greygypsy
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Celebrity Silhouette Cruise Review – December 22, 2023 – Caribbean Holiday Cruise
I actually wrote a regular cruise review for the Reviews section of Cruise Critic a couple days after we returned from the cruise on January 3, but it has not been published by January 17. I am not certain what the delay is – but two weeks waiting for a review to be published is bad website management.
We are two late-60’s, experienced cruisers who have primarily cruised with Celebrity and Regent over the past 20+ years. We have Elite Plus status with Celebrity. This holiday cruise had been postponed three times due to Covid concerns and we were very happy to be able to feel comfortable cruising again. To be honest, we felt more comfortable Covid wise on the ship versus the airports and airplanes coming and going!
We were in Royal Suite 1609 on the 11th deck. This was convenient because we were sailing with our 10-year-old granddaughter, and we appreciate many of the Retreat benefits. The benefit we used the most was relaxing on the Retreat sundeck. Although it could (and did) get windy at times, the daybeds were much more comfortable than those around the pool or on deck 14, it was very uncrowded, and we had pretty much a private bar and excellent lunch service – even on days in port.
Other benefits of the Retreat were not as great. Our butler was nice, but except for bringing us a cold breakfast a few times and making sure we had some wine and snacks in the evening, wasn’t all that necessary. Granted, we are not very demanding guests, but I’m sure our cabin attendant (who was excellent) could have done what the butler did. Those in the sky suites (who are now without an individual butler) didn’t really lose much.
While the service in Luminae was super (we highly recommend our server Stephen), the food selections were limited and if we hadn’t also been able to order from the main dining room, we wouldn’t have had much choice at all. Some friends we made on the cruise – also staying in a Retreat suite – had friends in an Aqua class cabin and ate in Blu a few times with them and said the food was better in Blu. We did eat once with some new friends in the main dining room (they had a standard seating at 6 pm and 3 extra seats at their table and it was easy for us to join them) and we felt the service and food were good.
One of the Retreat benefits is also “unlimited” meals in any of the specialty restaurants. We made our dining reservations ahead of time, but it looked as if you wanted to dine at 8 or later that you wouldn’t have any issues getting in. Murano was excellent both times we dined there, and the Lawn Club was a pleasant surprise. The Tuscan Grill was OK. We did not do Sushi at 5 (wife and granddaughter not fish eaters) or the seafood restaurant up near the Lawn Club. Lunch choices at the Retreat Sundeck were limited but the food was good and service top notch.
Our granddaughter did the buffet a few times and she was happy with the food and selections. From my walking through the lines, it looked to me like the food choices were very good.
I enjoyed the coffee bar Bacio at least once a day and the coffee and service were good.
We had no trouble getting drinks and wine that were enjoyable with call brands that we like all being available for the premium package. We did order a special wine for one night and the up charge was very reasonable. Sommelier service both in Luminae and the main dining room was excellent.
We are not huge entertainment folks, but I did see two shows that were decent, a headline act doing a rock and roll tribute, who were quite enjoyable and a magician who was fairly pathetic. Around the ship there was a particularly good classical style guitarist, an excellent house pop/rock group (the female lead singer and guitar player were both exceptional) and a 40s-50s quasi big band that needed to practice more. Overall, I’d say the entertainment was better than average.
Christmas activities included family and kids only stuff including Santa (if you really needed Santa…). New Years rocked on deck even if it was a bit windy.
Our granddaughter made a new friend early on at Camp at Sea and the staff there had plenty of stuff for all age groups.
For the pool people I noticed there seemed to always be some available deck chairs, even some in the shade when the pool was especially busy (such as the beautiful sea day we had on the day before we disembarked).
The stops were fairly typical for the Caribbean – we didn’t use many of the ship’s excursions, but we heard mixed reviews from fellow passengers. Overall, we feel that in the Caribbean you can almost always do better arranging your own off-the-ship activities with little or no worry about getting back in time. We probably had the most fun at the first stop in the Bahamas where we went to the Baha Mar water park, and I got exhausted while our granddaughter had a blast.
The crew was very visible with some of them having family on board due to the holiday. Service everywhere was up to the usual Celebrity standards.
The ship was in great shape. This was our first time on an S class ship and except for my wife and granddaughter getting lost while using the incorrect elevator, the design and available amenities were as advertised. Just remember that you cannot cross the ship on the 15th or 16th deck – that the 14th is the last outside deck you can cross the ship on (and the 11th the last one you can cross inside).
