Silhouette Picture Review: Eastern Caribbean April 2015

[nyfeds]

My husband and I were on this cruise and loved it! This was our first Celebrity cruise and it earned high marks.

 

Good to read your review! Sounds like you enjoyed it as much as we did!

Edited May 19, 2015 by nyfeds

[chamima]

Loving your very descriptive review.

It feels like we're there with you experiencing it.

 

 

Totally off-topic, how do you get 9 quotes in one post (#23) ?

I can only do 2 and then it starts dropping what I've "quoted". :confused:

Edited May 19, 2015 by chamima

[joyhannah]

Nice review.. My husband is in a wheelchair /scooter full time and it greats to see how you show this, we have sailed on celebrity but not this boat so we are looking forward to it. what did you think of the entertainment at night?

Many have said they were bored did you have that experience?

thanks for your time

[Phxazzcruisers]

The cruise on the Silhouette is the Black Sea Cruise out of Amsterdam leaving July 3rd. Our first cruise was on Century in the Baltic and it was what got us hooked on cruising.

[laurieal]

Fantastic, thank you for sharing

My pleasure! Thanks for joining me :)

 

My husband and I were on this cruise and loved it! This was our first Celebrity cruise and it earned high marks.

 

Good to read your review! Sounds like you enjoyed it as much as we did!

Engligh Denise!!! Hi! Happy to see you here! I'm so glad you loved your cruise :)

 

Loving your very descriptive review.

It feels like we're there with you experiencing it.

 

 

Totally off-topic, how do you get 9 quotes in one post (#23) ?

I can only do 2 and then it starts dropping what I've "quoted". :confused:

So happy you're enjoying it so far! Thank you!

 

I'm cheating. I'm doing the copy/paste ballet into a Word document, and then posting everything at once. Otherwise, like you, I can only quote two things at a time and, honestly, life's too short ;)

 

Nice review.. My husband is in a wheelchair /scooter full time and it greats to see how you show this, we have sailed on celebrity but not this boat so we are looking forward to it. what did you think of the entertainment at night?

Many have said they were bored did you have that experience?

thanks for your time

I'm glad you're here! Writing this, I know that everyone's experience will be different, but I'm hoping the pictures and comments will help people decide whether the Silhouette will suit their accessibility needs.

 

Being such a big music and theatre (and musical theatre) lover, I was sure I would attend a lot of shows. However, I ended up only going to one of them: Broadway Nights. I wasn't exactly bored, but I was far from impressed with the musical performances. During the rest of the cruise, I usually had no idea what was happening in the theatre.

 

The cruise on the Silhouette is the Black Sea Cruise out of Amsterdam leaving July 3rd. Our first cruise was on Century in the Baltic and it was what got us hooked on cruising.

Ooooh awesome! It's definitely on my bucket list! I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time!

[Scrappytraveller]

I love your humor and sense of adventure. Salut from down the 20, looking forward to the rest. I'm considering the reflection for this date next year, with a friend who uses a wheelchair but can also use a walker. She thinks a regular cabin will be fine, but I'll warn her that it will mean no chair at all while in the cabin.

[ClaudiaB]

I'm enjoying your review, even as a "seasoned" Celebrity cruiser. I have never seen an accessible room before. Looks lovely and really perfect.

 

I love the pull down closet bar! That's great. And as an aside, for your mom, she doesn't have to bring extra hangers. Your room steward will get you as many as you want. I always ask for more, and even remove most of the fat wooden ones so there is more space. He (or she) will just bring you the throw-away wire ones, but certainly saves bringing your own!!

 

Little things in your review as seen through the eyes of someone in a wheelchair are very interesting to me, such as the thickness of the carpet. I love your sense of humor and spirit of adventure. Looking forward to the next installment.

[ClaudiaB]

And I PROMISE, Scrappy Traveler, that I wasn't stealing your same phrase - sense of humor and spirit of adventure. Wow, we had the exact same thought. ;)

[nyfeds]

My pleasure! Thanks for joining me :)

 

 

Engligh Denise!!! Hi! Happy to see you here! I'm so glad you loved your cruise :)

 

 

So happy you're enjoying it so far! Thank you!

