!!! SILHOUETTE !!! Western Caribbean- The Ultimate Review & Complete Pictorial Guide!

GOD you made me hungry with that great review of Murano. Can you order multiple items or is it just 1 from each section? I have only ever eaten in QSINE, which is a totally different experience as you know.

Sorry to hear that the FLL debarkation is screwed up still. Took me 2 hours last year getting off the Constellation. Just a mess! For everything that Celebrity does well, this really is a bad way to end the vacation.

OK - have to go eat. :p

This really has been an amazing review!! Perfect balance of beautiful pictures and informative yet entertaining commentary. I really appreciate the dailies being included. I know they change up a bit with different cruise directors and my cruise isn't until January and will eastern not western, but gives me an idea of the type of activities Celebrity offers.

I especially liked the panorama of the dining room...still can't figure out how to do that on my pretty nice point and shoot. The sad picture of bags in the hallway really brings the same emotion of 'our cruise' ending just like on the ship.

I am so fortunate to run across your review of this first Celebrity ship we'll be on. I'll share this with the others going with us. Really, really excellent job!! Even though I have no interest in sailing on NCL I'll probably read your Breakaway review.

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Thanks Gambee for the fabulous review. I think we have made out decision on our cruise for Feb 2014. We have only sailed one other Celebrity ship and that was the Summit . Do you know if Celebrity had a bags program. He have used it on NCL and loved it. Put our bags out the night before and then see them again in Boston.

Well, I really just have them rotate on my the background of both my computer and my Apple TV. I don't think I have ever printed a picture, I only work digitally. And to be precise there at 17,300 pictures, those are the final ones that I kept. I am sure I have taken maybe 8 times that number, but a lot of them get deleted in the selection process.

 

Hi Gambee

17,300 pictures!! WOW!! Your review is a tremendous resource for anyone who has never sailed on X. DW and I print many of our pics and like to put them in photo albums. She complains if I take more than 400 pics. We use Canon point and shoot cameras(A520 and 560)

 

On another topic, DW and I have never been to Jamaica, but have read about Dun's falls-- a premier attraction. Did you skip it because you have already seen it? Or a separate reason, i.e. Jamaica's homophobic reputation? crime?

 

Tom:)

Hi Tom, I have not been to Dun's falls yet. The main reason why I did not do them this time was because of the long bus drive to get there. Add to that the fact that my mom will most likely not enjoy her day there as much as I would. I try to book excursions that are entertaining for both of us equally.

I hope you like NCL - my experiences on the Jewel and Sky were not so peasant.

We loved the Sky, it was our first cruise and it will forever be in our memories. I am hoping that Breakaway will be at least a match for the Allure.

Gambee, do you use a polarizing filter for these? I just bought one for my upcoming cruise, and I'm not entirely sure how to use it... Know anything about that?

I think with that picture I had the 10-18 lens on and I don't have a filter on that particular lens. On the Zeiss there is a filter attached at all times, I mainly use it to protect the glass. My knowledge of filters is rather limited :-/, sorry.

Thank you, gambee. Okay...now if we go off the ship on an excursion, I understand you can bring wine back on....what about beer?

I don't drink wine...gives me migranes and I'm careful with hard liquor...really hits me, but I do enjoy a beer or two on the balcony. Would the confiscate beer if I brought some on the ship?

You can only bring two bottle of wine when boarding the ship on day 1, all other forms of liquor will be confiscated if found. In ports you're not allowed to keep anything you purchase, it will all be kept until the last day of your trip.

Gambee, can you please tell me if all of your drinks can be ordered Virgin:), and if so did you keep a list of all the drinks you tried:eek:

All of them, I would think no. But some of them yes, I imagine the daiquiris and pina coladas they could. You could try to ask the bartenders and they might be able to work around a few of the drinks. Most of the drinks that I enjoy the most are heavy on alcohol. No I did not keep track, I know I tried all the drinks at molecular and about half of the martini bar. Can't recall how many I tried at the pool bar.

I love this picture. Thanks a lot Gambee!

You're welcome, it is also one of my favorites.

