Trip Report: 12-night Holiday Cruise in the Caribbean on the SILHOUETTE (2018)

[SleepingUgly]

2 hours ago, micheleata said:

Thanks for sharing this wonderful review with us!!  I am so sorry to see it end!  Looking forward to the next one!

 

Thank you, and appreciate your sticking it out with me!  If I recall correctly, you have a cruise coming up later this year, right?  Safe travels, whenever and wherever you may go!

 

Linda

 

[SleepingUgly]

1 hour ago, Sadebud said:

Linda,

 

Fantastic review!  I'm sorry to see it end!  Love your commentary and humor! Hope to run into you on a future cruise (you have me looking at the holiday 2020...lol) so I can buy you a martini or two!

 

 Happy New Year to you and your wonderful family!

 

Tracy

 

Thank you, Tracy!  Yes - definitely look into that 12-night holiday sailing on the Reflection!  We can drink, eat and judge other people together, hahaha.

 

Have a wonderful cruise later this year!  I see you are going to the ABC islands.  We visited Aruba and Curacao on our 2007 cruise and we loved both places and really want to return someday.  We shall see ...

 

Thanks again for reading!

 

Linda

 

[SleepingUgly]

19 minutes ago, WarmH2OSailing said:

As as "senior citizen" that has followed your wonderful review from the beginning, I would offer a couple of observations.  A review such as yours is much like a personal travelogue made public.  (My wife and I have been doing the private version for almost 40 years.). Perhaps twenty years from now, or during some family event that brings nostalgia, you'll re-read your review of this vacation while having a hot toddy on a cold winter's morning.  Your eyes will water and you will be truly thankful that you spent the time writing this fine memory. 

 

Thanks again, we enjoyed your trip.

 

This is so sweet and kind of you to say, and yes, I did in deed save all of my posts.  I think by doing it on this forum really forced me to finish the entire trip report, instead of just abandoning it halfway through.  I look back now at my random scribblings about my children when they were toddlers and preschoolers - and the silly things they would say - and that already brings tears to my eyes (or makes me howl with laughter at just how stupid my children were), so I'm sure this trip report will be fun to read later on as well.  And, I'm hoping that my children will get a kick out of it as well eventually.

 

Thanks again for following along.  Safe travels to you and yours in 2019 and beyond!
 

Linda

 

[shavdog]

I have a great idea....you did such a fantastic job reviewing your vacation, Celebrity should gift your family a free cruise as a goodwill gesture....fantastic....best review ever....

[SleepingUgly]

35 minutes ago, shavdog said:

I have a great idea....you did such a fantastic job reviewing your vacation, Celebrity should gift your family a free cruise as a goodwill gesture....fantastic....best review ever....

 

Haha, you know I'm totally on board (pun intended) with that idea, but not so sure about Celebrity.  I'm guessing the most they may do is give me a few more mini shrimps in the afternoon canapes offerings. 🙂  Thanks very much for your kind compliments!  - Linda

[micheleata]

1 hour ago, SleepingUgly said:

 

Thank you, and appreciate your sticking it out with me!  If I recall correctly, you have a cruise coming up later this year, right?  Safe travels, whenever and wherever you may go!

 

Linda

 

 

Thanks,  I do in October.  Same itinerary as our Sept cruise last year, 10 night ABC's!   

 

Do you have other vacation reviews on any other boards?   

 

Michele

[SleepingUgly]

29 minutes ago, micheleata said:

 

Thanks,  I do in October.  Same itinerary as our Sept cruise last year, 10 night ABC's!   

 

Do you have other vacation reviews on any other boards?   

 

Michele

 

I do not, Michele, but can I suggest you check out deladane's trip reports on the Celebrity page.  She does a great job with details and pictures so you will enjoy reading her reviews.  Also, harryfat1's reviews on the Royal Caribbean boards are PACKED with details and information.  He takes some really, really good pictures too.  Their trip reports really helped me keep my sanity in the months before our cruise, so I had something to read.  Lastly, I suggest just Googling "gambee", and you will find his own website that he has posted tons of detailed cruise reviews with lots of pictures.  I read through all of them in a two-week time period and thoroughly enjoyed them.

 

Most of these may be a bit dated; the most recent may be deladane's review from spring 2018.  That's kind of why I wanted to do this one for our cruise because it was really tough for me to find anything recent about the Silhouette.  Also, I noticed a lot of people had questions about holiday sailings, so I thought I would help out.  I hope you found it to be helpful.  In the meantime, definitely check out the other trip reports.  

 

Another tip - if you go to a CC page for any particular cruise line, just sort via "Most Replies" or "Most Views" and, generally, the most popular trip reports will appear on the first 4-5 pages.  This will allow you to locate other trip reports much more easily.  Most may be older / dated, but at least it's something!