 

I'm cheating. I'm doing the copy/paste ballet into a Word document, and then posting everything at once. Otherwise, like you, I can only quote two things at a time and, honestly, life's too short ;)

 

 

I'm glad you're here! Writing this, I know that everyone's experience will be different, but I'm hoping the pictures and comments will help people decide whether the Silhouette will suit their accessibility needs.

 

Being such a big music and theatre (and musical theatre) lover, I was sure I would attend a lot of shows. However, I ended up only going to one of them: Broadway Nights. I wasn't exactly bored, but I was far from impressed with the musical performances. During the rest of the cruise, I usually had no idea what was happening in the theatre.

 

 

Ooooh awesome! It's definitely on my bucket list! I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time!

 

Hi!!

 

So very nice to have met you and French Denise on our cruise!! Take care. Hope we can meet again on a cruise soon! Best from us to you both!

Edited May 19, 2015 by nyfeds

[Scrappytraveller]

And I PROMISE, Scrappy Traveler, that I wasn't stealing your same phrase - sense of humor and spirit of adventure. Wow, we had the exact same thought. ;)

 

 

Great minds! ;)

[vms]

Your review is delightful so far! Your joie de vivre comes through beautifully. Thanks for an entertaining and informative review. I look forward to more!

[emmy]

Enjoyed reading this. :) As an avid webcam fan and viewer I had to go and check out the replay sail away and saw you waving. There is also a capture on the Port Fever archives.

 

Did you see your sail away replay on Port Everglades webcam?

 

I was sailing away that same day out of Cape Liberty or for certain I would have watched you. See you on Harmony :) Look forward to meeting you.

[jimbri]

Great review - looking forward to the rest!

[bwimh]

Celebrity, if you're reading this and can expand my torso, I'd really appreciate it. Okay? Thanks.

[/center]

 

You have me lol'ing! [emoji23] [emoji23] [emoji23]

So appreciating this effort of yours... It's highly enjoyable and very useful!!

[Champagne Cruiser]

Enjoying your review. We will be on tHe Silhouette in November. Thanks for posting.

[barb-ottawa]

We were on the Silhouette the week before you - it was our first cruise with Celebrity. When we ate in the MDR, we always sat at the same table served by Dennis and Dejan and I agree with your assessment that Dejan was a star. He made every meal as much fun as the meal was good. My husband and I remember him fondly and often laugh when we recall his funny stories. He certainly made a favourable impression on us and added to the enjoyment of our Celebrity cruise.

[dblane]

Will cruise the same itinerary in February with my sister. Enjoying your review. Thanks for posting.

[RNCheryl]

Absolutely enchanted with your review. Your enthusiasm is catching! Carry on

[laurieal]

I love your humor and sense of adventure. Salut from down the 20, looking forward to the rest. I'm considering the reflection for this date next year, with a friend who uses a wheelchair but can also use a walker. She thinks a regular cabin will be fine, but I'll warn her that it will mean no chair at all while in the cabin.

 

Haha, what up West Side of the 20!

 

I think you would love the Reflection. My dad and his wife sailed on her a couple of years ago and they still talk about how much they loved it.

 

If her wheelchair is a foldable one, I think a regular cabin would work. You could probably find a spot in there to store the folded wheelchair during the day. If not, I'm not sure it would fit. If it were me and an accessible cabin was available, I'd definitely go with that just to have the option to use the wheelchair in the cabin.

 

I'm enjoying your review, even as a "seasoned" Celebrity cruiser. I have never seen an accessible room before. Looks lovely and really perfect.

 

I love the pull down closet bar! That's great. And as an aside, for your mom, she doesn't have to bring extra hangers. Your room steward will get you as many as you want. I always ask for more, and even remove most of the fat wooden ones so there is more space. He (or she) will just bring you the throw-away wire ones, but certainly saves bringing your own!!

 

Little things in your review as seen through the eyes of someone in a wheelchair are very interesting to me, such as the thickness of the carpet. I love your sense of humor and spirit of adventure. Looking forward to the next installment.

 

I loved it, too! I wish I had one at home! I had no idea you could ask for more hangers, so thanks for letting me know! I will definitely do that during my next cruise when packing space will be very limited.

