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

[gambee]

Gambee now I'm in a fevered pitch to see tomorrows posts. It's like reading a great novel I'm anxious to get to the next part of the book but at the same time I don't want the book to end. You are so talented.

 

 

I am currently working on the pics from that day, so many pics, just a lot of work. I haven't even got to the videos yet...

 

Hi Gambee

It is possible to eat cheese and not suffer. Liz has found that she can eat goat, sheep and water buffalo cheese. Both RCI and X offer a Caprese salad(water buffalo cheese and tomato) that is delicious. Liz ordered this appetizer every other day on our last cruise--even when it was not on the menu. They also brought Lactaid milk at breakfast when asked.

At home, Liz buys Cabot cheddar cheese(from Vermont) that is lactose free.

 

As for cream, you are on your own. Liz limits herself to 1 lactaid pill per day.

Both she and our son are lactose intolerant. So far, no one else is, although 2 of our 3 grandchildren have Cystic Fibrosis and must take enzymes w. every meal, because CF destroyed their pancreas. That is the least of their problems. Lung failure is the chief cause of death for CF patients. Currently they are reasonably ok, scheduled for sinus surgery in a week or so.

Tom:)

 

Oh my, that is pretty bad, I hope the surgery goes good, I will keep them in my prayers.

 

I can and do lots of cheese, I just have to take the enzyme first. So very heavy foods like pizza and such might require more than one pill. But I am still a happy eater :)

 

 

I truly am very sorry that you were feeling so ill and did not have an enjoyable time at Tuscan. It is one of our favorite venues on board. We have tried it on both the Equinox and the Constellation and both times dinner took approximately 3 hours to complete. I believe they do this so that you get the most ambiance (for lack of a better word) as possible. We have also done Ocean Liners and Silk and the time frame was the same. I'm glad that you are willing to try it again. I hope next time it will be a grand time for you.

 

Loving your review!!!

 

Yeah, that was what I gathered, but mom and I like eating faster. I guess it was partially my fault for not doing some more research prior. But overall it was not that bad and we look forward for the day we get to try it again.

[gambee]

Gambee could it be possible you were suffering from “Holiday Heart”. It is a condition were your heart beats faster, sometimes producing an irregular heart beat. This can happen when a person drinks alcohol and caffeine causing dehydration. Where you drinking enough plain water? Some people suffer from “Holiday Heart” even after 1 drink.

 

Possibly, who knows that day was a mess. I mixed way too many drinks and food and now that I think about it, I was not drinking that much water... So um yeah...

 

Thank you for your review! I can't wait to read more!

 

I've been on the fence about my next cruise and just booked a B2B for next January on the Silhouette! Your review and pics got me off of the fence! LOL!

 

Glad I could be of help, nice to have you aboard :)

 

 

Yes, I have to say I would have been ill well before Tuscan with the mixture and I'm not lactose intolerant!

 

Yup, I won't even debate that one.

[chamima]

To cure your "withdrawal" you need to try the almond croissants in the bakery section of your local Super Target. Believe it or not, they are the closest thing I have found to the ones on Celebrity! I just pop them in the toaster oven for several minutes to heat and brown the top, add a little butter across the top of them, and eat away. They are delicious! :D

 

 

I didn't need to know that. :p

I'm still trying to lose the 10 lbs. I gained on the Solstice in Feb!!!! :(

 

 

 

 

Yes, I have to say I would have been ill well before Tuscan with the mixture and I'm not lactose intolerant!

 

 

Me, too!

I guess you have to be young to do what Gambee does. ;) :confused:

[dreamer976]

Thank you for your review! I can't wait to read more!

 

I've been on the fence about my next cruise and just booked a B2B for next January on the Silhouette! Your review and pics got me off of the fence! LOL!

