Just back from Silhouette, brief thoughts

[cruise kitty]

Hi all, just back from the Silhouette 13th December cruise, happy to report that we had a wonderful time. :) Ship was in great condition, & our stateroom was well cared for.

 

Ate in the MDR on two nights for the first time since 2009, & found it perfectly enjoyable, albeit a bit crowded & noisy. Other nights we ate in specialty restaurants, bought the 5 meal pkg, Murano was truly excellent, Tuscan pretty good, but sad to see the table side Ceasar Salad is not what it used to be.

 

This was our first Caribbean cruise, & first short (7 night) cruise... while we had a good time, we probably won't do another one, there is a very, very different vibe to a Caribbean cruise, I'd say 80% were from the East Coast of the U.S. & apparently, the idea of lining up & waiting one's turn hasn't reached that portion of the population yet :D

 

There were new (or newer) pool towels, large grey, & not a bare thread in sight, as well as new bath towels, we had a premium drink package & received great service in all venues.

 

Live entertainment in the Ensemble lounge was excellent, we made sure to be there whenever Soulstiss or Spitfire was playing.

 

Gorgeous Christmas Decorations, esp. on the big staircase near the atrium.

 

They had great music playing in the indoor pool area, & though there were plenty of chairs occupied by hats & books all day, we were always able to find a couple of open lounge chairs.

 

On the "chic" nights there was a mix of suits, tuxedos, gowns, cocktail dresses, tropical shirts, sport coats, etc.

 

Had an unfortunate incident where a pax slammed into a waiter carrying a tray of drinks, we were sitting at slot machines & ended up with the whole tray dumped on the two of us... they cleaned our clothes, but DH's good sports coat was ruined. Basically we ended up with an OBC that didn't come anywhere close to covering the cost of the jacket, but we didn't want to spend our vacation in guest relations, so decided to just let it go, but we will never bring our nicer clothes with us again.

 

For the first time, we did not book a future cruise, prices for Europe 2017 are just ridiculous (IMO) we'll wait till after final payment & then book, or see if there are better offers on our Spring Med cruise.

 

This was a much needed & lovely break, but the culture shock & heat & humidity mean that we'll stick with other itineraries, & probably would not sail from the East Coast again.... looking forward to our next cruise in the spring on the Equinox.

[MicCanberra]

Thanks for the review, shame about the jacket though.

[jerseygirl3]

Hi all, just back from the Silhouette 13th December cruise, happy to report that we had a wonderful time. :) Ship was in great condition, & our stateroom was well cared for.

 

Ate in the MDR on two nights for the first time since 2009, & found it perfectly enjoyable, albeit a bit crowded & noisy. Other nights we ate in specialty restaurants, bought the 5 meal pkg, Murano was truly excellent, Tuscan pretty good, but sad to see the table side Ceasar Salad is not what it used to be.

 

This was our first Caribbean cruise, & first short (7 night) cruise... while we had a good time, we probably won't do another one, there is a very, very different vibe to a Caribbean cruise, I'd say 80% were from the East Coast of the U.S. & apparently, the idea of lining up & waiting one's turn hasn't reached that portion of the population yet :D

 

There were new (or newer) pool towels, large grey, & not a bare thread in sight, as well as new bath towels, we had a premium drink package & received great service in all venues.

 

Live entertainment in the Ensemble lounge was excellent, we made sure to be there whenever Soulstiss or Spitfire was playing.

 

Gorgeous Christmas Decorations, esp. on the big staircase near the atrium.

 

They had great music playing in the indoor pool area, & though there were plenty of chairs occupied by hats & books all day, we were always able to find a couple of open lounge chairs.

 

On the "chic" nights there was a mix of suits, tuxedos, gowns, cocktail dresses, tropical shirts, sport coats, etc.

 

Had an unfortunate incident where a pax slammed into a waiter carrying a tray of drinks, we were sitting at slot machines & ended up with the whole tray dumped on the two of us... they cleaned our clothes, but DH's good sports coat was ruined. Basically we ended up with an OBC that didn't come anywhere close to covering the cost of the jacket, but we didn't want to spend our vacation in guest relations, so decided to just let it go, but we will never bring our nicer clothes with us again.

