cynalan

It will truly depend on what YOU enjoy! I, for example, HATE "production" shows...they remind me of a high school variety show.

I think you nailed the description perfectly. My wife and I love cruising for two reasons: you unpack your bag once and your hotel goes with you and the evening's entertainment. Sadly, the entertainment worsened on each of our three HAL cruises. Most recently we were on the Oosterdam and were bitterly disappointed with the shows in the Vista Theatre.

The production numbers... weren't. Two shows were presented during our 7 day cruise. They were both collections of unrelated songs with no discernible themes. Costumes were minimal as were the sets. The dancers were average at best but they only had 4 women and 2 men. Music was prerecorded with a good portion of the show lip synced. Of the major lines we've sailed on, HAL is by far the worst for entertainment.

Our cruise also included a comedian who delivered the typical, time worn cruise jokes but with an engaging, warm personality. An illusionist couple were also on board and provided an OK show.... nothing special. One night was a movie and another was Dancing with the Stars. Watching other passengers dance is not good entertainment for us.

So, if entertainment is your wish, take another line. Many other posters will confirm that this is not a HAL strength.

I found it very interesting reading everyone's comments. Obviously, people have different expectations in their cruise experiences. Comments here were very polarized.

Perhaps though, not everyone who commented read my post thoroughly. I posted that my wife and I have a strong bias for entertainment, in particular shows in the theatre. We have sailed HAL before and found that quality had decreased significantly since our previous cruises on the Noordam and Niew Amsterdam. I also noted that we took this port intensive tour as HAL is the only line to include a land tour of the Yukon. The comedian was mentioned - old recycled jokes heard a million times but he had a lot of charm and his presentation was excellent. The illusionists were OK though they did one amazing card trick that blew us away. Perhaps we were spoiled as our the shows from our last cruise on the Celebrity Silhouette in March were some of the best we have ever seen.

Someone commented about Oceania. We travelled on this line several years ago when we toured Asia and really enjoyed it... even though it had no theatre. It did have several activities on sea days that were NOT scheduled during dinner. We did not expect this cruise to be X or NCL or RCCL, we were just not prepared for how much less was offered on this cruise compared to our first Noordam cruise several years ago that was really great.

Thanks to everyone for their criticism and reinforcing comments. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and we all look for different things and experiences. If my post can help someone pick a cruise that will meet their expectations, great. I was not being hypercritical, mean or nasty... just an observation of our experience - all that was good and not so good.

Oh yes, thanks for pointing out the Captain. I was remiss in not mentioning him. Captain Peter Bos did a fantastic job at providing daily updates for the ship, pointing our wildlife and giving approximate times for particularly scenic viewing as we sailed through channels. In fact, I recall that he was Captain on our Noordam cruise several years ago.

Regards,

Alan

Oops - had to edit my document. AngelCat - the self appointed grammar and spelling police might have pointed out some errors.

Yes, they were the singers/dancers.

1st formal was called Northern Lights

2nd formal was Rockin Roadhouse

QUOTE]

 

We were on that cruise and could not have been more disappointed in the shows in the Vista Theatre. Budget cuts in recent years were blatantly obvious: no show band provided live music; music was prerecorded (though The Band did play in the second show); dancers were mediocre -4 women, 2 men; singers often lip synced to recorded sound track but were exceptional when they actually sang; sets were uninspiring; practically no theme to the shows... just a bunch of songs loosely tied together, etc.

 

One of our main enjoyments in cruising is the entertainment. The Oosterdam was really lacking in the Vista Theatre. Case in point, here was the entertainment for 3 of 7 nights... 1. Movie 2. Dancing with the Stars (sorry, but I do not care to watch other passengers dancing passed off as entertainment) 3. Philipino Crew Show.

My wife and I recently returned from an Alaskan cruise on the Oosterdam. Although we would give the ports of call 5+ stars, sadly I must report that the ship was a great disappointment. This was our third HAL cruise... and probably our last. Each successive cruise on HAL showed further cuts and cost containment rendering the line inferior to other options out there.

Now I will admit to bias. One of the primary reasons that my wife and I like to cruise is for the entertainment and activities on board. Well... these were few and far between and what was scheduled usually conflicted with dinner. Sure, there were a couple of presentations, culinary shows, etc. but very little scheduled pool side, trivia usually held at 7:30 pm, etc. The CD was all but absent, only providing a brief introduction to shows with time worn jokes. At the end of the show, most CDs would highlight the next day's activities... nope.

