Celebrity Silhouette Western Caribbean Review - January 24, 2016

[Zerz360]

About us - Me and my DH are in our late 20s and this was our second cruise. Our first cruise was for our honeymoon and was on Carnival to the Mexican Riviera in 2012. This was our first cruise on Celebrity and first time to the Caribbean.

 

Arrival - We flew into FLL on Saturday, the day before our cruise, at noon. We rented a car from Alamo as we knew we could use the shuttle when we dropped off the next day (shuttle is for Alamo, National, and Enterprise - just show receipt). We paid $28 for a premium vehicle (2016 Nissan Maxima) for 24 hours - not bad at all. We went and got lunch at LaSpadas which is an amazing sub shop in Ft Lauderdale - highly recommend!! We stayed at Galt Villas, which is a quaint place with a great price and was clean. We had dinner at Blue Jean Blues, which is an epic jazz bar/restaurant with excellent music and food (plus happy hour on Saturday until 6 pm). We had breakfast at NY Deli which was not far from our hotel and that was great as well. Returned the car around 10:30 am on Sunday and we were on board the Celebrity Silhouette with champagne in hand by 11:45 am. I think there was a slight fluke with us getting on before other waiting passengers (sorry), but we just went where we were directed to go. Once on board we walked around a bit and got some burgers at the mast grill (best burger this day). The buffet wasn't too busy when we walked through around 12:30 pm. Rooms opened at 1 pm and luggage arrived by sail away.

 

Room - Concierge Class 1269, deck 10, balcony, port side. (Booked concierge class because it was the cheapest unobstructed balcony, but knew and experienced no real perks.) Plenty of storage, overhead bed storage was easy to access and I'm 5’4”. Enough hangers too, and obviously could've asked for more if needed. Lots of storage in bathroom too. Everything was clean. Balcony is nice sized with great views. (Far enough from the hump that it didn't fully block out view forward.) Also, we had city views port side in FLL, Grand Cayman, Jamaica, and Labadee. In Cozumel we faced the ocean, but starboard side faced another ship that was directly on the other side of the pier. This situation could potentially happen in Labadee for port side rooms if there is another ship in port.

 

Restaurants/Food - We mostly ate in the MDR and oceanview. Food in oceanview was pretty consistent and good. Breakfast always had the regular American and British breakfast items, “freshly made” poached eggs, as well as two stations for made-to-order omelets and eggs. We did breakfast in the MDR once and were not impressed (food and service was good but selection of food was minimal compared to the buffet). We got room service for breakfast once, and that was good. Food and coffee were warm. Lunch we either ate on shore or in oceanview. Oceanview for lunch and dinner always consisted of pizza, pasta bar, Chinese food, Mexican food, Indian food, sandwiches, fruit, desserts, and a rotating selection of other chef selected dishes. There were plenty of options for pretty much everyone it seemed, even on a restricted diet (gluten free, vegan, etc). There were almost too many choices some days that it was difficult to decide what to get and what not to get. There also seemed to never be a line when we were there, and we were generally there at peak eating times. The only time I saw a line was on the last sea day when they had a chocolate fountain - that line was looooong (we went to lunch at noon and there was no line, but later when we went back to get some water at about 1:45 pm the line was really long...so get there early on this day if you want to experience the chocolate fountain!). As for dinner, we had select dining. For the most part it was pretty seamless, but after the second night we realized that we had to get there early to get the server we wanted (Lobo and his assistant Ravi are both phenomenal). We would usually try to get there around 6, and would end up next to the same people who were also requesting Lobo. It kind of ended up being unlike select dining with all the talking, but it was fine for us as we don’t mind meeting new people. One thing that was odd is that we would sit next to open or dirty tables almost all dinner, and then when we would leave there was a huuuuge line to be seated. I don't think celebrity has fully figured out select dining yet, but they are getting there. Food was always great as well as the service!

 

Beverages - We had the Classic Drink Package and it was perfect for us. We’re content with a Corona with lime, a margarita, or a mojito. We don’t need top shelf liquor, although we’ve been told it’s nice. We were only asked once on the first day to upgrade to the premium package. Other than that, it was smooth sailing with delicious drinks. We always made sure to verify that what we were getting was on our package, and after a few days we were good to go. If we happened to order something that wasn’t on the package, the bartender would tell us (and not just make the drink and charge us). We never experienced any lines at the bars either, which is opposite of previous reviews I had read. I was worried it would be a hassle to get a drink, but it never was. Also, Imade is an EXCELLENT bartender. On our cruise he would be at the Sunset Bar in the afternoon and then in the martini bar for the evening. So funny and he really knows how to make a good drink! Also, some specialty coffees are included so we would get a yummy mocha or cappuccino each morning. Man, am I missing that! Here is a list of all the drinks we ordered: Margarita (regular and flavored, on the rocks or frozen), mojito, mudslide, vodka cranberry, 7&7, rum punch, mocha, cappuccino, americano, and macchiato. Oh, and you can also get bottled water on the Classic Package.