The prices on Celebrity have gone up substantially since before the pandemic and we are not sure that the cost/benefit ratio is worth it any more for the type of luxury cruise experience we enjoy the most. Our next cruise will be back on Regent, and it will be interesting to compare.
If you have any specific questions that you would like answered feel free to reply or message me directly.
I think in the “formal” review – if it ever gets published I gave the cruise 5 stars because I really felt it was 4 ½ and decided to err on the top side. The Celebrity Silhouette is a fine ship with a fine crew and good service. It doesn’t have the energy of a Royal Caribbean cruise or the refinement of Regent – but is a good choice for something in between.
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Thanks for posting. We will be on the Silhouette holiday cruise next month. If you could take some pics of some of the public areas that would be appreciated. Earlier you mentioned that the water in the pool was cool - has it warmed up since you left or is it still too cool for you? Did your husband bring cigars with him or did he get some on the cruise? From some of your pics it looks like the cruise is not too crowded - is that the case? Figure our holiday cruise will be busier. Anyway, thanks for posting and keep on enjoying!
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We just did this and we were told that it could take 2 weeks.
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My husband, granddaughter and myself cruised in Celebrity Infinity this last June, after many years of being away. We were in a Royal Suite and had a wonderful cruise. I priced out back to back Caribbean cruises on the Summit during the Christmas and New Year of 2020 and the prices were ridiculous. It also did not include all specialty restaurants (except for the Suite restaurant) as it did in June. I priced a 14 day cruise with a similar itinerary over the same time period on the new Regent ship, the Splendor in a cabin of about 400 sq. ft. and it was about $10k cheaper. It seems that suite prices are getting ridiculously high on Celebrity and providing less benefits. We loved the kids club on Celebrity but feel there will probably be families on Regent during the holidays and will probably beach it in the ports. Better deal, service and food on Regent, so will likely stick with them depending on time of year and itinerary. Personally, I would choose Regent.
thanks, Susan
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We were looking at a late 2020 cruise on Summit (sister ship already refurbished) and in Royal Suite specialty restaurants were not included. Only included in Penthouse.
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They did include all specialty dining but we only tried Sushi on 5 and Tuscan Grille. Sushi on 5 was good but the Italian not so much. I checked on cruises on Infinity after the updates and the specialty restaurants are not included.
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We were in 6134
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This will be posted in the Reviews but thought I would put here first. Overall, we felt our experience in a Royal Suite on the Infinity was very comparable to cruising with Regent. Here is the review:
We haven't been on Celebrity for many years but since we were cruising with our grand-daughter (turned 6 on the cruise) wanted a cruise with an available roomy suite, good service and activities for a 6 year old. This cruise was priced right for a Royal Suite - probably because it hadn't had it's well overdue makeover yet - and also it was relatively early in the Mediterranean season. We weren't sure if or how Sarah would like the kids' club but it was nice to know it was available. Also, included in our cruise price was the premium drink package, wi-fi for 4 devices, access to all restaurants, butler service. Pretty much everything and more we have been getting while cruising Regent and Silversea. Sure, the ship was larger, but by today's standards this is a mid-size ship and it's probably the largest sized ship we will cruise on. Also, the itinerary, while similar to other cruises we have been on, had some different stops for us, including Sete and Corsica, France and Messina in Sicily.
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Overall, we were very pleased with our cruise. We were met at embarkation by Michaels Club Concierge Joao, who helped make our cruise special throughout the cruise. We lunched in Luminae, the suites only restaurant for lunch, and they made a great impression on our grand-daughter by finding her favorite drink, doing a special spaghetti and meatball, and throughout the cruise helped her feel very special. Our butler, Chip (not his real name, but that's what he wanted us to call him) from Romania, was always available and brought us hot and fresh breakfasts every morning, made sure our suite was up to speed with all our requests, and helped make Sarah's birthday special with door and room decorations and a beautiful cake. The cabin interior was beautiful and were pretty much all the interior areas of the ship. Our balcony needed upkeep, and the exterior spa tub was too rusty to even consider using. On the other hand, the inside jacuzzi tub was so much fun it was hard to get our grand-daughter out of the bath.
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The food was fine. I especially enjoyed many of the seafood entrees and my wife was thrilled that they offered a true and properly cooked veal chop one evening. If there wasn't anything of interest on the Luminae menu, we could always order off the main dining room menu as well. Offerings at the buffet (which we mostly used at lunch when we were on the ship) was varied but we often gravitated to the grill, pizza station and Asian area. Overall, we felt the food was comparable to our most recent Regent experiences, and that was very flattering to Celebrity.