 

Oh, the carpet. I got used to it eventually and got smarter about avoiding most of it, but some bad choices were made along the way.

 

Your review is delightful so far! Your joie de vivre comes through beautifully. Thanks for an entertaining and informative review. I look forward to more!

 

Thank you! I'm glad some of the joie de vivre is coming through, because there was a whole lot of it during the week!

 

Enjoyed reading this. :) As an avid webcam fan and viewer I had to go and check out the replay sail away and saw you waving. There is also a capture on the Port Fever archives.

 

Did you see your sail away replay on Port Everglades webcam?

 

I was sailing away that same day out of Cape Liberty or for certain I would have watched you. See you on Harmony :) Look forward to meeting you.

 

Hello, Emmy! Good to run into you here!

 

Watching the replay was probably the first thing I did once I was home :) That webcam is great and one of the best things I found during my pre-cruise research. My dad is booked on the Harmony in December 2016 and one of his criteria when he chose his cabin was to be on the port side to get a webcam wave.

 

I wish we could have been in the same port on the same day to see Quantum up close. I suppose I'll have to settle for sailing that class one day :rolleyes:

 

Great review - looking forward to the rest!

Thank you! Glad you're enjoying it!

 

You have me lol'ing! [emoji23] [emoji23] [emoji23]

So appreciating this effort of yours... It's highly enjoyable and very useful!!

We pay good money to cruise. It's the very least they could do! ;) Thanks for coming along for the ride, I'm glad you're finding it useful so far.

 

Enjoying your review. We will be on tHe Silhouette in November. Thanks for posting.

I'm sure you will love her! What itinerary are you doing?

 

We were on the Silhouette the week before you - it was our first cruise with Celebrity. When we ate in the MDR, we always sat at the same table served by Dennis and Dejan and I agree with your assessment that Dejan was a star. He made every meal as much fun as the meal was good. My husband and I remember him fondly and often laugh when we recall his funny stories. He certainly made a favourable impression on us and added to the enjoyment of our Celebrity cruise.

Thank you for keeping the Silhouette so clean and for not drinking all the white wine ;)

 

Will cruise the same itinerary in February with my sister. Enjoying your review. Thanks for posting.

You will love it! I am sure!

 

Absolutely enchanted with your review. Your enthusiasm is catching! Carry on

Thank you; you're very kind!

[laurieal]

Monday, April 13th - Day 2

I woke up bright and early. Through the half-open curtains, I could see the sea and it made me strangely happy. Mom and I hung around in our respective beds for a bit (she had an iPad and an internet package, I had a fantastic view). Soon, we got dressed and that's when I realised how narrow the beds were. It was a bit like getting dressed in an ER bed/stretcher, but without the helpful railings. Getting my jeans on was a study in twisting, turning, and flailing, but I got them on and made a mental note to bring more skirts and dresses next time. Obviously, that wouldn't be a problem for nudists or people who keep the beds pushed together. We called the Other Cabin Girls to let them know we were heading over to the Oceanview Café for breakfast. Together, we made our way up to Deck 14.

 

Unlike the day before, the ship felt very empty. Everything was quiet. The few people we met on the way were very friendly, all smiles, and handing out good mornings like they were candy on Halloween day. It was like being in a...erm...sexual performance enhancing ad (haha CC censored the V word) and I loved every second of it.

 

Very empty Deck 14.

 

We arrived at the Oceanview Café around 7:00 and had no trouble at all finding a prime spot in the outdoor seating area. For the rest of the cruise it would be our very own breakfast spot.

 

One of the entrances to the Oceanview Café.

 



Hmm...where to sit?

 



We didn't want to sit inside when it was so nice outside.

 



Aw yeah! That's the spot!

 



The outdoor seating area is great. You can get as much sun or as much shade as you want.

 

If you need help around the buffet area, no matter what type of help, you will have no trouble finding it. If you don't need any help, a simple "no, thank you" will usually do.

 

Plate in hand, I made a beeline for the bacon. Bacon, cheese, and a humongous pile of pineapple and cantaloupe: breakfast of a champion! I spotted Il Secondo Bacio and headed over there for a latte. I got a bit flustered when I realised Ivan, the handsome sommelier, was working the morning shift. That's when I knew. A man who serves me coffee in the morning and wine in the evening has to be the ideal man.

