First time on Celebrity Silhouette (12/7) – long time cruiser

[jordans mom]

First time on Celebrity – long time cruiser (mostly NCL + Disney )

 

So I will share a few thoughts on our Dec 7 sailing on the Celebrity Silhouette. Overall – as with any ship there were pluses and minuses. However, I will not be honest if I did not say it is unlikely I would sail on Celebrity again.

 

Generally – I found the cruise filled my most basic expectation of relaxing, visiting a few new places and enjoying some time/meals with friends who now live far away from us. Other than that – was not a place where I would spend my next cruise$$$.

 

As a heads up – YES, the Silhouette had a prop out – top speed I saw when checking was about 17 or 18 knots – and YES they missed a port. Part of missing a port was said to be due to a need to respond to a medical emergency. Even without the emergency, it was unlikely they would make all ports and still do their R/T. More on Ports later.

EMBARKATION

I have to say that everything with Embarkation went quickly and smoothly. No complaints here - they have this process down in FLL. We did get some alerts in the mail prior to sailing “assigning” us a check in time – we ignored it and things were fine. We were in our rooms in less than an hour from leaving our hotel room.

 

CABIN

We have always been balcony cruisers, however, over the past 5 years on NCL we have been sailing in suites and when the Haven suites came up on the newer NCL ships – we have booked those. We chose the Aqua Class balcony room on Celebrity for a couple of reasons. (a) when we compared the suite amenities on Celebrity compared to the suite amenities on NCL , we saw we would be paying more for way less in terms of amenities and privileges – so the cost benefit tilted toward sticking with a balcony room – and as I am a big spa user, and knew I would purchase the week pass anyway – we went for Aqua. Aqua comes with special restaurant , BLU which on description appealed to us (more on that later) as when we sail NCL, the Haven has its own restaurant space which we look forward to as an option (getting away from the madding crowds,…)

 

We were assigned 1523, which turned out to be a nice cabin, located close to the swing bridge and also a passageway that led directly into the spa. It was also close enough to the fore elevators to be convenient, but set back enough from the stairs/elevators/crew work room to be quiet and less congested. The storage was more than adequate (but we are now pretty efficient cruise packers – down to 1 regular size suitcase each). Bed/piilows setup was very comfortable, some of the upholstery was looking worn. Bathroom was adequate, but no line that you could hang your wet suits on to dry – so drying swimsuits was a constant problem. Air circulation in the cabin was very problematic (and we are not generally sensitive to that) – it may be that we like it on the cooler side when we sleep, but I ended up having to slide open the balcony doors for a short while every night to get some air in the cabin moving.

Housekeeping in the cabin was simply adequate. At times I asked for things and would have to ask 2-3 times, no big deal as a rule except I gave up asking for our replacement pool/beach towels after 3 days….also, may of the bath towels were dingy on some days and several times we got frayed towels – so this is an overall QA problem with the ships hotel housekeeping decisions and not necessarily the room steward per se. I also asked the first day for someone to “sweep” the debris off the balcony and wipe down the table – never happened – finally just took a towel and did it myself after 3 days of asking. And a little nit – this housekeeper was not big on towel animals – we got a cute one on Night 2 and that was it….now, this is not a spoiler, but on every journey I kind of look forward to seeing what will appear in the middle of our bed – kind of brightens my day – alas, not this time. One of the things I missed on Celebrity vs NCL – outside every NCL cabin is a dial so you can tell your steward if you want the cabin serviced, or DND, …….

 

ENTERTAINMENT

SO – here was the big problem for us and probably the largest single reason we would never spend $$ on a Celebrity venue anytime soon. As background – a large part of a good cruise experience for us is the entertainment at night- both the large shows and the small venues found around the ship. The Silhouette theater shows were a major disappointment for us. (as background, we are avid theater goers locally and often in NYC and so our expectations are high I guess). The costumes and choreography were closer to specialty high school production, major show vocal talent was “ok/not great”. Some of the specialty performers were interesting to watch ( aerial, jugglers) but they could nto make up for the shortcomings in the rest of the shows. Talent in smaller music venues also left something on the table. In some cases, it may the space they were in – for others (Casy and the King ) , it would not matter where you put them – it was not going to be an enjoyable music interlude wherever you put them. The Soul House group probably was the strongest musically, unfortunately they were often in the Grand Foyer – so there is not a lot of sitting space there to sit, listen/watch them and have a libation.

 

Which leads me to another comparison to NCL/DISNEY – on those lines, every ship had intimate spaces (on a mass market cruise line – that would be about 50 seats) and had musicians that played to the “tempo” of the room makeup that night – in other words, if you wanted a piano man – you went to that venue (on NCL it was typically a ‘martini’ bar) and could enjoy the music, libation and in the intimacy of the space – often ran into some of the same people and struck up some cruise friendships!

