Apex or Silhouette?

[Schmoe38]

39 minutes ago, CHEZMARYLOU said:

Thanks for the input, especially the direct experience of Schmoe38. We cancelled our B2B in a Villa on Apex and booked the PH on Silhouette, our favorite ship.  Even our CVP thinks we made a good decision, she was a Villa and thought it looked like a small loft town house, very narrow and the steps would become a literal pain over 2 weeks.  It's too bad the balcony on the Royal Suite is so small.

Hi Mary Lou

 

Looks like we might just miss you in March 2022. We are sailing in the PH on Silhouette for the March 28/22 itinerary. Silhouette is such a great ship!

 

Randy

[CHEZMARYLOU]

9 minutes ago, Schmoe38 said:

Hi Mary Lou

 

Looks like we might just miss you in March 2022. We are sailing in the PH on Silhouette for the March 28/22 itinerary. Silhouette is such a great ship!

 

Randy

Ahh so you're one of the reasons we could not book the 28th.

[LGW59]

53 minutes ago, CHEZMARYLOU said:

Thanks for the input, especially the direct experience of Schmoe38. We cancelled our B2B in a Villa on Apex and booked the PH on Silhouette, our favorite ship.  Even our CVP thinks we made a good decision, she was a Villa and thought it looked like a small loft town house, very narrow and the steps would become a literal pain over 2 weeks.  It's too bad the balcony on the Royal Suite is so small.

CHEZMARYLOU:  I don't know if you recall but you had given me some advice on your experience in RS on EDGE and while you loved the suite you said the balcony at 72SF was a very big disappointment.  Well we had it booked on APEX but after remembering what you said (saw others with similar comments) we decided to look further.  We found an aft corner Sky Suite that has a 163SF balcony, amazing that it is 2x the size of RS.  As we do spend a lot of time on the balcony it was worth the switch.  Would have been our first time ever in RS but with a 12 day cruise that has 4 days at sea, we just felt it was well worth making the change.  

[Schmoe38]

8 minutes ago, CHEZMARYLOU said:

Ahh so you're one of the reasons we could not book the 28th.

Whoops...guess I should have kept quiet. 

[CHEZMARYLOU]

18 minutes ago, Schmoe38 said:

Whoops...guess I should have kept quiet. 

That's ok, just get Vancouver opened up for the 2021 Alaska cruise season so we can celebrate our 50th anniversary onboard Eclipse.

[CHEZMARYLOU]

26 minutes ago, LGW59 said:

CHEZMARYLOU:  I don't know if you recall but you had given me some advice on your experience in RS on EDGE and while you loved the suite you said the balcony at 72SF was a very big disappointment.  Well we had it booked on APEX but after remembering what you said (saw others with similar comments) we decided to look further.  We found an aft corner Sky Suite that has a 163SF balcony, amazing that it is 2x the size of RS.  As we do spend a lot of time on the balcony it was worth the switch.  Would have been our first time ever in RS but with a 12 day cruise that has 4 days at sea, we just felt it was well worth making the change.  

I never sailed in the Royal Suite, or any suite on an E class and I hope I didn't mislead you.  The photos I saw of the suite make it look amazing.  But, the photos, description, and size of the balcony reported on several sites including Celebrity are very disappointing for a RS balcony.  Our CVP, who also saw the RS on Edge confirmed the balcony size.  If we were not so spoiled by high level suites we liked the corner aft suites.  If we ever have a chance to book last minute we would consider one.  

[LGW59]

17 minutes ago, CHEZMARYLOU said:

I never sailed in the Royal Suite, or any suite on an E class and I hope I didn't mislead you.  The photos I saw of the suite make it look amazing.  But, the photos, description, and size of the balcony reported on several sites including Celebrity are very disappointing for a RS balcony.  Our CVP, who also saw the RS on Edge confirmed the balcony size.  If we were not so spoiled by high level suites we liked the corner aft suites.  If we ever have a chance to book last minute we would consider one.  

Thank you for the clarification and no you certainly did not mislead me!  I just recalled several comments and feedback, which caused me to look a little further.  As lovely as the RS suite is, we really want a bigger balcony as we spend a lot of time there.  Would not want to deal with, excuse me could you please get up from that relaxing lounger and move so I can go inside. 

[CHEZMARYLOU]

That's the problem, the balcony only has 2 chairs from the photos I've seen.  On M & S class you have loungers and a whirlpool tub.