[laurieal]

Monday, April 13th - Day 2, continued

After Mom and I were done with our breakfast, we left Aunt and Friend to get some spots at the outdoor pool while they finished their breakfast. That's usually how we did it when we wanted to hand out at the pool. Mom and I would grab some loungers and lounge a little. When Aunt and Friend were done with breakfast, they would find us and we'd leave in pair to go back to our cabins and face the toughest sea day challenge: which swimsuit?

 

I had seen those little bed things around the pool and I was really hoping I'd be able to snag one of them at least once during the cruise, but I thought they would probably be very popular. I was surprised (and happy) to see that most of them were still empty when we got there around 8:00.

 

Plenty of available loungers if you're an early riser.

 

I made my nest on the bed closest to the pool lift and my mother grabbed the loungers beside it. Score! As expected from looking at pictures, the bed was pretty much at the perfect transferring height, and it wasn't long before I was practicing my starfish imitation on it.

 

I would spend a lot of time on that bed that day. The three loungers next to it would be occupied my Mom, Aunt and Friend.

 



Starfish formation in 3, 2, 1...

 

We had been sitting for not five minutes when it started raining. Cute, little, warm Caribbean rain. It lasted for maybe a couple of minutes and then the sun had carte blanche. It was a beautiful day, and even at this early hour, the sun was already quite hot.

 

We had the Cruise Critic Meet & Mingle event at 9:00 at the Lawn Club Grill, and while Mom and I wanted to go, we were also very comfortable and reluctant to leave our prime spot. We decided to pop in for a few minutes just to say hello. It was a very short visit, but we got to meet some of the people we had chatted with online, and would later recognise them when we ran into each other around the ship or ports.

 

Then, it was back to the pool where I found a Pool Butler and asked for his assistance in getting into the water (they didn't want us to operate it ourselves). As promised, they had located the missing battery (I suspect they borrowed the one from the Solarium).

 

Aw yeah, pool lift!

 

Getting into the pool went very smoothly. Again, the pool lift has two buttons, one for up and one for down. I directed them until the seat was at the perfect height and, by raising one of the armrests, I was in a very good transferring position. I never felt wobbly or unsafe. Slowly, but surely, I made my way into the pool. Water temperature was perfect: cool and refreshing.

 

Slowly making my way into the pool.

 

If you've done some research about the accessibility aboard the Silhouette, you may be wondering how I got into the outdoor pool. The website clearly states that the ship has a lift at the Solarium pool and one at one outdoor hot tubs. Well, the lift at the outdoor pool can reach both the pool and one hot tub. However, the lift doesn't go all the way into the pool (I had to throw myself in a bit), so getting back into the lift could be a challenge if you have a hard time transferring by yourself. I'm thinking it's maybe six inches from the very shallow area where the wooden bench is.

 

I stayed in the pool for a while, but I got back to my prized bed to practice my starfish imitation. I was determined to get it right before the end of the cruise. I wish I had more things to report about that first day, but it was basically pool, bed, and Piña Coladas until lunch. For lunch, Mom, Aunt and Friend went to the Oceanview Café with the mission to bring all four of us some food while I kept an eye on our spot. By then, the place around the pool was packed. Mom got me a pizza slice, pineapple, and the delicious spicy cheese. I got her a beer. That's fair, right?

[laurieal]

Monday, April 13th - Day 2, continued

We ate at our poolside spot, but soon after I had had enough of being in my bathing suit and decided to go my own way. I gathered my things, jumped in the nearest elevator and hit that Deck 7 button. Too late, I realised that I had taken the aft elevator and would need to, again, do the carpet marathon. Roll, roll, roll, curse, curse, curse. In front of my cabin, I couldn't find the small leather pouch my mother had lent me to keep my SeaPass. I looked everywhere, but I didn't have it with me. Thinking I might have dropped it along the way, I decided to retrace my steps.

 

More carpet. More cursing.

 

At the pool, there was no sign of my SeaPass or my travelling peeps. Had they switched place, or had they realised I had left my SeaPass and had decided to meet me at the cabin to hand it back? Only one way to find out: I returned to the cabin (using the front elevator this time). They weren't there, so I took the elevator down to Deck 3 with the intention of visiting Guest Relations. Yes, the front elevator. Carpet marathon, more cursing, and by then I was extremely sweaty, annoyed, and in great need of a Piña Colada patience refill.

