Edge or Silhouette for an Anniversary Cruise?

[EMc&DrS]

We've sailed Celebrity three times--all on Reflection--twice in Aqua Class and once in a corner aft sky suite.  We loved all three cruises.  We are now trying to decide between a week on the Edge to the Western Caribbean (probably a sunset veranda or possibly an aqua class room) or nine days on the Silhouette to the Southern Caribbean (more likely a sunset veranda--aqua class is pretty pricy).  We've been wanting to give the Edge a try, but we've been to the WC numerous times.  We've never been to the SC, but is the Silhouette going to be just like going on the Reflection a fourth time? 

 

Suggestions?  Opinions?  Thanks in advance.

[hcat]

We liked EDGE but the western Carib itin is not our fav... We had AQ  with Inf Veranda, BLU and access to the  amazing thermal suite.  Ship is the highlight, esp the EDEN space and modern theater. EDGE  will be  stunningly different but is not everyone's cup of tea.  Check out the many reviews!    We are booked again in a Sunset Veranda for ABC islands and will have the 4 mdr plan.

 

We really like Silhouette  yet disliked Reflection...too crowded and the  aft  layout  were negs for us. Yes, Silho is similar so you may not feel it is  something different.    Southern Carib is a great itin...  

 

Difficult choice!   Good luck..

[jelayne]

We are going on the Edge for a 2nd time.  We felt like 7 days wasn’t enough time to experience all the ship had to offer.  The food and service were the best we have experienced on Celebrity.  The venues were different than on the rest of the fleet, different activities, different decor.  We did the Eastern Caribbean and didn’t get off the ship.

Silhouette will be very much like your cruises on the Reflection.  

If you want itinerary then go with the Silhouette.  If you want something different than your previous cruises go with the Edge.  Either way you can’t lose,  you will be celebrating your anniversary on a cruise.

[vtcruising]

As many do, we sometimes cruise more for the ship and sometimes more for the itinerary. We prefer S and Edge Class, but when the itinerary is right, we sail M Class and focus more on the ports, though of course enjoy the ship too. We have the Millie booked for Alaska because we want to do Southern route. We've done most Carib ports, so when we cruise now, it is mostly for the ship, and we love staying on the ship in most ports to "have the ship to ourselves." It sounds like you are torn between having a better itinerary and experiencing the excitement of a new ship.

 

Our favorite ship before the Edge was the Reflection and you can't go wrong sailing on the Silhouette (also a great ship and a somewhat different feel than the Reflection). You would also be going on a longer cruise and doing some ports you haven't done. A nice anniversary dinner in Murano would be a safe bet for a wonderful evening. Going on the Silhouette is probably the safe choice.

 

The Edge will give you unique experiences, gorgeous artwork throughout the ship, 4 MDRs, new specialty restaurants, superior food IMO, amazing theater, the gorgeous Eden, etc.  The Thermal Suites are wonderful on the Edge and free for AQ.   I'm not sure if you have read about the Infinite Verandas (which would be AQ) - some people like them, others don't.  The Sunset Verandas have been universally liked so far so you probably couldn't go wrong there. If you are the adventurous type and want to try something totally new, this would be the right choice.

 

You can't lose really, IMO, but you would have to choose between the new itinerary and the ship you will certainly  like and a shorter cruise to known ports, but experiencing the excitement of a whole different class of ship. 🙂

Edited July 16, 2019 by vtcruising

[JFontaine]

If you can swing a suite on the Edge that's what I would do.  Forget the ports, go for the ship. 

[EMc&DrS]

11 hours ago, hcat said:

We liked EDGE but the western Carib itin is not our fav... Southern Carib is a great itin...  

 

Difficult choice!   Good luck..

 

Western isn't our favorite either.  We had a bad experience in Cozumel, so we always view that as a day to stay onboard and explore the ship--which would be perfect on Edge.  However, I've wanted to visit the Southern Carib for years.  It is a difficult choice.

 

11 hours ago, jelayne said:

We are going on the Edge for a 2nd time.  We felt like 7 days wasn’t enough time to experience all the ship had to offer.  