NOW the one bright entertainment spot for us was probably the SIN CITY show – this is not for everyone as it is definitely an adult comedy show with some burlesque thrown in – but the comedians were professional caliber and played to their audience – unfortunately the shtick is the same every night – nothing gets changed up night to night – so if you see it one night – you have seen it for all nights.

 

EATING

As with other mass market cruise ships – there is no real foodie experience to be had on Celebrity (or NCL or Disney…). The general quality of the food was fine – not great in general with the exception of a few specialty spots. I will say that Silhouette had one of the best logistical layouts for the buffet style cafeteria – instead of long straight lines centered around the interior of the room – they had “pods” laid out in between counters that largely bisected the room – so it never felt overwhelmingly busy at any one place when getting a bite to eat. Having said that – we never really ate any main meals here – just dropped by from time to time to graze between major meals on occasion – so it may well be crazy during peak meal times.

Specialty spots were done very well as a rule – we did Tuscan Grille, Qsine, SpaCafe, Gelateria. The meals in Qsine and Tuscan Grille were above average. Tuscan did a great job with the service and food prep and presentation, Tuscan is also sitting full aft on the ship with windows across the entire space – we got there early and were able to watch the sunset as we started our meal – so that started off the experience with high marks to begin with. Tuscan is well designed and the décor and table spacing allows for a nice quiet meal. Qsine was a unique combination of ordering, selection and presentation – it would take a whole separate review to convey the Qsine experience – but I highly recommend it as it is not something you find at that level in most places - and the food is prepared extremely well .

BLU was the Aqua class eating space. We ate there for breakfast a couple of times and dinner twice – my general comment was : ehhhh – ok. Wait staff was exceptional – the menu choices are kind of boring and the presentation is definitely mass market. Prep quality was acceptable – did not send anything back, but not particularly exciting – in other words, I would not pay to have that particular amenity again – or if it was my neighborhood space, I would not highly recommend it to friends and family. Décor of the space was boring. One wall of windows – with tables stacked 4- 5 deep perpendicular to the span of windows with about 18 inches between – no intimate space here (again, as a comparison, at the NCL HAVEN restaurant – the space was divided up into more intimate spaces – on the EPIC the window span arced around from over the pool deck below to the full aft section of the ship – also there was a very ‘funky/hip” decorated bar space with lots of small intimate, high design chairs/curtains to sit and have a libation before going into eat right at the entrance to the dining area)

 

WILL FINISH REVIEW LATER THIS WEEKEND[/i- - More on SPA, POOL DECKS, PORTS, DISEMBARKATION……

[John F]

Thanks for your honest review. We will be sailing on the Silhouette (1/18/15) and are long time cruisers (78 and counting) and are looking forward to our cruise. John & Priscilla :)

[travellerin1984]

I have done five cruises on Celebrity and agree about the entertainment. I find shows mostly boring and not my cup of tea. Sin city is a nice change! We do like food at Blu and the atmosphere on the ship.

Edited December 19, 2014 by travellerin1984

[richsea]

Thanks for your views. I'm looking forward to the follow up. I've never sailed Disney, but have sailed NCL, but only once, & agree that their entertainment is much better, & more varied than Celebrity's. However, unless you eat in their specialty restaurants, we found that the food & service in their MDRs is abysmal.

 

Funny, but one of the reasons I prefer Celebrity is because as a rule,they DON'T leave towel animals every night! To each his own!

[woody14h]

Thanks for your candid review. I wish more people would express their opinions honestly without being flamed.

We did the transatlantic in November on Silhouette. Loved it so much we booked the same cruise in 2015. The evening shows have always been a weak point with X. One tires of jugglers and magicians quickly. We were happy with the guest lecturers and food was quite good. I love fish dishes and this cruise outdid itself. Previous X cruises left a lot to be desired in the fish dept.

Service (room and dining) was great as usual. Ship was easily accessible for a large ship. Never seemed to have wait times.

[Turtles06]

OP: I appreciate the time you've taken to post your thoughts. My spouse and I recently spent two weeks on the Silhouette TA, and thought it was one of our best cruises ever. The ship is stunning, the staff and crew (including our cabin attendants) could not have been more helpful, and the food was terrific (we were not in Aqua Class so I can't judge Blu). Some of the entertainment was excellent, some was pretty bad. I think that's true on just about any ship.

 

I'm sorry your experience was disappointing.

