Cruiscs

16 hours ago, Miaminice said:

On the island we took the stairs up the hill, dodging the donkeys also making their way up and down the steps.

How was the hike up?

11 hours ago, Epperbiker said:

This thread exemplifies that food is very subjective and tastes differ.  As far as service goes, the different experiences mentioned seem to indicate that sometimes the staff may just be having a bad night, and we feel badly for those unfortunate cruisers.  On our Reflection cruise earlier this month, we had amazing food, service, and wake view in Tuscan.  We had eaten in Murano the night before.  While the service in Murano was over the top, we definitely enjoyed our meal in Tuscan Grill much more.  

What do you recommend from the meny?

7 minutes ago, Happy Cruiser 6143 said:

I prefer S class, then M class.  Which have real balconies.  M class has fewer specialty restaurants, but I love the size of those ships and the penthouse on any M class ship is the best cabin at sea.

 

What is your favourite S class?

38 minutes ago, cruisestitch said:

I don’t think gray is a luxurious color for decor. Especially at Christmas.  I think it looks institutional and cold

Have been on Edge. The whole ship is not gray.

OP: So did you enjoy Tuscan Grill?

2 hours ago, Ergates The Ant said:

Loved the Eclipse, but as I was getting rather bored with the artwork, was looking forward to trying the Silhouette. Thanks to Covid, that never happened, but we did cruise on the Apex last month. 
Apex had no wow factor, apart from Eden, which looked great but we found rather unusable. Uncomfortable chairs, odd seating layout, and a rather weird entry area, a narrow mirrored corridor. Much of the public area was more like a rather dark conference hotel, whereas the S class ships seemed airy and bright. The S class central lifts gave great views of the atrium, and the interesting areas on the upper floors, such as the library and the suspended tree. Lots to look at and admire. Apex was sadly lacking. In fact, the best thing for us by far ( on a cooler weather cruise to Norway) was the Infinite Veranda, which worked really well for us! 
I’d think twice about booking a ship with no forward facing lounge, it was sadly missed on Apex.

Anyone thinking of booking a cabana on Apex would be wise to look at them first before parting with your money! They were laughable!

Interesting. Have heard very different opinions on Edge vs Solstice class. Many say that Edge class are so much more high end and luxourius compared to S class. 

Have never been on S class but on Edge. To me Edge was stunning. Excited to sail on Silhouette soon. Have heard good things about S class. 

On 6/16/2024 at 7:31 PM, Bxc53 said:

We are a retired couple and have cruised on Solstice and Quantum, sister ships to your choices. We like them both for different reasons, but having said that, if we were in our 30’s, the Odyssey  would be the strong choice for the variety of on board activities.  Neither are bad choices- ‘There is no such thing as a bad cruise’.

 

Enjoy, whichever to decide on.

 

 

Thanks. Odyssey looks like a fantastic ship but kinda worried about tons of kids and lines to everything. Also such a big ship in ports like Santorini. 

31 minutes ago, Gracie115 said:

 

The "S" class on Celebrity is our favorite class of ship of any line.  It's a nice size, we've never felt crowded on it.  It has good specialty restaurants, we think better than any on Royal ships and the Silhouette has The Lawn Club Grill which is a really nice change from other dining venues that we have enjoyed.  Only it and Reflection have that.  But Silhouette has the full Sky Lounge on deck 14 at the bow of the ship, while Reflection only one half that size due to the addition of suites in that area.  Service has always been great.  We've been on her for a couple Transatlantics and for a Med cruise, one port intensive the other 2 not. So I guess we like both the experience and ship best.

Nice. But it is not dated and «tired»?

On 6/17/2024 at 3:44 PM, Gracie115 said:

We've been on both classes.  Silhouette is our favorite ship overall of any we've been on.  It's also been "revolutionized"  so more up to date than other "S" class ships.  We spent 23 days on Anthem, same class as Odyssey and have to say we enjoy Silhouette more. 

Did you enjoy the experience on Silhouette best or the ship itself better?

43 minutes ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

Have you been on either ship? The design/layout of both ships is very different. Additionally, Odyssey is significantly bigger than Silhouette. Despite these differences, I like both ships. 

Which ship do you prefer and why?

