Celebrity Silhouette March 28 - April 8

[bye-seaya]

On 3/26/2022 at 5:52 PM, DaKahuna said:

Agree.  My wife just asked how much OBC we had and when I told her the first thing she said was "Rolex" .. it's not that much for sure. 

 

Rolex down payment. Go for it! 

[DaKahuna]

15 hours ago, cbfb said:

Did they have a lot of Covid cases on this sailing? Our boarding in equinox in January was delayed until 1 pm because if all the cases on the prior sailing and the need to sanitize. I hope we are beyond this and they are just being cautious. 

 

I have no idea but agree, I hope it is just a precautionary measure.   I did not see a live thread for the current sailing so I cannot say for sure. 
 

[DaKahuna]

Embarkation day -- 

 

After a leisurely dinner here at the hotel last night we made it an early night.  I guess the two flights yesterday, with the early wake up to make an 8 AM flight also had something to do with it. 

 

Woke up this morning decided to do some 'real work' for a couple of hours before our schedule Lyft ride shows up to take us to the ship.   We would normally leave at 1030 for an 1100 embarkation but since we were asked to delay arrival and hour we have our Lyft ride scheduled for an 1120 - 1135 pickup time.   Anxious to get onboard but also understand we have plenty of time and do not expect to encounter a crowd at the terminal.

 

Plan for today is lunch at Luminae, check into our muster station and then relaxy with drinks on our balcony / stateroom until time to get ready for dinner.  

 

Pictures and any special comments, negative or positive, will follow later.  

 

p.s.  Co-workers informed me it was snowing this morning in Maryland.  I sadly informed them it was 69 degrees with a high of 79 expected.  They are all well aware I consider snow to be a 'four letter word.'

 

Edited March 28, 2022 by DaKahuna

[mhoffrob]

looks like the prior sailing had cases - if I'm reading this right including the Cruise Director?

 

 

 

[TeeRick]

Just now, DaKahuna said:

Embarkation day -- 

 

After a leisurely dinner here at the hotel last night we made it an early night.  I guess the two flights yesterday, with the early wake up to make an 8 AM flight also had something to do with it. 

 

Woke up this morning decided to do some 'real work' for a couple of hours before our schedule Lyft ride shows up to take us to the ship.   We would normally leave at 1030 for an 1100 embarkation but since we were asked to delay arrival and hour we have our Lyft ride scheduled for an 1120 - 1135 pickup time.   Anxious to get onboard but also understand we have plenty of time and do not expect to encounter a crowd at the terminal.

 

Plan for today is lunch at Luminae, check into our muster station and then relaxy with drinks on our balcony / stateroom until time to get ready for dinner.  

 

Pictures and any special comments, negative or positive, will follow later.  

 

Have a wonderful cruise!

[DaKahuna]

3 minutes ago, TeeRick said:

Have a wonderful cruise!

 

 Thanks.  We have every expectation that we will. 

 

3 minutes ago, mhoffrob said:

looks like the prior sailing had cases - if I'm reading this right including the Cruise Director?

 

 

 

 

 I just saw that.  I'll have to inquire onboard about how bad it was. 

 

[CHEZMARYLOU]

What hotel were you at in Ft. Lauderdale?

[DaKahuna]

Just now, CHEZMARYLOU said:

What hotel were you at in Ft. Lauderdale?

We are at the Westin Ft. Lauderdale Beach Resort. 

 

[39august]

Do you know why you were asked to delay boarding?

[DaKahuna]

12 minutes ago, 39august said:

Do you know why you were asked to delay boarding?

It's in the letter I posted early -- 'advanced sanitization of the ship" 

 

[peanut head]

Following along and wishing you a fantastic voyage.  So excited for you and anxiously awaiting your review(s) and photos.

[chemmo]

16 minutes ago, DaKahuna said:

It's in the letter I posted early -- 'advanced sanitization of the ship" 

 

Reassuring they are doing this. I would happily board a bit later knowing there had been a deep clean focus.

 

Sincere best wishes for a fantastic cruise.

[sakigemcam]

Please wear your masks onboard and on excursions. See my post from the prior cruise. Left my husband behind to quarantine  and reports of many infected. That’s why they’re extra sanitizing. 
We wore our masks a LOT. Take as many precautions as you can. You don’t want to go through what we are going through. 
Safe travels. 

[Jim_Iain]

Hope all goes well with the later than expected boarding.   I was just looking at the port and looks like Infinity is also in port.   Looks like a beautiful day.

[sakigemcam]

3 hours ago, DaKahuna said:

 

I have no idea but agree, I hope it is just a precautionary measure.   I did not see a live thread for the current sailing so I cannot say for sure. 
 

Look at my thread. Boarded with husband, left without him. 
Wear your masks. 

[DaKahuna]

 We arranged for Lyft to pick us up at 1120 - 1135 and take us to the ship.  Our original boarding time was 1100.   

