Silhouette Review 11-22 May 2013 from Venice

[cshim]

Hi all,

 

I don't have time to do a full review at the moment but I will say that, apart from one staff member, the service and food was excellent in every way.

 

In fact, we loved it so much we have already booked to go to the Caribbean on the Equinox next year.

 

I will leave you with a couple of photos and do the review as soon as I can!

[drarill]

Welcome back :):) Looking forward to your review!!

[cshim]

Before I start my review I thought I would give you some background:

 

We are a male couple in our 30s and were going on this cruise for my partners 40th birthday (so, no longer in his 30s :D)

 

We are from the UK and made our flights, etc. independently to Celebrity.

[librarylady19]

Look forward to hearing about your experience. Could you post your photos larger too!

[cshim]

We arrived in Venice on 9th May 2013 using BA who were very good - on time and we had a good deal on an upgrade to club class.

 

The hotel we stayed in was the Hotel Plaza in Mestre. It was an ideal hotel if you are not bothered about staying in a hotel in central Venice as it is in an ideal location right opposite the train station and trains run every 10 minutes, the journey taking about 8 minutes. The cost was about 1.20 euros

 

If you do take the train into Venice, remember to validate your ticket using one of the yellow machines before you get on!

 

I recommend the Sabrina Restaurant in Venice as they have a good tourist menu which was a reasonable price and very good food and service. For a 2 course meal and wine it cost about 40 euros. Be aware it is very popular.

[cshim]

Look forward to hearing about your experience. Could you post your photos larger too!

 

Feedback noted and I will do my best.

:)

[cshim]

Instead of a taxi, we got the train into Venice and then you just had to walk over the bridge by platform 19 to the people mover which took us to the port side in a few minutes at a cost of 1 euro each. This was an easy and cheap alternative to expensive Venetian taxis.

 

We arrived to check in at about 11:30 and waited in line for about 20 minutes to check our baggage in then went to check in and get our cruise cards which took another 20 minutes. In Venice port, there were priority lines for Concierge, suite, Diamond and Aqua Class guests.

 

Boarding was in groups and we had group 12 so we did not get on board until about 1pm. This was ok though as the cabins were ready 15 minutes later. Whilst we were waiting to get onboard we were approached by one of the staff from Qsine and were offered 20% off if we ate in there on the first night. As we were on select dining we thought this would be a good idea and booked it for 8pm.

 

Boarding champers is not served when you get on now, it is done at the first sailaway instead.

 

We went up to the buffet restaurant when we got on board and, despite it being embarkation day, it was easy to find a table. Unlike the Adventure of the Seas that we went on a couple of years ago, this was a pleasant surprise as we did not have to go up to the buffet in turn thereby not eating together. In fact every time we went to the buffet (even on sea days) it was not overly crowded and we never had trouble getting a table.

 

We had cabin 6210 which is classed as a 2D obstructed balcony near to the iLounge on deck 6. All I can say is wow, it is nowhere near the obstruction that you would have got on Cunard, P&O, etc and the best feature is the shower door instead of the dreaded curtain.

 

We met our cabin steward Jesse and assistant cabin steward Slavisa who were both excellent and fulfilled any requests promptly and happily.

Edited May 28, 2013 by cshim

[cshim]

Ok, it seems the forum resizes my images so I have created an online image folder that you can view all the images:

 

http://sdrv.ms/10ZUsma

[cshim]

As I said previously, we had cabin 6210 which did not appear to have much storage space until we saw the cupboards above the bed. These are a bit inconvenient as you have to stand on the bed to get at them if you are not tall enough. There is also room under the bed for your cases which is a good feature. It was also a balcony cabin on the diagonal side of the “hump” which means there was a large amount of room which was nice.

 

There was complementary shampoo, conditioner and moisturiser but oddly no shower gel, bearing in mind it only had a shower cubicle. However, this was not a problem as we brought our own.

 

The flat screen TV had a number of films and music on demand which were free and a number of TV channels which were mainly American except Sky News and BBC News. You could also order room service, excursions and photos on this.

[hopeless holiday booker]

We had cabin 6210 which is classed as a 2D obstructed balcony near to the iLounge on deck 6. All I can say is wow, it is nowhere near the obstruction that you would have got on Cunard, P&O, etc and the best feature is the shower door instead of the dreaded curtain.

 

We met our cabin steward Jesse and assistant cabin steward Slavisa who were both excellent and fulfilled any requests promptly and happily.

