Silhouette Review: First Celebrity Cruise Not What I Expected

[richstowe]

I think it was Pier 3, which is right in Old San Juan. If I'm not mistaken, Carnival Corporation uses Pier 4 and RCCL uses Pier 3. Luxury ships like Silversea usually dock over at Pier 1 or 2. Hope that helps!

I thought RCI brands use the Pan Am pier next to the Isla Grande Airport ? We did when on the Summit .

I though it was the CCL brands that used the pier in Old San Juan.

[cgags47]

I thought RCI brands use the Pan Am pier next to the Isla Grande Airport ? We did when on the Summit .

I though it was the CCL brands that used the pier in Old San Juan.

 

If you are departing from San Juan, then you use the Pan Am pier. If a ship is just calling at San Juan, they use the piers by Old San Juan.

[rose6]

Bryan

 

After reading your review, I had several thoughts I wish to share with you. If you should decide to try Celebrity again, might I suggest you try a Mediterranean cruise with many more Europeans among the passengers. The Europeans tend to dine at a later time, and your preference for second seating would be a more social, enjoyable experience.

Early in your review you mentioned that you usually cruised with your family. On this particular cruise did you cruise as a solo? If you did, that might have significantly altered your cruise experience.

 

I am really glad that you spoke up about the areas where you felt Celebrity needs to improve its product.

[pbrady]

Absolutely agree with the OP on the stores. It even seems to the 6 of us (that cruise a couple times a year together on Celebrity) that half the activities advertised in the Daily program are to sell something....Come learn about the Spa treatments they sell, come learn about our Emeralds.... our watches... nothing is just for information w/o a high pressure sell. The only thing we can go enjoy & not get a high-pressure sales pitch is the Hot Glass Show. As for the specialty restaurants - we are not impressed & tried them all more than once. A few use to be good when they opened but then they cheapened the food & raised the prices (one example - Qsine - they had Kobe sliders, they are long gone). I have to say we can get better dinners locally for 1/2 the price. We are not about to pay $50 for a so-so dinner when the MDR is included in the price & we've never found a night there someone thought there was nothing to eat.

[karena1]

Hi everyone, I wanted to write a review and share my experience on the Celebrity Silhouette from February 14-21, 2016. Port calls included San Juan, St. Kitts, and St. Maarten. I'm 26 and this was my 18th cruise. I usually travel with family, and I've cruised with Cunard, Holland America, Princess, Royal Caribbean, Costa and Carnival.

 

I had always been under the impression that Celebrity is the best of the big-ship cruise lines. To me, Celebrity was always the cruise line to "work up to." I booked this cruise just three weeks before departure and was really excited to try Celebrity.

 

The Silhouette is beautiful. In contrast to some other ships, the decor is extremely contemporary. The public rooms are upscale and the traffic flow is excellent inside the ship. I especially liked the wide corridors and sufficient spacing between furniture in the bars and lounges. Sometimes cruise lines have a tendency to squeeze in a few too many chairs and tables, making the public rooms feel crowded. Generally speaking, the focal point in each public room is the bar. I noticed that the staff closes the curtains rather early in Bistro on Five and in the Martini Bar, which I didn’t like. I found myself wishing for more spaces with an ocean view, and I missed not having an exterior promenade deck with views of the ocean. I got the impression that The Lawn Club was underused, and instead served only to occupy deck space that could have been used for more chaise lounges.

 

I really enjoyed the entertainment on this cruise, and my fellow cruisers stayed up much later at night than they tend to on other cruise lines. I made it a point to listen to the house band daily in the Grand Foyer at 7:45pm and the Soulstiss Quartette in the Ensembles Lounge at 10:45pm. The ship’s production show cast was the largest I've seen on a ship, with a total of 16 singers and dancers. Both shows were exciting and focused on aerial acrobatics. I was surprised that the "pre-show flash photography announcement" in the theatre encouraged the audience to take videos and photos to share on social media. Video recording is normally prohibited in the theatre. This “new” policy sounds like a way for Celebrity to benefit from free advertising.

 

Dining is always subjective, but I was really disappointed by my experience on this cruise. Before booking, I knew that Celebrity was big on specialty dining. There are five specialty restaurants on the Silhouette, most of which cost $50 for dinner unless booked together in a package. I didn't try any of these restaurants because I felt that $50 was a bit too expensive. I've had amazing specialty dining experiences at Todd English on Cunard, the Pinnacle Grill on HAL, and Sabatini's on Princess, and none of them cost $50. I know the industry trend is to increase dining prices, but I just couldn't justify it on this cruise.

