April 6th Silhouette Review- Horrible Start - Would It Improve ??

[Jane2357]

Having read through all 5 pages of this review - I shocked at some of the attitudes here - but it does not surprise me - the same people are always the "culprits".

 

I had an unpleasant start to my last cruise before I ever got on the ship - and it was my fault to boot but it was upsetting and that could have been tempered by the other persons attitude. The employee's attitude is what made this all fall apart. Embarkation day is stressful for me and I imagine it is for most people . . . travel, luggage, lack of sleep the night before, etc. add in high expectations and nerves can be on edge. I am so happy that this family went on to have a great vacation but I for one think he handled it fine - and I would have done the same.

Edited April 16, 2014 by Jane2357

[Colorado Buffalo]

1st Day At Sea-

 

Got to sleep-in ...sort of. My daughter woke us up at 7:30 a.m. which is 1 hour later than at home. We got dressed and up to Deck 14 and the Oceanview Cafe we went. It was very busy as this was going to be the case every morning but we always were able to find a table outside overlooking the water. My wife ordered a bloody mary (she did so every morning but curious that only once did they include a celery stick in it) while I was happy with apple juice and my daughter oj. Fresh fruit was always present (pineapple, watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew, grapes) various cold cereals, Eggs Benedict, scrambled eggs, eggs cooked to order including omelets, bacon, sausage, potatoes, waffles, french toast, pancakes, cold cuts, fresh breads, as well as baked beans, bangers, blood sausage.... you name it.. the items was probably there.

 

After breakfast we dropped off our daughter at the 'Fun Factory' and then headed to the casino where we promptly let the one armed bandit take our days budget away in less than 10 min. :eek: At this point my wife headed up to check out the new spa while I went to the Galley tour which was well worth it. All who arrived for the tour got champagne or mimosas. I saw a watermelon carving demonstration, heard how the different galleys operate and got to go beyond the doors to see where all the food is prepared. Celebrity is very proud of the fact that they hire 15-20% more employees in food & beverage in comparison to other cruise lines who operate the same size ship. In fact 51% of the entire crew on the Silhouette work in food and beverage.

 

Once my tour ended I met my wife up at the 'Fun Factory' and we picked up our daughter and went to our stateroom and put on our swimwear and the rest of the day would be spent by the pool. We ate burgers, drank various frozen drinks and stayed in the 3 ft pool most of the afternoon watching the ice carving demonstration, Name That Tune and the house band 'The Smart Casuals.'

 

It was the first Formal Night in the main dining room and my wife and I decided well before we left for the cruise that we didn't want to pack extra formal wear so dinner tonight was at the Oceanview Cafe. We both loved the pasta station where you get to choose your ingredients, pasta & sauce which is then cooked in front of you. Our daughter seemed to like the pizza and salad bar. For desert we once again had ice cream loaded with toppings.

 

Tonight's show was 'Broadway Nights' a singing tribute to various Broadway musicals. I thought the singers were above average with the main female singer excellent. I enjoyed the music from Les Mis and Phantom of the Opera the most. Personally I think this type of show is better than going to see the entire Broadway production of say 'Chicago' or 'Hairspray.' Once the show was over we headed back to our stateroom to turn in for the night. Our afternoon in the hot sun has taken it's toll on us and we were tired. We had an early morning and big day ahead in Cozumel.

[dgparent]

Sounds like you are having a good time now. I too would be po'ed if my drink package was not on my card, that was the reason I booked on X to begin with last year.

[Spender Nui]

Enjoying your post and for what it's worth I think the Celebrity clerk handled it poorly. Hope it was brought to the attention of the hotel manager.

[Svenster]

We'll be on Nov 16, Western Caribbean. Which will be with an entirely different staff. Still it is very informative to read this review, thanks and continue!

 

 

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Forums mobile app

[Jacru]

Lois, I'm surprised. Have you ever met an employee who was so rude they made someone cry? In all my years and cruises I've never seen that. If that was the case I would think they would be reported by one of the others at the guest relations desk.

 

1. The expert with many years and cruises has never experienced a specific negative issue.

2. Therefore in that person's eyes, anyone who reports such an issue is most likely lying.

 

BTW, Colorado, love your review and writing style.

[Ma Bell]

1. The expert with many years and cruises has never experienced a specific negative issue.

2. Therefore in that person's eyes, anyone who reports such an issue is most likely lying.

 

BTW, Colorado, love your review and writing style.

 

I've experienced many negative issues but I've never seen a Celebrity employee make someone cry. In my experience, they have always gone out of their way to make things right. I have however seen plenty of extremely rude passengers who treat the employees as if they are their servants.

 

I don't think the OP is one of those people and I'm glad his issue was resolved. I do think it would have been resolved the next day anyway without the emotional distress. That's all.