 

 

You are in our cabin for 31 July! Thanks for the picture. Did you get the sun (if there was any!)

[cshim]

We did get some sun (depending on the position of the ship) especially in the forward part of the balcony.

[RickT]

Looking forward to reading more about your cruise. I am doing the July 31st sailing out of Venice.

 

I'm sure you'll get around to these but just in case, here are a couple questions.

 

1) How many formal nights were there? Last year we were on the Solstice and were told there would be two but in fact there were 3.

 

2) Other than Qsine, were there any other specialty restaurant discounts? I know they always have the 3-4 restaurant packages but we are just interested in Tuscan and Murano.

 

3) Last year they had a wine bottle sale ($20 per bottle) for cabin consumption. Just wondering with the number of people having the drink package if they still had it on your cruise?

[Keith1010]

Welcome back and thanks for sharing the photos.

 

Keith

[cshim]

In answer to your questions:

 

Looking forward to reading more about your cruise. I am doing the July 31st sailing out of Venice.

 

I'm sure you'll get around to these but just in case, here are a couple questions.

 

1) How many formal nights were there? Last year we were on the Solstice and were told there would be two but in fact there were 3.

There were 2 on this cruise. The first sea day and, off the top of my head, Split.

 

2) Other than Qsine, were there any other specialty restaurant discounts? I know they always have the 3-4 restaurant packages but we are just interested in Tuscan and Murano.

We prebooked Murano for my partners birthday so I am unsure about that one but they were hanging around outside the buffet restaurant and we got a deal of 50% off for the Tuscan Grill. It is always worth engaging them in conversation and appear unsure when they ask if you want to dine there ;)

 

3) Last year they had a wine bottle sale ($20 per bottle) for cabin consumption. Just wondering with the number of people having the drink package if they still had it on your cruise?

I don't know about this as we had the Classic drinks package so didn't really take much notice. However, the Ken Forrester Chenin Blanc was lovely in the main restaurant if you like white wine.

[cshim]

Ok, so now on to dining.

 

We dined at nearly all the speciality restaurants and in both the Oceanview Café and the Grand Cuvee. I found I was full most of the time!

 

Grand Cuvee:

We had select dining which meant that we could dine any time between 6:30pm-9pm. We made reservations beforehand and we found this worked very well. There were 2 queues for select dining in the evening, one for those without a reservation and 1 for those with one and suite guests. We were normally seated within about 5 minutes of arriving even when we wanted a table for 2. We even had a table near the window on occasion which was nice.

The waiters were very knowledgeable, friendly and efficient. The only thing I would say is that the wine service was a bit slow at times – it seems they do not have enough wine waiters. We were on the Classic drinks package so had wine by the glass so we had to wait with an empty glass every now and again. The food was gorgeous and on the last formal night they had beef wellington and baked Alaska that went down very well. Select dining took place on the top level of the restaurant on both sides and fixed seat dining was on the lower tier.

The Grand Cuvee was also where the brunch buffet was held on the last sea day. What I would advise is that you look around as to what is on offer as we went to the first stations to have breakfast and didn’t realise there were lots of other goodies until we had already made some choices. There was breakfast fayre and other delights such as roast beef and Yorkshire puddings (to the confusion of some American passengers), fish and chips and a chocolate fountain. There was so much other stuff it is too much to mention. Tea, coffee and drinks were served tableside.

 

Oceanview café:

This is the buffet restaurant on the ship. We found this was never heaving, even on sea days, unlike other ships I have sailed on. Again food was aplenty with a lot of variety but we found it didn’t really change from day to day. The best place to sit was the rear outside area and there were plenty of drinks waiters who could get you freshly squeezed orange juice and cappuccinos (included in our package) in the morning and other drinks at lunch time and in the evening. I think it is really a good idea not having trays as you can just get what you want without having to wait in line. Even with eggs and toast in the morning, they would take your name so you could go and get other food instead of waiting by the station. They also had free scoop and whippy ice cream with toppings such as M&Ms, M&Ms peanuts and Reese’s Pieces which you could get in a cup to go if you did not want the ice cream. It was a nice atmosphere in there.

