Silhouette Picture Review: Eastern Caribbean April 2015

[laurieal]

An Introduction to Cruising

Or how a solo land traveller ends up on a cruise for the first time with three other people.

 

 

Good day, Cruise Critic peeps! Welcome to my very first review! I wrote this review the way I like to read them: as a day-by-day recap of what I did and what I saw. I am a full time wheelchair user, so this review will also focus on the accessibility aspect of our cruise. I tend to be a bit wordy, but hopefully the pictures will balance out the chattiness.

 

Before we officially get started, a little bit about this trip and myself.

 

My name is Laurie, I'm from beautiful Quebec City in Canada and I turned 30 earlier this year. After being in school forever, I finally have what I like to call my adult job. Not only does it give me loads of "adult cred", it also means I have a more travel-friendly schedule. I am usually a solo traveller and suffer from a very serious "I can do it myself" syndrome. I'm an eternal optimistic and I tend to not take life or myself too seriously. I also like coffee, wine, candy, baking, and people who write "bare with me" because I always see it as an invitation to get naked.

 

 

That’s me, sporting my windswept cruise hair.

 

I was in a very ridiculous accident that completely severed my spinal cord ten years ago. Since then, I am fully paralysed from the 5th thoracic vertebrae down. It means that I cannot walk or stand up at all, that I have very little abdominal muscles and that, out of my wheelchair, my balance is pretty lousy. I also have tiny tyrannosaurus arms and I definitely can't reach the top shelf.

 

My mother has been cruising a lot for the past eight years, but always with her boyfriend. However, she had been talking about taking a mother-daughter cruise for a long time, and while I was very enthusiastic about the project, I just couldn't do it while I was at school since I got so little time off. In June 2014, with the end of my studies looming nearer, she started really looking.

 

She found a good Caribbean itinerary on the Celebrity Silhouette starting on April 12th with three ports of call and no tendering, which meant I would definitely be able to get off the ship at every port. Oh, and that cruise would also allow us to get the classic beverage package. I am definitely a glass half-full type of person, but it looked like I would reach a new optimism height: glass completely full all the time. I was in!

 

 

After that, things happened pretty quickly. She proposed the ship and itinerary to me, I researched the accessibility of the ship and ports, and it wasn't long before we were booked in a balcony cabin on Deck 7. Soon after we booked, my mother's sister showed interest in joining us, and my mother recruited her best friend to be my aunt's cabin mate. Apart from my mom, none of us had cruised before, so the whole thing was very exciting for everyone!

 

Unfortunately, we couldn't get side-by-side cabins. They would be in 7133 and we would be in 7139. Close enough, but I kept looking and hoping 7137 would open up. It didn't. As a result, I was super unpleasant and rude to the occupants of cabin 7137 (I really wasn't).

 

The waiting, it seemed, would never end.

 

Research helped pass the time, but what helped with the waiting the most was reading the reviews from other CC members. After I discovered my first one, I was hooked and I swore that when my time came, I would add one more to the review pool so the people who would cruise the Silhouette after I did would have one more review to read.

 

Apart from reading reviews, I also researched excursions and hotels. We had a pre-cruise meeting around Thanksgiving where I presented the other ladies with a document showing potential places to stay for our one night pre-cruise stay, as well as various excursions for all three ports.

 

For the hotel, we went with Hyatt Place 17th Street and booked through Value Trips. I was hesitant to use Value Trips at first, but people on Cruise Critic seemed satisfied so I decided to go for it.

 

For San Juan, we chose a sightseeing tour offered by Celebrity. For St. Kitts, we couldn't resist Thenford Grey's great TripAdvisor rating. As for St. Maarten, I knew I wanted to try parasailing and Mom was coming with me, but the other two ladies picked a Celebrity tour with a ride in a half submarine and a tour of Marigot.

 

Reading reviews and looking at pictures, you can't help but think about what your own cruise will be like. I'm going to share some of my resolutions, goals, and expectations with you and we'll see how that turned out.

 

• I would spend a lot of time in the Solarium. It looked too beautiful not to spend ages there with a book.
  
• I would try loads of different drinks at the Martini Bar and Molecule Bar.
  
• I would have plenty of time to thoroughly explore the ship and take loads of pictures.
  
• I really wanted to eat intelligently and avoid the feeling of being too full to exist.
  
• I would make good use of the pool lift.
  
• I would get seasick (I feel nauseated in cars and trains).
  

 

Quick word for the technology fans out there. I will be using pictures taken by the four of us, which means you will see pictures taken with an iPhone 6+, a Sony a6000, a Nikon D5100, a Canon PowerShot SX700 HS and a Panasonic DMC-SZ1. If you're curious about one particular picture, just click on it and flickr should tell you everything you need to know.

