Silhouette Holy Land Review

[Gonzo70]

We just returned last night from an amazing 13 night Holy Land cruise on the Silhouette. The ship is beautiful but it is the quality of the staff and crew that really made this one of our best cruises. I took a massive amount of pictures, but they are not yet quite ready for posting, so will add a link to them when they are ready. Here is a recap of the highlights of the cruise (my reviews tend to be rather long, but I have subheaders so you can skip tp sections of interest to you):

 

Pre Cruise: We did some sightseeing in Rome last year, so we decided to spend our pre-cruise time in Civitavecchia this time and just relax (as the cruise was rather port intensive). We managed to take the train from the airport to Civitiavecchia (only 12 Euros per person), which was a bit of an adventure, but very doable. We spent two night at Hotel Tunuta Dell'Argento Resort (a ranch hotel) in the foothills of Civitavecchia. I highly recommend this hotel; clean facilities, nice pool with view of the ocean and cruise ships, friendly staff, free shuttle to/from downtown Civitavecchia, from the train station to the hotel and hotel to the cruise ship. Great restaurant on site as well. The night before the cruise we sat outside on the patio at sunsent consuming a carafe of their wine, wathcing cruise ships sail away.

 

Embarkation: Fastest embarkation I have ever experienced; arrived at the terminal about 11:15am and was on the ship with a glass of sparkling wine in hand at 11:25am. There was one line for suites/aqua class/concierge class/select & elite Captain's Club and one line for general boarding.

Stateroom: This was the first cruise where I had a bad stateroom. I had downgraded from an Aqua Class hump to a Concierge Class guarantee when the Concierge guarantee had a massive price drop (ended up paying less than half what I had paid for Aqua Class). Several weeks later I was assigned a C3 just past the forward hump (room 1040) and it looked fine on the deck plan. The big problem is this room is subject to frequent loud noises during the early morning hours - sometimes waking us up multiple times and persisting so that it was hard to fall back asleep. We probably should have checked at guest relations to see if another room was available, but were otherwise so busy and having such a great time we never looked into the possibility of changing. We never did find out what the noise was (it did not sound like loud neighbors, but more like some type of machinery above us). I would recommend avoiding this room. Our steward, Dany was OK. He did a great job keeping the room clean (which of course is what is most important for a steward), but was very quiet and we almost never saw him.

 

Food - Main Dining: Both my wife and I found the food to be a significant step up in the main dining room compared to prior cruises. There is so much talk on Cruise Critic about the food slipping, but this was not our impression at all. Nice presentation, great variety offering some currently chic foods such as sweeet breads, but plenty of "safe" choices for non adventurous eaters. The beef seemed to be consistently good cuts without excess fat. We were able to arrange to have an item we loved the first night (goat cheese tart) repeated on another night upon request (you need to make the request the night before, and they do the best to accomodate). I tended to stick with whatever seemed best out of what our waiter (Hector) recommended or the Chef Jacques Van Staden recommended dish (Jacques is Celebrity's executive chef).

 

One of the highlights of the cruise was having the opporunity to meet Jacques Van Staden himself (he was on board the ship for the first half of the cruise). He was very personable when my wife and I chatted with him one-on-one for a few minutes and he gave a great speech at a Celebrity Life food presentation speaking about how Celebrity is focusing on developing an image of being like a chic hotel (i.e. a W Hotel) versus a stereotypical cruise line. I think that Celebrity is really succeeding in this endeavour and is a great choice for people looking for a sophisticated, upscale type cruise experience - they are no longer a brand just for middle age and up, but a brand that younger adults are likely to find is a great fit as well.

 

Specialty Dining: Although the main dining room food was quite good, the specialty restaurants are still much better and well worth trying if you are someone who appreciates good food and/or want a special night out. We hit every specialty restaurant on the ship and I recommend them all, but Tuscan Grill is IMHO the weakest. Murano definitely has the best quality food and comes close to a fine dining experience. Great menu too; it was hard to pick what I wanted with so many outstanding options. Be sure to save room for the cheese cart! The Lawn Club Grill was a lot of fun; we booked this to coincide with sail-a-way from Mykonos so we would have a great view. It was really fun grilling my food and selecting my cut of meat from the freezer. The chefs were friendly and helpful and will do as much (or little) of the cooking as you want (you do not have to cook at all if that is your choice). There is also a nice salad bar and you get to create your own flat bread pizza from tons of ingredients. Qsine was so good we went twice. This is definitiely a venue you need to plan to eat at a couple of times as there is so much great food to try it is overwhelming to try and cram it into one meal. Definitely order the M's Favorites, so, so good. Qsine is all about deconstructed food - taking normal every day dishes, taking them apart and coming up with a radical twist (i.e. sushi lollipops). Outstanding service here too. While the quality of the food is not quite on par with Murano, the dishes are so fun and creative we enjoyed Qsine the best of the specailty venues. Our first night dining at Qsine Jacques Van Staden himself was dining a couple tables over from us! The prices have increased at the specialty venues, but you now are able to purchase packages once on board that bring the cost back down to very reasonable rates (one package offered five dinners for two with five bottles of wine for $400).