[wildescapade]

excuse me ... :eek:

 

I raised my voice when it became apparent that a copy I made off of Celebrity's website showing the 123Go Promo was on my reservation was of no use. This Guest Relations agent was for the most part no use and rude to boot. As for posting a bit at a time ... I took today off to do laundry, grocery shop and get back into 'everyday mode' so my whole day can't be online to post my seven day cruise. I will post in-between household chores and in the evening once I start back working 9 -10 hour days tomorrow morning.

You were completely right to get angry, the customer service is pretty bad and their website is ridiculous!

 

On my very recent Reflection sailing, I had an OBC of $75 that never showed up on my reservation...I waited 3 days and when it was not on there by Wednesday, I went to guest services. I was told that they could SEE it on my reservation but that they had to call corporate to confirm it???? Why is that?

I did not make a scene but it did take until Friday at 10pm for it to show up, and same thing on my daughter's cabin. I had to go to guest services 3 times and it was annoying. Also, when I got home Celebrity had called my travel agent to try to resolve the situation???? I was already on the cruise...duh!

[Elizabeth0829]

Hello Colorado Buffalo, :) we met on the pre-cruise boards - I was the one who was bringing the name tags and the Sharpies to the Sailaway.

This is a long review. I relived some of the wonderful memories as I wrote it. I hope you all don't get bored with it. (And you can tell, I like smilies). I am a solo traveler. I flew in from Boston on the morning of 6 April and took the transfer bus from Fort Lauderdale Airport to the Celebrity Silhouette. Processing at the pier was quick and I was onboard within a half hour. As I had missed the lunch in the main dining room, I went to the cafe on deck 14 for the buffet. There were many choices. Chinese, Italian, Grill, Standing rib roast, sandwiches, pastries & ice cream. I went back to my cabin (a large balcony on deck seven, port side) and unpacked my carry on. There was plenty of space for storage, but, of course, I only had my carry on at the time. When I travel, I make sure I have a change of clothes, toiletries, reading material, and a scarf in my carryon. After unpacking, I went to Customer Relations and mentioned that my other bag was not in my cabin, and I was told that bags were still being delivered to staterooms. I decided to explore the ship, I saw the library, and the pool deck. Then it was time for muster after which there was a sailaway party in the Sunset bar up on the same deck as the lawn. I had a premium drink package, and, I must admit, it was nice to just present my card and not have to sign anything. After the sailaway, I went to visit the shops (on both decks 3 and 4). As I passed by, I saw that the Casino and all the bars were crowded and lively with conversation. It looked like passengers were having a wonderful time. The shops had the usual logo t-shirts, jackets, but also had dresses and tunics for ladies. That proved to be valuable for later. More luxury items (fine jewelry, watches, fashion-house shops) were available on another deck. I went back to my cabin, still no luggage, so I went back to the Customer Relations desk. I reported that I had no luggage and the folks there were most gracious, providing me with a full "Dopp kit" with toiletries and T-shirts. They provided hairspray, and offered to pay for other things I might need to buy at the shops. One of the CR agents even went to her cabin and found me some talcum powder. The CR folks suggested that they were still hunting for the luggage and they hoped it would be found in the luggage area of the ship. That night, dressed in one of my alternative dresses from my carryon, I went to the speciality Restaurant ( Murano) and had a fine dinner paired with wines. This speciality restaurant is an experience I enjoy each time on Celebrity.

It was the next morning, when I visited Customer Relations again, that they said they had put a $200. OBC on my account so I could buy necessary clothes etc. By now, they greeted me by name, and updated me on the luggage search. So far, nothing had been found on the ship. They were now tracking where the luggage might have been left on the way from the airport to the ship. I went to the shops and bought a lovely full length dress and a stole to wear at that night's formal dinner. I went to the excursion desk, cancelled my tour to swim with the Dolphins in Cozumel and the manatees in Grand Cayman (as I had no bathing suit). I spent the day trying to find suitable shoes for that night's formal dinner (not an easy task, they had flip flops, but no shoes). Back to the CR desk, another update: they had found the luggage in Fort Lauderdale and were attempting to fly it into Cozumel. That afternoon I went on an onboard excursion, a galley tour. There was a presentation with some amusing stories. I met the executive chef, Tony, and suggested that his sense of humor probably assists him in his executive duties. I asked him about the star he wore on his lapel, and he reported that it was meant to remind staff to smile when he greets passengers. Then he gave me his star. :D WOW, how nice. After the tour, I went back to the CR desk, and they noticed my star (every staff member wears the star, presented to them after training). Because it was so unusual that a passenger wore a star pin, staff members asked me how did I get my star. I told them Tony gave it to me, and they all said that Tony is a wonderful person. Many staff spoke to me, noticed my star, and I had memorable conversations with many CR agents and other staff.