 

Keep in mind that your mileage will vary, not only in regard to accessibility, but for the whole trip. I hope you'll enjoy seeing this cruise through my eyes, because while it wasn't perfect, it was pretty fantastic and I'm very excited to relive it with you all. Also, English is not my first language, so please bare with me as I stretch my English writing muscles.

 

Did it work? Raise your hand if you're naked!

 

Oh, fine. Enough chitchat. Let's get this party started.

[laurieal]

Friday April 10th

Aunt and Friend live three hours away from Quebec City and we had a 7:00 flight on Saturday morning, so they arrived by bus on Friday evening. It had been decided that we would all stay at the Hotel Must close to the airport because my mother has connexions in all the right places and managed to get us a large room at an excellent rate.

 

 



 

 

The room had two queen size beds and a double sofa bed, and we had plenty of room for our entire luggage.

 

 

It's not really obvious, but the table next to the bed is actually a bed. You put the chairs away and pull one of the grey handles (they're beside the painting over the table) and a bed magically appears. The bed has a real mattress, so it's a lot more comfortable than the sofa bed, and if you need to use the room during the day (which wasn't our case), you get plenty of extra space to sit around.

 

 

The room wasn't wheelchair accessible, but we really didn't need one and we liked the extra space (accessible rooms have two queen beds only). The bathroom doors were just large enough for me to fit through them, so that would be something to keep in mind for someone with a larger chair. The hotel has a park/fly type of package with a shuttle that's not accessible, so we didn't use it.

 

Hotel shuttle at the airport

 

By 20:45 we were all in the room. The first thing that hit me was the noise. The hotel has an amusement center for kids and I think they were having a party. Our room was right over it and we could hear the music very clearly. However, the amusement center closes at 22:00, so everything turned quiet after that. It's another thing to keep in mind if you stay at this hotel and plan on going to bed before then. Just ask for a room away from the amusement center.

 

We had some things to discuss, papers to exchange, and Limoncello to drink, so we went to bed long after the party downstairs had stopped. The night was a very short one and 3:15 the alarm clock rang.

[laurieal]

Saturday April 11th

Yay! It's flying day! Despite the early hour, we were all pretty awake and excited. My mother's boyfriend would drive us to the airport in two groups because we couldn't fit four girls, their luggage, four carry-ons and a wheelchair into his car.

 

My mother and I got there first around 4:45 and our tiny, cute airport was busier than I've ever seen it. The line to check in was long, but things went smoothly and apparently everyone was going on vacation, so spirits were high. Going through security was a breeze, but we got to the other side with just enough time to have a very quick breakfast. We all had priority embarkation at 6:00 because of me and it felt like I hardly had a second to breathe before they brought out the Hannibal Lecter chair that would take me from the airplane door to my seat.

The flight left on time at 7:00 and was uneventful. Before we knew it, we were in Fort Lauderdale. I got very excited when I finally spotted the cruise ships docked at Port Everglades that day. I think that's the moment that finally made it 100% real for me.

 

Thankfully, my chair was stored into the right plane and was waiting for me at the door. As I mentioned before, I am a bit of a four year old and want to do everything by myself. However, when airplanes are concerned, I have learned that sometimes it's best to accept the help of the people who work there. They usually know where you need to be and know how to get you there faster. I wasn't a fan of being pushed by a stranger shouting "Out of the way! Wheelchair coming through!", but it got the job done and he rolled me straight to the front of the customs line. We lost Aunt and Friend, though, so my mother went back for them and she found them quickly.

 

I went first with Aunt, but Mom and Friend got scolded by the customs officer because they shouldn't have gone into the same line as me. Don't look at me like that! It's my first time travelling with other people and I didn't know! He let them through anyway and we started waiting for our luggage. And waiting. And waiting some more. Mom's was first, quickly followed by mine, but no sign of the other two. We were a bit freaked out when the carrousel stopped, but there were still a lot of people waiting around so we knew there had to be more coming. It took ages, but everyone finally got their luggage. Looked like none of us would be wearing the same t-shirt for the entire cruise.

 

The heat as we walked outside was wonderful. I know some Canadians have had a terrible winter snow-wise (hello Maritimes), but we've been very lucky on that front. However, man was it cold! It felt amazing to figuratively step into an oven. I had called Yellow Cab in Fort Lauderdale to inquire about accessible taxis (they have a special line for wheelchair service) and they had assured me that I didn't need to book a cab in advance to go from the airport to our hotel. They were right. We found the taxi station right outside the airport (follow the "Taxi" signs) and the guy working there called one for us.

