Live from Silhouette - Feb. 25, 2018

[Plato123]

We are on the April 1 sailing and were wondering if anyone knows if the Porch Restaurant was still open on the ship.

Thanks for the review too.

[Host Anne]

FINAL THOUGHTS

We began cruising back in 1993. We’ve been on quite a few cruises since then. Some were better than others, but even those that weren’t as good as others had something memorable about them. I’ve been vocal in my reviews over the past several years about cost cutting by Celebrity. I think it ultimately stresses the crew and impacts guest’s experiences. However, I was pleasantly surprised on Silhouette this week. Granted, we ate in specialty restaurants on five of the seven evenings and service and food in these restaurants is a step above the main dining room. But our two evenings in the main dining room were good and we found the Oceanview Café food very good overall. We never had a problem getting a drink at the bar and were often asked by bar servers on the outer decks if we wanted a drink. Our cabin attendant, Bagus, was terrific and very responsive. The Cruise Director, Chris Sweets, and his staff were outgoing and fun. The entertainment, from the shows in the theater to the performers in the lounges and pool area were all very good.

 

I’m very happy that we had an enjoyable experience on Silhouette, especially given some of the reviews of late.

 

Are there areas to improve? Of course. There is always room for improvement.

· It would be nice if Celebrity fixed their website so our pre-cruise experience was better.

· It would be nice to have a few more staff clearing tables in Oceanview at busy times so those looking for a table could find one. There were times when crowded that tables sat with dirty dishes.

· The food at the Lawn Grill wasn’t as good as in the past and the heavy metal music playing loudly (they did turn it down) was inappropriate for the dining venue (Listening to Go Ask Alice and AC/DC wasn’t appealing).

· They need to be very cautious with “service animals.” There was a passenger with a service dog and the owner allowed the dog to sit on the couch in Café al Bacio and then the owner held it in his arms at the Ensemble bar with the dogs face next to the fruits for drinks were located. I love dogs but the service animal situation is out of control and I don’t want to sit where a dog was just sitting nor do I want a piece of fruit in my drink that was close to a dogs face.

· We also tried to go to Tuscan Grill a second time, but we were told they were completely booked. When we went to Qsine the same evening at 8:30, Tuscan Grill was half empty.

· Some of the pool chair cushions could need to be replaced. Our veranda chairs were starting to wear a bit thin, too.

· Fix the order of the butter/syrup/toppings at the waffle station.

· Stop the silly spa video for the safety talk.

· Stop all the crew asking for excellent marks on the post cruise evaluation form. We were asked this far more often than ever before. The begging for marks is a bit concerning. Reminding us that it is important to complete the evaluation would be sufficient.

 

Here are areas where I think Celebrity excelled:

· The crew! Super friendly, responsive, smiling and do everything they can to make our vacation great.

· The ship! I still love everything about the S-class ships of Celebrity. They are classy, comfortable and feel like home. Even after 6½ years, she’s still in darn good shape.

· The food. By and large, the food was great. I don’t expect everything to be perfect but the mix of the main dining room and specialty restaurants made fora great combination of food throughout the week.

· Cleanliness. The public restrooms were extremely clean. Attendants were cleaning constantly. Cleaning in all areas of the ship was ongoing.

· Quiet places. We wanted to relax this week. Our cabin and veranda were extremely quiet. The library and birds nest were filled with people reading and relaxing. Silhouette provided the perfect amount of relaxation needed.

· The officers. They were very visible, friendly and approachable throughout the cruise. Capt. Peppas runs a great ship!

· Value! When you factor in the price of the cruise including the GO BEST promotion, this cruise was an incredible value.

 

 

Finally, here are my tips for an enjoyable cruise…..

 

Smile and Be Friendly

I’ve found that if you are polite, smile and treat crew and other passengers in a kind way, they return the favor. When there is a challenge that needs to be addressed, do it in a nice manner. Please don’t yell at a crew member. You are less likely to be helped when you yell.

 

Be Considerate of Other Passengers

Hold a door or elevator; don’t put things on pool chairs when you have no intention of sitting in the chair for hours; don’t just stop in the middle of Oceanview or stand at a station with no idea of what you’d like to take as others would like to approach food stations, too; if you drop something (a napkin, for example) pick it up and throw it away; don’t talk in the theater during performances.

