A Royal view of a Celebrity cruise. Somewhat live from Silhouette

[cruising grandma]

Hi, Matt....remember you from Freedom.

 

We've cruised on Silhouette several times, and enjoyed. I did notice on your Elite letter, Raffaelle is still Hotel Director....very nice! Last time we were on, the CD was a former Royal CD, Richard Spacey. :)Who is CD now?

 

John and I ate lunch at the porch, and it was delicious, and not too pricey....soup/sandwich, if I recall.

 

Enjoy!

Edited January 21, 2017 by cruising grandma

[leaveitallbehind]

Hey Matt - great thread and pictures. Just to add we cruised on Summit this past July on our first - but definitely not last - Celebrity cruise. Will definitely cruise Celebrity more in the future. Thanks for your review.

[ATG]

We are thinking about an Alaskan cruise September 2018. Since Royal hasn't announced them yet I took a look at Celebrity.

Can you book a Celebrity cruise on a Royal ship? Do you get the cabin discounts? We are D+, and I love getting a discount.

I have heard I need to call Celebrity's Captain's Club and get a membership number before booking.

Thanks.

[Clarea]

We are thinking about an Alaskan cruise September 2018. Since Royal hasn't announced them yet I took a look at Celebrity.

Can you book a Celebrity cruise on a Royal ship? Do you get the cabin discounts? We are D+, and I love getting a discount.

I have heard I need to call Celebrity's Captain's Club and get a membership number before booking.

Thanks.

You can book a Celebrity cruise while on a Royal cruise. You get whatever perks are appropriate to your Celebrity Captain's Club level. You are correct about calling Captain's Club first.

[Bobal]

Matt, what is the story with nightly cocktails for Elites vs Royal's Diamond cocktail hours? We are considering the Equinox, but wonder if the "drink benefits" are comparable ? Thanks ! Loving your review !

Linda

 

 

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We just got off Equinox today and enjoyed their cocktail hours for Elite and up members. It is 2 hours instead of 3 but they offer more types of liquor. And the water views are beautiful in the venue they use.

 

The Elite drinks are between 5 and 7 pm, which is fine for those who dine early but for late diners (such as us) is very disappointing, particularly as you have to be dressed for dinner to partake i.e. you couldn't pop in for a couple of early drinks whilst dressed in casual daywear. This is one area where we feel Royal far outclasses Celebrity.

 

Excellent review by the way OP :)

Edited January 21, 2017 by Bobal

[Yorkvillain]

This is a fascinating review Matt. Thanks for doing it.

[Janet524]

We were on Silhouette the week before Christmas. The ship was beautifully decorated - much more so than we've seen on Royal ships lately. The ship is very nice, the crew is fantastic. The only criticism I have is that storage in the staterooms is very lacking. Only 3 drawers in the dresser, no shelves in the closet and, if you're vertically challenged like I am, the cabinets over the bed are almost useless. Much higher marks for Royal on utilization of space.

[fletch1027]

Hopefully there won't be an issue with me putting this on the Royal board, but it as meant as a comparison for loyal Royals.

 

I've not sailed Celebrity for a while and since everyone screams about cost cutting I thought I might be interesting to try the sister line that is still supposed to be a cut above.

 

Thanks for doing this - I'm definitely subscribing! We have sailed a lot of RCI, but the X ships have always intrigued me and we are considering giving them a shot next time around...

[lazydayz]

I loved this ship, and my go to spot for the breakfast was the Porch. Great view.

 

Glad you are enjoying it.

[fletch1027]

 

Main pool

 

 

 

 

Matt,

 

I took this photo from an Allure cruise when we were parked next door in St. Maarten and I noticed the same covered chairs in your photo above the main pool. Whats the deal with them? Are they open to the public or are they reserved either for a fee or for suite guests, etc?

 

[fletch1027]

There was a popular song in the 60’s by The Drifters called “Under the Boardwalk”. This next series of photos is the opposite of that – over the Boardwalk :-)

 

 

The Boardwalk entrance (taken through the aft elevator window)

 

 

 

View from looking over carousel towards the aft end. Directly below and to the left of the carousel is the Hot Dog stand and directly down to the right is a seating area where the morning doughnuts are located.

