Long Review: 01/26/14 - Silhouette 7 day Western Caribbean

[K.T.B.]

I’m finally able to sit down and write my review. :)

 

This was our 7th cruise and our 2nd with Celebrity. It was also the 3rd time we've done an itinerary similar to this. So as far as most of the islands were concerned, they held no surprises for us. We left out of Fort Lauderdale stopped off at Cozumel, George Town Grand Cayman, Falmouth Jamaica, and Labadee Haiti.

 

Overall, it was a really good cruise. The ship is gorgeous and is in excellent condition. Our cabin (1674) was very clean and with no obvious “flaws” such as mold in the bathroom. Our room steward was Peter and he was always around making sure things were as we liked it. He was probably the best steward I’ve ever had. The only problem we had with the cabin was the soot that collected on the balcony. We were basically unable to use it for most of the cruise, though Peter tried his best to keep it clean. (More on this a bit later.)

 

I’ll be doing this day by day and this might be a bit long, so bear with me!

 

Day 1 – Leaving Chicago for Fort Lauderdale: We picked the perfect day to leave it seems. We always go in a day early and it paid off this time. Chicago got snow in the early morning hours of Saturday, but it was done by 5:00 am. On Sunday Chicago got snow and hundreds of flights were cancelled. So we dodged a bullet there! We arrived in Fort Lauderdale without a hitch. Since we were only there for an overnight stay, we didn't get the chance to do any sightseeing then. But if people are looking for a decent hotel that’s inexpensive and extremely close to the port, use Holiday Inn Express on SE 17th Street. It’s less than a quarter mile to Eisenhower Blvd, which is the entrance to the port. The hotel also has a shuttle if you'd prefer to not take a taxi.

 

Day 2 – Embarkation Day: Got up early, had breakfast and we were out of the hotel by 10:00 am. We got to the port by 10:20, dropped of the bags and then (im)patiently waited in line. We were on board by about 11:30 or so. NO problems whatsoever. One of these easiest boardings we've ever had.

 

Once aboard, we went off to grab lunch at the buffet before exploring the ship. For such a big ship, she is very easy to get around on. Only once did we get turned around, and that’s when we headed for lunch! :o Anyway, I've read where people have complained about getting around the buffet, but I experienced no problems other than a rude person or two. No, there are no trays, but the plates are plenty big enough that you can pile your food high if you wish! Celebrity definitely has one of the better buffets I've been to as well. If you cannot find something to eat there, then you’re not trying! :p Never had a bad meal there!

 

More to come…. (and pictures later too!)

[poolwife]

So happy to get your recent review of the "Silhouette".

 

We are sailing on the "Silhouette" on March 2. Although, we are doing the Eastern Caribbean itinerary I am still looking forward to your reviews of the ship.

 

Did you eat in any of the specialty restaurants like Murano & Lawn Club Grill?

 

Sounds like you had a great cruise so that is really encouraging for our upcoming one. Thanks.

[TobyKnits]

Looking forward to reading more of your review!

[jannam]

We are on this same cruise on March 23rd. I look forward to reading your review.

[MCKC]

Anxiously awaiting more......

[riclop]

Looking foward to the rest.

[K.T.B.]

Day 2 – Embarkation Day (cont’d): Here's me by the way:

 

 

After lunch we decided to explore the ship. Made our way to the Sunset bar and my wife contemplates her first drink of the cruise:

 

 

Sunset bar:

 

 

The Alcoves:

 

 

Lawn Club Grill:

 

[K.T.B.]

More pictures from around the ship:

 

MDR and the impressive wine storage:

 

 

Martini Bar:

 

 

Cellar Masters:

 

 

Molecular Bar:

 

 

Michael's Club:

 

[K.T.B.]

Not the best picture of Tuscan Grill:

 

 

Our cabin, 1674:

 

 

Our view from our balcony prior to leaving Fort Lauderdale:

 

 

Sail away party! Met some great people from Cruise Critic here! But the officers are sure getting into the swing of things:

 

 

Our CD, Patti:

 

[K.T.B.]

