Review of Silhouette Nov 2016 Transatlantic

[tweetylori]

By now we were DONE IN. Yet a whimsical dessert menu appeared anyway:

 

 

We sadly had to decline everything due to being STUFFED, but our Server didn't give up. Strawberry fields forever, anyone? ;)

 

She brought us this egg full of brulee (or something like that)

 

We did manage a few tiny tastes of this cute tasty dessert:

 

 

But the rest went back to the cabin with us and made for a nice treat several days later:

 

 

We loved our experience here, had fabulous service and felt it was well worth the $25 discounted charge. I would have however had a hard time justifying the original $45.

[LuAnn]

To read about and enjoy your wonderful cruise with you...we were on board as well...and to see the cruise "from a newbie's eyes" is such a different point of view!!!

 

Thank you so much for all your pics and experiences..you bring "new light" to an old cruisers eyes!!!! :) LuAnn

[jimbri]

Wonderful review and photos. Thank you!

[tweetylori]

To read about and enjoy your wonderful cruise with you...we were on board as well...and to see the cruise "from a newbie's eyes" is such a different point of view!!!

 

Thank you so much for all your pics and experiences..you bring "new light" to an old cruisers eyes!!!! :) LuAnn

 

Thank you LuAnn! So good to hear from others who were on the same journey! :D

[tweetylori]

Wonderful review and photos. Thank you!

 

Thank you for saying so jimbri, it means a lot to know someone likes it! :D

[Tyler80]

Thank you tweetylori for this review! I sailed my first Celebrity cruise on Silhouette last year and totally fell in love with the ship and the Celebrity brand. Can't wait to go back!

[tweetylori]

What a fabulous review! I can almost taste that food and those drinks, mmmmm. You have certainly made us feel like we are there. Keep it coming, it is lovely "living" your cruise.

 

Thank you so much! I do have a lot more. Tried to get a lot done over the weekend, but it's back to work again today :( which is slowing me down! :eek:

 

Will post some more tonight!

[tweetylori]

Thank you tweetylori for this review! I sailed my first Celebrity cruise on Silhouette last year and totally fell in love with the ship and the Celebrity brand. Can't wait to go back!

 

Thanks Tyler80...you and I both couldn't have picked better for our first Celebrity ship, huh? :D

[Drlib2009]

Great Review Thank you :)

 

Will be on in a few short weeks:D

[flyingv4me]

Tweetylori:

I recognize George from our January cruise on the Silhouette when the Molecular Bar was closing down. I think our cruise was either the last sailing with the Molecular Bar or second to last. :(

But where was Helena!!!! She was the best.

Awesome review by the way. I'm seriously considering that itinerary.

 

They made a great pair, didn't they? I did a B2B last January and the first night of the second cruise I went to the Molecular Bar and sat a bit away from the bar as there were no seats. George saw me, nodded, and proceeded to make my drink. Everyone seated at the bar wanted to know who I was (LOL)! :D

[flyingv4me]

Thank you for your review! The Silhouette is our favorite ship and it's great to see her through your eyes!

[blueboro]

Enjoying your review as we just got off the ship yesterday on the first Caribbean itinerary after the transatlantic. We have been on all 5 Solstice class ships and the Reflection twice. While we enjoyed the cruise, I felt there were some things just a little "off" from past cruises. Maybe it was because it was the first Caribbean sailing of the season or they were worried about the "Bliss" group that had chartered the ship the following week (this week).

 

Rich Clesen was the CD and had just boarded the ship on embarkation day. Looks like your entertainment was very good while ours was just kind of blah. The production shows were okay but I am just tired of these. Other entertainment was average to really bad. We had a magician/comedian(??) that was so bad I felt sorry for the guy. A comedian (Bengt Washburn) was just okay while the Motown Tribute group was good but have seen much better. The House Band never played in the atrium other than 1 or 2 nights and the last few days the female singer was not even with them...sick or quit...not sure. But they were one of the worst house bands we have had on our cruises. So overall it left a lot to be desired.