 

Entertainment - Celebrity does a pretty good job when it comes to its main nightly shows. Not all were great, but not all are for everyone. By far the best one we saw on our cruise was “Tenors of Rock” - they were absolutely amazing. There was also the Soulstiss Quartet (jazz band) that would play in a few different places on the ship which we really enjoyed as the guitarist was phenomenal. I feel like overall there could’ve been a few more options of things to do on sea days and in the evenings, but we were never truly bored.

 

:: Ports ::

 

Cozumel - We had some onboard credit to burn so we did the Salsa, Salsa, & Margaritas shore excursion through Celebrity. It was really great! We learned how to make 6 different salsas, 2 different margaritas, and how to salsa dance as well! I highly recommend this excursion. If you’re considering this excursion or already planning on doing it, let me know and I will give you a few extra pointers.

 

Grand Cayman - We planned this day to be a beach day, and that’s exactly what we did! We took the public bus ($2.50 per person!) to 7 mile beach. It takes about 10 minutes to get there and make sure you tell the bus driver where you want to get off. The beach was a bit touristy with a ton of lounge chairs and umbrellas (we paid $15 for the day for two chairs with an umbrella) and the alcohol and food seemed a bit pricy, but I think that’s to be expected. We did enjoy some tasty jerk chicken though. I’m not sure if we would do this beach again if we were in Grand Cayman.

 

Falmouth, Jamaica - We knew Falmouth was “dangerous” and to only do a shore excursion if you wanted to leave the port. Since Falmouth is so far from Dunns River and other fun things, we decided to just do the walking tour. It was really neat to learn about the history of Falmouth, see some of their churches, as well as visit a school. I would recommend this tour, although it’s not for everyone since you have to walk a lot and it can be hoooot in Jamaica.

 

Labadee - We were worried we may not get to go to this port since some of the Royal ships had skipped it prior to our departure. Luckily, we were able to dock and enjoy this beautiful island! We first took a walk out to Dragons Breath Point and you can actually hear the breathing - it’s really cool. Afterwards we walked a bit trying to figure out where we wanted to set up for the day. We ended up at the far end beach called Columbus Cove. It was perfect! The sand was soft, plenty of shade, near the bar and buffet, and there was a lot of room for everyone so it didn’t seem crowded.

 

 

Our only complaint from our entire cruise is that they really pushed the specialty dining restaurants. You would get hassled walking into the MDR or Oceanview, and then while eating in Oceanview they would approach you too. The galley tour also ended with the specialty restaurants. It just got a little old and annoying.

 

 

Overall, we greatly enjoyed our cruise. Everything about it was great! The ship is lovely and we will definitely book a cruise with Celebrity again. :)

 

Feel free to ask me any questions about the ship or the ports! I know how much reviews helped me plan things for our trip. :D

[portofrome]

Glad you enjoyed the cruise. Thanks for the review.

[Papa C]

We also were turned off by the hard sell for specialty restaurants. It seemed to cheapen the experience for us. All in all tho the cruise was top notch. We enjoyed all the entertainment and thought Paul Baya, the cruise director, did an excellent job. He was all over the ship and while always busy still found time to answer questions etc.

[RealDeal]

Sailing next week. What kinds of deals were being offered in the specialty restaurants?

[Zerz360]

Sailing next week. What kinds of deals were being offered in the specialty restaurants?

 

Unfortunately, we never got that far with any of the salespeople. Once, in the buffet, we did reach a point where the guy offered a lower price than normal, but did not tell me what it was as I told him I was not interested. From what we saw though, it probably isn't too difficult to get a good deal - especially at the beginning or end of the cruise. The last sea day the Lawn Club Grill was packed for lunch.

[RealDeal]

Unfortunately, we never got that far with any of the salespeople. Once, in the buffet, we did reach a point where the guy offered a lower price than normal, but did not tell me what it was as I told him I was not interested. From what we saw though, it probably isn't too difficult to get a good deal - especially at the beginning or end of the cruise. The last sea day the Lawn Club Grill was packed for lunch.

 

OK, thanks!

[KirkNC]

Thanks for the report!

[KKB]

We sail the same ship & itinerary in 4 weeks & I love to hear others' experiences.

 

Didn't realize about the car rental shuttle--may need to look into that!