 

To the "powers that be" at X (and any other lines) - Are you paying attention to the posters like these? They're already adding up and we've just finished day two! I lost count of the numbers of cruises booked on Allure and Oasis that could be directly credited to Gambee's wonderful Allure review and photos.;)

 

Gambee, I miss those "tilt/shift" photos that you had in your Allure review - did you take any pictures with that setting on this cruise? Definitely not complaining, was just wondering.

[gambee]

I didn't need to know that. :p

I'm still trying to lose the 10 lbs. I gained on the Solstice in Feb!!!! :(

 

 

Me, too!

I guess you have to be young to do what Gambee does. ;) :confused:

 

Um I did but not succesfully, so yeah I think we are in the same boat, :D

 

 

To the "powers that be" at X (and any other lines) - Are you paying attention to the posters like these? They're already adding up and we've just finished day two! I lost count of the numbers of cruises booked on Allure and Oasis that could be directly credited to Gambee's wonderful Allure review and photos.

 

Gambee, I miss those "tilt/shift" photos that you had in your Allure review - did you take any pictures with that setting on this cruise? Definitely not complaining, was just wondering.

 

 

Oh yeah those tilt shift effects, now that you mention it, I completely forgot about them. I was so engrossed with my new lens that I forgot about them. Day 4 I tried to do entirely with the fish eye lens, that might be a very interesting day. You might like it, I will await your input :)

Edited April 5, 2013 by gambee

[sydsgran]

I've been waiting for this review, it's excellent so far!!

this review has been very helpful. we're new X cruisers & really didn't know what to expect. this review gives us a good handle on stuff like food & drink & prices. looking forward to reading more:)

[whitshel]

I'm finally caught up! Woohoo... love your reviews Gambee, we took our first X cruise a couple years ago on the Eclipse and it is still our favorite. I took a stab at my first picture review (in my signature) after that one and its a lot of work so I commend you!! The "S" class of ships seem to stand above all else IMHO.

 

Looking forward to the rest....:D

[prim8keeper]

Gambee I'm in awe of your dedication! I did a photo review for our Equinox sailing this past year that was nothing compared to yours and I thought that took a long time.

 

Great review and photos! :D

[raerom]

Or even "Holiday over-indulgence" - it's a condition where someone mixes lots of different alcoholic drinks and eats food known to disagree with them before passing out on a sun lounger and then starting the process all over again ;)

 

LOL...true:D

[Hellgren]

Gambee I have really enjoyed your epic tale so far and look forward to reading and seeing the rest. I will be sailing on the Silhouette in 2 days and you have made my last day of work before vacation much more enjoyable.

 

I'm sure the research was quite enjoyable but I know processing all those photos and detailing all the information can be tiresome, especially when you are supposed to be relaxing on vacation.

 

Thanks so much for sharing.

[croozin ASAP]

Does anyone know if all the S1 cabins on the S class are the same size? The deck plans look like they may not be. Thanks.

[gambee]

this review has been very helpful. we're new X cruisers & really didn't know what to expect. this review gives us a good handle on stuff like food & drink & prices. looking forward to reading more:)

 

For now my reviews are focused towards new cruisers since that is the category that we fall in. I am glad you got a good gist of X life.

 

 

I'm finally caught up! Woohoo... love your reviews Gambee, we took our first X cruise a couple years ago on the Eclipse and it is still our favorite. I took a stab at my first picture review (in my signature) after that one and its a lot of work so I commend you!! The "S" class of ships seem to stand above all else IMHO.

 

Looking forward to the rest....:D

 

Thanks for following along. I have to agree X has a quality product, but like all companies they are not perfect. There are quite a few areas that they could use improvement on.

 

I will see you around.

[gambee]

Gambee I'm in awe of your dedication! I did a photo review for our Equinox sailing this past year that was nothing compared to yours and I thought that took a long time.

 

Great review and photos! :D

 

Thank you :)

 

Yeah definitely lots of work and dedication. Nothing good is easy in life :). Thank you for being a part of this.