9 hours ago, kiwichick62 said:

I was on this cruise too. Saw your sweet grandson and family a few times in the buffet at breakfast time.  🙂

 

We found the whole cruise experience very good too. Yes, the food in the MDR was mostly very tasty with large servings.  We did two speciality dinings.  Lawn Club Grill was just average, Murano the food and service were top rate.

 

I would sail on the Silhouette again.

 

Sorry to hear that your experience at Lawn Club was not good. What did you order? Have booked Lawn Club for our cruise in September

22 minutes ago, The Fun Researcher said:

Not trying to argue, but...   Having been on the sister ship to both the Odyssey and Solstice, I can say that the ships are very different.   Far more different than similar.

 

My input:

The Silhouette is the 'ol classic style of cruise ship.  It is focused on relaxation.  It has a nice indoor pool area if needed.  It has the two centrums, one by each elevator bank rather than the open promenade or Esplanade on most Royal ships.  It has the nice lawn area up top, and I love the aft Sunset bar. Sport and activity venues are almost non existent, not even a putt putt course.  We were just on the sister ship The Equinox 6 months ago and honestly it felt a little dated and sleepy.

 

The Quantum (and Quantum Ultra) class are a lot bigger that Solstice with far more to offer.  The 270 venue in the back is pretty stellar.  Love that it still has a nice large multi-story open area (Esplanade) in the center of the ship along with the 2 story Music Hall.  The solarium on the Quantum classes is FANTASTIC and has the nice quiet complimentary Solarium Bistro attached.  Besides that there is a TON to do on the ship as far as activities.  Then you have the internal Seaplex with Playmakers. Also, Royal's entertainment in the main theater is far superior to what we saw on Equinox this past December.

 

If it was purely about the ship the Odyssey wins hands down in my opinion.  The Silhouette isn't bad though, still very nice, but just much quieter.

 

All that being said, the Med. is about the ports and you spend a LOT of time off the ship so you have to balance what's most important to you... itinerary or ship.  Maybe you can find a combo of both

 Thanks. We would like to try Odyssey one day but the fact it was much more expensive for a 9 night cruise on her  vs Silhouette 11 nights plus the overnight in Istanbul it was not hard to choose, We like the more relaxing vibe and the ports are more important than just the ship. 

4 minutes ago, Gracie115 said:

It's FAR better than Wonderland.  

 

Thanks. Have to book this one!

9 minutes ago, akcruz said:

 

 

I think you made the right decision with what you are looking for.  While Odyssey is a beautiful ship with lots to do we always felt much more crowded on it than Silhouette.  There always seemed to be a line for everything and many more kids.  

 

If you aren't looking to do the bumper cars, ifly, North star, etc go for Silhouette.

 

I would second, or is it third, try La Petit Chef, amazing what they do with the animation.

Is it similar to Wonderland? How did you enjoy Silhouette the ship itself?

1 minute ago, Thisguylikestocruise said:

We’re also a couple in our 30’s no kids, and booked that Odyssey cruise for September nearly two years ago. Been planning for a longtime, and it’s less than 90 days away now. 50% of the excursions are booked but there’s still enough time to plan if you take this cruise.
 

It’s 9 nights and I initially thought it would be a more mature atmosphere with less children, but I actually think now there’ll be a lot of kids onboard. Our Wonder cruise in February was very crowded with kids from around the world. I tend not to complain about these things, but it was honestly overwhelming on deck 14-15. Parents took the sea days off and their kids were running barefoot shirtless near the windjammer, running into people knocking food and drinks out of people’s hands. Probably will consider Celebrity in the future after this Odyssey cruise. 

This. Looved Wonder in the Med in 2022. Brand new ship and that central park❤️. But there were a ton of kids. Didnt bother us too much, but would prefer less kids. Edge was more relaxing although there were a fair amount of families with young children there as well - but is was during high season. 
Would not hesitate to go back on a Royal ship in the future. 

39 minutes ago, Hoopster95 said:

 

My bad.... Sky Lounge. Horizons is on another ship.

 

 

Ah... not typical to 30's something. Then in your case, Silhouette for food and itinerary (Istanbul overnight 👍)  for sure. Be sure to book Le Petit Chef for one night.

 

 

And there you go. Have a great cruise

Yes for now. Silhouette has 2 more nights and are cheaper than Royal. Would love to sail on Odyssey soon but maybe in the Caribbean.