 

The taxi arrived very quickly (I think it took around 10 minutes) and we all piled into it. First me (in my chair), then all the luggage around me, and finally my travelling buddies. I have used a lot of accessible taxis and shuttles in the past ten years, and you often get the feeling that the driver has never used the ramp or lift before. This guy knew what he was doing. He told us to make a reservation for the next day to get to the port because demand would be high and we'd have a hard time getting an accessible cab if we didn't have a reservation. The lady I had spoken to on the phone had already told me the same thing, but it was nice of him to look after us like that.

 

Traffic was heavy, but we got to our hotel safely. I had booked a room at the Hyatt Place through ValueTrips, thanks to a helpful tip on Cruise Critic.

 

 

We had seen pictures of the room, but we were blown away by all the space we had and by our view! We could see the ships! The room had two double beds and a double sofa bed. Again, we had picked a non-accessible room because we wanted the extra space (the accessible rooms have one bed and a sofa bed). Here's a quick tour of the room:

 

Plenty of space in our room!

 



Our living room photographed from the bedroom.

 



The bedroom, photographed from the living room.

 



Two double beds in the bedroom.

 



Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of the bathroom, but you can see the sink beside the door.

 

The room was perfect for us, but only for a short stay. The beds were insanely high, and can I just take a second to say how much I dislike this trend in hotels? Apparently the higher the bed, the classier the room! So I made my nest in the sofa bed and declared it my kingdom for the night. It meant I didn't have to share with anyone, which is always nice because I don't sleep well with other people (what if they brush against me during the night? What if I want to turn on my side but the other person is already facing that way?).

 

The bathroom wasn't ideal. While I could get close enough to the toilet to use it, I couldn't close the door. Thankfully, it was in a pretty secluded corner of the room, so I could use it without kicking everyone out. The shower was out of my reach, but I knew I would have access to a perfectly accessible shower in my cabin, so a wet cloth and soap were fine for one night. Hospital style!

[laurieal]

Saturday April 11th - Continued

Before going anywhere, I made a taxi reservation for noon the next day. Then, we started looking for food. My step-brother-in-law (don't you love modern families) had recommended Five Guys Burgers and Fries, which was close enough to our hotel that we could walk there.

 

Yours truly in front of the Five Guys close to our hotel.

 

The menu was simple and to the point, and we each got a burger. I don't know if it's because we were all starving by then, but the burgers were delicious! The patty was the perfect thickness, bacon was crispy, mushrooms were plentiful, and sauce was just spicy enough. Loved it. Would eat again.

 

 



My delicious burger! Nothing fancy, but so good!

 

Then, we went for a walk. We were on the hunt for Walgreens as some of the ladies had last minute things to buy. It was hot, but we took our time. Hey, we were on vacation! We found the Walgreens like the bosses that we are, everyone got what they needed, and we continued walking down 17th Street in the direction of the bridge.

 

I wanted to investigate the situation. See, I had been watching the ships sail away on the Port Everglades webcam for months and I would have loved to go and watch them in person. However, our timing wasn't ideal, it was hot, we were tired, and that hill to go over the bridge seemed pretty steep. Instead, we walked as far as we could under the bridge until we reached a cute little area from which we could kind of see the ships.

 

That's the furthest we could go under the bridge.

 



Big ships in the distance, acting all fancy.

 



Aaaah...that's the good life!

 

I would never recommend this spot to watch the ships as they sail away, but the breeze was pleasant and the shade welcome.

Edited May 18, 2015 by laurieal

[laurieal]

Saturday April 11th - Continued

We didn't wait for the ships to leave. It was too early and, as I mentioned earlier, we were tired. We decided to head back and look for wine. I knew there was a Total Wine close to the hotel, but it took a while for us to find it. Palm trees were in the way. I know, right, Florida problems.

 

Total Wine in all its glory! I could have spent ages in there.

 

We wanted some Asti for our sailaway. I had researched it online beforehand to see if we'd be able to find some. Total Wine's website was more than helpful: I knew that not only did they have Asti, but that it was in row five, on the left-hand side. I like to be prepared, but that was some pretty hardcore preparation, even for me.

 

Cute trolley close to the stores.

 

So we got our wine and got back to the hotel.

 

Our hotel as we were walking back from Total Wine.

 

Before leaving to have lunch, we had taken a quick peek at the pool area and had seen that they had a pool lift.

 

Pool lift!