Gambee, I can get you the Allure model ship when I go on her in 74 days! You could even pick it up by meeting me at the cruise terminal the day we get back? Let me know! :)

That would be great, could you hit me up by email ccgambee at gmail dot com, prior your sailing. We could set something up then :)

Thank you.

Gambee, thank you so much for all the pictures. We did our first Celebrity cruise 3 weeks ago on the Silhouette and loved it. Your pictures put us right back on the ship again

You're very welcome, glad you enjoyed the review.

OMG...you have to STOP! :p ;) You have me drooling here...creamy Maine lobster bisque...lobster...drool, droll, droll....I'd just as soon skip dessert and eat two tails....yum! I don't know....I was going to forego all the speciality restaurants but I think we may have to do this one...probably for our pre anniversary celebration.

Was it Maine lobster or Caribbean lobster? And bleu cheese stuffed olives...I just sit and eat them like they're peanuts.

I am not sure, I did not ask. But I agree if you're going to do one restaurant, Murano should be the one.

Gambee, thank you for sharinng your gift and talent with us. You are truly an artist. Your posting have drawn me to my computer numerous times per day. Your day 7 post will be bittersweet. Will miss your photos but look forward to following your future cruise travels. Thank you and all the best to you and your mom.

Thank for joining us in our adventure, I am glad you liked it =)

Hey Gambee, I finally made your review. Some people think I am such a boring cruise because I like to play board games and card games with my family, inside, instead of getting sunburnt by the pool. So here I am at the far table playing either Dominion or Carcassone with my hubby and son. I was looking of all your pictures of the fun and games by the pool, and I was like "What did I do that day?" Thanks to this pic, I remember, enjoying a little family game time.

You're welcome, glad you found yourself there =). Thank you for all your support during the review, it was much appreciated.

GOD you made me hungry with that great review of Murano. Can you order multiple items or is it just 1 from each section? I have only ever eaten in QSINE, which is a totally different experience as you know.

 

Sorry to hear that the FLL debarkation is screwed up still. Took me 2 hours last year getting off the Constellation. Just a mess! For everything that Celebrity does well, this really is a bad way to end the vacation.

 

OK - have to go eat. :p

I am not sure, we only ordered one item in each. They did bring us extra food to try here and there, I guess you could try asking your server.

And yeah de debarkation just leaves a sour taste in your mouth...

This really has been an amazing review!! Perfect balance of beautiful pictures and informative yet entertaining commentary. I really appreciate the dailies being included. I know they change up a bit with different cruise directors and my cruise isn't until January and will eastern not western, but gives me an idea of the type of activities Celebrity offers.

 

I especially liked the panorama of the dining room...still can't figure out how to do that on my pretty nice point and shoot. The sad picture of bags in the hallway really brings the same emotion of 'our cruise' ending just like on the ship.

 

I am so fortunate to run across your review of this first Celebrity ship we'll be on. I'll share this with the others going with us. Really, really excellent job!! Even though I have no interest in sailing on NCL I'll probably read your Breakaway review.

 

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thank you for following along, I am glad you liked it. I will be more than happy to have you aboard the Breakaway review, thank you =).

Feel free to share the review and I hope you have a great cruise on X.

Thanks Gambee for the fabulous review. I think we have made out decision on our cruise for Feb 2014. We have only sailed one other Celebrity ship and that was the Summit . Do you know if Celebrity had a bags program. He have used it on NCL and loved it. Put our bags out the night before and then see them again in Boston.

I believe they do offer a bag Valet service, but I am not sure about the details. You might want to try asking in the forum. But that said I don't trust cruise lines with bags, after the incident on the Silli I think I will be carrying my own bags from now on.

Ok so as promised I will dedicate a short section to compare RCCL to X, I wont bring NCL in the game yet because the Sky is no match for this competition. But at the end of Breakaway I will score NCL and compare it to these two.

Also keep into account my age I am sure this will play a big factor in the comparison section.

I will basing the scores from 1 to 5.