 

Food was good (Qsine and Lawn Club Grill excellent) but again service seemed a little off in the Main Dining Room. Our cabin steward was not one of our best and we had to continually ask for toilet paper, clean glasses and soap. But at least the cabin seemed clean and I was not having to clean or make up the bed.

 

Upon debarkation we elected to take off our own bags for the first time and were told to be on deck 3 around 7:20. Wow, what a madhouse. Hardly any place to stand. Waited about 30 minutes. Other passengers who had done this on previous cruises said this was by far the worst organized debarkation yet and no help from anyone except one solitary crew member who looked like Kevin Bacon being stampeded in Animal House by the time we got off.

 

So, we had a good time but it just seemed something just was not quite up to par with past Celebrity experiences.

[Orator]

Enjoying your review as we just got off the ship yesterday on the first Caribbean itinerary after the transatlantic. We have been on all 5 Solstice class ships and the Reflection twice. While we enjoyed the cruise, I felt there were some things just a little "off" from past cruises. Maybe it was because it was the first Caribbean sailing of the season or they were worried about the "Bliss" group that had chartered the ship the following week (this week).

 

Rich Clesen was the CD and had just boarded the ship on embarkation day. Looks like your entertainment was very good while ours was just kind of blah. The production shows were okay but I am just tired of these. Other entertainment was average to really bad. We had a magician/comedian(??) that was so bad I felt sorry for the guy. A comedian (Bengt Washburn) was just okay while the Motown Tribute group was good but have seen much better. The House Band never played in the atrium other than 1 or 2 nights and the last few days the female singer was not even with them...sick or quit...not sure. But they were one of the worst house bands we have had on our cruises. So overall it left a lot to be desired.

 

Food was good (Qsine and Lawn Club Grill excellent) but again service seemed a little off in the Main Dining Room. Our cabin steward was not one of our best and we had to continually ask for toilet paper, clean glasses and soap. But at least the cabin seemed clean and I was not having to clean or make up the bed.

 

Upon debarkation we elected to take off our own bags for the first time and were told to be on deck 3 around 7:20. Wow, what a madhouse. Hardly any place to stand. Waited about 30 minutes. Other passengers who had done this on previous cruises said this was by far the worst organized debarkation yet and no help from anyone except one solitary crew member who looked like Kevin Bacon being stampeded in Animal House by the time we got off.

 

So, we had a good time but it just seemed something just was not quite up to par with past Celebrity experiences.

 

There were massive crew changes following the TA. No excuse for poor service, but might explain some of the problems. I was also on the TA and it was one of the best in more than 15 Celebrity TAs. The food and service was excellent. The entertainment appeared to be well received and all of the reviews seem to be highly positive. I have always found Terminal 25 to be difficult.

Edited November 28, 2016 by Orator

[sippican]

Enjoying your review as we just got off the ship yesterday on the first Caribbean itinerary after the transatlantic. We have been on all 5 Solstice class ships and the Reflection twice. While we enjoyed the cruise, I felt there were some things just a little "off" from past cruises. Maybe it was because it was the first Caribbean sailing of the season or they were worried about the "Bliss" group that had chartered the ship the following week (this week).

 

Rich Clesen was the CD and had just boarded the ship on embarkation day. Looks like your entertainment was very good while ours was just kind of blah. The production shows were okay but I am just tired of these. Other entertainment was average to really bad. We had a magician/comedian(??) that was so bad I felt sorry for the guy. A comedian (Bengt Washburn) was just okay while the Motown Tribute group was good but have seen much better. The House Band never played in the atrium other than 1 or 2 nights and the last few days the female singer was not even with them...sick or quit...not sure. But they were one of the worst house bands we have had on our cruises. So overall it left a lot to be desired.

 

Food was good (Qsine and Lawn Club Grill excellent) but again service seemed a little off in the Main Dining Room. Our cabin steward was not one of our best and we had to continually ask for toilet paper, clean glasses and soap. But at least the cabin seemed clean and I was not having to clean or make up the bed.