 

Laugh a Lot

We hear a lot of laughter this week and we laughed a lot.

 

Don’t Hog Pool Chairs

I’ll never understand the pool chair saving. If everyone used the chairs when they were actually poolside and vacated them while they are off doing other things, there wouldn’t be a chair problem at the pool. If you plan to be gone longer than an hour, vacate the chair. You’ll find another one if you come back later if everyone did this.

 

Keep in Mind How Hard Crew Members Work

The greater majority of the people working on cruise ships work VERY hard to help us have a great vacation. They are away from their families for extended periods of time and work far longer hours than we do back home. Let a crew member know how much you appreciate their hard work; tell them what a great job they are doing if applicable; smile and be kind to them and they will return the favor.

 

Keep in mind that the observations and comments in this review are my own opinion and I'm sure others may have difference experiences. Thanks for all the kind comments. HAPPY CRUISING TO ALL!

Edited March 5, 2018 by Host Anne

[Algebralovr]

We are on the April 1 sailing and were wondering if anyone knows if the Porch Restaurant was still open on the ship.

Thanks for the review too.

The Porchvis open, with the seafood based menu for $30pp (I believe). We had lunch there on Saturday.

 

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[Host Anne]

Hi Anne, as usual, a fantastic review:) enjoyed following along. Are you and Andy still going on EDGE in January?

 

You are so kind, Lois. Thanks for your nice comments. Unfortunately, we had to cancel Edge for next year due to work commitments but we will reschedule. Bummed that I'll miss you!

[Host Anne]

Host Anne, can you tell me where the Trivia was held? Last year on the Silhouette, it was held in the Ensemble Bar and twice we could not find seats, so could not participate. It really is too small for a very popular activity.

Also, were they not enforcing the 30 minute rule on chair saving at the pool? Last March on the Silhouette, the pool attendants, would put a card on the chair and then remove the belongings after 30 minutes. It didn't always work like clockwork, but at least they were making an attempt.

 

Hi Trish ~ All trivia sessions were held in Sky Lounge on deck 14. There was plenty of room for everyone. I remember the days that Ensemble was so crowded for trivia. Good to move it to Sky.

 

As for the 30 minute rule....I didn't stand outside and watch for pool butlers to remove items but from the many times I crossed the pool decks (including early in the morning) there were far too many chairs with towels and items on them but no people at all times. In fact, I wondered where everyone was much of the time as there were few people in the pool but no chairs available. I'll have to hang around and watch next time. Hope they are enforcing the 30-min rule on your cruise.

[Host Anne]

Thanks for the info, Anne. Our first time in a suite so maybe I will also check with the concierge in Michael's Club

Bill

 

Bill ~ I'm guessing the concierge in Michael's Club can definitely assist you. Enjoy Michael's....still my favorite room on the ship (even though we no longer have access).

 

Have a wonderful time!

[Host Anne]

We are on the April 1 sailing and were wondering if anyone knows if the Porch Restaurant was still open on the ship.

Thanks for the review too.

 

Hello Peter & Monique ~ yes, the Porch is still open. We didn't dine there but it's still a lovely spot on the ship. ENJOY!

[Host Anne]

Making my way through my photos. I hope to post a link to them tomorrow....have a great rest of the evening!

[riclop]

Thanks for sharing.

[maxobb]

Thanks Anne for the wonderful posts! You sacrificed a lot of your vacation for others and it’s greatly appreciated.

[Eliz]

Wonderful, detailed review. Thanks so much. Can't wait for our 3/25 sailing!

 

Elizabeth

[Cruise a holic]

Thanks for sharing Less then two weeks until we board!

[Orator]

Thanks for your review.

[Trish Traveler]

Thanks Anne for the answers to my questions and for the excellent review. We will be on the Silly in less than two weeks! Thanks also for your excellent review. I look forward to your pictures.

[Host Anne]

Thanks Anne for the answers to my questions and for the excellent review. We will be on the Silly in less than two weeks! Thanks also for your excellent review. I look forward to your pictures.