 

That being said, I had the 8:30pm late seating in the Grand Cuvée. First of all, I was shocked at the number of empty chairs in the main dining room each night; my guess is that second seating was at 65% occupancy on an average night. I’ve never had this experience before, sitting at a 10-top in the center of the main dining room with 7 unassigned chairs. Several neighboring tables were the same, as were the tables near the windows. My waiter assured me that first seating was much busier, but I wanted to maintain my second seating. I contributed the low turn out to the specialty dining packages that many cruisers had purchased. The lack of camaraderie in the main dining room took away some of the ambiance that I love about cruising. I love having the same waiter and dining companions every night, and I also prefer a large table of 10 to 12 people.

 

My waiter and assistant waiter were assigned to three tables with a total of 24 chairs. Due to the low turn out, only 11 chairs were occupied on a given night, making the service uncomfortably fast. With so few diners to look after, our waiters would clear away plates and replace them with the next course just as soon as the last bite was finished. A five-course dinner would typically last just over an hour, with an appetizer, soup, salad, main course, and a dessert. I’m used to a much more relaxed dining experience that lasts around two hours. My waiters would also tend to disappear after delivering the dessert course, and I never even had a chance to wish them well on the last night of the cruise.

 

In general, the food was nicely presented and very tasty. There were just a couple of nights that I felt the menu was lacking. I noticed that Celebrity seems to have consolidated many of the more “upscale” main courses to the Chic nights only, leaving simpler options for the other days. For example, it was quite difficult to choose between the Colorado rack of lamb and the chateaubriand, both of which were available on the same night. Service in the main dining room was attentive and professional, but lacked personality and friendliness. For lunch, the food offered in the Oceanview Café was a bit repetitive, but acceptable.

 

There was one experience I had on Celebrity that I particularly didn’t care for. My cabin was in the forward part of the ship, so I regularly needed to walk through the Galleria Boutiques on Deck 5 to make my way to the center of the ship. Frequently when walking by the watch shops, staff members would greet me and ask me if I’d like to have a look in the shop. This became just as annoying as when locals try to sell souvenirs or sunglasses on the beach in St. Maarten. I had similar experiences one deck below in the Shops on the Boulevard: staff members would stop me and give me information about raffles and art auctions. I just wanted to walk through this part of the ship in peace without having to listen to sales pitches. Many of the watch shops would stay open until 11:00pm with no passengers anywhere to be seen. There was always a group of staff waiting outside the shops hoping to make a sale, and probably to escape from boredom. I haven’t experienced this type of high-pressure sales on any of my other cruises.

 

All in all, it was a good cruise. I enjoyed Celebrity, but I think I need to stay with Holland America and Princess for future cruises. I’ll give Celebrity a second chance someday, but this certainly wasn’t the cruise line I was expecting. I need a cruise line that puts less emphasis on specialty dining rooms and upsell techniques, and more emphasis on a solid baseline product. I suppose that Celebrity is what you make of it. If you’re looking to spend twice what you’ve paid for the cruise in extras to make it something extraordinary, you’re in the right place. On the other hand, I’m looking for a more traditional experience with a fewer “nominal fees”, more ocean views, and a more relaxed atmosphere.

 

Thanks for your review. we were on Silhouette in Dec and thought it was one of the best cruises we have ever been on. hubby by far thought the food was the best of 80 some cruises we have been on. Ship was gorgeous, loved everything about it.

[LabGuy64]

I agree about Sabatini's, I found it very....average for food and VERY slow on service.....and no...it was not crowded at the time..quite the opposite. I find it is like newtons laws of motion....servers in motion stay in motion...servers at rest ten to stay at rest unless acted on by a very disgruntled patron.....

 

 

We board the Silhouette Sunday.

 

We also like a large table camaraderie in the MDR; we were considering going for the Ultimate (unlimited) Dining Plan if available & based on your review, you have made my decision.

 

Funny, we dined at Sabatini's on Princess and were NOT impressed--felt the MDR food was just as good. We found MDR food to be comparable on RCCL, Princess & Celebrity.

 

I always avoid walking through the shops area--I only shop for things needed in an emergency.

 

Glad to hear about your impressions on entertainment--there had been some more negative impressions in recent months. Sounds like things have changed.

[pete_coach]

Hi everyone, I wanted to write a review and share my experience on the Celebrity Silhouette from February 14-21, 2016. Port calls included San Juan, St. Kitts, and St. Maarten. I'm 26 and this was my 18th cruise. I usually travel with family, and I've cruised with Cunard, Holland America, Princess, Royal Caribbean, Costa and Carnival.