 

 

 

Another view looking from Aqua Theater towards the carosel. Johnny Rocket’s on right and Sabor on left

 

 

 

Speaking of Johnny Rocket's, we got some lunch here – also for all you C&A members (even lowly Gold like us) don’t forget to redeem your BOGO shake

 

 

 

Birds eye view looking down on the Boardwalk

 

 

 

Another similar view but this one emphasizes the zipline beginning and end

 

 

 

 

to be continued…

 

[tonto524]

The Elite drinks are between 5 and 7 pm, which is fine for those who dine early but for late diners (such as us) is very disappointing, particularly as you have to be dressed for dinner to partake i.e. you couldn't pop in for a couple of early drinks whilst dressed in casual daywear. This is one area where we feel Royal far outclasses Celebrity.

 

Excellent review by the way OP :)

 

 

Disappointing to hear that, as we like later dining as well. Might have to get a drink package for the first time ever. Thanks for the info.

Linda

 

 

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[A&L_Ont]

There was a popular song in the 60’s by The Drifters called “Under the Boardwalk”. This next series of photos is the opposite of that – over the Boardwalk :-)

 

 

Fletch, I think you accidentally posted this on Matt's review instead of your Allure review. If it is too late to modify it you could ask the mods to delete it.

[MattInFLL]

I logged in and thought have I had too many cocktails and accidentally posted my Allure pics? Lol.

 

Anyway, back to Silhouette.

 

Last night the designated night club venue (it seems to change nightly) was jumping until about 3 am. It's a short and well priced cruise so it's a younger crowd. The poor bar staff didn't know what hit them. They had to bring in lots of extra help.

 

Today was a very relaxing sea day. Our weather has been perfect.

 

Kay- since you asked here's the staff. I have not gone to any shows so I have not seen the CD. But my friends said the Frankie Vallee tribute show was excellent.

 

 

If you are in Suite Class you eat in your own restaurant called Luminae. This is one step higher than Aqua Class and the Blu restaurant. Here's tonight's menu.

 

 

Some more ship photos.

 

The Grand Foyer and atrium

 

 

 

Overlooking the pool decks from the top deck. That's the retractable solarium roof. Again, completely reminds me of Anthem.

 

 

The Solarium. I took this through tinted glass.

 

[MattInFLL]

Oh. Whoever asked about the shaded loungers by the main pool. They're totally open to anyone for free.

 

Only the Alcoves in the Lawn Club require a fee and reservation.

 

And here was a nice little area I stumbled upon. The Solstice sun deck. All the way forward. Definitely quieter.

 

 

So the Celebrity experience to me is all about chilling and relaxing. You have about 6 specialty dining options. There are bars tucked away everywhere, or so it seems. Lots of crew to serve you and pick up after you. A main pool that is not chaotic on a sea day. Food that in my subjective opinion is a notch better than Royal, including things like the Mast Grill by the pool. A really great all beef hot dog and burgers and fries.

 

But on the other hand no rock wall, no Quest, no game shows, no pool games etc. well, there was a crew guest water volley ball match today. Very few announcements. Very few sales pitches.

 

There is an extensive kids area on deck 15 but I don't have kids so I can't comment.

 

Ok so it's my last night. Those of you who follow my reviews know that on my last cruise I had a fateful last night where I ended up departing the ship by ambulance the next morning. Just a little internal bleeding. :)

 

So I'm knocking on wooden everything that tonight is uneventful!

 

Kidding aside we are doing Qsine tonight. It's supposed to be like Wonderland on Royal but not as "stuffy." I did not find Wonderland stuffy so I'll wait and see.

[MattInFLL]

I'm having my daily dose of hand made ice cream. Yum.

 

Some other things. The shops feature generally nicer items and there's a Bulgari.

 

Here's today's "sale" display. A little different than the Royal Promenade 2 for 10 bucks free for alls:

 

 

The casino is to the right. That's deck 4. Also the home of the always busy Martini Bar.

 

 

And deck 5 is all about more consumption. The higher end boutiques are there. And then more food and drink.

 

The Sushi restaurant is off the foyer.

 

And Here is Cafe La Bacio. Free desserts and premium coffee for a charge (I believe). There is also a pay gelateria here. Elites get a free scoop.

 

 

To the back are the Ensemble lounge. It's very dark. I couldn't get a pic. It seems like a private club but it's not.

 

Then to the back are Murano, Tuscan Grill, Blu (Aqua Class only) and Qsine.

[MattInFLL]

Tuscan Grill has a great location at the back and a menu very much like Giovanni's. But still has the filet option.

