Celebrity Silhouette crowds august (+ other questions)

[sofienummer]

Hi everyone!

 

I'll be going on my first Celebrity cruise this summer (august) with my parents on the 12 nights Iceland & Scotland trip! 

Really looking forward to it 🙂 My last (and only official cruise) was with the HAL Rotterdam. I loved it; had an amazing time! 

 

Normally, I would never book in the middle of the summer vacation, but because I'm going with my parents who are only free then, this was the best option!

 

I have a few questions I hope some people can answer. I already looked around on the forum and saw a few useful tips 🙂

 

My first/main question is about the crowds/kids. The agency I spoke with said the cruise is nearly fully booked; which isn't surprising since this is in the middle of the summer. I already prepared my parents and myself for this lol. But, would there be a ton of kids? I assumed because this cruise is a little longer and maybe not the preferred cruise line + itinerary for younger children, we wouldn’t get a lot of children. But I read on this forum about others where a lot of cabins were booked for 3+ people; most likely with a lot of children.

Will there be a lot of children? And how busy will it get? How much do I need to prepare myself?

If someone went on a (Celebrity) cruise in August, how was your experience?

 

When I went on the HAL in September 2022, I think I saw around five children in total. And although the cruise was also pretty packed (I believe), there were enough places to go and relax. I hope I will still be able to find those places on this cruise.

 

Another question I have is about the music. What I loved about HAL was all the classical music they had. Each night, I would go to either a concert or to BBC Life (I believe that’s the name) where I saw beautiful flora and fauna while listening to beautiful music. Sadly, I don’t think that’s common on Celebrity. But do they have string quartets or anything like that on the cruise? Or is it mostly more jazz/pop music?

 

On the HAL you also had afternoon tea! Is that something Celebrity organizes? Or do they have something similar?  

 

Again (because I’m comparing it with my other cruise and the things I loved on there), on the HAL Rotterdam there was the Crow’s nest/Exploration deck where I was able to do puzzles and boardgames with others. Does Celebrity have this? Or places where I can bring my own boardgames to play in a less crowded place?

 

I have an inside cabin and my parents have a guarantee balcony cabin, so we won’t know which cabin number they will have. We might hear a few weeks before sailing, or on the day of the cruise.  But will the cruise line perhaps prioritize putting us near the same deck/place because we booked together or will it be totally random?

I also read that since you can’t choose your cabin, there is a possibility they will have a balcony with 2 separate beds. Is there a possibility to ask for a different cabin if that happens while on board?

 

And mostly out of curiosity, how would you compare HAL to Celebrity? What is similar and what is different in your opinion? Of course, I understand that this also depends on the ship. Last time I went on the ms Rotterdam, which was a completely new ship. Now I’m going on a refurbished ship from 2011? So, that’s already a difference.

 

Lastly, what is something you love about Celebrity cruises and specifically about Silhouette? Something you might suggest/advice others to do 😊

 

Thank you all in advance and apologies for my far too long comment!

[phoenix_dream]

As to kids onboard, honestly what someone experienced last summer may not be true this year.  Celebrity has made a very concerted effort to entice younger families to cruise on their ships.  I have seen many more kids on Celebrity this year than ever before (granted, not nearly as many as one would see on Royal or Carnival for instance).  I would say that it is less likely that a lot of kids will be on a 12 night cruise.  Generally speaking, the longer the cruise the fewer the kids and that is a pretty long one.  I've never cruised HAL so have no input there

[Milhouse]

I think we're on the Silhouette sailing after you.

 

I haven't cruised on X in the heart of summer recently so can't really give a great answer on the number of kids to expect.  Broadly speaking, we generally don't see a lot of kids on X cruises and never had an issue.  

 

I feel there's typically a string duo that will play in or around the grand foyer area that's open to decks 3-5, the Ensemble Lounge, and maybe make an appearance on stage in/as part of a show.  There's also typically a versatile band that can play covers.  Lots of canned contemporary music managed by activities staff/AV DJ's too.

 

On Solstice (sister ship we sailed on Nov2022), there's a card room on deck 9 where there are tables and board games.  But I don't see it listed on Silhouette.

 

You should be able to ask your cabin attendant to push the beds together.  

It's a gong show on embarkation day but you can go down to guest services and see if there are any other rooms available to switch to (or pay for an upgrade).  Easier to just leave your contact info after telling guest services what you are looking for and have them call you/leave a vm in the evening after they figure out what's available after departing.

