Silhouette Maiden Caribbean Voyage 11/06 to 11/18

[mcrcruiser]

Interesting comment re: the sommelier. I have sailed both Eclipse and Summit with the premium packages, and both times found the sommeliers to be very attentive. They seemed to have several bottles open which would complement the meals of the evening, and would cheerfully move around the room, refilling glasses as needed. DH, who is not really a wine drinker, also had no problem getting a cocktail in the DR. I hope the OP said something about this to the maitre d', because it's really not acceptable. I have always felt that the crew on Celebrity was trained to be very welcoming to the beverage packages, as it has to be a money maker for them, even with heavy drinkers.

 

We agree that the OP should have brought the lack of attention for their drinks to the Maitre'ds attention :rolleyes:. By not doing this is it then not their fault ?

[Ocean Dancer]

On this sailing the mentioning of Cruise Crittic to Guest Relations was met with glazed eyes as if they never heard of us. Many missed the CC events as no invites were sent out, only phone messages that you must respond to. That is one reason why I suggested a message board for us, about 200, to communicate, but was denied.

 

We Did NOT receive any special treatment, but WE are a voice in mass. Many of the crew are working with different crewmates and they still need time to gel together. I'm positive that with time all these little quirks will work out as she is a new ship. One meal did not ruin our cruise experience, it was the people, the actual get together, not the food that we enjoyed. We did buy an open passage.

 

Too all those that sailed with us, we hope you had a safe trip home, and to everyone, a Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!:)

 

Vicki & Jerry (not Larry)

[cruzeluver]

Strange. The only invite we ever got on any sailing was for the Connections Party. If our roll call had other events that we planned, it was up to us to make sure veryone was aware of the when and where. Never had a CC luncheon either. Am I just picking the wrong sailings?

[Ocean Dancer]

Strange. The only invite we ever got on any sailing was for the Connections Party. If our roll call had other events that we planned, it was up to us to make sure veryone was aware of the when and where. Never had a CC luncheon either. Am I just picking the wrong sailings?

 

Three Celebrity saiings, and all had a luncheon, the Mercury being the best, equal to a paid dining experience making each cruise critic member feeling very special. I guess we just got spoiled!!!!!!!:eek:

 

Yes, we brought the Sommiliar problem to the MD. He was very young and too busy talking to worry about us. This was put on our comment card.

[cruzeluver]

Three Celebrity saiings, and all had a luncheon

 

Wow. Never had one. And this is the first time I have heard of such a thing being offered to anyone, and you've had three?????

[FrankinPA]

Is the Connections Party (sometimes called a meet and greet) for Cruise Critic members only or can anyone sign up and attend?

[Ocean Dancer]

Is the Connections Party (sometimes called a meet and greet) for Cruise Critic members only or can anyone sign up and attend?

 

Not quite sure, but in order to get to the link I think you must be a member, if you are sailing with non members, have them sign up/ and or bring them, the more the merrier!! In my opinion, it is a perfect party to place faces with screen names of people whom you've communicated with pryor to your cruise. Some folks will surprise you, and you WILL make new friends!!

[vacation luvver]

I was on this cruise, too, although I did not join the Roll Call. A few years ago, I joined the Roll Call for a cruise, but I overslept and missed the get-together. I felt absolutely awful about it, because there was no way I could get in touch with the other members of CC on the ship. After the cruise, I read the Roll Call, and I saw how people were talking about HOW RUDE the people were who did not show up for the CC get-together. That's when I decided never to join another Roll Call.

 

To get back to this cruise, I wholeheartedly agree that the chairs in the MDR were just awful. And there was hardly enough space in our cabin for my friend and I to store our stuff. As previously said, there weren't any shelves in the closet. A hostess said that it was because the bathrooms were designed by a woman, and the bedrooms were designed by a man. Then she laughed and laughed.