 

Qsine:

We went here on the first night and got a 20% discount. It was an experience ordering from iPads but mine did crash and lost all my choices which was annoying. The waiter was really good at explaining everything. Wine and drinks could be ordered from the drinks package but the cocktails on the iPad were not included. We found that there was just too much food and the waiter made us wave our napkins as a white flag to say we surrender. This was a shame as I was really looking forward to sliders but I really could not eat another thing! There is an enormous amount of food and a very good experience. It is probably only a restaurant I would want to go to once in the cruise due to the experience.

 

Murano:

A very classy restaurant and the lobster was cooked tableside. The Grand Marnier soufflé was to die for. The waiting staff were very good, if a bit subservient. Again you could use your package for the wine here. I am not sure if I would go here again as I found the experience in the Tuscan Grille better.

 

Tuscan Grille:

This was lovely and even better knowing we had 50% off. We had a table by the window and there were not many other people in there (hence the offer). The food was very good and the antipasti were a nice touch before the starter. The wine service was slow at first as the wine waiter had forgotten our wine but he did apologise profusely and it was fine after that. My partner had the chocolate fondue which was gorgeous but very filling.

 

Porch:

We went here once ($5 cover charge each) as we wanted to do something other than the buffet for lunch. We had a gorgeous soup followed by a Panini. The good thing was you could look at the paninis and desserts in the cabinet which helped you choose. I had pesto chicken and my partner had NY strip steak. Yummy. The service was very good and a nice place to eat an al fresco lunch which was under cover from the hot sun (if you know what I mean). Be aware that the paninis are pre-made so you can only have it as it is described on the menu.

 

Mast Grill:

This served burgers, hot dogs and help-yourself whippy ice cream. The burgers were lovely and freshly cooked to order and one of the very few places on the ship you could get fries. We went there a couple of times.

 

 

Room service:

We had room service a couple of times for breakfast so we could eat it on the balcony. It was generally good but there was once when they forgot the coffee and cutlery but it was quickly resolved. You could also order potato chips by calling them.

We found that the TV ordering system was a bit hit and miss as it wasn’t always available but you could use the paper menu and phone them.

 

I have added more pictures to http://sdrv.ms/10ZUsma

Edited May 29, 2013 by cshim
added room service review and pics

[cruiser87654321]

Really enjoying your review, thank you for taking the time to do it.

 

You mentioned the discount in the Tuscan grill, when was that offered? We have a lot of OBC so I don't want to book prior to boarding but if that is a routine offer I will wait for that rather than book immediately we board!

[cshim]

Really enjoying your review, thank you for taking the time to do it.

 

You mentioned the discount in the Tuscan grill, when was that offered? We have a lot of OBC so I don't want to book prior to boarding but if that is a routine offer I will wait for that rather than book immediately we board!

 

Hi,

 

They were frequently hanging around the entrance to the Oceanview Cafe. I showed interest and after talking to her about it and saying I was not sure she said that she could give us 50% discount but it was for that evening. So we made the booking and got the time we wanted. I believe a few people got discounts that way. The only restaurants I didn't see them giving discounts on was the Lawn Club Grill and Murano.

Edited May 29, 2013 by cshim

[hopeless holiday booker]

Did you use the ships shuttle in any ports or are you a DIYer!

[lhall85917]

Thanks for posting, I am enjoying your review. I have a couple of questions...

 

Boarding champers is not served when you get on now, it is done at the first sailaway instead.

sorry, I'm not sure what this is? :o

 

You mentioned that shampoo and conditioner are included but not shower gel? That's good to know as I hadn't planned on bringing gel but was going to bring the others. Was bar soap available?

[cshim]

Bar soap was available.

 

Champers is champagne. I forgot about the worldwide reach of this forum!

 

Thanks for posting, I am enjoying your review. I have a couple of questions...

 

sorry, I'm not sure what this is? :o

 

You mentioned that shampoo and conditioner are included but not shower gel? That's good to know as I hadn't planned on bringing gel but was going to bring the others. Was bar soap available?

[cshim]

Did you use the ships shuttle in any ports or are you a DIYer!

 

I am a DIYer but if you need any info on shuttles I will try my best to help.

 

I know that there was a shuttle boat for $20pp in Venice to go "5 bridges away from St Marks Square" but I would use the People Mover for 1 euro which is a 10 minute walk away from the ship.

 

There was also a charge for the shuttle in Dubrovnik as the port was quite a way (15 minute drive) from the old town but a taxi was only about $13 each way or the public bus was just outside the port which was quite cheap.

