Silhouette Western Carribean Observations

[winstoda]

Just returned from a 7 day Western Carribean and wanted to post some of my observations of the ship, the voyage and my fellow cruisers. This isn't really a review. A cruise is what you make of it. So I won't be quantifying things as my opinions are probably different from others and it isn't my intention to squabble over different opinions. Feel free to reply and ask any questions you may have. If you're so inclined, feel free to flame me if you must... But I'm relatively flame retardant.

 

Observations on the Ship Itself

 

This was our first trip on an S-class ship. We have previously sailed M-class ships as well as the Century on X (we've also sailed Princess and RCCL). My first thoughts upon boarding Silhouette and getting familiar with her was that she felt small. Maybe it's because she has only 2 sets of stairs and elevators compared to the three on M-class ships. Walking from full forward to aft was very quick and easy.

 

We experienced no issues with the elevators. Waits were reasonable.

We felt that decks 4 and 5 flowed very well but hated how the atrium was utilized. Several nights there was a DJ set up there blasting music that could be heard all over the ship and yet was getting no attention from anyone that we could see. Deck 3 seemed to mostly be a wasted space as the only thing there of note was guest relations.

 

The casino flowed well and was busy every night. The night club on deck 4 (Quasar) was always empty. It's a waste of space when you consider the median age of the cruisers.

 

The shops were adequate - just what you would expect. Logo shop and liquor shop are on deck 4. Higher end watches and clothing are found on deck 5. If you're looking for quality time pieces, Omega is the best you'll find on board but you'll do better on prices elsewhere. They're asking list although they do discount 15% off list one night (you can do better than this in the states).

 

I've always been underwhelmed by the pool decks on X ships and the Silhouette is no different. Two very small and no-frill pools outside on the pool deck. The solarium seemed smaller to me than on the M-class ships. There's a fountain that takes up quite a bit of real estate along with a small pool and 2 hot tubs. I was happy to find that seating near the pool was no challenge and chair hogs didn't seem to be much of a problem.

 

Cabin

 

We were in a Concierge Class cabin with one of the mega-balconies. It's definitely worth your while to seek out one of the cabins with a huge balcony. It was fabulous. At least 4 times the size of a standard balcony. We spent many hours outside enjoying it. The only complaints I had about the balcony were the fact that there was no light and the fact that the railing needed to be painted.

 

The cabin itself was comfortable but felt smaller than the equivalent on an M-class ship. Storage was very much reduced. Bed was great. Bathroom was well appointed with plenty of storage space. Beautiful bowl sink with very nice tile backsplash. Shower was great. Very large with a door. Our stateroom attendant was always available and did a fine job. We really loved the cabin overall. To us it's the best feature of the S-class ships.

 

Service Around the Ship

 

This is a big area where we felt things fell short. I need to be clear that we had no issues with the stateroom attendants- this applies to other areas specifically the coffee bar, bar in the buffet, and guest relations staff. We experienced multiple times over the course of the cruise times when we were ignored in the coffee bar. We're still not quite sure just who we offended to cause this.

 

My biggest gripe was with guest relations. We experienced what we considered to be a significant issue in Labadee. The guest relations staff was not very interested in assisting us to resolve the matter. We did eventually get some resolution but only after we continued to push the issue as guest relations did not escalate the issue to a manager on their own.

 

Food

 

I realize opinions run the spectrum when it comes to food on the ship. To us it was a let down. The buffet was the biggest disappointment. I will agree the flow works better than the M-class equivalent but I felt that the options were more limited than what I remember from last year on the Millenium. And the quality just wasn't up to par. Is anyone really happy with that pizza by the way? We found it inedible some days. Much worse than Princess and you'd do better with the frozen variety on land...

 

The pool grill is usually my destination for an afternoon snack. But I found over-charred pre-prepared burgers. And aside from burgers, hot dogs and fries nothing else was available.

 

The main dining room was fine. I thought the food quality was fine. But the menus were too often unappealing. We had select dining and had no issues with service or being seated promptly. The Select hostess who manned the podium and assigned tables was great - one of our favorite people on the ship.

