Silhouette transatlantic 11/14 review

[Wj420]

Great itinerary going west which we prefer! Easier to manage the time change plus it's like getting an extra six hours of cruising!!

 

We sailed on the silhouette in 2011, roma to Bayonne. It was so nice to see how perfectly maintained the ship is. This is our favorite ship over reflection and solstice. Just the right size with our favorite speciality restaurants.

 

The lawn club grill is our current favorite. Located outside, great menu with flatbreads, salad and grill options (great creamed corn with a kick), it's well worth the charge. Fun, interactive experience .

 

What made this voyage truly special was the fact that without exception, this particular crew was the happiest I've ever experienced. They were helpful and seemed sincerely pleased to make your vacation a lovely experience. 15 days is a long time to get to experience such service.

 

We have been fortunate to sail in Many sky suites and Royal suites. This sailing we had a lovely s1 aft. For the first time ever; we experienced a truly professional and welcoming butler service. Armondo impacted how great this trip was. no butler service can even compare. Armondo made us feel special, like we were his only guest. Everything was his pleasure and he even thanked me for calling. This is is like thanking me for asking him to work harder. We were so thrilled with his service, we are upgrading our upcoming cruise to enjoy that level of service and kindness again.

 

We enjoyed incredible service at every turn. The food was better than expected and we were so happy to see menu changes. there was a top chef menu night that was fun!! On longer sailings it would be great if it was repeated.

 

We enjoy spending time playing cards in the casino. On a transatlantic that can be many hours interacting with the dealers and staff. What a fun casino team!! We enjoyed everyone we came in contact with.

 

This was a perfect trip for our group. The weather was almost perfect, the crossing was smooth, we saw great sights then enjoyed 9 sea days of relaxing and gambling with consistently being spoiled by a great crew.

 

The hotel manager should be proud.

[sunshine nana]

Glad to hear you have a good butler. Which deck are you on? We were on Silhouette deck 9 in an S1 in Sept. and our butler was clueless. I think there were complaints because an officer came to our cabin and asked DH if he was "attentive". The next day, a different butler brought our breakfast and did everything right, but after that the first one was back and no better. We still had a great cruise, but we did decide to try a C1 on our next cruise instead of a suite. It's only a 5 day on Connie, so I don't think we will miss the suite too much.

[Wj420]

We were on deck 8. I believe armondo was recently back from vacation. He has been with celebrity for over 24 years and began his career as a waiter. Armondo could train the butlers!! Little touches make huge differences. He is a fine example of service excellence.

[stickey_mouse]

Glad to hear the food was good! Did you eat in the MDR most nights?

[Wj420]

We did eat in the mdr most nights. We eat select. The choices were varied and the quality good. Surprising hot food too!!

[stickey_mouse]

We did eat in the mdr most nights. We eat select. The choices were varied and the quality good. Surprising hot food too!!

 

Can you comment on the entertainment on board? Did you see any Celebrity-produced shows or guest entertainers?

[elena7seas]

We did eat in the mdr most nights. We eat select. The choices were varied and the quality good. Surprising hot food too!!

 

I totally agree with you...the Silhouette was a happy ship, and everyone at our table was really pleased with the food in the MDR when we sailed her from October 4th to October 18th. We were at the early seating.

 

The MDR menu choices were great, with some new selections. The meats were always cooked the way we like them (I am a total pain about getting a correctly-done medium-rare. An overdone MR is the one thing I will send back, as overdone meat tastes like liver to me :p). All of our meals arrived hot to the table every night, which we all thoroughly appreciated. We usually sail in AquaClass, and one of the reasons we particularly like Blu is because your dinners arrive hot to the table every night. I would have to say that the MDR was very comparable. We had terrific service from our wait team of Tanya and Luthfie and our Somellier Milovan.

 

The Silhouette is definitely my favourite ship, although we had a terrific time on the Solstice in May as well.

[TeaBag]

We were on the Silhouette TA also and we agree with the OP that the food was great. We loved the Top Chef menu.

 

As for the Lawn Grill, it was so good we just had to go back again. I wish they would put this restaurant on all the S class ships. We were told twice that this is in the works. Hope it`s true.

[Turtles06]

We were on the Silhouette TA also and we agree with the OP that the food was great. We loved the Top Chef menu.