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My wife had a small medical incident on the ship and she was seen promptly by the ship's doctor who was able to do a test to determine it was not more serious (although they recommended we see someone off the ship, it wasn't necessary) and the bill, we thought, was reasonable for seeing a ship's doctor (and we will get reimbursement from insurance). The shops on the ship had good merchandise and was priced well, but they had to charge VAT since all the stops were in the EU. Still, we were able to get a good price on a nice watch, and with the VAT refund, felt we got a very fair deal.
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Sarah loved the kid's club and towards the end of the cruise would rather spend the day there than get off the ship with us!! Kudos to the staff and well done!!
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This was a pretty international cruise with I'd say less than 50% Americans or Canadians, less than we would expect. For the most part, I'd say everyone was polite, with very few chair hogs on our sea days (well, at least not early risers). Our grand-daughter loved the pool area and thoroughly enjoyed herself. Because she was 6 we couldn't use the indoor pool area but it looked clean and well maintained.
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Susan said her spa experience was very good. We disembarked in Rome (Civi) and Joao even escorted us off the ship! Our grand-daughter says if she can't live in Tucson she wants to live on the ship!!
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I'm sure the Infinity will be even better after it's upcoming dry-dock, but for now, we would highly recommend it if you want a more affordable cruise with an excellent cruise line.-
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53 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:
This resident of a Royal went all out decorating their door.
Jim, have you met these folk? That’s the cabin we have in a few weeks. Wondering if any different from yours?
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Thanks for posting the pics. Everything working ok?
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Jim_lain, we are in a Royal Suite near yours in a few weeks. Can you post some pics of your suite and let us know if the suite is in good shape? Will be following your posts!
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Thanks, everyone! I also found the Deck 10 review and decided to err on the side of caution and stick with our original aft-ish Deck 6 suite. The Explorer sounds wonderful and we're looking forward to trying her. We're Seabourn types but looking to branch out..... thanks again.
Which March cruise. We are on eastern leaving March 11. We are on deck 8. Don't anticipate any noise issues.
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Davor is current GM on Navigator and will be on the ship when we board next Thursday. I'll try to ask him if he has any upcoming officer info.
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Thanks for posting the wine list. It will be interesting to see what is new/old when you go on your two cruises later this year.
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On our last cruise we finally got the nerve to ask our butler to pack for us the night before disembarkation. He brought in a couple of his butler pals and I swear we were all packed and ready to go in 15 minutes. Wow. Never did ask them to unpack for us. There is something wonderful about checking out your cabin for the first time, luggage arriving, putting everything away while your butler and cabin attendants all come in to say hi, and then go off exploring the ship (even if you remember the ship, it's always like the first time). But if we are heading home the day the cruise ends, then we will always get the packing service again! What a treat.
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All the other recommendations are spot on (even some of the more humorous ones).
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Someone else mentioned the shoe cleaning and shoe shine service and last minute pressing. We do these quite often, and miss it when we get home. The comment about the snacks (cracked crab, popcorn etc.) was also one we finally started using a couple cruises back. It's strange how a craving for lays potato chips on the far side of the world can be satisfied by a gentleman from India in a tuxedo.
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Jeff
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Pamela1 - an upsell is when your travel agent contacts you before the cruise to let you know you can get a better suite for X$ (or in your case pounds). We have enjoyed upsells on a few of our cruises, moving from a G, for instance, to a PH for what had previously been the cost difference to a D. We once snagged an upsell to a Horizon Suite on the Mariner. Now that was something!! If you are possibly interested in something like this you should advise your TA now, and he/she can advise his/her Regent contacts in Ft. Lauderdale keep them in the loop.
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We have heard (through hearsay only) that certain TA's (including ours) get a lot of these offers because of their longstanding relationship with Regent and (probably) the number of their clients that accept the upsells. If you do get an offer you do need to act fast, and familiarity with the ship helps (this is also where an experienced TA can be useful).
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As for the guarantee question, we have never had an H guarantee, but we have had G guarantees a couple of times and the best cabin we got was a D, and the other time just to an F. In both cases we were offered upsells. We held off on the one for the D and we were then offered an even better upsell. We've also been offered free cancellation and the offer of better cruises for the same money on oversold cruises. We haven't been able to take advantage of any of those offers since we both still work and have to schedule our vacations in advance. But I have read of some folks that did and it really paid off.