After the sail away get together with CC members, my wife and I headed back to our cabin to get ready for dinner and to relax a bit.

 

Dinner was great and we had an excellent waiter by the name of Luis. Unfortunately his assistant was not the most attentive and there was some noticeable tension, However, Luis was a professional and his service never lacked. There were a few hiccups along the way during the cruise by his assistant though, especially the first night.

 

Our tablemates (we had a table for 6) were all travelling together and were from Connecticut. Throughout the cruise we worked our way around the table sat in a new seat each night. :) This way we all got a different view each night.

 

After dinner we decided to pass on the show as it was featuring Elton John tunes. (Neither of us are fans). We actually did not get to any of the shows during the cruise for a variety of reasons. Mainly lack of interest or being tired from the day's activities. We regret not getting to see the Sin City show though. We heard great things about it.

 

And this was one of the last views of the ocean I saw before hitting the sack that night:

 

 

Nice end to the beginning of a wonderful cruise.

 

More to come tomorrow....! :)

[gdpups]

I was on the same cruise and am enjoying reliving it through your awesome pictures. We had a wonderful time, beautiful ship and awesome crew! Thanks for doing the review.

[luv-my-kids]

Awesome pictures!

[micmacmissy]

Oooh! We're leaving on this ship/itinerary on Sunday...glad you had a great trip and can't wait to hear more!

[pwrca]

More pics please Kevin T., looking forward to more info on the ports particularly Labadee. Like you have done the western before but Labadee is a new port for us, so would appreciate your views. Can hardly wait for our vacation to start. Its been a long cold winter here in Ottawa. A week of sailing and sunshine will be great.

[K.T.B.]

More pics please Kevin T., looking forward to more info on the ports particularly Labadee. Like you have done the western before but Labadee is a new port for us, so would appreciate your views. Can hardly wait for our vacation to start. Its been a long cold winter here in Ottawa. A week of sailing and sunshine will be great.

 

We didn't get off the ship in either Grand Cayman or Labadee. Labadee is a beach resort, so if you love sand you'll love it. I also heard complaints of the over aggressiveness of the vendors there as well. Based on everything we heard, we were glad we stayed on board.

[MCKC]

Your review is making my cruise blues even worse! I wish I was back on Silhouette right now! It was one of the best cruises I've ever been on. Perfect weather the entire week.:):D:):D

[turning46]

Thank you for this review! I hope there's even more to come. We are taking this exact cruise in April - can't wait! Your photos are transporting me away from the extreme cold here in Wisconsin!

[K.T.B.]

Day 3 (cruise day 2)– Sea day: I’ll just say right now that on the 2 sea days we did absolutely nothing during the day but relax by the pool. We both love to read, so having a few books along with us is usually the case. This trip was no different. I went through 4 Clive Cussler books on this cruise and got through half of one on the plane ride home!

 

Anyway, finding a deck chair by the pool was never a problem. Whether you want to be in the sun or the shade or a combination of both, you’ll find a chair. The pool butlers definitely did their job in keeping unoccupied chairs clear of any towels. Not once did I see anyone come back later to complain about “their chair” being taken by someone else. It seemed on this cruise everyone was extremely considerate for the most part when it came to saving chairs.

 

As for breakfast and lunch for us, we usually hit the buffet or the Aqua Spa. While the buffet is almost always crowded, finding a table was rarely difficult. This area, unlike by the pool, is where people were downright rude on occasion. Trying to get coffee was an adventure sometimes! The first sea day the buffet ran out of clean coffee cups, so there was a long line waiting for them. Lunch, on the other hand, seemed to be fine. Most people grabbed their plates of food and took them back to where they were lounging. As did I. :) As I said before, this is one of the better buffets in terms of food quality. I don’t think I ate the same thing twice from the buffet, though I did have a cheeseburger or two from the grill! (Expect extremely long lines for the burgers.)