 

Upon debarkation we elected to take off our own bags for the first time and were told to be on deck 3 around 7:20. Wow, what a madhouse. Hardly any place to stand. Waited about 30 minutes. Other passengers who had done this on previous cruises said this was by far the worst organized debarkation yet and no help from anyone except one solitary crew member who looked like Kevin Bacon being stampeded in Animal House by the time we got off.

 

So, we had a good time but it just seemed something just was not quite up to par with past Celebrity experiences.

 

 

There was a significant crew change in Barcelona too. Many of the key staff members also mentioned that they were disembarking to spend the holidays at home with their families. I am presuming that the more senior crew have the benefit of taking the holidays off, leaving the newer crew onboard.

Sorry you were disappointed.

 

On an unrelated note - are you aware of passengers experiencing a viral infection, similar to a cold (but it lingers forever)? Seems like many on the TA are still sick - almost three weeks after the first symptoms.

[blueboro]

There were massive crew changes following the TA. No excuse for poor service, but might explain some of the problems. I was also on the TA and it was one of the best in more than 15 Celebrity TAs. The food and service was excellent. The entertainment appeared to be well received and all of the reviews seem to be highly positive. I have always found Terminal 25 to be difficult.

 

I thought there must have been some crew changes so maybe a combination of some burnout and some new blood. But they sure missed on entertainment IMO. Seemed like they filled the entertainment bill that morning by making some last minute calls. Not sure where the debarkation problem was, assume they had not cleared the ship yet. My In-Laws had a 9:15 meet time to debark and did not get off until about 11:30. And there were 10 numbers after them.

[tweetylori]

Great Review Thank you :)

 

Will be on in a few short weeks:D

 

Thank you David, and I'm JEALOUS. I want to go again!

[tweetylori]

They made a great pair, didn't they? I did a B2B last January and the first night of the second cruise I went to the Molecular Bar and sat a bit away from the bar as there were no seats. George saw me, nodded, and proceeded to make my drink. Everyone seated at the bar wanted to know who I was (LOL)! :D

 

That's George alright! He made us feel very special...love him!

[tweetylori]

Thank you for your review! The Silhouette is our favorite ship and it's great to see her through your eyes!

 

Thank you so much and I can see why it is your favorite ship!

[tweetylori]

Enjoying your review as we just got off the ship yesterday on the first Caribbean itinerary after the transatlantic. We have been on all 5 Solstice class ships and the Reflection twice. While we enjoyed the cruise, I felt there were some things just a little "off" from past cruises. Maybe it was because it was the first Caribbean sailing of the season or they were worried about the "Bliss" group that had chartered the ship the following week (this week).

 

Rich Clesen was the CD and had just boarded the ship on embarkation day. Looks like your entertainment was very good while ours was just kind of blah. The production shows were okay but I am just tired of these. Other entertainment was average to really bad. We had a magician/comedian(??) that was so bad I felt sorry for the guy. A comedian (Bengt Washburn) was just okay while the Motown Tribute group was good but have seen much better. The House Band never played in the atrium other than 1 or 2 nights and the last few days the female singer was not even with them...sick or quit...not sure. But they were one of the worst house bands we have had on our cruises. So overall it left a lot to be desired.

 

Food was good (Qsine and Lawn Club Grill excellent) but again service seemed a little off in the Main Dining Room. Our cabin steward was not one of our best and we had to continually ask for toilet paper, clean glasses and soap. But at least the cabin seemed clean and I was not having to clean or make up the bed.

 

Upon debarkation we elected to take off our own bags for the first time and were told to be on deck 3 around 7:20. Wow, what a madhouse. Hardly any place to stand. Waited about 30 minutes. Other passengers who had done this on previous cruises said this was by far the worst organized debarkation yet and no help from anyone except one solitary crew member who looked like Kevin Bacon being stampeded in Animal House by the time we got off.

 

So, we had a good time but it just seemed something just was not quite up to par with past Celebrity experiences.

 

Wow, sounds like you definitely had a different experience...hate to hear that! I know our Cruise Director John was taking a break after the TA, so you got a new one. I had also heard that even our sailing was understaffed especially in the dining room due to many staff members not getting on when they were supposed to have.