 

Tuscan Grille was awesome. Great service and great food. While I still think the cover charge is too steep ($30 a head) it's more reasonable than the $40 at the other specialties.

 

We ate at the Bistro on Five for dinner one evening. Overall it was very nice and worth the cover charge. The soup of the day was clam chowder which was bizarrely watery. It was like a broth. That was strange but the meal was still good.

 

We used room service or breakfast and a few times for lunch or a late night snack. It was always good and arrived quickly. I learned the only place to get a decent burger is room service. But the pizza is even worse than the buffet. It was clearly not baked but instead microwaved. Not so good.

 

We attended the brunch on the last sea day. It was a minor upgrade from the buffet fare but very similar. The draw is the nicer setting I suppose.

 

Ports of Call

 

Cozumel was nice as usual. Tendering in Grand Cayman went relatively smoothly. Tickets were required for quite some time. We went ashore around noon and had ticket number 34. Tendering back to the ship later in the day was easy. Free internet at the ice cream shop by the tenders. Falmouth is what it is. We didn't leave the gated area. The picnic table in front of Diamonds International is in range of free wifi.

 

We rented an over the water cabana at Labadee. I knew in advance the only cabana I didn't want was number 1. OV1 is the cabana facing the beach instead of the water. The cabanas are pre-assigned aboard the Silhouette. When I saw our assignment I went to speak to guest relations who sent me to the concierge. The concierge insisted that we would be accommodated once we arrived on Labadee. I should have known better. We were among the first to disembark on the Labadee morning hoping an early arrival might help. It didn't. No one was interested in even listening to our situation. So OV1 was our home for the day. This cabana should not be sold as an ocean view. It is not worth the price. Many reasons for this. First of all, no sun. You only get sun until about noon. Secondly, instead of the wonderful views that every other cabana enjoys, this one overlooks the beach. So instead of enjoying the amazing views of the ship or crystal blue green waters, you're watching your fellow cruisers lumbering in and out of the water. Third, there is absolutely no privacy. People use the steps of this cabana to get in and out of the water. People take the floating mats right off the cabana for their own use. We even found people lounging in the cabana while we were swimming. The cabana staff did nothing to prevent any of this.

 

Everyone in the other over water cabanas appeared to have a wonderful day. They enjoyed their views and relative privacy. They didn't deal with these issues. And they paid the same fee we did. Labadee is a beautiful place. The prettiest private island I've ever experienced. But as long as the possibility of receiving this cabana exists we wouldn't risk renting one again.

 

Nellie's Beach in general is a lovely area. The water is perfect. The lunch buffet at Barefoot Beach looked very nice but the flies were out of control to the point that our appetites weren't very big.

 

Embarkation and Debarkation

 

The terminal in Port Everglades is as bad as people describe. It's not that too terrible upon boarding but after the cruise it's a nightmare. 4 immigration officers. Crazy long lines. Insane taxi line as well.

 

Fellow Cruisers

 

The median age on this cruise was probably about 62. We're in our mid-thirties. I often see questions about nightlife on Celebrity sailings. I can report that things were very quiet after 11. More than once I heard people asking where everyone was. The nightclub was empty as were the deck parties.

 

Final Thoughts

 

This wasn't our first Celebrity cruise. This cruise qualified us for Select status. We were very excited to try an S-class ship. Overall we had a great time but often it was in spite of the cruise, not because of it. Service levels and food quality were a disappointment. Prior to this cruise we had booked another cruise on the Silhouette for next February. Based on our experience we're reevaluating that decision. Bottom line is while the cruise was far from perfect in our books it was still a nice vacation.

[d4m]

Thanks for your thoughts.

 

Could you tell me what your room number was? Sometimes the charts confuse me:D

[wendy_woo]

Thank you for the report, we go this coming Sunday on the same itinary, this is our second Celebrity cruise, we were on Summit last year and loved it - we hope we will not be disappointed, as you said we all have differing views and as my DH and I are closer to the Median age (!!) we will probably feel right at home!!