If you want itinerary then go with the Silhouette.  If you want something different than your previous cruises go with the Edge.  Either way you can’t lose,  you will be celebrating your anniversary on a cruise.

 

Glad to hear you liked Edge enough to go back again.  We've read a good bit of negative reviews lately.  With that said, we've been on something like 16 cruises over the past 14 years, and we've never had a truly bad cruise!  Edge does seem like a great opportunity to explore a new type of ship.

 

 

11 hours ago, vtcruising said:

As many do, we sometimes cruise more for the ship and sometimes more for the itinerary. It sounds like you are torn between having a better itinerary and experiencing the excitement of a new ship.

 

Our favorite ship before the Edge was the Reflection and you can't go wrong sailing on the Silhouette. You would also be going on a longer cruise and doing some ports you haven't done. A nice anniversary dinner in Murano would be a safe bet for a wonderful evening. Going on the Silhouette is probably the safe choice.

 

The Edge will give you unique experiences, gorgeous artwork throughout the ship, 4 MDRs, new specialty restaurants, superior food IMO, amazing theater, the gorgeous Eden, etc. If you are the adventurous type and want to try something totally new, this would be the right choice.

 

You can't lose really, IMO, but you would have to choose between the new itinerary and the ship you will certainly  like and a shorter cruise to known ports, but experiencing the excitement of a whole different class of ship. 🙂

 

 

Thanks for your reply.  You've given us several good points to consider.  We celebrated our 25th Anniversary on our first Reflection cruise several years ago.  Murano did make a great choice for an anniversary dinner!

 

11 hours ago, JFontaine said:

If you can swing a suite on the Edge that's what I would do.  Forget the ports, go for the ship. 

 

 

I WISH!!  The prices of the suites are steep.  We sailed on the MSC Seaside a year ago and were lucky enough to grab one of the two Royal Suites (the top suite on MSC ships).  The suite was enormous and had a huge deck with a dining table for 6, a hot tub, two cushioned loungers, and a few chairs with foot stools.  We even had a totally private covered cabana at the Yacht Club pool for the entire week to which our butler would deliver champagne, sushi, etc.  The butler service and suite amenities in the MSC Yacht Club are second to none. Total cost was just over $6K-- $1000 less the a Sky Suite 3 on Edge.  We were definitely spoiled.  I see for a mere $47,900+, we could grab the Iconic Suite for the sailing we are considering!!

[ipeeinthepool]

This is an easy one,  the bride gets to make the decision.  Yes, she is still the bride on an anniversary cruise. 

[EMc&DrS]

2 minutes ago, ipeeinthepool said:

This is an easy one,  the bride gets to make the decision.  Yes, she is still the bride on an anniversary cruise. 

 

Ha!  She is leaning towards Edge!

[ipeeinthepool]

1 minute ago, EMc&DrS said:

 

Ha!  She is leaning towards Edge!

 

That would have been my guess,  sounds like the Edge to me.  Whatever makes her feel special.

[vtcruising]

The Western Carib isn't our first choice either, though did enjoy the two ports that we did excursions for on our last Western Carib cruise.  We stayed onboard the Edge for rest of our cruises and still didn't see everything and do everything we wanted to do after 14 days total. We did get off in Cozumel on our January cruise and did the Chef's Market Discovery and had an amazing time. It is a small group with a comfortable van - the tour guide was phenomenal and one of Celebrity's Chefs went along.  We went to a chocolate factory and had a special tour there, went to a market in full swing with the Chef and guide, had a private tequila tasting and then had lunch in a lovely restaurant. We went back to the ship for the rest of the day and then met for champagne, had a galley tour with things in full swing and then had a 6 course dinner that evening that the Chef presented and explained (some local items such as fresh grouper were served) and bottomless wine. It was a great way to spend the day in Cozumel and fun to be able to pepper the Chef with questions (he was in charge of all the specialty restaurants and Luminae).

 

We also went to Maya Chan Beach Resort for our day in Costa Maya (if you haven't been, it is a lovely place run by a cruising couple from the US who have put a lot of thought into creating a paradise for cruisers) - a very relaxing, low key way to spend a day. Other than that, we stayed onboard and had fun exploring and doing new things. We will be going back to the Edge in 6 months and then on to her sister Apex for a couple of cruises.

