Silhouette March 6, 2016 review--first Silly cruise!

[KKB]

I don't know if it was the time change or too much vacation while on vacation...but it has taken me a full week to get back up to full energy speed!

 

This is our 11th cruise, 3rd on Celebrity (Connie the last 2 years). We fell in love with cruising after our first cruise on Princess in '04 (tho DH was very skeptical the first time going in...) We try to cruise every year or so.

 

Love Princess but the inclusion of the drink package has us coming back to Celebrity--basically we are getting a balcony for the same price we paid for interior bookings 12 years ago! DH is convinced he can do no less than a balcony anymore...

 

We flew out of Kansas City as prices were less than half of that out of Omaha AND it is a direct flight to FLL--this may become a go to!

 

Took an HOUR for our luggage to get to the carousel at FLL:eek:Luckily there is a nice little tiki bar right by luggage claim:D Met a couple Aussie's here for a conference & a group of girls on spring break, grabbing a drink before heading out!

 

I had booked the Extended Stay America through hotwire (and pretty much knew what I was getting through betterbidding.com) for $180 as those hotels sure know how to jack up weekend rates. It has a great location on 17th and a FREE airport shuttle & a FREE port shuttle! We didn't get to the hotel until 7PM & were thrilled that there were still 2 seats left on the 9:30 shuttle--the next opening was at 1:30:(

 

Grabbed dinner at Duffy's sportsbar at the nearby shopping area. All drinks are 2/1 (you pay for "one" & you get 2). And they have gluten free buns for the burgers so I was in heaven--tho once you stop eating the buns you just get TOO full when you do get them!

[KKB]

Embarkation was a BREEZE. We waited outside 5-10 min, and were seated in the waiting area within another 10 min. The first gentleman was only sending suite & AQ guests to the upstairs waiting area but the 2nd lady said concierge was to go up too.

 

We were onboard between 10:45-11:DAWESOME!

 

Grabbed the obligatory champagne & immediately went to book the Ultimate Dining Experience. We had received $400 OBC with booking so decided that we would treat ourselves to this. Had heard they only have so many per sailing so we got it right away. I also upgraded to Premium drink package--lasts year I stayed on Classic when we dined with the family in MDR (PLUS, with the family...;)) but I like to be able to try different wines.

 

Then we ran up to grab lunch at the buffet knowing it would get crowded soon. We sat outside, aft, and luxuriated in our surroundings. Posted a couple oceanview pics on facebook before losing data.

 

Then off to tour the ship. OMG, the Silhouette is THE MOST BEAUTIFUL ship we have been on! I have never been on an UGLY ship, but this one is stunning. We love to discover every nook & cranny (tho admittedly we didn't get to the Hideaway or Card room until later in the week). We even sat on the deck and got some sun. (30 min--sunscreen was in the luggage)

 

1:30 our rooms were ready. We had been able to "upgrade" to an accessible concierge balcony the week before (with the caviat that if someone needed it we would have to give it up--fair enough) LOVED it--it is 50% bigger than a normal balcony room, the size of a Sky Suite. Luxuriated on the balcony until luggage arrived at 3PM. It was actually a bit chilly on the starboard side--I had to put on a robe!

 

Our room steward, Wilson & his asst. were AMAZING. So very very personable. We chatted lots about family. We have had great stewards on every cruise but one (and that was just odd, not bad...) but Wilson was just lovely. We are very neat & tidy, maybe he appreciated that!

 

From here on out I will review by subject area instead of days--personally I find that easier to read.

[FlorenceItaly]

Thank you so much! So far, I have sailed on the M class 2 times with the 3rd time coming up next month. My 2 future bookiings are on the M class. While on board next month, I am contemplating booking a future sailing, which happens to be on another M class. I DO love how the smaller ships are not crowded. For point of reference we have cruised on Princess, HAL, RCI, Carnival. Celebrity is currently our cruise line of choice. Am I missing out on not booking an S class? Thank you for your thoughts.

 

 

Marie

Edited March 20, 2016 by FlorenceItaly

[KKB]

Breakfast--we ate at the buffet every day. It was good, but it seemed very repetative, both daily & at various stations--I think the same items were at 4 different places on the buffet:confused: Never had an issue getting a table no matter the time we arrived.

 

Lunch--we tried Mast Grill (very good), buffet (salad line could be LONG; GF pizza was BAD) & Bistro on 5 (very good) Considered the Porch but NO ONE was ever there when we went by. DH wasn't interested in eating there so we didn't. Bistro on 5 was good, but we had a burger & a club sandwich. Nothing better than Mast Grill or the MDR. I guess if you wanted a crepe (which I can't eat)...$10 charge is ridiculous. Guessing that is why there was virtually no one there ever.