 

It was my first time staying in a hotel that had one of those, but I had heard that they often don't work or that no one knows how to operate them. I decided to ask the person working at the front desk and he said I could just use it, no need to wait for them. We went outside to investigate, but it looked like it was missing a key. Back I went to the front desk and he said he would start looking for the magic key. We waited. And waited. By then, the other three ladies had gone back up to the room and I wasn't sure I wanted to swim anymore.

 

Just as I was about to throw the towel and leave, the person in charge of the front desk came to see me and told me that the key was in the manager's office and that he had left for the day. BUT they had called him and he was driving back to open the door separating us from the magic key and would be there in fifteen minutes. He even offered me a free drink or dessert. To be honest, I was a bit blown away! There was no way I wasn't getting into that pool now after all the trouble everyone had gone through to get me into it!

 

Now, my enormous pride wants me to take a break and say that I can get into a pool on my own, thank you very much. I can even get out of a pool on my own, although it sometimes involved a lot of flopping around. But remember the tiny tyrannosaurus arms? Too short to take me from the floor to my chair.

 

I went back to the room, told the girls about the pool lift, and we all got into our swimsuits. Thirty minutes later, we were all assembled around the pool lift in which, lo and behold, was the magic key! It was very easy to figure out how it worked: there were two buttons for up and down. The water was on the cold side, but it felt wonderful after a long day and a long walk. We swam around for a little bit and felt like brand new people.

 

You can operate the lift yourself thanks to the controller thing.

 



The chair goes all the way into the water, so it's easy to get in and out.

 

Back in the room, I collapsed onto the now open sofa bed and decided that I wasn't getting up until the next day, even if it meant missing out on my free drink or dessert. The other ladies went downstairs for some dinner and wine, but I had my mother bring up a plate of breakfast sandwich and fruits. I was out like a rock soon after. I didn't even hear them come back!

[Phxazzcruisers]

Wow, very thorough review so far. Cant wait to hear about the ship and cruise. We will be on the Silhouette in July and really looking forward to it.

[laurieal]

Sunday April 12th - Day 1

Cruise day! Cruise day! Gotta get down on cruise day! I woke up to a trio of very excited ladies watching the Silhouette coming into port. Too lazy to crawl out of my nest yet, I pulled up the Port Everglades webcam on my phone and watched with them. I don't know if it was the early morning glow or the fact that we would be boarding her in a few hours, but she looked particularly radiant.

 

Breakfast was included in the price of the room, so we got dressed and headed downstairs for some food. There were enough options to satisfy everyone and everything we had was pretty good. It hit the spot without being spectacular: just what we needed before going on the food marathon. I mean, the cruise.

 

Toaster eagerly awaiting all the bread, bagels and English muffins.

 



Tiny muffins, donuts and English muffins.

 



Fruits, yogurt and all the fixins to make a muesli and yogurt type of breakfast.

 



Scrambled eggs, pancakes and sausages.

 

After breakfast, it was time to pack everything up and close our luggage again. My mother had seen some pretty shoes in a window the day before, so we killed some time by doing some shopping close to our hotel in the Five Guys/Total Wine area.

 

We had to go around that fountain a couple of times. Very pretty, but not very pedestrian-friendly.

[bajacali]

What a great start to your review! Can't wait for more.

[laurieal]

Sunday April 12th - Day 1, continued

We checked out of the hotel a few minutes before noon and I got a text message saying our taxi was on the way, which I found reassuring. The taxi arrived a couple of minutes after noon and we were very happy to see our taxi driver friend from the day before. We piled up, part two.

 

Our accessible taxi.

 



Anchors to secure the wheelchair to the floor. Driver was a pro with those.

 



Keeping an eye on the luggage. It was a tight fit, but at least the four of us could share one taxi.

 

There was no traffic, so the ride was a lot shorter than the day before. When I could see the ships, I started getting butterflies in my stomach! We were there! We were at the port! Luggage out. Wheelchair out. Luggage to the porters. Wheelchair to the VIP line.

 

Our first view of the beautiful Silhouette when we got out of the taxi.

 

The wait was very short, but we were delayed at check-in when they had some technical problems with Friend's SeaPass. That would become a theme throughout our trip. I knew I could have requested wheelchair assistance at the port, but I hadn't because there were three people with me who could assist if the gangway was too steep.

 

Finally we were in possession of our SeaPasses and our Spanish Celebrity Today (¿Qué? ¿Dónde está el vino tinto?). Then, it was picture time, and then elevator time, and then gangway time, and then SHIP TIME!!!! I couldn't believe my eyes! I could see things I had seen dozens of times before on pictures! I had an emotion!