 

The first sea day is also formal night. On this cruise I decided to rent a tux, which turned out to be a bit of a mistake. I didn’t get the tux until late in the day and I discovered that it didn’t quite fit properly. The shoes were too tight, the pants were too long, and the jacket wasn’t large enough to button. (My wife is a seamstress and she took my measurements. She double checked them against pants I usually wear to make sure they were accurate as well. No error on her part.) Since I got it so late in the day, there wasn’t anything I could do about it. I felt very uncomfortable all throughout dinner.

 

Speaking of dinner, and all of the dinners we had in the MDR, they were all very good. While there was the occasion hiccup in service (I got the wrong soup one night), the food was always delicious. Also the cocktail waiter was very prompt when it came to service.

 

One other thing to point out when it came to formal night: On this cruise they were turning people away for not being properly dressed. Especially the men without jackets on. That was definitely refreshing to see. Not sure if they do that every cruise, but on this one they did! :D

 

More later….

[shofer]

Loving the pictures Kevin! We are going on this same cruise leaving 2/23. The ship looks great. This is my first S-Class ship and so looking forward to it.

 

I am also leaving from Chicago a few days early to meet Mom in Florida before we drive to Ft. Lauderdale. Having some anxiety wondering if I will be able to get out of the airport without problems.

 

Can't wait to see Silhouette and enjoy the nice weather.

 

Sue

[wallie5446]

More pics please Kevin T., looking forward to more info on the ports particularly Labadee. Like you have done the western before but Labadee is a new port for us, so would appreciate your views. Can hardly wait for our vacation to start. Its been a long cold winter here in Ottawa. A week of sailing and sunshine will be great.

 

Dont mean to hijack:D

 

Labadee is an RCCL private area on Hatti just like CoCo Cay is their private island. It is totally fenced off from the locals, and you have to go to the 'vendor' area, they are not allowed to roam the passenger area. It is very clean, nice private cabana's for a fee, or beach chairs. There is an, OK, roller coaster, and the highlight is the longest over water zip line in the world! We were last there on the Freedom in 2011, liked it alot better than Princess Cay in 2012. The buffet they set up, was not bad either.

[K.T.B.]

More pictures!

 

Deck 14 above the pool area. (Not excessively crowded on a sea day!)

 

 

We're being followed by a suspicious entity...

 

 

Sitting outside of the Art Studio:

 

 

By the way, I should point out that every shirt I wore during the day my wife made for me. :)

 

 

The library and the card room just below it:

 

 

One of the surprising things you see along this cruise.... CUBA:

 

[K.T.B.]

Yes, the MDR does follow these rules:

 

 

I think the name of this band was ROX: They were really good!

 

 

If you sit at the Martini bar you can hear them easily. It made for a great evening.

[IrishLassie]

LOVING your review & making me wish 3/16/14 would hurry & get here! :D Loved your picture looking out in Ft. Laud. Brings back memories of my highschool days there when that park across from the port used to be called "Whiskey Creek" & you could only get there by boat! Lots of fun parties went on there back in the late 50's & 60's !! LOL Looking forward to more of your review & GREAT pictures. :D

[MsLush]

Loving the pictures Kevin! We are going on this same cruise leaving 2/23. The ship looks great. This is my first S-Class ship and so looking forward to it.

 

I am also leaving from Chicago a few days early to meet Mom in Florida before we drive to Ft. Lauderdale. Having some anxiety wondering if I will be able to get out of the airport without problems.

 

Can't wait to see Silhouette and enjoy the nice weather.

 

Sue

 

We are cruising 2/23 on Silhouette as well, time is standing still!

[shofer]

We are cruising 2/23 on Silhouette as well, time is standing still!

 

Have you joined our Roll Call group on that forum? I think we have 80 signed up for our CC Connections party onboard. Would love to have you also.

 

Sue