First X Cruise:SILHOUETTE JAN 17 2016

[Bimmer09]

Just to refresh your memory and let you put faces to names here is a photo of Carol and I in Having a Wonderful Cruise Mode.

 

 

So we are on the ship but 300 ft apart as Carol reads her Kindle (she has 3 and sometimes reads 3 books at a time-voracious reader!) and I enjoy a beer at the Sunset Bar. I talk to a couple of fun ladies who are looking forward to our stop in St Lucia- I break the news to them that we are stopping in St. Kitts. They drown their sorrows in Pina Coladas. (heap good Medicine Kimosabe)

 

I'm a ship nerd so I take photos when I have the chance.

 

Today I have that chance.

 

NIEUW AMSTERDAM seen from our balcony

 

 

and from the Sunset Bar

 

 

This shot shows the vast expanse of the docklands at Pier 25

 

 

CARNIVAL CONQUEST

 

 

REGAL PRINCESS at Pier 2

 

[Bimmer09]

I don't give a EURODAM!!

 

 

They are still loading the luggage onto the ship

 

 

 

It was while taking this photo of the REGAL that I noticed there was one ship I hadn't taken photos of. It was right under my feet and I didn't even notice! The Heineken must have been from a strong batch...

 

 

 

At 1.15 an announcement- Rooms are ready!

 

Our plan is;

 

Go to room, drop bags,Clorox-wipe every hard surface we will use (handles,phone.light switches etc)

 

Take video and photos of room

 

Go to Luminae for lunch.

 

So that's what's coming next. First an elevator ride to deck 7.

 

 

Norris

[P&O SUE]

Hellooo! I've just come from the Princess Board where I've just read your Med adventure over about 5 days! I've only cruised P&O so far but have seen a good itinerary on Princess for 2017 so was lurking over there! My bucket list has Rome and Barcelona on it so I loved it all! Stunning photos!

Only like to cruise out of the UK so have been looking at Celebrity too - so thought I'd come and see what you had to say!

[Bimmer09]

Well, Norris, this explains how you have such a great sense of humor. You are from Ireland. I was raised in Enniskillen. Love that country.

 

Me too.

 

Norris

[Bimmer09]

Hellooo! I've just come from the Princess Board where I've just read your Med adventure over about 5 days! I've only cruised P&O so far but have seen a good itinerary on Princess for 2017 so was lurking over there! My bucket list has Rome and Barcelona on it so I loved it all! Stunning photos!

Only like to cruise out of the UK so have been looking at Celebrity too - so thought I'd come and see what you had to say!

 

Sue-welcome aboard!

 

Glad you read the Emerald review and liked the photos-it was our best cruise yet.

 

Norris

[Patrick IL.]

I'm truly enjoying your review. We were on a B to B on Silly last year and loved it. Equinox in 3 weeks for us. Thank you.

[Bimmer09]

Here's a video of our room on deck 7. Followed by some photos, followed by lunch.

 

[YOUTUBE]

[/YOUTUBE]

 

I'll leave the photos until the next post so you don't get Suite Overload. Our luggage hadn't arrived yet. We'd been on the ship for two hours already.

 

I wanted to wear my ermine smoking jacket, fez and turkish slippers (the ones that have the toes that curl up). Ah well.

 

There was a lot of mail awaiting-welcomes,a copy of Celebrity Today,Excursion Tickets and (drum roll) a card saying we had UNLIMITED INTERNET!! Golly Gee!

That was a surprise. We had 1,2,3 GO and now this. Saved us $199. Nice.

 

I had said to Carol as my foot hit the Promenade Deck 2 hours before and I saw the Mimosas and then the cool elevators- I LOVE THIS SHIP!!

 

I already knew she was a beauty on the outside but now I could see it wasn't skin deep.

 

Off to a great start!

 

Norris

[Bimmer09]

Youtube video issue STOP My team of assistants working on it STOP

 

Norris

[New York Nana]

Thank you! Thank you! Another Norris review!!