 

HTH, and happy cruising!

 

Linda

  

[micheleata]

Thanks Linda,  but I have read all of those already!    Maybe I will just work on finishing mine from September,  as I did one for February last year, but got side tracked with the last one.      I just loved your writing style and wondered about others, because I have done a ton of them for Vegas and Atlantic City, and was hoping you had also!  Thanks again!

[JFontaine]

Thank you for sharing your trip and your family with us.  Not only did I enjoy it, I even told my family about following your journey.  I especially enjoyed your energy and your sense of adventure.  And the photo that stands out for me - taken from a balcony, your husband appears to be sleeping so happily next to a stuffed animal placed perfectly next to him.  Catch you next time!

[Prefdavid]

Thanks for such an enjoyable review.

 

We are on Silhouette in June/July to go to the Baltics and I suspect it'll be a very different experience but it was good to read of all the things you did on board Silhouette and having been to most of the Caribbean islands you visited, it brought back some happy memories.

[SleepingUgly]

16 hours ago, micheleata said:

Thanks Linda,  but I have read all of those already!    Maybe I will just work on finishing mine from September,  as I did one for February last year, but got side tracked with the last one.      I just loved your writing style and wondered about others, because I have done a ton of them for Vegas and Atlantic City, and was hoping you had also!  Thanks again!

 

Are your reviews for AC and Vegas online?  If so, I'd love to read those?  I need to get back to Vegas sometime soon!

 

Linda

 

[SleepingUgly]

11 hours ago, JFontaine said:

Thank you for sharing your trip and your family with us.  Not only did I enjoy it, I even told my family about following your journey.  I especially enjoyed your energy and your sense of adventure.  And the photo that stands out for me - taken from a balcony, your husband appears to be sleeping so happily next to a stuffed animal placed perfectly next to him.  Catch you next time!

 

Thank you so much for following along with me these past weeks!  I remember that photo!  He's become so accustomed to having stuffed animals all around him, it's like they're part of his surroundings now.  The little one takes them with her everywhere.  I have her stuffed octopus with me at work today.  I wonder how many words Oliver can type per minute, what with having eight tentacles, you know.

 

Thanks again for reading!  Glad you and your family enjoyed our shenanigans!

 

Linda

 

[Kdanemjm]

I'm sorry your review is over... thank you for taking the time and effort to put this together.

[SleepingUgly]

21 minutes ago, Prefdavid said:

Thanks for such an enjoyable review.

 

We are on Silhouette in June/July to go to the Baltics and I suspect it'll be a very different experience but it was good to read of all the things you did on board Silhouette and having been to most of the Caribbean islands you visited, it brought back some happy memories.

 

Oh, I am jealous of your upcoming cruise!  That is one itinerary I definitely want to sail!  My mom and dad did that a while back and they absolutely loved it.  It will be indeed a different experience but that's the beauty of cruising - everyone can decide what he / she wants to do, select where you want to go and see, and eat what he or she wants.  And you only have to unpack once! 🙂

 

Safe travels to you always, and thanks for following along!

 

Linda

 

[SleepingUgly]

Epilogue 

 

So, guess what?  My oldest daughter made a video of our cruise vacation and posted it on YouTube.  Check it out, if you have around 17 minutes to spare (I know, I know ... who does she think she is, Tolstoy?).  Since you "know" my family by now and have read about our vacation, you may get a kick out of the video.  She didn't include much of the ship itself, but mostly of just the islands we visited.

 

Guess there's hope after all for my family and their lack of desire to plan any vacations.  At least they do a pretty admirable job AFTER the fact, right? 😉 

 

Anyway, hope you enjoy!

 

 

 

 

[micheleata]

3 hours ago, SleepingUgly said:

Are your reviews for AC and Vegas online?  If so, I'd love to read those?  I need to get back to Vegas sometime soon!

 

Linda

 

Here's a bunch under previous trip reports.   Happy reading!

 

https://michelesreports.blogspot.com/

 

LOVE the video!!!

Edited February 7, 2019 by micheleata

[Chrissi3010]

Hi Linda,

the best and most entertaining review I ever read...thank you for that. 🙂

First I only came across your post because of the ports (some of them we will visit in November) and because you cruised during the holiday season.  We also did a holiday cruise (Arabian Sea and India) with Celebrity a few weeks ago, so I was interested in your experience.

But then I found myself reading your Review like a book, a few "chapters" every Day . It was hilarious...especially when you described your family's behaviour and attitudes. And it was refreshing that you didn't glorify them...although you have a wonderful family. Your Girls are adorable.

