Silhouette 12/5-12/15. The good, the bad, and the weird.

[asnaleah]

I decided not to write a “live from” this time. I knew I would mostly be eating, drinking and spending quality time with DH. Happy to report, it went well!

 

This was our second time on Silhouette. The revolutionized Retreat Lounge and Sun Deck are lovely, and it’s nice to have quiet places to hang out. We sailed with around 1600 passengers so the only crowds were around the pool on the sea days. We were lucky enough to have a CS with a hump balcony. I tried for a move up bid to a RS, but wasn’t successful. We were happy in the CS, but would really like having the separate shower and the extra half bath! I’m pretty short, so climbing into and out of the tub was a challenge when the ship was moving. Also, the door stop is right where a person would step when getting out of the tub. An extra challenge! 
 

The CS bedroom is separate which we like. However, there is no American electrical outlet, so I needed an extension cord in order to plug in my Cpap machine. The outlet was at the desk, so the cord was taped down across the doorway, meaning the bedroom door could not be closed. Sigh. Speaking of outlets, it’s very nice that there is a nightstand lamp with two USB ports. However, the new nightstand is SO tiny, there is only room for a phone, certainly not an iPad. Kindle is pictured. Good thing I have a travel sized Cpap.

 

 

 

 

Getting around the end of the bed to go into the bathroom or closet is tight, but I managed not to bang my shins! The bed is very comfortable and our cabin attendant happily brought us extra pillows.

 

There is a lot of space in the living room, but the coffee table is very small. Room for coffee cups, but that’s about it! We removed the “decorations”, pictured in the corner by the balcony door. Hm, I see that I should have placed something on the table for scale. Sorry about that. Trust me, it’s small. I wish it were an adjustable height table. Good thing we had a regular dining table with chairs on our balcony. 

 

There is slightly less storage since the revolutionizing. Weird.

 

Thats all for the suite. Any questions, I’m happy to answer if I can.

 

Now - food and drink! Absolutely great service in Luminae! We enjoy the menu but were always offered the MDR menu too. I only took a couple of food pictures because most of the menu has already been shown by the fantastic @Jim_and_Iian. Roasted carrot appetizer and fabulous bone in veal chop.

No problems with wine choices, and Carlos our fabulous sommelier always kept our glasses full. Our food disappointment was in OV cafe and surprisingly, the Spa Cafe. We have always enjoyed the spa cafe, but this time the food wasn’t great and seemed less than fresh. I miss the small salad bar they used to offer at lunch in the before times. But speaking of salad bar, wow, was it awful at OV! Very limited salad greens and what was offered wasn’t very good. Primarily spinach and rocket with lots of stems. The salad dressing bottles were absolutely disgusting. I really liked when the staff served the buffet, but I understand they are not staffed for that. The carvery station was also disappointing, with dry meats and chicken. We ate at The Porch once for lunch, but the menu isn't our favorite unless we get the (extra extra charge) seafood tower. More lunch locations on port days would be much appreciated. Maybe light lunch fare could be added in the Retreat lounge? We were happy to have lunch at the Retreat Sundeck or from room service on our balcony. The lemon tarts at Al Bacio continue to be outstanding!

 

We didn’t go to any of the shows, but we did enjoy the live music in the Grand Foyer and Ensemble Lounge. There were plenty of activities offered for those who like them. Did not find any mahjong players this time. 
 

The laundry is very hit and miss. Our first bag came back beautifully done, but bag #2 was returned a wadded up mess. My 9 year old grandson folds clothes better.

 

Captains Club continues to devalue its program and the few benefits are a real chore to use. We wrote Elite Plus on our laundry tag and got charged. We told the spa about the 15% off and got it once, but not again. Each time we had to bring it to the Concierge’s attention and eventually the discounts were honored, but why should it be so hard? And Shoreside Concierge?! My advice is not to bother. You will only be disappointed. When the delightful young woman called to ask about our requests and preferences, I gave her my prepared list - extension cord for Cpap (also requested of Special Needs department), extra foam pillows, bottled water, and a sun lounge. Zip, nada. It would be lovely if the items were actually waiting for us, but our Butler and stateroom attendant took care of everything for us. 
 

Embarkation and disembarkation were very smooth. Facial recognition helps speed things up. We had not prearranged transportation from the ship to MIA because our flight was rescheduled to 2:00 pm and we had plenty of time. Well, the taxi line was very long so I was regretting my choice, and Lyft was kind of a long wait. Then, we spotted an airport shuttle with room for two more, so we took that. Pricy, could have been cleaner, but the driver was friendly and helpful with the luggage.

 

In conclusion, aside from a few kinks and quirks, we had outstanding service, great food and drink, and lots of quality time together. Plus sunshine and warm weather! 
 

Safe travels to all!