 

We made reservations for the 1st 4 nights at Murano, Qsine, Tuscan & Lawn Club then thought we would book our favs after we try them all. Well, when I called to make reservations the times were few to choose from--but there were ALWAYS empty tables when we dined (not a lot, but always several) so I don't understand this. My recommendation--book everything the first day on your best guess, and call to try to change later in the week if you change your mind.

 

Dinners: (the only thing we didn't like was the frosted windows--we like to see out when we eat!)

Murano, 2x--ate here the 1st night & 5th night. FABULOUS service

Night 1--I had the Pork Belly (I love pork belly but I found this tough & only had 1 bite). DH had the Frisee salad--YUM! We both had the Lobster Murano--OMG, to die for!

Night 2--I had that yummy Frisee salad, the salmon & caviar (yum) & the Lobster Murano again (I noticed I could have asked for it grilled--should have the 2nd time as we were SICK of rich food after 4 days). DH had Lobster Bisque that he raved about & duck which he liked but found too rich.

Both nights I had a chocolate thing that came with salted caramel ice cream.

We had 8:30 reservations the last night & found we really prefer not to eat that late anymore.

 

Qsine 2x

I really didn't know what to expect since reviews are all over the board on this one. We loved it but realized if you ordered things you didn't like it could be a bust.

We loved Greens, Disco shrimp, Treceviche, Lobster Escargots, the Taj Majal, filet & tacos. Did NOT like the lava crab. I had the silver bullet for dessert each night--just ice cream, but fun presentation. (I am not a big sweets person & am usually too full for anything other than ice cream for dessert!) We wished we had tried M's favorites--fun presentation & heard good reviews. We did NOT get all of these both nights. Selected a couple favs from the 1st night to try again & a couple new things too.

Wait staff is fun as is presentation.

 

Tuscan Grill 2x

This was DH's favorite. We ate WAY too much the first time--SO good.

Day 3:

I had the steak tartare (SO good), DH loved his calamari

I had the goat cheese salad--loved the fried goat cheese but probably shouldn't have...

DH had lobster alfredo (his fav item of the week) & I had mushroom risotto

DH had filet (he raved, SUPER tender) & I had sea bass (fine)

Pistachio creme brulee for dessert for me (DH likes sweets even less than me). I LOVED creme brulee. Too many places prepare it to a pudding consistency. Creme brulee is a CUSTARD. And this was a custard:p And I was stuffed before it arrived. And I still ate every bite:D

Day 6:

DH was saying all day that he was full. This was Labadee day--he didn't eat lunch as I recall. I said just order light.

I ordered steak tartare again & he ordered a caesar.

He picked at his salad & then said he needed to go for a walk.

I was worried he was getting sick.

I ordered shrimp kebabs & he ordered the lobster alfredo again.

He came back, took one look at the pasta & said "I'M FULL" & left again!!:eek:

I think the week of rich food & too many drinks just hit him.

The waiter was worried but assured him it wasn't them.

But I didn't get my creme brulee again...:(

 

Lawn Club Grill, Day 4

Love the location--be sure to eat dinner here when the sun is still shining if you can. Great ambiance. Playing great music as well (80s?)--our asst waiter was always singing. LOVED our waiter & everyone there was very friendly.

I didn't like getting my own salad--um, I just did that at the buffet at noon & now I am PAYING to do that?

I don't want to cook my own meat. I cook at home. I am paying for YOU to cook for me. BUT while the possibility was mentioned to cook your own meat, it was mentioned once. I saw NO ONE do this.

I LOVED LOVED the GF flatbread.

I had a filet & shrimp/scallop kebab & DH had ribeye. We loved it all.

I was going gaga over the chimichurri sauce & asked for more & the asst waiter gave me a mini-lesson on how to make it at home myself!

We actually really enjoyed it & tried to get reservations there the last 2 nights, thinking it would be a bit lighter but they were either fully booked or had 9PM times--nope, we learned our lesson on that one.

 

In the future we may do a 4 night dining package--every night was just too much for us.

[KKB]

S class v. M Class--I can address that now

 

M Class we have only done 5 day spring break cruises on Connie the last 2 years. Not surprising a lot of energy with 1/2-2/3 of the passengers being college students. Better layout than S class, in that there are more intimate spaces for activities. On Silly the activities were often held in weird locations, imo. There is a bar near the specialty restaurants where they have live music--but honestly not really a space for musicians. They held trivia in this location one day, odd space. They held "game show" activities in more of a foyer space that had virtually NO seating for viewing--HUH??

