balcony, was immaculate.
I opted for the unlimited specialty restaurant package for my husband and myself and booked Celebrity Shore Excursions in every port. There were a number of early port departures (5:00PM) and I am always concerned about making it back in time. Indeed, one of our Celebrity shore excursions in Scotland returned uncomfortably close; we were the last people on the last tender.
Packing for Iceland requires some thought. The temperature in the north of Iceland in August is in the 40’s - 50’sF but can feel much colder because of wind and rain. There are long, wet hikes to waterfalls and scrambling over rocks and mud. Long sleeve athletic shirts, fleece layers, a waterproof raincoat, rain pants and hiking shoes served us well. A hat, scarf and gloves also came in handy for me. On the other hand, some hearty folks looked perfectly comfortable in jeans, sneakers, and a puffer. I guess it depends on your cold and wet tolerance, age, and agility.
The captain announced that in reaching our first port in Iceland, Akureyri, we crossed the Arctic Circle. The next day we were all awarded The Order of the Blue Nose certificates to commemorate the event.
The first stop was Orkney’s Kirkwall, Scotland and our tour was to visit the Neolithic village of Skara Brae which dates from 2200-3200BC. Just the drive there was worth the trip because of the stark beauty of the landscape. The ancient coastline village, Skara Brae, is being eroded by the sea, and we were privileged to see it with its intricate houses with walls of carefully laid stones, built with skill and sophistication 5,000 years ago.
Leaving Scotland, heading north, after a few sea days, and after navigating a 60-kilometer-long fjord, we reached Akureyri where we embarked on an ambitious eight-hour tour called Diamonds of the North. We braved a cold Iceland rain to observe otherworldly lava fields as far as the eye could see, also visiting the Whispering Cliffs, a vast canyon with a glacial river running at its base, with sharp walls formed by eons of erosion and wind. We hiked the long, steep, rock and boulder strewn trail to Dettifoss waterfall – awesome. Just getting to the waterfall was an adventure for me, a total non-athlete.
This Diamonds of the North excursion included lunch in a small restaurant surrounded only by an austere landscape covered in moss and lichen, and with no other buildings in view for quite a distance. The meal included a generous serving of arctic charr which we had never tasted before – tasting a bit like salmon and absolutely delicious, with a very generous helping of potato and green vegetable, followed by a hearty dessert. Yum.
An interesting factor in Iceland is that many of the places we visited appeared to remain fairly natural, and not overly “refined” or made facile for tourists (wide paved trails, etc.) Here’s hoping it remains so. Relatively untouched, natural beauty appeals more.
The next day we re-visited Akureyri closer to town, stopping at Godafoss Waterfall, just a short, easy walk to the waterfall, no hike required, and the Botanical Gardens in town.
After an overnight sail, it was on to Isafjordur to visit cultural aspects of Iceland including seeing a historic church with a musical performance of Icelandic songs, and a hike to a fisherman’s village with a talk by the son of a fisherman. We travelled on to a small heritage museum where we were treated to a taste of dried fish and shark with a small schnapps (Brennivin) chaser – surprisingly interesting, even compelling tastes. The guide explained that the shark is poisonous, and people do not eat it, but you can eat the tongue.
Sailing on, the following day we reached Reykjavik where we had booked the momentous Golden Circle tour. Unfortunately, we had to cancel to rest, feeling the aftereffects of our long, cold, wet hike to see Dettifoss waterfall a few days earlier, which finally caught up with us.
Following another sea day, our last port was Shetland’s Lerwick, Scotland on a beautiful, sunny, warm day. We spent some time in town and then travelled to the extensive Bronze Age ruins at Jarlshof, seeing ancient, expertly fashioned stone walled homes in a village that is even more intricate and elaborate than the one at Skara Brae. There were also plenty of sheep, cattle and Shetland ponies to observe along the way as we greatly enjoyed the bucolic ride.
Apparently, there is quite a bit of filming for TV, notably The Game of Thrones, and Movie dramas in many of the places on this cruise, as pointed out by the guides.
One of the things we appreciate about Celebrity is Beyond the Podium talks. We attended and learned from all the ones given on this cruise, and wished there were more. Much of the discussion was about Vikings who were so influential in this area.
In between all the land touring, we enjoyed the shipboard experience which is the fun of cruising. We attended and enjoyed a single production show in the theater and made good use of our unlimited specialty restaurant package. We dined twice in Murano, twice in Tuscan, twice in Le Petit Chef, twice in Sushi on Five, once at the Porch and once at the Lawn Club Grill.
From my personal, uneducated, and totally subjective gastronomic point of view, I thought that on this cruise, the food itself was best in Le Petit Chef, especially the wonderful lobster (and I don’t particularly love lobster) and Le Petit Chef desserts. Murano was a tad disappointing foodwise since we have greatly enjoyed it in the past. None of our meals or the four main dishes we tried in Murano is worth mentioning; the desserts were not great, the bread was just OK, but at least the service in Murano was superb.
The one thing we really loved at Tuscan was the filet mignon cooked rare – tender and scrumptious. But a special treat at Tuscan, with its beautiful vista at the stern of the ship, was our dinner-time view of numerous arctic terns and a whale breaching (maybe humpback).
The Porch for seafood lunch was OK. A visit to the outdoor Lawn Club Grill required bundling into their blankets and trying to stay warm under the overhead heat lamps because of the latitude north, but we had to give it a try. Other people seemed to have enjoyed the tacos and the skewers. The food did not ring our bell at all. The Lawn Club Grill is undoubtedly much better enjoyed in a warm climate.
Lastly, a sushi restaurant almost never disappoints us, and Sushi on Five delivered satisfaction. We were very happy with the Sushi on Five food, the variety offered, and the service. So, in sum, Le Petit Chef and Sushi on Five were best for us on this particular cruise. But every cruise is different.
The buffet for breakfast and lunch was typical for Celebrity and most other cruise lines we have experienced. Since we are mainly soup and salad lovers for lunch, and oatmeal for breakfast, there were always more than sufficient offerings. Also available was plenty of fresh fruit. As always on a cold weather cruise when you can’t eat outside, the buffet was overwhelmed with people at prime lunchtime, and empty tables were elusive. That scenario is never fun and there is probably no solution except maybe also opening the main dining room for lunch every day (too much burden on staff?). But people were sufficiently polite about tables. There was a large number of Europeans on this cruise, and many families with small children, some teens, all the youngsters well-behaved, as far as we noticed.
A special, notable, free treat in the buffet is the unlimited ice cream bar of many interesting flavors available every day for long hours from afternoon to evening, with toppings and sauces.
We had one meal in the main dining room for the experience on this particular cruise. Unfortunately, I couldn’t chew through the gristle in my everyday menu steak and had to abandon it. However, the service was attentive and good. None of the courses was notable, but most were perfectly adequate or more so, so that, if careful in selections, one can be absolutely fine there without specialty restaurants.
We don’t drink beyond wine with dinner, so I can’t comment on beverage service.
For the shipboard experience, service across the board was terrific, which is a major reason why we like Celebrity. Also, the ship was kept in pristine shape as far as we observed, considering its age (2011).
We rarely return to the same itinerary twice because there is so much world to see. But this one was so interesting and refreshingly unique for us, we are tempted to do it, or something similar, again next year.