1. Poor

2. Average

3. Good

4. Great

5. Excellent

Food:

RCCL: 3.5

X : 4.5

The food aboard the Allure was for the most part good, the main issue with the Allure was that most of the food came to the table warm and not hot. This was never an issue X, the food was always nice and hot. The buffet of the Allure was good and had good selections, but on the Silli there were much more choices and again everything was kept very hot and rotated frequently. Also the main restaurant on the Allure 150 was not up to par to Murano by no means. The two Dover Soles were in complete extremes, the one in the Allure was cold and fishy and the one in Murano was just PERFECT.

X was very close on getting a perfect score, but like everything there were flaws.

That first night when I got room service, the food was just very bad…

The chicken saltinboca on the MDR was not chicken saltinboca and it was really dry.

The cupcakes on Qsine, were TERRIBLE.

Mom's risotto on Tuscan was very salty.

But that is it, most of the food was outstanding. The price of the specialty dinning also comes into play, I honestly think X is charging too much for these venues. I was happy that I got the package and lowered the cost of them slightly. On the Allure specialty venues are better priced and that makes them more attractive.

Room service arrives really nice and hot in X (breakfast), again in Allure not so much. I believe I mentioned that is why decided to go more often to the buffet on the Allure.

Cabin

RCCL: 4

X : 4

I believe that the cabin on X is 12 sq feet larger than the RCCL cabin, but for some reason the X cabin felt like it lacked storage. One thing that I also miss from the Allure was the balcony light, I like working on my computer at night and I really missed that light. The bathrooms are both good but I think the shower on the X ship is a little bit larger than the Allure. I think scoring them both with a 4 is a good thing, please know that I have never traveled suite so I am just happy scoring up to balcony for now ;).

Cabin TV system

RCCL: 4.5

X : 2.5

The TV system on the Allure was magical, it was so easy to use and it had all the information you could ever need. Including menus, shows, shore excursions and more. Even more than that, was the fact that it was so easy to navigate and use, placing orders was super simple.

In contrast X system is full of bugs and lacks all the information that the Allure one had. Add to that how complicated it is to place orders or activate the internet and you end up with a very lousy system.

Not to mention that we kept constantly loosing signal with the TV programing.

Sorry X you need to step up your game…

Internet

RCCL: 4

X : 2.5

You all heard me complain about the internet and trust me it was pretty bad, even Bugsy experienced that in his voyage. The internet of the Allure was very good for the most part, if I recall correctly we lost internet on one day for a few hours. I am not sure if the Silli is having issues with their system, but it definitely needs improvement.

Pools & Jacuzzi

RCCL: 4

X : 4

At first I was very worried that with only 6 Jacuzzis we would have problem finding space in them. But don't ask me how the two in the solarium always had space for us. Also the pool in the solarium in X is much larger than the the one on the Allure. In contrast the Allure has about 12 Jacuzzis and and 5 pools, which is enough for everyone on board. I can honestly say that ratio based both ships are able to supply their guest with enough water time to make you happy.

Solarium

RCCL : 4.5

X : 4.3

While I absolutely loved the solarium on the Silli, those lounges and the calm of it. I still have to admit that I liked the one on the Allure just a little more, why? Well simply because it is located in the FWD and this offers 180 degrees of spectacular views. The bad part is that if it rain it is exposed unlike the solarium in the Silli where it completely covered. They are both easily comparable, but I liked the one on the Allure just a tad better.

I will split the Entertainment into two categories, activities and shows. This will make more fair for the Silli.

Activities

RCCL : 5

X : 2.5

Ok so I mean really, who has a zip line in a ship, who? who? The Allure does :D, not to mention the rock climbing wall, Flow Riders, Ice skating, carrousel ect. The Silli is rather limited in this aspect with very little in the ways of that, I think they have the basketball court and the events that they held by the pool area. It is a rather tame ship.

Shows

RCCL : 4.5

X : 4

I am not much of show kind of person, but in this regard I am giving the edge to the Allure simply because they have a Broadway show and a diving show in its very own theater. Add to that the ice show and you have a great deal of possibilities. The Silli has good shows with good performers, but there were a few things that I did not like.

