Silhouette ABC Island Live Review 11/22-12/1... A Royal Suite Experience

[Georgia_Peaches]

Sitting comfortably on our balcony enjoying a cup of coffee, I have a little time to play catch up on the last couple of days.

Curacao was our second port of call and for this day we did not book an excursion opting instead to walk the little town on our own.  The ship docks very close to the swinging bridge and shopping area.  It had been several years since our last visit and I noticed quite a bit of development that was not around the last time...this is especially true in the old fort area that is linked to the Renaissance  Hotel resort and casino.  We made our way over the bridge and wandered the streets before heading back to the water front for a beer at one of the outdoor cafes.  This was a great opportunity to watch the bridge swing open allowing one of the nearby ships to pass.  Making our way back to the Silhouette, we paid a visit to one of my favorite European based clothing stores called Mango.  I was first introduced to Mango in Barcelona several years ago and really like the European clothing style (at affordable prices) that I can't easily find back home.  BHE waited for over an hour while I tried on this and that...but the trade off was the refreshing A/C inside the store compared to the blistering heat of the Curacao day. 

 

Back on board, we ate lunch at Sushi on 5 before spending a little time in the solarium.  Sushi on 5 redeemed itself from the other day with great service and food.  Our drink orders were delivered promptly and the food was delicious!

 

Dinner was in Luminae and this was our first time dining here since our embarkation lunch.  We were given a nice table for two near the window and after being seated, were promptly "forgotten" about for nearly 20 minutes.  During that time were were visited only by the bread and water server while we waited for the wine menu as well as the MDR menu.  The pace picked up once I was able to get the attention of the assistant waiter and the meal service seemed to get back on track.  Both BHE and I ordered a glass of Caymus Cabernet priced by the glass at $28.  I'm guessing that we were the only table ordering Caymus that night because the sommelier had to open a new bottle and then offered the bottle to us at a discount which we gladly accepted.  The meal itself was just ok.

 

The show for the evening was called "Cosmopolitan" and featured the Silhouette singers and dancers.  The costumes, vocals, and dancing were once again, very enjoyable.  We aren't certain which show was better, the first night or this one, but we are certain that this is one of the most talented group of ship entertainers we've seen.

 

Some pictures of the day...

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

What is on top of the rice? It looks like partly melted and smushed American “cheese”.

[Wolf 8]

My wife & I are thoroughly enjoying your reports in advance of our 12/13/19 sailing.  Also, your photos have been well composed and sharply focused.  I would like to ask a question.  If you have heard any smaller musical acts onboard could you tell me what styles they played and the venue(s)?  Thank you!

[calicakes]

3 hours ago, WrittenOnYourHeart said:

What is on top of the rice? It looks like partly melted and smushed American “cheese”.

It looks like mandarin oranges. 

[Jim_Iain]

Really enjoying your review.   What a wonderful way to spend your anniversary.

 

I chucked to myself when I saw the Crab Parfait at Murano's.     A couple years ago we took a cooking class (highly recommended) and one of our dishes we were taught to prepare was the Parfait.   Long story short -  I missed the instruction to layer the ingredients and mixed them all together.   Needless to say mine didn't come out with the beautiful layers. 

 

BTW -  they usually don't advertise the cooking class and if they have one you have to ask to be put on the list.   After your class the Chef serves you the complete meal in the private dining room area paired with nice wines.

[Georgia_Peaches]

4 hours ago, WrittenOnYourHeart said:

What is on top of the rice? It looks like partly melted and smushed American “cheese”.

Yes, it was mandarin orange. The dish was some sort of Asian inspired duck. The other picture is, believe it or not, prime rib. 

[Georgia_Peaches]

40 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

Really enjoying your review.   What a wonderful way to spend your anniversary.

 

I chucked to myself when I saw the Crab Parfait at Murano's.     A couple years ago we took a cooking class (highly recommended) and one of our dishes we were taught to prepare was the Parfait.   Long story short -  I missed the instruction to layer the ingredients and mixed them all together.   Needless to say mine didn't come out with the beautiful layers. 

 

BTW -  they usually don't advertise the cooking class and if they have one you have to ask to be put on the list.   After your class the Chef serves you the complete meal in the private dining room area paired with nice wines.

Thank you for the cooking class info. That sounds like fun...especially if you get to eat in the end!

[Georgia_Peaches]

3 hours ago, Wolf 8 said:

My wife & I are thoroughly enjoying your reports in advance of our 12/13/19 sailing.  Also, your photos have been well composed and sharply focused.  I would like to ask a question.  If you have heard any smaller musical acts onboard could you tell me what styles they played and the venue(s)?  Thank you!