 

It's pretty well known on here that there's no clothesline on the S-class ships, I'm sorry that this was news to you. We always pack one, had no problem with our bathing suits.

 

As for towel animals -- Celebrity just doesn't do that.

Edited December 19, 2014 by Turtles06

[jordans mom]

More on SPA, POOL DECKS,

 

 

SPA

The Spa on Silhouette was just OK – the space is laid out on two levels. Treatment rooms are below the main level of the spa and is where the Relaxation room is located. On the Main Spa level you have locker rooms and the room with about 9-10 heated ceramic loungers – this room is flanked by a sauna room and a steam room – these rooms are coed – however , the locker room does have a sauna in it as well.

We were in Aqua class so had a standing pass to the spa general rooms. Couple of thoughts: while the basics were there – there was no “wow” factor. Also – there are no therapy pools. So I took advantage of the spaces every day and popped for a massage. Here again , I have to say I have been spoiled by the large NCL spa offerings and the NCL spa footprint is probably 3-4x the space and the décor was more modern and “yoga-ish” than on the Silhouette. Now the issues – spa towels were not kept repleneshied; EVERY day I went to get a locker – it was empty of the robe and towel and I had to haul myself back out front and get someone to get a set for me (really? – like when a locker key is turned back in they can’t send anyone back to reset the locker?); in the womens locker room – the showers constantly flooded the common space….also – every day I ended up asking for water for the sauna – one day I waited for over 10 minutes (then just wrapped it up) - - and this may just be ignorance – but every day someone would come into the hot ceramic lounge area with their dirty sneakers and regular gym clothes and sit on the loungers – not laying down a towel – spa personnel saw this and said nothing – (BLECCCH) so I got in the habit of wiping them down before I laid down a clean towel. I was told a spa pass for the week was about $100 or $25/day – way overpriced for the general spa rooms relative to the competition. Massage was done well – no complaints there.

 

POOL DECKS

I have to disclose that we only set up each day inside the solarium pool deck – I am no longer a “sun” worshipper – so this space was laid out very well, was quiet and a extremely comfortable place to park – the pool itself was just right for us and the hot tubs were easy in easy out – sat about 5-6 adults. The pool in the solarium is over 16 – so no children or families parked in there. Also – the Spa Café is there and serves a spa-style breakfast and lunch. Always found something to enjoy there – especially the frozen yogurt machine – I would take a coffee cup, put in some froyo and top it with some of the yummy poached fruit they served there every day. I wandered to the main pool area from time to time – people seemed to be enjoying the main pools and of course it was always “lively” out there ….

[need2bespoiled]

Thanks for your review. I would say your review seems spot on. Celebrity's evening entertainment is pretty hit or miss, but more miss than hit I'd say. If that's important to you, no suite service will probably make the difference to enjoying your cruise.

 

I will say however it is a bit unfair to compare Blu to a suite restaurant. The numbers of cabins/people services are way different, even on a ship with a large haven like Epic, Blu is still a mass service dinning room and the tables are close, but that shouldn't have been too much of a surprise. On the NCL ships with smaller Havens (Jewel) we've used they're specialty restaurants as the suite restaurant and it compared to Celebrity very well. Maybe they've added a dedicated suite restaurant to Jewel since we sailed?

 

Some things, like specialty dinning and spa access are way higher priced on Celebrity in comparison to NCL and other lines. I was going to say over-priced, but people seem to pay. I think if you had skipped Blu, and done the ultimate dining package ($30/person/day) and then rotated through the various specialty restaurants, your dinning experience would have been more like you expected from the Haven, adding the extra cost onto an Aqua Class cabin fare, the cost still would have likely been a bit less than haven on NCL. Of course you'd have been giving up the private pool and larger haven Suite.

 

All this being said, if you're looking for the privacy and intimacy, and enjoy the Haven, how do you find the rest of the experience on NCL with more people for the size of the ship (RE more public space crowding) compared to Celebrity. Maybe you'll hit that in the rest of your review.

 

Happy sailing,

Jenna

Edited December 20, 2014 by need2bespoiled

[jordans mom]

Thanks to all the OP who added their thoughts. !!!!

 

As I have come to learn, and why there is so much to choose from on the high seas - is that all of us have particular interests and needs when it comes to a cruise vacation!

 

We have sailed to many destinations other than the Caribbean on these ships and they all have their own personalities, strengths and weaknesses.