 

We had breakfast in the MDR on the first and second days. The service on both days was atrocious. The first day, we saw with a married couple. The married woman asked for V-8 juice, and she was told that they were all out of it. On the first morning? She asked for decaf tea and was given what she was told was decaf tea. A waitress was about to pour coffee into my cup (without asking me if I wanted coffee), and when my friend and I said that we wanted decaf, she actually made an ugly face. A while later, another waitress came over and brightly announced "Coffee!" We said that we wanted decaf. She said, "This is decaf," and filled our cups. I said that I wasn't sure if it was really decaf. If it were decaf, why did she announce "Coffee!"? Why didn't she ask, "Who wants decaf?" I asked the married woman to check the tag on her teabag. I asked her what it said. She said that it said "Tea." So it wasn't decaf tea. I said that if she didn't get decaf tea, then we probably didn't get decaf coffee. But when she asked for a refill, she was given a decaf teabag, so they had decaf teabags, but they couldn't be bothered to give her one before.

 

The four of us wanted egg dished, and the waiter tried to discourage us, saying that they would take a while. We said that we would wait.

 

The second morning, when we asked for croissants, we were told by the waitress that they were all out of them. We said that we really wanted them, and magically, they appeared.

 

After that, we ate breakfast at the buffet, except for the morning that they had a brunch in the MDR, and the last morning of the cruise. IMHO the brunch did not go over very well. There were too many lines of people forming here and there running all over the place, and it was impossible to see all of the food, and the lines of people kept running into each other, and everyone thought that his line had right of way. A waiter came over with a tray of drinks and asked us if we wanted one, saying that it would cost six dollars. We didn't want one, but I told my friend that I appreciated his saying upfront that there was a charge for the drinks. But I was talking to a woman afterwards, and she said that a waiter approached her and her husband and asked them if they wanted a drink, and they did, and after they took the drinks, thinking that they were included, the waiter asked for their keycards. They felt pressured into paying for their drinks, as opposed to saying that they didn't want them after all and handing them back.

 

The service in the MDR at dinnertime was perfect (for us), and we loved the food.

 

A lot of entertainment that was supposed to take place never did. There was supposed to be a piano player the first afternoon at sea, but he never showed up. I asked at Guest Relations. The guy I spoke to had absolutely no idea why the pianist never showed up, so he made a phone call and found out that the painist had gotten off the ship. I guess no one told the person who prepared the daily bulletin. A number of times, I tried to see the four-man a cappella group and the three young women who played stringed instruments, and they didn't show up. And no entertainment was offered in its place.

 

When I got to my cabin, my shore excursion tickets weren't there. On every single cruise that I've ever gone on, my shore excursion tickets were in my cabin. So I had to go to the Shore Excursion desk and wait on line and tell a guy (David Campbell) that my tickets weren't in my cabin. He insisted that they were, even though I assured him that they were not. He insisted that on every cruise, people tell him that their tickets aren't there, and he prints up duplicates, and then they ALWAYS come back and admit to him that the tickets were in their cabin. I said that maybe my cabin steward accidentally put them in another cabin. He was positive that my cabin steward had done no such thing. He wanted me to come back in a couple of days. I said that I didn't want to, because I was already being inconvenienced this time, even though I hadn't done anything wrong, and I didn't see why I should be inconvenienced a second time.

 

I wanted him to print up duplicates, but he said that there would be a problem if there were two sets of my tickets running around. I said that the only way there would be two sets of my tickets running around would be if my cabin steward put my tickets in someone else's cabin. Then David said that he would call my cabin steward and ask him if he had put my tickets in my cabin. So he called my cabin steward and asked him, and I waited for my cabin steward to call him back. My cabin steward eventually called back, and David told me that he told him that he was never given my tickets in the first place. So David printed up duplicates for me.

 

When I got back to my cabin, my friend, who had been in the cabin all that time, told me that the cabin steward had just stopped by with my shore excursion tickets. So what does that mean? Does it mean that when David asked him about the tickets, instead of saying, "I screwed up. I never put them in her cabin," he decided to pretend that he had never been given the tickets in the first place? Does that mean that he lied?

[CaroleV]

Ocean Dancer, what did you think of that dance floor in the middle of the lobby? I agree 1000% about the lack of seating in the foyer. It was a shame more people could not watch the action in comfort with a drink in hand. For a really beautiful ship, that & the lack of a warm indoor pool are a deal breaker for me unless its NY sailing.

[Ma Bell]

It has been a while since they sent individually printed invitations to events and even Elite Captain's Club events are listed on one sheet of paper that is given to everyone at the beginning of the cruise.