 

Gambee I have really enjoyed your epic tale so far and look forward to reading and seeing the rest. I will be sailing on the Silhouette in 2 days and you have made my last day of work before vacation much more enjoyable.

 

I'm sure the research was quite enjoyable but I know processing all those photos and detailing all the information can be tiresome, especially when you are supposed to be relaxing on vacation.

 

Thanks so much for sharing.

 

I hope you have a wonderful cruise and I am glad that I made life at work a little more fun for you.

 

You know documenting it is not hard since I love taking pictures and taking notes is not that hard either. I take most of the notes on moments when I am relaxing and have nothing else to do.

 

The real work goes into selecting and editing the material, I spend a lot of time there. Not to mention later on synchronizing the pics with the notes and eventually writing it. A lot of work indeed! But I enjoy it and that is a good thing :). It serves a great purpose for many who wish to sail S ships and avoids a lot of research.

 

Once again have a great cruise! And smooth sailing! :)

[croozin ASAP]

Does anyone know if all the S1 cabins on the S class are the same size? The deck plans look like they may not be. Thanks.

 

To clarify, I am referring to the corner, aft sky-suites.

Thanks

[gambee]

To clarify, I am referring to the corner, aft sky-suites.

Thanks

 

Sorry cant help you there. I am not very familiar with the aft room size. But I think I remember reading the were different. I could be wrong.

[Karynanne]

What a wonderful review! I've been enjoying reading and viewing all your fantastic pictures.

[Tom47]

Does anyone know if all the S1 cabins on the S class are the same size? The deck plans look like they may not be. Thanks.

Hi

See http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1751328 for pics.

Tom

[Maligator]

We also usually like aft cabins but on Solstice class the lack of privacy has kept us away. (I obviously don't know what it's like looking up but I DO know that looking down from above I can see more than I'd want people looking at)

 

On our last cruise (our first on a S-class), I noted that when I looked down from the Mast Bar, I could see people sitting on the verandas. And what totally killed my appetite was a gentleman in his complimentary robe, which almost covered everything you'd want it to cover. :eek:

 

The view is priceless:

 

Perfect illustration of why I enjoy the aft cabins!

[gambee]

What a wonderful review! I've been enjoying reading and viewing all your fantastic pictures.

 

Thank you :).

[BugsyCruiser]

Loving the pictures Gambee. Just proves that these NEX cameras are awesome! :)

[gambee]

Loving the pictures Gambee. Just proves that these NEX cameras are awesome! :)

 

They r very capable machines! I loved the red carpet from the limo, classic!

[BugsyCruiser]

They r very capable machines! I loved the red carpet from the limo, classic!

 

Gambee it's almost unbelievable but last year for Oasis I ordered a sedan to pick me up at the airport from Carmel Limo. For no additional cost, they sent a stretch limo and had beer and water on ice for me. The driver was a very nice guy originally from Haiti. This time around? THE EXACT SAME THING HAPPENED!!

[MartinsCruise]

Gambee, Your review is very entertaining. It's like a good book that I can't wait to get back to. My only complaint is that I normally only have one glass of wine while reading the boards each night but with yours, I'm drinking an extra glass!!! :rolleyes: You and your mom are very fortunate to have each other. :)

 

Sue

[gambee]

Gambee it's almost unbelievable but last year for Oasis I ordered a sedan to pick me up at the airport from Carmel Limo. For no additional cost, they sent a stretch limo and had beer and water on ice for me. The driver was a very nice guy originally from Haiti. This time around? THE EXACT SAME THING HAPPENED!!

 

No way! How cool is that?!? :D

[gambee]

Gambee, Your review is very entertaining. It's like a good book that I can't wait to get back to. My only complaint is that I normally only have one glass of wine while reading the boards each night but with yours, I'm drinking an extra glass!!! :rolleyes: You and your mom are very fortunate to have each other. :)

 

Sue

 

Thank you for the nice comment :), you might have to start getting a full bottle of wine to keep up with all the reviews that are starting now :D