 

For the first time, we did not book a future cruise, prices for Europe 2017 are just ridiculous (IMO) we'll wait till after final payment & then book, or see if there are better offers on our Spring Med cruise.

 

This was a much needed & lovely break, but the culture shock & heat & humidity mean that we'll stick with other itineraries, & probably would not sail from the East Coast again.... looking forward to our next cruise in the spring on the Equinox.

 

I'm not sure where you're from, or how you can know that 80% of your fellow cruisers were from the East Coast, but that's a rather sweeping assumption you've made. To chastise an entire coast seems a little (no, actually, a lot) over the top.

[ghstudio]

Great synopsis...the jacket thing can happen anywhere...essentially just bad luck (and in the casino no less). Don't give up on all "East Coaster's" Some of us do know how to line up and actually have manners.

 

I wouldn't fret too much about the 2017 Europe prices right now. You are not alone and IMHO, they are going to have to perk them to death to fill the ships. More than likely you'll see some very significant discounting between now and then. Europe bookings in 2016 are way down (per discussion with future cruise folks on the equinox last week)....many cancellations, etc. Consider doing Europe in 2016....

[cruise kitty]

Thanks for the review, shame about the jacket though.

 

Hi, thanks.. gotta roll with the punches, still had a great time. :)

[cruise kitty]

I'm not sure where you're from, or how you can know that 80% of your fellow cruisers were from the East Coast, but that's a rather sweeping assumption you've made. To chastise an entire coast seems a little (no, actually, a lot) over the top.

 

Hi, I hesitated to write that part, but it was a overwhelming part of the experience ( and very distinctive accents always accompanied the line cutting & pushing & shoving) The thing was, you'd run into the same people in a bar or lounge, & they'd be lovely to talk to, it was just the lining up that brought out this particular quirk.

[cruise kitty]

Great synopsis...the jacket thing can happen anywhere...essentially just bad luck (and in the casino no less). Don't give up on all "East Coaster's" Some of us do know how to line up and actually have manners.

 

I wouldn't fret too much about the 2017 Europe prices right now. You are not alone and IMHO, they are going to have to perk them to death to fill the ships. More than likely you'll see some very significant discounting between now and then. Europe bookings in 2016 are way down (per discussion with future cruise folks on the equinox last week)....many cancellations, etc. Consider doing Europe in 2016....

 

Hi, thanks, face to face in lounges people were great, lining up, wowza, never experienced anything quite like it.

 

We'll be back in Europe on the Equinox in May, hopefully they'll have some deals on Europe 2017 by then.

[dkjretired]

Great synopsis...the jacket thing can happen anywhere...essentially just bad luck (and in the casino no less). Don't give up on all "East Coaster's" Some of us do know how to line up and actually have manners.

 

I.

 

I agree and I lived in Jersey for 60 years, you are absolutely correct.

[cruise kitty]

I agree and I lived in Jersey for 60 years, you are absolutely correct.

 

Hi, I think the best comparison would be to that spring break cruise last March or April that turned into "college kids gone wild" obviously, not all New York/Jersey folks are lining up challenged, but on this cruise, it's all we saw, & was to such an extreme, that that's how it seemed... again, in the bars, lounges they were great, just the lining up that was completely out of control... it was a small part of an otherwise fun trip

 

I would imagine if someone from out of town was suddenly brought to L.A. & dropped in a car on the 405, you'd think we were all absolutely insane drivers... who are texting, checking ourselves out in the mirror, drinking our chai lattes all at the same time, :D we're not all that way, but that's sure how it'd look.

[ghstudio]

Independent of east coaster or west coaster, stereotyping is almost always wrong. I've even met some folks that live on the west coast that are, irrespective of where they live, pretty nice people.

