aquashark Posted January 19, 2015 #1 Share Posted January 19, 2015 BACKGROUND We’re a couple in our upper-20s/early-30s, cruising with Celebrity a third time and on the Silhouette for our second trip. Since we're enthusiastic fans of the Silhouette, we're going to focus this review on the things we didn't like or have changed negatively since our last sailing. PRE-CRUISE Aqua Hotel - Ft. Lauderdale Overall, we’d describe this hotel as a “five star motel.” We were satisfied having a clean, modern place to rest our heads that is a block away from the beach and within walking distance to restaurants and nightlife. The rates here were not too much more than the dank motels from the 50’s lining A1A. Transportation During embarkation, taxis were sparse with so many cruisers competing to board their ships. Multiple uber drivers refused to take us to the port due to increased police attention facing uber drivers entering the port area. I recommend booking transportation to the cruise terminal in advance. EMBARKATION The person screening my carry-on luggage at the port was not familiar with Celebrity’s policy allowing two bottles of carry-on champagne/wine. A supervisor was required to come over to clear my champagne. Embarkation was otherwise quick and easy--though since everything was so smooth, the priority embarkation line for Concierge class guests made no difference. We checked a pallet of water to be delivered to our stateroom. On our last trip on the Silhouette (Mediterranean, Summer 2013), bottled water was provided on every shore excursion, but it was no longer furnished by the ship. STATEROOM/CONCIERGE CLASS Our 9th deck midship concierge class veranda cabin was quiet. We didn’t find the concierge perks compelling. Most of the perks were valueless (weird afternoon canape plates that are only actually delivered to you if you are present in the stateroom in the mid-afternoon), were available to any stateroom for free upon request (in-room ice bucket) or for a nominal charge (fresh squeezed orange juice). We also noticed that some of the concierge class room service selections (smoked salmon) were no longer included on the room service menu, but were offered to us upon our request. THE SHIP The Silhouette is our favorite ship. DINING spe Meals - We stuck with the spe meals in the main dining room and were pleasantly surprised by the quality and variety. While the portions were limited by cruise ship standards, we never felt like we were eating “diet” food. Coffee - The coffee from room service was undrinkable. The coffee in the main dining room and the buffet is tolerable with some sugar and salt added. The coffee in the solarium’s AquaSpa cafe came from a different type of machine and is the only free drinkable coffee on the ship. Room Service - Drinks can be ordered by the jug! This was very helpful for getting enough OJ to make mimosas or for keeping enough fluids in our stateroom to hydrate after a long day in port. Formal Nights - Formal nights are becoming more casual. I saw only one tuxedo, and many men just wore a button down shirt and slacks. PORTS Cozumel - Playa Mia Resort - A wonderful day resort with a nice beach, water park, wifi, and shops. The buffet, however, looked unappetizing and we decided to eat “predinner” after returning to the ship. Grand Cayman - Snuba - What a great port to dive! A shipwreck is visible mere feet from the dock, so you avoid the time-intensive trips on dive boats like other ports use that keep you waiting as people dive in shifts. DW and I also appreciated that snuba is less “fussy” than scuba diving, yet still offers the same beautiful experience of underwater exploration. Falmouth, Jamaica - Bamboo Beach Club - A small, beautiful beach area and a decent lunch. The mixed drinks tasted weird, so we stuck with beer. Drink service was slow. The guide did try to push us on buying photos and getting massages from the beach club, and on the return trip, the guide had our bus stop at the weirdest gift shop for twenty minutes filled with overpriced touristy kitsch. Labadee, Haiti - Dragon Coaster - A very fun trip, and this is from someone who hates roller coasters. Riders have a stop/go lever, so you are in total control of your speed throughout the trip. Labadee, Haiti - Barefoot Beach Cabana - We were invited by another wonderful couple we met on CC to join them in their cabana. We loved being able to access this restricted part of Labadee, which was quiet and provided nice views of the ship--all while being served by an attentive cabin steward. Labadee, Haiti - Overall, this was a nice port. But the nicely manicured private island had an artificial quality to it. For example, all the food and drink came off the ship--there were no opportunities to order a local beer, sample local food, or otherwise experience the local culture. ACTIVITIES We noticed the cutbacks in the activities. There were times where we felt there was nothing to do. Activities staff also help direct guests to shore excursions, and the cutback has resulted in a visible shortage of help when locating excursion meeting points in port. ENTERTAINMENT The entertainment was very good. Our favorite show was Solomon Jaye, a talented crowd-pleasing performer who had the versatility to rock songs as classic as “Nature Boy” and as poppy as “Locked Out of Heaven.” OVERALL This remains our favorite ship, and we booked another voyage on the Silhouette! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Texed Posted January 19, 2015 #2 Share Posted January 19, 2015 Shark, Thanks for posting. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A1A Posted January 19, 2015 #3 Share Posted January 19, 2015 Nice review Shark! One question, when did you go? Since you did not mention propulsion issues I assume you just disembarked yesterday? Thanks Again! Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aquashark Posted January 19, 2015 Author #4 Share Posted January 19, 2015 Nice review Shark! One question, when did you go? Since you did not mention propulsion issues I assume you just disembarked yesterday? Thanks Again! Ken Yes, this was a post-drydock trip, and there were no propulsion issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bakcd Posted January 19, 2015 #5 Share Posted January 19, 2015 We were on this sailing as well and enjoyed the trip. Do you remember the name of the comedian on the last evening? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aquashark Posted January 19, 2015 Author #6 Share Posted January 19, 2015 We were on this sailing as well and enjoyed the trip. Do you remember the name of the comedian on the last evening? Louis Johnson -- he was a blast! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zlotych Posted January 19, 2015 #7 Share Posted January 19, 2015 Nice review Shark! One question, when did you go? Since you did not mention propulsion issues I ass5ume youre just disembarked yesterday? Thanks Again! Ken Wz24x Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I537 using Forums mobile app E5xE5xrst2szs45xw3ws3z3zsdxbg Zd37ej5xvrets zezeee5eze4cr4tfxswxtc We Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erinpdx Posted January 19, 2015 #8 Share Posted January 19, 2015 Can I ask how long it took to get a tender to Grand Cayman? People on previous sailings said it took hours. Did you arrive on time to your ports? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruise47 Posted January 19, 2015 #9 Share Posted January 19, 2015 Thanks for sharing your review. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aquashark Posted January 19, 2015 Author #10 Share Posted January 19, 2015 Can I ask how long it took to get a tender to Grand Cayman? People on previous sailings said it took hours. Did you arrive on time to your ports? It wasn't too miserable, but we had the benefit of staying on the ship until a mid-afternoon excursion. To save time, I recommend getting tender tickets before breakfast instead of when you're actually ready to board the tender boat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erinpdx Posted January 19, 2015 #11 Share Posted January 19, 2015 I will definitely get in line early to get tender tickets. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisecat1965 Posted January 19, 2015 #12 Share Posted January 19, 2015 Can I ask how long it took to get a tender to Grand Cayman? People on previous sailings said it took hours. Did you arrive on time to your ports? We were on the catamaran scuba excursion and got on an orange ship provided tender at 8:30 with no wait. They were banging them out pretty fast. Sent from my SM-G900P using Forums mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisecat1965 Posted January 20, 2015 #13 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Oh and thanks for the review. We were also in a concierge room. I'm in the middle of doing a similar review but thought I would respond to some of your points. We also felt the afternoon "snack" was silly and a waste. I wish we would have know about getting drinks by the pitcher though. That's a great tip. We pretty much agree with your appraisal of the cruise and was wondering what cruise you signed up for. Sent from my SM-G900P using Forums mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ConnCruise Posted January 20, 2015 #14 Share Posted January 20, 2015 i'm on the same cruise next week. Your information will be put to good use. Funny about Concierge class. a few years back we booked a C Class on the Constellation (my favorite ship out of 12 cruises) for a Med cruise. We paid practically nothing extra so we figured what the heck. We found all the perks pretty much useless, but we did get a few good chuckles. They had a deluxe pillow selection, so there were about 20 pillows on our bed-no room to sleep- I had to throw a few over board-but each day they returned-a little exaggeration and I really didn't toss any in the drink, but way more pillows than 2 humans could possibly need. Then there was the supplied golf umbrella. Fortunately, I had my own Totes, but could you imagine walking around Rome with a big ass green and white golf umbrella. (About 3x the size of a normal one) Wouldn't have gone well. Anyway, we liked the pillows and the umbrella so much, we booked another C Class, (actually a cheaper rate than the standard) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silvery Seas Cruiser Posted January 20, 2015 #15 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Thanks for the review. I hope we have good theater entertainment on our upcoming sailing on Silhouette. We have booked the Lawn Grill for the first formal night. If we like it, we'll book it for the next formal night too. I hope there was plenty of enjoyable live music. I have been reading about cutbacks and don't like what I am reading in this regard. We watched Silhouette leave Fort Lauderdale Sunday and it was exciting knowing we would be there next Sunday. We really like Eclipse, but it will be our first sailing on Silhouette. I can't wait. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ailetoile Posted January 20, 2015 #16 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Thank you so much for the review! It sounds like you guys could be me and my husband right down to the ages. We're taking this exact itinerary at the end of March and you've given a great glimpse of what to expect. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy2cruise Posted January 20, 2015 #17 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Does anyone know if the perk "wine" given in the CC class be switched for something else or a different brand of wine? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeaBag Posted January 20, 2015 #18 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Does anyone know if the perk "wine" given in the CC class be switched for something else or a different brand of wine? Thanks. Yes, it can. You will get $28 credit toward what you choose. I have read of some who were refused so I hope you are successful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeaBag Posted January 20, 2015 #19 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Thanks for the review. I hope we have good theater entertainment on our upcoming sailing on Silhouette. We have booked the Lawn Grill for the first formal night. If we like it, we'll book it for the next formal night too. The Lawn Grill is a great choice. I know food is subjective but as far as I am concerned it is the best restaurant on all the Celebrity ships. We tried ti and went back again, it was so good. Just a tip, don't go overboard on the flat bread. It can turn into a pizza really fast! Then you are too stuffed to finish the great steaks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeaBag Posted January 20, 2015 #20 Share Posted January 20, 2015 OP, thank you for the great review. Silhouette is also our favorite ship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hurwitz5 Posted January 21, 2015 #21 Share Posted January 21, 2015 We will sail on the Silhouette this Sunday, January 25. We are Elite and as I understand it, we will have priority tender tickets. We have friends traveling with us who are NOT Elite. Will they be able to get priority tender tickets since they are with us? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisecat1965 Posted January 21, 2015 #22 Share Posted January 21, 2015 We will sail on the Silhouette this Sunday, January 25. We are Elite and as I understand it, we will have priority tender tickets. We have friends traveling with us who are NOT Elite. Will they be able to get priority tender tickets since they are with us? Even if there is not a formal policy, keeping high level customers happy is generally the norm. Many times it only takes a face to face with a concierge to get things done. We regularly ask hotels for "help" with traveling companions that don't have gold or platinum access and usually get decent results. Sent from my Nexus 7 using Forums mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aquashark Posted January 22, 2015 Author #23 Share Posted January 22, 2015 Oh and thanks for the review. We were also in a concierge room. I'm in the middle of doing a similar review but thought I would respond to some of your points. We also felt the afternoon "snack" was silly and a waste. I wish we would have know about getting drinks by the pitcher though. That's a great tip. We pretty much agree with your appraisal of the cruise and was wondering what cruise you signed up for. Sent from my SM-G900P using Forums mobile app We signed up for a "placeholder" cruise we can reschedule to get on-board booking benefits while me and DW coordinate our work schedules. I expect we'd repeat the same itinerary the same week next year or try the Eastern Carribean one the prior week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aquashark Posted January 22, 2015 Author #24 Share Posted January 22, 2015 Also, we're classic members on X's captains club and never got an invite the reception. I heard that folks were invited by vm to their cabin, but I surmise they were higher level members than we were. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
farkibi1984 Posted January 23, 2015 #25 Share Posted January 23, 2015 Hi I hope somebody can answer to me,somebody who was on shilulette last cruise, this month. So my questino is abauth wifi conection, was everything ok? or was it difficult to conect, or no internet at all? thank you for ansver :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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