 

..........

 

All in all, it was a good cruise. I enjoyed Celebrity, but I think I need to stay with Holland America and Princess for future cruises. I’ll give Celebrity a second chance someday, but this certainly wasn’t the cruise line I was expecting. I need a cruise line that puts less emphasis on specialty dining rooms and upsell techniques, and more emphasis on a solid baseline product. I suppose that Celebrity is what you make of it. If you’re looking to spend twice what you’ve paid for the cruise in extras to make it something extraordinary, you’re in the right place. On the other hand, I’m looking for a more traditional experience with a fewer “nominal fees”, more ocean views, and a more relaxed atmosphere.

 

We are relatively new to cruising and only have been on Celebrity. I am glad to read a very objective review from someone that has been on many cruises and on many cruise lines. Great perspective and great review. Thanks

I totally agree with your take on the specialty restaurants. $50 + is far too much for them. Having said that, we have tried them all (except this last cruise) and thoroughly enjoyed the food and service (Qisine being the exception, did not like it at all).

I also agree with the "upsell" aspect of the shops. They are trying too hard to sell, perhaps they are working on commission?

Lastly, I have been on this Celebrity forum for a few years now and wish to apologists for the Celebrity apologists. They are sometimes very mean and often condescending to people that have criticism of Celebrity. Most of us appreciate your honest review and opinion but the few constant apologists are really hard on any critics. :)

Edited March 3, 2016 by pete_coach

[dodger1964]

We are relatively new to cruising and only have been on Celebrity. I am glad to read a very objective review from someone that has been on many cruises and on many cruise lines. Great perspective and great review. Thanks

I totally agree with your take on the specialty restaurants. $50 + is far too much for them. Having said that, we have tried them all (except this last cruise) and thoroughly enjoyed the food and service (Qisine being the exception, did not like it at all).

I also agree with the "upsell" aspect of the shops. They are trying too hard to sell, perhaps they are working on commission?

Lastly, I have been on this Celebrity forum for a few years now and wish to apologists for the Celebrity apologists. They are sometimes very mean and often condescending to people that have criticism of Celebrity. Most of us appreciate your honest review and opinion but the few constant apologists are really hard on any critics. :)

 

I was just going to write very similar comments to OP.

 

Some don't like ANY negative comments directed at X.

 

We are elite plus, so have sailed a few times. We aren't blind to the good and bad that comes with a X cruise...mostly good!

 

We get tired of the sales pitches going on when walking into the buffet. I don't like to walk past people (like the specialty restaurant beggars) without at least acknowledging them (I don't want to be rude), but on a week cruise, and after 10 or 20 times walking into the buffet, I just started to not make eye contact with them.

 

We have cruised twice where we were in a lower end suite that qualified for a free specialty restaurant visit. Tried it on the first cruise, very underwhelming...not bad, but I would never have paid $100 for it. The second time we didn't even use that perk.

 

Thanks to OP for review.

[TxnAquarian]

Thanks for taking the time to give your impressions of your first time on Celebrity. All of your views were well-versed and expressed. As another poster on here said, doing a 7-day Caribbean cruise probably isn't going to give you the relaxed, leisurely dining ambiance you were looking for. Longer voyages and European cruises definitely will. We had been big fans of Celebrity since our first cruise in 2010. But over the past couple of years, we too, feel that the ships have become high-stress sales pitches, as opposed to relaxed "modern luxury". Celebrity is just mainstream cruising with a glossy facade. Starting last year we started booking suites, hoping that it would give us a more high-end experience, but we felt that we were just paying a lot more for just better dining in Luminae. So we decided to use that money and book entry-level rooms on luxury ships and we've been much happier. We have one last Celebrity cruise this Xmas/NYE with friends and then we'll be moving on. I encourage you to keep trying different ships and lines. It keeps the experience interesting. Thanks again for your comments - I had to laugh when you mentioned the aggressive sales people outside the shops - we have been scared away from that area more than once!