[cruise kitty]

Independent of east coaster or west coaster, stereotyping is almost always wrong. I've even met some folks that live on the west coast that are, irrespective of where they live, pretty nice people.

 

Well said, & very true... I probably should have just stated that people on this cruise refused to wait in line patiently, & left out the part about the demographics of the cruise.

[Orator]

Was on the same cruise and the prior week. This one was the better of the two, especially the entertainment. Jayne Curry is just a talent! My service and food in Select dining was quite good. Noticed many fewer jackets on the second evening chic night. Very friendly staff. Michael's Club was under used by all except Zenith members. Officers were highly visible. Believe it or not, a good Furla sale. My DW bought a bag for under $200 that was $575 to $595 on line. Silhouette and Eclipse are in a virtual tie for ship of the year. This cruise should help Silhouette's ratings.

[cruise kitty]

Was on the same cruise and the prior week. This one was the better of the two, especially the entertainment. Jayne Curry is just a talent! My service and food in Select dining was quite good. Noticed many fewer jackets on the second evening chic night. Very friendly staff. Michael's Club was under used by all except Zenith members. Officers were highly visible. Believe it or not, a good Furla sale. My DW bought a bag for under $200 that was $575 to $595 on line. Silhouette and Eclipse are in a virtual tie for ship of the year. This cruise should help Silhouette's ratings.

 

I agree with your comments, for whatever reason, this was just a great cruise, one of the best parts was the live entertainment, & crew just seemed happy... I'm putting it down to good leadership on board... good experience over all.

[Charles4515]

I'm not sure where you're from, or how you can know that 80% of your fellow cruisers were from the East Coast, but that's a rather sweeping assumption you've made. To chastise an entire coast seems a little (no, actually, a lot) over the top.

 

I was on the same cruise. Actually they were from Florida but had migrated there from the northeast. I usually cruise in the December weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas and the pushy crowd has always been onboard cruise ships sailing out of Florida that time of year when cruise prices are low.

[Charles4515]

Well said, & very true... I probably should have just stated that people on this cruise refused to wait in line patiently, & left out the part about the demographics of the cruise.

 

The pushy crowd demographic is a December thing. They empty out of the retirement communities of those who migrated from the Northeast. If you sail out of Florida at other times of the year you won't encounter much of that.

[MicCanberra]

'Snow birds gone sour'. sounds like a horror flick.:eek:

[grandgeezer]

Was on the same cruise and the prior week. This one was the better of the two, especially the entertainment. Jayne Curry is just a talent! My service and food in Select dining was quite good. Noticed many fewer jackets on the second evening chic night. Very friendly staff. Michael's Club was under used by all except Zenith members. Officers were highly visible. Believe it or not, a good Furla sale. My DW bought a bag for under $200 that was $575 to $595 on line. Silhouette and Eclipse are in a virtual tie for ship of the year. This cruise should help Silhouette's ratings.

 

I f you like Jayne Curry, she announced, at one of her shows that in 2016 she is strictly doing Celebrity cruises rather than jumping from line to line. She says her cruise listings will be on her web site.

[portofrome]

Thanks for your report.

[richsea]

The pushy crowd demographic is a December thing. They empty out of the retirement communities of those who migrated from the Northeast. If you sail out of Florida at other times of the year you won't encounter much of that.

 

We call them the "Boca Babes" that are often on Caribbean cruises. Thw world revolves around them.

 

It is always dangerous to generalize, but sometimes we all do it. After seeing Jay Leno's street interviews, I swore that all Southern Californians are airheads. I am sure that wrong, isn't it?

[Redtravel]

I was on the Silhouette in October. Cruise was excellent. Everything and everyone was superb. One of the nicest cruises ever. We also did not book a future cruise while sailing. WE did consult future cruise desk about prices for a spring cruise. Prices were insane. Even my longtime trusted TA agreed with us. We are waiting for Wave Season. WE are starting to get promos from other cruise lines that are looking interesting. European cruise prices on other lines are getting low. I have 3 future cruises on Celebrity which I booked almost a year ago. As much as we like Celebrity (elite+) , we are tempted to sail on other lines. We hope that Celebrity will have some good offers soon.