 

Choices are difficult, though in this case, you have two great options!

 

 

 

 

[EMc&DrS]

15 minutes ago, vtcruising said:

 

We also went to Maya Chan Beach Resort for our day in Costa Maya (if you haven't been, it is a lovely place run by a cruising couple from the US who have put a lot of thought into creating a paradise for cruisers) - a very relaxing, low key way to spend a day. Other than that, we stayed onboard and had fun exploring and doing new things. We will be going back to the Edge in 6 months and then on to her sister Apex for a couple of cruises.

 

Choices are difficult, though in this case, you have two great options!

 

 

 

 

 

We did Maya Chan back in 2011 and would do it again.  What a great experience!  We were in CM on a cruise that arrived at 7 AM and departed at 3 PM.  Would love to go back to Maya Chan so we could enjoy the entire day.

[vtcruising]

2 minutes ago, EMc&DrS said:

We did Maya Chan back in 2011 and would do it again.  What a great experience!  We were in CM on a cruise that arrived at 7 AM and departed at 3 PM.  Would love to go back to Maya Chan so we could enjoy the entire day.

I originally booked the Western Carib again on the Edge next January just to go to Maya Chan again, but decided to change it to the Eastern Carib because the dates were better. We will definitely go back there again. We felt very pampered with our own little Pergola with loungers in the shade and sun, yummy unlimited beverages and authentic Mexican lunch from the grill. They even had a bucket of suntan lotion and bug spray, if you forgot yours. The best part was our double massage - so relaxing! A memorable day!

[TeeRick]

I personally would sail Silhouette over Edge in the Caribbean.  I have done both ships there.  Edge is all about the ship but itineraries are kind of boring for people who have cruised a lot.  Silhouette is my favorite S-Class ship.  Very friendly with great service.  Probably a better price too.

[miched]

We don’t care for the W. caribbean either.   We sailed on the Edge in AQ and did both E and W on a B2B   It was unique and would do it again if the price came back to reason.  We liked everything about it.   I liked the new layout of the Martini Bar, Eden area and bar was nice.   Magic Carpet bar nice place to sit and enjoy a drink.  For us all the seating and chairs were comfortable and useful instead of just decorations like on the other ships.  If you can handle the extra cost premium of the Edge go for it.  Use the ship as the destination instead of the ports.

 

The Silhouette is a nice ship and basically the same as the Reflection.  The Reflection is basically an expansion of the other S Class ships with a few modifications.   Many don’t like the additions or changes and some do.  

 

Personally for the same cost for a 9 day cruise on the Silhouette or a 7 on the Edge.  I would sacrifice the 2 days and crappy ports to experience the Edge.    

 

That is my personal opinion and I am sure others will be different .  We all have different likes and tastes and etc.  There is no right or wrong

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

 

Edited July 17, 2019 by miched

[gerelmx]

We celebrate our 34 anniversary onboard the Silhouette, I prefer the longer itineraries. My room attendant give us several gifts.

 

 

[EMc&DrS]

8 hours ago, TeeRick said:

I personally would sail Silhouette over Edge in the Caribbean.  I have done both ships there.  Edge is all about the ship but itineraries are kind of boring for people who have cruised a lot.  Silhouette is my favorite S-Class ship.  Very friendly with great service.  Probably a better price too.

 

 

Thank you for your insight.  Since we've only sailed Reflection, it might be interesting to compare her to one of the older S-class ships.

 

8 hours ago, miched said:

We don’t care for the W. caribbean either.   We sailed on the Edge in AQ and did both E and W on a B2B  f you can handle the extra cost premium of the Edge go for it.  Use the ship as the destination instead of the ports.

 

The Silhouette is a nice ship and basically the same as the Reflection.    

 

Personally for the same cost for a 9 day cruise on the Silhouette or a 7 on the Edge.  I would sacrifice the 2 days and crappy ports to experience the Edge.    