The Vista Lounge presented only two production numbers both of which were mediocre... a mishmash of songs thrown together with no story to speak of. Sets were minimal, costumes poor, dancers below average - though I will give credit to the singers who were superb - when they weren't lip syncing to prerecorded music and vocals. No show band. Three of the shows in the theatre were not really shows at all: 1. movie night; 2. dancing with the stars (sorry, but I do not view watching fellow passengers dance on stage as entertainment.) 3. Philipino crew show.

Lounge entertainment was generally good: We really enjoyed Adagio - a piano/violin duet, the BB King Allstars, and the pianoman. One lounge band... The Band, should have been called "The Bland". No vocals and a sound similar to a one-man electronic keyboard. HalCats no longer exist.

Food was good in the MDR though the Lido Buffet was average at best. The Pinnacle Grill was inferior to specialty dining restaurants found on other ships.

We chose this cruise as HAL was the only line to include the Yukon in the land package.

Just noticed you were on the same cruise as us last week :)

 

If anyone is interested I put together this short videogram of our overall trip on Radiance, Vancouver and Alaska last week.

 

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/w...&linkid=link13

We leave in 4 days for our Alaska/Yukon trip. Your videogram has whet our appetite for the beauty of nature. Thanks for sharing. Great photographs.

Cynalan - sounds like you will be cruising before we are - would love to hear your impressions of the Oosterdam.

That's right. We are doing a land tour before the cruise. Our actual cruise embarkation is June 28th. Keep an eye on the HAL forum. I usually post a review of our cruises.

An interesting observation... most of our recent cruises have been on Celebrity or Royal Caribbean. The Roll Call board for these lines often have hundreds of posts prior to departure. We leave on the Oosterdam in a few months for an Alaska cruise and the number of roll call posts is abysmal... three cruisers in total have posted. Looking at a few other HAL dates, this low posting volume seems typical. Perhaps a different clientele and/or expectations by passengers? Wonder why so different and such a disinterest in roll calls? :confused:

Absolutely not. A Nexxus does not replace a passport. It is only used to fast track through customs.

Has anyone else received an email purporting to be a Celebrity Cruises survey? It popped into my junk mail file and I'm not sure if its genuine or not.

Yes, Celebrity has done away with the paper surveys and sends out electronic forms by e-mail a few days after completion of your cruise.

Just wondering if Celebrity does a Chef's Table similar to Carnival or Princess? Specifically does Celebrity's Summit do one?

Don't know if the Summit does one but we recently sat at the Chef's Table on the Silhouette a few weeks ago. It was a wonderful evening hosted by one of the ship's officers. It began with champagne and hors d'ouevres in Cellar Masters, included a tour of the main and Murano gallies and final settled in the Murano wine room - a small, private room off of the restaurant. It was limited to 4 couples. The Executive Chef prepared a couple of courses table side, e.g. Steak Diane (possibly one of the best steaks I've ever had.) The sommelier matches wines to the course and is quite liberal in the pours, i.e. refills OK. Now for the sticker shock... $279 per couple.

Just a little concerned with the vibrations as I am a light sleeper...

We did an aft cabin on the Noordam several years ago. Vibration was not an issue. In fact, we experienced more on a side balcony in the last third of the ship than an aft cabin. We found the sound of the ship's wake quite soothing as a bonus.

Thanks for the responses. Decided to book an aft cabin about the 10th from the front. Should be good.:)

Hey Danielle,

We also booked an aft cabin... 8147 (but for the June 28 cruise). You know what they say about great minds.

Alan

Thanks for the review and for the rich detail.

 

What was the Captain's name? A Captain who is out and about and is also witty is someone I'd like to sail with!

 

I'm sailing the Silhouette in January 2016 (1st X cruise) and am counting the days.

 

Norris

We were on the Silhouette from March 1-8. Comments are bang on. The cruise was wonderful, particularly the CD and Captain. Richard Spacey was the CD - what a manic, energetic, entertaining guy. He could easily tour as a comic and be quite successful. As for the Captain, he was the most engaging Captain we have experienced. His name is Emanouil Alevropolous. Activities he participated in were: Captain's talk, Liar's Club and Dancing with the Officers. All are must attends. Enjoy your cruise.

Royal Caribbean is a sister company that will allow you to accumulate points and realize perqs. RCCL caters to a broad age range and tends to be more activity oriented. We've done a few with them and really enjoyed it.

Thanks Thon! I'd really like to get it over with in Ottawa and get to board the ship faster.