 

Glad you had a good time.

[DebbieMacG]

Thanks for the review 😀

[Texed]

Ms. Z,

 

Thanks for posting. :)

[bradleyk]

About us -

 

 

Our only complaint from our entire cruise is that they really pushed the specialty dining restaurants. You would get hassled walking into the MDR or Oceanview, and then while eating in Oceanview they would approach you too. The galley tour also ended with the specialty restaurants. It just got a little old and annoying.

 

 

Overall, we greatly enjoyed our cruise. Everything about it was great! The ship is lovely and we will definitely book a cruise with Celebrity again. :)

 

Feel free to ask me any questions about the ship or the ports! I know how much reviews helped me plan things for our trip. :D

 

Did they offer any special pricing to entice you to the specialty restaurants? Like 2 for one or other discounts?

[jabrown40]

KKB, we are on this same cruise, and can't wait! I love reading the recent reviews of Silhouette, especially since they seem more positive than negative. It will be our first Celebrity cruise also, and am really looking forward to see if this is the right fit for us. Thanks for a great review!

[Zerz360]

Did they offer any special pricing to entice you to the specialty restaurants? Like 2 for one or other discounts?

 

We never talked numbers with them, as we knew we weren't interested. I wish I would've now, since a lot of people seem to want to know. I did seem like they were willing to do discounts, I'm just not sure what they would've been.

[rasnsas]

Good review Zerz360.

We also will be taking the Salsa excursion @ Cozumel in a few weeks. Interested to know where they take you to on the island for this, and what the pool and beach are like.

Look fwd to your responses.

thanks.

[Zerz360]

Good review Zerz360.

We also will be taking the Salsa excursion @ Cozumel in a few weeks. Interested to know where they take you to on the island for this, and what the pool and beach are like.

Look fwd to your responses.

thanks.

 

You will have a blast!! :cool: You take 8-person taxis along the coast about 5-10 minutes (included in the cost). It is held at a hotel overlooking the ocean. The "beach" isn't much of a beach as it is very rocky, but there are lounge chairs and sand if you just want that experience. The pool is enormous and nice (we opted for the pool). Both the pool and beach have food and bar service. You can choose to leave once the salsa part is over or you can stay for one hour once the salsa part is over at the pool or "beach". I think you can stay longer than the one hour, but then you would have to find your own (not included) transportation back to port.

[New Hampshire]

Where on Seven Mile Beach did you go on Grand Cayman?

[Sandtrap328]

My wife and I were on this same cruise. Very nice!

 

On Grand Cayman, I recommend the Stingray and Sandbar excursion. The Southern Atlantic stingrays are huge and really enjoy taking the squid out of your hand. You are in about 4 feet of water, lots of tourists, and plenty of stingrays for everyone!

[rasnsas]

You will have a blast!! :cool: You take 8-person taxis along the coast about 5-10 minutes (included in the cost). It is held at a hotel overlooking the ocean. The "beach" isn't much of a beach as it is very rocky, but there are lounge chairs and sand if you just want that experience. The pool is enormous and nice (we opted for the pool). Both the pool and beach have food and bar service. You can choose to leave once the salsa part is over or you can stay for one hour once the salsa part is over at the pool or "beach". I think you can stay longer than the one hour, but then you would have to find your own (not included) transportation back to port.

 

Thanks so much for the info ! Looking fwd to it.

[Keith1010]

Excellent review. Very thorough.

Keith

[Zerz360]

Where on Seven Mile Beach did you go on Grand Cayman?

 

Ha, that's a good question. It seemed to be one of the main places to bring tourists. We told the bus driver to take us to Seven Mile Beach, and he stopped and told us this was the place to go. It was obvious that it was where we wanted to go, but I'm not exactly sure where it was. :confused::confused:

[Keith1010]

Enjoyed reading your review and glad you had a great cruise.

Keith

[Pickels]

Wow! Pushing sales? We were on her sister ship the Equinox last year and are cruising the Silhouette next month. Last year we had dinner in the MDR every night because we had a table for two, by a window, with a GREAT staff! If and when they try their sales pitch on us, we simply ignore their first attempt, but after that, sales people beware, we're here to enjoy our cruise, and don't need sales people in my face!

[TheCount]

We sail the same ship & itinerary in 4 weeks & I love to hear others' experiences.

 

Didn't realize about the car rental shuttle--may need to look into that!

 

Glad you had a good time.

 

We are on the March 6 cruise And always book a one way car rental from FFL for our hotel night and drop off, with the rental company providing a shuttle to or from the port. We typicall pay abou $30 for a full size car or crossover vehicle.

[Clarea]

Thanks for the review.