 

 

 

I agree, except we have never been to the Southern Caribbean (Aruba, Curacao, Bonaire.)  We are very much beach people, but are okay with making the ship our priority if it is ports we've been to so many times like Cozumel.  We really want to experience the Edge, but is it worth sacrificing the chance to visit the Southern Car.? My wife is a school principal, so we don't have the flexibility to cruise much during the school year, and the Southern Car is usually only available in the summer on Carnival. We've sailed Carnival four times, but I think we'd rather stick with other lines at this point now that our kids are grown. This is a rare chance for us to fit in the SC during the school year when she if off. But are the SC ports worth visiting???

 

 

8 hours ago, gerelmx said:

We celebrate our 34 anniversary onboard the Silhouette, I prefer the longer itineraries. My room attendant give us several gifts.

 

 

Congratulations on 34+ years.  This will be 31 for us.  It's nice for us that our Anniversary usually falls during Thanksgiving week, so we have the whole week off and typically take a cruise to celebrate every other year.  I agree with you about the longer itineraries.  The more you cruise, the more it seems like 7 days just isn't enough!  Is that being greedy?!?  

[Host Anne]

My opinion only. 

 

We've sailed both ships.  I personally much prefer the S-class ships for a number of reasons so if I were choosing between an eastern Caribbean vs western Caribbean cruise, the eastern itinerary and an S-class ship would always win for me.  Plus I'd definitely take the two extra days on Silhouette.  You can always sail Edge down the road.  Don't get me wrong, with the exception of the infinite verandas and the often abnormally loud music, we enjoyed our cruise on Edge.  We're going again because we have friends who really wanted to try Edge.  But our next three Celebrity cruises are on Equinox, Eclipse and Reflection.

 

I have no interest in Western Caribbean itineraries unless I wanted to stay on a ship for the entire time. 

 

Good luck with your decision and enjoy whichever you choose!

[miched]

23 hours ago, miched said:

 

 

Personally for the same cost for a 9 day cruise on the Silhouette or a 7 on the Edge.  I would sacrifice the 2 days and crappy ports to experience the Edge.    

 

That is my personal opinion and I am sure others will be different .  We all have different likes and tastes and etc.  There is no right or wrong

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

 

 

My opinion doesn’t change but it I would have to give in to my wife’s opinion if we were giving the same choices

 

I asked my wife and she said no way would she sail on the Edge to the W Car for 7 days over 9 on the Silhouette to the Southern.   

 

She so her opinion counts more than mine.

 

Happy anniversary and enjoy your cruise

 

Here  are words of wisdom. 

 

Marriage is like a deck of cards

 

it starts with 2 hearts and a diamond. 

 

And  unfortunately can end with a club and a spade.  

 

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

 

Edited July 18, 2019 by miched

[Cruise a holic]

A tough question- we really enjoy the Silly and Reflection- love the lawn grill.  However the Edge is great- just not a infinite veranda.  Try for a aft cabin or better still, if a special anniversary and your budget works- a sky suite.

 

We loved both.  The extra couple of days also a nice perk.

[vermonter16]

Celebrity needs to change their itineraries a bit.  Based on ship, I would go Edge in a heartbeat.  She is a beautiful ship and has so much to offer.  I didn't think I'd initially like her and fell in love after we boarded.  The Silhouette is a wonderful ship and I do love the Solstice class - however, I like the Edge even more.  It is a complete change up from their other ships and I believe for the better.  But - weigh the pros and cons and cost, etc - Edge is definitely in a realm of its own.

Edited July 18, 2019 by vermonter16

[Cruise a holic]

Western Caribbean IMO nice itinerary.  We prefer it to the eastern route- we enjoy the southern the most. 

[phoenix_dream]

If you are talking about 9 nights that include the ABC's versus 7 nights in the Western Caribbean, then IMHO there is no question there at all!  ABC and 9 nights wins any time.  Love the ABC's and love the longer cruises.  

[Doctor G]

In April I spent a week on the Edge and never got off the ship.  I did not like the itinerary, but wanted to experience the Edge.  I loved it.  There was so much to see and experience that I never missed the land.  However, the Southern Caribbean is a much better itinerary.  As others have said, it really depends on how you want to spend your anniversary.