 

So, thanks again very much and....do we have to wait Long for a second Season? 😉

 

Regards from Germany 

Christine

 

PS. By the way, I am German, but extremely inefficient from time to time 

PPS. Sorry for many words with Capital letters. My German Computer decides itself whether they should be written with Capital letter. 

PPPS. Planning vacation is mine, too. DH sometimes can't even remember where we are exactly going… 😉

[sheltielover1973]

Hello from a SNOWY (6" and still coming down) Minneapolis! Just spent the last few hours reading your entire trip report! It is fantastic and I love your sense of humor! We leave on the Silhoutte on Feb 22nd for the 9 night ABC Islands cruise and I'm very excited!

 

I was actually on the EDGE that day when you were all docked alongside! She's a beauty!

 

Thanks for the report! Your family is darling!! 

Aimee

 

[deladane]

On 1/7/2019 at 9:51 AM, SleepingUgly said:

Subtitle: My (not so) short and (not necessarily always) sweet trip report on how we not only survived, but actually managed to thoroughly enjoy, 12 nights on a cruise ship packed with large (and sometime unruly) families, some questionable food (when did scrambled eggs come with au jus), and ridiculously tight slot machines (possibly a blessing in disguise as our 19-year-old is now completely disgusted with gambling).

 

Well, we did it. Or, maybe more accurately, I did it.  After planning for more than one year – and changing cruise lines, dates and itinerary in the midst of all that planning – we finally took our first cruise as a family of five.  And I survived to tell you all about it.  And since this board was tremendously, insanely helpful to me during my days of manic planning – as well as the days when I wanted to start my vacation NOW so I just ended up doing nothing at work except read trip report after trip report – I thought I would return the favor and post a detailed photo trip report of our two-week vacation.  As with all other trip reports that I’ve read and learned from (shout-outs to Bimmer09, deladane, harryfat1, mitsugirly, Noreen411 and gambee for being my inspirations and for having kept me entertained for so many hours these past months), I welcome any / all questions and comments, so please feel free to jump in anytime!

 

 

Thanks for the shout out in your intro!  I haven't been on the Celebrity boards in a while, but just stumbled upon your review.  I've only read the first post so far, but I can't wait to read the rest... you are off to a great start!!

 

[cruzers j&n]

Aww shucks, your blog/review is over?!?  Seriously, thank you so much for taking the time to share your family vacation with us, I definitely felt like I was traveling along with all of you (and having a great time).  This has been one of the most entertaining reviews I've read in a long time.

 

Have to say I absolutely loved your little one's pineapple sunglasses and cat ears headband, lol.  My niece has a similar headband, what a fashion statement.😄  Wish they had such fun gear when I was a little girl.

 

So now the question is....how can we all convince your hubby to book another cruise soon so you can do another review?  2020 is too long to wait!  Here are some ideas which I think would work well for your family:  Norway or Galapagos - I haven't been to Galapagos (yet) but both destinations are great for scenery and adventure.  We were really blown away with Norway (and yes, we hiked Pulpit Rock - where latest Mission Impossible movie was filmed - and were sore for the next several days so fair warning).

 

Btw, I know you were considering Oceania which personally I loved, however, when traveling as a family, I really feel Celebrity is a better fit, at least for us.

 

Thanks again for a great few weeks of entertainment!😃

[SleepingUgly]

17 hours ago, Chrissi3010 said:

Hi Linda,

the best and most entertaining review I ever read...thank you for that. 🙂

First I only came across your post because of the ports (some of them we will visit in November) and because you cruised during the holiday season.  We also did a holiday cruise (Arabian Sea and India) with Celebrity a few weeks ago, so I was interested in your experience.

But then I found myself reading your Review like a book, a few "chapters" every Day . It was hilarious...especially when you described your family's behaviour and attitudes. And it was refreshing that you didn't glorify them...although you have a wonderful family. Your Girls are adorable.

 

So, thanks again very much and....do we have to wait Long for a second Season? 😉

 

Regards from Germany 

Christine

 

PS. By the way, I am German, but extremely inefficient from time to time 

PPS. Sorry for many words with Capital letters. My German Computer decides itself whether they should be written with Capital letter. 

PPPS. Planning vacation is mine, too. DH sometimes can't even remember where we are exactly going… 😉

 

Hi there!  Thanks much for having followed along all these weeks.  I hope you had a fantastic time on your holiday cruise - that itinerary sounds amazing!  What did you think of India?  I traveled there quite a few times for work and got time here and there to travel a bit on my own, and I loved the country and its people.  I really want to go back and visit with dh someday.