Looks like its gonna be sunny and cold on Sunday so it should be a good take-off. Only two sleeps now! :)

It's true that Hamilton does not have a US Customs pre-clearance. However, imo, the issue in Miami isn't customs, it was reasonably quick. The baggage area, however, is another story. With so many flights arriving mid to late morning, collecting your bags and exiting the baggage hall were the big issues. If you can pre-clear customs maybe you won't have to go to the same terminal. Good luck.

Do we clear customs in Ottawa or Miami? I have heard varying reports on the charters but not sure whether they were Ottawa departures.

 

Does Canadian North consistently subcontract to First Air for the Ottawa flights?

 

Once you board the bus in Miami for the transfer to Port Everglades, do you have to handle your luggage again or does it go straight off the bus onto the ship? What about your carry-on bags? Do you bring them with you onto the bus or do they get stored in the storage underneath the bus (with all the other luggage), making the buses really crowded?

 

Flight lands in Miami at 11 a.m. Approximately what time did you get on-board the ship?

 

Did you feel the process went fairly smoothly?

 

Thanks all for your comments! Three more sleeps! :)

I can offer a few comments having just completed a charter out of Hamilton for the Silhouette.

1. We cleared customs in Miami.

2. Once your bags are on the bus you do not handle them again until they arrive at your stateroom.

3. Carry-ons go with you on the bus and are your responsibility. There is not enough room in the bus cargo compartment for luggage and carry-ons.

4. Once we landed in Miami we had a very long, long walk to the baggage carousel. Bags had already started to appear by the time we got there after clearing customs. Miami has automated passport scanning for customs declaration (about a 15 minute line as so many flights arrived at the same time.) If you have Global Express you can jump the queue. Upon picking up our bags there was a line-up of several hundred people to leave the baggage area. This took about 30 minutes. We found the Celebrity rep and were on the bus within 15 minutes of exiting the hall. 40 minute drive to Fort Lauderdale, walked right up to the ticket counter and aboard ship in less than 10 minutes. So, with an 11:00 arrival, you should be on the ship shortly after 1:00.

5. Except for the long lines to leave the baggage hall (not Celebrity's issue) the process was very professional and well coordinated. Many Celebrity reps were there to help and direct us to the bus departure area.

We were on the March 1st cruise and also had a great time. Love the photo of the ship. Taken in the port of San Juan. lol I have pretty much the same photo at exactly the same angle. Lighting was perfect. Enjoyed your report.

Yup. Could not agree more. We first cruised with him on Freedom of the Seas 7 years ago. We were ecstatic to see that he was our CD on our recently completed Silhouette cruise. He did not disappoint. Same old, same old that you are used to... plus more. Loved his pre-theatre introductions.

Tanned Russian and Indulgence run neck and neck.

Tanned Russian from the Molecular Bar, BBC on the pool deck.

Hi Patrick.

 

Bob and Christine from Gold Coast, AUSTRALIA. Thinking of doing a Caribbean Cruise in the near future. Like the look of the Silhouette. Just wondering if you could fill us in with all the ports you visited during the Back to Back. We need a 14 day cruise at least as travelling such a long way from Australia to get there By the way, where does the ship embark from ?????.

My suggestion would be to book a 14-day cruise rather than a B2B. Why? On the second leg of the journey all of the activities will be repeated. On a 14 day, you will have more variety, not to mention not wasting a couple of days in the home port during the turnaround.

Thanx for the suggestion. My bad. We need to leave on weekend. That means Westerdam or Noordam from what I see. Is either of those better or worse?

They are sister ships in the same class. We've been on the Noordam and quite enjoyed it. We are sailing on the Westerdam, visiting Alaska this coming June. Our TA recommended it over the Zaandam which also does a 7 day itinerary.

I am glad to hear that about Richard Spacey. We also sailed with him as the CD on RCL. I wondered about how his personality and style would transfer to Celebrity.

No worries there. He is pretty much the same as he was on RCL. The guy is a great entertainer and brings a tremendous amount of energy and humour to his work. We looked forward to his brief monologue before each show in the Silhouette Theatre.

Hi, how do you sign up for the chef's dinner?

There was a small, little advertisement in the Celebrity Today circulated on day 1. You need to call the Specialty Restaurant reservation line ext. 7000 to ask for the reservation. Only 8-10 people are accommodated. The Exec Chef told us they had a long wait list should anyone cancel. it was held in the wine room of Murano and included a tour of the MDR dining room and Murano galleys. Be forewarned, it is not cheap... $279 per couple.

Glad to hear this. We are booked with Den Rus for the May sailing on Eclipse.

You will enjoy the tour. Our guide was an art historian and published art critic. The small group made it much easier to visit the historic sites in an efficient manner. You will have a great time.