 

I've never sailed on HAL but the missus has with her folks, most recently on the Koningsdam to Alaska in the spring/summer of 2022.  She wants me to try HAL.  IIRC, her comparison is that the food is better on HAL but it's much quieter in the evening with not as much activity.  She also  enjoyed most of the shows better on X.

[gold1953]

so many questions. but I can say that when being allocated a cabin you will not have any consideration for location due to booking together. As soon as the cabin number is given call and see if you can switch to a cabin closer to your sailing mates. Possibly a sold out ship by then so probably not possible.

All cabins have a king bed that splits to make singles so this is a non issue.

 There is a game /puzzle area which is an open area by the main elevators . Can't remember the deck but you can see it easily and will be listed.

 There is no sit down afternoon tea but sandwiches, sweets etc will be added to the buffet late afternoon. They stopped the scones recently.

[gold1953]

Will there be a lot of children? And how busy will it get? How much do I need to prepare myself?

 

prepare yourself?   There is nothing to do on your end . Just deal with it if and when it happens. Kids will want the pool 

[sofienummer]

10 hours ago, phoenix_dream said:

As to kids onboard, honestly what someone experienced last summer may not be true this year.  Celebrity has made a very concerted effort to entice younger families to cruise on their ships.  I have seen many more kids on Celebrity this year than ever before (granted, not nearly as many as one would see on Royal or Carnival for instance).  I would say that it is less likely that a lot of kids will be on a 12 night cruise.  Generally speaking, the longer the cruise the fewer the kids and that is a pretty long one.  I've never cruised HAL so have no input there

 

Thank you for your reply 🙂 I guess we will have to wait and see! 

[sofienummer]

2 hours ago, Milhouse said:

I think we're on the Silhouette sailing after you.

 

 

Oh, nice! I hope you have an amazing time 🙂

 

Thank you for your response and tips! I'm happy to hear there is some classical music and other opportunities. 

 

HAL might not be for everyone, but I certainly enjoyed it even though I'm not in the usual age-category. With the ms Rotterdam there was plenty of live music and bands all evening. Not a lot of people danced, but still quite a few! Perhaps you can try it some time with the missus 🙂 

 

Happy sailing! 

[sofienummer]

1 hour ago, gold1953 said:

Will there be a lot of children? And how busy will it get? How much do I need to prepare myself?

 

prepare yourself?   There is nothing to do on your end . Just deal with it if and when it happens. Kids will want the pool 

 

I'm sorry if my question possibly came off as rude or me being against children. When I booked the cruise I expected it to be rather crowded, but I didn't think there would be a lot of children on board. So when I read a few posts about it, I became curious and a little worried that the cruise would be too hectic and loud for us. I convinced my dad to cruise although he hates crowds, so we just have to wait and see how he will manage lol. 

 

Also, thank you for your other reply and happy to know there is a puzzle area 🙂 

[KforKitty]

10 hours ago, phoenix_dream said:

As to kids onboard, honestly what someone experienced last summer may not be true this year.  Celebrity has made a very concerted effort to entice younger families to cruise on their ships.  I have seen many more kids on Celebrity this year than ever before (granted, not nearly as many as one would see on Royal or Carnival for instance).  I would say that it is less likely that a lot of kids will be on a 12 night cruise.  Generally speaking, the longer the cruise the fewer the kids and that is a pretty long one.  I've never cruised HAL so have no input there

August is peak vacation season in England with schools out until September.  In Scotland however, the kids will be back at school.  I think there’s a good chance that there’ll be a fair few children on board.  I disagree that European families will be put off by a ‘longer’ cruise.  With at least 4 weeks paid time off in the UK, it’s not unusual for families to take at least a 2 week vacation in the summer months.

 

Catherine

 

 

[sofienummer]

17 minutes ago, KforKitty said:

August is peak vacation season in England with schools out until September.  In Scotland however, the kids will be back at school.  I think there’s a good chance that there’ll be a fair few children on board.  I disagree that European families will be put off by a ‘longer’ cruise.  With at least 4 weeks paid time off in the UK, it’s not unusual for families to take at least a 2 week vacation in the summer months.

 

Catherine

 

 

 

Thank you, that's good to know! I think August is one of the busiest/crowded times in Europe because almost all countries will have school vacations plus construction holidays (which I don't know if that's a typical Dutch thing, but I assume it's a thing in other countries as well). 

 

Anyway, I guess we just have to anticipate on having a crowded ship. I just hope it's not too bad. 