 

M class we loved that some of the AQ balconies are open.

 

S class has a wider selection of specialty restaurants.

 

We were excited to take a larger ship, thinking there would be more activities, but I think it was less so! The demographics may have played a part in this...we were shocked how much older this demographic felt. It felt like our December Princess cruise. I bet half the passengers were over 70 (I could be overestimating, but DH agreed) Now, we are 53 & 49, but no one ever believes we are that old--young at heart I guess. We have always enjoyed spring break cruises as we enjoy the young people.

 

But the Silhouette was GORGEOUS.

 

I haven't been on a cruise I didn't love. All ships/lines have things I love & things I don't like as well.

 

Sometime try S class!

[Clarea]

Enjoying the review, thanks!

[KKB]

Cozumel

I think this is our 4th time. 2 years ago we discovered AI Nachi Cochum & we are hooked. They have built a 2nd bar & restroom facilities which is great. Will do this every time. (but as a couple; family we took to Paradise Beach)

 

Grand Cayman

2nd time--we got our tender tickets late & there was still a wait. We are not fans of tenders or waiting (I think it is the waiting thing mostly). So we gave our tickets to the next 2 people that showed up to get tickets & opted to stay onboard & enjoy the sun. A lot of people had the same idea; most crowded port day I'd say. Unfortunately it was breezy & we were using spray sunscreen--DH & I both got some blotchy burning on our legs that kept us from sunning too much the rest of the trip.

 

Falmouth

First time here since they built up the port area. Wow, really nice, if created. Margaritaville was PACKED with spring breakers from the Independence of the Seas. Nice Margaritaville--but another time with that crowd! (and watch out for the time share people!) Just wandered around the port area...it was MAD crazy windy (30-40 mph sustained), so we were back on the ship after a couple hours.

Pretty gorgeous views from our balcony of the ocean & small islands.

 

Labadee

OK, if I had not done my research I wouldn't have been impressed. I asked where we should go for quiet calm waters & was advised Columbus Cove. OMG it is a walk but THE MOST GORGEOUS specific location I have been in the Caribbean. Water TOTALLY calm, gorgeous treed hills in the background. Just GREAT. The water on the other side of the area was rough, beach rocky. Other areas were crowded. This is different than Princess/Disney private islands which are really just one large beach for all. You do have to walk, about 15-20 min. And the buffet was pretty sad--like an after thought. DCL knocks the private island buffet out of the park & Princess is pretty good too. This was pathetic, honestly. Quality was decent as they were grilling on the spot, but presentation was sad.

BUT I am usually not a fan of private islands--don't mind staying on the ship. But I will ALWAYS get off at Labadee & head to Columbus Cove.

[KKB]

OK, we are not production show people. We like "game shows", trivia, comedians & the casino in the evening.

 

I did pop into the last production show, Cosmopolitan, on the advice of the Cruise Director. He said it is more contemporary music, etc. Well, I hate to be harsh, (and I only say one vocalist & dancer), but I have heard many better vocalists at our high school productions & my daughter is at least as good of a dancer as that gal--as are many of the girls at her studio. I thought it was amatuerish. I shouldn't pass judgement on one act...I will say the singers & dancers were energetic & good during all the dance parties in the Grand Foyer.

 

Casino--WOW, second only to Allure in size. AND YET, never as busy as casinos usually are. And WHY is there no wait staff on sea days??!! We played 3 Texas Hold Em tournaments on each sea day (we each split one). We played some video poker each day, and blackjack & 3 card poker each once. Not a great vibe, honestly, perhaps the crowd. Just didn't feel like a very fun place to be (and I LOVE casinos!). It was a time filler for us if we weren't playing poker.

 

Trivia--played almost every one. Sarah ran many of them--we had her on the Constellation the last 2 years. Always fun. BUT might want to change up some questions. I recognized quite a few from the last 2 years. Starting realize that those who win may just be frequent cruisers....:rolleyes: But always fun!

 

We enjoyed the Liar's Club, Love & Marriage Show (ALWAYS fun, tho again, questions predictable...), the various Port v. Starboard events.

 

We intended to see the "adult" comedian the 2nd night...(or was it the first??!!)...we crashed & burned early the first couple nights...:rolleyes:

 

LOVED the Comedian Ralph Harris. Much of his comedy was the difference between men & women. Very funny, easy to relate to.