 

Other Restaurants: I loved the light, healthy selections at lunch at the Aqua Spa Cafe (especially the poached fruit) and rarely went to the buffet for lunch. Bistro on Five (Crepe restaurant for $5 cover charge) is the best value on the ship; outstanding food for $5 and great alternative to the buffet for lunch. The new venue though, The Porch (featuring panini sandwiches for breakfast and lunch for $5 cover) is a disaster; you can obtain pretty much the same food at the buffet so you are only paying for a nicer view and waiter service. This place was always empty and one senior officer we spoke with mentioned they are already aware they are going to need to change this venue up. The buffet had a good variety of selections for lunch and the free ice cream was good enough I never bothered to try the for-charge gelato on deck five; I love the choose your own toppings that are available. The only negative (aside from The Porch) in terms of food is breakfast is just plain boring. Lots of food, but pretty much the same plain, standard items you would findd at any large chain restaurant's breakfast buffet. This is one area where Celebrity really needs to step it up; offer some ethnic breafast selections in the buffet to spice things up (like is already done at lunch and dinner) and create a specialty restaurant that offers a high quality, gourmet breakfast/brunch experience with as much creativity as the dinners in the specialty restaurants.

 

Entertainment: Celeberity appears to have stepped up the amount of acitivities they offer. There was live music everywhere and I really enjoyed Sipra, the Party Band. The Solarium pool offers a quiet, relaxing atmosphere but they do now hold some pool games at the main pool, such as an Officer vs. Guests volleyball tournament (even the Captain played) and an air gutair contest. The Star Chef contest was fun (it is a cooking competition between two Celebrity chefs with audience participation, I got to be a judge). The Lawn Club has been somewhat decimated by space taken up the the Alcoves (and another large section was closed off as they were reseeding with a type of grass that will survive the cooler temperatures when the Silhouette heads to New Jersey for the winter), but I still enjoyed some of the Lawn Games such as Bocce Ball. The Dancing with the Stripes competition was fun as well (like Dancing with the Stars but features a guest paired with an officer). There was a late night chocolate buffet one night, a nighttime pool party, a kareoke competition and some theme parties. There was far more nightlife on this cruise versus my past Celebrity cruises and a suprising number of guests in their twenties, thirties and fourties. Celebirty is defeinitely livening things up, but still for the most part maintaining the upscale elegance they are known for.

 

Bars/Lounges: Silhouette features thirteen bars/lounges, so plenty of places to enjoy a cocktail. My wife and I both agreed that the new Michael's Club is a great change, it looks like a trendy, upscale pub and feautres about 60 different beers. There are also two flat screen televisions for viewing sporting events, but the vibe is far more upscale than of a rowdy sports bar. They did a beer tasting even here one night. My only beef is they need more beers on tap (only Heinekn and Amstel are available as draft). The Martini Bar was always popping with fun bartenders and tons of martinis to choose from. At $15 the martini flight (six different mini martinis) is a great value. Our favorite bar however was The Molecular Bar. They feauture gourmet cocktails with fresh (and sometimes unqique ingredients - for example one concotion features rose petals). Some of the drinks at this venue also have a tasty foam sprayed on top and some have the top layer frozen with liquid nitrogen. Be sure to check this bar out; while pricey (most of the drinks are $12), they are so good I left an event with free drinks to come have a cocktail at the Molecular Bar. The bartenders here, Suzana and Hector are top knotch. Extremely friendly, knowledgale and outstanding at what they do. The coffee in the free venues does appear to have improved some (especially the coffee at the Hideway versus in the buffet), but Cafe al Bacio is still the spot for a high quality cup of Jo. The staff here was outstanding as well, especially Josip and Alexsandra. Great snack food here too; I loved the almond croissants at breakfast and the honey chocolate squares in the afternoon. The bar managers, Clint and Dejana were always mingling with guests and were so friendly.