[ewalla]

We were on the Reflection last July for a 9 night Mediterranean cruise. This is a similar sister ship to Silhouette. There were quite a few teenagers/young adults on this one and there were some evenings at the pool where they were quite disruptive and annoying and Celebrity staff finally got them to disperse after a while. We still had an awesome cruise tho. As someone else said, every cruise will be different so go into it assuming there will be some annoyances because thats just humans being humans. 🙂The Hideaway and Library areas are good places to play games and there are pockets of music everywhere on the ship. The grand foyer and Ensemble Lounge will be your best areas for Orchestra music I think.

[HeiPus]

We're on Silhouette to Iceland and Ireland mid July, travelling with two kids. Know from our roll call that there will be a few others too, but I don't expect there to be loads. 

 

We did the same itinerary last year on RCL Jewel of the Seas (older ship without much entertainment for kids) and had about 200 kids onboard. The kids were never an issue, but the ship being fully booked and nowhere quiet to relax because of crowds was. Silhouette has more public areas that are quiet, so I'm hoping that will be less of an issue there. 

 

Our kids are easy going and polite. They will probably spend their time in the kids club and occasionally in the pool if the weather allows. 

[upwarduk]

11 hours ago, gold1953 said:

Kids will want the pool 

They won’t be allowed in the indoor one during the day, 5-7pm only.

[sofienummer]

7 hours ago, HeiPus said:

We're on Silhouette to Iceland and Ireland mid July, travelling with two kids. Know from our roll call that there will be a few others too, but I don't expect there to be loads. 

 

We did the same itinerary last year on RCL Jewel of the Seas (older ship without much entertainment for kids) and had about 200 kids onboard. The kids were never an issue, but the ship being fully booked and nowhere quiet to relax because of crowds was. Silhouette has more public areas that are quiet, so I'm hoping that will be less of an issue there. 

 

Our kids are easy going and polite. They will probably spend their time in the kids club and occasionally in the pool if the weather allows. 

 

Thank you for your reply; children can be so lovely indeed! I think, especially for my dad, the problem with some kids is the screaming and running. But I do get that most of the time they will be at different places. And honestly, sometimes adults can act more like what we might imagine kids to do! Especially when they drink too much...

 

Have a lot of fun on your cruise! I can't wait to hear more from you or someone else on their experience with Silhouette for this summer season, but I hope you have an amazing time 🙂 

 

[mrgabriel]

23 hours ago, sofienummer said:

My first/main question is about the crowds/kids. The agency I spoke with said the cruise is nearly fully booked; which isn't surprising since this is in the middle of the summer. I already prepared my parents and myself for this lol. But, would there be a ton of kids? I assumed because this cruise is a little longer and maybe not the preferred cruise line + itinerary for younger children, we wouldn’t get a lot of children. But I read on this forum about others where a lot of cabins were booked for 3+ people; most likely with a lot of children.

Will there be a lot of children? And how busy will it get? How much do I need to prepare myself?

If someone went on a (Celebrity) cruise in August, how was your experience?

 

 

 

We've sailed on Celebrity in August, once from Southampton to Norway and once in Alaska.

 

Most American schools are back in session in August so American families that are travelling with the kids are less likely to book vacations at that time, especially if it's later in August. UK and Canadian schools will not have yet started autumn term so perhaps you'll see fewer American kids and more Canucks/Brits. Our Norway cruise departed on about the 20th of August and I don't remember seeing many kids. The Alaska cruise was later and there were some kids but not enough that I recall them being underfoot. 

 

Celebrity has an excellent program for children so unless parents are just letting the kids run around all the time, you won't see them. 

 

For comparison, we've sailed at Christmas 4 times and those sailings are jam packed with kids. That didn't really impact our experience.

 

Thinking back, the only thing we have noticed when there are a lot of kids is larger groups in specialty dining.

[sofienummer]

On 5/26/2024 at 1:39 AM, mrgabriel said:

 

Celebrity has an excellent program for children so unless parents are just letting the kids run around all the time, you won't see them. 

 

For comparison, we've sailed at Christmas 4 times and those sailings are jam packed with kids. That didn't really impact our experience.

 

Thinking back, the only thing we have noticed when there are a lot of kids is larger groups in specialty dining.

 

Thank you for telling me your experience! Those are excellent points. And I love that you didn't let it impact your experience 🙂 I'm sure I will still love the cruise despite the crowds! I've already seen a few more hidden hide-away places I could go. 

[mrgabriel]

On 5/25/2024 at 3:01 PM, upwarduk said:

They won’t be allowed in the indoor one during the day, 5-7pm only.

Adding an asterisk here ... unless the weather is really bad in which case the Captain has been known to extend hours for children. We've only seen this on TransAtlantics in the spring when there can be bitter weather.