 

They gave me a new SeaPass, I grabbed a much needed bottle of water from the Passport Bar, and returned to my cabin, this time using Deck 12 as a way to avoid most of the carpet. When I entered my cabin, I think my sigh of relief was heard throughout the whole deck. I had two phone messages: one from Mom telling me they had relocated to the Solarium, and one from Guest Relations saying someone had brought back my SeaPass and small pouch. They must have brought it back straight after I was there. There was no way I was going anywhere at that moment, but I made a mental note to go back later.

 

While I was in the cabin, the phone rang. It was Shore Excursion, so I picked up (albeit reluctantly). They said they had managed to find an accessible vehicle and that we could go on the San Juan sightseeing tour after all. I told them I had to discuss it with my travelling peeps and that they weren't with me at the moment, but I promised to call them back as soon as I knew what we would do.

 

But why was I so reluctant to answer the phone? Yes. I was on the toilet. I answered the phone toilet. I talked to another human being while my bare butt was touching the toilet seat. I wanted to flush myself.

 

A couple of minutes later, the phone rang again. Where was I, you ask? Why, still in the exact same place, where else? It was the Shore Excursions desk. I picked up. It was the previous guy's supervisor who wanted to tell me to call them back as soon as possible. Yes, yes, I know! I will! Leave me alone!

 

My travelling peeps came back and we discussed what we would do in San Juan. We decided to go on the tour, because we had planned to do so in the first place and had paid for it. I called the Shore Excursions desk back, told them the good news, thanked him for his help, and very nearly apologised for speaking to him without having any pants on.

 

I joke, but I thought the Shore Excursion desk provided an outstanding service. First, they called to let us know that there was no accessible vehicle available. Not everyone would have done that and we could have had a very bad surprise at the bus. Then, they obviously did some research after speaking with us on the first day, even if we said we wouldn't do the excursion. It was a 40$ excursion, it's not like they were losing a ton of money with the four of us cancelling. Kudos to the nice and resourceful people at the Shore Excursions desk who were determined to provide the very best service possible!

 

Dinner was still a few hours away, so we went up to Deck 15 for a drink at the Sunset Bar. We found some chairs in the shade next to the grass and I had a summer solstice (Limon flavoured rum, white cranberry juice, basil leaves, muddled blueberries), which everyone else thought looked revolting, but I thought was delicious. It was a great spot and we had a really nice time. A couple of youths were playing…something…involving balls, the sea was making its lovely little "whoosh" sea noise, it was perfect.

 

We loved the Sunset Bar.

 



Seating area around the lawn.

 



It's a beautiful spot. Definitely one of our favourites.

 



I just love the colours up on Deck 15.

[laurieal]

Monday, April 13th - Day 2, continued

When we were done with our (absolutely not revolting) drinks, we returned to our own cabins to get ready for our first formal night. In my everyday life, I have very little occasion (or desire) to dress up, but I thought I'd make an effort for the cruise. Well, a bit of an effort. Ladies, listen carefully because this is the only beauty tip you will get from me in this review: if you have long hair and want a quick hairdo that's acceptable for formal night, is wind proof, can be done in three minutes and doesn't require you to wash your hair, get one of those hair donut things.

 

Our plan was to go to the theatre for the early showing of the Captain's Toast & Broadway Nights. I'm very disappointed that I didn't get any pictures of the wheelchair spots in the theatre. As I said, I'm still new to this and I wasn't always in picture mode. Here are words instead. We sat in the back. I got in an empty wheelchair spot (there are several around the theatre) and Mom sat in the companion seat beside me. Companion seats are easy to recognise: they have the wheelchair dude logo on them. Aunt and Friend grabbed the first two seats in the row beside my spot, so we were all sitting together. I have heard that there are more wheelchair spots in the front of the theatre, but I didn't look for them and can't confirm their existence. If you want to sit in the front, it may be worth asking one of the theatre attendants.