 

Ports: The highligh of this cruise was the three days in Israel. We booked with Guided Tours Israel and had the same guide (Michal, who goes by Micky) all thee days. She is the best tour guide I have ever had. Israel is a beautiful country with so much history, but amazing scenery as well. One day we went into Nazarene and the Sea of Galilee, the next to Masada and the Dead Sea (the float experience is not to be missed) and the third day to Jerusalem and Bethlehem. Be advised that Bethlehem is in Palestine so your Israel tour guide will not be able to accompany you there, but you are met on the other side of the wall by a tour guide from Palestine. The chuch where Jesus reportedly was born is in Bethlehem, so many want to go there but be advised it takes about three and a half hours of your time. In my opinion there is so much to do and see in Jerusalem that I wish I would have done a full day there, but if seeing Bethlehem is important to you than Guided Tours Israel does a great job arranging this with a local guide in Bethlehem named Sammy. Do be aware that all trips to Bethlehem (be it with a private guide or through Celebrity) have a "forced" shopping stop at a preselected strore (this was a big waste of time and turn off). I highly recommend Guided Tours Israel (http://www.guidedtoursisrael.com/) for excursions in Israel. For about half the price of the cruise line excursions we had a small group of 16 (versus about 60 on the cruise line), had an amazing guide, and got to see so much more than the cruise line excursion saw (since it is so time consuming moving around with a large group). Be sure to ask for Micky as your guide; she is the best!

 

The ohter ports were nice, but not nearly as memorable as Israel. For Athens this is a port you do not need a guide, but is easy to do on your own or in a small group (just hire a taxi or take the train). For all ports I can no longer recommend using a cruise line excursion; nearly all of them are now on coach buses with about 60 people and make ridiculous, unnecesarry stops at stores they "endorse" (i.e. stores that give the cruise line a kickback). Please use the Ports of Call area on Cruise Critic and your Roll Call to research the ports and find private guides. You will nearly always end up with a much better experience (and sometimes save a lot of money too). Celebrity really needs to take a hard look at their shore excursions and make some big changes; overall this is Celebrity's weakest area (though in fairness it is the same model that all the mass market cruise lines use - so the only way change will come about is if enough of us refuse to book cruise line excursions until significant improvements are made).

 

In Esphesus we used a company called Ephesus Shuttle, which was pretty good and very reasonable priced: http://www.ephesusshuttle.com/ Be sure to tell your guide that you are not interested in seeing a rug factory if asked (as it is 10% information, 90% sales pitch). In Mykonos we just wandered around on our own (I wish our cruise arrived earlier as we would have done a beach day if there had been more time). In Naples and Cyprus we did cruise line excursions and had mediocre (at best) guides, felt herded like cattle and were angered by stops at irrelevant stores that obviously had no purpose other than as a "deal" made between the cruise line and the store.

 

Disembarkment: This was the smoothest disembarkment I have ever had. I found two other couples to share rides with to the airport (from the Roll Call boards) as the cruise line transfers are very pricey. We booked with Rome in Limo (http://www.romeinlimo.com) and for 170 Euros (about $37 USD per/person). The self-disembarkment was scheduled to start at 6:15am and we opted to wait until about 6:40am to leave - we simply walked off the ship at that time with zero line whatsoever. Our driver from Rome in Limo was scheduled for 7:30, but he was already waiting for us, sign in hand. The ride to FCO (minimal traffic) took about 50 minutes. I highly recommend doing a group of six people (use the Roll Calls for find people) versus taking the Celebrity transfer to FCO - cheaper and more comfortable. Do not risk too early a flight at FCO. If there is traffic the ride can take well over an hour. There then is a line to show your passport and have it inspected, another line to check baggage, another line to pass security, and then you need to take a bus to the terminal. The lines are long and slow moving. We saw multiple people miss 10:00am flights.

 

Overall this was an amazing cruise and we are already eagerly anticipating our next cruise (Millennium in February). Thanks to all the amazing hard working staff and crew on the Celebrity Silhouette for providing us with such a memorable, amazing vacation. :)

[Orator]

Welcome Home! Great review. If I remember correctly prior to the cruise you indicated that you would be using the Alcoves. Did you and how did it work out? Once again, welcome back and now time to plan for your next cruise.

[Gonzo70]

Welcome Home! Great review. If I remember correctly prior to the cruise you indicated that you would be using the Alcoves. Did you and how did it work out? Once again, welcome back and now time to plan for your next cruise.