 

 

 

 

Here's the Blu menu

 

 

And this is Qsine

 

[MattInFLL]

A very nice way to end the day. Sunset Bar cocktail, chair on the lawn, and an actual sunset.

 

 

So I always make friends with bartenders. Always. But I really do not know any bartenders on this ship by name. Don't get me wrong, bar servers are great. But I find myself wanting to be at several different bars on this ship. Unlike Royal where I tend to just favor one.

 

By the way the Windjammer errr... Oceanview Cafe has a large out door seating area. I've never found the buffet to be crazy. And I think the ship is full. There just seem to be fewer people who are trying to get every last nickel's worth out of the cruise.

 

The outdoor area and the Sunset Bar is above.

 

[MattInFLL]

Oh. And so the trick to the internet is to find the sweet spots for reception. Then it is fairly decent. There just seem to be fewer sweet spots than on a Royal ship. My Speedtest is marginally better in the grand foyer and the Lawn Club.

 

[A&L_Ont]

You have provided more great info for my in-laws. They found the menus very interesting. ;) Matt, the only thing you are missing over this sailing are the Scottsdale car Auctions held this weekend. :):eek:

[Sungold]

Thanks so much for this great review! You saw more of the ship than I did, and I was on her an extra day. Fabulous photos, too!

Pam

 

 

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[Sungold]

Here is a daytime photo of the main pool area.

 

 

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[goodycruising]

Great review Matt. It is interesting to see a few differences from the sister ship Solstice which we have based in Australia a few months each year.

 

For those comparing the Diamond lounge with the Elite cocktail event, we have had very different experiences on Solstice. 2 years ago the event was buzzing, with heaps of elites and plenty of staff coming around with drinks and nibbles. While we missed the 24 hour availability of the diamond lounge (and the coffee machine), we still had fun.

 

This time (Dec 2016) we went to two nights in a row. First evening after having to go to the bar to ask for a drink, and having the nibbles come around once, which was a bit of corn wrapped in ham, we were not impressed. Second night they decided we should all be seated next to the dance floor, nowhere near the windows, and we had to put our hand up and ask the hostess where the drinks and nibbles were. We gave up and never went to any other elite event at all. It was the same hostess as the first time, but something has changed dramatically.

 

I did put that info in my survey, but I think the prevalence of the pick a perk drink package has watered the event down. We had the drink package and we were delighted to find our favourite barman from the previous elite event working at the Passport Bar on deck 3. Not really the same view as on Deck 14 Sky lounge though.

 

We are going on Solstice again in March and we know the hostess is going on leave, so we will be very interested to see if the elite event picks up. We like having a social drink with other keen cruisers. We have met some lovely people at the diamond lounge as well as previous elite events, and we really love the ambience overall on Solstice.

 

The food in general is great, and the food places, like the Oceanview Cafe (I always call it the jammer!) are open for longer hours. It feels like there is more seating, but maybe people are just spread over a longer time frame. That is the Celebrity feeling, relaxing and unhurried. The Windjammer on Voyager class ships seemed to have a lot of announcements last time about moving on so others could get a seat.

 

I think every ship has its own special good points. It is a bit like comparing apples and oranges. I like both apples and oranges!

 

Sometimes you want something more and are prepared to compromise. We think that having the diamond lounge is big plus, so we will be looking to see if our next cruise on Solstice will make up our mind to stay more with Royal. We already had March 2017 booked before we chose the last Dec cruise.

 

For those wondering about trying Celebrity, if you add up the pick your perk benefits, and you normally book a balcony, you may find the pricing adds up to be quite similar. We also find that the prices don't vary much over all of the months prior to the cruises on Solstice, so you can happily book without that feeling that the people in the cabin next door may have paid half the price that you did.

 

Sometimes they do have guarantee cabin specials if you are looking for a bargain, but we like to choose our cabin these days, and in Australia we are not allowed on Royal or Celebrity to change our allocation on a guarantee.

 

Sorry to hijack your post Matt!

[janetz]

Your review and pictures have me so excited for our cruise! :)

[cruising grandma]

Matt, thanks gif posting the officer's page. Only one I know is Rafaelle.

 

Quest.....we did have Quest on Silhouette but possibly because ours was a much longer transatlantic cruise. Richard Spacey hosted it, and we were on the winning team!:D