 

We got in on Deck 5 close to Café Al Bacio. They offered us some mimosas that we took outside to toast the beginning of our cruise and my mother who was at the heart of the project.

 

Cheers!

 

When we were done drinking our bubbles, we headed over to the Oceanview Café.

 

My first ride in the elevator was like squeezing thirty clowns into a tiny Volkwagen Beetle. In a way, I was prepared for the chaos of the first day because I had read so many reviews, but I also wasn't prepared at all. People. Everywhere. As far as the eye can see. We had a hard time finding a table and my patience reserve was emptying faster than a Piña Colada on a hot sea day. We found a table, Mom and Friend went to get some food while I was ogling the Allure of the Seas through a window and breathing through my nose. Then, a vision. A guy carrying two beautiful fruity drinks. I stopped him, asked him what he was carrying, and just like that he dropped a Piña Colada in front of me. Didn't even ask for my SeaPass.

 

I took a sip, and suddenly I was happy again. If anyone is wondering if they water down the drinks: No. They really don't. Soon, it was my time to hunt down some food. The problem with the buffet (not just this one, buffets in general) is that I lack some height. I couldn't see very well what was on display and I could only see the names of the offerings in German. I grabbed a few things, mostly spicy cheese, and that was the beginning of a passionate love story between the spicy cheese and me.

 

Back at the table, we were offered drinks. I'm sticking to my Piña Colada, but we found out that Friend's SeaPass didn't show that she had the classic package. Remember when they had problems with her SeaPass during check-in? I suppose the classic package got lost somewhere. They were able to verify and confirm that she had the package and she got her white wine soon enough, but we had just bought ourselves a trip to Guest Relations.

 

Eventually, we realised that the place had emptied rather quickly. One look at the clock confirmed that it was now after 13:30 and that our cabins were ready. We finished eating and grabbed the closest elevator to Deck 7 where our cabins were located.

[poffles]

Along for the ride. Your pictures are beautiful. Nothing like living the excitement of someones first time cruising. I still get excited seeing the ship for the first time and stepping aboard knowing you will be on it for 7 days.

 

Can't wait to hear how you all enjoyed it ... assuming you did :)

[laurieal]

Sunday April 12th - Day 1, continued

Whoa! Holy thick carpet, Batman! Very unpleasant surface to roll onto! We were coming from the aft of the ship and were heading to the front, so it was a long ride. I vowed that, from now on, I would go to the front elevator on a better surface and then go to Deck 7 to avoid as much as the thick carpet as possible.

 

Good plan, you say. I know, right?

 

We all assembled in front of cabin 7139, took a deep breath, slid a SeaPass into the card slot thingy, and the door opened!

 

We made it to our cabin! Success! You can see the box thing in which you need to slide your SeaPass in order for the door to open.

 

I couldn't believe that I was finally seeing my home for the week! I had seen pictures of an accessible cabin, so I knew what to expect, but this was real and I was excited (did I already mention that? Sorry if I did).

 

My mother, who was cruising for the first time in an accessible cabin, was awed by how big it was compared to her usual cabins. Before we touched anything, it was picture time.

 

First look at our cabin.

 

Isn't it beautiful? The beds wouldn't stay pushed together, but they were when we came in and it gave us the opportunity to see both layouts. As far as accessibility is concerned, it suited my needs perfectly. There was plenty of room to roll around and the carpet wasn't nearly as thick as in the hallways.

 

The beds had a very reasonable height.

 



 



The chair was light and there was plenty of space beside the dresser for me to move it when I needed to sit in front of the mirror.

 



We had more than enough drawers for both of us (we each had a big one and two small ones). Despite not having storage space over the beds, we had plenty of space to store everything.

 

[laurieal]

Sunday April 12th - Day 1, continued

The sockets were easy to access, no gymnastics required.

 



Same for the fridge (which was locked when we came in) and the safe. The fridge is behind the larger cabinet door, and the safe is right next to it in the medium-sized cabinet door.

 



The closet had plenty of room for all of our clothes, but we had brought extra hangers.

 



There was a handle to pull the clothes down, which I liked and wish I had at home.

 



Cabin and bathroom doors. You can see the button to open the cabin door on the wall left of the bathroom door.

 



Bathroom preview. The white button on the wall turns on/off the bathroom light.

 

If I had one complaint to make about the room, it would be about the balcony door. Because of the dresser, I had to be in a slightly uncomfortable angle to access it, and the door was pretty heavy so it was sometimes a bit hard to open if I didn't do it just right. Someone without the full use of their arms could find it hard/impossible to open on their own. Getting on the balcony was sometimes a bit awkward, again because of the angle, and the curtains were in the way if you didn't tie them solidly enough.

