Thoughts on Silhouette if in a standard cabin?

[TGfromTX]

I'm trying to plan a trip in 2025 and I'm looking at the different ships.  I posted a poll in July for the favorite Celebrity ship & Silhouette won by over twice the votes of any other ship besides Reflection (that came in second by about 1/4 fewer votes).  I've tried to understand what makes this ship so noteworthy amongst everyone - besides the fact it isn't an edge ship.  Many other non-edge ships had very few votes so there is something more to it.

One thing I've noticed is that the most active commenters are staying in suites and point out the spaces and perks for those guests. I can't afford a suite and the ship mainly has 3 and 4 night trips early 2025.   I'm wondering if the suites are more affordable to more people causing the sway in popularity - or if the special something on this ship is what I'd experience in a standard cabin onboard.  

What exactly makes this ship stand out?

[bikerunner]

I do not sail in suites, and really do not see the need for myself in how I look at cruising.  All the Celebrity ship classes are unique and great in their own ways.  I love the Silhouette which is an S class but the M class also is a fav, Constellation stands out to me.  The Silhouette is great in that it has been fully refurbished.  The Constellation has not and only the public areas have been, the rooms are dated but comfortable clean.  The main difference with the suites is that they do have extra perks, per se, private lounge, the refurbished ships have the private pool area and all offer Lumanae.  The MDR has improved tremendously since the huge swatch of cutbacks they did last year.  You would have a great experience in a standard room.  Service standards I have seen on my last few, or I experienced have all been incredible.  Dont be afraid to ask for something if you need it.  The biggest difference in M vs S class ships is the S class has additional specialty dining options, and the layout of the ship is a bit better I think.  M class are just enjoyable to me, and would take a cruise on any of them if the itinerary is right overall.  

[goofysmom99]

Silhouette and Reflection have more specialty restaurants (same for both of them) than the other three S-class ships.  All veranda cabins are the same size on both.  Silhouette has been refurbished and carries fewer pax than Reflection.  Since I'm not a fan of the main dining room, the extra dining options and fewer pax than Reflection are primarily why Silhouette earns my vote as favorite. 

[Milhouse]

Not sure if I can fairly compare cabins so I won't.  However, I enjoyed the spaces on Silhouette

I noticed a few small differences on Silhouette recently versus the other S-Class ships that I thought were nice, tho not game changing. (I might be hallucinating so correct me if I am.)

There's a little bit more room under the Grand Foyer stairs which was nice as this was a popular area during some events.

The Sky Lounge is fairly large (ie compared to Reflection) so didn't feel super crowded at some events.  I also liked the seating options in there too.  

I noticed the card/games room missing midship but we don't really utilize these midship spaces so it didn't bother us.  The library and hideaway areas were enough for a few occasional visits.  

I appeciated the openess of Craft Social which felt more inviting than Cellar Masters.

I also enjoy attending a few events in Quasar which is not on Reflection.

However, glass blowing is more interesting to me versus the Lawn Club Grill on Silhouette.

[jelayne]

Many write about booking suites or Aqua class but the reality is 87% of the cabins on the Silhouette are  standard cabins.  Passengers in those cabins are the vast majority of passengers  who have a large beautiful ship to enjoy, very good food, entertainment and activity options, excellent service and a crew that wants every passenger to enjoy their cruise.  
 

 

[miched]

The Reflection is the last design of the S class.  The Reflection and Silhouette have the most specialty restaurants.  If those aren’t of any interest then the other S class ships are just as good.  
 

If in Aqua the Persian Gardens is the best with more features on the Reflection. 

 

If in a regular veranda you will not notice much difference in any of the S call ships.   They are all very nice.  Choose the one with the itinerary and time that suites you.

 

Unless there is a reason to stick with a S class I would suggest the Edge class.   The only thing some don’t like is the infinite verandah but it is a love hate thing.  The pluses of the edge class offsets the few negatives of the IV.  