 

We arrived at the pier at 1140 dropped our bags off at the bag drop and proceeded directly to the Retreat entrance to termain 25.  There was one couple ahead of us but they apparently did not have their paperwork ready so they moved off to the site and we walked up and after providing our stateroom number she verified our photos on the printout she had.    She then checked our Xpress pass, Covid vaccination cards, proof of negative antigen test, and passports where checked and we proceeded inside to the security checkpoint.  We were the only ones in line.   Removed all the items from our pockets and put them in our carry on bag and sent through.  No problems. 

 

Around the corner and up the elevator to the Retreat area.  We were told to take a seat and someone would be with us shortly.  That someone follwed us to our seats as there were three of four people doing the check ins standing around waiting for customers.  Our Xpress Pass was scanned and we showed the negative antigen test, we were told we could proceed onboard.  We walked on board the ship at 1155. (It took 15 minutes from bag drop to setting foot onboard the ship)

 

We walked aboard, went directly to our stateroom, put away our valuables in the safe, watched the safety video, and proceeded to Luminae for lunch.   We arrived at Luminae, were seated at one of the window seats in the front part of the restaurant and had lunch.  It was no crowded or noisy at all. 

 

After having a nice lunch, we left Luminae where I encountered my first 'disappointment' of the cruise - no Decoy Merlot, and went to Blu to check in to our Muster station.  A quick scan or our Seapass cards and we were then on our way to the Retreat Lounge where I encountered my second 'disappointment' of the cruise -- no Ron Zacapa onboard. Apparently there have been supply issues of some sort with Celebrity's distributors and many 'standard items' have not been available since December.  I guess I'll have to make do with other rum's in the meantime. 

 

After leaving the Retreat Lounge, we came back to the room where my wife decided to take a bit of a rest while I ventured to the Retreat Sundeck on decks 15 and 16 forward.   I found the Retreat Sundeck to be as many others described it.. lots of available seating but a very distinct lack of shade.  I grabbed a stool at the bar and took advantage of the sun's position to get some shade while having a drink and talking with the bartenders.  It was then I received the good news that the Retreat Sundeck was open on port days and that a limited menu was available, this was similar to our experience on Edge.  Am looking forward to seeing how that will work out in an upcoming port of call. 

 

Back to the room I went to take a short nap before sail away.  

 

My wife woke me up as the ship was pulling away from the pier.  We popped open the bottle of sparkling wine and went out on our balcony to enjoy the wine and the sail away.  

 

We enjoyed dinner in Luminae and then ventured to the Casino.  We sat for a short while and played slot machines before making our way for a drink in the Ensemble Lounge. where we enjoyed  Vivace String duo.  When they finished their set we decided to go to the Sky Lounge for Beatles Trivia (we do not play) and then to listen to house band do "British Invasion" songs.  We left after a short while and came back to the room for the night.  

 

[DaKahuna]

Instead of the lobster roll, I had it served as a salad for lunch -- delicious.

 

 

[DaKahuna]

A view from our table a dinner tonight -- 

[jimbri]

Have a wonderful cruise.

[DaKahuna]

1 hour ago, jimbri said:

Have a wonderful cruise.

Thank you.  It has been as good as we expected so far.  

 

[Pinboy]

9 hours ago, DaKahuna said:

A view from our table a dinner tonight -- 

Seeing this photo makes us want to cruise again, big time !!

Please let me ( us ) know what the mask wearing policy is and whether the passengers are observing it. ( LOL--- Don't need to know about the dress code or who the etc, etc, is ).

Now, about that Rolex your wife would like --

They " might " still sell " pre-loved " Rolex watches in the jewelry store . ( I told a story about that " old f--t " buying one several times on CC ). 

Or, at any of the islands , any one, while " you know who " is looking at swim suit cover-ups or hand made ( ?? ) jewelry ( junk drawer inventory ) ,  ask the Manager ( the guy with a calculator in hand ) , to show you the Rolex watches. He will ask for $125 , but will settle for $75 because there is no box.

He might forget to tell you that  "oyster perpetual " is spelled wrong , but, that's no big deal.

Enjoy the cruise, and many more.

 

 

[bup1224]

3 hours ago, DaKahuna said:

Thank you.  It has been as good as we expected so far.  

 

Do you know how many passengers onboard?

[DaKahuna]

12 hours ago, Pinboy said:

Seeing this photo makes us want to cruise again, big time !!

Please let me ( us ) know what the mask wearing policy is and whether the passengers are observing it. ( LOL--- Don't need to know about the dress code or who the etc, etc, is ).

Now, about that Rolex your wife would like --

They " might " still sell " pre-loved " Rolex watches in the jewelry store . ( I told a story about that " old f--t " buying one several times on CC ). 

Or, at any of the islands , any one, while " you know who " is looking at swim suit cover-ups or hand made ( ?? ) jewelry ( junk drawer inventory ) ,  ask the Manager ( the guy with a calculator in hand ) , to show you the Rolex watches. He will ask for $125 , but will settle for $75 because there is no box.

He might forget to tell you that  "oyster perpetual " is spelled wrong , but, that's no big deal.