You don't know how much your Med/Emerald review meant to me as I sat beside my husband's hospital bed during some pretty long days!! Your review was always FIRST on my reading list! (I know I'd started it over the summer - but other issues popped up and interupted me!). It really helped me to drift away and day dream!

Had things gone better sooner, we would have been disembarking the Regal P while you drove by in your taxi on the way to your X-Silly!! But, alas, that was the first time we've had to cancel a cruise.

As it is, we are keeping fingers crossed we'll be up to embarking on our Emerald cruise in 37 days!! AND it's our 1st 'sweet' suite!!

In the mean time - I am anticipating enjoying your vivid descriptions and pictures of your "crossover' cruise! We'll be Elite after this trip (I hope, I hope, I REALLY hope!), and may begin to entertain other cruise lines, so I am very interested in your perspective of Celebrity. We're fortunate to be within driving distance of Cape Liberty where Celebrity provides more opportunities to cruise than Princess does. So, who knows?

Now - on with it!! :D

Barb

[Bimmer09]

Ok so we'll get to that video later as youtube is in a funk or something.

 

Here's the photos!

 

Aft Sky Suite 7309

 

 

 

 

 

 

Although smallish the room had a great deal of useful storage. There was a closet not seen in the photos that had 3 mirrored doors and lots of wooden hangers plus 2 umbrellas (a golf and a compact) and a pair of binoculars. Good lighting (especially the mirror) and the overhead lights were on a dimmer. Nice.

 

One of the people I met on the ship was in a balcony cabin and complained that he had only 1/3 of our closet space-he was hanging multiple shirts on one hanger.

 

Next the bathroom.

 

Norris

[LC1950]

Youtube video issue STOP My team of assistants working on it STOP

 

Norris

Norris, I was able view the footage by clicking on the youtube link in the reply notification email from CC. The link (of course) took me straight to youtube. Maybe your issues are with the embedding onto CC process?

[Bimmer09]

Norris, I was able view the footage by clicking on the youtube link in the reply notification email from CC. The link (of course) took me straight to youtube. Maybe your issues are with the embedding onto CC process?

 

Thanks LC but what is reply notification email from CC?

 

I'll try just posting the URL without embedding it.

 

Fingers crossed...

 

Norris

[Bimmer09]

re the room video I'll attach the URL here rather than embed it....

 

 

Fingers X'd!

 

Norris

Edited January 27, 2016 by Bimmer09

[LC1950]

Norris, when I subscribe to a thread on CC (or any other forum I visit) I receive an email with the subject "Reply to thread ....whatever ...." I call it a reply notification email 'cause I'm trying to sound sophisticated and computer literate - in other words, a drongo. :rolleyes:

[Bimmer09]

 



 

A nice little bathroom with German Hangrohe fittings and Bvlgari soap/shower gel/shampoo/conditioner and body lotion. Towels worn thin so forget "fluffy".

Grab bar in bathtub unreachable because of glass shower panel in the way. Rain shower gave good pressure and hot water always reliable. Nice finish, blond wood.

 

Toilet didn't flush on one occasion so I called Cust Relations and learned that a plumber was working on it-which was good news as sending the electrician to do it would have been a waste of time. Apparently whole deck was affected. Up and running again within 10 minutes. Good response!

 

On to the balcony. No teak furniture but decent sitting devices and footstools.

A little funnel soot occasionally and I mean a little. Not a lot. The opposite of that.

 

 

We were very happy with our new home. We both loved the giant "porthole". It doesn't open which explains the quotation marks. Great view though and big enough to sit in and watch the sea go by.

 

The odd thing was the dangerous (in the dark) pole beside the bed. I thought maybe I could take one of the plumber's hack-saws and cut through it. Has anyone ever done this before? Does it take long?

 

Now it was 1.45 and lunch in Luminae was calling...

 

Norris

[CRLess]

 

The odd thing was the dangerous (in the dark) pole beside the bed.

Norris

[/size]

 

Um....a stripper pole in your suite?:eek::eek::eek: Will you be including the video of you and your Magic Mike moment for Carol in this review?