[canuckinindia]

Look forward to reading more, just finalised a trip on Silhouette in January with the same itinerary.

 

Can't bare to wait to see the rest of the review. :)

[laurieal]

Sunday April 12th - Day 1, continued

The bathroom, like the cabin, had plenty of room to move around. There was a small inclination to access it, but nothing that required me to back up and gather some speed.

 

Our bathroom, photographed from the shower.

 



The shower bench was a bit bigger than what I expected based on the pictures I had seen, but still smaller than what I have at home. Good size, though. I've seen much smaller in some hotels.

 



Shower heads.

 



Although not a requirement, the handle bar beside the toilet was on the same side as it is at home, so I knew I'd be comfortable. Notice the telephone beside the toilet? I was the first one to say I would never use it. Let's see how that goes.

 



There was plenty of space under the sink for me to roll under comfortably. Like in the cabin, we had more than enough storage space for the both of us. My tyrannosaurus arms could reach the second shelf, but only if I put my stuff close enough to the edge.

 

If I had one complaint to make about the bathroom, it's that with the inclination and the angle of the door, the door is a little hard to close from the inside. It took me four days to realise that I could grab one of the lower hooks to pull the door in. Hey, better late than never, right?

 

Bathroom door from the inside. The lower hooks were very useful when I wanted to close the door.

[laurieal]

Sunday April 12th - Day 1, continued

The balcony was fantastic. We had a small table and a couple of chairs that we pushed against the wall so I would have plenty of space to dance around in my pyjamas when I wanted to. If I had one complaint, it's that I don't have a tall enough torso and that it was hard to see/take pictures over the balcony. Celebrity, if you're reading this and can expand my torso, I'd really appreciate it. Okay? Thanks.

 

The short ramp to get onto the balcony.

 



Table and chairs on our balcony.

 

We checked out Aunt and Friend's cabin, too. I was curious to see whether I'd be able to travel in a non-accessible cabin, and the answer is no. Absolutely not. There's just not enough space to go around the bed and the bathroom door is very narrow and has an intimidating step. I was almost unable to turn around to get out.

 

Cabin 7133. Aunt and Friend's home for the week.

 

Going from my cabin to theirs was slightly uncomfortable. Someone has rented a scooter and it was stored in the hallway, which, while I understand that cabins are tiny, is a terrible space to store a scooter. Thankfully, I very rarely had to visit their cabin, but if it had been stored between the elevators and my cabin, it would have been a real pain in my wheels.

 

Too soon, we had to put an end to the cabin photoshoots. Our luggage had arrived and we had to head over to our muster station. Both our stations were in the theatre, but we were at the back where the wheelchair accessible spots are. Muster was painless: no need to bring the life jackets, just watch a short movie, and then it was over. I knew it would be like that scene with the wildebeests in The Lion King to get to the elevators, so I escaped as quickly as I could once it was over while Mom waited for Aunt and Friend.

 

In the cabin, I had some serious work to do: I had a flag to tape to our balcony! I got another emotion when I got on the balcony and the Coral Princess started blowing their Love Boat horn. It was beautiful! By the time the other ladies arrived, I was ready for sailaway, Quebec Style. We got the Asti, some glasses, and just like that, we started pushing away from the pier!

 

My sailaway setup.

 



The Coral Princess and Regal Princess were with us in port that day.

 



Allure of the Seas looking absolutely gorgeous.

[laurieal]

Sunday April 12th - Day 1, continued

Sailing away was a strong moment of the trip for me. After watching the Silhouette sailing away with other cruisers for months, I couldn't believe it was finally our turn!

 

Ready for sailaway!

 



Getting closer to the webcam!

 



The beach!

 

I had my phone's camera ready to film our sailaway, but I wanted to fully appreciate the moment and didn't touch my camera until we were out of the inlet. Unfortunately, someone called me, and that stopped my recording. We waved at the webcam as we were sailing past it, and we got our webcam wave so people at home could see us leave.

 

We were on a cruise!

 

While my mother started unpacking, I headed over to Guest Relations with Aunt and Friend. We were on a mission to fix Friend's SeaPass and find some sparkling water for Aunt. Down we went to Deck 3, and then we realised we were at the front heading to the aft, so I had a bit of a carpet marathon again. Never again, I swore!