 

As I said before, with the exception of the Connections party, other events organized for Cruise Critic groups are by request and not necessarily always done. It is a kindness that is sometimes done, but certainly not required. I think the sense of power and entitlement assumed by some Cruise Critic roll call groups is almost embarrassing.

 

Most roll calls organize some events on their own, such as cabin crawls, slot pulls, party games, etc. It's up to the group to notify each other of times and places, but occasionally a staff member will help. I think problems arise when a group gets a little too impressed with themselves and " expects" special treatment.

[Ocean Dancer]

Ocean Dancer, what did you think of that dance floor in the middle of the lobby? I agree 1000% about the lack of seating in the foyer. It was a shame more people could not watch the action in comfort with a drink in hand. For a really beautiful ship, that & the lack of a warm indoor pool are a deal breaker for me unless its NY sailing.

 

The dance floor was MUCH TOO SMALL for all who wanted to dance. We did enjoy Sipra and made the best of it. There should be more seating in that area and I also agree about the lack of heat in the solarium pool. That one did not make sense!!!!!!!!!!!

 

The Sky Lounge was also way over crowded for events held there like Dancing with the Stripes...........standing room only as we had late dinner and could not get there any earlier.

[jerseygirl3]

30+ cruises I have never attended a Cruise Critic luncheon.

 

We were onboard RCI Liberty of the Seas Transatlantic from Barcelona to Ft. Lauderdale 10/29-11/12 and we had a huge Meet and Mingle (I think 400+ signed up and I would say at least 300 attended. They said it was the largest M & M). Anyway, I was shocked that they actually served alcohol! Most only serve danish, cookies, coffee and tea. Pleasantly surprised what was offered!

 

Jo-Ann

[jambo1998]

No, but you will be walking a lot as she is a big ship.

 

We had a balcony cabin 7275. The cabin size was what you would expect. The high light for my DH was to partially open the curtains to watch the sun rise, or set, he took some amazing pics.

 

We were in 7299 and had the same views, sun was much better on our side dont you think?

[Gracie115]

As I said before, with the exception of the Connections party, other events organized for Cruise Critic groups are by request and not necessarily always done. It is a kindness that is sometimes done, but certainly not required. I think the sense of power and entitlement assumed by some Cruise Critic roll call groups is almost embarrassing. I think problems arise when a group gets a little too impressed with themselves and " expects" special treatment.

 

 

Couldn't agree with you more.... The cruise I am currently booked on has someone who has spoken with Celebrity about setting up a luncheon, something I've never done before on our many X cruises, but she apparently knows someone at X that can help with this. But even having siad that she still said it's an optional thing and "maybe" they will be able to do it. Anyway, IF they do, then I agree it will be very nice of them and if I don't like what they serve I'm not going to get upset(after all it isn't like there isn't a TON of food around the ship if you go away hungry!!)

 

X doesn't have to acknowledge CC in anyway, to act as though you are entitled to something for nothing is inappropriate.

 

Lastly, I don't know what ship some of the posters here were on, as I said the Silhouette sailing I was on in mid-Sept. was just about as perfect as it gets. I wasn't the only one who felt that way so unless they completely changed crews in the last 6 weeks something just doesn't sound right and I'm sorry they didn't have the wonderful experience we had!!

[Ocean Dancer]

We were in 7299 and had the same views, sun was much better on our side dont you think?

 

We were very happy with the ODD side of the ship and the sun views were awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Anyone see the rainbow ON the water at lunch during day 3 ? Just beautiful!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[jambo1998]

We were very happy with the ODD side of the ship and the sun views were awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Anyone see the rainbow ON the water at lunch during day 3 ? Just beautiful!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

My wife seen it on 14 from smokers corner sky lounge, also saw lightning from deck 7, and storm Sean on the sail down from Bayonne, still got a sun-tan though.

[CaroleV]

Yes, we saw the rainbow. By the time my husband fusted with the camera it as almost gone.

The dance floor & seating was a huge disapointment for us. I felt sorry for the people that really looked foward to dancing all night & got so squished that the couldnt do their moves. The Sky Lounge Dancing with the Officers thing was a pain the get to, crowded & smelled smokey. We had fun anyway but wished it could have been better. Such a beautiful ship but it makes me wonder what the designers were thinking. A better dance venue & warm pool would have made the ship perfect for our particular needs. We worked around it & had a great time.

