'Twas the Week Before Christmas – A seasonal review of the Silhouette

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Upon arrival at the pier, they handed out the following advising that our times in each port had been shortened. We were already aware of this thanks to CC but overheard many folks who were not happy about these changes.

 

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it was about 20 minutes in line to check in, take photos and pick up our key cards. And then it was time to board!

 

 

 

You enter on deck 5 and can see the ship was decorated for the holidays...

 

 

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We had 2 things on our "to do" list so we took care of them. First, we went and upgraded our drink package to premium at a cost of $80.50 pp. Second, we took advantage of the 20% discount in the specialty restaurants the first night. We booked dinner at Qsine...more on that later.

 

Then it was time to explore the Silhouette some....we started at the top.

 

Lots of activity in the port area

 

 

The Eurodam was across from us, with Allure in the background

 

 

Nieuw Amsterdam & Independence of the Seas were behind us

 

 

Regal Princess was also in port

 

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This is the map of the ship they provide when you check in.

 

 

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We continued wandering the upper decks....

 

 

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My daughter noticed the NSU Oceanographic Centre and was impressed with their fleet of boats (my daughter spent this past summer on boats off the port of Halifax as part of her studies).

 

 

 

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We wandered into the Sky lounge...we would frequent this bar a few times during the week.

 

 

 

 

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More sky lounge....

 

 

 

View from the Sky lounge of the Regal Princess

 

 

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We wandered past the Mast Bar

 

 

And checked out the Lawn Club area

 

 

We didn't see the private cabanas in use much during our week

 

 

My daughter enjoying the large chairs! At 21, this was her first "legal" cruise which has been a bit of an issue on prior trips given the drinking age in Canada is 19.

 

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We checked out the lawn Club Grill but never did eat here.

 

 

 

 

They had samples of their menu...

 

 

Sorry, should have zoomed in more on the menu...

 

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We continued walking towards the back...

 

 

The Sunset Bar is at the back of deck 15

 

 

 

Looking down on the outdoor seating for the Oceanview Cafe (buffet)

 

 

And looking out at the Nieuw Amsterdam

 

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Carly and the King were performing in the outdoors area....we would see them a few times during the week. They performed a wide variety of acoustic songs, from Beatles to Alanis Morissette to Taylor Swift.

 

 

We then went to the buffet to grab some lunch. It was the least crowded of any embarkation day buffet we have experienced and we found a table quickly. Photos of this area will follow later however here is the the wine and beer list on the table.

 

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Just as we were finishing lunch, right at about 1:00 pm, they announced that all the staterooms were now available. We started down the back staircase (there are only 2 sets of stairs on this ship...the "back stairs" are mid-back, not right near the back as they are on some ships with 3 sets of stairs). Given we had an aft cabin, it was a bit of a walk down the hall each time however we really enjoyed the aft cabin!

 

The Christmas tree in the library

 

 

 

 

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We had cabin 8344 and the kids were in 8346

 

 

 

 

 

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Our balcony

 

 

Looking up from the balcony

 

 

Storage above the beds

 

 

The safe (and the cabinet below is the fridge)

 

 

Large closet with lots of room for hanging clothes

 

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The first of the Dailies was on the bed....

 

 

 

 

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There was also a list of the head crew members

 

 

With some info on the reverse side

 

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After a few minutes, we set back out to explore more of the ship...

 

The running track is basically painted...there is no cushioning or difference in material from the rest of the deck.

 

 

Part of the conference area

 

 

We then wandered in to check out the spa

 

 

 

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Couples treatment room

 

 

Singles treatment room

 

 

Relaxation area

 

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And the gym....we had great intentions for the week however only ended up making it to the gym twice during the week....

 

 

 

 

 

This area was where they held various fitness classes...

 

[Sparky333]

Great review! We sailed the same week on the Silly last year so I'm enjoying reliving it through your posts.

 

After loving your Rhine Getaway review on the river cruise board I was so happy to come across this review on the X board.

 

Thanks for always going to such an effort with your detailed reviews and also thanks for including great pictures - they really help to tell the story.

[cruisinskier]

Great review! We sailed the same week on the Silly last year so I'm enjoying reliving it through your posts.

 

After loving your Rhine Getaway review on the river cruise board I was so happy to come across this review on the X board.

 

Thanks for always going to such an effort with your detailed reviews and also thanks for including great pictures - they really help to tell the story.

 

Hi Sparky and thanks for the kind words! Glad you found the review and that it helped relive some of your trip. Lots more still to come!

 

Happy holidays to you and your family.

Jerry

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Some info on classes, etc in the gym