 

At Guest Relations, a very nice lady took care of Friend's SeaPass issue. While I was there, I inquired about my mother who, as a classis member, should have received some special offers. Apparently it should have been in the cabin, but we had looked at all the documentation and I was 100% sure it wasn't there. Guest Relations lady said she would make sure we got them. With that taken care of, we headed over to the Passport Bar where Aunt got her sparkling water and Friend got to test her new SeaPass. Everything was in order, thankfully. Aunt got back to the room the fluffy carpet way, but Friend and I decided to go up to deck 12 to check out the pool lifts.

 

I quickly found a Pool Butler and I asked about the pool lifts. Despite him looking a bit puzzled by my request, he found someone who looked like he was in charge (he was wearing sunglasses He said the pool lifts were working, but he needed to hunt down the batteries. He assured me the lifts would be working the next day, and I believed him. I had to; he was wearing sunglasses. We made our way over to the Solarium, and boy was it pretty. So calm and refreshing! I knew I wanted to spend some time there at some point.

 

We found the forward elevators and rode them down to Deck 7. No carpet marathon: success!

 

Deck 7 forward elevators.

 

Back in our cabin, Mom had finished unpacking her suitcase and had moved on to mine. Between the two of us, it wasn't long before I was fully unpacked. Mom moved to the other cabin to help her sister unpack (she's like the luggage elf, I swear) while I (finally) took a shower. And what a shower it was! So much pressure! I couldn't close the shower curtain all the way through (short arms), but somehow I managed not to splash water everywhere. I was afraid to cause a small flood in the bathroom (like I did the last time I stayed in a hotel with a roll-in shower), but the drain must be excellent because it wasn't the case. Overall, an excellent shower experience.

 

After that, we all got ready for our first dinner in the dining room. While I was blow drying my hair, the Shore Excursions desk called to let us know that the tour we had booked in San Juan didn't have an accessible vehicle, so they wanted to know whether I could walk. My mother told them that we had booked this excursion specifically because it was in an accessible vehicle and that I couldn't walk at all. They told us they'd have to cancel and refund our excursion and that if Aunt and Friend wanted to cancel, too, they would refund theirs also.

 

Aunt and Friend didn't want to do it without us, so we called the Shore Excursions desk back to let them know. A colleague of my mom's who has been to San Juan says it's one of the best ports in which to walk around and do your own thing, and I knew there was plenty to see even without being part of a sightseeing tour, so I wasn't bummed out at all.

 

Back to the blow-drying of the hair, which is pretty terrible with the provided hair dryer. You have to keep pushing the button or the blowing will stop. But it got the job done. My hair was shiny and pretty and ready to be presented to the world. Just had to avoid wind at all cost. Ooooh what's that on the balcony—whooosh! Well, too late.

[laurieal]

Sunday April 12th - Day 1, continued

My mother usually picks fixed seating, but we had decided that we would enjoy the flexibility of MTD. We showed up at the dining room around seven and were given a beeper as there was a short wait. We knew that could happen, so we were neither surprised nor bothered. We took advantage of the proximity of the Martini Bar to enjoy the first martini of the cruise (for us lucky girls with the big package, anyway). There were no seats left at the bar, but we found a table for four close to the MDR.

 

The bar was very busy, but I spotted a man walking around with a Qsine chef jacket. I knew some people had been offered discounts for specialty restaurants on the first night, so I tried catching his eye by batting my eyelashes and making animal noises. It worked. He came over, and when he realised we spoke French, he offered us a 20% discount. I suspect that if it hadn't been the French discount, it would have been the red and blue shirt discount or the animal noises making discount. But hey, we weren't about to complain. So we said we'd make a reservation if he could find us a waiter to take our drinks order. He did, so we made a reservation for the last day, which would also be Mom's birthday.

 

Aunt and I picked the Lychee Martini while the other two had white wine. Too soon, our pager buzzed and we had to leave without having experienced the full Martini Bar experience. We were seated at the back of the dining room, close to the kitchen, at a very wheelchair-friendly table. While we were close to our neighbours, we had plenty of space to circulate around the table and it didn't feel crowded at all.

 

Our dining room team consisted of Dennis (waiter), Dejan (assistant waiter) and Ivan (sommelier). They were awesome! Of course, it was my first dining room experience, so I have base for comparison, but even Mom said it was the best team she had ever had. While Dennis was very nice, Dejan was the absolute star, not only of our dinners, but of our entire cruise. The sommelier, Ivan, was very handsome, tall, and had a rich and deep voice. I may have developed a bit of a schoolgirl crush on him.