 

I wasn't feeling my best that night. I was light headed and was seriously wondering what was wrong with me. Although I raised my glass to Captain Handsome and his officers, I only had a little sip and otherwise didn't touch my bubbles. It took a while for me to realise that I could feel the ship moving and that I was probably just feeling the effects of the movement. As I mentioned earlier, I get carsick and was worried I would get seasick too. It was my first time being bothered, but as soon as I acknowledged what it was, I felt a bit better and could finally enjoy the show.

 

Captain Handsome during his speech.

 

I had brought ginger tablets, Gravol and those sea bands I had seen in reviews, so I was prepared for seasickness. However, I had decided not to take anything at first to test the waters and see how my body reacted to the movement. Early that morning, I could feel the ship moving and I could tell that my body was unsure, but nothing worse than that. Maybe because we were at the very front of that ship, but that's when I could feel the most movement (and when I felt the worst). Overall, I was very surprised by how well my body reacted.

 

I'm a bit of a musical geek, so I was really looking forward to that show, and while overall I was happy with the songs, I thought the performers weren't entirely up to the task. I even found myself cringing a couple of times. Despite the sometimes weak performances, the show brought out some feelings. They performed "Bring Him Home" and "One Day More" from Les Misérables, which I saw on New Years Day while I was in London, and that brought back all the London emotions. I wasn't crying. I had the Atlantic Ocean in my eyes. They also performed "Dancing Queen", the song that started playing when we got on the ship, so more emotions for the four of us. I got out of the theatre feeling still a little lightheaded, hungry, and emotionally drained.

 

Bring Him Home? More like bring me some tissues, dammit.

 

We were surprised not to be given a beeper at the dining room. Instead, we were directly taken to the same table as the night before and I started batting my eyelashes at the sommelier. Already, we felt at home. It's strange how quickly we develop habits and routines when we're not home. That night, dinner was:

 

Escargots à la Bourguignonne

 



Yellow Corn Soup

 



Shrimp Scampi

 



Apple Crumble

 

It was even better than the night before, if possible! The crumble was, by far, the best crumble I've ever had. It was the perfect temperature, the apples were baked perfectly, and the spices were very well balanced. Even Gordon Ramsey would have raved about it.

 

After dinner, we had a quick photo shoot before going to bed. For a first day at sea, it had been pretty awesome. I had a cruise booked for October, because there was no solo supplement and I couldn't pass it up, but everything I had booked was still 100% refundable. That evening is when I decided I would definitely be boarding that ship in October and I vowed to buy my plane tickets as soon as possible when I returned home.

[laurieal]

Tuesday, April 14th - Day 3

Again, we woke up early. I had some serious exploring to do and I decided not to roll around in bed for ages. Also, the sun wasn't up yet and I was hoping to catch one of those Caribbean sunrises I had been hearing about. Thanks to CC user frmpei (who had started his own Silhouette review shortly before our cruise started), I knew exactly where to go.

 

Arriving at the perfect sunrise-spotting place.

 

Quick note about Kevin's review before I continue my own: if you want to see the Celebrity Todays for that itinerary, please make your way over to his trip report. If a piece of paper entered his cabin, he scanned it. Seriously, he's doing a terrific job and has some great pictures and videos.

 

My mother joined me and we went up to Deck 15 where the sun was slowly rising. Other than a few other early birds on the running track, the ship was very quiet.

 

I loved when the ship was quiet.

 



That would make a superb reading corner.

 



Sunrise.

 

Soon, Mom headed over to the Oceanview Café for some coffee while I had a look around Deck 15.

 

The Art Studio. I never went there.

 



The alcoves on Deck 15. A bit expensive for me, but I would love to spend a lazy day in one of those.

[laurieal]

Tuesday, April 14th - Day 3, continued

Now please keep following me as I explore Deck 15. Watch out! They just watered the lawn and everything around is wet.

 

Ginormous chairs.

 



Lawn Club Grill. If I cruise Celebrity again, I'd love to try out this restaurant. Have you seen those cookies? Mmm!

 



Tables in the Lawn Club Grill.

 



The Sunset Bar looked almost eerie with no one tending it.

 



Seating area around the Sunset Bar.

 



Around the Sunset Bar, again. I'm now making my way over to the starboard side of Deck 15.