 

(DISCLAIMER insert - as with entertainment - we are foodies and I am an avid cook at home - we love new foods and amazing presentations when we go out - we love meat and potatoes - but we are not a eat and potatoes clan, so==>)

 

I will say one thing they ALL (meaning mass market cruises (NCL, Disney, Carnival, Celebrity,...) have had in common (in my humble experience) -

 

is that the food experience in general is no better than a decent restaurant back home on a busy holiday. Don't go on a cruise if you are expecting amazing meals (dont get me wrong its great not to cook and clean up!!! ;) )

 

If you are looking for special and intimate dining you will have to spend the extra $$ on the specialty eats (and that is not always a given - even within the same cruise company - quality and experience varies from ship to ship even though the menus read the same!) .

 

The larger/newer NCL ships have spaces called HAVEN , which have their own restaurant/nightclub space that is not open to the rest of the ship. It is not the use of other restaurant space for suites - but a totally separate eating and libations getaway.

 

So that is why I compare it to Blu on the Silhouette - as Blu is the eating space for AQUA class - but is simply that, eating - there is no dedicated club space and the HAVEN restaurant probably sits as many as Blu did - it is just that it was laid out in a different way with more sections and more upholstered areas - intimate spaces and lots of windows (about 3/4 of the space and all of the bar/club room).

 

It may not be an entirely fair comparision - however, for only a small amount more over what we paid for AQUA class - we purchased HAVEN cabin suite space and the amenities -

 

So I guess the only point I want to make is - that for the small "difference" we paid up for HAVEN on the Epic - the differences were stark as to the lack of anything close on the Silhouette.....and we suspected/knew this to be the case going in -but were amazed how "little" you got on Celebrity for the price point difference.....

 

Silhouette's specialty eats were equal to the quality in terms of service/food and selection we have found on other ships - so if you are into specialty spots - Silhouette did not disappoint us. The most unique experience was in Qsine for sure! I will not spoil it for those of you considering it - because the experience is as enjoyable as the actual food and service!!! If you have a chance to consider Qsine - go for it!

 

I will put in my rec for Tuscan as well - we had the best fish dish of the vacation in Tuscan. I am VERY picky about my fish and am always careful when I order to make sure the waitstaff tells the kitchen how I expect the fish to come out or I will turn it back - they prepared it perfectly!

 

I will finish later on some of my other thoughts!

[AnchorsAweigh2011]

Thanks to all the OP who added their thoughts. !!!!

 

As I have come to learn, and why there is so much to choose from on the high seas - is that all of us have particular interests and needs when it comes to a cruise vacation!

 

We have sailed to many destinations other than the Caribbean on these ships and they all have their own personalities, strengths and weaknesses.

 

(DISCLAIMER insert - as with entertainment - we are foodies and I am an avid cook at home - we love new foods and amazing presentations when we go out - we love meat and potatoes - but we are not a eat and potatoes clan, so==>)

 

I will say one thing they ALL (meaning mass market cruises (NCL, Disney, Carnival, Celebrity,...) have had in common (in my humble experience) -

 

is that the food experience in general is no better than a decent restaurant back home on a busy holiday. Don't go on a cruise if you are expecting amazing meals (dont get me wrong its great not to cook and clean up!!! ;) )

 

If you are looking for special and intimate dining you will have to spend the extra $$ on the specialty eats (and that is not always a given - even within the same cruise company - quality and experience varies from ship to ship even though the menus read the same!) .

 

The larger/newer NCL ships have spaces called HAVEN , which have their own restaurant/nightclub space that is not open to the rest of the ship. It is not the use of other restaurant space for suites - but a totally separate eating and libations getaway.

 

So that is why I compare it to Blu on the Silhouette - as Blu is the eating space for AQUA class - but is simply that, eating - there is no dedicated club space and the HAVEN restaurant probably sits as many as Blu did - it is just that it was laid out in a different way with more sections and more upholstered areas - intimate spaces and lots of windows (about 3/4 of the space and all of the bar/club room).

 

It may not be an entirely fair comparision - however, for only a small amount more over what we paid for AQUA class - we purchased HAVEN cabin suite space and the amenities -

 

So I guess the only point I want to make is - that for the small "difference" we paid up for HAVEN on the Epic - the differences were stark as to the lack of anything close on the Silhouette.....and we suspected/knew this to be the case going in -but were amazed how "little" you got on Celebrity for the price point difference.....

 

Silhouette's specialty eats were equal to the quality in terms of service/food and selection we have found on other ships - so if you are into specialty spots - Silhouette did not disappoint us. The most unique experience was in Qsine for sure! I will not spoil it for those of you considering it - because the experience is as enjoyable as the actual food and service!!! If you have a chance to consider Qsine - go for it!

 

I will put in my rec for Tuscan as well - we had the best fish dish of the vacation in Tuscan. I am VERY picky about my fish and am always careful when I order to make sure the waitstaff tells the kitchen how I expect the fish to come out or I will turn it back - they prepared it perfectly!