 

My mother told us that, unlike in a restaurant, dinner wouldn't be a long, drawn-out affair where we talk for ages between courses. That was fine by me, as it was nearing 20:00 and I was getting tired. I have to say, we never felt rushed in any of our dining room meals. That night, dinner for me was:

 

Chilled Shrimp Louis

 



Cream of Wild Forest Mushroom Soup

 



Aged Prime Rib of Beef

 

Dessert was Dulce de Leche Crema Catalana, but I got a little too excited and started digging in before I even thought about taking a picture!

 

Everything was delicious and I got out of the dining room feeling like I had kept my first cruise resolution: I definitely wasn't feeling too full to exist. Overall, an excellent first dinner! Before turning in for the night, we decided to check out The Hideaway to show Aunt (the earliest riser of us all) where she could grab some coffee close to her cabin. It would be the only time we'd ever spend time there. I got to say hello to the tree, Aunt got to see where the coffee would be (there wasn't any at that time) and we had a quick photoshoot in the different chair thingies.

 

Beautiful tree!

 

Back to our cabin, we saw that our cabin steward had seen our note and had split the beds. However, with the bedside table, bed, bedside table, bed configuration, I couldn't fit between the two beds. So we did a bit of remodelling and switched to the bed, bedside table, bedside table, bed configuration. The beds, once separated, are pretty narrow, and without the support of the second bed, tend to move around if you lean against them. It could make transferring onto the bed a bit more challenging if you heavily lean against the bed while transferring. However, I don't think it would be a problem when the two beds are pushed together.

 

Our two beds, before Mom and I started moving things around.

 

I couldn't believe it: my first cruise day ever was now over. I would never get another one. I don't think the day could have gone any better.

 

***

 

That's all I'll be posting for today. I need to start sorting through my Day 2 pictures. If you have any questions, please ask! :cool:

[kenevenpar]

Thanks so much for sharing!

[bluecruisin]

What a wonderful review! I can't wait for more.

[Tyler80]

Great review so far! Thanks!

[Cruising Is Bliss]

Sunday April 12th - Day 1, continued

***

 

That's all I'll be posting for today. I need to start sorting through my Day 2 pictures. If you have any questions, please ask! :cool:

 

Really enjoying your detailed review and photos and looking forward to more. It brings back many very happy memories of experiencing my first cruise.

 

The accessibility aspect of cruising seems to be reasonably good and I hope that it really is. My mother has been in a chair fulltime for several years which has been a real eye-opener about accessibility in general.

[cruise47]

Thanks for sharing your outstanding review.

[laurieal]

Wow, very thorough review so far. Cant wait to hear about the ship and cruise. We will be on the Silhouette in July and really looking forward to it.

There will be a lot more about the ship! I really enjoyed exploring and will post my pictures and observations along the way.

 

She's beautiful; I'm sure you'll have a fantastic cruise. What's your itinerary?

 

What a great start to your review! Can't wait for more.

Thank you! More to come soon after I sort through the ridiculous amount of pictures the four of us took.

 

Along for the ride. Your pictures are beautiful. Nothing like living the excitement of someones first time cruising. I still get excited seeing the ship for the first time and stepping aboard knowing you will be on it for 7 days.

 

Can't wait to hear how you all enjoyed it ... assuming you did :)

Spoiler alert: I enjoyed it immensely! Thanks for coming along. I'm glad that excitement doesn't go away after a few cruises :)

 

Look forward to reading more, just finalised a trip on Silhouette in January with the same itinerary.

 

Can't bare to wait to see the rest of the review. :)

Fine, don't bare, do what you want ;)

 

How was your cruise? Did you enjoy it? Hopefully I'll bring back some good memories!

 

Thanks so much for sharing!

It's my absolute pleasure! I'm having a terrific time doing it.

 

What a wonderful review! I can't wait for more.

More will come soon! I'm glad you're enjoying what I have posted so far!

 

Great review so far! Thanks!

Thank you! I'm glad you like it!

 

Really enjoying your detailed review and photos and looking forward to more. It brings back many very happy memories of experiencing my first cruise.

 

The accessibility aspect of cruising seems to be reasonably good and I hope that it really is. My mother has been in a chair fulltime for several years which has been a real eye-opener about accessibility in general.

Aaaw that's great! I'm glad!

 

I thought the accessibility aspect on the ship was excellent. In some points even more so than my own place. And yes, it really is an eye-opener. Not only for the person in a wheelchair, but for the people around them, too.

 

Thanks for sharing your outstanding review.

My pleasure! I'm having a lot of fun doing it, so I'm glad you like it!

[Mcobean]

Fantastic, thank you for sharing

[Phxazzcruisers]

Thanks again. Getting very excited about our upcoming cruise. And, by the way, you DO NOT have short arms !!!!! :=)