 

Thank you so much for the compliments about the girls. My family are a bunch of weirdos so there's nothing to glorify about that!  We do enjoy traveling with each other quite a bit and always seem to end up enjoying whatever we do, so I do feel very blessed knowing I have that.  I always tell my girls, You'll know when you meet the right person when you can travel with them and not feel like you want to throttle them or push them over the edge of the Grand Canyon.  That's how you know it's true love!

 

Thanks again for sticking it out with me.  Hope things are going well for you in Germany, and may you enjoy safe travels wherever you may go!

 

Linda

    

[SleepingUgly]

15 hours ago, sheltielover1973 said:

Hello from a SNOWY (6" and still coming down) Minneapolis! Just spent the last few hours reading your entire trip report! It is fantastic and I love your sense of humor! We leave on the Silhoutte on Feb 22nd for the 9 night ABC Islands cruise and I'm very excited!

 

I was actually on the EDGE that day when you were all docked alongside! She's a beauty!

 

Thanks for the report! Your family is darling!! 

Aimee

 

 

Oh, I am so jealous ... you just finished a cruise and you are off for another one later this month?!?  That's the kind of life I want to live!  #icanonlydream  I thought the Edge was a beautiful ship (still not too sure about the orange color for The Magic Carpet, though) and I would love to go on it someday, but the prices - ouch!  Maybe that will be a trip for just mom and dad, and the kids can stay home and just deal with it.

 

Thanks very much for reading, and really appreciate the compliments!  Safe travels later this month and always!

 

Linda

 

[SleepingUgly]

10 hours ago, deladane said:

 

Thanks for the shout out in your intro!  I haven't been on the Celebrity boards in a while, but just stumbled upon your review.  I've only read the first post so far, but I can't wait to read the rest... you are off to a great start!!

 

 

Thanks, Dana, and I'm glad you found the review!  Thanks again for keeping me entertained in the months and weeks before my cruise, so hoping I can return the favor for you. 🙂

 

Linda

 

[SleepingUgly]

18 minutes ago, cruzers j&n said:

Aww shucks, your blog/review is over?!?  Seriously, thank you so much for taking the time to share your family vacation with us, I definitely felt like I was traveling along with all of you (and having a great time).  This has been one of the most entertaining reviews I've read in a long time.

 

Have to say I absolutely loved your little one's pineapple sunglasses and cat ears headband, lol.  My niece has a similar headband, what a fashion statement.😄  Wish they had such fun gear when I was a little girl.

 

So now the question is....how can we all convince your hubby to book another cruise soon so you can do another review?  2020 is too long to wait!  Here are some ideas which I think would work well for your family:  Norway or Galapagos - I haven't been to Galapagos (yet) but both destinations are great for scenery and adventure.  We were really blown away with Norway (and yes, we hiked Pulpit Rock - where latest Mission Impossible movie was filmed - and were sore for the next several days so fair warning).

 

Btw, I know you were considering Oceania which personally I loved, however, when traveling as a family, I really feel Celebrity is a better fit, at least for us.

 

Thanks again for a great few weeks of entertainment!😃

 

Thank you so much for your incredibly kind words, and for having followed along all these weeks!  Believe it or not, I actually started looking into a few Galapagos cruises in the past couple of weeks because I think the little one is old enough for such an experience now.  Celebrity's prices, though - wow!  One child may have to stay at home so we can all squeeze into just one cabin, and dh may have to take his bathroom activities outside so we don't have to all share one bathroom.  Hey, builds character for him, right?  I haven't given much though re: a northern European cruise yet (I love warm weather) but my husband has been to Norway the that region and he loved it.  So plan something for us then, doofus!!  Ugh, I think the last trip he planned for me was a Sunday morning outing to Costco ("We need more milk; let's go!" ... who says romance is dead?).

 

Thanks for the compliments re: my little one.  I think I spoil her way too much by getting her things like goofy sunglasses and cat ear headbands and tulle tutus and furry boots ... but what's the fun of having a little girl if you can't spoil her and dress her up in fun, mismatched clothing, am I right?

 

Thanks again for following along all these weeks!  I am working hard on seeing if we can book another cruise later this year or early next year.  I am not so sure I can wait another 684 days until our December 2020 cruise ... 🙂

 

Safe travels!

 

Linda

   

[Captain-John]

Wow - I have just finished reading this fantastic trip report. Thank you, thank you, thank you so much for taking the time to write  this, to sort and upload the photographs and to put so much detail into your posts. A fantastic record for the future too.

 

It looks like you all had a fantastic time and it was a pleasure to 'experience' your holiday through your posts on this board.

 

I sincerely hope you will do another trip report like this next time you cruise - I'll be keeping eyes peeled - although compiling such a great report will have taken a huge investment of your time (whether you enjoyed it or not!) so I can only hope writing this one hasn't put you off writing another! 😄

 

All the best. Thanks.