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So far the next 2 cruises we have booked look pretty wide open and we have saved to go ahead and get the upsold cabins in advance - so the only upsells we might get offered are to master suites or above. Fat chance - those are always the first to sell out! We do get to try our first Navigator Suite (1125 per Travelcat's recommendation) this fall and hope that is a real treat.
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I think we will hold off on the Explorer until 2017, get the bugs out and read the first reviews, but we love the size of the mid-level cabins and balconies, at least from what we have seen so far.
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Jeff
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Thanks everyone for the responses. Jeff
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Thanks for your quick reply! Our T/A indicates the suite is 385 sf plus the balcony, or about 60sf smaller than the other Navigator Suites, but with a larger balcony and distinct location. So the information on the website is clearly incorrect. Would still love to see pics if you can find them - we will keep the suite for now. Jeff
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Travelcat - we are in 1125 for a Caribbean cruise later this year, and selected it based a lot on your reviews. In looking at the website Regent indicates the size of the cabin as 358 sf "including" the 56 sf balcony; that would make the cabin essentially the same size as most of the regular and penthouse cabins on the ship and 140 sf smaller than other Navigator cabins. Is that a mis-print? I can see where the cabin would be 358 plus the balcony, but if the cabin is really only 302 we may switch back to one of the possibly noisier ones under the pool.
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Also, in one of your earlier reviews you said you had pics of the cabin but did not know (at the time) how to upload them. Do you still have pics? Would love to see them. Thanks, Jeff
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Fantastic post and pics! We have booked Navigator Suite 930 for 2015 and it was great to see all the wonderful pictures. All our thanks!
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There are other cruise lines that are certainly more inclusive - virtually all drinks, alcoholic or not, specialty restaurants, tips, even shore excursions (Regent). Others offer some or a few of these (Silversea, Crystal, Seabourn, Oceania etc.) but they offer a totally different cruise experience than Celebrity. The largest of these more inclusive ships carries only about 1200 passengers, and many of them carry less than 500. Of course, the prices can be much higher than Celebrity, especially for a standard balcony cabin. Once you are booking a Jr. Suite or above on Celebrity, and throw in drink packages, tip packages, some shore excursions and using one or more specialty restaurants every few days then the prices are very competitive. Also, many travel agents are able to negotiate better deals on the more inclusive lines, something that is usually not possible any more on Celebrity - that makes the pricing sometimes better than Celebrity, especially if you do like a couple of cocktails before dinner, wine with your meals and good service without having to worry about the tips. Years ago on an otherwise affordable Transatlantic Crossing on Celebrity our bill when we got off the ship was around $1500 - and I'm telling you that my wife and I are not party animals. That's when we started trying out some of the other cruise lines mentioned above. Still, if you want the variety and entertainment that Celebrity offers, along with, how should I say it, a more gracious experience from most of the other mass market cruise lines, than just pay attention to your on board account on your TV, and if you are not sure there is an additional cost, always ask. Good cruising! Jeff
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We have had similar experiences with another luxury cruise line. As we all know, with a guarantee you pays your money and you takes your chances. And, usually it works out pretty good. We have taken upgrades to a substantially better cabin at the last minute for a real discount compared to what others paid - but if the upgrade offer wasn't good enough we just passed. We will usually go Mr. Luxury's route and be sure of the cabin, but if we are interested in a particular cruise/itinerary where the cabin selection is not available but a G is, then we will go that route. Jeff
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Unless you were hoping for an "upsell" offer (D to Penthouse for some additional $$) then I would take the offer. You may want your TA to check with Regent on the available F cabins being offered in case there are possible issues (but my best recollection on Mariner is there shouldn't be). Jeff
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We stayed at the Hilton prior to a recent cruise (used points) and would not stay there again. Location is distant from most interesting things about Venice - they did have a free shuttle but really, why? The view was great (had Canal view) but otherwise not recommended.
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Years ago we had a reservation at the Accademia and had to cancel and had a difficult time getting our refund since (at that time) they didn't take credit card deposits. It continues to get great reviews, so too bad they are full up. And guessing they now take plastic.
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Read Trip Advisor and pay particular attention to two critical issues for Venice from June to September - Air Conditioning and Noise.
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Otherwise - have a great time! Jeff
Celebrity Silhouette Holiday Cruise Review
in Celebrity Cruises
Posted
Good question. As mentioned above, except for the really good service, I wouldn't eat at Luminae regularly for the food.