 

Happy cruising 😱🚢🇺🇸🌅
 

 

[TGfromTX]

2 hours ago, Milhouse said:

I appeciated the openess of Craft Social which felt more inviting than Cellar Masters.

I also enjoy attending a few events in Quasar which is not on Reflection.

However, glass blowing is more interesting to me versus the Lawn Club Grill on Silhouette.

I’m currently booked on equinox because the balcony was only $40 more than inside rooms on other ships. But I remembered the poll and equinox didn’t fare as well so I am considering rebooking. The glass blowing feature is one item that caught my attention on equinox initially. 

[mrgabriel]

1 hour ago, TGfromTX said:

I’m currently booked on equinox because the balcony was only $40 more than inside rooms on other ships. But I remembered the poll and equinox didn’t fare as well so I am considering rebooking. The glass blowing feature is one item that caught my attention on equinox initially. 

My opinion only, the glass blowing is a novelty that I tired of quickly. If you are an aficionado you may enjoy it but on ships where there isn’t glass blowing you get more specialty dining. 
 

We don’t sail in suites and my favourite ship is Silhouette. It just feels brighter and newer. 

[bigbeergut]

3 hours ago, miched said:

…

Unless there is a reason to stick with a S class I would suggest the Edge class.   The only thing some don’t like is the infinite verandah but it is a love hate thing.  The pluses of the edge class offsets the few negatives of the IV.
 

 

I think this is an understatement.  One of the “few negatives “ of the IV balcony is that it really isn’t a balcony and that is a big deal to many of us.  The AC shuts off when the window is open and it’s very warm very quickly.  If someone enjoys spending time on the balcony, the E class ships aren’t for them.  You should also add that much of the furniture was designed to look appealing but did not consider comfort.  The IV cabins do not have any sort of reclining chair and only have this silly little straight back chair.  You should also indicate that the E class ships have eliminated the forward facing lounge and all other locations where the non-suite guests can get a forward view, These are only a few of the negatives on the E-class ships.

[suech1970]

We’ve sailed both Reflection & Silhouette a few times, would sail either again.

We don’t believe in spending a lot of money on cabin as we spend very little time in it. We tried and tested a balcony once, major waste of money for us😖.

Our go to cabins on both ships are always on Plaza / Deck 3, oceanview or inside. No difference in size, quality etc just the window. Location is superb, for us, very quiet, fast for get on and off and a bar at the end of the corridor open early till late 😉.  Our friends booked Conciege and were gutted to find their cruise cost double ours and their cabin was exactly the same in size😖

[Arizona Wildcat]

2 hours ago, bigbeergut said:

I think this is an understatement.  One of the “few negatives “ of the IV balcony is that it really isn’t a balcony and that is a big deal to many of us.  The AC shuts off when the window is open and it’s very warm very quickly.  If someone enjoys spending time on the balcony, the E class ships aren’t for them.  You should also add that much of the furniture was designed to look appealing but did not consider comfort.  The IV cabins do not have any sort of reclining chair and only have this silly little straight back chair.  You should also indicate that the E class ships have eliminated the forward facing lounge and all other locations where the non-suite guests can get a forward view, These are only a few of the negatives on the E-class ships.

We hated the IV balcony.  Tried it again and felt the same.  Never again.  Silhouette is great as are its sister ships.  Cruise the itinerary 

[justcrusn]

Silhouette is our favorite ship,

We have not tried equinox for some reason, but have the other S class ships.

We like M class ships, but prefer any S class ship.

We have not tried E class ships by choice, not a fan.

[39august]

We've cruised Equinox several times, and have also sailed Silhouette and Reflection. Do not be concerned about Equinox. Fine service all over the ship and Craft Social is a great bar area.  All of the staff seem to want you to have a fine experience, from the restroom attendants and up.  

[Tom and Ingrid]

We were on board the Sillie in late July.  The moment my wife got on board, she was like, "This is the nicest X ship we've been on."  Having only been on Century, Millennium, and Solstice class ships, I can't compare it to the Edge ones, but versus the other ships, it held up very favorably.

