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Celebrity Silhouette Feb. 8-12, 2024 - brief review

drpclarke

By drpclarke,
in Celebrity Cruises

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drpclarke Great Review Rare

drpclarke

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My first Celebrity cruise!

For reference, I've sailed several times on Carnival (never again), Royal Caribbean, and Norwegian. Went on my first Norwegian cruise back in June and loved it so much I booked several more.

 

...and then came this Celebrity cruise.

 

EMBARKATION - what? Ten minutes? If even? SPEEDIEST EMBARKATION EVER.

 

CABIN - a surprise upgrade was awesome to get. Balcony cabin, spacious and plenty of storage. My only gripe was the lack of outlets. 3 of them, all by the desk. My husband and I were continually fighting for outlet use. No outlet in bathroom, so had to dry my hair there by the desk.

 

OVERALL SPACE: I was told that this cruise was fully booked. Maybe it was, maybe it wasn't, but hey, I WAS NEVER IN A LINE and NEVER IN A CROWD. There is plenty of creative and cozy seating throughout the boat, and I could always find a seat on deck too.

 

BAR: The martini bar is pretty crowded and loud, it's right in the atrium. My room wasn't far, but I couldn't hear the noise. Martini flight was not included in drink package but got it anyway and it was yummy. Smaller martini glasses, but that was okay. Bar by the specialty restaurants was quiet and nice.

 

SPECIALTY RESTAURANTS: didn't hit any except for "Le Petit Chef" which was just precious, and the food was pretty good too!

MAIN DINING ROOM: my only complaint about this cruise. The food was uninspired, bland, and the menu just wasn't appetizing. Two salmon dishes on the menu? NO thank you. (however, I will say the escargot was teeny but good, and that is offered every night)

 

THE BUFFET FOOD: I make a practice of staying away from all buffets, but I broke that practice on this cruise. In the words of Stefan on SNL: "This place has everything": salad bar, mexican, indian, carvery, hummus bar, pasta bar..I don't even know what all they had and I appreciated the fact that things didn't stay the same throughout the cruise either. I thought the quality here was better than the MDR.

 

CASINO: Penny slots with the lowest bets at 50 cents. Some bad seating by the "Huff and Puff" machines...too many machines, not enough space.

 

ENTERTAINMENT: SIlent disco is a must. I did hear a bit of the "LIFE" Musical and my ears bled, so I ran off.

 

DEBARKATION? Ten minutes, tops!

 

SERVICE: SMILES EVERYWHERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

OVERALL? I absolutely loved it and cannot wait to go on another Celebrity cruise!!!!!!!! I hate that I'm late to the Celebrity life!

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hcat "Live from...." Rare

hcat

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Glad to hear you enjoyed it. 

 

We booked a short cruise on Silhouette for Dec 24..Concierge..We may not get off the ship in Nassau but probably will at Key West.. been there before but looking for ideas!

 

We booked 3 Specialty Dining venues so far..waiting for the  Porch..

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Luvcrusn

Luvcrusn

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1 hour ago, drpclarke said:

My first Celebrity cruise!
 

 

CABIN - a surprise upgrade was awesome to get. Balcony cabin, spacious and plenty of storage. My only gripe was the lack of outlets. 3 of them, all by the desk. My husband and I were continually fighting for outlet use. No outlet in bathroom, so had to dry my hair there by the desk.

 

 

Just a FYI. There is an outlet in the bathroom above the sink near the ceiling. It is a low voltage only though it's good for an electric shaver or to charge an electric toothbrush.

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Cruise a holic

Cruise a holic

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We also love the Silhouette and Reflection.  Our favorite S class ships- sailed on both multiple times.  However we sailed in January on the Silhouette and both my DH and I got very sick the last couple of days.  A lady in the solarium was coughing badly and we sat near her.  When we got home, I had multiple tests for Covid, RSV, pneumonia  and many viruses- all negative.  Went to ENT and was prescribed antibiotics and nasal and cough medication.  Was told I had a bad sinus infection.  I am still coughing!  Be careful, wear a mask in the elevators and run away for anybody who appears ill!  We have another cruise in three weeks.  Hopefully, I will be better by then!  