[Ocean Dancer]

vacation luvver

Cool Cruiser

Join Date: Nov 2006

Posts: 261

 

 

I was on this cruise, too, although I did not join the Roll Call. A few years ago, I joined the Roll Call for a cruise, but I overslept and missed the get-together. I felt absolutely awful about it, because there was no way I could get in touch with the other members of CC on the ship. After the cruise, I read the Roll Call, and I saw how people were talking about HOW RUDE the people were who did not show up for the CC get-together. That's when I decided never to join another Roll Call.

 

Do not feel bad as all events are optional, even the CC ones, It is your cruise and should not be regimented by others. Please join the roll calls in the future, and don't let the comments of others get to you.:):)

[Hapytocruise]

.

 

Most roll calls organize some events on their own, such as cabin crawls, slot pulls, party games, etc. It's up to the group to notify each other of times and places, but occasionally a staff member will help. I think problems arise when a group gets a little too impressed with themselves and " expects" special treatment.

 

AGREE...why would any outside self appointed organized group expect special treatment:confused:

there are other cruise boards..ie cruise addict (I appreciate is does not have the same amount of traffic)..but if it did...would that require Celebrity to put on special programming for them also????

The staff have enough to do to please ALL passengers and Celebrity appointed guest distinctions such as Elite and suite guests without spreading themselves even thinner dealing with "self appointed" special groups.

[New Hampshire]

We are veteran Celebrity cruisers and I'm confused about some of the problems with sommeliers mentioned by some posters on this thread. In my past experiences, we used the services of a sommelier in the MDR when ordering bottles of wine. When ordering wine by the glass, cocktails, or even soda we were served by the dining room bar waiters.

 

People on this thread have complained that while using drink cards they have not received good service by the sommelier. Is it his job to serve people with drink cards or is that the job of the bar waiters?

[Ocean Dancer]

AGREE...why would any outside self appointed organized group expect special treatment:confused:

there are other cruise boards..ie cruise addict (I appreciate is does not have the same amount of traffic)..but if it did...would that require Celebrity to put on special programming for them also????

The staff have enough to do to please ALL passengers and Celebrity appointed guest distinctions such as Elite and suite guests without spreading themselves even thinner dealing with "self appointed" special groups.

 

Hey, we just accepted a luncheon invite, we had nothing to do with the planning of it or the food. This is my thread that I started to relate MY/OUR experiences on this beautiful ship!!! I did not like the food that one meal. Why do you care so much? We had a wonderful time, but I make better meatloaf!!!!!!!!

 

Celebrity gives a meet and greet party to any sailing that 25 or more sign up for. The link is on this site under your sailing date, we had about 200 sign up. I do not make the rules, just follow them.:)

 

Happy Thanksgiving to you!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Ocean Dancer]

We are veteran Celebrity cruisers and I'm confused about some of the problems with sommeliers mentioned by some posters on this thread. In my past experiences, we used the services of a sommelier in the MDR when ordering bottles of wine. When ordering wine by the glass, cocktails, or even soda we were served by the dining room bar waiters.

 

People on this thread have complained that while using drink cards they have not received good service by the sommelier. Is it his job to serve people with drink cards or is that the job of the bar waiters?

 

The Sommelier only does wine, bottles/drink packages, or by the glass. There is a separate bar waiter for mixed drinks, sodas, bottled water etc.

 

He definetly served those who were ordering bottles first.

[sarecca4]

My wife and I are presently on the Silhouette in SAn Juan.. Great ship.. the food in the specialty restaurants has been outstanding.. and the service in the suites has been wonderful..

[LMKohler]

I've been on 12 cruises and will be on Silhouette in March. I have never been invited to a CC luncheon, only the connections party. Any other events were planned and carried out by our roll call group, not the ship.

 

Lots of interesting comments -- this will be our first S-Class ship and we are looking forward to it.

 

Lucy

[Ocean Dancer]

My wife and I are presently on the Silhouette in SAn Juan.. Great ship.. the food in the specialty restaurants has been outstanding.. and the service in the suites has been wonderful..

 

Have a great cruise, please tell Santos, the bar waiter on deck 3 lobby that the dancing Malibu and diet coke couple said a BIG HELLO!!!! And if you could find Bernard at table 350, please tell him we miss his singing!!

 

Vicki & Jerry