 

Not quite finished with my photos....had 700+ to go through and didn't quite finish. Hope to have a link posted tomorrow. :-)

[dandee2]

· Stop all the crew asking for excellent marks on the post cruise evaluation form. We were asked this far more often than ever before. The begging for marks is a bit concerning. Reminding us that it is important to complete the evaluation would be sufficient.

 

Same here. We never give a 10 (nobody is perfect) but would give a 9 for exceptional service and workmanship. However, begging for a 10 got them an 8 (which, IMO, is quite an achievement considering the amount of work they do.). Our local RapidLube is also using this tactic, implying that headoffice only counts the 10.

 

Our overall rating for the 11-18 February is an 8. Celebrity would have gotten an 9 if it was not for the chair hogs and the dress code not enforced.

[Renken]

Not quite finished with my photos....had 700+ to go through and didn't quite finish. Hope to have a link posted tomorrow. :-)

 

:hearteyes:

[hopiko]

Hi Ann, thank you for taking the time to write this detailed and very enjoyable review. I have been on many cruises, but it has been awhile. I read your review as I am taking my kids on the Silhouette for their spring break. We usually go to St. Thomas but due to the storms, that wasn’t possible. I appreciate the time you took to write about St. Thomas, St. John and St. Maarten...truly devastating.

 

Anyway, we will be aboard on the April 1 sailing and your review has given my wonderful ideas of things that we can plan that will delight!!

 

Thank you!

 

Looking forward to your pictures!!!

[Host Anne]

Hi everyone ~ thanks for all your kind comments. Wish we were still onboard Silhouette!!!

Copy and paste this link into your browser to see a few of my photos: pix.sfly.com/oftQjPJ8 You'll notice I kind of like sunsets!

I named them so they would post in order and you could see what they were but that's not working for me. I'll try to correct it later but this will give you an idea of what we saw! ENJOY

[in2up2]

Agree with most of what Anne posted. Considering all the recent negative reviews, was very pleased with my 4th Silhouette cruise. We ate in the MDR 5 nights. Our server was very good. Had one negative with a seriously overcooked steak one night and he replaced it twice until it was perfect. Did find the choice of music in the LCG odd, but I'm a grown up 80s metal head, so I actually enjoyed it.

 

As always, the creme brûlée was fantastic. Always appreciate how X managed to turn out perfect crime brûlée across the line.

 

My biggest gripe continues to be what they did the brioche. Awful.

 

 

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[MamaChach]

Thank you to all who took the time to share your vacation opinions with all of us excitedly waiting to board!

[Trish Traveler]

Absolutely beautiful photos Anne! You have a great eye for photography. Did you use a camera or a phone? I really like how Shutterfly sets up those photos for viewing. What is the feature you use with them to do that? You gave us an amazing "snapshot cruise" of the Silhouette and the beloved eastern Caribbean. The hurricane damage is heartbreaking, but important for us to see to know that the people of those islands are still struggling and that tourism is an important part of bringing their economy back. Looks like they have most of the port areas up and running, and enjoyable. Thanks for sharing. I'm excited to be going on the Silhouette in 11 days!!!:cool:

[Silkroad]

Lovely photos, Anne! Thanks so much for posting your helpful review:). Having read the recent negative reviews, I find your review very encouraging. Celebrity does so many things right, and I hope that doesn’t change.

 

I do hope Celebrity improves the negative items on your list, especially the service animal issue. It’s absolutely ridiculous that a service animal (though I doubt this animal was entitled to the designation) should have it’s face near food items at the bar! Should this become common, I will find a cruise line with a stricter policy.

[Algebralovr]

Agree with most of what Anne posted. Considering all the recent negative reviews, was very pleased with my 4th Silhouette cruise. We ate in the MDR 5 nights. Our server was very good. Had one negative with a seriously overcooked steak one night and he replaced it twice until it was perfect. Did find the choice of music in the LCG odd, but I'm a grown up 80s metal head, so I actually enjoyed it.

 

 

Agreed! We enjoyed two weeks on board. Did LCG 3 times over the two weeks. We liked the mus8c as well.

 

 

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[Renken]

Thank you for the cruise review and your beautiful photos, Anne. I was hoping I'd spot my son and his girlfriend in the pictures, but they must have been camera shy. ;-) They also had a wonderful time. Planning my own cruise now...