 

As for the Lawn Grill, it was so good we just had to go back again. I wish they would put this restaurant on all the S class ships. We were told twice that this is in the works. Hope it`s true.

 

My spouse and I were also on the Silhouette TA and agree that the food was excellent (with some exceptions), including in the buffet and the MDR. We bought the 4-dinner package for the specialty restaurants, and had a truly fantastic dinner at Tuscan Grill and one at the Lawn Club Grill; really great food and truly excellent service. (In fact, the service at Tuscan Grill was impeccable.) If these restaurants were on land, I'd gladly eat there. (We were told by a staff member at the Lawn Club Grill that there is no plan to put the LCG on the Eclipse during her upcoming dry dock; I hope he was wrong.)

 

We were disappointed with Murano; with minor exception, the food was not special and the service was indifferent. We've eaten at the SS United States on the Infinity (same menu) and had a far better experience.

 

Our fourth dinner was at Qsine, where we've eaten on two other ships. It was a mixed bag in terms of the food; the fish dishes were excellent, the meat was disappointing. My spouse and I both recall their lamb chops as being extraordinary; this time they were fatty and greasy. And I think the Qsine "shtick" has grown thin. We agreed we don't need to eat at Qsine again.

 

Overall, though, the food on the TA really was terrific.

 

The ship even had two poolside lunch BBQs (from comments we heard, they may have been practicing for the upcoming Caribbean season); the first had really great ribs and chicken (among the many other grilled dishes). I didn't try the food at the second, as I was barbecued out! :)

 

And there was also a "lunch buffet extravaganza." This was not the old sea day brunch in the MDR (which I believe has been discontinued) but the regular lunch in the buffet augmented with other dishes, including sushi (not usually available during lunch), as well as lots of desserts, including a chocolate lava fountain.

 

In sum, no shortage of wonderful food on this TA.

[Turtles06]

Can you comment on the entertainment on board? Did you see any Celebrity-produced shows or guest entertainers?

 

I was on the TA as well. The production company had a very entertaining performance featuring Broadway show tunes; for something on a cruise ship, I thought it was very well done (and I say that as a show tunes junkie). For the most part, there were guest entertainers, many of whom were quite talented. A couple of the comics were spit up funny, and opera singer Anthony Stuart Lloyd (who sings a mix of opera, show tunes, and other familiar music) was simply terrific. Besides his evening show, he had a wonderful afternoon poolside concert.

 

There were a couple of nights when we thought the performers were dull and we left early, but all of that is subjective. At any rate, this was a 15-night cruise and we felt well-entertained on most of those nights.

[Turtles06]

Like the the OP, we had a wonderful time on this TA. The crew and staff were extremely friendly and helpful, and if there is such a thing as a "happy ship," this seemed to be one.

 

Cruise Direct Ben was excellent. He has just the right personality for the job. The Beyond the Podium series was good too. Speaker Jim Kennedy, former Director of the Kennedy Space Center, regularly drew many hundreds of passengers for his nine sea day lectures, despite the glorious weather. He is a rare gem; don't miss him if you ever have the good fortune to sail with him.

 

It was hard to return to work today after such a wonderful crossing....

[Texed]

This was a perfect trip for our group.

 

Thanks for posting. :)

 

As for the Lawn Grill, it was so good we just had to go back again. I wish they would put this restaurant on all the S class ships.

 

I agree! :)

[jasm8449]

My spouse and I were also on the Silhouette TA and agree that the food was excellent (with some exceptions), including in the buffet and the MDR. We bought the 4-dinner package for the specialty restaurants, and had a truly fantastic dinner at Tuscan Grill and one at the Lawn Club Grill; really great food and truly excellent service. (In fact, the service at Tuscan Grill was impeccable.) If these restaurants were on land, I'd gladly eat there. (We were told by a staff member at the Lawn Club Grill that there is no plan to put the LCG on the Eclipse during her upcoming dry dock; I hope he was wrong.)

 

We were disappointed with Murano; with minor exception, the food was not special and the service was indifferent. We've eaten at the SS United States on the Infinity (same menu) and had a far better experience.

 

Our fourth dinner was at Qsine, where we've eaten on two other ships. It was a mixed bag in terms of the food; the fish dishes were excellent, the meat was disappointing. My spouse and I both recall their lamb chops as being extraordinary; this time they were fatty and greasy. And I think the Qsine "shtick" has grown thin. We agreed we don't need to eat at Qsine again.