 

Loved the single vocalist/guitarist that would play by the specialty restaurants. There were other musicians that were good, but he was more of our taste in music.

 

Loved the house band, they were great.

 

Early in the week we went up to the Sky Lounge & the DJ was playing crap I had never heard. Now, I am not a music junky BUT I DO know top 40 music from the 60s-today. I have the radio on often, various genres. So if you are playing music that I don't know, more than likely most everyone else doesn't know it either. PLAY MUSIC THAT PEOPLE KNOW. (I call it wedding dance music).

 

THAT BEING SAID, it got better as the week went on. Day 3 they had 70s/80s night up there & the dance floor was packed! He did do mash ups of songs and that was OK, we KNEW the music.

 

Music by the pool tended to be top 40s through the ages, and not loud at all.

[KKB]

Seriously, is there such a thing as a bad cruise?;)

 

We loved the drink package deal that Celebrity has been offering--it is a good value for us.

 

Silhouette was gorgeous. We had a great time. But will try other ships first.

 

FUNNY story though. One night DH wakes up & cannot find the bathroom. He thinks the bathroom door is the outside door so keeps walking to the right & hits the emergency button thinking it is the light to the bathroom. I get him situated & the phone rings (FREAKS me out!)--"Do you have an emergency?" No, my confused husband just pushed the button...5 min. later knock at the door...we are still very much half asleep, DH opens door in his underwear. Again, "Everyone OK?"--then had to adjust the emergency button to turn it off. When he leaves I realize I am in my nightshirt...luckily I think I was decent!

SHEESH--they will never let us get an accessible room again!

 

Thanks for reading!

 

If you have any questions, I will be happy to answer.

[FlorenceItaly]

S class v. M Class--I can address that now

 

M Class we have only done 5 day spring break cruises on Connie the last 2 years. Not surprising a lot of energy with 1/2-2/3 of the passengers being college students. Better layout than S class, in that there are more intimate spaces for activities. On Silly the activities were often held in weird locations, imo. There is a bar near the specialty restaurants where they have live music--but honestly not really a space for musicians. They held trivia in this location one day, odd space. They held "game show" activities in more of a foyer space that had virtually NO seating for viewing--HUH??

 

M class we loved that some of the AQ balconies are open.

 

S class has a wider selection of specialty restaurants.

 

We were excited to take a larger ship, thinking there would be more activities, but I think it was less so! The demographics may have played a part in this...we were shocked how much older this demographic felt. It felt like our December Princess cruise. I bet half the passengers were over 70 (I could be overestimating, but DH agreed) Now, we are 53 & 49, but no one ever believes we are that old--young at heart I guess. We have always enjoyed spring break cruises as we enjoy the young people.

 

But the Silhouette was GORGEOUS.

 

I haven't been on a cruise I didn't love. All ships/lines have things I love & things I don't like as well.

 

Sometime try S class!

 

 

Thank you, Kris. I really appreciate your thoughts.

 

 

Marie

[Keith1010]

This is a wonderful review.

 

Thanks so much for taking the time to write it and share it on this board.

 

Keith

[Texed]

KKB,

 

Thanks for posting. :)

[copi2boys]

Thank you for the review. I think we are going to LOVE it!! Wasn't going to try any specialty restaurants but you made Tuscan Grill and Lawn Club Grill sound irresistible.... thank goodness for lots of OBC!! Will also probably upgrade the drinks package - at least for me :D

[janetz]

Sailing next April and this was such a great review. Did you play Bocce or see it offered much? :)Thank you so much.

Edited March 20, 2016 by janetz

[KirkNC]

Thanks for your report.

[Pickels]

Details later

[Christine Frances]

Thank you for the review. I think we are going to LOVE it!! Wasn't going to try any specialty restaurants but you made Tuscan Grill and Lawn Club Grill sound irresistible.... thank goodness for lots of OBC!! Will also probably upgrade the drinks package - at least for me :D

 

I know some people don't like to cook their steaks etc at the LCG but my DH had a blast doing it. He grills a lot and he said that he was surprised at how much he learned from the chefs that were helping! There were other guys cooking as well and their wives made the flatbread. The staff are hilarious and the meat and seafood selections are of high quality. Do not miss the melting chocolate cookie for dessert!!!! My favourite Celebrity specialty restaurant!

[KKB]

But they did offer Bocce!

[Buckcruise]

Just got off yesterday. I think you could play any day as long as lawn not being used. They had an officers vs guest tournament and a couple of sign up and play tournaments. It seemed to be the water filled coloured balls though not wooden ones