 

 

 

Michael

[cruise kitty]

Thanks for your review, I found the 'pushing' of the Specialty Dining a bit off putting on our last cruise, & we had the Specialty Dining package :)

[bEwAbG]

I can ignore the specialty dining guys but completely agree about the shop people. Same thing on the Reflection a few weeks ago. The Breitling guy stepped in front of us to invite us to some sales pitch (he gave me a card and gave my friend a card) and wouldn't let us get past. When I told him that we had reservations at the time of this presentation, he took my card out of my hand and told us to keep the other one in case we changed our minds. :rolleyes:

[QM2 Cruiser]

Thanks everyone for all the positive comments about my review. I will give Celebrity another try in the future. I like the suggestion of trying Celebrity in the Mediterranean with later seating dining. :)

[pete_coach]

Thanks everyone for all the positive comments about my review. I will give Celebrity another try in the future. I like the suggestion of trying Celebrity in the Mediterranean with later seating dining. :)

We have done 2 cruises in the Mediterranean and 32 in the Caribbean.

In our opinion, the atmosphere, the people and the food are really quite different. The ship and it's amenities of course are the same but there is just a different "feel" about a Med cruise.

I don't know what it is. Perhaps the ports, the expectations, the people, I am not sure but it is quite different on board.

[KirkNC]

Thanks for your report.

[saltydoge]

Thanks everyone for all the positive comments about my review. I will give Celebrity another try in the future. I like the suggestion of trying Celebrity in the Mediterranean with later seating dining. :)

 

Bryan, if you want the real Celebrity experience of days-gone-by, I encourage you to book the Summit for a Caribbean voyage on Celebrity. Much better itinerary, amazing crew and staff, and most importantly NONE of the cheap sales pushes you get from people in the shops and in the daily program. I did Reflection last year solo —*it mirrored your experience (lots of sales pushes, disengaged diners, and few pool loungers). But my experience solo on the Summit two months ago was the exact opposite (not at all salesy, great food and company, and pool chairs everywhere).

 

Like night and day.

[karena1]

Hi everyone, I wanted to write a review and share my experience on the Celebrity Silhouette from February 14-21, 2016. Port calls included San Juan, St. Kitts, and St. Maarten. I'm 26 and this was my 18th cruise. I usually travel with family, and I've cruised with Cunard, Holland America, Princess, Royal Caribbean, Costa and Carnival.

 

I had always been under the impression that Celebrity is the best of the big-ship cruise lines. To me, Celebrity was always the cruise line to "work up to." I booked this cruise just three weeks before departure and was really excited to try Celebrity.

 

The Silhouette is beautiful. In contrast to some other ships, the decor is extremely contemporary. The public rooms are upscale and the traffic flow is excellent inside the ship. I especially liked the wide corridors and sufficient spacing between furniture in the bars and lounges. Sometimes cruise lines have a tendency to squeeze in a few too many chairs and tables, making the public rooms feel crowded. Generally speaking, the focal point in each public room is the bar. I noticed that the staff closes the curtains rather early in Bistro on Five and in the Martini Bar, which I didn’t like. I found myself wishing for more spaces with an ocean view, and I missed not having an exterior promenade deck with views of the ocean. I got the impression that The Lawn Club was underused, and instead served only to occupy deck space that could have been used for more chaise lounges.

 

I really enjoyed the entertainment on this cruise, and my fellow cruisers stayed up much later at night than they tend to on other cruise lines. I made it a point to listen to the house band daily in the Grand Foyer at 7:45pm and the Soulstiss Quartette in the Ensembles Lounge at 10:45pm. The ship’s production show cast was the largest I've seen on a ship, with a total of 16 singers and dancers. Both shows were exciting and focused on aerial acrobatics. I was surprised that the "pre-show flash photography announcement" in the theatre encouraged the audience to take videos and photos to share on social media. Video recording is normally prohibited in the theatre. This “new” policy sounds like a way for Celebrity to benefit from free advertising.

 

Dining is always subjective, but I was really disappointed by my experience on this cruise. Before booking, I knew that Celebrity was big on specialty dining. There are five specialty restaurants on the Silhouette, most of which cost $50 for dinner unless booked together in a package. I didn't try any of these restaurants because I felt that $50 was a bit too expensive. I've had amazing specialty dining experiences at Todd English on Cunard, the Pinnacle Grill on HAL, and Sabatini's on Princess, and none of them cost $50. I know the industry trend is to increase dining prices, but I just couldn't justify it on this cruise.

 

That being said, I had the 8:30pm late seating in the Grand Cuvée. First of all, I was shocked at the number of empty chairs in the main dining room each night; my guess is that second seating was at 65% occupancy on an average night. I’ve never had this experience before, sitting at a 10-top in the center of the main dining room with 7 unassigned chairs. Several neighboring tables were the same, as were the tables near the windows. My waiter assured me that first seating was much busier, but I wanted to maintain my second seating. I contributed the low turn out to the specialty dining packages that many cruisers had purchased. The lack of camaraderie in the main dining room took away some of the ambiance that I love about cruising. I love having the same waiter and dining companions every night, and I also prefer a large table of 10 to 12 people.