[peanut head]

On 12/27/2020 at 5:46 AM, Schmoe38 said:

We have sailed in both types of staterooms. The PH on Silhouette is a wonderful stateroom with a gorgeous main bathroom and plenty of room on the balcony to enjoy some quiet time. We sailed in an Edge Villa on Edge in November 2019. The Edge Villa is a wonderful 2 storey stateroom with your bedroom on the second level. Your bed faces the window to the water, so your wake-up is second to none. Your Edge Villa also has an access door with direct access to and from the Retreat. The TV in your 2nd floor bedroom comes down from the ceiling....nice “toy.”

 

The balcony on our Edge Villa was like a wind tunnel when we sailed. It was hard to enjoy the outside furniture and the outside hot tub when we were at sea as it was very windy. Our itinerary was in the Caribbean. As well, the hot tub takes a while to get warmed up, so if you choose this stateroom, ask the butler to start warming up the hot tub about 45 minutes before you plan on going in. When we sailed, our butler serviced only the Edge Villas. We are very low maintenance, so he was always visible, looking for something to do.

 

In terms of dining, Apex will have Fine Cut Steakhouse which was a very good comparable to Murano on Silhouette. The food and the service in both specialty restaurants would come up a winner in both. Apex has a hidden gem in La Grand Bistro, which should be a lunch option for you. We found many people refused to pay $20 for lunch there early in the cruise, so getting in was not an issue. As people realized their mistake, the crowds got larger as our cruise wore on. Raw on 5 on Apex gets the nod over Sushi on 5 on Silhouette. Food is better and service was way better. Remember, you will get unlimited specialty restaurants on both ships when you are in the PH or Edge Villa.

 

The big issue for us was Luminae. On Silhouette, Luminae is divided into 2 sections, a front and a back. The front is a little noisier than the back due to it being closer to the entrance door. The back side is closer to the kitchen access area. Luminae on Apex is open concept and was definitely noisier when we sailed on Edge. Food and service was excellent on both. The other difference comes from Luminae’s limited menu.

 

On Silhouette, if you see a Luminae menu where you cannot eat or prefer not to eat any of the entrees, you can order off the Main Dining menu. The kitchens are close to each other, so wait staff do not have to go far if you order off the Main Dining Room menu. As such, your choice is expanded immensely. You cannot do the same on Apex as Luminae is higher on the ship and much farther away from the Main Dining Room kitchen. As such, your choices will be reduced as compared to Silhouette.

 

At the end of the day, if the itineraries are both acceptable to you, I would choose the PH on Silhouette. The stateroom is open concept and more conducive to your enjoyment inside and outside on the balcony. The Edge Villa, although it would be a beautiful stateroom on a new ship, is a little choppy due to the 2 storey structure and not as enjoyable inside and outside on the balcony.

 

Just my 2 cents’ worth.

 

Randy

Hi Randy,

 

I was wondering if the upstairs bathroom in the Edge Villa had 2 sinks?  I can't get a good picture of the vanity(ies) from any diagrams.

[Schmoe38]

26 minutes ago, peanut head said:

Hi Randy,

 

I was wondering if the upstairs bathroom in the Edge Villa had 2 sinks?  I can't get a good picture of the vanity(ies) from any diagrams.

No, it had a longer single “trough-like” sink.

 

Edited December 29, 2020 by Schmoe38

[CHEZMARYLOU]

Schmoe38, the more you post the more I don't regret our decision to move to Silhouette.  

[Schmoe38]

11 hours ago, CHEZMARYLOU said:

Schmoe38, the more you post the more I don't regret our decision to move to Silhouette.  

Mary Lou

 

I hope I don’t come across as an “Edge Basher” because we are glad to have had the opportunity to sail on her. We were so used to the S Class and M Class ships. We knew where everything was, and were very comfortable navigating those ships.

 

When we boarded Edge, I felt like I’d just lost my best friend. What was previously comfortable in terms of navigating the ship was now not so comfortable. It took me about 2 days to get to know the ship, so those first couple of days were a learning process. After that, it was no problem.

 

The big issue was certainly us, as we needed to move out of our comfort zone. I’m glad we did. We still prefer the S Class and M Class ships and all of our future bookings are on those ships. In fairness, we will certainly consider Edge or Apex in the future if circumstances warrant it.

 

By the Way, I think you made the right decision moving to Silhouette.

 

Randy