 

Overall, though, the food on the TA really was terrific.

 

I agree with the OP and Turtles 06. It was a wonderful cruise and the staff were exemplary. The food and service in the MDR, in my opinion, has not been this good in years. We had the 5-dinner package and were also disappointed in the service and food we received at Murano as opposed to previous experiences. I also agree that Q-sine is not somewhere we would go again. Tried it twice in the past two cruises but too many misses among the hits there. The novelty has worn off for us, too. Tuscan has never disappointed.

 

A nice variety of mostly high-quality selections at Oceanview, but finding the tongs sitting in the food is a problem for me, food safety-wise. Hopefully the new `basket`and individual dishes idea that they are trying out on some of Celebrity`s ships will be adopted at all their buffet venues.

 

Lots of activities, wonderful music talent throughout the ship. The matinee concert by Activities Host Chiko was terrific!

 

It was our first Transatlantic...DH always thought hed be bored with all those sea days. Well, not only did he enjoy this cruise more than any other (loved the lecturers), but we`ve booked it for October 2015!

[elena7seas]

I agree with the OP and Turtles 06. It was a wonderful cruise and the staff were exemplary. The food and service in the MDR, in my opinion, has not been this good in years. We had the 5-dinner package and were also disappointed in the service and food we received at Murano as opposed to previous experiences. I also agree that Q-sine is not somewhere we would go again. Tried it twice in the past two cruises but too many misses among the hits there. The novelty has worn off for us, too. Tuscan has never disappointed.

 

A nice variety of mostly high-quality selections at Oceanview, but finding the tongs sitting in the food is a problem for me, food safety-wise. Hopefully the new `basket`and individual dishes idea that they are trying out on some of Celebrity`s ships will be adopted at all their buffet venues.

 

Lots of activities, wonderful music talent throughout the ship. The matinee concert by Activities Host Chiko was terrific!

 

It was our first Transatlantic...DH always thought hed be bored with all those sea days. Well, not only did he enjoy this cruise more than any other (loved the lecturers), but we`ve booked it for October 2015!

 

I am really glad that they gave Activities Host Chiko Pineda his own matinee concert. He is very talented, and such a wonderful person. Did he do his version of the Andrea Bocelli song, wearing the wig? It was so much fun to watch. His impromptu performance in the Entertainment Court on our Holy Land Cruise was my favourite performance of the whole trip.

[jerseygirl3]

We were also on the 11/1 silhouette TA. It was the best cruise ever. As others have mentioned the staff were over the top. Friendly, happy, always with a smile. The food in the MDR was outstanding and always delivered hot.

 

We're already booked on the 10/31/15 Silhouette and while onboard we booked the 10/21/16 Refection TA.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[Wj420]

We booked the return in April 2015! Love the ship and the itinerary.

[stickey_mouse]

How was the art on the ship, especially compared to any other S-Class ships you've been on? What was your favorite piece?

[TeaBag]

We so wish the April TA was closer to our May 30 Baltic cruise on Eclipse. Repeating this past cruise would be a wonderful way to get there.

 

Our waiter Luciano was the best we have ever had. He even looked after us at breakfast and lunch in Oceanview whenever he saw us. He is going into training in Feb for the new suite dining room. This shows how good he is. It got around in the last few days that he was great and you had to line up in Select no later than 5:45 to get a table in his section.

 

I agree with others that the crew was wonderful on this trip. Isn't it wonderful that we are all having such good memories of our trip instead of being thankful that we are off the ship!:)

[Sloop-JohnB]

Hi WJ420,

 

Great Cruise Review, I enjoyed reading it along with the added comments here by others on the same TA

 

Sounds like you all had a wonderful time

 

I am yet to sail on The Silhouette, but clearly have picked up here on CC since the day she was launched that she has her loyal fans

 

Cheers!

[Turtles06]

How was the art on the ship, especially compared to any other S-Class ships you've been on? What was your favorite piece?

 

I thought the art around the ship was quite beautiful. I wanted to do a full tour but the weather was so gorgeous for the entire crossing that it was tough to be indoors. I did spend some time walking around on my own. I'm not sure I have a favorite piece, but I loved the large glass vases outside the Theatre on Deck 4, the whimsical flip flop pieces in the midship elevator lobby on Deck 9 and the Versailles artwork in the midship elevator lobby on Deck 10.