 

I will finish later on some of my other thoughts!

 

We cruised on the Silhouette last March and thought the food was excellent in the Tuscan Grille.

[hsmcruise]

We have just returned from a western Carib on the silhoutte and agree with you

On many points . We have sailed on many cruise lines including celebrity but this

Was our first s class ship. I will be posting my own review shortly . The cruise was pretty good and also booked aquaclass basically because we loved the spa on NCL epic and the idea of A small dining room had its appeal. We found the t

Spa area to be very small for the amount of cabins in Aqua spa and that it was noisy and not relaxing at all. As far as blu, the food was just ok and at breakfast one day it took us 40 minutes to be served. Piece of food. We did get coffee right away. When we asked if there was some problem they said the kitchen was a little slow. I didn't know that toasting a bagel and bring some lox was so difficult! We are booked on a future cruise on the equinox and are thinking about

Canceling . Thanks for your honest opinion

[tangerinebunny]

We were on the December 7 Silhouette cruise. We had several breakfasts and one dinner in Blu and found the food adequate but uninspired. But we had no service problems and prefer it to the MDR. I like the decor.

 

Overall, we had a lovely cruise and booked again while on board. We don't do shows, but enjoyed the entertainment that we heard in the various venues. Like food, it's a matter of expectation and experience. Service was great, the ship and its art installlations and overall design were a feast for the eye.

 

There are many cruise lines and styles of cruising, the trick is to keep trying until you find what you like. Happy future cruises!

Edited December 23, 2014 by tangerinebunny

[budster]

First time to do this. Never again! I hated the way we were so crowded and the service was just okay most of the time. We will be on the transatlantic in April and will make sure we are seated at a large table. Also our last morning in the MDR left us with a bad taste. Absolutely horrible! The last time we did the buffet on our last morning was a negative experience. We had no waiter in the MDR and could not even get a piece of toast. This was our 8th cruise with X and the last two have left us wondering about future cruises with them. Good note was our wonderful accessible cabin and our room stewardess :)

[yoj13]

Thank you for the report of your recent Silhouette cruise. Having very recently returned from this ship, I can almost 100% agree with your findings. We are mainly Celebrity cruisers but prior to boarding the Silhouette we enjoyed 3 weeks on the Epic. It is a long time since we had been on NCL (probably 8 years or more) but were we impressed. The entertainment and daytime activities surpass anything that the Silhouette had to offer and whilst food (speciality or otherwise) is always subjective, we were impressed time and time again with the Epic. In fact, because of our disappointment with Celebrity's main diningroom offerings, we only did the formal nights out of the 14 nights on-board. We have thought for some time, that standards have slipped somewhat with Celebrity, the towel animals or chocolates on the pillow are not a concern for us, but we too look forward to some decent theatre entertainment evening time and its just not happening. There was just something really missing this time, we missed Puerto Rica due to slow speeds, couldn't get into Cozumel (according to the Captain because of the weather but Disney, NCL & Carnival could???) and couldn't get into the Caymen Islands again because of the weather, but NCL & HAL could). We have another Celebrity cruised booked for April next year on the Constellation, but another poster has posted that the orchestra has been removed and they are using 'taped' music. We are currently re-considering our booking.

[Tedw]

Thanks for your view. I would be curious about how you would rank the various cruise lines stages shows and live music quality. I really like both. My wife is not as picky as me.

 

 

First time on Celebrity – long time cruiser (mostly NCL + Disney )

 

So I will share a few thoughts on our Dec 7 sailing on the Celebrity Silhouette. Overall – as with any ship there were pluses and minuses. However, I will not be honest if I did not say it is unlikely I would sail on Celebrity again.

 

Generally – I found the cruise filled my most basic expectation of relaxing, visiting a few new places and enjoying some time/meals with friends who now live far away from us. Other than that – was not a place where I would spend my next cruise$$$.

 

As a heads up – YES, the Silhouette had a prop out – top speed I saw when checking was about 17 or 18 knots – and YES they missed a port. Part of missing a port was said to be due to a need to respond to a medical emergency. Even without the emergency, it was unlikely they would make all ports and still do their R/T. More on Ports later.

EMBARKATION

I have to say that everything with Embarkation went quickly and smoothly. No complaints here - they have this process down in FLL. We did get some alerts in the mail prior to sailing “assigning” us a check in time – we ignored it and things were fine. We were in our rooms in less than an hour from leaving our hotel room.