The evening of the first "sea day" was the formal dinner. I chose a late seating and enjoyed seven wonderful table mates, it was an International group from Denmark, Ireland, and Germany, all were full of witty stories.

Next day, in Cozumel, which was warm and pleasant, I met up with a Tequila tasting group. We had a tour of the Cuervo tasting room, and, at the same site, an art museum, tacos for lunch, and the gift shop. When we got back to town, the sky opened up it poured, it wasn't just rain, it came down in buckets. :( We had to walk back to the ship on what seemed like an endless pier. We all got soaked. I begged for a large plastic bag from one of the vendors, and, under that cover was able to get back to the ship only slightly less drenched than others. When I reached my cabin, there was my suitcase. TAA DAA. :D

I was able to change into dry clothes and go to dinner with my new International friends. Each had stories to tell about their day and the pouring rain. The Dutch couple had gone on the excursion to the ruins on the mainland, and they, too, were drenched as well as well as frozen in the very efficient air conditioning on the ferry on the way back to the ship.

Next day we were to visit Grand Cayman. Alas, in the morning, I heard the captain's announcement that the harbormaster had closed the port of Georgetown due to bad weather. It seems the Silhouette was traveling the same path as the storm we had in Cozumel. Another enjoyable day at sea. I found that I could return the clothes (I no longer needed) for credit to my OBC. The day was overcast but warm so I was able to sit by the pool and read. The CR folks had chocolate covered strawberries and a wonderful bottle of red wine delivered to my cabin. That night, another wonderful dinner with my amusing International friends.

Thursday in Jamaica I had arranged a private tour with Patrice Bailey (high ratings in TripAdvisor). Rather than a regular tour of the Falls, The White Hall, or other Jamaican Tourist sites, our itinerary took us to a several small farms: coffee, papaya, and coconut. We talked with the farmers, learned about raising the crops, how to rid them of pests, and how to know when they were ready to harvest, At the coconut farm, the farmers chopped off the ends of the nuts and we drank the water. Then they halved the nuts and we were able to eat the soft coconut meat. Patrice took us to have lunch at a local place called "Scotches" where they grill the chicken, BBQ, or fish over a HUGE open grill fired by logs and it is served with beer or soda and a fried bread called Paradise (a little like a large hush puppy). She took us to the "White Witch" golf course and we were able to take pictures of the beautiful landscaping and multi-hued Caribbean sea. This was not a typical tourist excursion, this was a tour of local Jamaica. We stopped at a local place for shopping and Patrice was able to get us Blue Mountain coffee at a much less expensive price than typical tourist prices.

The next day was Labadee. The storm had moved past us and the day was sunny and hot (95 degrees F.) I went out to the pier, but it was so hot, I decided to turn around and stay aboard for the day.

My dinner companions and I enjoyed a bottle of Champagne (which CR delivered to the table) and the red wine as well. They described their day in Labadee, the beaches, the shops, and even on the zipline. They all described their days as exciting and fun, hot in the sun but cool in the shade, especially with the tropical breezes.

The last day on board was relaxing. I packed and put the requisite numbered labels on both my suitcase and carryon. Per instructions, I left the my suitcase (with two labels, just-in-case) outside my door by 11 PM. The next morning I enjoyed an express breakfast in the main dining room. One does not need to order, express breakfast means, scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, toast, croisssants, and coffee or tea. The plate comes quickly, hot, and ready, The condiments (butter, jam, milk/cream) were on the table. Absolutely perfect!

Disembarkation was very organized. We were instructed to go to the theater at specific times, and we disembarked when our number was called. On the pier my porter could not find my suitcase, (but after about a half hour he finally did, using my nametag, as the two number tags had come off. (What are the odds that my suitcase would become "lost" twice on the same cruise?) The bus to the airport was well organized as were my flights (all arranged by CruiseAir).

Concerning Children's clubs and Entertainment, I travel solo and had no experience with the Children's Clubs. I did not go to the evening entertainment as my dinner companions and I were all having such a good time, chatting at the late sitting dinner.

Overall, this cruise was second to none. My previous experiences have been multiple crossings, cruises and trans-canal as a diamond level passenger on Cunard, as well as many cruises on Holland, NCL, Carnival and other cruise lines. Because I was greeted so warmly, my "lost luggage" had been taken care of with such generosity, my wonderful table companions, and great excursions, I think that Celebrity will become my cruise line of choice. Thank you for all the wonderful times and days on this vacation. It was wonderful.

[OuiOnboard]

Colorado...Thanks for taking the time to write this nice review. It is good to know you had lots of great times on your cruise.