 

Ironically, with all the beautiful art on the ship, the two things hanging in our cabin (across from the bed and over the sofa) were hideously ugly, garish black and orange nightmares. I hated having so look at them.

 

I will also add that I was not a fan of the very tall statue standing in the Grand Foyer, which imho broke up the symmetry of the space and often got in the way of viewing the many things going on there entertainment-wise.

 

But overall, really beautiful art around the ship.

[elena7seas]

I thought the art around the ship was quite beautiful. I wanted to do a full tour but the weather was so gorgeous for the entire crossing that it was tough to be indoors. I did spend some time walking around on my own. I'm not sure I have a favorite piece, but I loved the large glass vases outside the Theatre on Deck 4, the whimsical flip flop pieces in the midship elevator lobby on Deck 9 and the Versailles artwork in the midship elevator lobby on Deck 10.

 

Ironically, with all the beautiful art on the ship, the two things hanging in our cabin (across from the bed and over the sofa) were hideously ugly, garish black and orange nightmares. I hated having so look at them.

 

I will also add that I was not a fan of the very tall statue standing in the Grand Foyer, which imho broke up the symmetry of the space and often got in the way of viewing the many things going on there entertainment-wise.

 

But overall, really beautiful art around the ship.

 

I so agree with you about the cabin "art" on the S-class ships. They look like something you would find on the final clearance aisle at K-mart. What a lost opportunity.

[celebritydave]

We were on this transatlantic too. Overall the cruise was very good. Food in the MDR was good, always cooked to order and the servers were very accomodating with special request.

 

The oceanview cafe was also very good. I really liked the pizza, especially the pepperoni. They kept cooking them, so they were always hot and fresh.

 

The entertainment was inconsistent, sometimes good othertimes not. The opportunities for dancing were limited, as they always seemed to schedule it in the main foyer. The music was good.

 

Bar service was fine. We were at the martini bar every night and the bartenders, especially Wid, were very good. They still do the juggling and mixing multiple martinis and once, and the customers still like it.

 

We had a C2 stateroom with a hump balcony. We really liked the extra room and spent a lot of time out there. Our cabin attendant was just ok this time. Previously all of our Concierge attendants have been excellent. They still bring the afternoon snacks if you want. We substituted a cheese plate or shrimp cocktail.

 

We are elite, so we got the coupons and used them with no problem. We did go to the sky lounge and they did have some snacks available.

 

We enjoyed the cruise very much, and we love the Silhouette. We would not hesitate to sail her again.

 

Dave

[stickey_mouse]

Did anybody frequent Quasar at night? Is that a popular venue?

[Compass Rose Monica]

I was also on the Silhouette TA. Fabulous cruise!

My friend Carol and I left our husbands at home. We dined in Blu most nights; did the lawn club one night (the filet mignon was fabulous, and we all enjoyed the lobster mac/cheese), the captain’s table another night, and in Select with friends. The food everywhere on the ship with a few ‘misses.’ In Blu we found most fish entrees were over cooked/dry (the staff was prompt in getting us a different dish). I had a salmon salad in the MDR and was raw in the middle but cooked perfectly around the edges. We avoided the oceanview café for the most part, as it’s always a fight to get something. I did have the pizza one late night, the sushi (nothing to write home about), and the aqua spa café (love their chicken salad that’s made with a yogurt dressing). And I enjoyed the pool-side BBQ. Nice change to Celebrity instead of the crowded at-sea brunch.

Our cabin attendants were excellent and very friendly. We didn’t see them that often, as they were so efficient of getting in/out of the cabins.

I found the staff to be friendly and fun to talk to.

The ship was sometimes pretty quiet late at night. I always love dancing and did so during the masque party with the Celebrity dancers in the grand foyer.

Happy hour was either in the sky lounge or sunset bar.

I missed most of the evening shows, but did listen to a couple of lectures.

As someone else said, Chiko was terrific! Fabulous! So talented! He should have done two shows.

I’m booked on the same cruise for next October!

Monica

[Ex-Airbalancer]

Was Elite Breakfast, small plates or did they change back to buffet?

I will watching the pricing on 2015 TA