 

CABIN

We have always been balcony cruisers, however, over the past 5 years on NCL we have been sailing in suites and when the Haven suites came up on the newer NCL ships – we have booked those. We chose the Aqua Class balcony room on Celebrity for a couple of reasons. (a) when we compared the suite amenities on Celebrity compared to the suite amenities on NCL , we saw we would be paying more for way less in terms of amenities and privileges – so the cost benefit tilted toward sticking with a balcony room – and as I am a big spa user, and knew I would purchase the week pass anyway – we went for Aqua. Aqua comes with special restaurant , BLU which on description appealed to us (more on that later) as when we sail NCL, the Haven has its own restaurant space which we look forward to as an option (getting away from the madding crowds,…)

 

We were assigned 1523, which turned out to be a nice cabin, located close to the swing bridge and also a passageway that led directly into the spa. It was also close enough to the fore elevators to be convenient, but set back enough from the stairs/elevators/crew work room to be quiet and less congested. The storage was more than adequate (but we are now pretty efficient cruise packers – down to 1 regular size suitcase each). Bed/piilows setup was very comfortable, some of the upholstery was looking worn. Bathroom was adequate, but no line that you could hang your wet suits on to dry – so drying swimsuits was a constant problem. Air circulation in the cabin was very problematic (and we are not generally sensitive to that) – it may be that we like it on the cooler side when we sleep, but I ended up having to slide open the balcony doors for a short while every night to get some air in the cabin moving.

Housekeeping in the cabin was simply adequate. At times I asked for things and would have to ask 2-3 times, no big deal as a rule except I gave up asking for our replacement pool/beach towels after 3 days….also, may of the bath towels were dingy on some days and several times we got frayed towels – so this is an overall QA problem with the ships hotel housekeeping decisions and not necessarily the room steward per se. I also asked the first day for someone to “sweep” the debris off the balcony and wipe down the table – never happened – finally just took a towel and did it myself after 3 days of asking. And a little nit – this housekeeper was not big on towel animals – we got a cute one on Night 2 and that was it….now, this is not a spoiler, but on every journey I kind of look forward to seeing what will appear in the middle of our bed – kind of brightens my day – alas, not this time. One of the things I missed on Celebrity vs NCL – outside every NCL cabin is a dial so you can tell your steward if you want the cabin serviced, or DND, …….

 

ENTERTAINMENT

SO – here was the big problem for us and probably the largest single reason we would never spend $$ on a Celebrity venue anytime soon. As background – a large part of a good cruise experience for us is the entertainment at night- both the large shows and the small venues found around the ship. The Silhouette theater shows were a major disappointment for us. (as background, we are avid theater goers locally and often in NYC and so our expectations are high I guess). The costumes and choreography were closer to specialty high school production, major show vocal talent was “ok/not great”. Some of the specialty performers were interesting to watch ( aerial, jugglers) but they could nto make up for the shortcomings in the rest of the shows. Talent in smaller music venues also left something on the table. In some cases, it may the space they were in – for others (Casy and the King ) , it would not matter where you put them – it was not going to be an enjoyable music interlude wherever you put them. The Soul House group probably was the strongest musically, unfortunately they were often in the Grand Foyer – so there is not a lot of sitting space there to sit, listen/watch them and have a libation.

 

Which leads me to another comparison to NCL/DISNEY – on those lines, every ship had intimate spaces (on a mass market cruise line – that would be about 50 seats) and had musicians that played to the “tempo” of the room makeup that night – in other words, if you wanted a piano man – you went to that venue (on NCL it was typically a ‘martini’ bar) and could enjoy the music, libation and in the intimacy of the space – often ran into some of the same people and struck up some cruise friendships!

NOW the one bright entertainment spot for us was probably the SIN CITY show – this is not for everyone as it is definitely an adult comedy show with some burlesque thrown in – but the comedians were professional caliber and played to their audience – unfortunately the shtick is the same every night – nothing gets changed up night to night – so if you see it one night – you have seen it for all nights.

 

EATING

As with other mass market cruise ships – there is no real foodie experience to be had on Celebrity (or NCL or Disney…). The general quality of the food was fine – not great in general with the exception of a few specialty spots. I will say that Silhouette had one of the best logistical layouts for the buffet style cafeteria – instead of long straight lines centered around the interior of the room – they had “pods” laid out in between counters that largely bisected the room – so it never felt overwhelmingly busy at any one place when getting a bite to eat. Having said that – we never really ate any main meals here – just dropped by from time to time to graze between major meals on occasion – so it may well be crazy during peak meal times.