A duo called Two Strings in a Boat plays in the Ensemble Lounge most evenings. They play a modern twist to classical string music as well as contemporary music. There has also been a house band that plays in the atrium usually starting in the early evening. The last several nights have been themed music also in the atrium starting at 10:30 pm. There was an ABBA sing along and tonight is a throwback to the 60’s.  

[Georgia_Peaches]

Third Port: Bonaire

 

This is my new favorite island in the Caribbean!  Yesterday was our first experience on this tiny island and I would describe it as nothing short of a beautiful gem.  We rented a golf cart from Bonaire Cruisers at the rate of $99 for the day plus a refundable security deposit of $100.  I can't say enough about our experience with Bonaire Cruisers.  They had a representative waiting for us at the pier and then guided us to the nearby golf cart location.  After a brief orientation to the cart operations as well as the island map, we were off.  It is possible to tour the entire island in a single day, even with stops.  We took the north loop first stopping at the 1000 steps look out followed by a stop at the highest elevation on the island.  The views were breath taking.  We then made our way around the south loop past the salt flats, flamingo habitat, and beautiful beaches where you could watch all kinds of water sports in action from SCUBA diving to kite surfing.  We stopped at an open air bar called Jibe City Hang Out to have a beer on the deck and watch the turquoise blue water.  BHE said it's the most beautiful water he's seen in the Caribbean. The "hang out" was started in 1989 as a kite surfing school (still going strong) and over time, evolved into a very cool attraction on the south loop.  We loved the low key vibe and felt like we were truly hanging out among the locals.  Our day ended with a return of the golf cart at about 2:30 in the afternoon.  We started around 9 AM so it was a pretty long day.  

Here are some pics...more to follow.

 

Edited November 28, 2019 by Georgia_Peaches

[Wolf 8]

Thanks for the info on the other musical entertainment.  Your newest post about Bonaire Cruisers is very intriguing.  Learning that renting a cart there offers such a safe, varied experience might make us change our plans to that for the day.

[TommyD3]

12 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

 

 

This is prime rib in Luminae for dinner ???

WOW - That is ABSURD !!!

[CoconutOne]

Thanks so much for the review! The ABCs are on my list, and this just reaffirms they're good places to go!

[Georgia_Peaches]

40 minutes ago, TommyD3 said:

 

This is prime rib in Luminae for dinner ???

WOW - That is ABSURD !!!

Yes, pretty much our thought as well. 

[DENIE]

Thanks for your review.  We did this cruise in November 2018 on the Silhouette, and loved it.  We just had a veranda stateroom on deck 7.  Would love to return to the ABC's again someday.  The Silhouette was fabulous. 

 

Happy Anniversary!

[groryjm]

On 11/24/2019 at 1:38 PM, Georgia_Peaches said:

...........  I have two observations in particular that I think are worth mentioning:

1.  The cast reflected wonderful diversity like none we've seen lately.  It was refreshing.

2.  The female performers represented several different body types...again, more reflective of the average woman...again, refreshing......

 

 

We were onboard in October so I assume it is the same cast we saw. I have to wholeheartedly agree with you about the female performers. It was a very pleasent change to see talanted dancers who didn't conform to the usual stick thin ones one usually sees. Celebrity are doing an execlent job at representing the diversity within society. 

[Georgia_Peaches]

5 hours ago, groryjm said:

We were onboard in October so I assume it is the same cast we saw.

Yes, it is the same cast.  In fact, I followed your review in anticipation of our voyage on Silhouette.  Does my memory serve me correct in recalling that you had a female butler?

[Exc]

Enjoying your journey. Boarding on Dec. 13. Any luck visiting the Apple store? Apple Watch 5?

thanks. 

[Oceangoer2]

22 hours ago, Wolf 8 said:

My wife & I are thoroughly enjoying your reports in advance of our 12/13/19 sailing.  Also, your photos have been well composed and sharply focused.  I would like to ask a question.  If you have heard any smaller musical acts onboard could you tell me what styles they played and the venue(s)?  Thank you!

 

We're also sailing 12/13 Silhouette....pics are lovely...sorry to hear you were 'dining in waiting'....I'm assuming Luminae was very busy...what time did you dine?

[Georgia_Peaches]

Thanksgiving Day...

Our third sea day was also our 2nd Chic night of the voyage.  I love that Thanksgiving fell on a sea day as it was very relaxing.  Rarely do we have a lot of scheduled activities when we cruise but this day was the exception.  We received an invitation to a special tour of the bridge which was held at 10:30 am.  The invitation was extended to a handful of people and judging from the turn out, it seems most all attended.  In all of my cruising experience, I had never toured the bridge.  Wow, what a view from the front!  Our tour began with a security check and then we followed a guide to the command center.  The view from this location is unbelievable and there is almost no angle from which the ship can't be seen. 

