Home from the Silhouette New Year's cruise!

[ohhbother]

Hi everyone!

 

My husband and I (44 and 40) are back home after a truly remarkable Western Caribbean cruise on the Silhouette. We've found a new favorite ship! We've also sailed on the Solstice and Eclipse but found the service on the Silhouette to be a cut above.

 

Highlights:

As I said, the service was top notch. Our room steward, Martin, was the best we've seen in more than a dozen cruises, and we adored our waiters, Faruk and Burak (we requested the same pair each night in Select dining).

 

The food was outstanding! On our two previous Celebrity cruises, we've sailed Aqua Class. Since this was a fairly last-minute booking, we ended up in a regular verandah (#8282). That meant we had our first dining experience in the MDR. Wow -- I thought the food was terrific. I told my husband last night that the food was closer to what you'd find in a restaurant rather than a banquet hall -- which has been our experience in the MDR on other cruise lines. We enjoyed the desserts in the MDR much more than those in Blu.

 

We went to Qsine the first night (our second visit, having also tried it on the Eclipse), and we enjoyed the meal. However, we both agree we've "been there and done that" now and don't plan to return. We had a reservation at Murano but canceled it because the MDR was so good!

 

We also had the premium beverage package, and we put that to good use! We knew from past experience that we'd be regulars in the martini bar, and we spent quality time there every night. So much fun... Only disappointment was the martini bar ran out of pear vodka on Day Two or Three and could no longer make the "signature" 20-year martini. So we improvised and ordered that drink at the molecular bar, which seemed to be well stocked in pear vodka.

 

For the most part, we stayed on the ship on port days. We walked the 3.5 miles to town in Cozumel (primarily for the exercise), but we stayed on the ship for Grand Cayman and Falmouth. We both have high-pressure jobs that require travel, so we really just wanted to spend quiet time together. This was, however, our first visit to Labadee, and we loved it! I wasn't sure what to expect, but the island is stunning. Such natural beauty with the mountains -- reminded me a bit of Tortola.

 

We didn't participate in many activities on board -- as I said, this cruise for us was about "together time." The one BIG exception was the New Year's Eve party. Wow -- I've never seen such a high-energy crowd on a Celebrity ship. Hundreds of people were packed on deck, the outstanding band played into the wee hours of the morning, champagne flowed freely, and we danced, danced, danced until we could barely move!

 

For the most part, we found our fellow cruisers to be a great bunch. There were several kids on board, but I never saw them misbehaving. The only "incidents" we saw occurred in the buffet at breakfast. I witnessed a child take two large croissants, only to be told no by her mother. The child then used her hands to put them back. Same thing happened later on with a cookie. My husband saw an older woman using her hands to get items from the salad bar. But the weirdest for me was the young man (20s) who carried a bagel in his hand to the butter and fruit toppings at the waffle station. He then used the spoons in the butter and fruit to smear toppings on the bagel he was holding. It was just bizarre and nasty. My husband and I enjoy eating in the buffet, but we quickly resolved to take food items from the back of the trays when possible.

 

All in all, it was a glorious cruise and just what my husband and I needed. We're booked on the Infinity to Antarctica in February 2014, but we're already thinking about squeezing in a Caribbean cruise before then. We're going to Scotland for two weeks in May with Adventures by Disney, so we'll see if we can find time for a cruise!

 

If anyone has any questions, I'll be happy to answer them. Thanks!

[HopefulCruiser123]

Ohhbother, we will be on our first sea day 5 weeks from now. Thanks for getting her warmed up for us! I have been dying to see the Celebrity Today newsletters for Silhouette Western Caribbean route....any chance you saved yours? I am a planner and scheduler and I'd love to be able to see the itinerary. Thanks.

[portofrome]

Thanks for your review.

[Tiki_Man]

Very nice review (we sail on the Western itin in less than 3 weeks). Do you happen to remember the Senior Staff of the ship (Captain, Hotel Director, Cruise Director?) also which party band did they have?

 

Thanks again for the review

 

Tiki

[kelmac]

Thanks for the Review!

 

We too, had a wonderful time! Very international crowd this time and it made for an enjoyable New Year's Cruise. Loved the food, the service and what perfect weather and smooth seas!!:)

 

Kel

[Mapleleaf5]

Thanks for the review! If you kept the Dailies (Celebrity Today) could you please post.

 

Thanks,

Joanne

[ohhbother]

Ohhbother, we will be on our first sea day 5 weeks from now. Thanks for getting her warmed up for us! I have been dying to see the Celebrity Today newsletters for Silhouette Western Caribbean route....any chance you saved yours? I am a planner and scheduler and I'd love to be able to see the itinerary. Thanks.

 

I'm sorry, but I didn't. I always bring them and never do anything with them, so I tossed them this time. So sorry!

[ohhbother]

Very nice review (we sail on the Western itin in less than 3 weeks). Do you happen to remember the Senior Staff of the ship (Captain, Hotel Director, Cruise Director?) also which party band did they have?