Specialty spots were done very well as a rule – we did Tuscan Grille, Qsine, SpaCafe, Gelateria. The meals in Qsine and Tuscan Grille were above average. Tuscan did a great job with the service and food prep and presentation, Tuscan is also sitting full aft on the ship with windows across the entire space – we got there early and were able to watch the sunset as we started our meal – so that started off the experience with high marks to begin with. Tuscan is well designed and the décor and table spacing allows for a nice quiet meal. Qsine was a unique combination of ordering, selection and presentation – it would take a whole separate review to convey the Qsine experience – but I highly recommend it as it is not something you find at that level in most places - and the food is prepared extremely well .

BLU was the Aqua class eating space. We ate there for breakfast a couple of times and dinner twice – my general comment was : ehhhh – ok. Wait staff was exceptional – the menu choices are kind of boring and the presentation is definitely mass market. Prep quality was acceptable – did not send anything back, but not particularly exciting – in other words, I would not pay to have that particular amenity again – or if it was my neighborhood space, I would not highly recommend it to friends and family. Décor of the space was boring. One wall of windows – with tables stacked 4- 5 deep perpendicular to the span of windows with about 18 inches between – no intimate space here (again, as a comparison, at the NCL HAVEN restaurant – the space was divided up into more intimate spaces – on the EPIC the window span arced around from over the pool deck below to the full aft section of the ship – also there was a very ‘funky/hip” decorated bar space with lots of small intimate, high design chairs/curtains to sit and have a libation before going into eat right at the entrance to the dining area)

 

WILL FINISH REVIEW LATER THIS WEEKEND[/i- - More on SPA, POOL DECKS, PORTS, DISEMBARKATION……

[royalcruz]

Foodies eat in Murano. This is where you will find souffles, encrusted rack of lamb, and a cheese trolley. Health foodies eat lunch in Aqua Spa Cafe. :)

 

The amazingly talented Soul-stiss band played most nights in Ensemble...they were one of the best bands I've ever seen at sea, with 3 musicians and a soulful singer.

 

We had towel animals 4 nights, with what looked like brand new dark grey beach towels. The steward even added googly eyes.

 

The last night there was a Top Chef inspired menu. I ordered the braised veal en croute and it was mostly inedible fat, the worst dish I've ever had on Celebrity. DH had the salmon and said it was great.

[PathfinderEss]

Enjoying your report, looking forward to more.

[latunxitom]

I find shows mostly boring and not my cup of tea. Sin city is a nice change!

[villager13]

Thank you for the report of your recent Silhouette cruise. Having very recently returned from this ship, I can almost 100% agree with your findings. We are mainly Celebrity cruisers but prior to boarding the Silhouette we enjoyed 3 weeks on the Epic. It is a long time since we had been on NCL (probably 8 years or more) but were we impressed. The entertainment and daytime activities surpass anything that the Silhouette had to offer and whilst food (speciality or otherwise) is always subjective, we were impressed time and time again with the Epic. In fact, because of our disappointment with Celebrity's main diningroom offerings, we only did the formal nights out of the 14 nights on-board. We have thought for some time, that standards have slipped somewhat with Celebrity, the towel animals or chocolates on the pillow are not a concern for us, but we too look forward to some decent theatre entertainment evening time and its just not happening. There was just something really missing this time, we missed Puerto Rica due to slow speeds, couldn't get into Cozumel (according to the Captain because of the weather but Disney, NCL & Carnival could???) and couldn't get into the Caymen Islands again because of the weather, but NCL & HAL could). We have another Celebrity cruised booked for April next year on the Constellation, but another poster has posted that the orchestra has been removed and they are using 'taped' music. We are currently re-considering our booking.

We are booked on our first Celebrity cruise in January but all these negative comments are really affecting the excitement we were feeling at looking forward to it. I'm trying to focus on all the positive things! We are just thankful to be healthy enough and blessed enough to be able to take a cruise.

[AnchorsAweigh2011]

Like any corporation or business there is always areas they meed to improve on. Overall, we have cruised with Celebrity on 4 occasions and are looking forward to our upcoming cruise! Don't let the negative comments affect your excitement about your cruise! I hope you enjoy your first Celebrity cruise!

[need2bespoiled]

We are booked on our first Celebrity cruise in January but all these negative comments are really affecting the excitement we were feeling at looking forward to it. I'm trying to focus on all the positive things! We are just thankful to be healthy enough and blessed enough to be able to take a cruise.

 

Much of the negatives posted are subjective, so don't form any pre conceived notions, you may think everything negative, like a certain show, or meal is amazing, many people do.

 

There is plenty to see and do, if you don't like one thing, go somewhere else, do something else, or ask for what will make you happy. Don't go in with an inflexible plan about how your cruise vacation will go. Take control of your vacation and your own happiness. One size does not fit all!