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catskier

catskier

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I was on the same cruise. It was a full ship. At times did feel crowded. Sea day. Chairs were already “saved” at 8 am when walking to breakfast. 
Location: a balcony forward cabin, plenty of space. we could not get our hair drier to fit in the bathroom plug. Used the office space, same as poster. 
Agreed, MDR uninspired. Not bad, but if it was a restaurant I had to drive to and pay, would not go back. 
 Except pool side and martini bar, always quick to get a beverage. Loved the El bacco? To sit in the evening and listen to the music.

Buffet: plenty choices, but I was underwhelmed . Nothing I loved. Did not go hungry, but…Good news I did not put on a pound once home. We did walk every day even clocked in 7 miles on a sea day. Helps when you have the most forward cabin.  I had the premium beverage package and was surprised to find out the gelato was not included. 
Over all friendly staff, plenty to do. The one big complaint every day they had some common areas  closed off for private party. How is that allowed? Sky bar area at sail away,, sipping drinks watching us pass Miami, asked to leave. As well as another afternoon, I saw the closed sign while walking by. It was closed for a private Super Bowl party. They did have lots of TVs on for viewing, even the big theater. They even had a little buffet for snacks during the game and a bar set up, so you did not need to walk far. Nice touch.  Could not stay up late enough for silent disco, but loved the couple of 10 o’clock sing along’s. My favorite Abba. We were off the ship by 7:45am walk off. Once out of terminal turned right to walk to cabs- was father then I thought it would be. We were stopped by a large Mercedes mini van who said would take us for $11 each. They do take other passengers but we were last ones on, off we went to airport.

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mahdnc "Live from...." Rare

mahdnc

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On 2/15/2024 at 6:32 PM, drpclarke said:

I hate that I'm late to the Celebrity life!

 

Better late than never! I'm glad to read that you enjoyed your first Celebrity cruise. Thanks for posting your review. 

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Cruiscs

Cruiscs

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On 2/16/2024 at 1:32 AM, drpclarke said:


MAIN DINING ROOM: my only complaint about this cruise. The food was uninspired, bland, and the menu just wasn't appetizing. Two salmon dishes on the menu? NO thank you. (however, I will say the escargot was teeny but good, and that is offered every night)

 

 

Hmm. I got the impression that Celebrity had good food

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Cruiscs

Cruiscs

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18 minutes ago, chemmo said:

Silhouette is our favourite ship too…The range of speciality restaurants does enhance the dining experience. 

Which speciality restaurants do you recommend?

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chemmo Holiday Sharing Rare

chemmo

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1 hour ago, Cruiscs said:

Which speciality restaurants do you recommend?

Murano for a more formal, special occasion feel. Definitely the best food quality.

 

Tuscan for great wake views, a relaxing steak/pasta house feel.

 

Le Petit Chef. Unusual and amusing but fun rather than fine dining.

 

Lawn Grill, think of a family BBQ atmosphere and food to match. Less good in cold regions.

 

The Porch. A bit like a Mediterranean cafe both for food and ambiance. We tend to enjoy for an occasional lunch.

 

Sushi on Five. More than Sushi, great place for a relaxing lunch or for an informal evening meal.

 

Sorry if I haven’t given you the clear answer you want! I guess the strength of the Silhouette speciality restaurants is their variety. We will do each of them a few times. Murano we find great on a sea day when you have the time and energy to enjoy a longer and more formal meal. Tuscan we love when we leave a port at about 6pm. You peruse the menu and sip your first drink as you see the ship leave port, you enjoy your starter as day starts to fade and the port begins to slip into the distance and by the time you are sipping your coffee end enjoying a limoncello day has turned to night…

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