We had a rare-for-us sunset veranda, but even if it was just a standard OV or even interior cabin, I think we would have been happy.  

We also were happy (and comfortable from familiarity) with the public spaces and always found places to relax.  Odd, it was a rare time where we didn't use the Solarium, and as it was Norway, we weren't spending much time around the outdoor pool (but plenty on the deck above).

Biggest stand-out might have been the refresh to the ship with a tasteful (to us) decor throughout.

[SusieV]

Silhouette is by far my favourite ship. It has the Lawn Club Grill, all the main specialty restaurants, the Porch, and doesn't feel as crowded as the Reflection which had those extra cabins added.

 

I can't afford a suite so I won't sail E class but I like S class, and Silhouette most of all.

[cruisestitch]

Silhouette is my favorite ship. I just finished three cruises back to back to back, 12 days each, so 36 days sailing on her in an ocean view room. From the hotel Director down, the staff is uniformly, friendly, efficient, and hard-working. The ship is in great shape. I love lawn club grill.  The sky lounge has not been cut down as it has been on reflection.  Go for it.

[crusnbee]

Silhouette is my favorite ship also. Seemed like there were so many places to go, never had any problems finding places to hang out. Loved the Martini Bar and especially loved the World Class Bar.

 

Have been on M class also, and going on Apex next year. Only because we got a sunset veranda. No infinite verandas here!

[phoenix_dream]

On 9/24/2024 at 11:22 PM, TGfromTX said:

I’m currently booked on equinox because the balcony was only $40 more than inside rooms on other ships. But I remembered the poll and equinox didn’t fare as well so I am considering rebooking. The glass blowing feature is one item that caught my attention on equinox initially. 

I have sailed 81 times on Celebrity in all but two of their newest ships.  Equinox is my all-time favorite.  Honestly I think some of the reason is that I've sailed her quite a bit and made some years long friendships with several staff members.  The only "issue" with Equinox is that she has not been fully revolutionized due to issues in the port during her remodeling, and she is due for a refurbishment which I believe is happening next April.  All the S class ships are very similar in design, with the newest having a few differences.  All that said, I would not hesitate to book her any time and in fact have an upcoming sailing in March, right before her refurb.  

[Ergates The Ant]

Sailed several times on Eclipse, which is similar. Standard balcony was great, nice size, lovely bathroom. Didn’t see any benefit to the concierge cabins to be worth the extra cost. Never sailed in a Celebrity suite, as would rather have two cruises in a regular cabin!

preferred the Eclipse to Apex, which we thought lacked any wow factor, and seemed more crowded, closed in and noisy, and we really missed the forward facing lounge. ( Eden certainly had a wow factor, but part of that was how little seating there was, and how uncomfortable it was!)

Loved the Infinite veranda, although that was on a cold weather Norway cruise and the IV was fantastic for enjoying the scenery. In fact, the IV was the only thing that might tempt us back on an Edge class. The Solstice class was much more stylish and less like a conference hotel.

[TGfromTX]

Thanks for all the responses!  I don't get the feeling anyone feels like a cruise on Silhouette is worth downgrading to an oceanview cabin versus cruising on Equinox in a balcony (equinox balcony cabin was significantly cheaper than on any other ship).  And I'd still get a good comparison against the other ships against the Beyond - which is the only Celebrity cruise I've taken thus far.

[minniemouse427]

35 minutes ago, TGfromTX said:

Thanks for all the responses!  I don't get the feeling anyone feels like a cruise on Silhouette is worth downgrading to an oceanview cabin versus cruising on Equinox in a balcony (equinox balcony cabin was significantly cheaper than on any other ship).  And I'd still get a good comparison against the other ships against the Beyond - which is the only Celebrity cruise I've taken thus far.

Sailed on the Eclipse in July, will be on the Equinox in February, and will sail on the Silhouette in April. All three were/will be in balcony cabins.

Can give you a full comparison in May. 🙂