 

 

[asnaleah]

Should be @Jim_Iain. 

[jagoffee]

Thanks for the review. Glad that you had a great time.

 

You may wish to purchase an adapter for the international outlet to convert to an  US pug, so the  cord will not be necessary. I always bring a few.  

[asnaleah]

Yes, @jagoffeeI wanted to use one, but the cabin attendant thought I would cause a short or ruin the machine. I didn’t argue with him.

[kwokpot]

2 hours ago, asnaleah said:

But speaking of salad bar, wow, was it awful at OV! Very limited salad greens and what was offered wasn’t very good. Primarily spinach and rocket with lots of stems. The salad dressing bottles were absolutely disgusting.

Thank you for you great write-up. Are you by chance from the UK? Rocket is a term used in the UK; Americans call it Arugula and literally no one in the US calls it Rocket.  The first time I heard of it was twenty years ago in a London burger restaurant. Having no idea what it was in the burger description, We asked the server, who couldn't describe it so he actually went to the Kitchen and brought a sprig out. Everyone at our table said, oh that's Arugula, or generically called salad greens!

Edited December 18, 2022 by kwokpot

[Jim_Iain]

Thanks for you review.   Really interesting to hear of the inconsistencies fleet wide.  We had lunch a couple times at Spa Cafe and they made the best Club Sandwich I have ever had.   Iain said the Chicken Salad was on the dry side.    Fruit was fresh and actually the cantaloupe was soft and flavorful.     They didn't have the Caprese Salad out but when we requested one they prepared it in the kitchen with Beautiful Tomatoes - lots of Mozzarella and fresh basil (the best I've ever had).

 

 

[kwokpot]

4 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

Thanks for you review.   Really interesting to hear of the inconsistencies fleet wide.  We had lunch a couple times at Spa Cafe and they made the best Club Sandwich I have ever had.   Iain said the Chicken Salad was on the dry side.    Fruit was fresh and actually the cantaloupe was soft and flavorful.     They didn't have the Caprese Salad out but when we requested one they prepared it in the kitchen with Beautiful Tomatoes - lots of Mozzarella and fresh basil (the best I've ever had).

 

 

I miss the OLD Spa Cafe when they made simply grilled Chicken breast or Salmon fresh to order. Later they introduced the Thai pork lettuce wraps that were yummy. All gone now. 

[asnaleah]

Me too @kwokpot! And no, I’m not from the UK, but learned to call it rocket from an old college chum.

 

@Jim_Iain, the club sandwich was a disappointment on Silhouette. You’re right about inconsistencies.

[Barwick Cruiser]

Question re your port times. We are on the same itinerary in Feb and I realize there will be some time changes but are the times in your pre cruise itinerary the same as when you were onboard? We are in St. Maarten from 7-4 according to our itinerary but I’m wondering whether that will actually be 8-5 local time. Trying to arrange a non Celebrity tour. Hope we have some of the production shows, always enjoy them. 
Did you do any tours/excursions? 
Thanks for your review, quite helpful 

[asnaleah]

Hi @Barwick Cruiser. We did not take any excursions this time, just walked around and went to a beach. St. Maarten was an early departure, so I think 7-4 is accurate. St. Croix was a disappointing port. We prefer St. Thomas. Have a great cruise!

[jagoffee]

20 hours ago, asnaleah said:

Yes, @jagoffeeI wanted to use one, but the cabin attendant thought I would cause a short or ruin the machine. I didn’t argue with him.

I understand why that may make you uncomfortable with my approach.  If you want more details about how to eliminate the need for a cord across your cabin, just let me know.  

[asnaleah]

Thanks! I need a converter, not an adapter, correct?

[cazzi]

We were on the same cruise, besides the seas being very choppy for most of the trip most of it was good. However I must admit the OV was terrible seemed like the same food for the most part everyday, dry and bland. Miss the theme days they used to have. Shows were ok but have seen them before on the EQ

[jagoffee]

3 hours ago, asnaleah said:

Thanks! I need a converter, not an adapter, correct?

Since you asked.  You need to make sure your devices is good from 110-240.volts. 50/60 HZ.  This is a picture from my Cpap power supply. Input 100-240 volts.  Most electronic devices have dual voltage, but you should always double check.

 

An adapter like this to convert the Euro plug (Not UK) into the US plug type in your Cpap machine or any other device (just make sure it works from 100-240 volts.

 

You might want to try it with something less critical to get comfortable with it.  
 

 

[owensjro]

We were on the Silhouette a year ago and thought the OV was disappointing but Luminae was excellent. Went on the Summit 3 weeks later and their OV buffet was sooo much better. Tastier food, better variety. We chalked it up to being too early in to the "restart" but hearing that it is still an issue on the Silhouette is disappointing.