Silhouette Comments for March 1st Eastern Carribean

[cynalan]

I would like to offer a few comments about our experience on the Silhouette. My wife and I took advantage of the Charter package out of Hamilton, Ontario. We thought Celebrity had organized the package very well. Greeters at Miami steered us to the buses, which were ready and waiting for our drive to Ft Lauderdale. We had embarked within 15 minutes of arrival.

 

All in all, we had a great cruise, here are a few comments - both positive and negative.

 

The Good

 

Cruise Director - We were ecstatic to learn than Richard Spacey was the CD. We first cruised with him on the Freedom of the Seas about 7 years ago. He had incredible energy, a great sense of humour and unbounded energy. We were not disappointed. if you have a chance, go to see his performance at 70's night.

 

Entertainment - The dance pak and singers had to be some of the best we've seen on the seven seas. They were a talented, energetic group who presented three production shows as well as several shorter shows at other venues, particularly the Celebrity Foyer. There were also a number of singers at multiple venues. In particular The Vibes (pop band) and Five O'clock Somewhere ( pop/folk duet) were excellent.

 

Energy - This was probably best group of fellow passengers that we've experienced. A few ships in the past could have rolled up the decks by 10:00 PM. This group of cruisers kept rocking until the wee hours of the morning. The energy was infectious and no doubt rubbed off on the staff who provided terrific service.

 

Chef's Table Dinner - My wife and I enjoy fine dining and were able to participate in the chef's table dinner. We joined two other couples and a pair of sisters to enjoy a 6 course dinner, with several courses prepared table side by Carlos, the ship's Executive Chef. Wines were matched nicely and the food was superb.

 

Molecular Bar - We enjoyed the unusual and very tasty creations by the mixologist. This was a popular meeting spot. Too bad that Celebrity is phasing out this bar. It is the only reason that we upgraded to the Premium Beverage Package.

 

The Captain - This was our second voyage on the Silhouette. Captain Emanouil Alevropolous was captain on both occasions. He is the best and most interactive captain we have experienced. He participates in numerous activities and brings along a tremendously droll wit (particularly The Liars Club and Q&A session.)

 

The Not So Good

 

Main Dining Room - Over the years, the quality of food has definitely deteriorated. Portions are small, presentation is virtually non existent and side dishes were comprised of carrots and beans most nights. For example, Chateaubriand on the last formal night is usually a highlight. We received a 1/4" slice with soggy crust. The sides? Two carrots, two asparagus spears and about 2 tablespoons of mashed potato. No wonder that we observed many people order 2 mains. In fact, the waiters were recommending it.

 

Specialty Restaurants - We dined at Murano, the Tuscan Grill and Lawn Club. The food was good, not great, but at $45 pp, frankly, not worth it. Another example of the declining quality and value of dining options on board. The exception - the Chef's Table which was fantastic... but also $279 per couple.

 

Performing Venues - A number of the supplementary song/dance shows were held at the Celebrity Foyer on deck 3. This is a terrible venue. Site lines are poor. The number of people able to see anything at all is small. I cannot understand why the ship did not make better use of its larger venues.

 

Michael's Club - We used to enjoy the piano men performing in Michael's club. Last year, MC had been converted to a craft beer pub. The pub was not that busy. So what did they do... transfer the craft beer to Cellar Masters and convert MC to a suite only lounge. We never saw more than 4-5 people in that lounge. I do miss the piano men.

Edited March 10, 2015 by cynalan

[butterbread]

Thx for the review - glad to hear the charter is handled well. We are on one next month.

Hope food is not a letdown :-(

[PathfinderEss]

Thanks for your report.

[cynalan]

Hope food is not a letdown :-(

 

I wouldn't call it a let down. It's just that in previous cruises we have experienced a broader selection of dishes and their sides, much better presentation and decent sized portions. Note my comment about the Chateaubriand... I was not exaggerating the sides... a couple of carrots and asparagus spears. That was it!!! 5 of 7 nights the fish dish was salmon. The food in the MDR is OK, just not as good as it used to be on board. As for the Oceanview, we did not have dinner there, but walking through, it seemed to be the same selections each night... very little variation.

 

I still would like to stress that we had a great time. This was one of the best Caribbean cruises we have taken. The CD, entertainment and lounge singers were the best ever!!!

Edited March 10, 2015 by cynalan

[juliestevev]

Hi, how do you sign up for the chef's dinner?

[deedee290]

We were on this cruise also. This was our 4th cruise on X and had a wonderful time. We really enjoyed our dinner in Quisine.. It was the first time we dined there and at first were confused, but it was so different it was really great. I agree with the OP that the entertainment was great. The one thing that bothered me was the rudeness of some of the passangers. Two of them I ran into (different days) treated the staff with no respect demanding things that werent really their job to do, removing a piece of skin from a chicken breast , leaving a towel and book on the lounge chair in the solarium for two hours and when returning ordering a bar waiter to remove the used plate that had been left on the corner of the wood seperating the loungers. She was very rude. This is just 2 examples. I really feel these employees give us the best service they can and their reaction to this type of passanger is up and beyond they always smile and go on.

[My Bud Pud]

This was our 1st cruise with Celebrity and 3rd overall. While I may concur with many of the original comments concerning the main dining room as far as portion size, it did not bother us as lord knows if you go hungry on a cruise that is your own fault! We also noticed individuals on multiple occasions ordering multiple appetizers or entrees to get a more "filling experience". At least for us, our meals were quite good and we had no complaints.

Leading up to the cruise we had read numerous reviews of the entertainment that were less than stellar. I am not sure if our standards are different or just lucked out but we felt the entertainment was much better than we expected and experienced on our other two cruises.

Agree 100% on Richard, he was entertaining, energetic and truly an asset to the cruise line. We also found the Captain to be a breath of fresh air as he was engaged and had a great sense of humor

Edited March 10, 2015 by My Bud Pud

[mmpgoodtogo]

I would like to offer a few comments about our experience on the Silhouette.....

 

The Good

 

Cruise Director - We were ecstatic to learn than Richard Spacey was the CD. We first cruised with him on the Freedom of the Seas about 7 years ago. He had incredible energy, a great sense of humour and unbounded energy. We were not disappointed. if you have a chance, go to see his performance at 70's night....

 

I am glad to hear that about Richard Spacey. We also sailed with him as the CD on RCL. I wondered about how his personality and style would transfer to Celebrity.

[cynalan]

Hi, how do you sign up for the chef's dinner?

 

There was a small, little advertisement in the Celebrity Today circulated on day 1. You need to call the Specialty Restaurant reservation line ext. 7000 to ask for the reservation. Only 8-10 people are accommodated. The Exec Chef told us they had a long wait list should anyone cancel. it was held in the wine room of Murano and included a tour of the MDR dining room and Murano galleys. Be forewarned, it is not cheap... $279 per couple.

[cynalan]

I am glad to hear that about Richard Spacey. We also sailed with him as the CD on RCL. I wondered about how his personality and style would transfer to Celebrity.

 

No worries there. He is pretty much the same as he was on RCL. The guy is a great entertainer and brings a tremendous amount of energy and humour to his work. We looked forward to his brief monologue before each show in the Silhouette Theatre.

[Christine Frances]

I am actually very happy that X has reduced the portion size. It works for DH as he orders double for things that he likes but now I can have all 4 courses without feeling like I am wasting food. Two years ago I would just order an appitizer and a main but now I can have all 4 courses without wasting anything. Smaller portions allow people more variety for sure!! Celebrity is very good about both options and I don't feel this is a negative regarding the cruise line rather than responding to customer feedback.