[hopeless holiday booker]

Thanks - I'm a DIYer as well but sometimes they make it seem like the only option is to take their shuttle so thanks for the information.

[cshim]

Onto bars and lounges

 

There was plenty of seating in all the bars and lounges which was nice apart from around the grand atrium when some of the entertainment was on.

 

Cafe al Bacio

This is where you can get cappuccinos, etc with free pastries (you can have these to go and no coffee purchase needed) The coffee was lovely and so were the pastries/cookies, etc. These were available all day from breakfast. The good thing was that as we were in 6210 we could go down and get coffee and croissants to take upstairs to the cabin as it was a 5 minute walk.

The staff were nice, especially Neils the barista who got to know what we wanted every morning and did it for us without asking. It was a very nice and comfortable atmosphere.

 

Pool Bars

The usual pool bars really and they were frequently coming around deck asking if you wanted drinks. The sunset bar was nice on a sailaway.

 

Sky Bar

This was open in the evenings although the lounge itself was open all day with quizzes, etc. going on.. It was nice for the views and had lounge beds which made it a bit strange drinking whilst lying down! In the evening, there was entertainment including the DJ Duo. This also seemed to be the place for Elite cocktail hour.

 

Ensemble Lounge

This was by the speciality restaurants and Blu. This was very low key at night, a bit dark if you tried to read the menus. There was entertainment such as the High C's acapella group, a classical guitarist and the party band.

 

Michaels Club

It was a lovely place but unfortunately this is where we met the only one rude member of staff on the ship. So much so we complained to the bars manager who was very good. He seemed to be a beer snob and almost sneered at you if you wanted an Amstel light. Also, one of us wanted a beer but the other wanted a cocktail and he told us that "no, you can't have cocktails in here" but the bar manager disagreed saying you should be able to get all drinks in all bars. There was a trivia quiz in here which was good.

 

Martini Bar/Crush

This is where they had the bar staff showing off making martinis which was good entertainment and the ice-topped bar is very unusual (just don't put your glass directly on the bar otherwise you will not be able to get it back off!) You can get small cosmopolitans in here included in the Classic drinks package - just let them know you are on it otherwise they will try to charge you for the large one.

 

Quasar

The nightclub. The bar waiter in here was Lukas and he was very efficient and VERY patient especially with a few drunk passengers. It was quite busy but you could always get a seat. The DJ could probably have been better in here as he played a strange mix of music. The Eurovision night they had in here where they played "Eurovision" music was not quite accurate as they played mainly American music!!! (For those who don't know about Eurovision, visit eurovision.tv) It was a nice place to round off the evening.

 

Molecular Bar

Did not get drinks from here as they were not included in our package but it rarely seemed busy on our cruise. It is in a strange place almost in the middle of the upstairs shopping boutiques.

 

Passport Bar

This was a nice place to sit when they had entertainment on in the grand foyer.

 

Hideaway

A nice place to sit on your own but not if you wanted to sit together as all the seating was individual. It had tea and coffee in here.

 

Library

Never very busy but a nice quiet place to relax and read

 

The Aquaspa Cafe

This is where you could get smoothies for breakfast and a range of healthy options throughout the day. It was located in the solarium and had very little seating so it was always a difficult place to get a table.

 

I think that was all of them but if you feel I have missed any then let me know!

 

More pics have been uploaded to http://sdrv.ms/10ZUsma - I have reaslised that I need a new camera now so it is on its way!

[wednesday]

Great review so far! I notice you had the classic drink package, any issues with service? Also did you have any problems with getting specialty coffee and smoothies? Thanks!

[cshim]

Great review so far! I notice you had the classic drink package, any issues with service? Also did you have any problems with getting specialty coffee and smoothies? Thanks!

 

No issues with service apart from the wine waiter in the restaurant were very busy but if you asked your normal waiter they would get someone to take your order. We had the same waine waiter a couple of nights and they had run out of the usual South African Chenin Blanc but he recommended another one. I asked if it was included in the package and he said "Of course, I know what package you are on" which was amazing that he remembered!

 

Getting speciality coffee (I assume you mean cappuccinos, etc.) was very easy to get on the package, not only in Cafe al Bacio but also in the Oceanview Cafe (they had a Secondo al Bacio in there) and the main dining room.

 

Regarding smoothies, I always forgot about these until it was too late as they only did it for breakfast. You could get non-fresh fruit smoothies in any other bar but it wasn't the same.