[wallie5446]

I was on the Silhouette in October. Cruise was excellent. Everything and everyone was superb. One of the nicest cruises ever. We also did not book a future cruise while sailing. WE did consult future cruise desk about prices for a spring cruise. Prices were insane. Even my longtime trusted TA agreed with us. We are waiting for Wave Season. WE are starting to get promos from other cruise lines that are looking interesting. European cruise prices on other lines are getting low. I have 3 future cruises on Celebrity which I booked almost a year ago. As much as we like Celebrity (elite+) , we are tempted to sail on other lines. We hope that Celebrity will have some good offers soon.

 

You may have hit on something, the other lines are dropping prices since they can't find the way to compete with the quality of the on ship product Celebrity delivers. They are taking notice.

[Saturngrl]

Will sail on the Silly Valentine's Day. I will be with a group of friends from Central Florida and we all behave nicely. There will be a significant number of Canadian visitors and the ones on our Roll Call all seem very nice.

 

Thank you for your wonderful review. So sorry to hear about DW's jacket. Hope you will consider Celebrity again....

[littlekatiebird]

I was also on this cruise and throughly enjoyed myself. The food was excellent, we ate primarily in Blu. The last cruise we were on the Reflection and thought the food on this cruise was just a bit better. We found the service from the crew exceptional with one small exception the lady in Celler Masters. This is a venue we typically really enjoy but we did not feel at all welcome there this time but fortunately there are so many other places to go.

 

I did notice line cutters especially at the elevators. I don't get why some people feel entitled over other but whatever i was not in any particular rush.

 

This was my first Caribbean cruise too, since I'm not a sun worshiper it's not my favorite itinenerary but I sure enjoyed the warm Caribbean ocean and visiting islands I haven't been too. Labadee was my favorite day, so relaxing. My favorite excursion was a sailing excursion in Cozumel, we sailed on the former America Cup winner Stars & Stripes, so fun!

[Charles4515]

I was also on this cruise and throughly enjoyed myself. The food was excellent, we ate primarily in Blu. The last cruise we were on the Reflection and thought the food on this cruise was just a bit better. We found the service from the crew exceptional with one small exception the lady in Celler Masters. This is a venue we typically really enjoy but we did not feel at all welcome there this time but fortunately there are so many other places to go.

 

I did notice line cutters especially at the elevators. I don't get why some people feel entitled over other but whatever i was not in any particular rush.

 

This was my first Caribbean cruise too, since I'm not a sun worshiper it's not my favorite itinenerary but I sure enjoyed the warm Caribbean ocean and visiting islands I haven't been too. Labadee was my favorite day, so relaxing. My favorite excursion was a sailing excursion in Cozumel, we sailed on the former America Cup winner Stars & Stripes, so fun!

 

Funny, I had a different impression of the Cellar Masters lady! She helped us with the craft beers.

 

We had an experience at the elevators where a lady would not let us in. She said there was not enough room. There was plenty of room which I pointed out. She said she needed the space.

 

I think I may have talked to you because I talked with someone who did the Americas Cup. I enjoyed it years ago in St. Martin. My favorite day was Grand Cayman where we did the Stingrays and a reef with Captain Marvins. Had done it before but six or seven years ago. It was as good as before and I like Captain Marvins. Less people on the boat than the cruise lines excursion at half the price. Cozumel we went to Chankanaab and snorkeled. Labadee was a great day too.

Edited December 22, 2015 by Charles4515

[doublemm16]

Hi, I hesitated to write that part, but it was a overwhelming part of the experience ( and very distinctive accents always accompanied the line cutting & pushing & shoving) The thing was, you'd run into the same people in a bar or lounge, & they'd be lovely to talk to, it was just the lining up that brought out this particular quirk.

 

That is not an "East Coast" thing, that is a "rude person" thing. I have experienced that kind of behavior all over the world. I am from the East Coast, and I have manners. Just saying! :D