 

Happy sailing,

Jenna

[jordans mom]

We are booked on our first Celebrity cruise in January but all these negative comments are really affecting the excitement we were feeling at looking forward to it. I'm trying to focus on all the positive things! We are just thankful to be healthy enough and blessed enough to be able to take a cruise.

 

So - again - we have particular expectations - particularly w/r/t to Entertainment/Fitness/Spa and only reasonable expectations w/r/t to food ( mass market cruises are not for foodies) - -

 

so just go with your instincts and look forward to your cruise! You selected it for a reason - you will definitely find things you love/hate - enjoy time with whomever you are sailing with and know that some things will meet /exceed your expectations - others not so much (like all things) .....

 

The ship itself is nicely laid out - we enjoy more intimate and varied spaces for evening entertainment....but it flows nicely overall...

[jordans mom]

PORTS

Original itinerary was short day in San Juan, then St Kitts and St Maarten. A combination of prop problems and a first night medical emergency changed the itinerary – so we dropped St Kitts and spent a full day in San Juan . That worked out great for us as we had never been to SJ and the extra time meant a whole day exploring!

 

San Juan

We got into port and did not book any excursion – we walked to the ferry (50c/@way and abt a 10 min walk) and took it over to the other side of the harbor to tour the Bacardi factory. Once you get to the other side it is a 5 min walk to cabs and then about a 10 min cab ride ($5 @) to the Bacardi location. The tour is about $12/pp and includes a guided tour and a rum cocktail at the end.

We had a blast – but were kind of disappointed that it was all just museum ( many brewery/distillery tours stateside actually allow you to walk over the actual production space through glass enclosed walkways) – so it was a nice side trip;

we took the ferry back and started to wait for the free Old San Juan trolley – but it was REALLY HOT and no trolley in site so we walked over to a sidelined van and they took our group up the hill for $10 – so up we went to the castle and then walked up the hill to the fort (ps. Next time I would go all the way to the top first – the hill is a killer when it is hot and you are tired….just sayin).

 

On our way to the fort – it was so hot we needed to stop for something to cool off and take an edge off our appetites – just before the fort was a cute place by the fort – CINEMABAR San Juan 1950? – we had a light lunch and a couple of drinks in a nicely decorated and A/C space – staff was great and food was tasty – and off we went = re-energized up to the fort!

 

The Fort was the highlight of our day - great views from there and they have done a decent job of maintaining it – hope that the Park Service can put some more into it in the coming years – but it was a great example of a new world Spanish style fort…worth the time!

 

NEXT UP – ST MAARTEN!

[Kevnzworld]

Thanks for your review.

We spent a month on the Silhouette in October, and O agree with most of your observations. We were in a suite and ate in Blu most nights, and like you found it to be mass market cruise food and not up to real land based big city restaurants.

The Lawn grill and Qsine are good concepts, but only good for a few nights. Murano is good for an old school gourmet restaurant experience.

The main reason to sail on Celebrity ships is the design of the ships and the variety of spaces and venues IMO, not the food.

[jordans mom]

We arrived in St Maarten on time -got up in time to watch us pulling into port. Not a particularly pretty port – container operation on one side and the other side cruise docks and smaller marina docks.

 

We had booked a catamaran excursion through Celebrity. The excursion rep met us right at the ship dock and we all left on time – short walk through the “shopping village” to the marina dock where the catamaran was – also happened to be the dock where the ferry to the town was .

 

Turned out that there was small storm the evening before so it was a little choppy – but we were able to get to a spot to snorkel – water was a bit murky – but you could see plenty - member of the crew ‘fed’ the local fish and that allowed many to see some of the fish closer to the catamaran – there was plenty to see as the underwater rock formations and some sunken items had plenty of urchins and small fish to look at. We were also take to a small beach for a swim and some refreshments – was tough swimming in as it was still somewhat choppy – all in all – the crew and the cat were great and very attentive to everyone on board – the rum drinks and the sandwiches were enjoyable. Celebrity engaged a solid vendor for this catamaran service and I am glad we chose them through the ship.

 

Spent some time walking through the ‘shopping village” before reboarding the ship – lots of little shops – but since I am not the shopper I once was –did not buy anything except a shaved ice treat. I think there was a starbucks there and a couple of signs saying free wifi , but we headed back as we were exhausted from the boatride and wanted to take a nap before dinner.

 

I did not get into town – but one of our group did – went to a local beach and said it was an easy ferry ride and they rented a chair and spent the morning there enjoying the beach. Overall – everyone we ran into on St Maarten were very professional and helpful – next time I would take some time to see more of the island on land – the cat ride was really enjoyable and I would do it again – but somehow missed the local flavor by not getting into town.