[golffore2001]

We were also on this sailing of the Silhouette and find your review about spot on. This was our 16th cruise (various lines). Our embarkation was probably the easiest we have had. we arrived at 11:15 and were eating by 11:40. We did the walk-off debarkation since we had a 10:15 flight. A long line, but went fairly smoothly and we were at the airport by 8:30, but I can see how this could get backed-up when the bulk of passengers get off. As you noted, chairs plentiful around pool. I thought the entertainment to be just OK. Couple of the shows were good. I think we have been on so many cruises that the staff shows are getting repetitive. We did 8:30 seating on dining and food was fine, but did miss not having escargot available. We always get the Soda package and the waiter/asst waiter always brought drinks. This time had to wait for bar staff to come around and not good about getting a refill. I agree the Tuscan was great. The lobster linguine might have been one of the best dishes I have ever had. We had an inside on deck 11 (1528) and found the room spacous and had enough storage. The room was next to the staff stairwell and had a musty smell, but otherwise OK. They did try to rectify, but little success. We loved Paradise beach in Cozumel and would go back in a heartbeat. Overall, a great time and the weather was very good for this time of year. We did put the $100 down for another cruise. we know we will use it sometime.

[portofrome]

Thanks for your review.

[gelo7]

Thanks to all for sharing your thoughts.

[mafig]

What's the charge for the OV cabana at Labadee?

[Tagong]

Hi folks just off same cruise and while on the surface it would make sense for me to post my review in this thread I will be starting my own. Reason being that in addition to general observations for all I will include tips for those travelling with a baby which I think warrants it own thread as it makes it easy to identify for those thinking about or about to sail with a little one. Overall we were very pleased. See you in the other thread hopefully I can get to it tonight.

[INeedaVacationNow]

We were also on this sailing of the Silhouette and find your review about spot on. This was our 16th cruise (various lines). Our embarkation was probably the easiest we have had. we arrived at 11:15 and were eating by 11:40. We did the walk-off debarkation since we had a 10:15 flight. A long line, but went fairly smoothly and we were at the airport by 8:30, but I can see how this could get backed-up when the bulk of passengers get off. As you noted, chairs plentiful around pool. I thought the entertainment to be just OK. Couple of the shows were good. I think we have been on so many cruises that the staff shows are getting repetitive. We did 8:30 seating on dining and food was fine, but did miss not having escargot available. We always get the Soda package and the waiter/asst waiter always brought drinks. This time had to wait for bar staff to come around and not good about getting a refill. I agree the Tuscan was great. The lobster linguine might have been one of the best dishes I have ever had. We had an inside on deck 11 (1528) and found the room spacous and had enough storage. The room was next to the staff stairwell and had a musty smell, but otherwise OK. They did try to rectify, but little success. We loved Paradise beach in Cozumel and would go back in a heartbeat. Overall, a great time and the weather was very good for this time of year. We did put the $100 down for another cruise. we know we will use it sometime.

 

I will be on the March 3rd sailing and I also have a 10:15 am flight home on debarkation day. I have been very worried about this after reading other posts, so I was glad to hear you did not have a problem. I planned on doing the walk off which I have done before. Anything else I need to know about getting off as early as possible? I have elite status and am in a Concierge room, if that helps me at all??

[Jokare]

Thank-you all for your reviews and opinions. They're all very helpful.

[Benjo8]

Nice low key review but informative. I will consider your comments in taking our Silhouette cruise this Sunday. I was a great fan of the M class ships and some of the Solsticizing (or shall we concede, monetizing) of the M class ships leaves me a bit melancholy. In this case I do not think that the "trend is your friend". But we always find a way to enjoy our week aboard.

[golffore2001]

I will be on the March 3rd sailing and I also have a 10:15 am flight home on debarkation day. I have been very worried about this after reading other posts, so I was glad to hear you did not have a problem. I planned on doing the walk off which I have done before. Anything else I need to know about getting off as early as possible? I have elite status and am in a Concierge room, if that helps me at all??