 

My waiter and assistant waiter were assigned to three tables with a total of 24 chairs. Due to the low turn out, only 11 chairs were occupied on a given night, making the service uncomfortably fast. With so few diners to look after, our waiters would clear away plates and replace them with the next course just as soon as the last bite was finished. A five-course dinner would typically last just over an hour, with an appetizer, soup, salad, main course, and a dessert. I’m used to a much more relaxed dining experience that lasts around two hours. My waiters would also tend to disappear after delivering the dessert course, and I never even had a chance to wish them well on the last night of the cruise.

 

In general, the food was nicely presented and very tasty. There were just a couple of nights that I felt the menu was lacking. I noticed that Celebrity seems to have consolidated many of the more “upscale” main courses to the Chic nights only, leaving simpler options for the other days. For example, it was quite difficult to choose between the Colorado rack of lamb and the chateaubriand, both of which were available on the same night. Service in the main dining room was attentive and professional, but lacked personality and friendliness. For lunch, the food offered in the Oceanview Café was a bit repetitive, but acceptable.

 

There was one experience I had on Celebrity that I particularly didn’t care for. My cabin was in the forward part of the ship, so I regularly needed to walk through the Galleria Boutiques on Deck 5 to make my way to the center of the ship. Frequently when walking by the watch shops, staff members would greet me and ask me if I’d like to have a look in the shop. This became just as annoying as when locals try to sell souvenirs or sunglasses on the beach in St. Maarten. I had similar experiences one deck below in the Shops on the Boulevard: staff members would stop me and give me information about raffles and art auctions. I just wanted to walk through this part of the ship in peace without having to listen to sales pitches. Many of the watch shops would stay open until 11:00pm with no passengers anywhere to be seen. There was always a group of staff waiting outside the shops hoping to make a sale, and probably to escape from boredom. I haven’t experienced this type of high-pressure sales on any of my other cruises.

 

All in all, it was a good cruise. I enjoyed Celebrity, but I think I need to stay with Holland America and Princess for future cruises. I’ll give Celebrity a second chance someday, but this certainly wasn’t the cruise line I was expecting. I need a cruise line that puts less emphasis on specialty dining rooms and upsell techniques, and more emphasis on a solid baseline product. I suppose that Celebrity is what you make of it. If you’re looking to spend twice what you’ve paid for the cruise in extras to make it something extraordinary, you’re in the right place. On the other hand, I’m looking for a more traditional experience with a fewer “nominal fees”, more ocean views, and a more relaxed atmosphere.

 

Love your review but have to say Silhouette was probably one of the best ships we have ever been on. Loved every single thing about the ship.

[LesaL]

I sailed the Silhouette this past week and I have a comment and suggestion. First, I am sorry for your late dining experience. My sister and I had late dining with a 10 top and almost everyone was there every night. We enjoyed our table mates tremendously. So sorry your experience was not as good. Dining can be hit or miss as far as table mates are concerned.

 

We also had a forward cabin and circumvented the deck 5 milieu by using the outside promenade on that deck. The view is blocked from the life boats through most of it, but it was quick and easy. There are some nice open seating at each end, giving you a comfortable sea viewing area.

 

We had a wonderful time and I rebooked the ship for next year onboard.

[mickeysgal]

Give this guy a break! He's right about the shopping pitches. They may be doing their job, but he is 100% right: it cheapens the experience overall. Celebrity should not be encouraging this.

 

If someone pauses to look in the shop window, that's one thing. But passengers walking by? Leave. Them. Alone!

 

Agreed. Further, the tables out in the walkways make it look like a messy, cheap yard sale. I used to think Royal's gold by the inch was bad and here is Celebrity doing the same kind of junk sales. Keep the sales in the shops and clear the hallways, please.

[Floridastorm]

When on board, how does one know if and when there is a specialty restaurant discount? Do you just call the restaurant and ask?

[bEwAbG]

When on board, how does one know if and when there is a specialty restaurant discount? Do you just call the restaurant and ask?

 

There are people set up at tables who ask if you want to buy dining packages or make reservations. Usually they're always outside the buffet area but I've also seen them on other decks (there was a table near guest relations on Reflection last month). I've also seen them standing past security to catch people coming back from excursions. You can also inquire at the restaurant.