[LynMcGad]

Hi Norris--Glad I found your review. I am having cruise withdrawal as our next one isn't scheduled til this time next year. So am looking forward to cruising vicariously by reading your review of the Silhouette. I will also be interested in hearing your comparison to Princess. My husband and I have done only two cruises, one on the Silhouette and the second on the Equinox. He has been so pleased with those, he is reluctant to try any others. But I am open to other cruise lines and would like to try a variety. Looking forward to your review!

[Bimmer09]

Um....a stripper pole in your suite?:eek::eek::eek: Will you be including the video of you and your Magic Mike moment for Carol in this review?

 

Oh? So that's what the pole was for!

 

Thanks for the laugh, Chris!

 

Norris

[Bimmer09]

Hi Norris--Glad I found your review. I am having cruise withdrawal as our next one isn't scheduled til this time next year. So am looking forward to cruising vicariously by reading your review of the Silhouette. I will also be interested in hearing your comparison to Princess. My husband and I have done only two cruises, one on the Silhouette and the second on the Equinox. He has been so pleased with those, he is reluctant to try any others. But I am open to other cruise lines and would like to try a variety. Looking forward to your review!

 

Lyn- a good place to start would be to read any of my Princess reviews as I "tell it like it is" and on Princess that's mostly good. There are 8 to choose from. Don't start with the Emerald one (most recent) as it is a giant read. Try Ruby Princess from last January-much shorter. Or Diamond Princess to Alaska-my favorite Princess ship.

 

I will do a PCL/X comparison after I finish this review but that will be over on the Princess Board.

 

Norris

[nursedibdob]

I went straight to the Emerald Princess thread & so glad I did. Loving it. I'm stuck at home for the next few weeks with a broken arm. I can see that your reviews are going to be my entertainment until I'm back at work. Thank you!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[TeaBag]

re the room video I'll attach the URL here rather than embed it....

 

 

Fingers X'd!

 

Norris

Thank you for the URL, Norris. This worked.

[ruag8tr2]

Wish you had already been on the Regal Princess. But please go after you go on Reflection because I would love to read a comparison of those two beautiful ships.

 

 

Lyn- a good place to start would be to read any of my Princess reviews as I "tell it like it is" and on Princess that's mostly good. There are 8 to choose from. Don't start with the Emerald one (most recent) as it is a giant read. Try Ruby Princess from last January-much shorter. Or Diamond Princess to Alaska-my favorite Princess ship.

 

I will do a PCL/X comparison after I finish this review but that will be over on the Princess Board.

 

Norris

[LynMcGad]

Lyn- a good place to start would be to read any of my Princess reviews as I "tell it like it is" and on Princess that's mostly good. There are 8 to choose from. Don't start with the Emerald one (most recent) as it is a giant read. Try Ruby Princess from last January-much shorter. Or Diamond Princess to Alaska-my favorite Princess ship.

 

I will do a PCL/X comparison after I finish this review but that will be over on the Princess Board.

 

Norris

 

Thanks--I will check them out!

[Bimmer09]

I went straight to the Emerald Princess thread & so glad I did. Loving it. I'm stuck at home for the next few weeks with a broken arm. I can see that your reviews are going to be my entertainment until I'm back at work. Thank you!

 

Sorry to hear about your broken arm. I can't even imagine what that is like.

 

Glad to hear the Emerald review is reading well. Thanks for letting me know!

 

Get well soon.

 

Norris

[Bimmer09]

Wish you had already been on the Regal Princess. But please go after you go on Reflection because I would love to read a comparison of those two beautiful ships.

 

Hi there! Carol is interested in the Regal but I am not so keen as I think there were too many design failures on her to my taste. There are enough pre-Royal class ships in the fleet (16 I think) for me to cruise on. I know the interior is a thing of beauty. I am far from alone on the Princess board in feeling that way.

 

We had a cruise booked on the Royal in Jan 2014 but cancelled it and went on the Caribbean Princess instead.

 

If Carol is keen enough and does some research then I'll be fine with trying the Regal. Sorry I'm not more enthusiastic.

 

Norris