 

Thanks. :)

 

We decided to cancel The Alcoves and instead decided to splurge on the Wine Connoisseur dinner. I think we made the right choice. The Alcoves might be a good choice if one needs a place to hang out with another couple (more roomy than a regular sized balcony), but in the end we just felt there was not enough bang-for-our-buck with The Alcoves. Another factor is my wife and I are fairly active on cruises, and like hitting a lot of activities, so that would have limited our use of this venue. When I walked by them there were often people in the Alcoves, so they were selling, but I do not think they sold out most days. The Wine Connoisseur dinner ended being a lot of fun; champagne reception in Michael's Club followed by five course dinner in Tuscan Grill (different wine paired for each course) and limoncello served at end of the meal.

[MaritimeGirl]

First, thank you for the good review!

 

One question: Who was you captain? Was it Captain Pagonis?

 

Thanks

 

Suzanne

[portofrome]

Welcome home! Thanks so much for your review. I really appreciated your report about the special restaurants: it will be a good help for my upcoming crossing.

[Gonzo70]

First, thank you for the good review!

 

One question: Who was you captain? Was it Captain Pagonis?

 

Thanks

 

Suzanne

 

Thanks,

 

Here were the chief officers:

 

*Captain: Dimitrios Kafetzis

*Hotel Director: Damien O'Connor

*Cruise Director: Nick Weir

*Food & Beverage Manager: Carlos Echaiz

[Compass Rose Monica]

Thanks for the great report!

You mentioned the MDR has more creative dishes, such as the sweetbreads. What else did they offer?

Good to read that Celebrity is upping their status and moving away from a "stereotypical cruise line."

That's really strange about your cabin and the noise. I too would have looked at the deck plans and thought it would be a quiet cabin with cabins above/below it.

Monica

[Gracie115]

Welcome back...we also loved our Silhouette cruise just before yours. I do disagree with your analysis of The Porch, I certainly never had a panini at any of the buffets. We went twice, it was very nice. I suspect they will increase the menu offerings at some point but I would certainly go again if given the opportunity.

 

This was also our best cruise ever. We also had Guided Tours Israel for our guide and we did go into Bethlehem. It took about 2 hours of our day to see the Church of the Nativity but was well worth it and would certainly recommend it if one is given the opportunity.

 

Glad you had a great cruise, we did too and can't wait to go again!!

[Gonzo70]

I am going to add a few pictures of some different venues - here are some shots of The Lawn Club Grill:

 

My wife helping me man the grill:

 

 

Preparing the Flat Breads (Pizzas):

[Gracie115]

Great pictures! Isn't the Lawn Club great fun??!!!

[Gonzo70]

Executive Chef Jacques Van Staden:

 

 

Suzana serving a tasty concoction at the Molecular Bar:

 

 

I could go for one of these now:

 

 

M's Favorite (and our favorite course) at Qsine:

 

[Gonzo70]

Picnic Concert on the Lawn Club During Sail-a-Way from Haifa:

 

 

Image of Haifa at night:

 

 

Pre Dinner Wine on the Balcony:

 

 

Officer vs. Guest Volleyball Tournament - Pictures is Captain Kafetzis (he is a good player and led his team to victory):

 

[Cruiser Susie]

Welcome back! Your review was great... interesting to hear your thoughts on the new areas of the Silhouette and the food in the MDR, too. We won't be back on a cruise til next March, and I hope that the Equinox is as wonderful as we remember it. Loved the pictures of the Lawn Grill and Club... that looks fun! It's always fun to watch the volleyball games, and the picnic concert for the sailaway from Haifa sounds wonderful.

 

Did you get to the Martini Bar at all? It was such a crowded area on the Equinox and the Eclipse most nights, but it was still a lot of fun. How was Cellarmasters if you went? We found it to be a pretty area, but very underutilized, especially on the Constellation last spring. I wonder if they are re-thinking that area at all for Reflection. We also have enjoyed the Wine Connoisseur dinners on some of our trips; it doesn't seem to be offered on all sailings, though. Do you mind if I ask what the cost was?

 

Your tour of Israel sounds so memorable. I hope to get there some day. You missed some awful weather while you were gone, but the last week and a half has been stellar. Too bad those of us who live in the Chicago area have to deal with winter when summer and fall are this nice!

 

Thanks again for your review.

[nycmode]

What a nice review and nice pictures. I'm definitely looking forward to our cruise.

[Gonzo70]

The best part of Israel was being frisked:

 

 

Sea of Galilee:

 

 

Top of Masada:

 

 

Floating in the Dead Sea:

 

 

View of The Old City:

 

 

Church of Nativity: Alleged Birthplace of Christ:

 

[Gonzo70]

 

Did you get to the Martini Bar at all? It was such a crowded area on the Equinox and the Eclipse most nights, but it was still a lot of fun. How was Cellarmasters if you went? We found it to be a pretty area, but very underutilized, especially on the Constellation last spring. I wonder if they are re-thinking that area at all for Reflection. We also have enjoyed the Wine Connoisseur dinners on some of our trips; it doesn't seem to be offered on all sailings, though. Do you mind if I ask what the cost was?