 

Thanks again for the review

 

Tiki

 

The cruise director was Stuart. The party band was Sipra (not sure of the spelling). I'm sorry, but I don't know the others.

[PathfinderEss]

Welcome back, thanks for your review.

[kelmac]

Very nice review (we sail on the Western itin in less than 3 weeks). Do you happen to remember the Senior Staff of the ship (Captain, Hotel Director, Cruise Director?) also which party band did they have?

 

Thanks again for the review

 

Tiki

 

Tiki,

 

Captain -- Emmanoul Alevropoulos (nice guy, we had a long chat with him; his wife and >year old was onboard)

 

Hotel Director -- Sue Richardson

 

Chief Engineer -- Konstantinos Bakas

 

Cruise Director -- Stewart Tumbull

 

Staff Captain -- Alexandros Papadopoulos

 

Food & Beverage Manager -- Giorgio Di Pietro

 

Guest Relations Manager -- Simoma Stumberger

 

Executive Chef -- Anthony R Wilson

 

Pool Band -- Sipra

 

a cappella group -- Neptunes

 

Enjoy!

Kel:)

[yknot13]

Did the ship stay on eastern time for the week or were the clocks set back to central time(back 1 hour) for the portion of week for visiting ports.

Thanks

[kelmac]

Did the ship stay on eastern time for the week or were the clocks set back to central time(back 1 hour) for the portion of week for visiting ports.

Thanks

 

Ship time was adjusted to match local time.

 

Enjoy!

Kel:)

[hovank]

I too was on Silhouette for NY Eve...and have been on ships for the last 10 years for New Year's Eve. The deck party on previous years has outshined Silhouette hands down--not even a comparison! The orchestra played (imagine party music to the orchestra) instead of SIPRA which started after midnight...the countdown was a clock, not time square as on other ships, and the staff/cruise director were surely not on deck with the largest party. I was surely disappointed in Silhouette staff and the party celebration. At 1:00 AM the SKY lounge closed. (this was NY Eve!)

 

Don't get me wrong, we had a great time with our group; however, we are all Elite members and most definitely noticed the "lack of" on part of the cruise director and staff.

 

Service onboard was minimal, compared to other Celebrity cruises we have been on.

 

The food was excellent. Qsine was alot of fun, Muranos was outstanding, and the Lawn Grill was mediocre--expensive for what you get.

 

As an Elite member, it appeared as though the Captain's Club Hostess was doing us a favor by being there and most definitely did not assist in accommodating any requests.

 

Overall, I got the impression, along with the other 12 Elite members we were with, that guests were imposing on the Silhouette staff. We were a bother to their cruise.

 

Perhaps it is that we have sailed quite a bit and have many ships to compare this too. Being a new ship I fully expected the best to be onboard. In that sense, a big disappointment. But of course, any day cruising is great.

[Tiki_Man]

Tiki,

 

Captain -- Emmanoul Alevropoulos (nice guy, we had a long chat with him; his wife and >year old was onboard)

 

Hotel Director -- Sue Richardson

 

Chief Engineer -- Konstantinos Bakas

 

Cruise Director -- Stewart Tumbull

 

Staff Captain -- Alexandros Papadopoulos

 

Food & Beverage Manager -- Giorgio Di Pietro

 

Guest Relations Manager -- Simoma Stumberger

 

Executive Chef -- Anthony R Wilson

 

Pool Band -- Sipra

 

a cappella group -- Neptunes

 

Enjoy!

Kel:)

 

Kel, thanks for the update. Did any of them happen to say if they were taking leave soon? We sail on the 27th, have meet Sue Richardson a couple of times, she is so pleasant to chat with, hoping she is still on board in a couple weeks.

 

Tiki

[YMMBug]

We are sailing this Sunday Jan 15th on this ship. We are going to Labadee - I haven't been there in years so I just wondered if the drink package from the ship works on Labadee just like on the ship?

[hovank]

Drink card does work in Labadee. Labadee has sure changed in several years.

When we drove to the ship I carried a suitcase of clothing and gave it to the people in Labadee (the band) and some of the people in the market. They were SO appreciative! It was put to good use.

[Arubalisa]

hovank, our family sailed on the Silhouette the 23rd as well as the 30th. My father is elite and he wholeheartedly agrees with your sentiment regarding "lack of". The Captain's Club Hostess was really only good at leaving phone message "reminders".

[Lois R]

Sounds like the original poster and hovank were on 2 different sailings.

The original poster had a wonderful time and hovank not so much.

This seems to happen on every cruise.

 

I am trying to understand one thing though......the OP said

there was a big deck party on New Years Eve and sounded like it was

alot of fun....:D a New Year's party till "the wee hours"

 

Hovank said New Year's Eve was lacking in a party atmosphere....:eek:

 

Strange.....that is why it sounds like (or that is how I am reading it)

that they were on 2 different sailings.