 

We did encounter the craziness of disembarkation in Fort Lauderdale.

[janetz]

Enjoying your review as we just got off the ship yesterday on the first Caribbean itinerary after the transatlantic. We have been on all 5 Solstice class ships and the Reflection twice. While we enjoyed the cruise, I felt there were some things just a little "off" from past cruises. Maybe it was because it was the first Caribbean sailing of the season or they were worried about the "Bliss" group that had chartered the ship the following week (this week).

 

Rich Clesen was the CD and had just boarded the ship on embarkation day. Looks like your entertainment was very good while ours was just kind of blah. The production shows were okay but I am just tired of these. Other entertainment was average to really bad. We had a magician/comedian(??) that was so bad I felt sorry for the guy. A comedian (Bengt Washburn) was just okay while the Motown Tribute group was good but have seen much better. The House Band never played in the atrium other than 1 or 2 nights and the last few days the female singer was not even with them...sick or quit...not sure. But they were one of the worst house bands we have had on our cruises. So overall it left a lot to be desired.

 

Food was good (Qsine and Lawn Club Grill excellent) but again service seemed a little off in the Main Dining Room. Our cabin steward was not one of our best and we had to continually ask for toilet paper, clean glasses and soap. But at least the cabin seemed clean and I was not having to clean or make up the bed.

 

Upon debarkation we elected to take off our own bags for the first time and were told to be on deck 3 around 7:20. Wow, what a madhouse. Hardly any place to stand. Waited about 30 minutes. Other passengers who had done this on previous cruises said this was by far the worst organized debarkation yet and no help from anyone except one solitary crew member who looked like Kevin Bacon being stampeded in Animal House by the time we got off.

 

So, we had a good time but it just seemed something just was not quite up to par with past Celebrity experiences.

 

Oh geeze. Not what I want to read. I hope hey step it soon. :eek:

Edited November 28, 2016 by janetz

[Nanatravel]

Not only a huge thank you for your great review but for sharing all of your marvelous photos. Don't know if we met at the Connections Party but I did lie low most of the trip as I still have the terrible bronchitis. Sounds like you made it home without this virus.

 

Hope you enjoy Celebrity and your next cruise just as much.

[goofysmom99]

Tweetylori, I'm really enjoying your trip review. It's a treat for many of us to read such happy, upbeat posts. LOVE your photos, especially the menus and food porn! :D Great job!

[CruisenLexie]

tweetylori.....Thanks for the review and the pics. We are usually on Eclipse but it is nice to see pics of a sister ship. I was hoping you could answer a few questions for me.

 

Did you have any rough water coming over? We have been on cruises ranging from gliding on glass to things falling off shelves so I am just wondering what to expect as we have never done a transatlantic. I know there are no guarantees but I was wondering what you experienced. I have heard heading south is better than heading north. Our roughest water was on an East Coast/Canada cruise.

 

I see lots of slacks and jackets in the pictures. When did the weather warm get to where people would be out at the pool? Say 70's?

 

I believe you said this was your first Celebrity cruise so it may be hard for you to answer but were there extra activities on board once you were in constant sea days? Were there multiple enrichment speakers?

 

If nothing else your pictures are getting me ready for our February cruise :) Glad you had a nice experience and thanks again for taking the time to share it with us.

[tweetylori]

Not only a huge thank you for your great review but for sharing all of your marvelous photos. Don't know if we met at the Connections Party but I did lie low most of the trip as I still have the terrible bronchitis. Sounds like you made it home without this virus.

 

Hope you enjoy Celebrity and your next cruise just as much.

 

Thank you! Am so SORRY that you got that horrible crud that was going around. We were so paranoid of getting it also, but we were very fortunate. Please know we don't take that for granted! We did not make the Connections Party. I DO have lots more photos coming up. Just got home from pesky work. :rolleyes:

[tweetylori]

Tweetylori, I'm really enjoying your trip review. It's a treat for many of us to read such happy, upbeat posts. LOVE your photos, especially the menus and food porn! :D Great job!

 

Thank you goofysmom! I am happy to report that I have plenty more to come! :o