 

Later, we attended the World Wide Wine Tour held in Cellar Masters.  This was a complimentary event that was offered to us when we booked our wine pairing Chef's dinner.  The cost to participate is $29 pp but I thought I saw it offered a bit cheaper  in the cruise planner.  At any rate, the event was well attended...at least 150 people!  Cellar Masters was almost too small for the event but they had some tasting stations set up on the walkway outside the entrance which helped ease the crowd.  Basically, you are handed a wine glass and after an introduction, given an hour to try the 12 wines being offered as many times as you like.  They were also discounting the bottles by 50% during that event only, should anyone want to pick up a few to take home or have with dinner later in the evening.  We enjoyed the event and found a few wines that we liked as well.  I heard some people complaining about the crowded room and it was tight, but it ran smoothly and the sommeliers seemed knowledgeable about the wines and their regions.  

 

Dinner was in Luminae.  BHE and I had the traditional turkey dinner.  I didn't take pictures though.  It just didn't seem appropriate.  Shortly before dinner, and to pass a little time while BHE got ready for the evening, I looked at the threads on the Celebrity board to see what I've missed. It was then that I came across hcat's thread sharing the sad news about the passing of VTcruising....Marilyn.  I was shocked by the news and although I didn't know her personally, I appreciated her passion for cruising and felt that had we ever had an opportunity to meet, we would have had much in common.  The news reminded me that taking pictures of what I ate for dinner was not nearly as important as spending undivided time with my BHE.  So I left the phone in the room.  It is in that spirit that I will leave the rest of my review until we disembark. And only then to summarize a few thoughts about our suite, Celebrity's service, and the Silhouette experience in general.  Thank you to all who have followed and chimed in along the way...

 

 

 

 

[Georgia_Peaches]

21 minutes ago, Exc said:

Enjoying your journey. Boarding on Dec. 13. Any luck visiting the Apple store? Apple Watch 5?

thanks. 

Thank you so much.  Yes, stopped by yesterday and learned that they currently have Apple Watch 4 and it is "on sale" starting at $379.  Perhaps to make room for the 5's?  This was not clear.

[Georgia_Peaches]

20 minutes ago, oceangoer2 said:

 

We're also sailing 12/13 Silhouette....pics are lovely...sorry to hear you were 'dining in waiting'....I'm assuming Luminae was very busy...what time did you dine?

It was around 8:30.  It didn't seem over overwhelmingly crowded but certainly nobody was resting on their laurels...they were all hard at work.  If it was the norm every night, I'd be concerned but I think it was an isolated occurrence. 

[calicakes]

18 hours ago, Wolf 8 said:

Your newest post about Bonaire Cruisers is very intriguing.  Learning that renting a cart there offers such a safe, varied experience might make us change our plans to that for the day.

We went to the ABC's on the Equinox in Sept.  We tried to reserve a cart with Bonaire Cruisers, however they were sold out.  They were expecting a shipment of more carts, but they were delayed.  The owner suggested snorkeling with the Sea Cow.  We booked that thru the X.  I have to say, it was the best cruise excursion we've taken.  They picked us up right at the ship, in the Sea Cow.  We litterally, walked off the Equinox and walked over to the Sea Cow.  It was a great excursion!!   The crew was so passionate about Bonaire, the reefs, etc.  If you love to snorkel, you might consider that if you can't get a golf cart. 

[FRMPEI]

Enjoying your recount of your days! The golf carts are a neat idea. Where they gas or electric?

 

Regards,

Kevin Reid

[groryjm]

3 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Yes, it is the same cast.  In fact, I followed your review in anticipation of our voyage on Silhouette.  Does my memory serve me correct in recalling that you had a female butler?

yesin October we had Natalia and in August a man called Jackie

[Georgia_Peaches]

2 hours ago, calicakes said:

We went to the ABC's on the Equinox in Sept.  We tried to reserve a cart with Bonaire Cruisers, however they were sold out.  They were expecting a shipment of more carts, but they were delayed.  The owner suggested snorkeling with the Sea Cow.  We booked that thru the X.  I have to say, it was the best cruise excursion we've taken.  They picked us up right at the ship, in the Sea Cow.  We litterally, walked off the Equinox and walked over to the Sea Cow.  It was a great excursion!!   The crew was so passionate about Bonaire, the reefs, etc.  If you love to snorkel, you might consider that if you can't get a golf cart. 

Given the beauty of the water I can only imagine that this would be a fabulous experience. Should we be fortunate enough to return to Bonaire, we will definitely consider this option. Thank you for the tip.