 

They tell you to meet in grand cuvée at 7:45. I would suggest no later than 7:15 to 7:25 to get to front of line. Just gets you an extra 15 minutes, but even at 7:45 you should be fine. Enjoy the cruise and don't fret over making the flight.

[INeedaVacationNow]

They tell you to meet in grand cuvée at 7:45. I would suggest no later than 7:15 to 7:25 to get to front of line. Just gets you an extra 15 minutes, but even at 7:45 you should be fine. Enjoy the cruise and don't fret over making the flight.

 

Thanks so much for the reassurance! I have been stressing about this. What is the grand cuvee? I never heard of this. I have not been on the Silhoutte before but I was on the Equinox and do not remember a grand cuvee. Will plan on being there by 7:15 am. Thanks again for your helpful info.

[twosit]

I will be on the March 3rd sailing and I also have a 10:15 am flight home on debarkation day. I have been very worried about this after reading other posts, so I was glad to hear you did not have a problem. I planned on doing the walk off which I have done before. Anything else I need to know about getting off as early as possible? I have elite status and am in a Concierge room, if that helps me at all??

As an Elite you will have a special debarkation lounge--ours was where the Elite breakfast was, which was Tuscan Grill. As the other poster said go early. My other advice is be assertive. We had our "breakfast" and sat and waited--then asked a waiter to be sure someone would tell us when we could disembark. I asked my husband to go check with the CC host who was making the rounds in the room. As it turns out the disembarkation had already started. We grabbed our bags and took off. We made it off quickly--but clearly the people in Grand Cuvee had already made their way down.

[librarylady19]

Thanks so much for the reassurance! I have been stressing about this. What is the grand cuvee? I never heard of this. I have not been on the Silhoutte before but I was on the Equinox and do not remember a grand cuvee. Will plan on being there by 7:15 am. Thanks again for your helpful info.

 

Grand Cuvée is the name of the main dining room.

[HopefulCruiser123]

We sat up at the porch until about 9:30. It was a little chilly and very breezy. We finally decided to head down. The great thing about waiting at The Porch is that since it is on deck 15, there is zero lines at the elevator. We made it off the ship to immediately fall into a very long line to baggage claim. It was very chilly and most of us were dressed in our cute little Caribbean clothes, but everybody was cheerful and in good spirits as we inched along in the line. DH is in a wheelchair, so once through the door, I quickly assessed the staging of the luggage (very efficiently done, I thought) and went to gather our suitcases. I heard a porter call behind us "Anybody need a porter?" To which I replied YES!

 

The porter not only loaded our luggage onto the cart, but then to our utter amazement, took us to the very front of the custom lines and then took the trek to the parking garage with us and loaded our luggage into the car!!! We could not believe our good fortune and we generously tipped the porter and then we were on our way.

 

Our advice to anyone would be grab a porter and don't begrudge the tip...it is the best money you will spend your entire cruise.

[SkystheLimit]

Thank you for your review. You answered many questions. Can you provide any more info on Falmouth?

[hurwitz5]

We sailed on the Silhouette on January 27. The private island that was part of our itinerary was Coco Cay in the Bahamas. You have to tender to this island. We would have preferred to dock in Labadee. Does anyone know why some itineraries stop in Labadee, while others stop in Coco Cay? We alo love Paradise Beach. It was improved with the addition of a beautiful pool, and a new bar, new bathrooms and shops.

Meanwhile, we loved the food in the main dining room for dinner. The burgers from the outside grill were delicious. There was always a line, but the crew prepared many burgers and kept the line moving. The hot dogs were also good. I agree about the pizza - the only food I liked better on Princess than Celebrity was the pizza. We enjoyed the food in the buffet - many choices and nicely presented.

[winstoda]

Thanks for your thoughts.

 

Could you tell me what your room number was? Sometimes the charts confuse me:D

 

We were in 1075. Excellent cabin with a huge and wonderful balcony.

[winstoda]

What's the charge for the OV cabana at Labadee?

 

I believe it was $225. Might have been $200.