A little something to note is that the A cappella group on the Silli was horrible compared to the Allure one (please remember I hate A cappella groups) so that must say something in itself.

I did however enjoy myself on the Silli watching the comedy shows, those are my favorites :).

Bars

RCCL : 3.5

X : 4.7

While the Allure does have the raising tides bar, it is simply no match for the Martini bar in the Silli. The Silli hands down wins this section, I absolute love that bar. The molecular was fine and all, but I wasn't really crazy about their drinks and they are so complex and take time to make. Gambee has no patience when I am waiting for a drink. Now imagine the entreatment factor of the martini bar combined with the rising tides bar :D. lol. Never mind to much wait waiting for bar to get there, I want my drink!

Also the sunset bar was very nice, I guess it is similar to the wipeout bar on the Allure. But the sunset had a much better vibe.

Elegance

RCCL : 3.5

X : 4.5

The S ships are among the cleanest looking ships at sea, actually I think they are my favorite ones. The same line concept follows around throughout the ship, the Allure just doesn't have that. Like I said the S class almost feels like the W Hotel and I not quite sure how to compare the Allure, maybe to a Hilton?

Lawn/central Park (special ship Feature)

RCCL : 4.5

X : 4

I honestly think both areas are useless to me, but doesn't mean that I don't appreciate them for what they are. The Allure has that beautiful Central park surrounded by great restaurants, but it lacks that connection with the ocean. While X has that connection with the ocean but again the grass just have no point for me. One thing that puzzled me why don't they have a different setup and had the cabanas facing towards the ocean to make them more private and with a better view.

Service

RCCL : 4.5

X : 4.5

Both ships shinned in this sector, while X did not have Gilbert, they were still a solid team and one that I was very glad to have.

Other than the night at Tuscan the waiters were all spectacular (Like I said he was not bad, just a little slow for our taste) and in the Allure all our waiters were great with the exception of the night 150 when we felt like we were second class. I was very glad that our servers in Murano were not like the one in 150, they were actually so nice and friendly.

Total count

RCCL 50 points

X 46 points

Funny how both ended up with round numbers :D

I am sure you noticed that the Allure might of won if you go by score factor and I think that I still have the Allure as my favorite ship ever, I actually think it will be quite hard to get down from his throne. There is just so much to do in that ship that it is hard not to fall in love with it.

That said, we loved the Silhouette and had a grand time. Sure the weather could of been better and our neighbors were not the best, but we still had an excellent vacation.

I will certainly consider X for a future cruise, I think that it would be an ideal ship to cruise say Europe or Alaska. I could totally see myself traveling around Europe on this incredible ship.

Will I do it again in the near future? I don't think so, I get bored easily and once I've seen it I want to do something new, the same goes for the Allure. Right after my NCL Breakaway cruise, I will be interested in trying the Carnival Breeze, Royal Princess and Quantum of the Seas. We will see if I am lucky enough to do all 3.

I want to thank you all for being a part of this, reviews as such would be nothing without my followers. This review proved to be more work than the Allure one, I am not sure why… I learned a whole lot more doing this review, more specifically with stuff related with my lens. I am sure all this information will come in very handy for my Breakaway trip.

I also learned that there is a demand for the fisheye video touring the ship, just like I expected. I wish I had taken more of the Silli, well possibly next time.

Some of you also reported missing the miniature picture, I will make sure to bring them back for my next reviews.

If there is anything else that you would like to see or that you think this review lacked when compared to the Allure I am all ears. Please give me your feedback, I want to see what I did good and bad on both and improve from there.

Once again thank you all very much for following us in our adventure, I truly appreciate it!

Until next time ;)…

Gambee that review is awesome. I think we should start a fund, say $5 pp so you and your mom can cruise monthly. That way we could get a great view of many many more ships.:D

Thank you!!!! Awesome review!!! Wowza!!!! Love Love Love!!!!

Thank YOU, Gambee! What a wonderful review, I just can't express my gratitude enough for your efforts at preparing this wonderful review with your AMAZING photos! It is so hard to get a feel for a ship from pictures alone, but somehow you manage to capture the spirit of the ship. You have a real gift, and it is so kind of you to share this gift with the Cruise Critic community!