 

 

Thanks Susie. It is nice to arrive home to decent weather.

 

We went to the martini bar on Equinox a lot, but loved the Molecular Bar so much on Silhouette we rarely went to any other of the bars. The bartenders were just so much fun to chat with and the drinks truly amazing. Prior to the trip we found a new favorite bar in Chicago (The Aviary) and the Molecular Bar has a similar concept at The Aviary. We often walked past the Martini Bar and it was always lively and crowded; people looked like they were having a great time. Best bet to get a good seat is to go soon after opening or late at night. Cellarmasters looks appealing, but for some reason it was often rather empty both on Equinox and Silhouette. The wine connoisseur dinner was $90 each; a bit pricey but the food and service were excellent and some of the wines were really good. They were very generous too, frequently topping off your glass if you finished your wine before the next course was ready.

[Gonzo70]

Bhughey requested that photograph the beer list at Michael's; the lighting was a bit odd in there for taking pictures, but I hope the list is legible. Definitely the best beer list I have seen at sea by far!

 

Glimpse of the new bar:

 

 

The Beer List:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cheers.

[Gonzo70]

On Silhouette they no longer serve panini sandwiches, but these are now served at the Porch. There are a few available at breakfast featuring scrambled eggs and various toppings and a few different sandwiches at lunch. There are also some soups and salads available as well as dessert, but not the most inspiring selection of foods.

 

Picture of the Menu:

 

Picture of the Food Counter (you order at the counter, then sit and are brought your food by a server):

 

Picture of Dining Area (Trivia also was frequently held here before early seating dinner) - it is a partially enclosed area:

[Gonzo70]

The Officer vs. Guest Bocce Tournament (Sadly I was eliminated in round one, falling to Alex the Guest Relations Manager - pictured throwing the bocce ball):

 

Couple shots of the Alcoves, private cabanas for $99 on a port day or $149 on a sea day (priced per alcove, seats up to four people). We opted not to rent one; they were moderately utilized:

 

 

 

The Art Studio; offers some free and some for a fee art classes/demonstrations:

 

The large adinorack chairs, there are also a few hammocks to each side; unfortunately this entire area was closed this cruise as they replaced the grass for the cool New Jersey weather (the ship was two weeks from the transatlantic sailing and will subsequently perform Caribbean runs from New Jersey):

[Gonzo70]

Here are some photos I took of various activities:

 

Celebrity Rox Rock'n'Roll Pool Party:

 

 

Star Chef Competition:

 

Dancing with the Stripes Dance Competition:

 

Late Night Chocolate Buffet:

 

1970s Disco Party:

 

There also was a White Night/Toga party, but I went to bed early that night so unfortunately no pictures.

[Gonzo70]

Chair Hogs in Action (fortunately there were usually seats available by the pool despite some chair hoggers and the pool butlers would remove items if you informed them the chair had not been utilized by anybody in over a half an hour - one chair hog was none too pleased when they returned to find me lounging in their "reserved" chair when they returned from a leisurely lunch):

 

There is no nuclear power in Israel:

 

My pizza from the Lawn Club Grill, Yum!:

 

Sushi Lollipops from Qsine:

 

The theater's wardrobe room:

 

The Hide-a-way - great venue for reading or to grab a complimentary tea or coffee; the coffee here was very drinkable:

[bhughey]

You are the best!!!! THANK YOU for pics of the beer menu!!!

We leave next week and your pictures are just adding to my already over-the-top anticipation!!!!!!

 

Looks like a great cruise. Thanks for the review!!!

[Gonzo70]

View of the port from Mt. Vesuvius:

 

Another view from the peak:

 

For a moment I feared the volcano might erupt:

 

Preserved Dead Body at Pompei:

 

Ruins of Pompei:

 

[Gonzo70]

Terrace Houses:

 

Old Library

 

The World's First Billboard (for the brothel of course):

 

Entering the House of the Virgin Mary:

 

Yummy lunch at Sirince Village:

 

[Gonzo70]

You are the best!!!! THANK YOU for pics of the beer menu!!!

We leave next week and your pictures are just adding to my already over-the-top anticipation!!!!!!

 

Looks like a great cruise. Thanks for the review!!!

 

My pleasure! I think you will really like Michael's Club and Silhouette. Have an amazing trip and let me know if you have any other questions. :)