16 minutes ago, Gracie115 said:

We've been on both classes.  Silhouette is our favorite ship overall of any we've been on.  It's also been "revolutionized"  so more up to date than other "S" class ships.  We spent 23 days on Anthem, same class as Odyssey and have to say we enjoy Silhouette more.  No doubt there are more bells & whistles on the newer Odyssey but on a port intensive Med cruise I would go with Celebrity every time.  Specialty restaurants are better, MDR better, Luminae (if you are in a suite is better than Coastal Kitchen).  Entertainment is good on both, probably better on Anthem, but again on a port intensive cruise that's not as important.

 

Either way you will have a great time so probably just pick whatever itinerary you like more.

Thanks. We will go for Silhouette. Have booked Murano, Lawn Club grill and Tuscan. 

7 hours ago, Stealthdog said:

We have been on both the Silhouette and the Odyssey.  We like the Solstice Class better than the Quantum Class ships.  We like Oasis class better than Quantum too.  If we were to choose based on the ship, I'd go with the Silhouette.  I personally like the itinerary of the Odyssey better because I find Rome and Naples more desirable than Istanbul, and would prefer a round-trip out of Rome vs Athens. But its all personal taste.  

 

Having sailed the Med several times, most Europeans take their family vacation time in July/August, so for a September sailing, I don't expect either ship to be kid heavy (Oasis Class is more kid friendly than Quantum Class IMHO anyways).  

 

If you have never been to Europe, go Odyssey - it hits Rome, Naples, and Athens which are all huge stops (I'd choose Rome and Naples over Istanbul if you haven't been to any of them).  If you have been to Italy already, go with the Silhouette.  

 

There is no wrong answer here.  

 

Edit - never mind - saw you have been to Rome already.  Go with the Silhouette.

Thanks. Think we will stick with our original plan on the Silhouette. Odyssey was much more expensive. Any reason you like S class better than Quantum class?

42 minutes ago, Hoopster95 said:

 

I has thought this as well... until I sailed on my first S Class sailing on Silhouette this past January. RCI Q Class vs.Celebrity S Class were surprisingly night and day imo!

 

I found Silhouette dark in most inner public spaces, except for Horizons. It has an inner focus.

Odyssey is totally opposite... bright, fun, and with an outer focus with fabulous views everywhere.

 

 

10000000000000% Odyssey... hands down winner not even close

We dont really cruise for the decor of the ship. We are more interested in the food, itinerary snd the service. And less kids around the pool. But it is in September so maybe there are much less kids on Royal. How was the food and service Silhouette vs Odessey?

29 minutes ago, Hoopster95 said:

 

I has thought this as well... until I sailed on my first S Class sailing on Silhouette this past January. RCI Q Class vs.Celebrity S Class were surprisingly night and day imo!

 

I found Silhouette dark in most inner public spaces, except for Horizons. It has an inner focus.

Odyssey is totally opposite... bright, fun, and with an outer focus with fabulous views everywhere.

Horizons?

8 minutes ago, Tom and Ingrid said:

We did a similar itinerary on the Constellation a decade ago, and it was great. We started in Istanbul for a few days, then an overnight on the ship before departing for the rest of the ports.  

 

If you have been to Rome or been to Istanbul but not the other, I'd obviously go with the "new" spot.  If you have been to neither, I'd lean towards Istanbul as that's one place where it could go sideways anytime, and be off the "tourist trail" fairly fast.

 

The S-class ships are also lovely but our first time on the Sillie (does the Silhouette have a nickname) will be next month.  If it is as nice as the others, you'll enjoy it.

Thanks. We have been to Rome before but not Athens and Istanbul

12 minutes ago, gumshoe958 said:

Why are you getting cold feet? What are you looking for that Silhouette can’t offer?

Thats What We want to find out☺️. We kind of missed the solarium in the front on Edge. Loved that place on Wonder

5 minutes ago, gumshoe958 said:

I’m confused. Your other posts in the roll calls suggest you’ve already booked on Silhouette in September?

Correct but looking at other options

3 minutes ago, gumshoe958 said:

Exactly. Plus Silhouette’s an older ship, it’s a longer itinerary and Europe tends to skew older. It will not be a young crowd.

We dont mind an older crowd. Prefer that over tons of kids