Enjoy the cruise, and many more.

 

 

 

 Let's see if I can answer these in the order they were asked. 

 

Mask Policy -- mask are optional everywhere.  Some people are wearing them in public  venue's, others are not.  We are wearing them when we are anywhere near others for a period of time.  Thus far that has not been very often.   I plan on finding out number of guest aboard tomorrow but feel it is in the neighborhood on 1000 - 1200 guest. 

 

Yes, they still have the 'pre loved' Rolex sales.  In fact I believe there is one tomorrow.  I have a "Bolex" that I purchased in Hong Kong back in the 1970's.  The quickest way to spot a true Roles is the second hand.  On a real Rolex the second hand is a smooth flow versus a second by second tick.  

 

 

[DaKahuna]

12 hours ago, bup1224 said:

Do you know how many passengers onboard?

 

 See above.  I have not asked yet but that is on my to do list for tomorrow.  As you will read below, real life got in the way of cruising today. 

 

[DaKahuna]

Day 2 -- Sea Day

 

Unfortunately real life caught up with me today and I spent most of the day in the state room working, or at least trying my best to work.  Some comments about that and observations from the day. 

 

Internet connectivity has been problematic.  This morning for a short while there was no real issue with connecting to the internet but there were issues connecting to my work VPN.  I still have not been able to connect to my work Citrix instances.  I did not have this issue on the Reflection Cruise in December as I was able to connect daily, multiple times a day without issue.  

At one time today I ran a speed test -- Not promising I can assure you.  See image for results. 

 

Some observations that I have not run to ground and some facts. 

 

1). The bedside lamp in our stateroom has two USB ports.  Neither work.  Our personal Retreat Host (Butler) says that this is a known issue but there are no spare lamps aboard to replace this one.  

 

2). There are shortages of a lot of the 'standard' liquor items.  There is no Ron Zacapa anywhere on board.  There is not a lot of other 'quality' rums onboard from what I have gathered.  In the World Class bar, the Zacapa Old Fashioned is being made with Brucal Anejo (see photo) .. Not the same at all.  There are some other choices at other bars, the Ensemble Lounge and the Retreat Sundeck Bar have a rum I have not tried but plan to try tomorrow and will report back later. 

 

 

3) Along with the liquor items that you normally find, wines have also been problematic,  I do not have an accurate accounting of what is or is not aboard but I proceed cautiously when ordering wine.  I did have the Cherry Pie Pinot Noir with my Fennel crusted lamb this evening and I enjoyed it.  Will try and find more details as the cruise progresses.  

 

4) Staffing.  I do not know if it is just me or what but there seems to be fewer waiters and assistant waiters in Luminae.  In December on Reflection we had lots of conversations and quality time with our waitress and her two assistants.  On Silhouette it seems the waiters and assistant waiters are too busy to have a discussion with their guest.  

 

5). I guess we were spoiled with our Sommelier on Reflection, Siraz.  On Silhouette in Luminae the sommelier seems hard pressed to keep up. Last night at dinner, at lunch today, and again at dinner tonight we had to order wine through our waiter as the sommelier never stopped by our table.  I like having the sommelier recommend wine pairings to go with my meals but that is something I have not been able to do so far.   I have not brought this to anyone's attention but am seriously considering doing so if it does not change. 

 

6). Food in Luminae has been wonderful.  We have asked for and received the MDR menu.  We have also used the Celebrity app to see what is offered in the MDR and order accordingly.  

 

7). Our Butler and room attendant have been wonderful.  They both have bent over backwards to make sure everythig has been to our liking.  Our Butler even removed all the beer / wine beverages from the mini-bar and replaced them with Vitamin Zero Water after seeing me with a bottle I brought to the room from the Retreat Lounge.  He also stocked a couple of bottles of diet tonic water after finding out I like the occasional vodka and diet tonic.  He told me not to use the miniatures of Tito's but to call him and he would bring me a shot, or two, or vodka instead.  

 

😎 The Retreat Lounge ... nice and bright but we believe that the old furniture was more comfortable.  I do not like low backed chairs and I can't put words to it but the couches just do not feel comfortable.  I do not know if it is because the seats are so deep or something else.  We think the darker Michael's Club was more 'intimate' the brightness of the Retreat Lounge we can see appealing to some.  Don't judge - everyone is entitled to an opinion and that happens to be ours. 

 

We have not had anything unusual as far as meals so far, there are countless pictures of the items on the menu throughout Cruise Critic (I think there is even a thread dedicated to photo's of food in various restaurants, and the Luminae menu remains unchanged since our last sailing so unless there is a dish that someone specifically wants to see, I do not plan to posting a lot of pictures of our meals.  

 

Unlike a lovely and talented young lady whose handle escapes me, forgive me Jamie, at the moment I do not keep track of my drinks but needless to say my DBP is not going to waste.  

 

Tomorrow is another sea day and I plan to spend more time wandering about the ship and taking pictures. 

 

Good night and God bless.