Gambee,

So sad this review is over. Now what am I going to do with my nights! LOL

Thank you for sharing you vacation with all of us. Your pictures are just exquisite!!! I enjoyed your review very much. Please be sure to post in your Allure and this thread when you start your Breakaway review to let us know it's started. Until then...........happy sailing!

Patty

That would be great, could you hit me up by email ccgambee at gmail dot com, prior your sailing. We could set something up then :)

 

 

Thank you.

Put it in my reminders app so I don't forget because I definitely would! :p Expect an email on June 16th - A few weeks before my sailing!

P.S. I'm sad this review is done! :( It definitely deserves another 5 stars! You did it again Gambee, terrific review!

Hi Gambee! I just wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed your review and especially your photos. Your photos are amazing! It was so fun to read and picture you on the ship with your descriptions. It really makes it hard to wait for my upcoming cruise on the Silhouette. Thanks so much for sharing!

Great review Gambee. I'm not sure why either but my LIVE review for Silhouette was harder than the one I did for Oasis. I'm pretty sure you and I posted more pics for Silhouette than we did for Oasis and Allure :D

Thank You Gambee:D

Thanks again for your wonderful photos and review.

Great review Gambee. So appreciated.

Thank You Gambee:D

Indeed...thank you so much...what a spectacular review....and all the photos...wow! I cannot wait to board Silhouette in September. You've also been great about answering questons.

While the review is over...I'll be glad to get back to my regularly scheduled, schedule....bahahahaha. Been following you, Radio and Chris far too much. DH keeps asking who I'm writing too....lol...I just tell him I'm posting on CC...then I show him some pics...he doesn't want to see...totally wants to be surprised. That would be Tom...but I've learned so much as far as the ship and what is where.

Time flies....my cruise will be here before I know it...I don't even know if I'll do a review....there is no way I can even come close to matching you....not that I want to...for me, it's far too much work. I hope all CC memebers appreciate what you did.

What an absolutely immense review, Gambee

Thank you for taking me (us!) with you. I loved your Allure review and it made me seriously consider the big gals and now I want to cruise X :p

Gambee, thanks again for all your time and effort to put together this wonderful review. Although this one is over, it won't be long for the next one. Very much looking forward to that one too.

Happy cruising.........

Gwen :)

I was in a 1C category, but my understanding is that most of the room in this ship are the same size (with exceptions of course, suites and such).

 

Well I believe you can ask for it for to be emptied. Our steward asked us if we wanted it locked up, I said no, you never know if you want something. And no, nothing in there is covered with the drink package.

 

Have a great cruise!

Cabins are all 194sf with exception of family verandahs and suites.

Gambee, can you add your cabin report to the sticky please.

Gambee that review is awesome. I think we should start a fund, say $5 pp so you and your mom can cruise monthly. That way we could get a great view of many many more ships.:D

Agreed- I actually suggested this a few pages back. If everyone who read even a portion of Gambee's review sent him a tip, just a few bucks, it should fund the next cruise!

Gambee, thank you again for the time and effort you put into this. It is greatly appreciated!

Great review. I'm not usually on the NCL CC board so I'd certainly like to see the Breakaway review. Hopefully there is someway to get the word out to us fans. I'd like to see your review.

I said it earlier in this thread. I would certainly like to see all your videos and pics put into one spot or youtube video. Your photos and videos were well done and should be saved somewhere for others to see.

Thanks for a great report.

Gambee....I've read all of your reviews....great job and loved loved LOVED all of your pictures. I feel as though I know you and your mom. You are a very sweet guy that loves his mom so much! She is very lucky to have a son like you. I'm looking forward to your next cruise. My husband and I leave on the Allure May 19th...just a few weeks from now.

God Bless,

Druann

Thanks for letting us all sail along with you and your Mom and can't wait till our next cruise with you on Breakaway!:)

Great review. Thanks so much for the pictures. Such a tease for our upcoming sailing on this amazing ship in the Adriatic next month!